Gbajabiamila urges Nigerians to join APC, revalidates party membership

The Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Saturday revalidated his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos.

Gbajabiamila, who undertook the exercise at his Surulere Constituency in Lagos, urged Nigerians to take advantage of the exercise to join the party.

According to him, APC is the only party committed to the delivery of democratic dividends to the citizens.

The speaker also implored the existing members of the party to participate and take advantage of the exercise to bring more people into the party.

He said: “I want to urge Nigerians to use the opportunity of the registration/re-validation exercise to join the party; APC is the number one party, APC is the party of progressives.

“I also urge all our party members to participate in the exercise to update their membership and take ownership of the party.

“You need to take ownership of the party, and until you have registered or have been revalidated, you are obviously not yet an authentic member of the APC.

“It was when members updated their membership of the party that they could make complaints and contribute their quotas to the progress of the party.”

We are engaging China for Covid-19 vaccine– Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, says Nigeria is making efforts to get the coronavirus vaccines from China.

Onyeama disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

He said hopefully by the end of February, Nigeria will get vaccines from China, one of its strategic partners, and from other countries.

“What we are engaging with China is in the area of vaccines for COVID-19, so we are also looking to import, to acquire significant vaccines from China and other partners too. I think in the short immediate time that is an area we will need China,” he said.

“They have cooperated with us with regards topersonal protective equipment and other things in our COVID response.

“So we are now at the stage of the vaccine and we are hoping that we can get some support from them in that area.

“There are different ways we are expecting to get the vaccines. There is the bilateral way as a country that we are negotiating.

“Then we have the framework of the African Union collectively as a continent, they are also engagements to receive vaccine.

“The African Union has made some headway, more than 400 million as what has been agreed to. So we were hoping that at the end of January we would have started receiving the vaccines.

“But I think almost certainly by the middle of February we should have started receiving,” Onyeama said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in January when the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Nigeria, the Federal Government opened discussions with China to have access to its COVID-19 vaccines.

Nigerians have, however, been expectant of vaccines, especially as the cases of COVID-19 in the country continues to surge.

Nigeria’s fight against COVID-19 suffered a setback when the World Health Organisation (WHO) disqualified the country from getting vaccines.

It’s better to invest in cows than cryptocurrency –Ex-presidential aspirant, Adamu Garba

A former presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Adamu Garba, has thrown his weight behind the recent directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), warning Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), other Financial Institutions (OFIs) and Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs), against having any transactions in cryptocurrency or facilitating payments for crypto exchanges.

Garba who posted on his Facebook page on Friday shortly after the order from the apex bank, said the initiative was a good move and advised Nigerian youths who had hitherto invested in cryptocurrency to diversify and invest in the cattle business instead.

Garba insisted that the CBN took “a proactive measure to protect Nigerians from fraudsters who deceive ordinary citizens and defraud them of their earnings.”

“Better Investments! Those who might have lost their monies through a shortcut business called Crypto should learn to invest on real assets, like cows, which assured of huge returns on investment.

“Cow ranching business is more lucrative than all cryptocurrencies combined. Crypto traders are supposed to be regularized so that they can be tracked in the event of cheats,” Garba wrote.

Atiku slams Nigerian govt, CBN for banning cryptocurrency transactions

Former Vice President and presidential candidate in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar, has slammed the Federal Government as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), over its order to banks to shout down cryptocurrency operations.

Atiku, in a statement on Saturday, faulted the apex bank over the policy, noting that with the present economic downturn in the country, Nigerians need all the help they can get to get out of the present economic quagmire.

In a statement titled, “We Need To Open Up Our Economy, Not Close It,” Atiku said the policy came at a very wrong time.

“This is definitely the wrong time to introduce policies that will restrict the inflow of capital into Nigeria, and I urge that the policy to prohibit the dealing and transaction of cryptocurrencies be revisited,” he said.

“The number one challenge facing Nigeria is youth unemployment. In fact, it is not a challenge, it is an emergency. It affects our economy, and is exacerbating insecurity in the nation.

“What Nigeria needs now, perhaps more than ever, are jobs and an opening up of our economy, especially after reports by the National Bureau of Statistics indicating that foreign capital inflow into Nigeria is at a four year low, having plummeted from $23.9 billion in 2019, to just $9.68 billion in 2020.

“Already, the nation suffered severe economic losses from the border closure, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is possible to regulate the sub sector and prevent any abuse that may be inimical to national security. That may be a better option than an outright shutdown.

“There is already immense economic pressure on our youths. It must be the job of the government, therefore, to reduce that pressure, rather than adding to it.

“We must create jobs in Nigeria. We must expand the economy. We must remove every impediment towards investments. We owe the Nigerian people that much.”

Zamfara to set up RUGA settlements for repentant bandits

The Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, has set out plans to build RUGA settlements for repentant bandits who are ready to embrace his peace moves and surrender their weapons, following their meeting with Islamic scholar, Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, on Thursday.

Making this known on Friday, Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Media and Publicity, Alhaji Zailani Baffa, said the government was taking this step following an amnesty arrangement it had with the bandits last year.

“Following the amnesty arrangement, the state government had, since last year, granted amnesty to some bandits who were in detention at various correctional centres in the state, just as the bandits also released some people they had kidnapped.

Governor Matawalle had already told the world that he had chosen dialogue as a means of ending banditry in the state and had granted amnesty to many repentant bandits.

“Arrangements are also in top gear to provide shelter to the repentant bandits through the construction of RUGA settlements in some parts of the state.”

Baffa added that following a tour to the state by Sheikh Gumi, many bandits have indicated their willingness to repent and join the governor’s peace accord.

“All the state government needs from the Federal Government is the deployment of more security personnel to the state so that we can fight those recalcitrant bandits who are not ready to surrender.

“We have gone far in this arrangement and it is yielding positive results,” he added.

Republican Party belongs to Trump – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene fiercely defended former President Trump during a press conference on Friday, arguing that the Republican Party “belongs to him.” 

The comments from Greene – whom Congress voted to remove from her committee assignments on Thursday for past inflammatory remarks – come as the party finds itself mired in conflict over the direction it should take in the post-Trump era.

Greene on Friday argued Trump remains popular with Republican voters.

“He was a president that wanted every single person to achieve and that’s why we supported him, that’s why I’ve always supported him,” she told reporters, adding that “the party is his and doesn’t belong to anybody else.”

A recent Morning Consult poll shows 50 percent of Republican voters feel Trump should play a “major role” in the party, with 81 percent holding a favorable opinion of him.

Greene has come under fire for her remarks made before she was elected to Congress expressing support for executing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and perpetuating conspiracy theories that the 9/11 terrorist attacks were a hoax. She also alleged the Parkland and Sandy Hook school shootings were false flags, praised the QAnon conspiracy theory and stated that there were lasers in space controlled by a Jewish family. She later walked back a number of her comments and apologized for some of her remarks.

Yet Greene – who has repeatedly pushed unsubstantiated claims that the election was stolen – asserted that she does not believe she nor Trump bear any responsibility for the insurrection at the Capitol that led to five deaths, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.

“This impeachment trial that will happen next week is a circus. It is a circus that allows the media companies to get lots of clicks, lots of views and sell ad dollars. You know what? That’s pretty disgusting too,” she continued. 

“Everyone here knows that he did not cause this attack on the Capitol, nor did I, nor did any Republican, but the responsibility falls squarely on those that invaded the Capitol, the ones that planned it ahead of time, those are the people that should be held accountable.”

Court To Hear Suit Against Nigerian Government Over NIN Registration, SIM Deactivation on February 8.

Ubani had in the petition sought to enforce his fundamental rights in the origination summons brought according to Section 44(1), 39(1)(2) and 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court as preserved by section 6 of 1999 constitution as amended.

he Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, has fixed February 8 for the hearing of the case against the Nigerian government over the compulsory linking of SIMs with valid National Identification Number.

This followed a petition by Monday Ubani, a former vice-president of Nigeria Bar Association, against the Federal Government, the Attorney General of the Federation, Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) and the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

Ubani had in the petition sought to enforce his fundamental rights in the origination summons brought according to Section 44(1), 39(1)(2) and 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended and under the inherent jurisdiction of the court as preserved by section 6 of 1999 constitution as amended.

He also prayed the court to grant an order directing the respondents to extend the deadline for SIM-NIN linkage for at least one year as the court may consider reasonable. 

But at the last hearing, one of the respondents argued that the applicant had no locus standi and has not complied with pre-action notice as required by the NCC Act. 

However, the court accommodated the processes and warned that all parties must be served timeously, while Ubani, the applicant, was mandated to respond to the preliminary objection within 48 hours. 

Therefore, the court adjourned the case’s hearing and judgment to Monday.

Ubani said: “The truth of the matter is this: if between 2012 and now, the country is only able to register about 56 million Nigerians, one is clearly at a loss on how the same country will perform the magic of registering about 70 million subscribers within four months, which is between January and April 2021.”

Ubani also cited the crowded and chaotic scenes at most NIMC registration centres in the country when the nation is battling a spike in COVID-19 cases.

He said the development demonstrates “the lack of wisdom in insisting on the earlier or later deadline as the situation on the ground depicts flagrant non-adherence to the simple social distancing protocols established by the National Taskforce on COVID-19 pandemic, thereby endangering lives”.

It will be illegal for SSANU and NASU to go ahead with its proposed strike – Ngige

Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige has described the proposed strike action by the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities as illegal. 

Ngige who asked the two unions to give the federal government three months to forward a supplementary budget to the National Assembly to cover arrears of the minimum wage that have not been paid to them, said it will be illegal for them to proceed on strike when discussions to sort out some of the contentious issues were still ongoing.

The Minister warned that if the negotiation and what has been agreed is not obeyed, then the ministry might have to refer the dispute upwards from the industrial arbitration panel to the national industrial court.

He said; 

“We will not claim ignorance of the fact that three unions in the University system, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU and the National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT had given us notice of strike.

“The first two unions SSANU and NASU did that under the umbrella of Joint Action Committee, JAC, and as government, we have moved to apprehend the strike because we just came out from a strike that lasted for nine months that was executed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU.

“So in consonance with the labour laws, we have apprehended both strikes. They gave us Trade dispute notice, we scheduled meetings with them after apprehension, we held a meeting with NASU and SSANU last week Tuesday and the government position was explained to them.

“They have a lot of issues mentioned as their grouse, issues like IPPIS. They said IPPIS has amputated some of their allowances, they also have the issue of consequential adjustment that was paid to all civil servants as a result of the new minimum wage of N30,000 for staff above Grade Level One, that is starting from Grade Level two up to level 17.

“Those in the University system have not received their own, that was an inadvertent omission and it was explained to them and even without their prompting, without their trying to go on strike, the government on its own has computed the amount involved up to January with effect from 19th April 2019 when the minimum wage took effect to January 2020, that is the allowance or the consequential amount that was missed in the 2020 budget.

“We explained that government plans to put that in the Supplementary budget of 2021 which will be submitted by the National Assembly as soon as the Minister of Finance resumes from vacation. On the issue of IPPIS, we explained to them that it is something that is of general application, a lot of civil servants, public servants had complained that some of their allowances were omitted in the payment of their emoluments.

“IPPIS office explained that it was work in progress, they are putting back those allowances and they showed evidence that they have put back so many. So these two issues are the cardinal issues in the points they have made.

“So in the main, after conferring with Mr President, we are telling the unions not to carry out the action because that action will run counter to ILO Statute on Social Dialogue and Principles at work because their employers have listened, they have brought them to the table. So for SSANU and NASU, we are imploring them not to carry out their threat which they said will take effect from this midnight.

“Moreso, when the meeting adjourned from their own instance. Just this morning I received a letter from them giving us a new date for the continuation of the dialogue, they proposed a new date of Thursday 11th of February and my office has communicated to the back that we will be ready for them at that time because as they claimed they needed time to consult with their constituency and come back on the fresh issues that have cropped up from the discussion. So I briefed Mr President on that.”

Former Plateau Deputy Governor, Jethro Akun is dead.

Jethro Akun, former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, is dead.

Akun, 76, was an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and a Member of the Order of the Niger (MON) awardee.

He served as Commissioner in Ministries of Information and Communication, as well as Youths and Sports.

Akun, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) state chairman, was appointed as Deputy Governor to then Acting Governor Michael Botmang after Joshua Dariye was impeached in November 2006.

Edo govt records 29 fresh cases of COVID-19, confirms 16 recoveries

The Edo State government has recorded no fewer than 29 fresh cases of COVID-19 and has also confirmed the recovery of 16 patients who have tested negative for the virus.

This was contained in a statement issued on Friday in Benin by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Osamwonyi Irowa, while briefing newsmen on the impact of the second wave of the pandemic in the state.

According to Dr Irowa who revealed that the 29 fresh cases were recorded in the last 24 hours, Edo State has thus far recorded a total of 32 deaths since the outbreak of the virus.

He also added that the State COVID-19 enforcement team are doing their best to ensure that the people comply with government directives and protocols to curtail the spread of the disease.

Dr Irowa said; “We are supporting and collaborating with Federal Institutions. We are putting up structures for Irrua Specialist Hospital to help manage cases.

“The state also has 645 active cases, who are currently receiving treatments from various isolation centres within the state.

“Since Dec. 1, 2020, when the state started tracking the second wave of the pandemic, we have collected 10,893 samples and recorded 1,195 confirmed cases, 523 recoveries and 32 deaths.

“The enforcement teams are doing their best to ensure that the people comply with government directives and protocols to curtail the spread of the disease. Irowa said that 10 persons have been convicted for breaching various COVID-19 protocols.

“I encourage everyone to comply with Government’s protocols as we intensify measures to curtail the spread of the pandemic,” he concluded.

Trump will have no access to intelligence briefing– Biden

President Joe Biden has said his predecessor Donald Trump should not be given access to intelligence briefings because of his “erratic behaviour”.

The US has a tradition of allowing former presidents to be briefed on the nation’s security issues – as a courtesy extended by the incumbent.

But when asked by CBS News if Mr Trump would receive the same courtesy, President Biden said “I think not”.

He cited Mr Trump’s “erratic behaviour” as his reason for refusing access.

The president declined to speculate on what his worst fears would be if Mr Trump were allowed to see classified reports, but he hinted that the former president could not be trusted to keep confidential information to himself.

“I don’t think there’s any need for him to have an intelligence briefing,” Mr Biden said in his first sit-down interview since becoming president.

“What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What value is there at all, other than that he might slip and say something?”

Mr Trump feuded with the intelligence community throughout his four-year presidency and went through six national intelligence directors.

He questioned reports by US agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and assailed intelligence chiefs for being “extremely passive and naive” over Iran.

In 2017, he disclosed highly-classified information to Russia’s foreign minister about an Islamic State operation in what was seen as a breach of trust by many in the US intelligence community.

During his CBS interview, President Biden was asked about the impeachment trial Mr Trump is facing in the US Senate for his role in the riot at the Capitol on 6 January.

Mr Biden said he “ran like hell to defeat” Mr Trump in the election “because I thought he was unfit to be president”, but he would leave the Senate to decide whether the Republican should be barred from ever holding public office again.

WTO LEADERSHIP: BIDEN IN “STRONG SUPPORT” OF NGOZI OKONJO IWEALA

The Biden administration has ended the deadlock over the next head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) by expressing its “strong support” for Nigeria’s ex-finance minister.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was frontrunner for the role until the Trump administration last October said it wanted another woman, South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee.

Ms Yoo has now withdrawn her candidacy.

If confirmed in the role, Dr Okonjo-Iweala would be the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO.

Dr Okonjo-Iweala on Friday praised her rival for the post and said: “There is vital work ahead to do together.”

A WTO nominations committee in October recommended its 164 members appoint Dr Okonjo-Iweala as a replacement to outgoing chief Roberto Azevedo; a spokesman at the time said all had approved the appointment “except for one”.

President Donald Trump – who had described the WTO as “horrible” and biased towards China – wanted Ms Yoo, South Korea’s trade minister.

Ms Yoo on Friday said her decision to withdraw her candidacy was made in “close consultation” with the US. She said: “South Korea will actively contribute to reaching consensus for the next WTO chief and co-operate with her and participate in the WTO reform process.”

The White House congratulated Ms Yoo on her “strong campaign” for the position and for being a “traiblazer” as South Korea’s first female trade minister.

In a statement, it said the “US stands ready to engage in the next phase of the WTO process for reaching a consensus decision on the WTO Director General”.

Igboho’s funding cannot be stopped- Igboho’s lawyer

Closing Cryptocurrency Accounts Can’t Stop Sunday Igboho’s Funding – Lawyer

Legal practitioner, Tommy Ojoge-Daniel, has said the recent warning issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria to financial institutions and others against doing businesses in crypto and other digital assets, cannot stop the fundraiser set up for Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho).

Ojoge-Daniel, disclosed this in an interview with the PUNCH on Friday shortly after the CBN issued its directive.

Supporters of Igboho had set up a Gofundme page for the purpose of raising £100,000 (N51.8 million) for him to buy buses.

The fundraiser, which was initiated by Maureen Badejo, a blogger and activist based in the United Kingdom, had garnered £26, 452 (N13.8 million) as of the time of filing this report.

It was gathered that crypto currency was one of the major ways through which funds sourced through crowd funding are accessed.

On Friday, the CBN directed banks in the country to close all cryptocurrency-related accounts.

In a statement on Friday, the regulator prohibited all financial institutions from facilitating cryptocurrency payments in the country.

This directive was contained in a letter addressed to all Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs)and other financial institutions (OFIs).

Ojoge-Daniel said, “It (CBN policy) does not affect it (Igboho’s funding) in any way in as much as crypto currency is an open source platform for peer to peer (P2P) exchange of value and it is largely untraceable.

“The open ledger (block chain) only tracks activities in wallets and cannot hinder or hamper individuals who have crypto in their wallets from sending it to the recipient wallet. They can only track the payments but can never track the payers. The only issue will be exchanging the crypto on a direct platform to a Nigerian account.”

No more death penalty- Virginia lawmakers

Lawmakers in the US state of Virginia have voted to abolish use of the death penalty as a criminal punishment.

On Friday the state’s House of Delegates followed its Senate in voting to end the practice, paving the way for Governor Ralph Northam to sign the repeal into law.

The decision means Virginia will become the first southern US state to abolish capital punishment.

The move comes at a time of renewed debate across the US about executions.

Former President Donald Trump resumed them on a federal level last year after a 17-year hiatus. Some 13 people were put to death in a matter of months – including six executions carried out after the election despite a flurry of legal challenges.

During his presidential campaign, Joe Biden said he would work to end the federal death penalty and encourage states to follow suit.

The United Nations says 170 of its 194 member states have abolished executions in law or practice and the US has faced repeated international criticism over its failure to do so.

According to Gallup poll research, public support for executions has dropped from a high of 80% in 1990 down to 55% in 2020.

The Virginia State Capitol is pictured on April 16, 2020
image captionThe state’s Democratic-led House voted 57-41 in favour of the move

Executions are still authorised in 28 states across the country – though several, including California, have enacted a moratorium on carrying the punishment out.

The Death Penalty Information Center says Virginia has executed 113 prisoners since 1976 – the second highest state tally behind Texas. Two men remain on death row in the state.

Governor Northam, a Democrat, is known to support the effort to abolish the punishment.

“The practice is fundamentally inequitable. It is inhumane. It is ineffective. And we know that in some cases, people on death row have been found innocent,” he said after the state’s Senate voted in its favour.

Children to be taught about national security law

Children in Hong Kong are to be encouraged and taught to be responsible citizens and law abiding citizens

Children as young as six are to learn about crimes under Hong Kong’s national security law.

Schools will be asked to monitor children’s behaviour and report any support for the pro-democracy movement, as part of new education rules.

The national security law was imposed last June with Beijing arguing it was needed to tackle unrest linked to pro-democracy protests in the city.

An image taken from Hong Kong education on the National Security Law
image captionThe new education guidelines were announced late on Thursday

Thousands of children became involved in the protests.

Hong Kong’s education bureau released the guidelines late on Thursday along with an animated video that explains to students what the national security law is.

The law criminalises secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces with the maximum sentence life in prison.

The video, featuring an owl and two students, explains that the national security law has been enacted “for the sake of Hong Kong’s continuous development and long-term prosperity”.

“We all know Hong Kong is an inalienable part of our country,” it tells students.

Primary school students will also be taught how to sing and respect the national anthem and learn about how the People’s Liberation Army protects Hong Kong. Older students will learn about the limits of Hong Kong’s rights and freedoms.

The national security law will also be incorporated into other subjects such as geography and biology.

Schools are required to stop students and teachers from singing specific songs – a nod to a trend in schools last year where children would drown out the Chinese national anthem with protest songs.

Any books that endanger national security will be removed from schools’ libraries.

The new guidelines have been criticised by Tin Fong-Chak, vice-president of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers Union.

Mr Tin told the Financial Times newspaper that the guidelines were “extremely meticulous”.

“The government basically does not trust schools. These measures will destroy the teacher-student relationship,” he said.

Hong Kong has had a high degree of autonomy since it was returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, and its residents have had a far higher level of freedom of speech and media than people on the mainland.

But the new law’s key provisions include that crimes of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces are punishable by a maximum sentence of life in prison.

It makes it easier to punish protesters, and reduces Hong Kong’s autonomy.

The law also gives Beijing powers to shape life in the former British colony in a way it never has before.

Critics say it effectively curtails protest and freedom of speech. China has said the new law will return stability to the territory after a year of unrest.

Governor Neysom Wike Speaks Again.

Governor Neysom Wike of Rivers state has played down the possibility of Bola Tinubu emerging as president of Nigeria in 2023.

The governor told journalists on Thursday, February 4, that the presidency will be way out of the reach of the national leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in the next general elections.

According to The Guardian, Wike advised the politician to forget about pursuing the presidency and channel his energy to other profitable ventures.

He made the statement in Yola, Adamawa state, while on an inspection tour of projects being executed by Governor Ahmadu Fintiri.

Bukola Saraki mourns Ekweremadu.

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki has mourned the passing of Enugu State commissioner for transport, Mr. Mathias Ekweremadu

DAILY POST had reported that Ekweremadu slumped at the Enugu State House of Assembly and was rushed to the Niger Foundation Hospital.

The commissioner, a younger brother to former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu was confirmed dead on arrival.

A source had hinted that he was holding meeting with the House of Assembly Committee on Transport, led by its chairman, Hillary Ugwu (Enugu East Rural) when the sad incident occurred.

#WTO: Okonjo-Iweala is sole candidate as South Korean withdraws.

South Korea’s candidate for the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Yoo Myung-Hee, has announced she will withdraw from the race.

It clears the path for Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who the General Council announced late last year , as the consensus candidate.

The World Trade Organization’s General Council Chair, David Walker announced in last October that Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had garnered the most support among WTO members to become the next global trade chief but her appointment was vetoed by the United States.

Korea’s Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee announced on Friday that she would withdraw her candidacy for the next World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General. Korea will continue to work with responsibility for the restoration of the multilateral trading system.

NOI, as she is fondly called, will be the first female and first African to head the WTO if affirmed by its 164 members.

Myunghee1’s withdrawal does not mean @NOIweala immediately becomes the WTO next Director-General.
That appointment is taken in a formal decision by the WTO’s 164 members.

Since the U.S. is the only WTO member blocking Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy, it remains to be seen whether the Biden administration will reverse the Trump administration’s veto and support her.

If there is no opposition from any WTO members, the chairman of the WTO general council, David Walker, can announce the resumption of the WTO suspended October general council meeting to consider the appointment of a new Director-General.

Checkout the Names of the 20 New Universities approved by the Federal Government.

The high population in our country, Nigeria has put a lot of pressure on the Educational institutions in the country especially polytechnics and Universities owned and managed by the federal or state government. Although Private Universities exists, but due to high costs of studying in such institutions, the federal and state Tertiary institutions are over crowded.

According to Reports from Channels Television, The Federal executive council approved the establishment of New Private Universities in the country, this was announced by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu. The minster of Education added that the Nigerian university commission would provide the license for the education institutions of Education to begin their full operations.

See the names of the New Universities approved by the federal government.