The Supreme Court has dismissed the application by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to admit fresh evidence in his appeal against President Bola Tinubu for lack of jurisdiction.

The apex court said Atiku’s petition was a friendly joke. It insisted that the petition could not be granted.

DAILY POST reported that Atiku had sought the leave of the apex court to present fresh evidence of forgery against Tinubu.

He pleaded with the court to look into the matter because of its constitutional and democratic implications.

The fresh evidence Atiku sought to tender was the academic records of Tinubu, which were handed over to him by the Chicago State University (CSU) on October 2.

The former Vice President had informed the court that the fresh evidence was crucial to his appeal, adding that it has inherent jurisdiction to entertain and decide on the application.

However, the Supreme Court said it has no jurisdiction to entertain the fresh evidence as the time limit allowed by the constitution has elapsed.

At the time of filing this report, the judgment was still ongoing.

As more Nigerians leave the country for better opportunities abroad, Sweden is introducing a new model to reduce the work permit application time for highly skilled workers outside the European Union, including Nigeria.

According to a statement by the Swedish Migration Agency, once the new model is implemented, a complete application for a work permit for highly qualified workers will receive a decision within 30 days.

“Helping these employers to make a complete application will reduce the processing time. It will be easier for the employer to contact us and get support in the process.

“The new model means a greater focus on the employer’s ability to bring highly qualified workers to Sweden. New international recruitment units will exclusively handle and provide service to the employers who recruit this group,” Mikael Ribbenvik, director general of the agency, said.

According to analysts at KMPG Sweden, the new model, which may be introduced at the end of the year, aims to bring flexibility and efficiency to businesses in planning to meet their labour needs.

“When implemented, the old certification scheme was only intended for about 20 big companies that had a recurring need to employ large numbers of individuals outside of the EU.

“Today, there are, according to the migration agency, far too many companies (640 mentioned during the press conference) that have been included in the certification process, and the authority has been unable to meet the target processing times of 10/20 days for the past 18 months.

“The certification scheme has lost its original purpose and will now be replaced with a new system, based on four categories,” they said.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri on Wednesday, said he is not disposed to celebrating his upcoming birthday on 27th October while his people are still facing challenges.

The Governor said this in a press statement through Humwashi Wonosikou, his Chief Press Secretary, noting that he is sensitive to the hardships faced by the people as they grapple with the economic effects of the policy direction of the federal government.

He said: “The solution to today’s new and complex challenges requires the strengthening and revitalization of an inclusive governance and policy direction which we are determined to pursue until every community is touched and nobody is left behind.”

Fintiri therefore added that: “I am not disposed to celebrating while challenges stare the people in the face. I am a Governor who has human feelings and will not leave anything to chance until all Adamawa citizens are comfortable.”

He rather requested that prayers be said on Friday in Mosques and in Churches on Sunday for peace and harmony in the land amid the challenges of fuel subsidy removal.

He also cautioned citizens, friends and his associates to avoid lavish ceremonies with the aim of celebrating his birthday.

In our society
Girls are dare to dream
To speak and to spread their wings
Being a girl child comes with baggages of 
Fears, restrictions and captivities 
And being an African girl comes with a lot of boundaries.

We’ve heard tales of women of resilience
We’ve read books on Alpha women
And we’ve seen girls who pull the rugs from beneath.

There is Malala
A 26 year old Education Activist
Who fought tooth and toes for girl child Education in Pakistan
At 15 she was shot to keep shut
Because as a girl child 
She was not suppose to speak  
to seek for the freedom of girls
She fought death to rise for girls
And she rise to shine again

Have you heard of Vanessa Nakate
A climate change activist from Uganda
She is an Ambassador of UNICEF at 25
She dare UNGA77 to recognize young girls from Africa
Fighting effortlessly to ACT for climate crisis 
She said:
“I am not just an African girl but a citizen of Uganda, I plead with you to recognize the hard work of girls like Adenike from Nigeria fighting for climate justice because that way we will be able to achieve SDGS goals”.

And there is Sabeeha Hussain
A Doctor, Mental Health Advocate
A woman who have been molding girls to become resilient 
She dare you to dream again
To speak again
And to stand again

She founded chaiwithsoulunraveled
A space where girls and women could breath without restriction
In the harsh reality of being Northern Nigerian woman
She stood tall to support girls
To restore dreams of young girls
And build hopes in their heart

chaigirlchildchallenge

Nafeesatmd #poems #internationdaldayofthegirl

The much-anticipated second edition of the Fidelity International Trade and Creative Connect (FITCC) got off to a boisterous start on Tuesday, 24 October 2023 as leading financial institution -Fidelity Bank Plc -hosted a broad range of businesses, regulators, members of the diplomatic corps and other guests to the opening ceremony in Houston, Texas, United States of America.

Tagged FITCC Houston, the two-day event is aimed at achieving several objectives including increasing the pipeline of Nigerian businesses that export into the US market, providing the diaspora market with more ethnic product options and enabling exporters to build capacity to improve product quality and meet international standards.

Welcoming participants to the event, MD/CEO, of Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, said, “Developments on the global scene have necessitated the need to constantly seek viable alternatives as businesses work to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving macro-economic environment.

On the supply side, businesses are waking up to the imperative of catering to an international customer base to hedge against currency devaluation risks, increase the reach of their products, and ultimately ensure the long-term sustainability of their ventures. Indeed, globalization has emphasized the need for businesses to improve in terms of cross-border offerings and collaborations.

“To bridge these gaps, we created the Fidelity International Trade & Creative Connect (FITCC) in 2022 and hosted the inaugural edition of the expo in London last November.

At the event, we had over 100 Nigerian businesses connected to United Kingdom business counterparts and deals worth about 200 million dollars closed on the spot and post-event. This year, we are taking it a notch higher as we aim to close deals worth about 250 million dollars. We have therefore put in place an elaborate experience to help stakeholders achieve this and several other objectives at this expo.

Following the welcome address, keynote and goodwill addresses were presented by the President and chairman of the Board of Directors of AfricaExport–Import Bank (Afreximbank), Professor Benedict Oramah; and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States of America, Dr Uzoma Emenike respectively.

A key part of the event was the exhibition which featured more than 160 Nigeria and US-based businesses active in the fintech, commodities, fashion, cosmetics, service, creative, agriculture and extractive industries in the non-oil sector.

One of the exhibitors and the Founder/CEO, of Oriki Spa, Joyce Awosika said, “We look forward to meeting all our amazing customers and we promise them an impactful experience with our products that would leave a lasting impression. We urge them to join us at booth 520 here at FITCC Houston.”

The expo also featured the signing of a $40 million pre-export finance facility in favour of JohnVents Industries -one of the exhibitors at the expo. The loan, which has been adjudged as a landmark development by analysts in the export space -would be provided by AFREXIM Bank with Fidelity Bank acting as the local administrative agent.

“We are delighted to participate in the tripartite loan signing ceremony as it demonstrates the size of the opportunity in the Nigerian cocoa market and its potential to meet the demand of off-takers in the US. The ceremony also highlights the value of our partnership with AFREXIM Bank especially in providing much-needed credit to last-mile beneficiaries to upscale their operations and cater to a global market. These align with our objectives for FITCC and we are thrilled to host the formal deal signing event here”, commented an elated Mrs Onyeali-Ikpe in a chat with journalists at the event.

Day 1 of FITCC Houston closed out with a fashion show dedicated to unique Nigerian pieces. Themed, “The Connect Plus Fashion Show”, the event featured elegantly styled models adorning distinctive and culturally inspired designs from several Nigerian labels including Bijelly Couture, Eclectic Chique and MODChic. The fashion show also provided networking opportunities for guests and participants.

Ranked as one of the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged customer commercial bank with over 8 million customers serviced across its 251 business offices in Nigeria and the United Kingdom as well as on digital banking channels.

The bank was recognized as the Best Payment Solution Provider Nigeria 2023 and Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking and Finance Awards. The bank has also won awards for the “Fastest Growing Bank” and “MSME & Entrepreneurship Financing Bank of the Year” at the 2021 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

The Federal Government will on Friday stop the salaries of any public officer whose records could not be verified on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System.

This was made known in a statement signed by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folasade Yemi-Esan, and made available to journalists by her Director of Communications, Mohammed Ahmed, on Wednesday.

According to the statement, a two-week verification, which will end on Friday, October 27, 2023, was put in place as an act of magnanimity for officers who did not participate in the earlier verifications.

“Adequate arrangements were put in place for a smooth exercise in designated areas of the FCT, however, the officers’ impatience and lack of orderliness in the first two days made the exercise rowdy. This has been duly addressed and the two-week exercise, scheduled to end on Friday, October 27, 2023, is progressing very well.

“The verification of records of all civil servants will be finalised at the end of the ongoing exercise and any officer whose record could not be verified will be delisted from the payroll of government,” the statement read.

It recalled that in 2013, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, being the repository of official records and information on all public servants, was saddled with the responsibility of cleansing the record on the payroll.

Leveraging technology, the statement added that the office opened a verification portal in April 2017 and directed all public servants to carry out online updates of their records.

The office, it added, carried out aggressive sensitisation and publicity via official, conventional, and social media.
According to the statement, an initial period of three months was given for compliance, which was extended to one year, May 2018, to enable all officers to update their records.

The statement added, “Sequel to another wide publicity accompanied by numerous pre-verification sensitisation visits by IPPIS staff to Ministries, extra-ministerial Departments, and Agencies nationwide, the second phase of the exercise, the physical verification, commenced in 2018.

In this regard, 500 staff from the OHCSF were trained and deployed, in well-communicated and coordinated phases, to the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT between 2018 and 2019 to enable officers to carry out the physical verification in their states and save them to from traveling to Abuja.

The statement further maintained that some erring officers’ pleas to be given the last opportunity to comply were granted, adding that the portal was, therefore, reopened from October 3-13, 2023, for them to update their records and now to Friday, October 27, 2023, before action is taken on defaulters.

United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, has said that 2,360 children have died in counter attacks on Gaza Strip.

The aid group, which spoke of the “relentless attacks” said 5,364 children have been injured.

Since the surprise Hamas attacks on October 7, Israel’s army have been bombing targets in the Gaza Strip and preparing a ground offensive in the sealed-off coastal area.

“The situation in the Gaza Strip is a growing stain on our collective conscience. The rate of death and injuries of children simply staggering,” said Adele Khodr, UNICEF regional director for the Middle East and North Africa.

He said the Gaza Strip is suffering from acute water shortages, with severe consequences for children, who make up about 50 per cent of the population.

UNICEF urged all parties to agree to a ceasefire, provide humanitarian access and release all hostages.

President Bola Tinubu has approved N18bn as Group Life Assurance benefits and other entitlements for families of fallen servicemen and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

Leading reporters gathered that the President announced the approval at the Launch of the Emblem Appeal for the 2024 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the Council Chamber of the State House, Abuja, on Wednesday.

“I have approved the sum of N18bn for the payment of the Group Life Assurance benefits and other entitlements to the families of service members who lost their lives in line of duty,” Tinubu said.

He added that this was in appreciation of the sacrifices of the men and women of the armed forces and to underscore the government’s commitment to their welfare.

He affirmed his administration’s continuing support to the armed forces by repositioning the institutions for better service.

According to him, “We owe a debt of gratitude to our gallant troops, who have risen to the challenge of securing this great nation.”

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has appointed Dr. Barivure Fred Kpakol as his Senior Special Assistant on Environment and Waste Management.

A statement signed by the Director of Press, Anthony Ogunleye, said Kpakol’s extensive experience and qualifications make him a valuable addition to the FCT Administration’s dedicated team.

The new appointee was born on the 26th of May, 1961, in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State and has a remarkable academic background..

The FCTA statement noted that the Rivers-born appointee holds a doctorate degree in Banking and Finance from Rivers State University of Science and Technology, a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the Federal University of Technology Owerri, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Accountancy from Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt.

Notable positions he has held include: Rivers State Commissioner for Agriculture, Rivers State Commissioner for Finance, Vice Chairman of the PDP in Rivers South East Senatorial Zone, Executive Chairman of Gokana Local Government, State Secretary of Rivers State Chapter of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON.