Folarin Kehinde

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted the visa ban imposed on Nigerian travellers.

The ban, which was imposed 10 months ago had affected activities of Nigerians who were regular visitors to the Middle East country for businesses, tourism and leisure.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on Monday in Abu Dhabi, have finalized a historic agreement, which has resulted in the immediate cessation of the visa ban placed on Nigerian travelers.”

“Furthermore, by this historic agreement, both Etihad Airlines and Emirates Airlines are to immediately resume flight schedules into and out of Nigeria, without any further delay.

“As negotiated between the two Heads of State, this immediate restoration of flight activity, through these two airlines and between the two countries, does not involve any immediate payment by the Nigerian government.

“In recognition of President Tinubu’s economic development diplomacy drive and proposals today presented by President Tinubu to his counterpart, an agreed framework has been established, which will involve several billions of U.S. dollars worth of new investments into the Nigerian economy across multiple sectors, including defense, agriculture and others, by the investment arms of the Government of the United Arab Emirates.

“Additionally, President Tinubu is pleased to have successfully negotiated a joint, new foreign exchange liquidity programme between the two Governments, which will be announced in detail in the coming weeks.

“In conclusion, the President wishes to commend the UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his unalloyed friendship and his determined effort to join hands with him to fully normalize and reset to excellence, the standard of relations between the two important countries.”

The FCT wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) has directed its members across the six area councils to embark on an industrial strike from today; September 11, over non-payment of 25 months arrears.

They are also protesting the non-implementation of a 40 per cent peculiar allowance by the council chairmen.

The union gave the directive in a communique issued at the end of its emergency State Wing Executive Council (SWEC) meeting held at Teachers’ House in Gwagwalada.

The communique was jointly signed by the NUT state chairman, Comrade Stephen Knabayi, and secretary, Margaret F. Jethro.

The communique added that the council chairmen had also failed to pay other outstanding allowances, which they said included non-implementation of promotion arrears, non-upgrading of concerned teachers, non-implementation of annual increments, non-implementation of promotion letters released for teachers, among others.

“And having explored and exhausted all available avenues of getting these outstanding demands of the concerned teachers met without the desired result including non-commitment of the councils to the welfare of primary school teachers, the SWEC in-session resolved to direct all primary school teachers to embark on an infinite strike action from Monday; September 11, 2023,” the communique read in part.

The union vowed not to call off the strike until its demands are met while calling on parents across the FCT to remain guided by keeping their wards and children safe at home.

The Imo State National and State House of Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal has sacked a member of the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere.

Ugochinyere contested the election under the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

The tribunal ordered a supplementary election within 90 days in the state as it declared that Ugochinyere was not qualified to contest the Ideato North/South Federal Constituency election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Ugochinyere winner of the election with 13, 026 votes.

Obi Chigozie of the Labour Party, LP, came second with 5,696 votes, while the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Abazu Benson. came third with 2, 368 votes.

The APC candidate, Benson, approached the tribunal to seek a redress with a petition marked: EPT/IM/HR/10/2023.

INEC, Ugochinyere, PDP, candidate of the Labour Party, Obi Paschal Chigozie and his party, the LP, were listed as the 1st to 5th respondents.

In the petition, the APC candidate insisted that Ugochinyere was not qualified to run in the election and also argued that all the votes that were credited to him were wasted votes.

The APC candidate told the court that contrary to the provision of the Electoral Act 2022, the PDP conducted its primary election at a venue that was outside the constituency.

In a unanimous decision on Sunday, the three-member panel of the tribunal which conducted its proceedings in Nasarawa State, held that Ugochinyere was not validly nominated by the PDP to contest the election.

Delivering its judgement, chairman of the panel, Justice Anthony Akpovi, specifically directed the electoral umpire to conduct the supplementary poll within 90 days.

The tribunal also noted that the PDP and its candidate should be excluded from the supplementary election.

A video has emerged indicating that the Niger republic’s coupists have started deploying military along its border with neighbouring country, Benin, amidst imminent military intervention by the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

The development was disclosed by a counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in Lake Chad, Zagazola Makama.

Leading reporters recalls that ECOWAS had threatened a possible military action against the junta who seized power in Niger and suspended the constitution.

Last month, ECOWAS ordered its standby force to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.

The order followed the resolution of ECOWAS on the Niger coup after its extraordinary meeting in Abuja.

However, the regional bloc’s army is yet to invade Niger.

Makama on his social media platform X, on Monday, posted a video that showed Niger’s military were deploying at Beninese border in preparation against the military intervention by the ECOWAS.

“Niger deploys Military to the Niger- Beninese Border amidst eminent Military intervention plans of ECOWAS,” he wrote.