Nelson Ugwuagbo

Russian President Vladimir Putin has asked Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for a restrained response to Israel’s suspected killing of the leader of Hamas, advising against attacks on Israeli civilians, two senior Iranian sources said.

The message, according to the sources, was delivered on Monday by Sergei Shoigu, a senior ally of the Kremlin leader, in meetings with top Iranian officials as the Islamic Republic weighs its response to the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh.

Tehran also pressed Moscow for the delivery of Russian made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, the two Iranian sources, privy to the meeting in Tehran, the sources told Reuters.

In Moscow, the Kremlin did not respond to a request for comment. State-run RIA news agency reported on Tuesday that Shoigu said he discussed Haniyeh’s killing on his Tehran visit.

The two sources with knowledge of the matter did not provide further details on the talks with Shoigu, who was defence minister before becoming the secretary of Russia’s security council in May.

They said Shoigu’s visit was one of several avenues Moscow had used to relay to Iran the need for restraint while at the same time condemning Haniyeh’s killing as “a very dangerous assassination”, in a bid to prevent a Middle East war.

The Middle East, the sources said, was on the brink of a major war and those behind the assassination were clearly trying to trigger such a conflict.

Russia has cultivated closer ties with Iran since the start of its war with Ukraine and has said it is preparing to sign a wide-ranging cooperation agreement with Tehran.

There was no immediate comment from Iran’s Foreign ministry. On Monday it said Tehran did not seek to raise regional tensions but needed to punish Israel to prevent further instability.

Reuters

Mr Desmond Eke, the Pastor and founder of Deliverance Ministry of the Good Shepherd, Owerri Imo State has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for raping his church members wife.

Justice T. N . Nzeukwu of the Imo State High Court convicted and sentenced a Desmond after being found guilty of taking advantage of a woman who vested so much trust in him.

The convict was tried on three counts that bordered on raping the victim who is also a member of his church and administering a stupefying substance on his victim which made her dizzy and weak.

According to the prosecution counsel, Chioma Emuka, it was while in the dizzy state that Eke took advantage of the woman who woke up to consciousness while he was still inside her.

Emuka said, “On inquiry on why he had to violate her, the pastor told the 25-year-old woman that his semen is holy enough to deliver her of the marine spirit that was disturbing her.”

While delivering the judgment, Justice Nzeukwu held that Eke was guilty of the offences preferred against him.

The judge convicted Eke on count two of the charge of breaching trust and raping the woman but discharged him on the third count which bordered on inflicting injuries during the rape.

“Since the woman was not completely conscious during the incident, there was no way injuries could result since there was no resistance,“ Justice Nzeukwu held.

Before the sentence, the defence counsel pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy that his client had been of good behaviour having been present in court throughout the trial without jumping bail.

He pleaded that instead of a full sentence, his client should be put on probation.

A civil society organisation, Onurube, reported the matter and followed it up to its logical end.

Speaking on the case, the convener of Onurube, Marjorie Ezihe, lauded the court for convicting the pastor.

She believed the conviction would serve as a deterrent to those intending to indulge in such inhuman acts of seeking to have carnal knowledge of women without their consent.

Alims Blessing Iripia, the first female Student Union Government President of the University of Calabar, has appointed 50 aides to support her administration.

The appointment was announced in a Facebook post by Ms. Alims.

She stated that the individuals were selected based on their conduct, credibility, enthusiasm, transparency, and commitment to the Students’ Union Government’s progress and advancement.

The appointments, as stated in a letter dated August 1, will take effect immediately after screening and confirmation by the Senate, ensuring a smooth operation of the Blessing Alims-led administration.

Ms. Alims was elected June 14, 2024 as the first female Student Union Government President. She is a student of Peace Studies and Conflict Resolutions in the Department of Political Science who hails from Gakem in Bekwarra Local Government Area of Cross River State.

This appointment by Ms. Alims has sparked mixed reactions over the Internet as many consider appointing 50 Aides unnecessary and a waste of student resources.

Dangote Refinery plans to sell a 12.7% stake in 2024 to service its loans, according to a report by Fitch Ratings, a credit rating agency.

Fitch recalled that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) had previously planned to acquire a 20% stake in the refinery, but has since decided not to exercise its option to purchase an additional 12.75% stake as of June 2024.

This decision may impact the group’s ability to service its loans, Fitch noted. In 2021, NNPC acquired a 7.25% stake in the refinery for $1.0 billion, with an option to purchase the remaining 12.75% stake by June 2024.

However, NNPC has reneged on its decision, and the Dangote Group plans to divest a 12.75% stake in the refinery in 2024 to service its significant syndicated loan maturing in August 2024.

Fitch expressed uncertainty about the timely divestment and meeting the imminent maturity. In July, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, clarified that NNPC owns only a 7.2% stake in the refinery, not 20% as previously thought.

Dangote explained that the agreement was for 20%, but NNPC did not pay the balance, and the extension was not taken up.

NNPC confirmed this, stating that it decided not to invest further in the refinery after assessing its investment portfolio.

NNPC’s spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, said the decision to cap its equity participation was made and communicated to Dangote Refinery several months ago.

X.com formerly know as twitter, the social media company owned by Elon Musk, plans to shut its San Francisco office “over the next few weeks,” according to an internal email sent by the company’s chief executive.

In the email, which X’s chief executive, Linda Yaccarino, sent to employees on Monday, the company said workers would move to existing offices in San Jose, California. X will also open an engineering-focused office in Palo Alto, California, which it will share with xAI, the artificial intelligence outfit owned by Mr. Musk, the email said.

“This is an important decision that impacts many of you, but it is the right one for our company in the long term,” Ms. Yaccarino wrote to employees.

Mr. Musk said last month that he would move the company’s headquarters to Texas, after California passed a law that bans school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents if their children change their gender identification. Mr. Musk, who has had a tempestuous relationship with the state, said that such legislation would “force families and companies to leave California to protect their children.”

X, previously known as Twitter, was founded in San Francisco in 2006. It moved its headquarters to the city’s Mid-Market neighborhood in 2012 after striking a deal with local legislators for a payroll tax break. Twitter became a symbol of the city’s tech industry, as companies like Uber also moved into the neighborhood.

Musk has long maintained a contentious relationship with the state where he founded his companies, stating in 2022 it was the land of “taxes, overregulation and litigation”. In 2020, Musk relocated the headquarters of his electric car company, Tesla, from California to Texas in response to California’s coronavirus measures, which he called “fascist”.

X’s departure from San Francisco represents a symbolic blow to the city, where there has been an exodus of tech companies from its once busy downtown area. Since 2019, the 20 largest tech companies have slashed the amount of office space rented in downtown San Francisco in half – including Meta, Salesforce, Snap, Lyft, Block, Airbnb and PayPal. As X vacates its 74,322 sq metre (800,000 sq ft) headquarters, 46% of offices and 40% of retail spaces in the area are vacant.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called for governors who are unable to pay the newly approved minimum wage of N70,000 to step down.

This comes after Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, stated that his administration cannot afford to pay the new minimum wage, which was signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

During a meeting with labor leaders, civil society organizations, and traders associations at the Government House in Gombe, Governor Yahaya expressed his inability to pay the new minimum wage.

In response, the NLC’s Head of Public Relations, Benson Upah, urged the governor to resign.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has yet to release an official statement regarding Governor Yahaya’s position.

The new minimum wage of N70,000 has been passed and signed into law by President Tinubu, as stipulated in Section 58(2) of the constitution.

EndBadGovernance Protesters have vandalized and destroyed the office of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Daura, Katsina State, the hometown of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The protesters, who are demanding an end to poor governance and leadership, targeted the APC office, causing significant damage to the property.

See Video Below:

The Nigerian government has taken steps to monitor and apprehend individuals who are sponsoring the #EndBadGovernance protests from abroad.

According to the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services, Kemi Nandap, these individuals have been placed on a watchlist and will be arrested immediately upon their return to the country.

Nandap made this announcement at a strategic meeting convened by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja. The meeting aimed to implement President Bola Tinubu’s directive to crack down on the protests.

During the meeting, which included the Defence Chief and heads of intelligence and security agencies, Nandap stated that the Immigration Service has increased its presence at land borders and airports to ensure effective surveillance and control of the country’s entry and exit points.

When questioned by journalists after the meeting, Nandap reiterated that the Immigration Service is closely monitoring the situation and will take swift action against any individuals who attempt to enter the country with the intention of causing unrest.

US President Joe Biden met his senior national security team on Monday as concerns of a possible Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel grew.

Mr Biden said he had been briefed on preparations to support Israel should it be attacked, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken said officials were working “around the clock” to prevent an escalation.

Tensions have risen over the last week following the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh, for which Iran has blamed Israel and vowed “severe” retaliation. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the assassination.

Numerous countries, including the US and UK, have also told their citizens to leave Lebanon, from where it is feared Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia and political movement, could play a role in any response.

During Monday’s briefing, Mr Biden was told the timing and nature of an Iranian attack remained unclear, according to US news site Axios. A day earlier, Mr Blinken reportedly told his G7 counterparts that Iran and Hezbollah could attack Israel within 24 to 48 hours.

In a statement released after the briefing, Mr Biden said: “We received updates on threats posed by Iran and its proxies, diplomatic efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, and preparations to support Israel should it be attacked again.

He added that steps were being taken to respond to attacks on US forces “in a manner and place of our choosing”. On Monday, several US personnel were injured in a suspected rocket attack on a US military base in Iraq.

Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Mr Blinken said officials were “engaged in intense diplomacy pretty much around the clock with a very simple message: All parties must refrain from escalation”.

“Escalation is not in anyone’s interests. It will only lead to more conflict, more violence, more insecurity,” he said.
He added that a ceasefire would “unlock possibilities for more enduring calm not only in Gaza itself, but in other areas where the conflict can spread”.

“It is urgent that all parties make the right choices in the hours and days ahead,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Mr Biden spoke to King Abdullah II of Jordan about “efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, including through an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal”, a statement from the White House said.

A joint statement from the G7 also expressed “deep concern at the heightened level of tension in the Middle East which threatens to ignite a broader conflict in the region”.
“No country or nation stands to gain from a further escalation in the Middle East.

BBC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has revealed that a total of 4,682,086 registered voters will participate in the upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

INEC National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun disclosed this in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja on the final register of voters for Edo and Ondo states.

Edo State governorship election is scheduled to hold on September 21, 2024, while that of Ondo will be held November 16, 2024.

According to Olumekun, Edo State now has 2,629,025 registered voters, of this figure, 1,370,061 (52.11%) are males; while 1,258,964 (47.89%) are females.”

The National Commissioner explained that the new register represents a 4.9% increase over the 2023 general election figure of 2,501,081.

He further revealed that youths between 18 and 35 years account for 983,133 (37.4%), followed by 914,806 middle aged (36 – 49) persons.

Olumekun said together, they constituted the 1,897,939 (72.2 per cent) of registered voters in the state.”

Olumekun said Ondo State now has 2,053,061 registered voters, noting that of this figure, 1,034,006 (50.36 per cent) are males while 1,034,964 (47.89 per cent) are females.

He said the new register represents a 3.0 per cent increase over the 2023 General Election figure of 1,191,344.