Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk will miss his side's next Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers after being suspended for an extra game following his reaction to being sent off against Newcastle United last month.
The Dutch defender was also fined 100,000 pounds after admitting he acted in an improper manner, the Football Association said in a statement.
Van Dijk was sent off for fouling Alexander Isak during the first half and appeared to remonstrate with referee John Brooks before walking off the pitch.
"The defender admitted that he acted in an improper manner and used abusive and insulting words towards a match official after being sent off in the 29th minute, and the sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent regulatory commission," said an FA statement.
He was automatically suspended for Liverpool's win against Aston Villa on Sept. 3.
Reporting by Martyn Herman Editing by Christian Radnedge
[reuters]
After a club-record transfer fee and plenty of excitement, this wasn't how it was supposed to end for Nicolas Pepe at Arsenal as the winger makes a silent exit this summer.
The Ivorian winger joined the Gunners four years ago from French side LOSC Lille, with hopes that he would lock down the right flank for years to come. At just 24 years old and with some impressive numbers in Ligue 1, it appeared to be an exciting investment at a club-record £72million.
There would soon be doubts though as his opening campaign ended with just five goals and six assists in 31 Premier League appearances. His numbers the following season improved with ten goals and one assist from 29 league games, but the issues arose after that.
Pepe was soon competing with an up-and-coming youngster by the name of Bukayo Saka, who very quickly put himself in the frame as the first-choice option on the right. Pepe was limited to just over 600 minutes the following season before a loan spell with OGC Nice last year.
Back at Arsenal, with one year left on his contract and a few top-class options ahead of him, it seemed as though his story at the Emirates was as good as over. Plenty of transfer links have occurred over the summer, but it seems as though a deal has finally been agreed.
The 28-year-old is making his way to Turkish side Trabzonspor, with reports claiming that it will be on a short-term contract basis. According to reports from GFFN, the north London outfit are set to receive £3million for the winger's exit, a far cry from the huge investment they made four years ago.
To most, that may look as though the Gunners have lost £69million from the transfer and would come as a huge issue within their finances. In fact, that isn't quite the case as the documents will tell quite a different story once they are revealed in a couple of years.
A value of a football player is often determined by their transfer fee and that is then depreciated (similar to any asset across a company) across the length of a contract, which is called amortisation. That may be a phrase familiar with a few due to Chelsea's recent use of long-term deals to try and spread their spending.
Linking that all back to Pepe, he was signed for roughly £72million on a five-year deal, meaning that his value on the books depreciated by £14.4million every year. That means his current value before his exit is £14.4million, which would be the loss the club would take at the end of the season if he left on a free.
[https://www.football.london/]
Carla Ward: Rachel Daly is hungry for more success as Aston Villa prepare to close the gap in Women's Super League
AdminAston Villa manager Carla Ward believes Rachel Daly is hungry for more success as the side prepare to challenge the top four in the Women's Super League.
Rachel Daly has had an incredible year, in which she was the WSL's top goal scorer for Villa, a crucial player during England's run to a first ever World Cup final, and now voted the PFA Women's Players' Player of the Year.
The 31-year-old only joined Villa on a permanent deal last year, arriving from Houston Dash, but will continue to be key part of the West Midlands side's push to close the gap on Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.
"I said she's going to score goals and she's going to be a centre forward and she did. I think I even said that she'd play for England in their nine and she's done that," said Villa manager Carla Ward.
"Rachel has been unbelievable. She's had quite some season and then to top it off to get the PFA award. I said to her today that award for me is the biggest one, it's the biggest accolade, it's all of our peers voting for her and I think there's no greater honour.
"But she's hungry for more. The first thing she said is she wants to improve. There are certain areas of her game she wants to improve and that shows what she's about.
"She knows that people will analyse her from last season. She wants to add a different dimension and I love that - we're excited, she's excited."
Aston Villa made impressive progress in the WSL last season, going from a ninth place finish in 2021/22 to fifth in 2022/23. Their next challenge is closing the gap to the top four, after finishing 10 points adrift of Manchester City last time out.
"Expectations rise, from both within and externally. You know what it's like when you finish best of the rest. There's a target on your back, naturally, everyone wants [this] because we are the chasing pack," said Ward.
"That's the fact, that's a reality, but we want to try and close the gap. Last year we did that, but that doesn't come without a lot of hard work, a lot of focus, a lot of new ideas.
"We've brought in some new faces behind the scenes, new faces, obviously, on the pitch and that will hopefully allow us to do that."
One of those new faces is Netherlands goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, who signed from Twente this summer.
"She's some player, we opened up discussions with her at Christmas, she's an unbelievable talent. When I watched her at Bramall Lane come on at the Euros, from then onwards, she's been sensational," said Ward.
"Look, she had 14 clubs on the table, so we're absolutely delighted that she came here. She's only been in the building a week and she's been absolutely brilliant."
Alongside Van Domselaar, Villa have also brought in centre-back Lucy Parker from West Ham.
The strengthened squad faces a series of early tests, playing Manchester United, Liverpool and then Arsenal at the Emirates in their opening three matches.
"We want to play the big games, that's what we're here for. I think anyone that wants an easy start, they're lying," said Ward.
"You want the big teams early, you want to test yourself, you want to see where you're at and I'll be honest, we're delighted with our start, we really are.
"A lot of people probably won't give us much hope, but we certainly will."
[skysports]
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been handed an additional one-match ban and a £100,000 fine after admitting he acted in an improper manner following his red card at Newcastle.
The Netherlands international was dismissed for a foul on Alexander Isak in the first half of Liverpool’s 2-1 victory at St James’ Park on August 27, but initially refused to leave the pitch – and then remonstrated with referee John Brooks.
An automatic one-match ban saw the centre-back suspended for the 3-0 win over Aston Villa before the international break, but he will now also serve an additional suspension and so miss the trip to Wolves on September 16.
A statement from the FA read: “Virgil van Dijk has been suspended for one match and fined £100,000 for breaching FA Rule E3.1 during Liverpool’s Premier League fixture against Newcastle on Sunday August 27.
“The defender admitted that he acted in an improper manner and used abusive and insulting words towards a match official after being sent off in the 29th minute, and the sanctions were subsequently imposed by an independent regulatory commission.”
[football365]
In what has been described as a historic moment for Africa, political and business leaders in Kenya, on Wednesday, adopted the Nairobi Declaration by committing $23 billion to accelerate green growth, mitigation and adaptation efforts in Africa.
The adoption of the historic climate pact followed a three-day extensive deliberations among African leaders and leaders from across the world, who were in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, to rewrite the narrative of climate change to include Africa’s leadership, resources and ability to make a sustainable difference globally.
The just concluded Africa Climate Summit (ACS) is the first of its sort on the continent. It focuses on delivering climate-positive growth and finance solutions for Africa and the world.
The pact announced on Wednesday and dubbed “The African Leaders Nairobi Declaration on Climate Change,” further renewed the continent’s leadership’s readiness and commitment to global climate action and sustainable development, infusing it with a distinctive African character.
During an engagement at the summit, African leaders repeatedly called for collective global action in resource mobilisation for both development and climate action as they challenged the global community to honour its commitments, citing the Paris Summit for a New Global Financing Pact.
At the summit, championed by Mr Ruto and AU Commission chairperson, Moussa Faki, the leaders urged development partners to align their technical and financial resources towards promoting sustainable utilisation of Africa’s natural assets.
Other dignitaries spotted at the declaration ceremony include South Sudan President Salva Kiir, Julius Maada (Sierra Leone), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), Ismaïl Omar Guelleh (Djibouti), Isaias Afwerki (Eritrea) and Idriss Deby (Chad) and DRC Congo Prime Minister Sama Kyenge.
Others were First Lady Rachel Ruto, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Angola Vice President Esperança da Costa, Namibia Vice President Nangolo Mbumba, Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, former Nigeria President Olusegun Obasanjo and alongside 66 ministers from different countries, organisers said.
The Nairobi Declaration
While announcing the new Africa-driven climate change pact on Wednesday, President Ruto said the African Leaders’ shared understanding became clearer at the summit that “Africa is not only the cradle of humanity, it is its future.”
The Kenya leader described Africa as the last frontier of untapped potential in the form of hundreds of millions of young men and women who are educated, skilled, motivated, innovative, ready and willing to drive the enterprises and industries that will unlock the possibilities promised by its immense endowment of natural assets, mineral resources and green energy potential.
This, he said, will unleash opportunities and prosperity for Africa and the world on an unprecedented scale.
At the Summit, the leaders said they made it clear that they are aware of the unjust configuration of multilateral institutional frameworks that perpetually place African nations behind, through costly financing which plunges the continent’s economies into a debt trap and denies them resources needed to mitigate and adapt in response to climate change crisis threatening lives and livelihoods.
As a continent, the African leaders said they have developed their common position which encapsulates their ambitions for socioeconomic transformation and climate action agenda.
This position, the leaders said, is anchored on the potential that Africa holds to decarbonize the global economy and sets the stage for green industrialisation throughout the world.
Key demands
Among several demands brought to the fore and captured in the declaration document, the African leaders are demanding a fair playing ground for their countries to access the investment needed to unlock the potential and translate it into opportunities.
“We further demand a just multilateral development finance architecture, to liberate our economies from odious debt and onerous barriers to necessary financial resources,” Mr Ruto said.
“We are clear in our minds and hearts that the international community must walk with us in this journey into a future of prosperity and security in an ecologically balanced, thriving planet.”
The African leaders said they are determined to have difficult conversations, take hard decisions and make uncomfortable changes, to set international consensus on an Afro-centric and globally inclusive path into an African future.
On his part, the AU chairperson, Mr Faki said the Nairobi declaration has been endorsed unanimously, demonstrating the continent’s desire to mitigate climate change.
“The Africa Union will work out a road map for the implementation of this declaration,” he said.
He called on African leaders to continue pushing for climate justice, concrete action and honouring commitments.
Mr Faki called for teamwork and unity in ensuring Africa’s voice is heard.
Youth inclusion
The African leaders posited that the climate pact message would not be fulfilled without the vibrant youth the continent is endowed with.
“On a continent as young as Africa, it is impossible to imagine the future without the youth,” Mr Ruto said.
“Our young men and women, in every African country, are the primary stakeholders who will define and drive our agenda for green transformation and sustainable opportunity.”
Based on this, the president said their message will not be clear if the voice of the youth is missing.
“Our efforts to achieve prosperity will not succeed if there are no opportunities for the youth. And our journey will be long, hard and in vain if the youth are not coming with us,” he added.
Climate Change and Concerns for Africa
Over the last decade, extreme weather conditions such as flooding, heatwaves, drought, coastal erosion, wildfires and storms, have become more persistent across Africa and globally.
The aftermath of these extreme climatic events has resulted in significant losses of lives, livelihoods, and biodiversity and has plunged millions of people into unprecedented hardship across Africa and globally.
While this nature’s prevalent changes have been attributed to climate change effects exacerbated by the continuous emissions of Greenhouse Gases, Africa’s emission footprint is only a fraction of the global emissions. Yet, the continent is grappling with the consequences of climate change at an unprecedented scale due to poor climate adaptation and mitigation financing.
The aftermath of the climate change catastrophe is evident in the surge in food insecurity, disruptions of ecosystems and economies, displacement and migration of people due to weather crises and worsening threat of conflict amidst dwindling resources.
According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) state of climate in Africa 2022 report, the rate of temperature increase in Africa has accelerated in recent decades, with weather- and climate-related hazards becoming more severe.
Meanwhile, the continent barely receives 10 per cent of the global financing for climate adaptation. According to the report, more than 110 million people on the continent have been directly affected by weather, climate and water-related hazards in 2022, causing more than $ 8.5 billion in economic damages.
Also, the continent recorded about 5,000 fatalities, of which 48 per cent were associated with drought and 43 per cent were associated with flooding, according to the Emergency Event Database. Reports suggest that these figures could be much higher than what was quoted due to underreporting of the issues.
While the region is plagued with a deficit of infrastructure, technology and financial capacity to effectively and efficiently respond to the climate crisis due to debt distress and economic shocks, several promises made by world leaders to upscale climate financing in Africa have not been fulfilled, which formed part of the major reason behind the inaugural ACS 2023 Summit in Kenya ahead of the forthcoming 28th Edition of the UN Conference of the Parties (COP28) later this year in the UAE.
With the conclusion of the Summit and announcement of the Nairobi Declaration, the event recorded significant milestones and impactful discussions.
It emphasised Africa’s readiness to take control of its destiny as a green leader and economic powerhouse, organisers said.
Many climate activists believe the occasion of the ACS 2023 summit and the Nairobi Declaration adopted, would mean the African Group of Negotiators would go into the next COP negotiations table as a united entity. This underscored the continent’s commitment to proactive climate action, paving the way for a more sustainable and prosperous future.
The banks will soon commence payment of the lingering N120 billion debt they owed on the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), provided by telecom operators.
Recall that the USSD was introduced as part of efforts to ensure financial inclusion in Nigeria. The service is being provided by telecom operators to the banks. The origin of the problem started when the banks insisted on end-user billing as opposed to corporate billing.
The executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta, who disclosed this at the Telecom Executives and Regulators Forum 2023 (TERF), organised by the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) held in Lagos on Thursday, explained that, the banks wanted end-user billing, while insisting that it cannot work since operators are providing the service to the banks, and not to their customers.
“The banks charge their customers for the service, and they are to pay the telecom operators in the form of corporate billing, which is neat. Then along the way, there was a misunderstanding and the debt kept piling until it reached a humongous amount of over N100 billion.
“Even at that, the service was still being provided to customers by the banks using the telecom infrastructure and the telecom operators were not being paid. This was despite the intervention of the immediate past minister,” Danbatta explained.
Following series of meetings between NCC, telecoms operators, the banks and the acting governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Folashodun Shonubi, a consensus was reached, Danbatta averred, as the banks have agreed to clear the accumulated debt and continue to pay for the USSD service going forward under the corporate billing term.
Speaking on the theme of the Forum: “Success Factors and Barriers to National Broadband and Digital Economy Aspirations,” EVC said, in this era of rapid technological advancement, achieving a nation’s national broadband and digital economy aspirations requires careful planning, and investment.
This is even as he disclosed that the commission has formulated the Nigerian National Broadband Plan 2020-2025 (NNBP). “According to the Plan, we intend to achieve 30 per cent broadband penetration in 2020; 50 per cent in 2023 and 70 per cent in 2025. Presently, we are at 47.2 per cent broadband penetration and I am very optimistic we will achieve the 50 per cent target by the end of the year,” he assured.
Meanwhile, the president, ATCON, Mr Tony Izuagbe Emoekpere, said the ICT has recorded great success in recent times, but could do better if challenges like universal broadband are addressed.
“This is one of the reasons we came up with the Forum, which has provided a platform for regulators, operators and critical stakeholders to come together to address key issues hampering the development of the ICT sector.
“We, at ATCON intend to use this platform to bring out those unpronounced challenges and proffer solutions to them. At the end of the meeting, a communique will be issued,” he stated.
[Leadership]
The Swedish government has released a report outlining its strategy to introduce International Recruitment Units aimed at enhancing the work permit application process.
The report outlines processes to avoid substantial processing delays and backlogs of work permits for foreign workers globally including Nigeria who obtain a Swedish work permit.
What the report contains
The report has significant areas, including the introduction of a tiered application category system.
This will be based on the applicant’s profession and educational background and marks a departure from the existing Fast Track scheme.
Furthermore, the report proposes the discontinuation of the Fast Track scheme due to its lack of effectiveness and these policies are anticipated to come into effect by late 2023 or early 2024.
Under the revamped application category system implemented by these Units, the assessment of work permit applications will be based on the applicant’s profession and educational qualifications, diverging from the Fast Track scheme that has been operational since 2011.
Here are the specifics of the four categories, as contained in the report:
Category A
- Applicant Category: This encompasses qualified professions, spanning management and leadership positions, as well as roles that demand higher education qualifications.
- Processing Times: The government’s processing times are as follows:
- 30 days for fully completed applications.
- 120 days for incomplete applications, such as those containing inaccuracies regarding the role or salary, or lacking necessary documentation or information, among other issues.
- This category will likely apply to those roles listed on the Swedish Classification of Occupations that start with a 1, 2 or 3.
- This category will replace the less efficient Fast Track scheme.
Category B
- Applicant Categories: This is for work permit applicants for specific occupations with distinctive requirements, such as seasonal workers, EU intra-corporate transferees, EU Blue Card permits, researchers, and more.
- Government Processing Times: The processing duration will vary based on the type of application.
- EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transferee, and seasonal worker applications are expected to be processed within a maximum of 90 days.
- Researcher applications are targeted to be completed within a period of up to 60 days.
- Specialized Review Units: These categories will be overseen by designated review units with expertise in handling the respective application types.
Category C
- Applicant Category: This is for occupations that fall outside the ‘highly qualified’ classification, encompassing roles that do not necessitate higher education. This category comprises positions that provide significant societal value, irrespective of not being categorized as ‘highly qualified.’
- Government Processing Time: A standardized processing period of 120 days, regardless of the application’s completeness.
- Reduced Government Scrutiny: Roles within this category are considered to require less intensive government scrutiny during the application assessment
- Eligibility: Applicants who do not meet the criteria for categories A or B may qualify under this specific category.
Category D
- Applicant Category: This pertains to applications in professions identified by the Swedish Migration Agency as necessitating the utmost scrutiny due to a history of systemic exploitation of workers in these fields. Such professions encompass roles in cleaning, construction, personal assistants in the medical sector, hospitality, and others.
- Government Processing Time: A processing timeframe of 120 days, irrespective of the application’s completeness.
Grammy-winning singer, Burna Boy has bagged seven nominations for the 2023 edition of the BET Hip-Hop Awards.
The award organizers released the full nomination list on Thursday.
21 Savage and Cardi B took the lead with this year’s nominations after bagging 12 each while Drake followed with nine.
Burna Boy got seven nominations while J. Cole scored six nods. Coi Leray, GloRilla, and Jay-Z were tied at five nods each.
The self-styled African Giant was nominated for the ‘Hip-Hop Artiste of the Year’, ‘Song of the Year,’ ‘Best Hip-Hop Video’, ‘Best Collaboration’, ‘Best Live Performer’, ‘Lyricist of the Year’, and ‘Hustler of the Year’ categories.
Burna Boy also bagged four nominations for the 2023 edition of the BET Awards in June.
See the complete list below:
Hip-hop Artist of the Year
21 Savage
Burna Boy
Cardi B
Drake
Glorilla
J. Cole
Kendrick Lamar
Lil Uzi Vert
I meant I might not stay
“All My Life” – Lil Durk feat. J. Cole
“God Did” – DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z , John Legend & Fridayy
“Just Wanna Rock” – Lil Uzi Vert
“Players” – Coi Leray
“Put It On Da Floor Again” – Latto feat. Cardi B
“Rich Flex” – Drake & 21 Savage
“Sittin’ On Top Of The World” – Burna Boy feat. 21 Savage
“Tomorrow 2” – GloRilla & Cardi B
Hip-hop Album of the Year
Anyways, Life’s Great… – GloRilla
Coi – Coi Leray
God Did – DJ Khaled
Her Loss – Drake & 21 Savage
Heroes & Villains – Metro Boomin
Jackman – Jack Harlow
Pink Tape – Lil Uzi Vert
Traumazine – Megan Thee Stallion
Best Hip-hop Video
“Just Wanna Rock” – Lil Uzi Vert
“Players” (DJ Smallz 732 – Jersey Club Remix) – Coi Leray
“Put It On Da Floor Again” – Latto feat. Cardi B
“Shake Sumn” – DaBaby
“Sittin’ On Top Of The World” – Burna Boy feat. 21 Savage
“Spin Bout U” – Drake & 21 Savage
“Tomorrow 2” – Glorilla & Cardi B
Best Collaboration
“All My Life” – Lil Durk feat. J. Cole
“God Did” – DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
“Players” (DJ Saige Remix) – Coi Leray feat. Busta Rhymes
“Princess Diana” – Ice Spice & Nicki Minaj
“Put It On Da Floor Again” – Latto feat. Cardi B
“Sittin’ On Top Of The World” – Burna Boy feat. 21 Savage
“Tomorrow 2” – Glorilla & Cardi B
Impact Track
“30” – Nas
“All My Life” – Lil Durk Feat. J. Cole
“Anxiety” – Megan Thee Stallion
“Can’t Win for Nothing” – Symba
“Champions” – NLE Choppa
“God Did” – DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
“Scientists & Engineers” – Killer Mike & André 3000 feat. Future & Eryn Allen Kane
“Therapy Pt. 2” – Robert Glasper feat. Mac Miller
Best Duo or Group
City Girls
DJ Drama & Jeezy
Drake & 21 Savage
Earthgang
Larry June & The Alchemist
Quavo & Takeoff
Rae Sremmurd
Best Live Performer
Burna Boy
Busta Rhymes
Cardi B
Coi Leray
Dababy
Drake
Kendrick Lamar
Megan Thee Stallion
Best Breakthrough Hip-hop Artist
Armani White
Central Cee
Doechii
Finesse2tymes
Ice Spice
Kaliii
Lola Brooke
Sexyy Redd
Lyricist of the Year
21 Savage
André 3000
Burna Boy
Cardi B
Conway The Machine
Drake
J. Cole
Kendrick Lamar
Producer of the Year
Atl Jacob
DJ Khaled
Dr. Dre
Hit-Boy
Hitmaka
Kaytranada
London On Da Track
Metro Boomin
The Alchemist
Video Director of the Year
Anderson .Paak
Cole Bennett
Colin Tilley
DaBaby & Reel Goats
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar
Dave Meyers
Travis Scott
DJ of the Year
Chase B
D-Nice
DJ Cassidy
DJ Clark Kent
DJ Drama
DJ Jazzy Jeff
DJ Khaled
Kaytranada
Metro Boomin
Best Hip-hop Platform
AllHipHop
Caresha Please
Drink Champs
Hiphop Dx
Million Dollaz Worth Of Game
Rap Caviar
The Breakfast Club
The Joe Budden Podcast
XXL
Hustler of the Year
21 Savage
50 Cent
Burna Boy
Cardi B
Caresha
DJ Khaled
Drake
Jay-Z
Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse
21 Savage – “Creepin’” (Metro Boomin feat. The Weeknd & 21 Savage)
21 Savage – “Peaches & Eggplants” (Young Nudy feat. 21 Savage)
André 3000 – “Scientists & Engineers” (Killer Mike & André 3000 feat. Future & Eryn Allen Kane)
Cardi B – “Tomorrow 2” (Glorilla & Cardi B)
Cardi B – “Put It On Da Floor Again” (Latto feat. Cardi B)
Drake – “Oh U Went” (Young Thug feat. Drake)
J. Cole – “All My Life” (Lil Durk feat. J. Cole)
Jay-Z – “God Did” (DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z , John Legend & Fridayy)
Best International Flow
Aka (South Africa)
Black Sherif (Ghana)
Central Cee (UK)
Gazo (France)
J Hus (UK)
K.O (South Africa)
Major Rd (Brazil)
Ninho (France)
Sampa The Great (Zambia)
Tasha & Tracie (Brazil)
Innoson Faces Stiff Competition As Auto Manufacturing Firm Begins Construction Of Factory For CNG Vehicles
AdminOmaa Motors an Indigenous Car Manufacturing Company owned by Mr. Chinedu Oguegbu will today perform its ground-breaking ceremony in Umunya, Anambra State.
The car manufacturing company which has been in existence for a while in IgboUkwu Anambra State, will be building a bigger plant that will major on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Electric powered vehicles.
The plant will also convert Petrol and Diesel powered engines to CNG.
From its facility in Igbo Ukwu, Anambra State, Omaa provides sustainable energy and mobility solutions to address today’s environmental challenges, while empowering people to create rugged solutions that are relevant to their local economy.
The company launched the first local assembled, dual-fuel, natural gas-powered commercial buses in Nigeria two years ago.
With this, Innoson Vehicles located in Nnewi, Anambra State, now has a competitor.
More...
Former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Friday, told Vice President Kashim Shettima that no man can retire the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, from politics in the country, except God.
Frank reacted to a delusional statement by Shettima where he boasted that he would “retire Atiku and teach him how to rear goats and boilers” following the ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court on petitions challenging the declaration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
He said: “Shettima should know that one with God, as they say, is majority. Atiku has the majority and this is why Nigerians did not jubilate nor celebrate the pyrrhic affirmation through judicial coup orchestrated by the PEPC affirming Tinubu as the winner of the Presidential election.”
He wondered why Shettima in
gloating over the predetermined and compromised PEPC verdict like a child just handed a cup of iced-cream by the mother, cannot but notice that all is quiet across Nigeria, including Lagos and Borno States, because the people know the justices ruled in Tinubu’s and APC’s favour notwithstanding the preponderance of hard facts and evidence adduced before them which show that Tinubu never won the last Presidential election.”
He said in spite of Shettima’s unstatesmanlike comment, “some of us know that Atiku and Peter Obi remain the heroes of democracy in Nigeria and Nigerians will never forget their struggle for a free, fair and transparent democratic system in the country irrespective of whether they get justice in the instant election petition case or not.”
According to him, “what happened in Nigeria on Wednesday was a judicial coup against the Nigerian state. It wasn’t justice. It was an ambush against the people.
“Shettima and his gang may celebrate a stolen mandate against the will and wishes of majority of Nigerians now, but a time will come when they will feel the impact of what transpired when the judiciary brazenly decided to jettison substance, facts and evidence adduced before them and ruled against Nigerians for their personal gain.”
Frank who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, called on Shettima to apologise to Atiku and Nigerians over his unguarded statement which was “apparently borne out of crash impunity and arrogance.”
He said: “A man like Shettima who has been accused times without number of sponsorship of Boko Haram ought to be in jail right now rather than walking free without any modicum of respect for elders and with a stolen mandate.
“He ought to be begging God for forgiveness seeing the many atrocities Boko Haram has committed in the North and the attendant deaths, ruination of lives and devastation of property.”
He called on the Judiciary to use Atiku’s and Obi’s decision to approach the Supreme Court to redeem its image.
He commended Atiku for his resilience and doggedness in the pursuit of justice and in upholding the rule of law.
He said despite Atiku’s disagreement with the ruling of the Appeal Court’s Justices, the former Vice President demonstrated his abiding faith in the Nigerian judiciary by opting to subject the verdict to further scrutiny by the Supreme Court.
“Let the judiciary use the opportunity to redeem itself. Despite Nigerians have lost confidence and hope in the judicial process, they have been presented with another opportunity to either destroy Nigeria finally or write their names in gold through fearless, courageous and truthful decision.
“Atiku and Obi are doing everything possible to bring hope to Nigerians in their decision to give the judiciary a second chance as men of integrity who strongly believe in a free, fair, democratic process,” he said.
[NationalDaily]
The African Union looks set to become the newest member of the G20, officials said on Friday, as the bloc’s bid won backing from existing members gathered for a summit in India.
G20 host and Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, called for the pan-African organisation to become a permanent member, arguing that developing nations need a greater say in global decision-making.
The proposal has won backing from Washington and on Friday, the European Union said it would also back the move.
“I look forward to welcoming the AU as a permanent member of the G20”, European Council president Charles Michel told reporters in New Delhi, where the two-day G20 summit begins on Saturday.
The Group of 20 major economies currently consists of 19 countries and the European Union, making up about 85 per cent of global GDP and two-thirds of the world population.
But South Africa is currently the only G20 member from the African continent.
The Ethiopia-headquartered AU was created in 2002, following the disbanding of the Organisation of African Unity.
At full strength, it has 55 members, but six junta-ruled nations are currently suspended. Collectively it has a GDP of $3trillion with some 1.4 billion people.
India’s top foreign service officer, Vinay Kwatra, said it expected a decision on AU membership would be made at the summit on Saturday morning.
In December 2022, U.S. President, Joe Biden, said he wanted the AU “to join the G20 as a permanent member”, adding that it had “been a long time in coming, but it’s going to come”.
On Tuesday, Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, reiterated the stance while discussing the U.S. priorities for the New Delhi summit.
“We’re also looking forward to warmly welcoming the African Union as a permanent member of the G20 — the newest permanent member. We believe that the African Union’s voice will make the G20 stronger,” Sullivan said at a White House briefing.
AFP
Popular Nigerian skit maker and brand influencer Amarachi Amusi, professionally known as Ashmusy, has revealed that she is richer than the men who are asking her for romantic relationships.
Ashmusy admitted that she was still single because she was earning more money than most of her suitors.
She said this while featuring as a guest in the latest episode of the ‘Tell Your Story’ podcast hosted by Aloma Isaac Junior, aka Zicsaloma.
She said: “With my status presently, most people [men] I meet, I ask them sometimes like, ‘How much do you earn in a month?’ so that I can compare because I want a man that is bigger than me.
“I want my man to be bigger than me; to be my head. To be way way richer than me, like let my money be nothing compared to his, you know.
“But when I ask them [potential suitors about their earnings] and they tell me, even the ones that are doing good, I’m still doing better based on what I make [earn].
“So at the end, it is still like I’m still on top. Most men I meet are making less than what I make in a month.
“And it feels bad because I want some that will make more.”
[TheCable]
The Investment pledges amounting to nearly $14 billion U.S. dollars were committed during the Nigeria-India Presidential Roundtable and Conference in New Delhi convened by H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Heirs Holdings Group Chairman, Tony O. Elumelu C.F.R., urged the Indian private sector to seize the opportunity to invest in Nigeria, during the Nigeria-India Presidential Roundtable and Conference on Wednesday, September 6th, 2023, in New Delhi, India, jointly organised by the High Commission of Nigeria to India, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Nigeria-India Business Council (NIBC).
Elumelu, who has built pan African financial service businesses and now controls significant power and natural resources operations, all focused on value creation in Africa, was in Delhi for the G20 Summit, both as an invitee of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and as co-chair of the Business 20 (B20) Action Council focusing on African economic integration, the private sector counterpart to the G20.
During a keynote address, Elumelu invited Indian private sector leaders to join him and other global investors in accessing the rapidly evolving Nigerian economy, home to 20% of Africans and one of the largest consumer populations globally:
"This is the time to invest in Nigeria. I speak as a private sector investor in Nigeria, the companies in our Group’s investment portfolio demonstrate the opportunity. I believe you also can take advantage of our track record and success."
At the Presidential roundtable, hosted by H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Indian investors pledged investments of nearly $14 billion to Nigeria, following the Nigerian president’s commitment to create the enabling environment for foreign investments to thrive.
“Nigeria is a huge market; over 200 million people with the largest economy on the continent.
Most importantly, the population is not just over 200 million people; the demography of the population is exciting. We have a cohort of young people who are there to consume, and we also have people who are intelligent, energetic, hardworking, who provide the human capital that investors need to drive their businesses”
Recall Elumelu, was recently named co-chair of the Business 20 (B20) Action Council focusing on African economic integration, alongside Sunil Mittal, founder of Bharti Enterprises (owners of Airtel). Established in 2010 within the G20, the B20 comprises corporate business enterprises and organisations and serves as the official platform for dialogue between the G20 and the global business community.