SIGNATURE TV NEWS UPDATE: Niger’s President Bazoum decorates Governor Zulum with equivalent of GCON
Youth leaders support the ban of foreign exchange sales to Bureaux De Change, operators in Nigeria.
Council of Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria says Boko Haram, Banditry and Kidnapping will soon be things of the past following the Central Bank’s ban of foreign exchange sale to Bureaux De Change, BDC, operators in Nigeria.
The council stated this at a joint press conference in Abuja.
Signature TV correspondent Chibueze Obi was at the conference and now reports #
Court Restrains DSS, AGF From Arresting Sunday Igboho, Blocking His Bank Accounts
An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan has granted an ex-parte motion restraining the Department of State Services and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami from arresting, the Yoruba nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho.
The court also restrained the DSS and AGF from intimidating, harassing, and blocking the bank accounts of Igboho.
The presiding Judge, Justice Akintola gave the order on Wednesday following an ex-parte motion moved by Igboho’s lawyer Yomi Aliu (SAN) at the court.
The court order comes the same day when the DSS produced all 12 detained aides of Mr Igboho before the Federal High Court in Abuja.The apprehended aides have been accused of stockpiling arms to cause chaos in the country.
Meanwhile, Igboho is now being tried by the Benin republic court on fresh charges bordering on illegal migration, dubious connivance with immigration officers, and an attempt to cause civil unrest. #
Nigeria Exits West Africa’s Maritime Body
Federal Government says Nigeria has exited the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa (MOWCA).
The Ministry of Transportation spokesperson, Eric Ojiekwe, explained that the decision followed the disregard for Rules of Procedure in respect of the eligibility of candidates nominated for the position of the Secretary-General of the organisation.
He noted that this was contained in a statement by the Nigerian delegation at the 8th Bureau of Ministers and 15th General Assembly of MOWCA held on Thursday in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ojiekwe stated that by this, the Nigerian candidate and Director of Maritime Services at the Ministry of Transportation, Dr Paul Adalikwu, was the only eligible candidate and should have been declared unopposed.
According to the statement, no member state has supported MOWCA as much as Nigeria as the country has contributed over $5 million in the past 10 years to the organisation. #
IN BUSINESS
UAE lifts ban on flights to and from Nigeria
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has lifted the flight ban on Nigerian travellers with effect from Thursday, August 5 five months after imposing the ban.
Emirates airlines announced on its website that the UAE authorities have announced that effective 5 August 2021, eligible travellers from Nigeria and 10 other countries will be allowed to travel to/through the UAE.
The countries are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Uganda, Vietnam, South Africa, Afghanistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal.
The ban has been in place since March this year with scheduled flights between Nigeria and the UAE stopped following a diplomatic row over Covid-19 protocols.
While the Federal Government stipulates negative PCR test as a requirement for travellers to Dubai, the UAE further imposed rapid antigen test as another condition for visitors to Dubai which the Nigerian government rejected and on the basis of which it banned the UAE flag carrier, Emirates, from coming to Nigeria. #
ON THE FOREIGN SCENE
Niger’s President Bazoum decorates Governor Zulum with the equivalent of GCON
President Mohammed Bazoum of the Republic of Niger on Tuesday decorated Borno state Governor, Babagana Zulum, with the country’s Second highest National Honour, “de Grand Officer dans I`Ordre”, which is the equivalent of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON, in Nigeria.
Bazoum said he was honouring Zulum after watching the Governor’s bravery and sincere fight against Boko Haram, as well as his deep concern for the plight of Borno’s citizens seeking refuge in parts of Niger Republic, which Zulum has visited several times, offering support and steadily evacuating and resettling the refugees in new houses built in Borno.
The decoration took place in Zindar as part of the Government of Niger’s celebration of the country’s Independence Day.
The national honour to Zulum, “de Grand Officer dans IOrdre,” is only second to the “Grand Croix Des Ordre National Du Niger,” which is the equivalent of the GCFR, and is generally given to serving Presidents of the Niger Republic.
It was the first time a Nigerien President has bestowed the country’s second-highest national honour on a Nigerian governor. #
In sports
FIFA Bans Former CAF President Hayatou
FIFA’s ethics committee on Tuesday handed a year ban from football-related activities to former African Football Confederation (CAF) President Issa Hayatou over a controversial $1 billion dollars TV and marketing rights deal with France’s Lagardere Sports which infringed competition regulations.
74-year-old Cameroon’s Hyatou, must also pay a $33,000 fine after the committee’s adjudicatory chamber found the former FIFA vice-president and interim president breached the Duty of Loyalty of world football’s governing body’s ethics code.
The investigation into Mr Hayatou’s conduct in his position as CAF president had focused on his involvement in negotiating and signing off a memorandum of understanding and contractual agreement for the commercialisation of media and marketing rights of CAF-organised events with Lagardere between 2014 and 2017.
The committee found Hayatou had breached his duty of loyalty in his position as CAF president by entering on its behalf into an anti-competitive agreement with Lagardere which damaged the organisation financially as well as its reputation. #
