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Nigeria: Giant of Africa Ranks 148th on Global Peace Index

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5 years ago

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  • Nigeria: Giant of Africa Ranks 148th on Global Peace Index

Nigeria, the giant of Africa found its position is ranked 148th among the 163 independent states listed on the Global Peace Index in 2018.

“The results this year shows that the average level of global peacefulness improved very slightly in the 2019 GPI. This is the first time the index has improved in five years. The average country score improved by 0.09 per cent, with 86 countries improving, and 76 recording deteriorations. The 2019 GPI reveals a world in which the conflicts and crises that emerged in the past decade have begun to abate, but new tensions within and between nations have emerged,” the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) stated.

Among the 44 listed Sub-Saharan Africa countries, Nigeria ranks 40th and tops the five least peaceful countries in the region alongside, the Democratic Republic of the Congo 41st, Central African Republic 42nd, Somalia 43rd, and South Sudan 45th.

The Global Peace Index (GPI) measures peacefulness across three domains: Safety and Security, Ongoing Conflict, and Militarization. The report emphasized that the world has become less peaceful over the last decade, there have been some notable improvements in peace.

“The 2019 GPI reveals a world in which the tensions, conflicts and crises that emerged in the past decade remain unresolved”.

It was also reported that of the three GPI domains, two recorded a deterioration while one improved. Ongoing Conflict deteriorated by 8.7% and Safety and Security deteriorated by just over 4%. However, Militarization improved by 2.6%.

According to IEP Key Findings shows that: “An estimated 971 million people live in areas with high or very high exposure to climate hazards. Of this number, 400 million or 41%, reside in countries with already low levels of peacefulness.”

“8 of the 25 least peaceful countries have 10% or more of their population in high climate hazard areas, amounting to 103.7 million people at risk. These countries are South Sudan, Iraq, Libya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, North Korea, Nigeria and Mexico”.

“The impacts of a lack of water has also affected conflict dynamics in Nigeria. Lake Chad, a major source of fishing and farming livelihoods, lost 90% of its surface area in the past 40 years due to climate change and environmental mismanagement”.

“Resultant unemployment and related food insecurity contributed to Boko Haram’s successful recruitment of unemployed youths in the area.”

The report revealed that the Philippines, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mexico and Nigeria are particularly vulnerable, with 47%, 26%, 24% and 24% of their populations in areas of high exposure to climate hazards, respectively.

It was also reported that Nigeria’s improvement was based on a reduction in deaths from internal conflict. However, external conflicts fought escalated because of the government’s engagements in Mali and Somalia.

According to the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) “We develop global and national indices, calculate the economic impact of violence, analyze country level risk and have developed an empirical framework for Positive Peace that provides a roadmap to overcome adversity and conflict, helping to build and sustain lasting peace”.

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Government

Worsening Hardship: Fresh Pressure Mounts on Tinubu’s Ministers Over Planned Cabinet Rejig 

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4 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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There is apparent fear within the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu over plans by the president to relieve some of the ministers of their duties.
Sources in the presidency said the looming rejig of the cabinet is due to widespread complaints of hunger by many Nigerians.
Top among the ministries that will be mainly affected in the cabinet reshuffle is the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
Sources close revealed that the presidency might completely scrap the ministry.
The move, according to the impeccable insiders, is also to streamline government operations and eliminate underperforming ministries.
It was further learned that the cabinet reshuffle would go beyond portfolio swaps. Instead, some portfolios and ministries would be split, merged, or scrapped.
Those in the know opined that the planned reshuffling and scrapping is overdue and that the President would have announced the changes in the cabinet last week but for his trip out of the country.
They said Tinubu would also restructure some of the ministries for effectiveness and output owing to the alleged protest against bad governance and poverty in the country.
Other sources said President Tinubu aims to finalize changes before departing for the United Nations General Assembly.
They said that the development has ignited fear among the ministers as some who don’t have much closeness with the presidency are said to be loitering around Aso Rock to lobby their stay in their respective positions.
Upon his assumption of office, President Tinubu appointed 48 federal ministers and bagged a record as the President with the highest cabinet size since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999.
Some analysts in the country had argued that the large cabinet size would drain the country’s already depleted purse.
In January, this year, one of the nine female ministers, Betta Edu, was suspended by Tinubu over N585million scandal.
While in suspension, Edu incurred the anger of Nigerians in July 2024, after she made a comeback with a condolence message to victims of the collapsed school building in Jos in her official capacity as the humanitarian affairs minister by using the official letterhead of the ministry.
Investors King reports that since then, nothing has been heard about her alleged fraud even as the presidency remains mute.

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Government

LG Election: Tension in Osun as APC, PDP Risk Disqualification for Substituting Candidates Unlawfully 

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4 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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All Progressive Congress (APC)
There is uneasy calm among major political parties in Osun State over the announcement by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) that the party leadership submitted names of candidates that are different from those who obtained forms to contest the February 22, 2025 Local Government Election in the state.
According to Barrister Hashim Abioye, the OSIEC Chairman, about seven political parties including the Peoples Democratic Party and major opposition All Progressives Congress face disqualification from the poll if they fail to correct the status of their candidates within 48 hours.
Abioye said the political parties contesting in the forthcoming local government election ran foul of the provisions and procedure regarding the substitution of candidates.
He said after the verification committee set up by the commission completed its assignment, it was discovered that some political parties had replaced the names of candidates with ones that were strange to the commission.
According to him, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and the Action Peoples Party (APP) are affected.
Speaking at a press conference held in Osogbo, Abioye stressed that the affected political parties committed an incurable infraction by giving nomination forms to candidates whose names were different from those with the commission.
He further revealed that virtually all the political parties contesting the elections had one case or another of the infractions, and that while some are remediable others are incurable.
According to the OSIEC boss, “The provision is not an innovation, it is as also contained in the Electoral Act, 2022, that is the provision we have now adopted. For this reason, some political parties, notably the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), the Action Peoples Party (APP) ran foul of the provisions and procedure regarding substitution of candidates.
“While no substitution can be validly done without following the rules, any substitution or change of candidate done after the purported candidate intended to be a replacement for another must have been given and submitted nomination form despite his/her name not being on the list originally submitted to the Commission would be void.
“Let me note once again that virtually all the political parties contesting the elections had one case or another of the infractions which are remediable, but the political parties highlighted above committed the most of the infractions that are incurable by giving nomination form for candidates whose names were not on the list in some local government areas and wards. This we cannot help.”
Giving an instance of the infractions, Abioye stated, “Being a major political party, I will take that of the APC as an example. In Atakunmosa West Local Government, the Chairmanship and Vice-chairmanship candidates submitted by the party to the Commission were not the persons who filled nomination forms submitted to OSIEC.
“In the same vein, the respective vice-chairmanship candidates submitted by the APC for Ede South, Egbedore, Ife Central, Ifedayo, Isokan, Olorunda and Oriade Local Government Areas were completely different from the persons that filled and submitted nomination forms to the Commission. Candidates of the APC in several Wards across various local government areas were affected by this incurable anomaly.”
Meanwhile, the development has thrown the affected parties into panic as they struggle to meet the deadline.

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Government

Yahaya Bello Leaves EFCC Office Without Interrogation, Says Media Office

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13 hours ago

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September 19, 2024

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Revenue system

The media office of the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has confirmed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not interrogate him when he visited the anti-graft agency’s office on Wednesday morning.

According to the media office, the EFCC informed Bello that he could leave without being interrogated. This occurred in the presence of Alhaji Usman Ododo, who accompanied the former governor to the commission’s office.

“The EFCC did not interrogate him, as officials told him he could leave,” Ohiare Michael, the director of Bello’s media office, said in a statement.

“We don’t know what this means yet. As we write, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has left the EFCC office. He was accompanied there by the Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo.”

He further stated that this decision came after consultations with Bello’s family, legal team, and political allies.

He said, “Bello showed up at the EFCC office after consultations with his family, legal team, and political allies, saying he had nothing to hide or fear. His legal team has represented him in court throughout the ongoing case. The EFCC had earlier declared Bello wanted after a series of events.”

Recall that the media office of Yahaya Bello alleged that, on Wednesday night, operatives of the EFCC laid siege to the Kogi Government Lodge in Abuja in an attempt to forcefully arrest the former governor.

They also explained how his legal team had represented him in court throughout the ongoing case and how Bello had mustered the courage to honor the EFCC’s invitation to clear his name, stating he has nothing to hide or fear.

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