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South African with Nigerian father faces backlash in race to becoming Miss SA

Itoro ETUKUDO
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South African with Nigerian father faces backlash in race to becoming Miss SA

A 23-year-old South African beauty queen, Chidimma Vannesa Onwe Adetshina, has faced backlash after making it to the top 16 at the ongoing Miss South Africa (Miss SA) pageant.

Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and South African mother, Adetshina has been targeted by some South Africans who claim she is not South African by birth.

According to a South African Vlogger, some South Africans are unpleased that Adetshina made the top 16 in the pageant, adding that Nigerians in South Africa are known to engage in questionable jobs.

Responding to the trolls, the beauty queen said in various interviews that she is a South African and qualified to compete at the pageant.

“I am a South African citizen and I have met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss SA competition. The fact that my father is Nigerian does not take away from the fact that I am South African. My mother is South African, and I was born and raised in this country,” she said.

Also clearing the air on the issue, the Miss SA organisation, in a statement confirmed that Adetshina met all the requirements to participate in the pageant.

“All documentation provided by the entrants is screened and vetted. Chidimma is a South African citizen and has met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss South Africa competition. Her mother is South African (Zulu), and her father is Nigerian,” they said in the statement.

According to the Miss SA organisation, to be eligible to contest for the pageant, the contestant must be a South African citizen and possess a valid ID or passport. If the contestant holds dual citizenship, documents relating to both must be made available.

Also, as stated in the amended South African Citizenship Act, citizenship can be acquired by birth, descent, or naturalisation.

While most South Africans are against the Miss SA organisation allowing  Adetshina to continue with the competition, in 2001, Vanessa Carreira, born to Portuguese-Angolan parents in South Africa won the Miss South Africa title.

 

Lagos vehicle owners to begin paying for on-street parking in churches, mosques, others

Bankole ABE
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Lagos vehicle owners to begin paying for on-street parking in churches, mosques, others

VEHICLE owners in Lagos State will start paying for on-street parking in churches, mosques and other public places.

The state government said it resolved to charge vehicle owners who park on some specified streets in the state.

According to reports, implementing the on-street parking regulations in Lekki, Surulere, and a few other locations will commence in October this year.

The state administration has been notifying religious organisations—such as churches and mosques— and event centres through letters about the commencement of the on-street parking fees.

According to Punch, in a letter to the Lagos State branch of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the government advised the organisation that cars parked on approved streets by the church and its members would be subject to hourly fees, and that vehicles parked carelessly will be subject to appropriate enforcement.

The letter was dated July 19 and signed by the Head of Operations of Lagos State Parking Authority, Ayokunle Akinrinmisi.

The letter partly reads, “I am directed to inform your revered organisation that LASPA will be commencing its on-street parking scheme at designated streets within the Lagos State metropolis. “In view of this, I am using this medium to inform your eminence, that vehicles parked on designated streets by the church and its members, will be charged hourly and indiscriminately parked vehicles will be enforced upon accordingly.

“Consequently, we advise that this piece of information be adhered to as a law-abiding organisation.”

The General Manager of the Lagos State Parking Authority, Adebisi Adelabu, revealed that the on-street parking scheme’s pilot programme would start in October.

She said in 2022, the state held meetings with Christian and Muslim associations, nightclubs, event centres and others and told them that it would implement the policy.

According to her, Lagos is a city of over 25 million people and has over three million vehicles. As a result, the state must have proper parking management.

Despite increasing revenues accruing to the Lagos State government coffers, a report by The ICIR showed that the government failed to keep its word in improving budgetary allocations to the state’s education and health sectors.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is serving out his second term and has said repeatedly that he was prioritising education and health on his administration’s agenda.

It is already five years since he assumed office and the budgetary allocations for education and health have continued to dwindle to a single digit, despite his promises to raise them to a double-digit percentage.

LP to presidency: Peter Obi has nothing to do with protests

Itoro ETUKUDO
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LP to presidency: Peter Obi has nothing to do with protests

A LABOUR Party (LP) chieftain, Yunusa Tanko, has refuted the allegation against the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, that he is behind a planned nationwide protest.

In an interview with The ICIR on Saturday, July 20, Tanko noted that Obi had nothing to do with the protest, noting that people could plan to protest based on the hardship in the country.

“There are people suffering from health, education, security, and many other issues. These things are part of the failure of the government. They should face the government’s failure as individuals and not attach it to Peter Obi.

“Peter Obi has nothing to do with this, whatsoever and it affects all Nigerians, who have a right to raise their voices as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that when there is bad governance, people have the right to ventilate. It is unfair and unacceptable that they are trying to pin this on Peter Obi,'” he said.

The special adviser on information and strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, took to his X account to state that the supporters of Peter Obi were planning to stage the nationwide protests scheduled for August 1.

He noted that Peter Obi should be held responsible for the planned protest, adding that the protest planners were the same people that instigated the destructive ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in October 2020.

“Don’t be fooled: the malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. And he should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates from the action.

“The protest planners are also the same people who were instigated by IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to launch the destructive ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in October 2020,” he said.

This is coming following reports that some Nigerians are planning a nationwide protest on August 1 due to the rising cost of living and economic hardship.

After one year of President Tinubu’s administration, many of his economic reforms have worsened  inflation, as food prices and cost of living generally soared.

Across the country, the economic situation is fuelling frustration and anger against the government, with many Nigerians calling for massive protests.

In the past couple of days, some governors have publicly warned the youth in their states not to join any protest against the federal government.

On Wednesday, the members of the House of Representatives resolved to slash their salaries by half to appease Nigerians. However, the lawmakers only slashed a fraction of their earnings.

Nationwide protests against economic hardship have been occurring in various countries. The ICIR reported how Kenyans, for weeks, took to the street to protest against the Finance Bill, putting pressure on the President, William Ruto, to stop it.

Although the protest led to the death of some youths in the country, the President however bowed to pressure and declined signing the bill. The protests also led the President dissolvimg his cabinet.

 

Edo politics: Philip Shaibu defects to APC

Bankole ABE
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Edo politics: Philip Shaibu defects to APC

THE recently reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has finally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Shaibu declared for the APC in the presence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legacy coalition members during Saturday’s meeting of the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) for the Edo governorship race.

“On behalf of the legacy group, I announce our movement to the APC. We have come to add value to the party.

“It is time to take back our state. We will not talk too much because action will speak for us. We are not afraid. We are ready to move forward,” Shaibu told the gathering.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, his Cross River counterpart, Bassey Otu, and the national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, attended the meeting. 

Also at the meeting were the APC governorship candidate in the forthcoming Edo election, Monday Okpebholo, the state’s former governor, Adams Oshiomole, and the state chairman of the APC, Jarett Tenebe.

Shaibu was received into the APC party by the National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu.

He had earlier hinted during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday that might be heading to the APC.

He also accused his principal, Godwin Obaseki of denying him entry into the state.

“The Constitution does not allow anybody to bar me from entering Edo State, not even when I am a deputy governor. Even if I am an ordinary citizen, I should have a right. I should have freedom,” he said during the interview.

Shortly after Shaibu’s return to Benin City on Thursday, July 18, following his reinstatement by a Federal High Court in Abuja, there was pandemonium in the state which led to the death of a policeman attached to him.

Both camps have since traded blame on the incident.

Meanwhile, The ICIR reported on Saturday that Shaibu appointed a few aides to work in his office.

This followed his reinstatement by a federal high court in Abuja on Wednesday, July 17.

This was confirmed in a statement released by his media team on Saturday, July 20.

According to the statement, Shaibu appointed Musa Ebomhiana as chief press secretary (CPS) and reappointed Kingsley Ehigiamusoe as chief of staff (COS).

Shaibu also appointed seven other persons to serve in various capacities.

A Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja reinstated him three months after he was impeached by the state House of Assembly.

In his ruling, on Wednesday, July 17, the presiding judge, James Omotosho, said the impeachment was in gross violation of the Nigerian Constitution.

The Edo state government the appointments and described his actions as ‘provocative’.

In a statement on Saturday released by the State’s commissioner for information and communication, Chris Nehikhare, the government stated that it had filed a stay of execution of the FHC judgment.

The state government also called on the people of the state to ignore the appointments. 

2023 polls: Vote-buying rose by 44% in North-West – NBS

Bankole ABE
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0
2023 polls: Vote-buying rose by 44% in North-West – NBS

THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)  said vote buying increased by 44 per cent in the North-West zone in the 2023 general elections.

According to the NBS, the menace of vote-buying in the region increased from 23 per cent in 2019.

It added that the zone recorded “a relatively high share of 55 per cent of citizens who were offered money or another favours in exchange for their votes.”

This was contained in a report released by the NBS recently titled, “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and trends third survey on corruption as experienced by the population’.”

The NBS said overall the elections recorded 22 per cent of vote-buying, which is five per cent higher than the 2019 general elections with 17 per cent.

The report further disclosed that in 2023, 10 per cent reported that they were not personally offered money or another favour in exchange for their votes, but instead another member of their household was approached, compared to five per cent in 2019.

According to the organisation, 22 per cent of Nigerians said they were directly promised money in exchange for casting a ballot before or during the general election of 2023, while nine per cent said they were offered a different favour.

Vote-buying has been defined as the practice of soliciting a voter’s vote in an election in exchange for cash, commodities, or other favours.

“This represents an increase in both types of vote buying compared with 2019 when personal offers of money were reported by 17 per cent and personal offers of other favours were reported by four per cent of citizens.

“Just over half (55 per cent) of the citizens who were personally offered money or another favour in exchange for their vote in the 2023 general election reported that the offer did not influence their vote choice, while 40 per cent of those citizens said they voted for the person or political party which offered them money or a favour precisely because of the offer.

According to the report, its survey revealed that some electorates were not influenced by their voting decisions even after collecting money or favour.

It added that between 2019 and 2023, the proportion of Nigerians who were personally offered bribes in exchange for votes increased similarly across sexes, urban and rural areas, and age groups.

The NBS discovered that there were little or no changes in the South-West, South-South, and North-Central regions between 2019 and 2023 in their analysis of the vote-buying by zones.

The ICIR reported during the 2023 general elections that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended over 65 persons allegedly for vote-buying and inducement across 28 states during the governorship and House of Assembly elections that were held on Saturday, March 18.

A statement signed by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said that the commission’s operatives of the Kaduna zonal command on election monitoring duty nabbed 13 suspects.

Kaduna State is one of Nigeria’s North-West states where the NBS said vote-buying escalated in the last poll.

 

 

Okupe warming self into APC’s heart, LP says in response to his comments on Obi

Bankole ABE
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Okupe warming self into APC’s heart, LP says in response to his comments on Obi

THE spokesperson of the Labour Party (LP), Obiora Ifoh, has said that the party is not bothered by recent comments by a former director-general (DG) of its presidential campaign council, Doyin Okupe, on the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.

In a viral video seen online, Okupe said Obi’s presidential ambition forced him to contest against Atiku Abubakar, the former vice president and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 poll.

Rejecting claims that he betrayed Obi, Okupe said he chose to drop his support for the former Anambra State governor because he was no longer interested in working with him.

“In 2019 Obi was the vice-presidential candidate of Atiku Abubakar who brought him to the national limelight. Because of his own ambition, which was correct and due, Obi left the party and contested against Atiku. If people said I betrayed Obi, what did Obi do to Atiku? It is not fair.

“It is Obi’s interest in 2023 that made him go on a collision course against his former master. Obi was not my master; I was his supporter. If I supported him up to a point and decided to go back and be myself, how can that be an offence?” Okupe asked.

He claimed that when he started politics in 1978, Obi was nowhere.

“I wish Obi well, but I am done with him. We wanted to achieve something, but we couldn’t achieve it,” he added.

However, responding to Okupe’s claims in a chat with The ICIR on Saturday, July 20, the LP’s spokesperson, Obiora, Ifoh said Okupe did not deserve a response.

According to him, he doesn’t think the party should dignify Okupe with any response.

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“He is trying to, as usual, find his way into the government of the APC. We are not bothered,” Ifoh stated.

Obi defected from the PDP to the LP in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election.

The ICIR reported that Obi, who came third in the 2023 presidential election,  challenged the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) but eventually lost at the Supreme Court.

Trump vows to end Russia-Ukraine war if re-elected president

Itoro ETUKUDO
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Trump vows to end Russia-Ukraine war if re-elected president

FORMER President of the United States (US) and Republican candidate for the upcoming presidential election, Donald Trump, has promised to end the rivalry between Russia and Ukraine if re-elected.

He stated this on his social media platform, Truth Social on Friday, July 20.

Trump noted that he had a “very good call” with the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, where they had negotiations on how to end the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow.

He added that he would bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost many lives, noting that both sides could negotiate a deal to stop the violence.

“I appreciate President Zelenskyy for reaching out because I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families. Both sides will be able to come together and negotiate a deal that ends the violence and paves a path forward to prosperity,” he said.

Similarly, Zelensky in a post on X congratulated Trump on his presidential nomination and appreciated the help from the US in the war with Russia.

“I spoke with @realdonaldtrump to congratulate him on the Republican nomination and condemn the shocking assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. I wished him strength and absolute safety in the future. I noted the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence.

“Ukraine will always be grateful to the United States for its help in strengthening our ability to resist Russian terror. Russian attacks on our cities and villages continue every day. We agreed with President Trump to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting,” he said in his post.

This is not the first time Trump has pledged to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. In 2023, he said if he returned to the White House, he could end the war in 24 hours, but he did not say how refusing to be drawn on whether he wanted Ukraine to prevail.

Concerns as technical glitches disrupt $841.4bn global aviation business

Harrison EDEH
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Concerns as technical glitches disrupt $841.4bn global aviation business

AVIATION experts have called for proper safety measures as a technical glitch disrupts millions of passengers’ flights and  $841.4 billion global aviation business.

The experts also called for improved software management in the Information technological space to avert future recurrence.

“We might need to learn a few lessons here from the global technological glitch, most importantly constant system software upgrade,” an aviation expert, Roland Iyayi told The ICIR.

Already, Crowdstrike, the firm that released a software update responsible for the global IT systems failures, has tendered an apology for the glitch.

The ICIR reported that Crowdstrike’s CEO, George Kurtz, stated that it was neither a security incident nor a cyberattack.

The technical glitch affected Delta’s flight from Lagos-Atlanta flight. Other globally affected airlines are United, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue.

According to Cirium, an aviation analytics company, this outage has thrown the travel plans of millions into disarray, leading to chaotic scenes at airports as passengers struggled to rebook flights and make alternate arrangements.

The outage, which has crippled several crucial airline systems, underscores the vulnerability of modern aviation infrastructure to technological failures.

In Nigeria, Delta Airlines, on Friday, July 19, delayed its scheduled noon flight from Lagos to Atlanta, United States, due to technical issues.

The operator announced in a statement on Friday that all its flights were temporarily paused as it worked to resolve a vendor technology problem.

Aviation experts believe some lessons must be learned as it was not the first time the technical glitch had happened at the global stage.

“It’s not the first time this is happening. I have been in the sector for so long and I can attest to this. The most important thing is that we take safety precautions seriously and keep updating our software to enable us to align with global technological trends,” former commandant at Murtala Mohammed International Airport and aviation security expert, John Ojikutu, told The ICIR.

He added that when Nigerian Airways was flying to Rome, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and London, there were issues like this, and they were well handled.

He warned politicians not to replace professionals with friends and allies who could not handle developments like the July 19 technical glitch.

As a result of the crisis, officials at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos said they were awaiting signals from Atlanta, US, to determine when the flight could depart.

“No signals have been received yet. Certainly, the flight won’t go as planned,” one official, who declined to be named said.

Delta stated, “Any customers whose flights are impacted will be notified by Delta via the Fly Delta app and text message. Customers should use the Fly Delta app for updates.”

The airline apologised for the inconvenience and said it would notify affected customers via its app and text message.

Delta added that reports indicated other airlines might also be impacted.

Turkey’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, also confirmed it was affected by the massive global IT outage on Friday, according to the BBC.

A spokesperson said that as of 13:00 local time (11:00 BST), 84 of its flights to and from Istanbul and various locations across Europe were cancelled.

Turkish Airlines’ low-cost carrier, AJet, also reported experiencing disruptions to online ticketing, reservations, and call centres.

The airline apologised for the inconvenience and said flights would “gradually return to normal.”

The ICIR reported that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has advised pilots and airline operators to delay, cancel, or divert flights whenever they are threatened with visibility or other crises.

Reinstated Edo deputy gov, Shaibu, appoints aides, Edo gov’t kicks

Bankole ABE
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Reinstated Edo deputy gov, Shaibu, appoints aides, Edo gov’t kicks

THE recently reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo state, Philip Shaibu has appointed a few aides to work in his office.

This followed his reinstatement by a federal high court in Abuja on Wednesday, July 17.

This was disclosed in a statement released by his media team on Saturday, July 20,

According to the statement, Shaibu appointed Musa Ebomhiana as chief press secretary (CPS) and reappointed Kingsley Ehigiamusoe as chief of staff (COS).

Shaibu also appointed seven other persons to serve in various capacities.

A Federal High Court in Abuja reinstated him three months after he was impeached by the state House of Assembly.

In his ruling, on Wednesday, July 17, the presiding judge, James Omotosho, said the impeachment was in gross violation of the Nigerian Constitution.

The judge held that the allegation on which the House of Assembly based the impeachment proceedings was untenable in law, adding that the impeachment was illegal and unconstitutional.

The court also mandated that his salaries and allowances be paid from April 2024 when he was impeached.

Besides, the judge directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to restore his security details.

Shaibu’s impeachment followed the adoption of the report of the seven-man investigative panel set up by the state’s Chief Judge, Daniel Okungbowa, to probe allegations of misconduct against him.

Of the 20 members present, 18 voted in favour of the impeachment, while one opposed it, cementing the resolution to impeach him.

Meanwhile, the Edo state government has criticised the appointments made by Shaibu and described his actions as ‘provocative’.

In a statement on Saturday released by the State’s commissioner for information and communication, Chris Nehikhare, the government stated that it had filed a stay of execution of the FHC judgment.

The state government urged the people of the state to ignore the appointments 

“It is clear that the impeached deputy governor is hell-bent on creating chaos in the state, but the Edo State Government is resolved to put his antics in check and ensure that the state continues to run smoothly,” part of the statement reads.

According to the statement, Marvellous Omobayo who was appointed by the governor of Edo, Godwin Obaseki on April 8, remains the deputy governor.

Nehikhare asked the public to ignore the ‘shenanigans‘ staged by Shaibu.

The government assured the citizens that it would maintain peace and order and charged them to go about their lawful businesses.

The ICIR reports that Shuaibu has had a prolonged battle with Obaseki. His interest in succeeding his principal worsened the feud.

Ministers, officials shun media event to review Tinubu’s first year in office

Bankole ABE
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Ministers, officials shun media event to review Tinubu’s first year in office

SOME unnamed ministers and government officials have failed to show up at a media event organised to review President Bola Tinubu’s first year in office.

The two-day event with the theme: “The First Year” was hosted via live television on July 17 and 18, 2024, and was organised by Daria Media.

It was supported by the MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with TVC News.

According to the organisers, the event focused on the economy and security during Tinubu’s first year in office.

However, the organisers said virtually all government ministers and officials invited to the event declined to turn up at the last minute.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Daria Media Limited, Kadaria Ahmed, said it was disappointing that government officials didn’t take up the opportunity to engage with Nigerians what their principal’s administration had done since it took over power.

She said Daria Media would continue to deepening democracy by championing robust, informed conversations between citizens and government on critical national issues.

Africa Director of the MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima and other guests at the event
Africa Director of the MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima and other guests at the event (r)

According to a statement by the programmes officer of Daria Media, Tomi Olugbemi, the two-day event concentrated on the economy and security during Tinubu’s first year in office.

Olugbemi said the Africa director of the MacArthur Foundation, Kole Shettima, who was in attendance on both days, said the foundation was delighted to support the programme.

The statement quoted Shettima as saying the MacArthur Foundation “is committed to ensuring accountability in our country. We do this by supporting both government institutions and civil society organisations.”

According to Olugbemi, on July 17, a panel of experts discussed the state of Nigeria’s economy, covering critical issues such as economic growth, inflation, and employment.

Olugbemi added that one of the experts, the chief economist at SPM Professionals, Paul Alaje, said while responding to an audience question about inclusion, “We cannot say we are building a robust nation without including critical stakeholders. We must demonstrate that we are one nation by including persons with disabilities because they are critical stakeholders.”

According to the statement by Olugbemi, “The second day, July 18, focused on security and governance in Nigeria. A different set of experts including Brig. Gen. S.K, Usman, former Director of Army Public Relations, examined President Tinubu’s administration’s efforts to tackle security challenges. While addressing some root causes of insecurity in Nigeria, General Usman said that in most instances, non-state actors were just filling a vacuum, and that’s why there are all the manifestations of security challenges that we have.”

The group said the event was well-attended, with participation from the studio audience and viewers across the country.

The event was broadcast on TVC News, FRCN, Radio Now 95.3FM Lagos, and WFM 91.7 and streamed on all of Daria Media’s social media platforms.

This is the second time Daria Media has hosted “The First Year”. In 2016, the media organisation hosted government officials including former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, and the former Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, to review one year of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

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