In Nigeria, however, instead of assembling the building blocks of a stable and progressive pluralistic society, groups of vile and divisive ethnic entrepreneurs are now instigating a retreat to ethnic fascism disguised as nationalism. Their playing ground is social media, and their hate mongering is gaining so much momentum that even educated cosmopolitans are being seduced. Therefore, we must regulate the extremism in social media and excommunicate those who seek to sow the seeds of ethnic discord. We can do this by leaning on social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to censor bigotry and suspend accounts that promote such extremism. There will be no return to kingdoms, so we are better off learning the lessons of multiculturalism from Brighton and Hove and shun the destruction that ethnic nationalism guarantees.

The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) has called for dialogue between the government and leaders of the planned protest to highlight current economic hardships arising from the reforms initiated by President Bola Tinubu. The organisation also urged the president to open the land borders, particularly in the Southern part of the country for the importation of food items to bring down price. It urged President Tinubu to immediately issue an Executive Order opening up all the country’s borders in the South-West and South-South in order for rapid inflow of food that would lower prices. Government must cost the cost of governance. We have no other country but Nigeria; and we cannot allow a civil protest to spiral out of control,” OPC said.

About the medal tableAs is traditional, the table prioritises the number of gold medals won. If countries have the same number of gold medals, the order is then dictated by which has the most silvers, and finally bronze if the numbers are still identical. The US won 113 medals overall in Tokyo, while Great Britain, in fourth, had more medals overall than third-placed Japan, 65 to 58. France, the host country at the 2024 Games, came eighth in the medal table in 2020 with 10 gold medals. Australia did not have a medals target for the Tokyo Games and came sixth, with an impressive haul of 17 gold medals and Australia’s Chef de Mission, Anna Meares, has adopted the same approach for Paris 2024 to give athletes a “reprieve around the pressure of performance”.

Mr Okpebholo, who currently represents Edo Central in the Senate, said he would revive the state’s education system. “There is nothing in the much-talked-about EdoBEST education reform in the state, a better reform is nothing once APC takes over,’’ he said. “Many schools need classrooms and teachers. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. We will set the ball rolling with strong education reform,” he said.

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced a seamless method for individuals to update their date of birth on the national identity database. According to NIMC, the updated process involves nine straightforward steps, which can be accessed via the commission’s self-service portal. The steps to update one’s Date of Birth with these straightforward steps are available at https://selfservicemodification.nimc.gov.ng1. Navigate to your dashboard and select the date of birth modification option. If you’ve misplaced your birth certificate, perform the birth attestation online at http://nationalpopulation.org.ng.

Europe’s main stock markets diverged at the start of trading Tuesday, with London down and eurozone indices higher. The FTSE 100 index dropped 0.2 per cent to 8,279.32 points, while the Paris CAC 40 rose 0.3 per cent to 7,466.46 as data showed the French economy grew faster than expected in the second quarter. Frankfurt’s DAX index won 0.3 per cent to 18,374.89 points.

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has appealed to traditional rulers, leaders of religious organisations, and other community leaders to advise their people against resorting to violence, even as youths across the country plan to start the #EndBadGovernance protest on August 1, 2024. The governor also expressed concerns that the planned national protest may escalate into violence, potentially harming vulnerable and weak individuals in the country. Otti acknowledged that Nigerians have the right to protest against poor conditions but expressed concern that any good intentions of the original organisers of the national protest may be undermined if opportunists and hoodlums hijack the protest to incite disorder. “Abia State civil servants have received the April tranche of the Wage Award, as promised by our administration, among other commitments. Therefore, I plead with Abia people to shun violence.”

The International Police Organisation (Interpol) has revealed that hundreds of thousands of dollars are being laundered out of Nigeria every hour. Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Kazuyoshi Matsunaga, lauded the workshop as a significant joint initiative between Japan and Nigeria to combat financial crimes. He underscored the necessity of international cooperation in tackling border-transcending financial crimes. Isaac Oginni, Director of Interpol Financial Crime and Anti-Corruption Centre (IFCACC), emphasized the need to deny fraudsters the financial gains of their crimes. It included participants from the Police, EFCC, NFIU, Nigeria Immigration Service, and Nigeria Customs Service.

Peaceful demonstrations to convey felt needs are rights enshrined in our nation’s constitution, which also highlights ways and means by which such rights and dissents are disposed. But are protests and demonstrations necessary at the time our national ecosystem is recovering from a grievous pandemic and the worst economic crisis since the great depression? They only seek to use our people to fund their plot having failed in previous successive attempt to destabilise the federal government. They foist back on society the very issues the present protest hope to achieve. This should provide a renewed source of hope for us as we look forward to a greater, bigger, and better Nigeria.

Nigeria Police Force, High Command has clarified that the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr Kayode Egbetokun, has not declared any curfew over the planned nationwide protest in the country. “We urge all media outlets and the general public to disregard this misinformation and rely on official statements from the Nigeria Police Force or other authorized government agencies. “The NPF hereby categorically states that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has not declared any curfew. Additionally, it is pertinent to state that such information would have been communicated via the official Nigeria Police Force platforms were it true. “The false publication suggesting otherwise is a product of the author’s imagination and does not represent the position of the Nigeria Police.

Landslides in India triggered by pounding monsoon rains have killed at least 45 people with at least 250 others rescued from a landscape transformed by mud and debris, officials said Tuesday. The southern coastal state of Kerala has been battered by torrential downpours, with blocked roads into the disaster area at Wayanad district complicating relief efforts. Kerala state excise minister M.B. Rajesh said more than 250 people in total had been rescued so far, The Hindu newspaper reported. More rainfall and strong winds were forecast in Kerala on Tuesday, the state’s disaster management agency said.

The Federal Government has urged Nigerian youths to opt for dialogue rather than protests, emphasizing that protests could lead to negative consequences. Idris explained that the FEC’s stance is that many of the issues raised by protesters are already being addressed by the federal government. He acknowledged that while peaceful protests are a democratic right, there is concern that such demonstrations might be co-opted by malicious actors and potentially turn violent. The government’s main concern is that protests could be hijacked and escalate into violence,” Idris warned. Meanwhile, Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, announced the approval of three key memos focused on combating crime and corruption.

A mother has become the first person to be jailed under Australia’s forced marriage laws, for ordering her daughter to wed a man who would later murder the 21-year-old. Six weeks after the nuptials, Halimi killed his new bride – a crime for which he is now serving a life sentence. Forced marriage laws were introduced in Australia in 2013 and carry a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment. There are several cases pending, but Jan is the first person to be sentenced for the offence. In a statement on Monday, Attorney General Mark Dreyfus described forced marriage as “the most reported slavery-like offence” in Australia, with 90 cases brought to the attention of federal police in 2022-23 alone.

Nigerian telecommunication companies have provided clear guidelines to help subscribers unblock their SIM cards, following recent disconnections due to the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) -SIM harmonisation exercise. This initiative, aimed at enhancing the integrity of the national SIM registration database, has left many users facing temporary service disruptions. Glo: Dial 109 followed by your NIN number (e.g., *109*12345678901#) and follow the prompts to submit your NIN. Spectranet: Call 8002345678 or email [email protected] to submit your NIN. KYC verification at a Spectranet store is required.

Nigerian telecommunication companies have provided clear guidelines to help subscribers unblock their SIM cards, following recent disconnections due to the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) -SIM harmonisation exercise. To assist affected customers, telecom companies outlined in a statement on Monday step-by-step to restore connectivity. Glo: Dial 109 followed by your NIN number (e.g., *109*12345678901#) and follow the prompts to submit your NIN. Spectranet: Call 8002345678 or email [email protected] to submit your NIN. KYC verification at a Spectranet store is required.