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Tag: US

  • Covid-19: FG approves another flight to evacuate Nigerians stranded in US

    Covid-19: FG approves another flight to evacuate Nigerians stranded in US

    The Federal Government has approved another evacuation flight to enable Nigerians stranded in the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic return home.

    The Consulate General of Nigeria, New York, announced this in a statement, noting that the flight has been scheduled for July 17.

    It said the flight would take-off from the Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, and arrive at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja.

    The statement partly read, “The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved a 3rd evacuation flight for stranded Nigerians in the USA, which will be Ethiopian Airlines, Flight No. ET509 scheduled to depart Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey on Friday, July 17, 2020 by 2115hrs and arrive Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja by 1325hrs on Saturday, July 18, 2020.

    “Consequently, all prospective evacuees, duly registered with any of the three Nigerian Missions in the USA, should purchase their one-way ticket on Ethiopian Airlines’ website at the cost of USD1,250 for Economy and USD2,800 for Business Class.”

    The Consulate stressed that evacuees would observe the repatriation protocols put in place by the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.

    It said returnees must test negative for Covid-19 before departure and would be made to undergo mandatory 14 days self-isolation and take another Covid-19 test upon arrival in Nigeria.

    A total of 160 Nigerians had been evacuated from the US on May 10 while the second evacuation flight has been fixed from the Newark Airport to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport for July 3.

  • US Air Force fighter jet crashes into North Sea

    A US Air Force fighter plane with one pilot on board has crashed into the North Sea.

    According to Newsnow, the Eagle was on a routine mission from RAF Lakenheath, the Air Force said on Monday.

    British search and rescue authorities are taking part in the search of the crash site, which is believed to be around 137km off Flamborough Head in East Yorkshire, directly east of Leeds in the United Kingdom’s north.

    “A US Air Force F-15C Eagle crashed at approximately 0940 today in the North Sea. The aircraft was from the 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom,” an Air Force statement said.

    “At the time of the accident, the aircraft was on a routine training mission with one pilot on board.

    “The cause of the crash as well as the status of the pilot is unknown at this time, and US Search and Rescue have been called to support.”

    Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force base that hosts the US Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing, known as the Liberty Wing.

  • #Blacklivesmatter: Hundreds of protesters storm US Embassy in Abuja over killing of George Floyd

    #Blacklivesmatter: Hundreds of protesters storm US Embassy in Abuja over killing of George Floyd

    Hundreds of protesters yesterday, besieged the United States of America embassy located in the Central Business District of Abuja to express their displesure over the recent and barbaric killings of George Floyd and several others black persons in the US.

    The protesters under the aegis of the Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights, CALSER said the gathering is not only for the display of physical rage as a result of the indiscriminate killing of black people in the United States of America by agents of the state but a display of emotional and mental rage.

    The group said it we would no longer watch how its brothers and sisters to be subjected to all manners of ill-treatment by law enforcement officers in the United States of America.

    Led by its convener, Princess Ajibola, CALSER said the death of George Floyd is an act of barbarism that is being spearheaded by the white supremacists in the United States of America because Black Lives doesn’t matter to them.

    “But we say Black Lives indeed matters”the group said

    Princess Ajibola said, “The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights have in numerous forums stated that it is indeed time for the blacks and Africans to take their destinies into their hands if we must survive the fangs of the whites whose desire is to see to the extinction of the entire black race in the world.

    “This is over 50 years down the line when the Late Martin Luther King spoke about the emancipation of blacks in the United States of America. Yet, the very issues he canvassed are still present in the United States of America.

    “We are not unmindful that some of us have come here out of great trials and tribulation. Some of us have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from where our quest for freedom left us battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering.

    “These words of Martin Luther King reverberate till date in the United States of America and other western climes. And the question is, should we suffer untold hardship and persecution just because of the colour of our skin?

    Should our children, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers continue to be killed because we are blacks? We are gathered here to register our displeasure with the happenings in the United States of America where Black lives do not matter”she added

    The group wants the Ambassador of the United States of America in Nigeria to convey its message to President Donald Trump.

    “Our message is simple. Black Lives Matter and racial discrimination must stop in the interest of peace, unity and progress. If this does not stop Africans must take their destinies into their hands and fight for their rights because according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are all born free. We all have our thoughts and ideas, and we should all be treated the same way.

    “The rights in the UDHR belong to everyone, no matter who we are, where we’re from, or whatever we believe. We all have the right to life and to live in freedom and safety. No one should be held as a slave, and no one has the right to treat anyone else as their slave.

    “No one has the right to inflict torture or to subject anyone else to cruel or inhuman treatment. Nobody has the right to enter our home, open our mail, or intrude on our families without good reason. We also have the right to be protected if someone tries to damage our reputation unfairly.

    Everyone has the freedom to think or believe what they want, including the right to religious belief. We have the right to change our beliefs or religion at any time, and the right to publicly or privately practise our chosen religion, alone or with others.

  • Racial killings in US: Protest spreads to Nigeria…Lagosians defy rain, march in solidarity with blacks

    Racial killings in US: Protest spreads to Nigeria…Lagosians defy rain, march in solidarity with blacks

    With the gruesome murder of an African-American by a ‘white’ cop still causing widespread outrage across the world, some Nigerians in Lagos, on Monday, staged a walk in condemnation of the dastardly act.

    The Black Lives Matter Movement in Nigeria (BLMMN), stormed the streets of Nigeria’s commercial capital despite the heavy downpour, in total condemnation of the indiscriminate killing of coloured people in the United States of America.

    George Floyd died on May 25th after Derek Chauvin, then an officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, pressed his knee into his neck for nearly nine minutes.

    On May 29th Mr Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

    However, African-Americans and other sympathizers worldwide are demanding an end to the killings which is gradually becoming a regular occurrence in the US.

    Speaking on behalf of the group, convener, Josephine Okpara said an end must be put to “white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on black communities by the state and vigilantes”.

    Madam Okpara expressed disgust at the manner blacks are being dehumanised, describing it as “ uncharitable and a gross disservice to our intellectual sense of existence in the world”.

    According to her, the killing of Floyd is another grim example of how black lives have been disregarded by the state and their affiliates.

    The Black Lives Matter Movement in Nigeria, therefore, expressed total solidarity with the global community in condemnation of the indiscriminate killing of black people.

    Okpara said that their thoughts and prayers are with the families of those that have lost their lives by the shenanigans of the US government who have failed address this menace that has indeed put black people all over the United States of America at risk.

    On behalf of the group, she, however, urged President Donald Trump and everyone in government to take up the challenge of making “ Black Lives Matter now and forever in the US”.

  • Adesina saga: Obasanjo, Jonathan, 13 other ex-African leaders warn Trump’s U.S. to stay off AFDB

    Fifteen former African leaders have urged the U.S. government to respect the governing systems of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

    In a statement on Friday, the former leaders said the bank and its president, Akinwumi Adesina, should not be distracted at a time when the continent is battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The leaders — including Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, former Nigerian presidents, — said conflict resolution processes outside laid down rules would undermine the reputation of the bank and its president.

    The US, through Steven Mnuchin, its treasury secretary, had called for an independent probe of Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB president, despite being absolved of whistleblower allegations by the bank’s ethics committee.

    “Adesina, who some whistleblowers alleged to have violated the banks’ code of ethics, has firmly and consistently declared his innocence of these allegations.

    “The ethics committee of the board of directors, a legal oversight body of the bank, made up of representatives of shareholders, cleared Dr Adesina of all 16 allegations, declaring them as baseless and unsubstantiated and exonerated him completely.

    Press Statement by African Leaders on Dr_ Adesina Leadership of AfDB UPDATED 29 May 2020

    “Governance is all about respecting and abiding by rules, laws and established governing systems of organizations. In the case of the AfDB, while differences may exist among parties, the best way to address them is to first respect the rules, procedures and governance structures of the bank.

    “The African Development Bank is a pride for all of Africa, and its president, Dr Adesina, has taken the bank to enviable heights. At this critical time that Africa is battling with COVID-19, the bank and its president should not be distracted.”

    Listing achievements of the AfDB under Adesina’s leadership, the leaders said: “The bank announced a $10 billion crisis response facility to support countries in Africa. The bank also successfully launched a $3 billion Fight COVID-19 social bond, the largest ever US dollar-denominated bond in world history”.

    “Powered by his vision and leadership, the shareholders of the bank from 80 countries all approved a general capital increase of $115 billion for the bank, the largest in its history since establishment in 1964.

    “The bank has been doing a lot for women, with a $3 billion fund to provide access to finance to women, supported by G7 countries and Africa.

    “Across the continent, the bank’s presence and work have been highly visible and impactful. In less than five years, the bank’s High 5 agenda has impacted over 333 million people, from access to electricity, food security, access to finance via the private sector, improve transport and access to water and sanitation.

    “The bank has maintained its stellar AAA rating among all global rating agencies.”

    They urged all shareholders to work with mutual respect and honour the procedures of the bank saying: “No nation, regardless of how powerful, has veto power over the African Development Bank, and no nation should have such power”.

    The statement was signed and endorsed by:

    Olusegun Obasanjo (president of Nigeria; 1999-2007)
    Boni Yayi (president of Benin; 2006-2016)
    Hailemariam Desalegn (prime minister of Ethiopia; 2012 – 2018)
    John Kufour (president of Ghana; 2001 – 2009)
    Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (president of Liberia; 2006 – 2018)
    Joyce Banda (president of Malawi; 2012 – 2014)
    Joaquim Chissano (president of Mozambique; 1986 – 2005)
    Tandja Mamadou (president of Niger; 1999 – 2010)
    Goodluck Jonathan (president of Nigeria; 2010-2015)
    Mohamed Marzouki (president of Tunisia; 2011 – 2014)
    Benjamin Mkapa (president of Tanzania; 1995 – 2005)
    Ameenah Gurib-Fakin (president of Mauritius; 2015 – 2018)
    Rupiah Banda (president of Zambia; 2008 – 2011)
    Kgalema Motlanthe (president of South Africa; 2008-2009)
    Jakaya Kikwete (president of Tanzania; 2005 – 2015)

  • Obasanjo wades in on Adesina, urges AFDB to ignore undue pressure from US [Read OBJ’s letter]

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the board of the African Development Bank to ignore calls for an independent investigation of Akinwumi Adesina by the US.

    Adesina, who is the president of the AfDB, was accused of favouritism and has been absolved of the allegations by the bank’s ethics committee.

    In a latter obtained by TheNEwsGuru (TNG), Obasanjo stressed that AFDB has its to laid down processes to protect and preserve itself.

    In his letter, Obasanjo wrote: “Unfortunately, the US government, through the US treasury secretary, has written a public letter (that was also distributed to the press globally) to disagree with the conclusions of the ethics committee of the board of directors and the chairman of the board of governors of the bank.

    Instead of accepting the exoneration of the president of the bank, they called for an independent investigation.

    “This is outside of the rules, laws, procedures and governance systems of the bank. The US treasury secretary disparaged the bank and ridiculed the entire governance system of the bank which has been in place since 1964.

    “This is unprecedented in the annals of the African Development Bank Group. If we do not rise up and defend the African Development Bank, this might mean the end of the African Development Bank, as its governance will be hijacked away from Africa.”

    Obasanjo also advised that it is “critical” to emphasise the need for the AfDB to remain an “African-focused development bank rather than one which serves interests outside Africa.

    Letter from H_E Obasanjo on AfDB May 2020

  • World’s highest: U.S. passes 100,000 coronavirus death toll

    World’s highest: U.S. passes 100,000 coronavirus death toll

    The U.S. has surpassed the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths, the world’s highest.

    It reached the mark on Tuesday night as figures rolled in from the states.

    John Hopkins University estimated the death toll at 98,902 deaths as at 01:30GMT on Wednesday.

    But data company Dadax which runs worldometers.info said 100,579 people have died.

    On Tuesday alone, fresh infections were 19,049 , while fresh deaths were 774.

    U.S. caseload of infections is now 1,725,275 and still counting.

    President Trump has been accused of causing the carnage, by not taking action when he should have.

    But on Tuesday night, Trump tweeted a defence:

    “For all of the political hacks out there, if I hadn’t done my job well, & early, we would have lost 1 1/2 to 2 Million People, as opposed to the 100,000 plus that looks like will be the number.

    “That’s 15 to 20 times more than we will lose. I shut down entry from China very early!

    “One person lost to this invisible virus is too much, it should have been stopped at its source, China, but I acted very quickly, and made the right decisions.

    “Many of the current political complainers thought, at the time, that I was moving far to fast, like Crazy Nancy!”.

    Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

  • Up to 2m Americans would have died in US without my actions -Trump

    Up to 2m Americans would have died in US without my actions -Trump

    United States President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that, without the measures he had ordered during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, up to 2 million people would have died of the disease in the country.

    He also reiterated his claims that China had been the source of the virus, while once again praising his own decision to ban travel from the People’s Republic.

    “For all of the political hacks out there, if I hadn’t done my job well, & early, we would have lost 1 1/2 to 2 Million People, as opposed to the 100,000 plus that looks like will be the number. That’s 15 to 20 times more than we will lose.

    “I shut down entry from China very early! One person lost to this invisible virus is too much, it should have been stopped at its source, China, but I acted very quickly, and made the right decisions. Many of the current political complainers thought, at the time, that I was moving far to fast, like Crazy Nancy!”, Trump wrote on Twitter.

    “The coronavirus death toll in the US is expected to surpass 100,000 during the day.

  • Nigerian artiste in US begs for help over ‘slavery’ deal with Akon

    Another artiste has cried out for help while Nigerians were still dealing with reviving the musical career of Cynthia Morgan who blamed Jude Okoye for her misfortune.

    And unexpectedly the artiste happens to be Samklef, who is a singer but well known as a music producer.

    Samklef, however, took to Twitter to share the devastating situation he found himself after signing for a popular American singer and songwriter, Akon.

    Samklef described the treatment given to him by Akon under Konvict Music as “Slavery deal”.

    He said that the situation nearly made him take his own life as it wasn’t a pleasant one.

    Nigerian filmmaker HG2 Filmworks, however, jumped to Samklef’s defense.

    He asked Akon to respond to the allegations leveled against him by his countryman.

    He warned him to settle issues amicably or will forever hold him responsible, should anything bad happen to the singer.

  • US Warns China against destabilising Hong Kong

    US Warns China against destabilising Hong Kong

    The United States on Thursday urged China to respect Hong Kong’s autonomy, warning that its proposed national security law for the city would be “highly destabilizing” and face global opposition.

    “Any effort to impose national security legislation that does not reflect the will of the people of Hong Kong would be highly destabilizing, and would be met with strong condemnation from the United States and the international community,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.

    She said that China’s statements and the proposed legislation “undermine” China’s promises it made before regaining control of the financial hub from Britain in 1997.

    “We urge Beijing to honor its commitments and obligations in the Sino-British Joint Declaration — including that Hong Kong will ‘enjoy a high degree of autonomy’ and that people of Hong Kong will enjoy human rights and fundamental freedoms,” Ortagus said.

    President Donald Trump earlier Thursday also promised a response when told of the move on Hong Kong.

    “I don’t know what it is, because nobody knows yet. If it happens, we’ll address that issue very strongly,” Trump said.

    China said it will introduce legislation Friday on the first day of its rubber-stamp parliament session that would strengthen enforcement of laws in Hong Kong that prohibit “subversion.”

    Pro-democracy leaders and activists warned that the move would mark the end of Hong Kong as they know it, a fear voiced in months of massive and sometimes violent protests last year.

    The US Congress late last year angered China by passing a law that would strip Hong Kong’s preferential trading status in the United States if the urban hub no longer enjoys autonomy from the mainland.

    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this month delayed a report on certifying Hong Kong’s autonomy under the law, saying the State Department would wait for the meeting of the legislature, the National People’s Congress.

    The State Department warned Thursday that China’s actions would impact its decision.

    In a fresh bid by US Congress to exert pressure after China’s announcement, senators on Thursday introduced legislation to impose sanctions on any entity involved in curbing Hong Kong’s autonomy.

    The targets could include police who crack down on demonstrators and Chinese officials involved in Hong Kong policy — as well as banks that conduct transactions with anyone who infringes on the territory’s freedoms.

    “In many ways, Hong Kong is the canary in the coal mine for Asia,” said Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican who spearheaded the legislation alongside a Democrat, Chris Van Hollen.

    “Beijing’s growing interference could have a chilling effect on other nations struggling for freedom in China’s shadow,” Toomey said, likely alluding to the self-governed island of Taiwan and countries that have territorial rifts with Beijing.