Protests has broken out in a key port city, the restive Darfur region and other parts of Sudan over the rising cost of living, witnesses and state media said.
A new government team including rebel leaders has been tasked with fixing an economy decimated by decades of US sanctions, mismanagement and civil war under now-ousted president Omar al-Bashir.
It also faces galloping inflation, chronic hard currency shortages and a flourishing black market.
Demonstrators in Nyala, capital of South Darfur state, hurled stones at police and set several shops on fire in the main market.
“No to high prices, no to hunger,” protesters chanted, as police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
In the Red sea city of Port Sudan, student protests broke out prompting the suspension of schools and closure of several shops.
The demonstrations were sparked by sharp increases in the costs of main ingredients for making bread, it said.
Protesters hurled stones at the municipality building and set tyres on fire on main streets.
Similar demonstrations were held in other regions, including North Kordofan state.
Online footage, whose authenticity could not be immediately confirmed, showed demonstrators in Al-Obeid, the state capital, lugging wheat bags apparently looted from bakeries.
On Monday, Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok named a new team that includes rebel leader and economist Gibril Ibrahim as finance minister.
“We promise not to sleep until we end bread and fuel queues, and to make live-saving medications available at reasonable prices,” Ibrahim wrote on Twitter.
Protests over economic hardships have also been staged in recent weeks in the capital Khartoum and the eastern state of Gedaref, considered Sudan’s breadbasket.
Cases of looting and robberies were reported in Gedaref.
Sudan has been undergoing a rocky transition since the April 2019 ouster of Bashir following mass protests against his rule, triggered by economic hardship.
Hauwa Mustapha
Protests erupt in Sudan over cost of living
Juventus Secures Spot In Coppa Italia Final
Juventus secures a place in the Coppa Italia final after holding visitors Inter Milan to a 0-0 draw in their semi-final second leg with a 2-1 success on aggregate, sealing a date with either Napoli or Atalanta.
With the away goals rule in place, Inter had to go all out in attack with Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez in the starting lineup.
Lukaku and Martinez had chances to get Inter back in the tie in the first half, but were denied by veteran keeper Gianluigi Buffon, while Cristiano Ronaldo came closest to adding to the Old Lady’s aggregate advantage in the opening period.
After the break, Ronaldo turned on the style and was only denied another goal in the tie by two fine saves from Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic.
During the match, tensions were high with players from both teams getting carded. Inter committed more players forward as the match wore on in search of breakthrough.
However, the pressure was soaked up by the home defence as the visitors finished the match without scoring for the seventh successive trip to Juventus in all competitions, as the Old Lady held on to secure a spot in the final of the Coppa Italia.
Juventus will face the winners of the second semi-final between Atalanta and Napoli, who meet on Wednesday with the tie 0-0 after the first leg, in the final on the 19th of May.
Mission complete ✅
Job done
Ethiopia reports 572 new COVID-19 cases
Ethiopia has registered 572 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the nationwide tally to 143,566, the country’s Ministry of Health said.
The death toll from COVID-19 in the country reached 2,158 on Tuesday evening after two new deaths were reported.
“The ministry said 248 more recoveries were logged during the same period, taking the national count to 126,004”.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation, has so far reported the highest number of positive COVID-19 cases in the East Africa region.
The Ethiopian government has been urging the public to implement COVID-19 precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.
Hauwa Mustapha
FA Cup: Manchester United Advances To Quarter-Finals
An extra-time goal courtesy of substitute Scott McTominay was enough to ensure a 1-0 victory for Manchester United against a resilient West Ham side, as the hosts advanced to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
West Ham were without talisman Michail Antonio who picked up an injury before the game. The Hammers were however set out to frustrate United, with Victor Lindelof’s header kept out by a superb save by goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski early in the first half.
A series of blocks and some committed defending restricted Manchester United’s efforts before halftime, while Andriy Yarmolenko had West Ham’s only real chance, taking Mark Noble’s low ball on the turn before Lindelof got in the way of his goal-bound effort.
The second half continued with United creating more chances, however, Fabianski was determined to keep the visitors in the contest.
Anthony Martial headed wide from a Telles cross late in the game, while West Ham almost stole victory in injury time as Dawson headed wide from a corner.
Instead, the two sides lined up for 30 additional minutes after a hard-fought encounter neither would have liked given their already-packed fixture schedules for the remaining part of the 2020/2021 season.
Having waited 90 minutes for a goal, it took only seven minutes of extra-time for one to finally arrive after United had found themselves frustrated by the visitors resilience for the opening 90.
United were on the counter-attack with Martial leading the charge, before Luke Shaw’s cross was glanced away to Rashford. His perfect cross found McTominay, who fired home to give the hosts the lead.
After the goal, West Ham looked deflated and hardly threatened the United defend. The goal was enough to advance Manchester United to the quarter-finals of the competition.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer felt his players provided the perfect response to conceding a late equaliser in the 3-3 draw with Everton last Saturday.
“We needed to have a good result and a good feeling today because we were low after the Everton game,” Solskjaer said after the game.
“That was hard to take but they were really focused and did the job.”
Manchester United will visit West Brom this sunday in the Premier League, while West Ham will host Sheffield United on Monday night.
Other FA Cup results
Burnley 0-2 Bournemouth
Chidi Nwoke.
Covid-19: Nigeria confirms 1,056 new cases
The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has confirmed 1,056 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday.
With the new figures, the confirmed cases in Nigeria have risen to 141,447 with 115,755 Discharged and 1,694 Deaths.
On its official twitter page @NCDCgov, is the breakdown of the new cases recorded:
1,056 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;
Lagos-214
Osun-120
FCT-116
Plateau-88
Ebonyi-75
Kwara-73
Gombe-70
Ondo-57
Rivers-47
Akwa Ibom-38
Edo-25
Oyo-23
Kano-22
Delta-19
Katsina-18
Borno-16
Nasarawa-13
Ekiti-8
Ogun-8
Bauchi-4
Benue-1
Jigawa-1 pic.twitter.com/i7forLxOvD— NCDC (@NCDCgov) February 9, 2021
FBI, CIA congratulate Morocco on counterterrorism efforts
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have congratulated Morocco’s security services for their achievements in the field of counterterrorism.
In the face of violent extremism and the sourge of terrorism, both the FBI and the CIA said they are satisfied with their cooperation with Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST).
The two American intelligence services also expressed their desire for further intelligence sharing and related cooperation with their Moroccan counterpart, saying that such collaboration ensures the safety and security of citizens from both countries.
The FBI office in New York noted the recent collaboration that stopped a bloodbath in the US military just weeks ago.
“Thanks to the strong cooperation and partnership between the General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance and the FBI, we can together guarantee the security of our two countries, the safety of our citizens, and the maintenance of security for all,” the FBI stressed in its letter.
Edited by Olajumoke Adeleke
Stakeholders harp on maintaining unity and aesthetic status of Abuja
The need to boost the development of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the an aesthetic center of unity and integration of Nigeria was the main issue of concern as stakeholders converged on Abuja to chart a way forward on the matter.
The stakeholders were drawn from past and serving politicians, civil servants, traditional rulers and religious leaders who made this position known during a public presentation of a book titled: Abuja: The Evolution and Development of a Federal Capital City, at the Abuja International Conference Centre (ICC).
Presenting the book, FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, explained that over the years, the FCT has continued to evolve into one of the beautiful cities in the world, in line with the expectations and dreams of its founding fathers.
Bello, who was represented by his Chief of staff, Malam Bashir Mai-Bornu, noted that the publication of the book would serve as a reminder to the symbol of the FCT, which was founded on February 6, 1976.
The FCT minister of state, Dr Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, reiterated that Abuja has grown from the sparsely-populated wooded savannah that was declared the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria in 1976, into a beautiful city of millions today.
Represented by the FCT Permanent Secretary, Mr Olusade Adesola, the minister however, noted that the challenges of over-population, inadequate infrastructure, social services, dwindling livability indicators and worrying levels of criminality were threatening to derail the dream of the founding fathers.
According to her: “In recommending the book as a veritable source of insight into how Abuja is evolving, I have no doubt that the experiences contained therein will enrich our knowledge of the evolution and development of one of the fastest growing cities in the world.
“It should grant us interesting glances at the past as we grapple with the side effects of a growing city already burgeoning at the seams. Abuja has no doubt grown from the sparsely-populated wooded savannah, into a beautiful city of millions today.”
Centre of unity
Speaking on behalf of former FCT Ministers, Engineer Mohammed Abba Gana, said Abuja has succeeded beyond all expectations of its status as the FCT with the mantra of unity, multi ethnic and religious and other social outlook in just 45 years of its existence.
He said Abuja has stood the test of time, as the decision to create a new Nigeria’s FCT has enjoyed the support of Nigerians, especially its status as center of unity.
While giving an overview of the conception and implementation of Abuja as a new Nigeria’s FCT, Abba Gana noted that the current FCT Administration has sustained developmental strides of the ex-Ministers of the FCT, through its policy of continuation of projects.
According to him, “the development of Abuja is in historical dimensions; and continuation of projects is the cornerstone of Abuja’s development.”
He said there was an urgent need to create other major cities across the regions in the character of Abuja to boost the integration of Nigeria.
The book reviewer, Professor Saleh Dauda, explained that the book was divided into five chapters, with each chapter focusing on important historical dimensions of the FCT as an evolution and development of Abuja.
He opined that the book would foster understanding and essence of the FCT, especially among the youthful populace.
The Chairman of the occasion, Senator Philip Aduda, the FCT Senator at the National Assembly, had described the book as a wonderful literature which pictures the vision of developing the city as a source of exciting memories of the FCT.
Support the development
Aduda opined that it was a good reminder to everyone that it’s incumbent on them to support the development and management of the FCT.
He therefore commended the author for the initiative, which would help the realisation of the dreams and aspirations of the FCT as a capital city.
Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, who authored the book, said it was a reflection of her desire to leave a legacy as a Civil Servant.
“It’s an instructive and incisive literature that highlights the activities and achievements of FCT Ministers from 1998- till date.
She adds that the book is part of his humble contribution to the development of Abuja, the new FCT.
Lateefah Ibrahim
House adjourns plenary to mourn colleague
The Nigerian House of Representatives has adjourned plenary, minutes after it resumed from its 2020 Christmas and New year holidays.
The adjournment was to honour a member from Abia State, Mr Ossy Prestige who died on Sunday, February 7, 2021.
The Speaker, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila while announcing the death of Mr. Prestige to the House expressed shock and regrets on the incidence.
He described late Mr. Ossy Prestige as “ a friend and an active member of the 8th and 9th House who contributed immensely to the success of the two sessions.”
Health of Members
The Spokesman for the House of Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Kalu says pressure from constituents is affecting the health of legislators at the National Assembly.
Mr. Kalu made the statement while addressing newsmen after the house adjourned sitting to mourn a member who died on Sunday.
He said members were under undue pressure and it was responsible for the deteriorating health conditions of many of them.
He said members use their private money to take care of some needs of the constituents which was supposed to be taken care of by State governments.
“These guys here are suffering, these guys here are under stress that is why most of the sickness they are passing through is heart attack and failure of organs due to stress for their constituents.
That is the truth, the pressure is too much, and people are receiving pressure from constituents on issues that is way out of the scope.
Those who are not supposed to build roads are asked to build road, those who are not supposed to build hospital are asked to build hospitals and so most members are under great pressure and some who do not know how to explain to their constituents, carry this pressure with them.” Mr. Kalu stated.
The Spokesman pledged that despite the pressure, members would continue to do their jobs as parliamentarians as it was an act of national service.
Lateefah Ibrahim
Communal Clash: Osun state relaxes curfew in troubled community
Osun State govermor in Southwest Nigeria has relaxed the 24-hour curfew in Irepodun and Orolu local councils, following a communal crisis that broke out between Erin-Osun and Ilobu town.
The review will now be from 6.00pm to 6.00am daily, and will continue until further notice.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Adegboyega Oyetola, Mr Ismail Omipidan.
It stated that the review became necessary following the peace meeting held between the Governor and monarchs of the affected towns; and another meeting between the monarchs and the Commissioner of Police.
Governor Oyetola thanked the monarchs for their co-operation and for honouring the meetings, even as they agreed to a peace accord and promised calm in the region.
“Following the peace meeting between Governor Adegboyega Oyetola and the traditional rulers of of Erin-Osun and Ilobu towns, and with the return of peace to the affected towns, the governor has approved the relaxation of the 24-hour curfew declared last Sunday to forestall further breakdown of law and order.
“Consequently, the curfew will now run from 6:00pm to 6:00am daily, and will subsist till further notice. Security operatives will therefore remain in the two local councils to enforce the new curfew directive with a view to further maintaining law and order,” the statement reads.
Resist the temptation
The Governor enjoined residents to always channel their grievances to the appropriate authorities and resist the temptation to take laws into their hands.
The meeting which was held on Monday with the governor included the traditional rulers of the feuding towns: the Elerin of Erin-Osun, Oba Yusuff Omoloye Oyagbodun II; the Olobu of Ilobu, Oba Ashiru Olatoye Olaniyan II; and the Olufon of Ifon, Oba Almoroof Adekunle Magbagbeola.
The monarchs consequently pledged to prevail on their subjects to eschew violence and embrace peace, in the interest of all.
Lateefah Ibrahim
VP osinbajo revalidates APC membership, flags off exercise in Ogun State
By Cyril Okonkwo, Ikenne
Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has revalidated his membership of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as he flagged off the party’s registration and revalidation exercise at Ikenne Ward One, Ikenne Local Government Area, Ogun State.
Speaking after revalidating his membership, Osinbajo said that the exercise would take the APC membership to the grassroots and enable the people to participate in the policies and programmes of the party.
“This registration and revalidation is important because it offers us an opportunity to have a credible roll of our members such that we are able to reach our members from the polling booth level all the way to the wards, local governments and federal constituencies.
“Why do we want to reach our people? The people are the party and the party is the people. There is no party without the people. That is why we must reach them.
“Ours, the APC, is the grassroots party; a party of the people. Our focus is on the welfare, prosperity and the well-being of the people.
“Party members must understand their importance in the scheme of things. They must fully understand the party’s philosophy and programmes,” the Vice President explained.
Osinbajo noted that Ikenne was also the hometown of the late sage, Chief Obefemi Awolowo, whom he described as “ the father and progenitor of the great movement that we call the progressives movement” in Nigeria.
He said, “It is on the broad shoulder of the social democratic philosophy of the maximum happiness and well-being of all the people that we in our great party the APC stand firmly and confidently today.
“And so we must situate this registration and re-validation exercise in that ideological context.”
Surmountable challenges
Professor Osinbajo, said that Nigeria was facing the most challenging times in its history, which has been worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He expressed hope that they are surmountable with deliberate policies and programmes of the APC government.
“The corona virus, the Covid-19 pandemic has made matters worse and we have also had, as you know, security challenges that have stretched our law enforcement capacities all over the country. But we remain the best party, the best people to solve these problems.
“ Let us not be in any doubt about that, because of our grassroots orientation, we continue to have and put in place the best programmes for the welfare of our people.
“Our focus on job for our people is a resolute commitment of our party. Aside from the micro credit schemes that we are putting in place, the Payroll Support Programme the N-Power, and now 774, 000 jobs programme, 1000 in every local government.
“We also have a mass housing scheme, where we hope that every Nigerian that can pay 8,000 to 10, 000 a month can own a home of his own; a mass agricultural scheme, solar systems installed in 5million homes; all of these things are policies and programs of a progressive party.
“ You may not immediately see the effects, but you can be sure that everyday and every night the thinking of the leadership of the APC and the thinking of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is, how can we make life better for the citizens of this country,“ he said.
Solutions to security challenges
The Vice President listed four ways through which the security challenges in Nigeria at present could be tackled.
These, according to him, include ensuring the prosecution of all those who have been arrested for kidnapping, banditry and all criminal activities in Nigeria; the appointment of the new service chiefs who would bring “a fresh set of eyes, intellect and skills and a fresh look at strategies in the north east as well as against banditry and kidnapping elsewhere;” and community policing.
“The fourth is that we must resist any attempt to destroy the unity of our country. Our people have lived together for decades, even for centuries.
“While we must attend to the cries of communities and the cries of our people for justice, for equity, for fairness, we can do so within this same union.
“We can address the questions of justice, the questions of equity, the questions of balance, fairness within this union. Ultimately, we are stronger together than apart,” he explained.
Vice President Osinbajo was accompanied to Ikenne by governors Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State and Sani Bello of Niger State, who is also the Chairman of the APC National Registration/Revalidation Committee, former Governor of Ogun State, Segun Osoba; Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babefemi Ojodu, the Team Leader, APC Revalidation Committee, South West, Senator Lawan Shuaibu, among others.
The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun said that the registration and revalidation exercise would increase the chances of the APC to win future elections.
The Team Leader, APC Revalidation Committee, South West, Senator Lawan Shuaibu, saw the exercise as the effort of the party to build membership from the base.
Niger State Governor, Sani Bello said that the last membership registration of the APC was in 2014, requiring that those who recently joined the party should be registered as members.
Confidence Okwuchi