Breaking : Nigeria and US fight for the custody of Hushpuppi

It has come to our notice that the question of the custody of Nigerian big boy, Hushpuppi is being debated between Nigeria and the US. 

It can be recalled that earlier this week, the news of the arrest of Hushpuppi spread like wildfire on Nigerian social media.

We learnt that the arrest of Nigerian Instagram celebrity, Hushpuppi has pitted Nigerian detectives against their counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Nigeria and the U.S. launched the battle for the possession of Mr Raymond, a.k.a Hushpuppi, following his arrest and detention by Emirati authorities earlier this week, according to two officials familiar with the development.

“Immediately we got confirmation that he had been arrested in Dubai, we all started fighting to get him,” a senior Nigerian detective said.

“He is a subject of multiple and conflicting interests between Nigeria and the United States.”

Officials said the F.B.I. has been leading America’s effort to take possession of Mr Raymond because many of those he allegedly scammed in years of advance fee fraud were Americans.

Officials could not immediately estimate the financial value of Mr Raymond’ alleged fraud, citing poor cooperation from Dubai authorities, but they expressed confidence his exploits spanned across Europe, U.S. and Nigeria.

Mr Raymond’ arrest was first rumoured on Nigerian social media on Tuesday. Even then, two officials who confirmed knowledge of the arrest and offered preliminary information elected not to do so on the record — fearing that USA officials could jettison back channel negotiations that began on Thursday morning.

Nigerian officials said UAE authorities have frustrated all their attempts to obtain more than a cursory account of Hushpuppi’s arrest, including when and where he was held.

"They are even reluctant to tell us the preliminary charges that they have against him so we could weigh them with the charges that we have against him in Nigeria,” one of the officials said. 

“We know that the money involved would be much for the Americans, but we are optimistic that we will prevail in bringing him to Nigeria to face trial.”

Cubana Chief priest - There's nothing sweeter than marriage

Celebrity bar man, Cubana Chief priest has given his stance on marriage.

He posted beautiful pictures of himself, his wife and kids, and made it known that there is absolutely nothing sweeter than marriage.

Cubana Chief priest enjoined people to let no one deceive them on the issues concerning marriage and try to make their marriage work. 

See slide for more details 

UK rejects post Brexit transition delay ‌

Britain has formally told the European Union that it would not extend the post Brexit transition, raising the alarming prospect of a disorderly split in six months.

London and Brussels have made very little progress in agreeing a new trade deal for when Britain leaves the EU’s single market and customs union on December 31.

But Prime Minister Boris Johnson rose to power last year on a pledge to “get Brexit done”, with the issue roiling UK politics — and consuming time in Brussels — ever since Britons voted to leave the bloc by a narrow margin in 2016.

His government had until July 1 to ask for more time, which Brussels was willing to give.

“That’s it,” senior minister Michael Gove told British television after finishing online talks with his EU counterparts.

“We are leaving the European Union on December 31.”

In Brussels, EU commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Gove “couldn’t be clearer”.

“I take this as a definite conclusion of this discussion,” Sefcovic said.

– A delay, of sorts –

EU officials were ready to extend talks for up to two years, until 2023, to help businesses cope with the fundamental change in links which have been in place for nearly 50 years.

But Britain conceded Friday that the added economic pressures of the coronavirus crisis — the UK economy shrank by a fifth between March and April, according to new data — meant that businesses needed some temporary relief.

To help, London said it would allow UK companies to delay submitting customs declarations and making tariff payments on their exports to EU nations for up to six months, until July 2021.

EU officials announced no reciprocal reprieve for exports from the 27 member states to Britain.

British officials said they would only consider extending the declarations and payments delay even further if a second wave of the pandemic paralysed economic activity well into next year.

“These are unprecedented times,” Johnson’s spokesman said.

– Fundamental divide –

Britain formally left the EU on January 31, ending an excruciating process that required repeated delays, and eventually cost the job of Johnson’s Conservative government predecessor, Theresa May.

But much more sensitive subjects such as fishing rights — an issue the pro-Brexit camp rallied around four years ago — and Britain’s acceptance of EU environmental, health, safety and state aid rules remain largely unresolved.

The bloc worries that Britain’s rejection of basic EU standards and regulations would create unfair competition, allowing UK exporters to undercut their European competitors.

Johnson’s government counters that such freedom was the whole point of Brexit, and that it is ready to walk away if Brussels does not want a basic deal removing barriers to trade.

It also says that asking for more time would not help bridge this fundamental divide, since the sides are not negotiating the finer details of tariffs on specific goods.

– Johnson gets involved –

An extension to the transition could have been politically costly for Johnson, who has seen his once-healthy lead over opposition Labour party leader Keir Starmer shrink because of the health and economic crises.

Johnson will get personally involved in the negotiations for the first time on Monday, speaking to EU Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen.

Brussels on Friday confirmed that the trade talks will continue through the summer months, with negotiating rounds now set for July, August and September.

Sefcovic said Brussels was “pleading” for work to be accelerated to secure a “very close and cordial relationship” by the start of 2021.

In a last-gasp bid to extend the talks, the heads of the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales wrote a joint letter telling Johnson that setting a December 31 deadline during a pandemic was “extraordinarily reckless”.

Without an extension, “at very best there will only be a damaging ‘bare bones’ trade deal or even worse, a disastrous no-deal outcome,” they warned.

Premier league : Kneeling, #BlackLivesMatter shirts okay for players

Premier League will support players taking a kneel before or during matches in protest against racial discrimination, while “Black Lives Matter” will replace player names on the back of shirts for the first 12 games of the league’s restart next week.

“The League supports the players’ wish to have their names replaced by Black Lives Matter on the back of their shirts for the first 12 matches of the restarted 2019/20 season,” the Premier League said in a statement on Friday. 

“In addition, the League will support players who ‘take a knee’ before or during matches.”

Four killed in Kabul mosque blast

A blast which ripped through a crowd during Friday prayers at a mosque in Kabul has claimed the lives of four people.

Afghan officials said that this is the latest attack on the city ahead of potential talks with insurgents.

“Based on our initial information, at around noon explosives placed inside the mosque detonated during Friday prayers,” interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian said in a message to journalists.

A health ministry spokesman also confirmed the toll, saying the prayer leader and three worshippers were killed at the Sher Shah Suri mosque, while several others were wounded.

No group has claimed the attack, but the Taliban later condemned the bombing saying the insurgents considered the incident a “heinous crime”.

The bombing comes just over a week after an Islamic State-claimed attack killed two people, including a popular prayer leader, at a mosque on the edge of Kabul’s heavily fortified green zone.

Afghanistan is juggling multiple crises, with the coronavirus rapidly spreading across the country and continuing violence even as the government and Taliban signal they are getting closer to sitting down for talks.

President Ashraf Ghani vowed Thursday to complete a Taliban prisoner release that is a key condition to the launch of peace talks with the insurgents.

Once the swap is done, the two sides have pledged to begin negotiations that could end nearly 19 years of war.

The Taliban have largely refrained from launching major attacks on Afghan cities since February when they signed a deal with the US meant to pave the way for peace talks with the Kabul government.

A ceasefire during last month’s Eid al Fitr holidays also sparked hopes that the two sides may be getting closer to holding negotiations even as a recent uptick in fighting has tempered expectations.

The ceasefire was just the second observed in the country since the Taliban were toppled by a US invasion in 2001 following the September 11 attacks by Al-Qaeda, whose leader Osama bin Laden was sheltered by the regime.

NFVCB, Nollywood appeal on behalf of Funke Akindele

Nollywood and NFVCB has appealed to the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to grant state pardon to Funke Akindele.

The Executive Director of NFVCB, Alhaji Adebayo Thomas revealed this on Friday in Abuja.

It can be recalled that a Chief Magistrate Court in Lagos had on April convicted Funke Akindele and her husband, AbdulRasheed Bello, popularly known as JJC Skillz, for flaunting the Lagos State Infectious Disease (Emergency Prevention) Regulation 2020.

The couple were arrested and arraigned for hosting a birthday party at their residence at Amen Estate in Lagos in contravention of government’s lockdown order on social distancing amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 14 days of community service, in addition to a fine of N100,000 each and an order that the state should keep them in isolation for 14 days.

The development, however, generated sympathy from within and outside the Nigerian entertainment industry for the thespian, popularly known as ‘Jenifa’ by fans.

Fans of the actress, industry watchers, guilds, and even human rights activists, have continued to appeal to relevant authorities to officially pardon the artiste.

According to Thomas, the NFVCB board and other stakeholders in the industry want the state government to grant state pardon to Funke Akindele on compassionate grounds and by extension, her husband.

Bayelsa : Deputy governor cleared of certificate forgery

The Deputy governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has been cleared of the alleged forgery of his exemption certificate by the National Youth Service Corps. 

This was made known by the lawyer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the state’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting Abuja.

Bawa gave this as the reason for his decision not to call any defence witness in the case.

The petitioner, Vijah Opuama, who contested the November 16, 2019 governorship election on the platform of the Liberation Movement, a party that was later deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission in February this year, had asked the tribunal to disqualify Ewhrujakpo for forgery of a National Youth Service Corps exemption certificate.

He also urged the tribunal to cancel the November 16, 2019 Bayelsa state governorship election and order a fresh poll. Opuama had closed his case on June 9.

Justice Ibrahim Sirajo-led three-man tribunal admitted as exhibit, a letter from the NYSC to the Department of State Security confirming that it corrected a spelling error on Ewrhrudakpo’s exemption certificate which the petitioner challenged as forged.

At the resumed hearing in the case on Friday, INEC’s lawyer, Bawa, said there was no need to call any witness since NYSC had admitted it issued the certificate.

Also, the Peoples Democratic Party’s lawyer, Mr Emmanuel Enoedem, said the NYSC’s letter had exonerated Ewhrudjakpo.

The tribunal adjourned till June 17 for further hearing. The Bayelsa State Governor, Duoye Diri, and his deputy will take their turns to call their defence.

COVID-19 : Millions of children may go into child labour

Millions of children risk going into child labour as a result of the COVID-19 crisis that has affected the world globally, UNICEF and International Labour Organisation has said. 

ILO Director-Genera, Guy Ryder, and UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, said this in Abuja at a ceremony to mark the 2020 World Day against Child Labour.

The theme of this year’s anniversary is, “COVID-19, Protect Children from Child Labour Now More than Ever.”

Mr Ryder said that a joint ILO-UNICEF new report, entitled: “COVID-19 and Child Labour: A Time of Crisis, a Time to Act” had been released.

He said the report focused on the impact of COVID-19 on child labour and the elimination of child labour by 2021.

The ILO chief said the report looked at some of the main ways through which the pandemic was likely to affect progress towards the eradication of child labour.

According to the ILO chief, the report shows how the pandemic can lead to rise in child labour after 20 years of progress made to minimise child labour.

He said child labour decreased by millions (about 94 million) since 2000, adding that the gain was now at risk due to COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Ryder said the global estimates in 2017 showed that millions of children (about 152 million) were in child labour worldwide.

“Children already in child labour may be working longer hours or under worsening conditions."

Burundi : Court puts President-elect in charge

The Constitutional Court of Burundi has disclosed that the country’s president-elect would take charge following the death of the sitting president, Pierre Nkurunziza this week.

At a press conference, the court said that Evariste Ndayishimiye, who won the presidential election in May, was due to take over in August but would be sworn in as soon as possible.

A date for the ceremony has not yet been given. Mr Nkurunziza, who had ruled Burundi since 2005, died suddenly on Tuesday of cardiac arrest at the age of 55.

COVID-19 : Buhari reiterates confidence in Task Force

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated his confidence in the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to provide guidance and leadership in tackling the pandemic nationwide.

He praised health workers and other essential services staff who have been a part of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

During his Democracy Day speech, the President praised those who have been working effortlessly towards containing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

He said that their dedication “is a testament of the courage and resilience of Nigerians as a people and as a great nation and that he was using “this opportunity to say thank you to all of you for your service to the nation.”

He also added that he receives regular briefing from the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19. The president noted that the national response relies on Science, Data and Experience in taking decisions and explained that it was the data that informed his approval for the ease of lockdown phase to ensure a balance between lives and livelihoods.

“I am confident that the steps being taken by the Presidential Task Force would result in flattening the COVID-19 curve. I, therefore, implore all Nigerians to abide by the approved guidelines and protocols. There is hope for us all if we take individual and collective responsibility,” he said.

Mr Buhari, while sympathising with Nigerians who have lost their loved ones to the virus, acknowledged that many Nigerians have been going through difficult times because of the outbreak.

He said most of the stringent measures introduced at every level of government to contain the virus, was aimed at saving lives.

The president said the overall objective of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 is to ensure that the pandemic does not overwhelm our health systems, while ensuring that we maintain an effective Case Management System to help in containing the spread of the virus.

“There is no doubt that this pandemic has affected the global economy and all known socio-economic systems. It has also brought grief and pain to families that have lost their loved ones. Like many Nigerians, I feel the grief and pain, not only as your President, but also as someone who has lost a close member of my staff and some relatives and friends, he said.

Mr Buhari said the impact of the pandemic has disrupted the nation’s economic system and to ensure it is functioning, while still addressing the spread, the federal government put in place a number of various non-pharmaceutical measures to slow down the spread of the virus, in addition to a progressive re-opening of the economy.

He said the government is determined to turn the COVID-19 challenge into a motivation to action by building a nation-wide public health care system that will help us overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for any future outbreak.

The president said part of the strategy is to create jobs in reducing the effect of COVID-19 on the youth, which is why he directed the employment of 774, 000 Nigerians.

“These youth will be engaged in Special Public Works Programme aimed at cushioning the effects of economic downturn. Each of the 774 local government areas in the country will be allotted 1,000 slots. I am pleased to report that this programme has commenced.

Already, we have begun to look inward and I charge our inventors, researchers and scientists to come up with solutions to cure COVID-19.”