U.S. hails creation of Blue Economy Ministry in Nigeria – Newstrends
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U.S. hails creation of Blue Economy Ministry in Nigeria

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Ambassador Jessye Lapenn

U.S. hails creation of Blue Economy Ministry in Nigeria

Ambassador Jessye Lapenn, the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation’s inaugural Senior Coordinator, praised the Nigerian government for establishing the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, saying it was the right step toward realizing the benefits of the partnership.

During a round table with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the diplomat said the Atlantic was the world’s most travelled ocean, adding that the potential for economic gains through the Partnership for Atlantic Cooperation was enormous.

The new multilateral forum, launched on September 18, brings together several coastal Atlantic countries, including Nigeria, from Africa, Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean.

While noting that Nigeria is a leader in the ocean space, Lapenn stated that she was in the country to discuss how to maximize the partnership with Nigerian officials.

“This is my first trip since the launch, and I must come to Nigeria as soon as we launch the partnership.” Much of my trip was spent meeting with the new minister of the blue economy.

“He joined Secretary Blinken in New York for the launch of the partnership…and now I have come to see him to hear his vision for this new ministry, what’s Nigeria’s vision for a blue economy, and how do we put those pieces together?”

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She also stated that she wishes to see advancements in science, technology, and the blue economy in Nigeria.

The Partnership is the first organization to span the North and South Atlantic, addressing issues ranging from economic development to environmental protection to science and technology.

Previously the United States’ Ambassador to the African Union and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Lapenn stated that the 32 countries coming together would help them tap the Atlantic’s potential.

According to her, the partnership serves two purposes: it allows Atlantic countries to expand cooperation on a variety of shared goals, and it upholds a set of shared principles for Atlantic cooperation.

The World Bank estimates that the ocean contributes $1.5 trillion to the global economy annually, expected to double by 2030.

Furthermore, sustainable ocean economy sectors are estimated to generate nearly 50 million jobs in Africa and contribute $21 billion to Latin American GDP.

Meanwhile, threats to this economy include illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing, natural disasters, and illicit trafficking.

She stated that no country can solve the Atlantic region’s cross-border challenges or fully address the opportunities unless they all work together.

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Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name

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Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo

Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name

Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.

In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.

He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.

The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.

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“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.

“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”

Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.

“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.

“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.

 

Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name

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Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi

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Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi

Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi

Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”

His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.

In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.

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The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”

Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.

He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.

“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.

 

Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi

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Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll

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Olusola Ebiseni

Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll

The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.

The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.

The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.

The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.

The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.

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Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”

Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.

Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.

Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.

However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.

 

Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll

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