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We don’t have plan to establish military base in Nigeria – US
We don’t have plan to establish military base in Nigeria – US
The Department of Defense West Africa Coordination Element Lead, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman, said the United States is not considering establishing a military base in Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists on the aftermath of their walking out of Niger Republic, Ekman said: “I am aware of no discussions between U.S. and Nigerian authorities on placing a U.S. base in Nigeria as a result of the Niger withdrawal.
“So if strategy is war on a map, and if the problem we’re trying to solve is Sahelian-based violent extremism, and if the U.S. is not functioning in Niger, then where should we be?
“That’s what led us to an outside-in approach relative to the Sahel. Does that make sense? So outside-in. And then anytime you talk about outside-in, the important question is, what is Nigeria’s role, given the strength of the nation, given the closeness of our partnership? So it’s a very natural question.
“And I’m not surprised that some people assumed that there were discussions going on about this.”
He also disclosed the US has no plan to build any big military base anywhere else in West Africa.
According to him: “If Niger allowed the U.S. to work with partners to go inside-out, for lack of access to Niger, we are now focused on an outside-in approach. And so countries where we’re having conversations, countries where we have started putting some forces, include Cote d’Ivoire, include Benin, we have some U.S. forces there now. I’m going to Accra next.
“I’m keenly interested in what their authorities have to say. It’s got to be right for the partner. And then I was just in N’Djamena a couple of weeks ago as we talked about the next phase for the posture of U.S. forces.
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“In all cases, we’re starting with just small elements, small special operations teams that provide advice and assistance and training to the host nation forces. And so that’s the steps for what next. I think that big bases is just not right for the environment.”
On the withdrawal of the military presence from Niger, Ekman said: “We’re almost done. We’ve achieved, together with our Nigerien partners, the safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces. A couple of key milestones within that.
“On the 5th of August, we watched the last C-17 fly out of Air Base 201, which is in Agadez, and that was the last major movement of U.S. forces and material. And then just two days ago, we signed over the last U.S. posture location, and as I speak to you today, all former U.S. areas, facilities, and material that remain in Niger have been turned over to the Nigerien military and to the Nigerien authorities. So we’re almost done.”
Ekman, while noting that the deadline of September 15 withdrawal from Niger would be met, highlighted how the withdrawal was conducted:
“First, all sensitive equipment, all lethal equipment came out. And then we had to look as we went through the equipment, where did it cost more to move it than it cost in terms of remaining value to divest it? And so I’ve walked these places.
“I’ve seen exactly what we’ve turned over to our Nigerien partners. And it mostly amounts to spaces, it amounts to buildings, and it amounts to non-tactical vehicles. Those are the kinds of things that we turned over.
“And then they are a resource for them. And so as an example, Air Base 201 in Agadez, it was almost a small city, right? So we made sure that they understood how to run the electricity, how to run the water treatment plant. They received some physical infrastructure that our goal would be it continues to operate, right? So that’s how we proceeded.”
We don’t have plan to establish military base in Nigeria – US
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
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
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says 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
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
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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