Today's Headlines:Niger coup:Tinubu sends Islamic leaders back to Niger, BRICS announces new members

Niger coup: Tinubu sends Islamic leaders back to Niger for dialogue

President Bola Tinubu has directed the delegation of Muslim Ulamas mediating in the Niger Republic crisis to return to the junta to have a tentative commitment.

After a closed-door with the president, Ustaz Abdullahi Bala-Lau, leader of the delegation, said that Tinubu was desirous of avoiding using force to resolve the crisis and restoring constitutional order to Niger.

He said Tinubu accepted their suggestions to avoid using force in settling disputes, especially concerning neighbours and long-time allies.

“The president was receptive to our suggestions about avoiding using force by all means. Just as we have spoken to the leaders in Niger, and they agreed to avoid violence, the president also accepted it.

‘’That is why he is sending us back to Niger to continue the dialogue about restoring constitutional order to the country. He also directed us to remind the military leaders that there is a pending ECOWAS decision about the takeover,’’ Bala-Lau said.

BRICS announces new members

BRICS, the bloc of five major emerging economies including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has announced new members on Thursday.

The PUNCH reports that the 15th BRICS Summit of Heads of State and Government started Tuesday, August 22, and is to end Thursday, August 24 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa. 

South Africa’s president, Matamela Ramaphosa, while making the announcement said, “BRICS itself is a diverse group of nations. It is an equal partnership of countries that have differing views but have a shared vision for a better world.

“As the five BRICS countries, we have reached agreement on the guiding principles, standards, criteria and procedures of the BRICS expansion process, which has been in discussion for quite a while. We have consensus on the first phase of this expansion process, and other phases will follow.

“We have decided to invite the Argentine Republic, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates to become full members of BRICS, the membership will take effect from 1 January 2024,” he said.

The PUNCH reports that BRICS now controls over 50% of the world’s oil reserves.

Ekiti: Police arraign two men over visa fraud

Photo credit: Punch paper

The Ekiti State Police Command has arraigned two men, Kunle Komolafe, 52, and Ademola Fagbule (65) before an Ado Ekiti Magistrate Court over alleged visa fraud.

The police prosecutor, Inspector Elijah Adejare, told the court on Thursday that the defendants committed the offence at Arolo Ekiti on January 20.

He said, “On January 20, in Aramoko-Ekiti, the defendants did obtain the sum of N250,000 from one Olorunfemi Komolafe on the pretext of processing visa documents which they failed to do.

“The defendants committed the offence which is punishable under Section 329 (1) (b) of the Criminal Law of Ekiti State 2021,” he said.

Nigeria’s Unemployment Rate Falls To 4.1%

Photo Credit:Vanguard papers

Nigeria’s unemployment has plummeted from 33.3 per cent in 2020 to 4.1 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, and 5.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the 2020 statistics and the current one were calculated using different methodologies, after a two-year interruption.

The country’s unemployment figure which is an outcome of the labour force survey (LFS) conducted in Nigeria, is coming two years after the last official data of 33.3 per cent for the fourth quarter of 2020 which was released in March 2021.

NBS said on its website, “The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has enhanced its methodology of collecting labour market data through the Nigeria Labour Force Survey (NLFS) in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO) guidelines.

“The results presented in this report are for the reference periods of Q4 2022 and Q1 2023.”

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