Today's Headlines: West African delegation arrives in Niger, Naira Marley not our ambassador — NDLEA
West African delegation arrives in Niger.
According to Punch news, A delegation from the West African organisation arrived in Niger on Saturday for discussions with the military junta that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
According to AFP, sources close to the Economic Community of West African States disclosed this.
ECOWAS decided to mobilise a “standby force” as a last resort to restore democracy in Niger following the detention of Bazoum by generals on July 26.
The ECOWAS delegation, led by former Nigerian Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, arrived in Niger, according to the country’s ruling military council, a day after the military commanders of the bloc declared they were prepared to intervene to reinstate Bazoum.
Earlier ECOWAS mission headed by Abubakar attempted to meet Bazoum and the coup leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, earlier this month but was unsuccessful.
According to a source close to the most recent delegation, it will see Bazoum and deliver “a message of firmness” to the army officers.
ECOWAS defence officials convened on August 17 and 18, 2023 in Accra, Ghana, to finalise plans for a future military action to retake Bazoum if continuing talks with the coup leaders fall down.
Naira Marley not our ambassador — NDLEA.
According to Punch news, The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said that music star, Azeez Fashola, popularly known as Naira Marley, who was recently engaged in its drug abuse advocacy campaign, is not an ambassador of the anti-graft agency.
The NDLEA said its engagement with Naira Marley was to encourage him to use his skills and platforms to put out content that will discourage millions of his followers and Nigerian youths from substance abuse.
The Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, stated this in a statement on Saturday.
The PUNCH reports that the artiste had on Thursday, August 17, 2023, led members of his team on a visit to the National Headquarters of the agency in Abuja to express his preparedness to join the fight against drug abuse in the country.
The NDLEA spokesperson noted that the clarification became necessary following continued misrepresentation of the purpose of the visit especially on online platforms where some reports suggest that the British-Nigerian singer was appointed as an NDLEA Ambassador.
New US envoy arrives Niger- State Department.
According to Punch news, The new United States Ambassador to Niger, Kathleen Fitzgibbons, on Saturday, arrived capital, Niamey.
However, Fitzgibbons, will not formally present her credentials due to the “current political crisis,” the U.S. State Department announced.
The military junta led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani ousted President Mohamed Bazoum on July 26 and bluffed calls from the United Nations, African Union, ECOWAS, and others to reinstate him.
Rueter quoted the US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement as saying Fitzgibbons’ arrival in Niger “does not reflect a change in our policy position but responds to the need for senior leadership of our mission at a challenging time.
“Fitzgibbons’ diplomatic focus will be to advocate for a diplomatic solution that preserves the constitutional order in Niger and for the immediate release of President Bazoum and his family, and all those unlawfully detained.”
Fitzgibbons who arrived the Niamey on Saturday is a career diplomat who was confirmed in the post by the U.S. Senate in July, nearly a year after she was nominated.
NBA probes UNICAL lecturer, Adamawa REC, Abia lawyer.
According to Punch news, The Nigerian Bar Association has set up an adhoc committee to investigate the allegations of sexual assault against the suspended Dean of the Faculty of Law, University of Calabar, Prof. Cyril Ndifon.
Members of the committee are the NBA 1st Vice President, Linda Rose Bala, Assistant General Secretary, Daniel Kip, Chairperson of NBA Women’s Forum and the Chairman of the NBA Calabar Branch.
The NBA also filed petitions against the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari and a young lawyer of Aba Branch wildly known as “the Baddest lawyer” on social media, Ifunanya Excel Grant.
While Yunusa-Ari was petitioned over his role in illegally declaring the result of the supplementary 2023 governorship election in Adamawa State as votes were still being counted, the complaints against Miss Ifunanya centred on her social media notoriety of posting pictures and videos of herself unclad and smoking marijuana.
A statement issued on Saturday by the National Publicity Secretary of NBA, Akorede Habeeb Lawal, said the decision was reached by the National Executive Committee of the body at her recent monthly meeting presided over by its President, Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau and attended by all national officers.
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