World

25 Nigerien Migrants Dumped in the Desert by Smugglers
Human Rights, News, Niger, Safety, Security, United Nations, Youths

25 Nigerien Migrants Dumped in the Desert by Smugglers

At least twenty-five Niger migrants consisting of women and children have been rescued in the northern Niger desert after they were dumped by their driver. This was disclosed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in a statement issued on Tuesday. The migrants were rescued "last weekend in the Sahara desert by (teams of) IOM and the Directorate of Civil Protection of Niger," said the UN agency in a Facebook post. Nigerien Migrants Left in the Desert The survivors, whose destination was not specified, "remained without food and water for three days" before being found, said the IOM. Rescue operations for migrants are frequent in the hostile Nigerien desert, mainly in areas close to Libya. Many West African migrants try to cross through Libya to reach the Me...
UK Suspends Student, Work Visa Applications In Nigeria
News, Nigeria

UK Suspends Student, Work Visa Applications In Nigeria

The United Kingdom Embassy in Nigeria has announced the temporary suspension of study, work and family visa applications. It explained this was because the priority has been placed on applications made under the Ukraine Family Scheme. In a statement posted on the official Twitter page of the United Kingdom Embassy in Nigeria on Tuesday, the embassy announced that Ukraine Family Scheme was launched in response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the invasion of Ukraine. See Also: 2023: UK Will Deny Election Riggers Visa, British High Commissioner Says “As a result, UKVI has temporarily suspended priority and super-priority services for new study, work, and family applications. Customers with standard applications in study, work, and family routes may experience some del...
Nigerians To Pay More For Bread As Russia-Ukraine War Rages 
News, Nigeria, Violence

Nigerians To Pay More For Bread As Russia-Ukraine War Rages 

The price of bread, one of the most commonly eaten staples in most Nigerian homes is set to rise if the current Russian-Ukrainian war persists. Russia is the world’s largest exporter of wheat, accounting for more than 18 percent of international exports. The downside to the war is that if supply from Russia is distorted for whatever reason, Nigeria could be faced with further surging wheat prices in its local market as a result of the supply gap, which could lead to an increase in the price of some other by-products of wheat, such as bread, wheat meal amongst others. The price of bread was increased by more than 80 per cent between 2020 and 2021. In 2020, the Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria (AMBCN) had hinted at a 50 per cent increase in the price of b...
Blacks in Ukraine Being Prevented from Fleeing the Country
Africa, African Development, Human Rights, Justice, News, Safety, Security, United Nations, Videos, Youths

Blacks in Ukraine Being Prevented from Fleeing the Country

Blacks Trying to Leave Ukraine Blacks in Ukraine are calling out for help, alleging that they are being prevented from fleeing the country. It's no longer news that Russia has invaded parts of Ukraine and that people are fleeing the now threatened country. What may however be news to some is that blacks may be the victims of marginalization and even ill-treatment as people try to flee. It's on record that blacks, especially Africans, make up about 20% of the Ukrainian International students' populations. With the conflict now erupting, they like many others are trying to leave the country. With many African countries not showing much by way of commitment to its citizens in the now waring country, these international students are forced to fend for themselves. See Also: Fede...
Geoffrey Onyeama In Closed-Door Meeting With Russian, Ukraine Ambassadors
News, Nigeria, Security, Violence

Geoffrey Onyeama In Closed-Door Meeting With Russian, Ukraine Ambassadors

Geoofrey Kwusike Jideofor Onyeama: Foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria by Lord777. Nigeria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama is in a closed-door meeting with Russian and Ukrainian Ambassadors in Abuja.The Muhammadu Buhari-led government has been under pressure to declare its position on the conflict in Ukraine, with many saying the government is too weak to choose a side. It could not confirm what Onyeama is discussing with the Ambassadors at the time of filing this report on Friday.Also after pressure from Nigerians, the minister on Thursday announced a special flight operation to evacuate Nigerian citizens from Ukraine given the escalating tension between that country and Russia. Onyeama in an interview with NTA, said the Nigerian embassy in Kyiv had been cont...
Boko Haram, ISWAP Still ‘Very Dangerous,’ North-East Needs $1bn Aid – UN
Boko Haram, News, Nigeria, Security, Terrorism, United Nations

Boko Haram, ISWAP Still ‘Very Dangerous,’ North-East Needs $1bn Aid – UN

The Head, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, Martin Griffiths, has urged the world not to take attention away from the insurgency-ravaged North-East Nigeria, noting that the region needs not less than $1bn in aid this year. According to him, the funds are needed to provide food and health care for the millions of people displaced and to those who remain in their homes but are vulnerable to attacks. Griffiths, who spoke in an interview with The Associated Press in Abuja, said terrorist group, Boko Haram, and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province, are still “very, very dangerous (and) very threatening.” He noted that victims of the decade-long insurgency in the North-East were in serious need of humanitarian support, urging ...
North-East Requires Fresh $1billion to Tackle Boko Haram Crisis – UN
Boko Haram, Covid-19, Infrastructure, News, Nigeria, Safety, Security, Terrorism, United Nations

North-East Requires Fresh $1billion to Tackle Boko Haram Crisis – UN

The North-Easter part of Nigeria needs fresh $1 billion to tackle the Boko Haram-induced humanitarian crisis affecting more than six million people in 2021, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said. It disclosed this on Wednesday noting that a combination of escalating conflict, displacement, and disruption has impacted livelihoods worsened by COVID-19 restrictions resulting in hunger for at least 5.1 million people. The UN Agency remarked that the figure of displaced persons is the worst outlook in four years. It said, “Ongoing conflict continues to be the main driver of humanitarian needs in northeast Nigeria, where millions of people have been displaced. Longstanding insecurity and violence, compounded by climate change, and the impact of ...
Students’ Abduction: Schools must remain safe spaces to learn without fear
Crime, Education, News, Nigeria, Safety, Security, United Nations, Youths

Students’ Abduction: Schools must remain safe spaces to learn without fear

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has expressed sadness over the recent mass abduction of students in different parts of Nigeria. Gunmen had abducted over 300 people including students and staff of the Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Afaka, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Friday. The incident marked the fourth mass abduction of school children in the North in the space of four months. In his reaction, Guterres in a post on Twitter urged authorities to ensure the safe release of the students and the prosecution of the abductors. He said, “I’m deeply saddened to learn of yet another mass abduction of students from a school in Nigeria. “Schools must remain safe spaces to learn without fear of violence. The students must be ...
Okonjo-Iweala Accepts Apology from Swiss Newspaper over ‘grandmother’ Remarks
Africa, Economy, Trade, United Nations, Women Empowerment

Okonjo-Iweala Accepts Apology from Swiss Newspaper over ‘grandmother’ Remarks

The first woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization on Monday welcomed an apology from a Swiss newspaper that had dismissed the seasoned international professional as a grandmother. “It is important & timely that they’ve apologised,” Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said in a tweet. The development economist took over as the new WTO chief on Monday after a long, high-powered career serving as minister of finance and foreign affairs in her native Nigeria and 25 years at the World Bank. But when several Swiss newspapers announced her appointment last month, they decided the most noteworthy thing to mention about the new WTO chief was as a matriarch. “This grandmother will become the boss of the WTO,” read the headline of the article published by the Aargauer Zeitung and...
Ghana to Receive World’s First Doses of Free Covax Vaccines -UNICEF
Covid-19, Ghana, United Nations

Ghana to Receive World’s First Doses of Free Covax Vaccines -UNICEF

Ghana is scheduled to receive Wednesday the first shipment of Covid-19 vaccines from Covax, a World Health Organization-backed effort to procure and distribute inoculations for free to poor countries. “These 600,000 Covax vaccines are part of an initial tranche of deliveries of the AstraZeneca / Oxford vaccine licensed to the Serum Institute of India, which represent part of the first wave of Covid vaccines headed to several low and middle-income countries,” said UNICEF, which organised the shipment from Mumbai, in a joint statement with the WHO. Covax has said it would deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines globally by the end of 2021. AFP