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After CAF verdict: Libya police embark on mass arrest of Nigerians

Published

2 days ago

November 3, 2024

After the Confederation of African Football (CAF) verdict on the Nigerian Football Federation’s complaint regarding the Super Eagles’ treatment in Libya, reports from Libya indicate an uptick in arrests and fines targeting Nigerians.

Upon arrival in Libya for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match, Nigeria’s Super Eagles were detained at Al-Abraq Airport for over 20 hours, despite being initially scheduled to land in Benghazi and travel to Benina, where the game was set to take place. The change in flight destination, ordered by Libyan authorities less than an hour before landing, forced the Nigerian team to withdraw from the match, prompting an official complaint to CAF.

On October 26, CAF’s disciplinary body awarded Nigeria three points and goals for the canceled match, citing Libya’s breach of AFCON regulations. In addition, the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) was fined $50,000, a decision the LFF president criticized as “unjust and malicious,” alleging undue influence by the NFF.

In reaction to the CAF decision, social media posts by popular Libyan blogs have called for Nigerian workers in Libya to bear the financial penalty through arrests and fines. “All Libyan TV channels are urging the government to arrest the Nigerian workers who are working here in Libya without legal papers. They have to pay $500 plus taxes,” one blog post stated.

Reports from Nigerians in Libya indicate that these arrests began shortly after CAF’s verdict was publicized. “They have already started,” said Adenaike Emmanuel, a Nigerian resident in Tripoli. “In some places, people were arrested on Sunday morning and afternoon.”

Peter Omoregbie, head of the Nigerian community in Libya, confirmed the arrests, stating, “They are arresting innocent people. They don’t even care whether you have passports or residence permits.”

A former Nigerian ambassador has urged the government to document these incidents and consider a formal complaint to the African Union, saying, “If Nigerians collate evidence of the maltreatment, the Federal Government can protest directly to the Libyan government.”

Libyan rights organizations have also warned against retaliatory acts, highlighting that hostility towards foreign workers could have both domestic and international legal repercussions.

Related Topics:arrest of Nigerians CAF verdict Libya police

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Tinubu swears in new ministers, says economic recovery is on the right path

Published

1 min ago

November 5, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

President Bola Tinubu on Monday assured Nigerians that his administration’s economic recovery plan was on the right path to realizing the nation’s dreams and aspirations.

The President stated this at the State House while inaugurating seven new Ministers after their confirmation by the Senate.

President Tinubu noted that his administration had steered the nation away from bankruptcy and stopped scavengers, profiteers and smugglers of our resources.

While congratulating the new ministers, he charged them to be committed and resilient as they join other members of his cabinet working tirelessly to rescue the nation, reminding them that they were coming in to serve at a critical time.

“The moment is challenging; the present situation calls for a very serious commitment. Yours is a duty to serve and that is what you have come to do. I really appreciate the fact that you have taken the oath of office and ready to serve your nation at a time that we are facing the challenges of economic growth and other things like the security challenges on us.

“Economic recovery is on the right path. We have a good path to realize our dream and it is not just only for us, it is for our children and grandchildren to come. Despite the challenges, we faced the job of reengineering and retooling the economic path of this country. Yes, the cost of living has gone up; yes, I recognize that, and we have satisfied our obligations of paying a new minimum wage across the board.

“For us, it was a challenge when a nation was servicing its debt with 97% of its earned revenue. It is not but the end of the cliff but today I can report that we have brought that down to 65% and we have never defaulted in paying our obligations; we have met all obligations – both foreign and domestic. We have our heads above the waters,” the President further stated.

While pointing out that such economic challenges were not peculiar to Nigeria, President Tinubu said his administration was committed to overcoming the challenges.

“Other countries too around us and across the world are facing challenges. There are a lot of crises in Europe and America. We know what pandemic has brought to the economies of the world, but we are navigating through this and we are working hard. We are not going to run away from our responsibilities; we are going to face it and we are facing it headlong,” the President stressed.

The newly inaugurated ministers are: Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda – Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction; Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi – Minister of Labour and Employment, and Mrs. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu – Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

Others are Dr. Jumoke Oduwole as Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment; Mr. Idi Mukhtar Maiha as Minister of Livestock Development; Yusuf Abdullahi Ata as Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, and Dr. Suwaiba Said Ahmad as Minister of State for Education.

News

Multiple Accidents Involving Four Vehicles On 3rd Mainland Bridge +Video

Published

16 mins ago

November 5, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Multiple accident involving four vehicles was reported at Ilaje on 3rd Mainland Bridge on Monday, November 4, 2024.

No life was lost in the accident according to the video posted on x.com by LASTMA officials.

“There’s a report of a multiple accident involving 4 vehicles at Ilaje on 3rd Mainland Bridge inward Adeniji.

Backlog now at Iyana-Oworo. Men of The Nigeria Police are on ground and effort is on to evacuate then to the side of the road to ease better movement towards Adeniji. Officers are on ground managing the traffic accordingly.”

WATCH THE VIDEO: https://x.com/WAJU73/status/1853424263727915308

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Access Holdings Reports ₦41.1trn Total Assets, ₦3.4trn Gross Revenue In Q3

Published

2 hours ago

November 5, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

Access Holdings Plc has reported its unaudited results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, as the financial results reveals the group’s continued growth momentum, emphasising resilience and sustainable performance as it works to deliver good returns for its shareholders.

Gross revenue for the nine-month period rose by 114.5% year-on-year, climbing from ₦1.6 trillion in 2023 to ₦3.4 trillion in 2024. Interest income, a major driver of this growth, represented 70% of gross revenue at ₦2.4 trillion, while non-interest income contributed ₦1.0 trillion, marking an 87.2% increase due to higher transaction volumes on digital channels and other alternative platforms. Despite inflationary pressures, the cost-to-income ratio remained stable at 60.8%, while profit before tax saw an 89.6% rise to ₦558.2 billion, and profit after tax rose 82.8% to ₦457.7 billion. This robust performance translated to an annualised return on equity of 22.2%, with earnings per share up to ₦12.40.

Access Holdings reported significant gains in Q3 2024, driven by strong performance across its banking and non-banking subsidiaries, including Access ARM Pensions, Hydrogen Payments, and Access Insurance Brokers. The Group’s total assets surged to ₦41.1 trillion, up by 54.0% year-to-date, while shareholders’ equity grew by 51.0% to ₦3.3 trillion. Customer deposits saw an impressive rise of 45.4%, increasing from ₦15.3 trillion in December 2023 to ₦22.3 trillion by Q3 2024, while gross loans and advances grew 56.2%, reaching ₦13.9 trillion.

Access Bank continued its strong performance, with both interest and non-interest income contributing significantly to gross earnings. Subsidiaries in the UK and across Africa performed particularly well, delivering 54.8% of the Banking Group’s profit before tax, an increase of 185.8% year-on-year. The Group remains committed to expanding its footprint by offering tailored banking solutions in each region, enhancing customer experience, and advancing cross-border banking capabilities.

The non-banking subsidiaries of Access Holdings also delivered consistent growth. Access ARM Pensions, following a merger with ARM Pensions, now oversees ₦3.1 trillion in assets under management. Hydrogen Payments processed ₦27.5 trillion in transactions, growing its operating profit by 516% year-on-year to ₦5.7 billion. Access Insurance Brokers, still in its first year of operations, posted a gross written premium of ₦8.3 billion and a profit before tax of ₦641 million. New entrant, Oxygen X Finance, the group’s digital lending subsidiary, reported ₦2.1 billion in operating income and a profit before tax of ₦412 million.

Looking ahead, Access Holdings remains focused on enhancing profitability through diversified revenue streams across all markets. The group is deeply committed to advancing sustainability, embedding environmental, social, and governance principles into its operations to foster positive community impact. Through ongoing investments in employee development, Access Holdings is building a culture of innovation and excellence, further positioning the group as a driver of long-term value for its shareholders.