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Secession: Nigeria didn’t learn from civil war, says Dogara

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Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed concern that Nigeria has not learned from the lessons of its Civil War, as evidenced by the rise of secessionist movements in the country.

In his keynote address at the World Interfaith Harmony Week Conference and Awards, held at the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Dogara noted that the lack of effective nation-building since independence has led to the emergence of groups advocating for secession.

Dogara, who was represented by Timothy Golu, remarked, “We have had a number of crises since independence, the worst of which was the civil war from 1966 to 1970. Seems we didn’t learn much from that sordid episode, after all.

The evidence of our abysmal failure at nation-building are right under our noses — the formation or the rise of successionist groups such as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta; Niger Delta Frontier Force; Indigenous Peoples of Biafra; Oduduwa People’s Congress, among others.”

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He also decried the escalating insecurity in Nigeria, noting that has been more terrorised since the return to democracy.

He said, “Since 1999, successive administrations have struggled to address the security challenges that have plagued the nation. The Boko Haram insurgency, which started in Borno State in 2009, has evolved into a major international terrorist organization, claiming thousands of lives and displacing over five million people. At one point, Nigeria was ranked the third most terrorized country in the world.”

The former Speaker also highlighted that the breakdown of law and order had led to the rise of criminal activities, including kidnappings for ransom, banditry, and armed robberies, while ethnic and religious tensions have continued to fuel violence.

The failure to tackle these problems, according to Dogara, points to a broader issue of ineffective governance and poor responses to the underlying causes of discontent in various regions of the country.

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Dogara expressed concern over the inability to achieve true unity in Nigeria, noting that even after decades of independence, the country has failed to integrate its diverse peoples, leading to the rise of separatist movements. He emphasized that the failure to address these issues is leading Nigeria down a dangerous path, with groups calling for secession as a result of feeling marginalised and excluded from the Nigerian state.

Dogara also stressed the role of religion in nation-building, stating that Nigeria’s religious diversity could play a key role in fostering peace, provided that the country learns to harness the values of both Christianity and Islam to promote unity.

However, he warned that without genuine efforts to address the root causes of conflict, the country would continue to face the challenges of insecurity, disunity, and calls for secession.

“Unfortunately, our history is marked by disturbing anecdotes of series of ethno – religious violence that have profoundly stymied nation building. Nevertheless, we can successfully harness and exploit the values in the two main religions in Nigeria to rein in sustainable peace.

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Assuredly, our lives will begin to change the day we take responsibility for it. The future of peace, development and progress is very possible but only if we take the risk and accept the responsibility of consciously creating it.”

In attendance at the event were notable figures, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Most Rev. Daniel Okoh.

During the event, Obasanjo delivered a paper on the importance of love for one another and for God, with the theme “The Love of the Good, and The Love of The Neighbors,” while also calling for peace in the country.

Obasanjo was honoured with the Apostle of Peace award, and Otunba Daniel received the Apostle of Peace Gold award.

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Google Drops Pledge Not To Use AI For Weapons

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The technology giant had rewritten the principles that guide its development and use of AI which is published online, but a section pledging not to develop tech that cause or are likely to cause harm has now been removed.

That section said the firm would not pursue applications in the areas of weapons or “that gather or use information for surveillance violating internationally accepted norms”

Instead, the new principles feature a section on responsible development and deployment which implement “appropriate human oversight, due diligence,feedback mechanisms to align with user goals, social responsibility, and widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.”

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In a blog post, Google senior vice president James Manyika and Sir Demis Hassabis, who lead the firm’s AI lab, Google DeepMind, said the company needed to update its AI principles as they had been first published in 2018 and the technology has “evolved rapidly” since then.

Billions of people are using AI in their everyday lives. AI has become a general-purpose technology, and a platform which countless organisations and individuals use to build applications,” they said.

“It has moved from a niche research topic in the lab to a technology that is becoming as pervasive as mobile phones and the internet itself; one with numerous beneficial uses for society and people around the world, supported by a vibrant AI ecosystem of developers.”

They said this had meant increased international collaborative efforts on common principles, which the blog post said Google was encouraged by.

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But Manyika and Hassabis said “global competition” for AI leadership was taking place within an “increasingly complex geopolitical landscape”.

We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights,” they said.

And we believe that companies, governments, and organisations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.”

There is an ongoing debate among AI experts, governments, regulators, tech firms and academics about how the development powerful emerging technology should be monitored or regulated.

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Previous international summits have seen countries and tech firms sign non-binding agreements to develop AI “responsibly”, but no binding international law on the issue is yet in place.

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Again, Tiwa Savage, Ex-Husband Coming Together After Six Years Of Separation

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Tiwa Savage and her ex-husband coming back together after six years of being divorced should tell you a lot about what men can really do for love.

They got married in 2013 but divorced in 2018 when Tiwa Savage’s husband accused her of cheating.

After their divorce, Tiwa Savage dated several other men, but those relationships didn’t end well at all.

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She even said it herself that one thing she regrets the most was divorcing her husband because of the men who came after her when she got really famous.

Tiwa didn’t get married after divorcing Teebillz but dated several other men, and even got her knacking video leaked.

Today, they have settled everything and are reportedly back together! Teebillz didn’t think about the men Tiwa dated after their divorce; he thought about the value Tiwa had in his life and their son Jamil, then decided to settle things and take her back as a partner.

When Tiwa Savage saw his message publicly asking her back on Instagram yesterday, she lowered her pride, took accountability for what happened to their relationship, and publicly apologized to her ex-husband.

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In less than 24 hours, they fixed things and are now back together.

Tiwa who is now 44 years old is ten times richer than her ex-husband, but that video of her apologizing and telling her ex how much she loved him really touched me.

Men can forgive women for cheating, too. It just takes more time than it might for women.

We wish them a happy life and hope to see them remarry again. 😍♥️

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This is a sign for you to go and fix things with your baby daddy if you want to be happy again!

Source: Adesanya Idowu Paul

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Following Trump Footsteps, Argentina Quits World Health Organization

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Argentina said Wednesday it will quit the World Health Organization, following in the footsteps of Donald Trump’s United States and citing similar complaints over the UN body’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Railing against the economic fallout of Covid-19 lockdowns, President Javier Milei lamented “one of the most bizarre crimes against humanity” as he explained the reasons for the move.

Argentina’s self-declared “anarcho-capitalist” leader said the WHO had been “the executing arm of what was the greatest experiment in social control in history

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The South American country announced its withdrawal from the UN health agency two weeks after Trump, an ideological ally and hero of Milei, signaled Washington’s planned exit.

Milei’s decision was based on “deep differences regarding health management especially during the pandemic,” spokesman Manuel Adorni told reporters earlier, adding Argentina would not “allow an international body to interfere in our sovereignty.”

Argentina had been hard hit by the pandemic, with about 130,000 deaths, and Milei’s predecessor Alberto
Fernandez imposed a five-month lockdown in 2020 widely perceived as crippling for a struggling economy.

Adorni insisted withdrawing from the WHO gave Argentina “greater flexibility to implement policies adapted to the context” locally, while ensuring “greater availability of resources.”

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The WHO did not immediately comment on Argentina’s departure.

WHO data shows Argentina contributed about $8.75 million in membership fees to the organization across 2022 and 2023 — 0.11 percent of the total budget.
It was slated to contribute $8.25 million for 2024-2025.

The vast majority of the UN agency’s budget comes from voluntary contributions, however, and Argentina has made none in recent years.

Adorni said Argentina “does not receive funding from the WHO, so this measure does not represent a loss of funds for the country.”

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He also accused the body of “a lack of independence.”

‘Endless quarantines’ –
Last year, Argentina refused to join a new pandemic protocol drawn up by the WHO and gave notice of its intention to withdraw from the agency altogether.

International relations expert Federico Merke, of the University of San Andres in Buenos Aires, said the move would leave Argentina isolated when it comes to information-sharing and cooperation in the case of a new pandemic or other health threat.

Milei is an avowed fan of Trump, who signed an order within hours of his January 20 inauguration for the United States to withdraw from the WHO, which he has also criticized for its pandemic handling.

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Washington was the biggest contributor to the Geneva-based organization, which Trump claimed had “ripped us off,” and the US withdrawal leaves global health initiatives short of funding.

Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has gutted public spending, having vowed to maintain a zero budget deficit after years of overspending.

His austerity measures are estimated to have tipped millions more people into poverty, but the country last year recorded its first budget surplus since 2010 while inflation fell by nearly half.

Milei was the first foreign leader to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate after the Republican’s November US election victory.

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His decision also casts new doubt on Argentina’s future adherence to the 2015 Paris climate change agreement, under which countries committed to limiting greenhouse gas emissions to keep global average temperature rise below a critical threshold.

Withdrawing the United States from the Paris pact was another of Trump’s first moves after taking office.

Milei’s Argentina, pushing for a free trade deal with the United States, has previously said it was “reevaluating” its strategy “on all climate change-related issues.”

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