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Nigeria against move to split AU’s dept of political affairs
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Nigeria has strongly opposed a proposal to restructure the African Union’s Department of Political Affairs, Peace, and Security (PAPS), warning that such a move could lead to unnecessary expenditures and disrupt ongoing peace and security efforts across the continent.
Speaking at the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose statement was delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to meaningful AU reforms but rejected the bid to create a new department separate from PAPS.
According to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said “we do not support the proposal to reconfigure the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS). The reconfiguration in the way currently suggested will only lead us to incur more expenditure needlessly.
“We already have a Peace Support Operations Directorate (SOD) under PAPS, and creating a separate department would be counterproductive,” President Tinubu stated.
While opposing the proposed restructuring of PAPS, Nigeria reaffirmed its strong support for AU reforms aimed at making the continental body more vibrant, responsive, and efficient in addressing Africa’s pressing political and economic challenges.
President Tinubu commended President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President William Ruto of Kenya for their leadership in advancing AU reform proposals and backed the establishment of a Heads of State and Government Oversight Committee on AU reforms under President Ruto’s leadership.
Nigeria also endorsed the proposal to streamline AU Summit agendas, limiting them to three strategic items to ensure a focused and effective decision-making process.
President Tinubu emphasized the importance of inclusiveness and transparency in the AU reform process, urging member states to prioritize the implementation of already adopted policies and programmes rather than rushing into contentious changes.
“Instead of seeking to reach consensus on all fronts of our reform at one sweep, we should concentrate on areas where we have already reached consensus. There is no harm in carrying out reform in phases,” he stated.
He warned against introducing reform proposals that had not been widely discussed among member states, stressing that Nigeria would only support changes that enhance efficiency without destabilizing the existing structure.
Nigeria’s firm stance on maintaining the structure of PAPS comes as its head, Nigerian diplomat Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, was re-elected for another term during the AU Summit.
President Tinubu assured that Nigeria remains fully committed to AU reforms that strengthen the continental body’s ability to address political, security, and economic challenges.
However, he cautioned that reforms must be transparent, well-planned, and avoid creating unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
“Nigeria will continue to support the reform process as long as it remains transparent, inclusive, and does not needlessly destabilize the status quo,” the President affirmed.
Norwegian Air Shuttle, has changed its logo to that of British Airways on Instagram after losing a bet on the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final match between England and Norway on Saturday.
Ahead of the high-profile match, Norwegian Air challenged British Airways to a wager that would see the losing airline replace its Instagram profile picture with the winner’s logo for 24 hours.
Hey @british_airways, do you wanna make
a bet? If Norway wins, you have to switch to our logo on Instagram on Sunday (one day). And vice versa. Deal?,” Norwegian Air posted on Instagram before the match.
British Airways wasted no time accepting the friendly offer, warning the challenger against biting off more than they could chew, writing “Don’t make bets you can’t win.”
During the match, it was the Norwegians who landed the first blow after Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring for them in 36th minute, firing home the ball over goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who was caught off his line.
It was looking like Norway would take the lead into the break until Jude Bellingham drove a pass from Anthony Gordon into the box before latching it into the net from close range to equalise for England.
Neither side was able to find the net in the second half, forcing the match into extra time when Bellingham scored within its first three minutes, which ended up being the winning goal of the match to send England into the semifinals.
Following Norway’s defeat, Norwegian Air acknowledged the result and immediately fulfilled the bet’s condition by swapping its Instagram profile picture for the logo of British Airways.
“While the tournament is over for us, this friendly bet will forever live in all our hearts. We wish England and
@british_airways all the best in the semi-final, and we sincerely hope you’ll get to bring football home!,” Norwegian Air said in response to losing the bet.
Also, British Airways thanked its Norwegian Airways counterpart for the challenge, assuring that both England and Norway would remain friends forever.
“Rivals for 90 minutes, friends forever. A little competition keeps things interesting, thanks for challenging us @flynorwegian! Well done to the England team on qualifying for the World Cup semi-finals! It’s coming home!,” the airline said.
Nevertheless, the World Cup marked a historic milestone for Norway because it’s the first time the Scandinavian nation reached the tournament’s quarter-finals.
It was a sad tale as the collapse of the Gombe State House of Assembly complex under construction has claimed one life and left seven others injured.
The incident occurred on Friday when a section of the building gave way, trapping construction workers beneath the debris before emergency responders launched a rescue operation.
Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Gombe Operations Office, Ahmed Ummanah, confirmed the incident, stating that all the trapped workers were rescued from the rubble.
He disclosed that three of the injured victims were taken to the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Gombe, while five others were evacuated to the Gombe State Specialist Hospital for medical treatment. He added that some of the victims sustained severe injuries.
The construction company handling the project had yet to issue an official statement on the incident as efforts to obtain its reaction were unsuccessful.
Authorities have commenced investigations to determine the cause of the building collapse, while safety experts are expected to assess the structural integrity of the project.
Construction of access road from Tungan Madaki to Zuba will be Flagged off today
#ProjectsFCT2026
#FCT31DaysCommissioning
Norwegian Air adorns British Airways logo for 24hrs after losing 2026 World Cup wager
One dies, seven injured as Gombe Assembly Complex under construction collapses
DAY 24 of Projects Commissioning and Flag-Off in the FCT
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