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Putin removes Sergei Shoigu as Russian defence minister

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Putin removes Sergei Shoigu as Russian defence minister
By Francesca Hangeior
The Kremlin announced the 68-year-old has been in the role since 2012 and is to be appointed secretary of Russia’s Security Council.

Papers published by the upper chamber of the Russian parliament said Shoigu will be replaced by Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov.

The Kremlin said the defence ministry needed to stay “innovative”.

Russian government papers revealed that Putin wants Shoigu to take over from Nikolai Patrushev on the powerful Security Council.

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Reports, however, disclosed that it is not yet clear what Patrushev’s new post will be.

Shoigu has close links with President Putin, often taking him on fishing trips in his native Siberia.

He was given the defence portfolio despite having no military background, which rankled some of his top brass.

A civil engineer by profession, Shoigu rose to prominence as the head of the emergencies and disaster relief ministry in the 1990s.

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He often looked out of his depth as defence minister, especially after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, BBC Europe analyst Danny Aeberhard said.

Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu used to go fishing together in less troubled times.

In 2023, Shoigu became embroiled in a public feud with Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin over Russia’s conduct of the war.

Prigozhin, who led a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, accused Shoigu of being a “dirtbag” and “elderly clown” in audio messages that went viral.

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The mercenary chief died in a plane crash while flying from St Petersburg to Moscow in August 2023. The Kremlin denied it was to blame.

Shoigu’s suggested replacement, Belousov, is an economist with little military experience and will come as a surprise to some.

But in the view of other analysts, the move indicates that President Putin is seeking to align the Russian economy more closely with the war effort.

Kremlin press spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the proposed appointment of a civilian showed the role of defence minister called for “innovation”.

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He said Russia was becoming more like the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, when a high proportion of GDP went on military spending.

As a result, it was necessary to make sure that military expenditure was better integrated into Russia’s overall economy, he added.

“The one who is more open to innovations is the one who will be victorious on the battlefield,” he said.

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NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE

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The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.

The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.

“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.

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“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.

“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.

The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.

“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”

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In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.

“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”

NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.

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Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0

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Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.

The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.

James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.

Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.

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The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.

Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.

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FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice

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The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.

Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.

“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.

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According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.

“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.

Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.

Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.

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“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”

Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.

“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.

“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.

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