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Meet Kamala Harris, Trump’s major contender

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Kamala D. Harris is the Vice President of the United States. She always fights for the people – from her barrier-breaking time as District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California, to proudly serving as a United States Senator and the Vice President.

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President – the first woman, the first Black American, and the first South Asian American to be elected to this position.

As Vice President, she has worked to bring people together to advance opportunity, deliver for families, and protect fundamental freedoms across the country. She has led the fight for the freedom of women to make decisions about their own bodies, the freedom to live safe from gun violence, the freedom to vote, and the freedom to drink clean water and breathe clean air. While making history at home, she is also representing the nation abroad – embarking on more than a dozen foreign trips, traveling to more than 19 countries, and meeting with more than 150 world leaders to strengthen critical global alliances.

The Vice President has been a trusted partner to President Joe Biden as they work together to deliver monumental achievements that are lifechanging for millions of Americans. Together, they have invested in the economy to create a record number of jobs and keep unemployment low. Their work has led to more small business creation in a two-year period than any previous administration.

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They capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month for seniors, cut prescription prices, and improved maternal health by expanding postpartum care through Medicaid. They passed the first meaningful gun safety law in three decades. Forming a bipartisan coalition, they enacted a $1 trillion investment in the country’s infrastructure to remove every lead pipe in America and make the most significant investment in public transit, repairing bridges, and high-speed Internet in history.

As President of the Senate, Vice President Harris set a new record for the most tie-breaking votes cast by a Vice President in history – surpassing a record that had stood for nearly 200 years. And her votes have been consequential. This includes casting the decisive vote to secure passage of the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment ever in tackling the climate crisis. She also presided over the unprecedented vote to confirm the first Black woman, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the Supreme Court while working alongside President Biden to achieve historic representation of women and people of color among nominees at all levels of the federal government.

“At every step of the way, I’ve been guided by the words I spoke from the first time I stood in a courtroom: Kamala Harris, For the People.”

Kamala Harris, August 19, 2020

Fighting for the people is nothing new for Vice President Kamala Harris.

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In 2017, she was sworn into the United States Senate where she championed legislation to fight hunger, provide rent relief, improve maternal health care, expand access to capital for small businesses, revitalize America’s infrastructure, and combat the climate crisis. She questioned two Supreme Court nominees while serving on the Judiciary Committee. She also worked to keep the American people safe from foreign threats and crafted bipartisan legislation to assist in securing American elections while serving on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

In 2010, Vice President Harris was elected Attorney General of California where she oversaw the largest state justice department in the country. She took on those who were preying on the American people, winning a $20 billion settlement for Californians whose homes had been foreclosed on and a $1.1 billion settlement for students and veterans who were taken advantage of by a for-profit education company. She also defended the Affordable Care Act in court and enforced environmental laws.

In 2004, Vice President Harris was elected District Attorney of San Francisco where she was a national leader in the movement for LGBTQ+ rights, officiating the first same-sex wedding after Proposition 8 was overturned. She also established the office’s environmental justice unit and created a ground-breaking program to provide first-time drug offenders with the opportunity to earn a high school degree and find employment, which the U.S. Department of Justice designated as a national model of innovation for law enforcement. And years earlier, in 1990, she joined the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases.

Vice President Harris was born in Oakland, California. As the daughter of immigrants, she grew up surrounded by a diverse community and a loving extended family. She and her sister, Maya, were inspired by their mother, Shyamala Gopalan, a breast cancer scientist and pioneer in her own right who came to the United States from India at the age of 19 and then received her doctorate the same year that Kamala was born.

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Both of the Vice President’s parents were active in the civil rights movement, and instilled in her a commitment to build strong coalitions that fight for the rights and freedoms of all people. They brought her to civil rights marches in a stroller and taught her about heroes like Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and civil rights leader Constance Baker Motley.

Vice President Harris went on to graduate from Howard University and the University of California Hastings College of Law. In 2014, she married Douglas Emhoff, a lawyer. They have a large blended family that includes their children, Ella and Cole.

As a trailblazer throughout her entire career, the Vice President is committed to fulfilling her mother’s advice:

“My mother would look at me and she’d say, ‘Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you are not the last.’”

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OERAF Holds Memorial Lecture on the Benefits of Debate Competitions for Students in Ughelli

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The Executive Director of Olotu and Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete Foundation (OERAF), Dr. Olotu Otemu Akpodiete, held a memorial lecture on the benefits of debate competitions for students in Ughelli, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The event took place, April 10, 2025, in honor of the remembrance of the passing of his grandfather, the late Chief Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete, Ph.D.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Olotu Akpodiete encouraged the students to take their academic activities very seriously, assuring them that his foundation would continue to provide support for quality education in Nigeria.

Olorogun Dr. Chris Oharisi, Chairman of the Board of Governing Council at Delta State College of Health Science and Technology, Ofuoma-Ughelli, who chaired the occasion, advised the students to be optimistic.

He emphasized the importance of debate to students, stressing that it helps them excel in public speaking.

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On his part, Mr. Samson Obor, Principal of Government College Ughelli, thanked the organizers (OERAF) for their good work and encouraged the students to take their studies seriously.

He added that the importance of debate can never be overemphasized.

Presenting the lecture, Olorogun (Mrs.) Grace Akpodiete highlighted several benefits of debate for students.

She mentioned four major benefits: academic benefits, personal benefits, career benefits, and life skills benefits.

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She concluded that by participating in debate competitions, students can develop a wide range of skills that benefit them academically, personally, and professionally.

During her speech about the life of the late Chief Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete, Barrister (Mrs.) Agboka Akpodiete-Omale highlighted his integrity and commitment to philanthropy.

She praised him as a great disciplinarian, dedicated community leader, lawyer, and known for his generosity.

Chief Dr. Linda Ikpuri, in her closing remarks, expressed satisfaction with the great job that Olotu and Ekuogbe Rowland Akpodiete Foundation is doing, assuring that she would collaborate with OERAF to build a better society.

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Other highlights of the event included the presentation of cash prizes to various schools in attendance.

The schools included Lulu Schools, Government College Ughelli, Otovwodo Grammar School, Oharisi Secondary School, Transcorp Secondary School, Ekakpamre, Girls Model Secondary School, Evwreni, Divine Fire School, and Ekiugbo Grammar School.

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Constituents Drag Akpabio, Senate to Court Over Suspension of Natasha

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A group of constituents from Kogi Central Senatorial District have dragged the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and the Nigerian Senate before the Federal High Court in Abuja over the suspension of their senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The legal action, filed under suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/654/2025, is challenging the six-month suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan, which the Senate imposed following a rejected sexual harassment petition she filed against Akpabio. The suit, led by prominent human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN), argues that the suspension violates the constituents’ constitutional right to representation.

Neda Imaseun, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Conduct, Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, had announced the suspension in March, citing what he called a “total violation of Senate rules” by Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan.

However, the plaintiffs argue that the Senate’s decision lacks lawful justification and contravenes democratic principles. They are invoking Article 13(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which guarantees citizens the right to freely participate in government through elected representatives.

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“The suspension has effectively silenced the voice of Kogi Central in national debates and legislative processes,” the suit states, accusing the Senate of overreaching its powers.

The applicants — Ovavu Iliyasu, Isah Otini, Onivehu Amoto, Isah Mediant, Ogunmola Samuel, Umar Oyiza, Megida Sadiq, Siyaka Akinlade, Michael Ademola, and Ananyi Omeiza — are seeking a court declaration that the Senate acted beyond its constitutional powers.

They are asking the court to nullify the suspension and restore all of Akpoti-Uduaghan’s rights and privileges, including access to her office, full participation in Senate proceedings, and payment of her entitlements. Additionally, they are seeking an injunction to prevent the Senate from taking any further actions that could infringe on their fundamental rights.

As of press time, no date has been fixed for the hearing.

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Nigeria-China Reaffirms Commitment To Strategic Partnership

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By Gloria Ikibah

Nigeria and China have reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral ties and advancing their comprehensive strategic partnership.

The Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), His Excellency Hu Chunhua, restated this when he led a high-level Chinese delegation on a visit to the Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar in Abuja, Nigeria on Friday.

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Hu who conveyed warm greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vice President Han Zheng to Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, praised the strong diplomatic relations between the two nations and reiterated China’s commitment to working closely with Nigeria in implementing the outcomes of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and furthering the achievements of the Beijing Summit.

“China is willing to work together with Nigeria to implement the important consensus reached by our leaders and promote new and greater achievements in the China-Nigeria comprehensive strategic partnership,” Hu stated.

He also acknowledged the efforts of Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar in strengthening China-Nigeria relations through past engagements, including bilateral committee meetings and high-level visits.

Responding, Minister Tuggar warmly welcomed the Chinese delegation on behalf of the Federal Government and Vice President Shettima, who was unavoidably absent.

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Tuggar congratulated Hu on his assumption of duties as Vice Chairman of the CPPCC, acknowledging the important role the body plays in China’s political system.

He also expressed Nigeria’s appreciation for China’s ongoing partnership, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, trade, and investment.

“We thank you for the continuing partnership in actualizing our ambition of infrastructure development, increased trade and investment, and building a 21st century nation in Nigeria. Relationships and partnerships such as the one that exists between Nigeria and China are ones that we should continue to hold dear to our hearts and ensure they continue not just to exist but to excel”, he stated.

The Minister also praised China for successfully hosting the recent FOCAC summit and emphasised the importance of the relationship, describing it as one to be cherished and nurtured.

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“Relationships and partnerships such as the one that exists between Nigeria and China are ones that we should continue to hold dear to our hearts and ensure they continue not just to exist but to excel.

“We want to continue to assure you of our commitment to the one China principle, and at the same time we want to thank you and commend you for recognizing Nigeria’s leadership in West Africa within the fold of the economic community of West African states and on the African continent as a whole.

“Although it is evident that we are not as large demographically as China, we are the largest country on the continent, and like China, we pay close attention and importance to consultation, consulting people and deliberation in the exigencies of governance and leadership.

“So we recognize the work that you are doing and reassure that this is something that we also do in our country to ensure that a largely demographic nation such as Nigeria and a diverse one”, he added.

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As Africa’s most populous nation and a key regional leader, Nigeria reaffirmed its dedication to dialogue and inclusive governance, values it shares with China. Both countries pledged to continue working closely to ensure mutual benefits from their strategic cooperation.

The visit is expected to further strengthen diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties between Nigeria and China, building on decades of strong bilateral relations.

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