News

Palestinian Govt Raises Alarm, Says Israel Using Starvation As Weapon Of War

Published

3 hours ago

November 15, 2024

The State of Palestine on Thursday raised the alarm over Israel’s use of “starvation” as a weapon of war in Gaza, particularly in North Gaza, where only 30 trucks are allowed to enter daily, meeting just 6% of the region’s needs.

The Palestinian government said the severe food deprivation was making survival extremely difficult for Gazans.

The authorities said this in a heartfelt letter to Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, which was signed by Ambassador Abdullah M. Abu Shawesh of the Embassy of the State of Palestine.

Revealing alarming casualty numbers, Shawesh said that 43,603 Palestinians have been killed and 102,929 injured in Gaza, mostly children and women, over 405 days of conflict.

Additionally, 188 journalists have lost their lives, in what he described as genocide and ethnic cleansing at the hands of the United States of America and Israeli.

Shawesh emphasised that empty condemnations are insufficient and urged collective action to end the prolonged Israeli aggression in Gaza.

Human Rights Watch has also reported on Israel’s deliberate blockade of food, water, and fuel, labeling it a war crime.

The organization noted that Israeli officials have publicly stated their intent to deprive Gazans of essential resources. The international community must take decisive action to address this humanitarian crisis.

Giving a statistics breakdown of the casualties, Shawesh stated, “In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as of November 9, 811 Palestinians were killed, 5,755 injured, and 13,585 permanent and temporary military checkpoints were set up.

“As of November 10, the total number of Palestinian detainees in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, has reached 11,600, including 430 women, 760 children, and 132 journalists, 85 of whom are still in detention, and administrative orders have exceeded 10,000 detainees.

“The arrest campaign was accompanied by human humiliation, severe beatings, in addition to the vandalism destruction of Palestinian homes and property, and theft of their money and gold. These figures do not include detainees from Gaza, where some estimates indicate that their number exceeds 5,000 without any information about them. 41 Palestinian detainees were killed as a result of ill-treatment and severe beatings

“In the Negev and Ofer prisons, prisoners face difficult conditions, especially those from Gaza. What makes matters worse is the spread of scabies among prisoners, who are all subjected to brutal torture, insults and medical neglect.

“Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza, particularly in North Gaza where only 30 trucks are allowed to enter per day, which is nearly 6% of the daily needs. This deprivation of food is making it difficult for the people in Gaza to even survive.

“Using the starvation as method and measure of war on Gaza specially on the north will lead to catastrophic health consequence on the short and long run.

“The people who are still in North Gaza are living under an immobilizing siege, are being deliberately and continuously bombed, and are without food, water, and medical supplies. Anyone who tries to flee in search of these necessities is targeted by Israeli drones and killed.”

Citing Joyce Msuya Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs “Now is the time for Member States to use their leverage to prevent and stop violations of international humanitarian law through diplomatic and economic pressure, responsible arms transfers and combating impunity, Now is the time for the Security Council to use its powers under the UN Charter to ensure compliance with international law and full implementation of its resolutions.”

“In the upcoming months, the occupied West Bank will be in the eye of the storm. Israel intends to extend its sovereignty over it, believing that the upcoming US administration will support this move. This will be the final nail in the coffin of the peace process and the two-state solution.”

News

AFCONQ 2025: Nigeria’s Super Eagles fail to beat Benin Republic in Abidjan

Published

2 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Thursday failed to beat Benin Republic in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, AFCON, qualifier as two West African neighbours settled for a 1-1 draw in Abidjan

With the results, Nigeria officially qualified for the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON, securing a top-two finish in Group D,

Benin opened the scoring in the 16th minute when Mohamed Tijani capitalized on a corner delivery from Junior Olaïtan, heading the ball into the center of the net.

The Super Eagles found themselves trailing despite creating opportunities, with Victor Osimhen and Moses Simon both testing Benin’s defence.

In the second half, Nigeria intensified their attack and were rewarded in the 81st minute when Osimhen met Simon’s cross with a precise header to level the score.

Benin fought hard to reclaim the lead, but Nigeria’s defence held firm, preserving the draw.

Nigeria’s qualification for TotalEnergies CAF AFCON marks a relief for fans and sets the stage for their preparations for the tournament. Benin, meanwhile, remains in contention but will need positive results in their final game to have any chance of progressing.

News

Wike suspends FCDA secretary indefinitely

Published

2 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has suspended, with immediate effect, the Executive Secretary of the Federal Capital Development Agency, Shehu Hadi Ahmad, indefinitely.

This was made known in a statement by the Senior Special Adviser to the Minister of Public Communication and Social Media, Olalere Olayinka, on Thursday.

Circumstances leading to or surrounding the suspension of the secretary were, however, undisclosed as of the time of filing this report.

According to the statement, the suspended Executive Secretary has been consequently directed to hand over to the Director of Engineering Services in the FCDA.

News

UBA to raise N239bn via rights issue

Published

2 hours ago

November 15, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

United Bank for Africa Plc has issued 6,839,884,274 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N35 per share in a rights issue to raise N239.4bn in a bid to meet the fresh capital requirements of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The rights issue which opened on Friday (today) allows existing shareholders to purchase one new ordinary share for every five existing ordinary shares held by shareholders as of November 05, 2024.

In late March, the CBN announced an upward review of the minimum capital requirement for banks in the country.

In a letter to the shareholders informing them of the rights issue, the Group Chairman of United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, noted that following the resolution of the Group’s shareholders at the Annual General Meeting held in May 2024, authorising the establishment of the N400bn Equity Shelf Programme, UBA will embark on a Rights Issue, as the first step in its broader capital raising programme.

“UBA’s Rights Issue aims to raise N239.4bn, through the issuance of new ordinary shares to our shareholders. The primary objective of this rights Issue is to further strengthen our capacity to take advantage of growth opportunities and sustain our leadership in the banking industry,” Elumelu said in the letter.

On the use of proceeds, Elumelu noted that, beyond regulatory compliance, the funds will expand the Group’s lending capacity, invest in digital infrastructure, support sustainable business practices, and expand the group’s African operations.

Elumelu also highlighted how UBA is driving economic growth across Africa, saying “Our historic partnership with the Africa Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, where UBA pledged up to $6bn in financing over the next three years to support eligible SMEs across Africa underscores our commitment to fostering economic development.”

It was revealed that application for the provisional allotment of the Rights to the new ordinary Shares will be made exclusively through the NGX e-offer portal, during the offer period, while existing shareholders may also apply for additional shares above their provisional allotment as described in the Provisional Allotment Letter. Shareholders who are customers of the Bank are also encouraged to access their Rights through UBA’s internet banking and mobile banking channels.

At the end of the third quarter, the gross earnings of UBA appreciated by 83.2 per cent year-on-year to N2.39tn from N1.31tn in the same period of 2023. Its profit before tax went up by 20.2 per cent to N603.48bn from N502.09bn in Q3 2023, while profit after tax also rose by 16.9 per cent to N525.31bn from N449.26bn recorded a year earlier.

The lender’s total assets rose to N31.80tn, representing a 54.0 per cent increase over the N20.65tn recorded at the end of December 2023.

In the 2023/2024 report year, UBA won ‘Bank of the Year’ awards in eight of its subsidiaries – Cameroon, Chad, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Republic of Congo; Sierra Leone; Tanzania, as well as the Regional Award for Africa and in 2024 has won World Best Frontier Markets Bank and Best SME Bank Africa.

UBA Plc offers banking services to more than 45 million customers, across 1,000 business offices and customer touch points in 20 African countries.