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Democracy not a Steady State, Requires Dedication and Determination, US Cautions Nigerians Against Losing Hope

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Democracy not a Steady State, Requires Dedication and Determination, US Cautions Nigerians Against Losing Hope

By: Michael Mike

The United States has advised Nigerians against losing hope in democracy, insisting that it is not a steady state, but a continuous process that requires focus, dedication, and determination.

Speaking at the commemorations the 247th Independence Day of the United States of America, the Chargé d’Affaires of the United States’ Mission in Nigeria, David Greene noted that Nigeria’s recent elections showcased the contradictions inherent in democracy.

He said: “As large, diverse democracies, the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Nigeria share many of these principles: in the content of our constitutions, in the forms of our institutions, in citizens’ relationships to their governments, and in our daily lives. Our struggles for independence – while centuries and continents apart – shared the common vision of nations governed by their citizens, for the welfare of those citizens.

“We can acknowledge that achieving that vision has been a bumpy road, for both our nations. We have had to work hard to preserve democratic principles and values, sometimes in the face of strong headwinds, or even storms.  Yet we persevere.  

“Nigeria’s recent elections showcased the contradictions inherent in democracy, at once highlighting this nation’s commitment to the democratic system even as many voters were frustrated by the process. We in the United States know as well as any, that democracy is not a steady state, but a continuous process that requires focus, dedication, and determination.”

He added that: “So even as the United States works to ensure our own nation remains true to the ideals of its founding, we seek to partner with friends and allies in strengthening their democratic institutions as well. In recognition of this important, common task, President Biden hosted, on the margins of December’s African Leaders Summit, a session focused on elections – attended by former President Buhari – to highlight this critical moment when democracy needs to be renewed and defended globally.
 
“Beyond the history and abstract principles, I want to speak to our shared commitment to the practical work of any democracy – helping citizens live prosperous, secure, and healthy lives. As President Biden has said, “Elected leaders owe it to their people to show that democracy can deliver for their needs.”  And the United States is Nigeria’s partner in making it possible to deliver.”

The envoy stated that: “Prosperity demands a stable economy in which businesses can succeed and in which citizens can aspire to leave their children better off. So the United States partners with Nigerian entrepreneurs in agriculture, health, information technology, and renewable energy – to name just a few sectors – to help expand small and medium-sized businesses.  We know that the success of a business is dependent on reliable energy infrastructure; so the United States has helped bring electricity to over three million homes and businesses – so far, with the number to grow in the future.”
 
He however admitted that “economic opportunity by itself is not enough; citizens need security. In this area, too, the United States and Nigeria are working together closely. Through robust military-to-military ties, police training, and judicial cooperation, by way of examples, the United States is partnering with Nigeria to bolster its security capabilities, to combat terrorism, violent crime, and corruption.”

Greene said: “In short, across every sector you can think of, the great federal republics of the United States and Nigeria have long been working together to improve the lives of both of our peoples.  And we look forward to partnering with President Tinubu’s Administration to ensure that the Nigerian people’s vision for their country is realized – by strengthening Nigerian institutions and helping, in the words of the Nigerian National anthem, “build a nation where peace and justice shall reign.””

He recalled that President Biden said, on the occasion of President Tinubu’s inauguration, “As Africa’s largest democracy and economy, Nigeria’s success is the world’s success.”  Stressing that: “I, and my whole team here and in Lagos, look forward to working with all of you towards that success.”
 
Gracing the event that held on Thursday night were prominent people from all sectors including those in government and diplomatic corps, among them are the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

Democracy not a Steady State, Requires Dedication and Determination, US Cautions Nigerians Against Losing Hope

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Nigerian Air Force Neutralises Terrorists in Successful Air Interdiction at Maisani

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Nigerian Air Force Neutralises Terrorists in Successful Air Interdiction at Maisani

By: Zagazola Makama

The Nigerian Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai have executed a coordinated strike on a major terrorist enclave located at Maisani in the Timbuktu Triangle general area of Borno State, killing several ISWAP terrorists.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the air interdiction mission conducted on May 4, 2025, at approximately 1800 hours, was informed by credible intelligence and sustained surveillance, targeted terrorists’ structures cleverly concealed and camouflaged under thick shrubs in the area.

The sources said that using advanced platforms, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) conducted a focused Air Interdiction (AI) mission, resulting in the destruction of the identified enemy hideouts and the neutralisation of an unconfirmed number of insurgent fighters.

According to the sources, Post-strike Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) obtained from our Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platforms confirmed that the airstrike achieved its intended objectives, dealing a significant blow to terrorists.

Nigerian Air Force Neutralises Terrorists in Successful Air Interdiction at Maisani

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Nigeria Looks to World Bank to Tackle Challenges of National Capital Accounting

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Nigeria Looks to World Bank to Tackle Challenges of National Capital Accounting

By: Michael Mike

As the world marks the 2025 Environment Day, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has appealed to the World Bank for support on capacity building, data and in addressing the challenges poised by Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) in the country.

Head of Department, National Accounts Energy and Environment at the NBS, Dr. Baba Madu made the appeal at the 2025 Natural Capital Accounting (NCA) Conference on Thursday in Abuja with support from the World Bank in. collaboration with the NBS and the Federal Ministry of Environment.

Madu while noting that the NCA was a new area Nigeria must exploit to further boost the nation’s economy, said for Nigeria to grow and be at par with other developed nations, there was need to account for her natural resources.

He said: “NCA has been tasked with the crucial role of integrating natural capital into economic measurement. It is impossible to measure the economy accurately without accounting for natural resources. Issues such as environmental degradation, afforestation, desertification, and climate change all directly impact productivity.

“Productivity in turn, influences output—one of the core components of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). These environmental factors must be reflected across all economic activity sectors to present a more accurate picture of national output.”

While stating that Nigeria currently has data on NCA in Nigeria, the NBS official however raised concerns over the huge data gap from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the environment sector.

He said: “We are not doing badly but we need to improve on what we are doing. In terms of data sources, I can tell you there’s a big gap because these are new areas needed to be exploited.”

Programme Leader on Sustainable Development at the World Bank, Vina Vutukuru, said there was need to jointly
explore the vital role of national accounting in national development plans and to brainstorm on how Nigeria could institutionalize it.

He said: “Establishing the national capital accounting as part of the national account system will allow us to measure the economic value of ecosystem services such as clean air, water and biodiversity which are essential for our well-being and economic prosperity.”

Vutukuru commended Nigeria for having “very bold ambitions” as far as responding to climate change was concerned saying, “That shows the commitment of the policy makers here towards the issue of climate.

“But I think to back up that aspiration and the aggressive goals that Nigeria has set for itself, the foundational thing for those goals to materialize those objectives to come true is a very strong natural account system.”

Head of Media, National Council on Climate Change Secretariat (NCCCS), Chioma Azie who represented her Director General, Dr. Nkiruka Maduekwe at the event, described Nigeria as a very ambitious country, stressing that natural resources was instrumental to achieving all the objective of climate action.

She said: “Technology, policy reforms, behavioral changes has a role to play but natural resources is very key because they’re underpinning the mitigation and adaptation for climate action.

“If you look at Nigeria’s NDC, the NCA is an avenue to provide raw materials that we could use to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies.

“If you look at what we have done in terms of this NDC in 2020.which is the second leg of the NDC, we identified a lot of mitigation activities within this mentioned sectors of ours. In agricultural sector we talked about smart agriculture. What is smart agriculture without natural resources?

“We talked about biomass, what is biomass without natural resources? We also spoke about land use changes and that is natural resources, we talk about natural solutions and we talked about also afforestation, reafforestation. Those are mitigation potentials of our NDC. So, we cannot achieve our NDC without SEEA.

“What you cannot be able to account for is recorded as if it is not done so if we know what is existing in terms of the reservoirs we have for natural resources, it can inform the scope of the mitigation activities we’re going to be imputing in the NDC 3.0,” she said.

Nigeria Looks to World Bank to Tackle Challenges of National Capital Accounting

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NIMC Insists All Its Verification Services, Functional, Accessible

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NIMC Insists All Its Verification Services, Functional, Accessible
.. Says Police Service Commission Not Denied Access

By: Michael Mike

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said all its verification service platforms are functional and accessible to all partners including all security agencies.

The Commission, in a statement on Thursday by its spokesman, Dr. Kayode Adegoke said it is aware of the purported ”inability of the Police Service Commission (PSC) to access the NIMC verification server,” insisting that the “information is not only misleading but also inaccurate.”

Adegoke said: “To set the record straight, the NIMC granted verification access to all Nigerian Police formations for the verification of the National Identification Number (NIN). The NPF, PSC and other security agencies have been enjoying uninterrupted verification services for over five years.

“NIMC has provided top-notch verification services for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force, as conducted by the PSC and at no time have there been any complaints or issues regarding NIN Verification by the NPF or PSC.”

Adegoke, in the statement, claimed that: “The Commission has a robust and harmonious working relationship with the Nigerian Police Force and the Police Service Commission. The Information Communications and Technology (ICT) department of the Nigeria Police Force is actively managing the long-standing verification and integration service between the NIMC and all Nigeria Police formations. NIMC will continue to provide flawless verification services for the purpose of recruitment, security mapping, cybercrime control, and any other security matters.”

He explained that: “The framework by which NIMC provides services to the security agencies was recently restructured for standardization and effective implementation, following consultation with the Office of the National Security Adviser, and NPF has confirmed the verification services have continued to be available. We therefore believe that any service interruption experienced by PSC may be due to internal matters.”

He promised that: “NIMC is committed to providing excellent verification services to the PSC, NPF and all its partners but the terms and conditions inherent must be adhered to for uninterrupted flow of service.”

NIMC Insists All Its Verification Services, Functional, Accessible

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