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Israel-Palestine: Saudi Arabia Hosts First Global Alliance Meeting to Advance Two-State Solution

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Israel-Palestine: Saudi Arabia Hosts First Global Alliance Meeting to Advance Two-State Solution

By: Michael Mike

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has hosted the first Global Alliance Meeting to advance the two-state solution aimed at tackling ending the protracted Israel-Palestine conflict .

A statement by the embassy of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Nigeria said Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, the Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, inaugurated the first meeting of the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution on Wednesday, noting that this underscored Saudi Arabia’s leadership in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East.

The coalition was announced last month in partnership with international allies, and it is aimed at mobilizing global support for a viable, sustainable two-state resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Opening the meeting, Prince Faisal welcomed Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), alongside international delegations dedicated to peace-building efforts.

Addressing the escalating violence in Palestine and Lebanon, Prince Faisal condemned the mounting Israeli violations, emphasising the urgent need for the international community’s intervention to halt such actions that threaten regional stability and the potential for a peaceful two-state outcome.

Faisal called for an immediate ceasefire, advocating for the release of hostages and detainees and the establishment of accountability mechanisms to address ongoing violations. He reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s support for UNRWA’s crucial role in delivering humanitarian aid amid the ongoing challenges in the Palestinian territories.

He equally urged the global community to bolster efforts toward preserving the two-state solution as the foundation for long-term peace in the region. He outlined Saudi Arabia and its regional partners’ commitment to practical, time-bound steps to resolve the conflict, emphasising the necessity of establishing an independent Palestinian state and ending the occupation.

According to the statement, Saudi Arabia’s concerns extend to Lebanon, “where ongoing Israeli aggression threatens sovereignty and regional peace. In line with the joint Arab-Islamic Summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023, and under the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia reiterated its condemnation of actions undermining Palestinian and Lebanese security.”

The statement added that: “As a follow-up to these developments, the Kingdom announced its intention to convene a joint Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh on November 11, 2024, to discuss the continued Israeli aggression against the Palestinian territories and the Republic of Lebanon, and the ongoing developments in the region.”

Israel-Palestine: Saudi Arabia Hosts First Global Alliance Meeting to Advance Two-State Solution

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Adamawa, Borno States’ Speakers Promises Speed Inacting Social Protection Law for Vulnerable Welfare

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Adamawa, Borno States’ Speakers Promises Speed Inacting Social Protection Law for Vulnerable Welfare

By: Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse

The members of Borno and Adamawa state House of Assembly promised to give speedy deliberation and passage a law for establishing Social Protection Agencies for faster wide spread welfare to destitute and vulnerable in their respective states.

The speakers of Borno and Adamawa state’s Assemblies Rt. Hon. Abdulkareem Lawal and Rt. Hon. Bathiya Wesley made the disclosure in a separate interview with our reporter in Dutse, Jigawa state capital during their learning visit on Social Protection Programme to the state.

The Borno speaker was represented by his deputy and member representing Maiduguri metropolitan State assembly constituency, Hon Kotoko Alhaji Ali promised action that would fastract an establishment of Social Protection Agency in the state.

According to him “We are here in Jigawa state to study and learn how Social protection programmes are implemented and working. We are really impressed and satisfied with the programmes’ benefits to vulnerable and less privileged people particularly people with disabilities (PWDs).”

Tokoko stated further that “it is a very good project which is dealing with poverty and support to vulnerable social economic lives. For a state like Borno where suffering for insurgency that resulted in a lot of Internally Displace People (IDP) Camps the program would help a lot improving social lives of the destitute and vulnerable”.

In his parts the speaker Adamawa state house of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Bathiya Wesley who was represented by his deputy, Honourable Muhammed Buba and member representing Dambulu state’s Assembly constituency promised all support for implementing the programme in Adamawa for the benefit of the people.

He said “for the first time I saw the people who benefited from the project and it’s positively transformed their lives during a story visit to Kiyawa here in Jigawa state. I see the real by myself and impressed with the good outcome”.

“As a member representing my constituency and public servants we will not hesitated in making move to introduce the programme and establishing the agency for effective implementation”.

Hon. Buba noted that “in this our learning visit we have visited to the Jigawa state house of Assembly and interacted with the speaker and member of the house. We opportune to collected a copy of a law established the Jigawa Social Protection Agencies. We will go and study the law and do the needful”.

Reports from the state indicated that 20 members from Adamawa and Borno state’s house of Assembly were on two day field learning visit to Jigawa state on social protection programme supported by the federal military of Budget and European Union.

Adamawa, Borno States’ Speakers Promises Speed Inacting Social Protection Law for Vulnerable Welfare

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ActionAid Nigeria Demands Probe of Fraud in NELFUND Scheme

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ActionAid Nigeria Demands Probe of Fraud in NELFUND Scheme

By: Michael Mike

ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has demanded the immediate investigation and suspension of all institutional heads complicit in the reported fraud in the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.

ActionAid Nigeria in a signed statement by its Country Director, Andrew Mamedu on Wednesday said it was outraged by the revelations of systemic exploitation of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme, with over 50 tertiary institutions across the country accused of inflating fees, withholding refunds, and financially sabotaging students who sought relief through the student loan programme.

Mamedu said: “This is not merely administrative misconduct; it is corruption in education institutions at its core.”

He lamented that: “These institutions have not only betrayed public trust but have actively undermined the very ideals of transparency, equity, and social justice that education should embody. Fee hikes ranging from N2,500 to N30,000 per student may seem trivial on paper, but when calculated across tens of thousands of students, this abuse snowballs into a multi-million-naira scandal. From ActionAid Nigeria’s conversations with students, this is seemingly not an isolated incident. It is a coordinated, normalised pattern of corruption.”

He said: “This scandal is a brutal reminder that when institutions lose their soul, students become collateral damage. These are young Nigerians who turned to the government’s loan scheme out of desperation not convenience and what they got in return was exploitation. Institutions entrusted with both academic and moral leadership have shamelessly commodified education.

“ActionAid Nigeria demands the immediate investigation and suspension of all institutional heads complicit in this fraud by their respective Governing Councils and calls on the Minister of Education and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu not to remain silent or passive where these Councils fail to act decisively. If eventually found guilty, they must be dismissed from public service and prosecuted without delay.

“We also call on the EFCC and ICPC to move beyond mere observation or investigation and take decisive legal action”

He also noted that: “One would have thought that paying institutions directly was the more efficient and secure route to minimise risks of student misuse and ensure timely tuition payments. But once again, these public institutions have proven incapable of individual and institutional accountability, turning a system built for support into one ripe for exploitation.’’

Mamedu further said: “While ActionAid Nigeria commends NELFUND and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) for taking the bold step of naming institutions involved in the mismanagement of student loan funds, naming alone is not justice. We urge that NELFUND and the Federal Ministry of Education immediately conduct independent forensic audits of all implicated schools; mandate public disclosure of how funds were received and used; ensure full refunds to all affected students; and establish student-led monitoring mechanisms to prevent future misuse.

“ActionAid Nigeria also urges the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the Federal Ministry of Education to step up nationwide awareness campaigns so that students are not kept in the dark about the loans they have received, the institutions that benefited, and the rights they must now reclaim.”

Mamedu noted that: “This is about more than just student loans. We must strive to build a nation where dignity, fairness, and equal access to opportunities, services, and resources are non-negotiable. We also join our voices with activists, civil society, and concerned citizens in demanding that this scandal not be buried under bureaucracy.”

ActionAid Nigeria Demands Probe of Fraud in NELFUND Scheme

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Alleged UK Major Arrested for Gun Running Was Never A Commissioned Officer- British High Commission

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Alleged UK Major Arrested for Gun Running Was Never A Commissioned Officer- British High Commission

By: Michael Mike

The British government has said the official fingered in gun running in Delta State was never a commissioned officer of United Kingdom Army.

The Ijaw Youths Network has in an earlier statement while commending the Nigeria’s Department of State Services for the seizure of 57 AK 47s, other rifles and hundreds of ammunition in Delta State, alleged to be ferried into the country by an alleged Delta State-born UK army Major, also asked for the probe of the incident by the British government.

A spokesperson from the British High Commission on Wednesday said: “The individual identified in recent Nigerian media reporting is not a serving member of the UK Armed Forces.”

The spokesperson admitted that the individual identified did serve as a junior rank in the UK Armed Forces Reserves but was discharged, adding that whilst in the Reserves he was a junior rank not a commissioned officer.

The spokesperson noted that: “We have a common law and Data Protection Act duty to protect the personal details of our current and former employees and are therefore not able to release any additional information in this matter,” while appealing that: “We kindly request that this statement be reflected in your reporting to ensure factual accuracy.

“For future reference, please direct any inquiries related to UK personnel to the British High Commission’s Press and Public Affairs team.”

Alleged UK Major Arrested for Gun Running Was Never A Commissioned Officer- British High Commission

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