International
UK Announces Series of New Measures for Ukraine’s Recovery
UK Announces Series of New Measures for Ukraine’s Recovery
By: Michael Mike
The United Kingdom has announced series of new measures to support Ukraine’s recovery.
The announcement was made on Wednesday at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in London by the British’s Foreign Secretary.
A statement on Wednesday by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, British High Commission disclosed that the UK package of support includes funding for urgent repairs and early recovery, support for Ukraine’s energy sector, and programmes to bolster wider rebuilding efforts
According to the statement, this further support followed the announcement of a major package by the Prime Minister earlier the same day.
The statement read: “UK has today (Wednesday) announced a wide-ranging package of support for Ukraine’s recovery effort to bolster its resilience in the immediate term and enable the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine as a modern, stable and resilient democracy.
“These measures follow the major package of financial support announced by the Prime Minister to bolster Ukraine’s economic stability as it continues to push back Russian forces.
“The announcements were made at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in London today. The event represents a coalition to rebuild Ukraine, bringing together a broad variety of businesses, governments and civil society to unlock the potential of the private sector to support Ukraine’s immediate and longer-term recovery needs. As part of the conference, the UK is calling on the private sector to boost Ukraine’s recovery, and support both urgent recovery needs and to galvanise action for long-term reconstruction.”
It added that the UK support announced at the conference will help kick-start Ukraine’s road to recovery and help lay the foundations for private sector investment. In the immediate term, this means repairing vital energy, transport and social infrastructure and rebuilding liberated towns and bomb-destroyed cities, to bolster Ukraine’s resilience for the months ahead.
It lamented that: “Putin’s illegal war has caused untold destruction and devastation across Ukraine. The recent destruction of the Kakhovka dam has wide-reaching ecological and humanitarian consequences, which has dramatically worsened the situation.
“As Russia’s illegal war rages on, Ukraine vitally needs support to not just win the peace, but to emerge as a stronger, more prosperous country, resilient to future threats.”
The statement added that: “Following announcements made today, the UK’s non-military assistance to Ukraine now totals more than £4.7 billion.”
Speaking earlier, the UK Prime Minister announced a landmark package of financial support for the country, including $3 billion of additional guarantees to unlock World Bank lending, and £240 million of bilateral assistance. The UK is also working with international partners to provide further new financial backing for Ukraine’s economy, with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) looking to raise between €3-5 billion of new capital from shareholders, backed by the UK. This has the potential to quadruple investment capacity in Ukraine.
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office | British High Commission: “As Ukraine enters a second year defending itself against Putin’s illegal invasion, it is vital the global community continues to shows our strength of support for Ukraine’s recovery.
“Through hosting this event, we are standing in solidarity with Ukraine and committing our support for them to emerge from the war not only victorious, but as a sustainable, modern and resilient democracy.
“The commitments the UK has made today will bolster Ukraine’s current and future recovery needs.”
The further UK support will cover a wide-range of sectors essential to Ukraine’s current resilience and future prosperity.
Vital support to Ukraine’s energy sector will not only keep the lights on in hospitals, schools and homes, it will also help Ukraine’s longer-term energy infrastructure rebuild as a green and sustainable system, including: A £45 million envelope of funding, part of the UK’s wider £62 million programme, to support Ukraine’s energy recovery over the next two years. Of this, £25 million is going to the International Finance Corporation’s Ukraine Economic Resilience Action platform, to bolster Ukraine’s energy security. £3 million will support a new technical assistance facility to speed up Ukraine’s energy sector reform and decarbonisation.
The statement said a memorandum of understanding was signed by UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty and Ukrainian Minister for Energy German Galushchenko, committing UK support to Ukraine’s energy sector and help to secure a green energy future.
The statement further revealed that the UK, the Government of the Ukraine and members of the G7+ have agreed a Clean Energy Partnership to coordinate international efforts to rebuild Ukraine’s energy system as a more modern, decentralised, and green energy system, fit for full European integration and a Net Zero future.
It was also agreed that efforts to reconstruct and rebuild towns and infrastructure after Russian bombardments will receive UK support to help ensure the most urgent repairs are delivered, with: A £26.3 million equivalent loan backed by UK Export Finance, allowing the Ukrainian government to start rebuilding six vital bridges damaged as a direct result of the illegal Russian invasion, reopening supply routes near the capital, Kyiv; £12 million to the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine to enable the Government of Ukraine and its communities to remain resilient in the face of Russia’s aggression, including support to identify and respond to immediate recovery priorities in newly liberated territories in the east, south and in Ukraine’s border areas.
The statement said UK support will facilitate and enhance private sector investment in Ukraine, before the end of the conflict, including with: $25 million from the UK’s development finance institution, the British International Investment (BII), to support the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Global Trade Finance Program to help keep cross-border trade lines open. This follows the Prime Minister’s announcement on Wednesday that the UK is committing £250 million of new capital to BII.
It was also revealed that Ukraine’s e-governance and fiscal capacity will be strengthened, including through improved transparency, accountability and anti-corruption measures. This includes: A further £15 million for a new anti-corruption e-governance project, being delivered with UK support, to build transparency and accountability into key public services in Ukraine; £2 million to the Government of Ukraine’s digital system for reconstruction management, the Digital Restoration Ecosystem for Accountable Management (DREAM) platform which will increase the transparency of reconstruction projects.
The statement recalled that HMRC recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding, to provide a further three years of peer-to-peer capacity building support to Ukraine’s State Tax Service.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference continues in London today with a focus on the role private sector and businesses can play in supporting Ukraine’s recovery.
UK Announces Series of New Measures for Ukraine’s Recovery
India-bound Siblings Arrested with Cocaine at Lagos Airport
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested two siblings at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos during a planned travel to India with 5 kilogrammes of cocaine.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said: “Operatives of a Special Operations Unit of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested two brothers: John Abugu, 43, and Kenneth Abugu, 31, at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos with 5 kilogrammes cocaine concealed in walls of their suitcases while attempting to board a flight to India.”
He said the two brothers were arrested at the Lagos airport last Thursday following proactive processing of credible intelligence. He said they claimed they were travelling to India for medical treatment but when their suitcases were thoroughly searched by NDLEA officers, whitish powdery substances later confirmed to be cocaine were discovered on the walls of their bags.
Babafemi said in a similar development, NDLEA officers of the MMIA Strategic Command same day, Thursday intercepted a 20-year-old Ghanaian – British man, Parker Osei with 36 parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 19.4 kilogrammes packed in a giant travelling bag. The suspect who claims he is a student of Computer Science at East London University, UK, was arrested during the inward clearance of passengers on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand, at the E-arrival hall of the Lagos airport.
In his statement, the techie claims he lives with his parents in the UK but left London about a week ago for Bangkok where he picked up the illicit drug consignment to deliver in Nigeria.
NDLEA operatives in Kogi state have arrested a 33-year-old woman, Ngozi Ogili while moving 3 kilogrammes of methamphetamine from Lagos to Abuja. She was nabbed in a commercial transport bus along Okene-Lokoja highway last Monday. Babafemi said a follow up operation at her point of delivery in Apo mechanic area of Abuja led to the seizure of quantities of Loud and Colorado, both synthetic strains of cannabis.
In Abia state, NDLEA officers on Saturday arrested a 75-year-old grandpa, Nnanna Felix with 1.6 kilogrammes skunk, a strain of cannabis during a raid at Umunteke Asa, Ukwa West local government area, while another suspect David Chinemerem, 21, was nabbed with 2,050 ampoules of pentazocine at 7 Nnajiego Lane, Umuode road, Aba last Tuesday.
No fewer than 381 bottles of codeine syrup and 108 tablets of tramadol were seized from a suspect, Abdullahi Adamu along Potiskum-Damaturu road, Yobe state by NDLEA operatives on Saturday, just as raid operations at Osogbo motor park, Onitsha and a house at Oba in Idemili Local Government Area of Anambra state led to the arrest of Obinna Sunday and the seizure of 195,000 pills of tramadol. Also arrested during the raid at the motor park was Ugochukwu Ojalanonye with 4.2 kilogrammes codeine syrup and 5.4kg pentazocine.
In the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, NDLEA operatives last Thursday arrested 51-year-old Sunday Ayogu with 25 kilogrammes skunk and 90.4 grammes of methamphetamine during a raid operation at Wuse market Abuja, while two women: Faith Etim, 64, and Victoria Etim, 40, were nabbed lasr Friday when NDLEA operatives supported by men of the Nigerian Army raided cannabis plantations in Esuk-Odot community, Odukpani local government area of Cross River State where 250,000 kilogrammes of the psychoactive plant were destroyed on over 100 hectares of farm land.
Babafemi said with the same vigour, commands and formations of the agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitization activities to schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
Meanwhile, while commending the officers and men of MMIA, SOU, Yobe, Abia, Kogi, Anambra, Cross River and FCT commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) stated that their operational successes and those of their compatriots across the country especially their balanced approach to drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts are well appreciated.
India-bound Siblings Arrested with Cocaine at Lagos Airport
UK Expresses Commitment to Restoration of Peace in Northeast
By: Michael Mike
The United Kingdom has expressed its commitment to the restoration of peace, stability and sustainable solutions to the troubled Northeast region which has been bedeviled by insurgency.
The British Deputy High Commissioner, Gill Atkinson made the commitment on Monday when she paid a courtesy call on Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum in Maiduguri.
Atkinson who commended Zulum for his commitment to fighting insurgency in Borno, said: “On behalf of the British Government, I recognise the effort of His Excellency, the Governor, in tackling insurgency and supporting the people of Borno State, particularly aiming to secure a prosperous future for the people displaced by insurgency.
“I want to reaffirm the UK’s commitment to supporting peace, stability and sustainable solutions, particularly through the ongoing regional stabilisation facility.”
Responding, the Secretary to Borno State Government who received the Deputy High Commissioner on behalf of Governor Zulum, expressed appreciation to the UK Government for their partnership and support.
He said,: “With the UK Government to start with, we have quite a number of very strong partnerships. His Excellency appreciates it, and he specifically instructed me to convey the special message of appreciation.”
The meeting was attended by the Commissioner for Environment, Engr Emet Kois, Education, Engr Lawan Abba Wakilbe, Work and Housing, Engr Mustapha Gubio, Transport and Energy, Aliyu Mohammed Bamanga and Inter-Governmental and Special Duties, Tukur Shani.
Others in attendance include Special Adviser on Security to the Governor, Abdullahi Ishaq, the Senior Technical Assistant, Political, to the Governor, Alhaji Tahiru Shettima, Permanent Secretary of political and cabinet, Danjuma Ali, and the Executive Secretary of Borno State Agency for Coordination of Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Response (BOACSDHR), Babakura Mamman Gadai.
UK Expresses Commitment to Restoration of Peace in Northeast
Troops Foil Bandit Attack in Dabai Town, Kebbi
By: Zagazola Makama
A swift response by the Nigerian troops in Kebbi has foiled a bandit attack on Dabai Town, forcing the assailants to flee after a gun battle with security operatives.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that the attack occurred around 2 a.m. when suspected bandits attempted to invade the town.
“Security forces were immediately dispatched to intercept the assailants and engaged them in a fierce exchange of gunfire,” the source said. “Overwhelmed by superior firepower, the bandits abandoned their mission and escaped.”
While no casualties were reported, security operatives have intensified patrols in the area to prevent further attacks.
Troops Foil Bandit Attack in Dabai Town, Kebbi
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