President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria Friday in Daura, Katsina State, expressed satisfaction with commitment of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) towards achieving the purpose of national unity that inspired its creation since 1973.
Speaking to newsmen at his country home after the Eid-el-Kabir prayers, President Buhari said the NYSC scheme had over the years continued to pursue the purpose of integrating the country, not…ing that the diversity of cultures remained Nigeria’s greatest strength.
“I am always pleased to see corps members in Daura and other parts of the country. From the postings, we get to learn more about other cultures,’’ he said.
The President said the large number of corps members in Daura, mostly from the Southern part of the country, was an indication that the dream of a unified Nigeria remained a reality.
President Buhari noted that graduates from the North, who served in the Southern states, also learnt a lot from the diversity that had made Nigeria a unique country.
Recalling his experience of working in various parts of the country as an army officer, President Buhari noted that serving in some Southern parts of the country like Lagos and Ibadan were very rich experiences.
Corps members in Daura always throng the President’s residence for the Eid-el-Kabir.
The President was accompanied to the Eid-el-Kabir prayers by Presidential aides, members of his family, and neighbours.
Source: Garba Shehu, SSA to the President, (Media & Publicity)
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has welcomed Thursday’s release of several leaders of the English-speaking regions in Cameroon’s South West and North West, as well as the dropping of all charges against them.
“The Secretary-General hopes that this positive step will lead to a further lowering of tensions and strengthened political dialogue,” said Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, in a statement issued overnight.
“The Secretary-General encourages the Cameroonian authorities to pursue their efforts to address the grievances of the Anglophone community and promote measures of national reconciliation in order to find a durable solution to the crisis,” Mr. Dujarric added.
The Secretary-General also reiterated the UN’s readiness to continue to support such efforts, the Spokesman said.
According to media reports, President Paul Biya has ordered the release of the leaders who were arrested late last year and accused of inciting violence during the protests in the North West and South West regions. They pleaded not guilty to the charges which included complicity in hostility against the homeland, secession, and campaigning for federalism.
Médecins Sans Frontières is calling for an end to the arbitrary detention of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants in Libya. For more than a year, the international humanitarian organisation has been providing medical care to people held inside Tripoli detention centres in conditions that are neither humane nor dignified.
“Detainees are stripped of any human dignity, suffer ill treatment and lack access to medical care,” says Dr Sibylle Sang, a medical advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières. “Every day we see how much unnecessary harm is being caused by detaining people in these conditions but there is only so much we can do to ease the suffering.”
Medical teams treat more than a thousand detainees every month for respiratory tract infections, acute watery diarrhoea, infestations of scabies and lice, and urinary tract infections. These diseases are directly caused or aggravated by detention conditions.
Many detention centres are dangerously overcrowded with the amount of space per detainee so limited that people are unable to stretch out at night and there is little natural light or ventilation. Food shortages have led to adults suffering from acute malnutrition, with some patients needing urgent hospitalisation.
With no rule of law in Libya, the detention system is harmful and exploitative. There is a disturbing lack of oversight and regulation. Basic legal and procedural safeguards to prevent torture and ill-treatment are not respected. With no formal registration or proper record-keeping in place, once people are inside a detention centre there is no way to track what happens to them.
This makes close monitoring and follow-up of patients extremely difficult. From one day to the next, people can be transferred between different detention centres or moved to undisclosed locations. Some patients simply disappear without a trace. The medical care Médecins Sans Frontières is able to provide in these circumstances is extremely limited.
Access to the detention centres is restricted when clashes take place between heavily armed militias in Tripoli. In addition, the management of the detention centres can change overnight and access to patients held inside has to be renegotiated. There are other detention centres that remain inaccessible for Médecins Sans Frontières due to ongoing violence and insecurity.
Increased funding alone is not the solution to alleviating the suffering of refugees and migrants being held in detention centres. A narrow focus on improving conditions of detention, while turning a blind eye to the complex reality of the current situation in Libya risks legitimising and perpetuating a system in which people are detained arbitrarily, without recourse to the law, and are exposed to harm and exploitation.
Médecins Sans Frontières calls for an end to the arbitrary detention of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants in Libya.
Media captionA Kenyan opposition stronghold celebrates the decision
Kenya’s Supreme Court has annulled the result of last month’s presidential election, citing irregularities, and ordered a new one within 60 days.
The election commission had declared incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta the winner by a margin of 1.4 million votes.
Raila Odinga, Mr Kenyatta’s opponent, said the commission was “rotten” and demanded resignations and prosecutions.
President Kenyatta said he disagreed with the court ruling but that he would respect the decision.
He called on Kenyans to do the same and remain calm.
Other elections in Africa have been annulled or cancelled but this appears to be the first time on the continent that an opposition court challenge against a presidential poll result has been successful.
Chief Justice David Maraga said the 8 August election had not been “conducted in accordance with the constitution” and declared it “invalid, null and void”.
He said the verdict was backed by four of the six Supreme Court judges.
The announcement drew cheers from opposition supporters both inside and outside the courtroom.
The court ruling did not attribute any blame to President Kenyatta’s party or campaign.
What did the judges say was wrong?
Justice Maraga said the election commission had failed “to conduct the presidential election in a manner consistent with the dictates of the constitution”.
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Media captionJustice Maraga declares the election “invalid, null and void”
He said the commission had committed irregularities “in the transmission of results”, adding that the court would provide details in a full judgment within 21 days.
Dissenting judges said that the Nasa opposition alliance – which had petitioned the Supreme Court – failed to prove claims that the polls had been rigged.
International election monitors from the EU, the African Union and the US said there had been no major fraud on election day and urged Mr Odinga to concede.
The election sparked days of sporadic protests, in which at least 28 people were killed. The vote had raised fears of major political violence – as was the case after a disputed poll in 2007.
How have the two political sides reacted?
Mr Odinga, 72, said the ruling marked “a historic day for the people of Kenya and by extension for the people of the continent of Africa”.
He said: “It is now clear that the entire [electoral commission] is rotten.
“It is clear that the real election results were never shared with Kenyans. Someone must take responsibility.”
Image copyrightAFPImage caption Raila Odinga (C) reacts with delight in the courtroom
Mr Odinga added: “We won the elections and we are going to win them again.”
President Kenyatta, in a televised address, said that it was “important to respect the rule of law even if you disagree with the Supreme Court ruling”.
He called for calm, saying: “Your neighbour will still be your neighbour, regardless of what has happened… My primary message today to every single Kenyan is peace. Let us be people of peace.”
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Uhuru Kenyatta, in power since 2013, won a second term at last month’s poll, which has now been declared invalid
Mr Kenyatta, 55, added: “We are ready to go back again to the people with the same agenda that we delivered to the people.”
But Senator Irungu Kang’ata, who is from Mr Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party, told Kenyan TV: “The judgement is fake. There is an admission on the part of the chief justice that he has only read a part of the evidence. “
One of the two dissenting judges, Jackton Ojwang, said: “There is not an iota of merit in invalidating the clear expression of the Kenyan people’s democratic will.”
And the electoral commission?
Chairman Wafula Chebukati noted the ruling and said there would be “changes to personnel” ahead of the new election.
He invited the director of public prosecutions “to prosecute any of our staff that may have been involved in violations”.
But he ruled out resigning, saying he had not been accused of wrongdoing.
A huge victory for Odinga
Dickens Olewe, BBC News
Image copyrightAFP
Raila Odinga will feel vindicated against accusations that he was just being a bad loser in challenging President Kenyatta’s win.
However, this historic decision is a massive indictment of the electoral commission. It is therefore no surprise that the opposition Nasa coalition is now calling for a new team to manage the next elections.
This is also a setback for the international, and some local, election observers, who profusely praised the election as free, fair and credible.
People will be watching for the reaction of former US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was the head of the mission for US NGO, the Carter Centre, whose positive assessment of the election was used in court.
Regardless of the winners and losers following the ruling, this is a proud moment for Kenya. The litigation and debate on the merits of the election was done at the Supreme Court and not on the streets.
Chief Justice Maraga said it best in his opening statement: “The greatness of a nation lies in its fidelity to the constitution and the strict adherence to the rule of law.”
This story is auto-generated from ‘BBC News’ syndicated feed and has not been edited by Africa Prime News staff.
Islamic festival Eid al-Adha marks its beginning on 1st September 2017 on Friday and ends on 2nd September 2017 on Saturday. The festival signifies the end of this year’s Hajj and calling on Muslims to seek forgiveness from God. It is also known as the ‘festival of sacrifice’ as this festival celebrates the greatest act of sacrifice by Ibrahim when he was ready to sacrifice his own son at God’s command. Ibrahim didn’t go through this sacrifice however, an angel intervened and gave him an animal to sacrifice.
History of Eid al-Adha
The festival came into origination with the story of Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham. He was commanded by God to sacrifice the dearest thing to him; his own son. Without thinking twice about it, Prophet Ibrahim set out to obey the command of Almighty. His son also agreed with his father’s decision and asked him to do as God commanded him. As he was readying to sacrifice his son, angels replaced his son with a ram. It was a test to Ibrahim’s faith in God.
Relation between Eid al-Adha and Hajj
Hajj is one of the most holy places to Muslim community. It is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is performed in the days before Eid al-Adha and the story goes back to Prophet Ibrahim. When his son was an infant, Prophet Ibrahim was asked by God to leave his wife Hajrah and his son Ismail in the desert of Saudi Arabia. He did as he was commanded by God. He left them with a supply of food and water. But it got finished quickly. Hajrah ran up and down the two hills Safa and Marwa seven times, looking for water. It was at that moment the water gushed forth from where baby Ismail’s feet were and a well created itself there. It is known as Zamzam. It had water to last them for a lifetime. The water in the well gushes forth to this day.
How is Eid al-Adha celebrated?
The most traditional method to celebrate this festival is to follow the footsteps of Ibrahim’s sacrifice and strength of faith. Muslims sacrifice a goat or sheep to God. One third of the animal meat is consumed by the family who sacrifices it, another third goes to the friends and relatives while the remaining portion is distributed among the destitute. Muslim families either carry out the slaughtering themselves or donate an animal to a charity that will sacrifice it in their name.
They attend a special prayer service and sermons to celebrate the festival. Those who cannot make it to Hajj, fast a day before the Eid al-Adha begins. Fasting on the day of Arafah absolves all the sins for two years, the previous year and the coming one.
Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of Gombe State, northeast Nigeria
By Auwal Mohammad
Gombe (Nigeria) — Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe State, northeast of the country has called on Nigerians to continue to pray for the peace and unity of the country.
The Governor made the call in a special Sallah message to mark the Eid-el-Kabir celebration saying, “the Eid-el-Kabir festival connotes sacrifice, selflessness, love and total submission to the will of Allah (SWT)”.
“I therefore admonish us to learn from the good lessons of the Eid-el-Kabir. As Muslims, we are aware that Islam means peace and preaches love, understanding and peaceful co-existence amongst members of every community, irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliations. We should strive to imbibe and exhibit the good virtues of Islam by promoting peace and harmony among our diverse people”, he stated.
According to the Governor, without peace, there will be no meaningful development in the State and Nigeria as a whole.
The Governor who also addressed top dignitaries shortly after the eid prayers, called on youths to celebrate the Sallah calmly and avoid anti-social behaviours.
While calling for peaceful coexistence among the diverse people of the State, Dankwambo appealed for support and cooperation of the people of the State so as to encourage the delivery of more dividends of democracy in every nook and cranny of the State.
“As a Governor who came through your popular votes, I promise to treat everyone equally without any form of sentiment, be it political, religious or ethnic for the remaining period of my tenure,” Dankwambo vowed.
Media captionMike Pence: “The American people are with you”
The White House says it will ask the US Congress for emergency funding to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey.
President Donald Trump is expected to propose an initial $5.9bn (£4.56bn). Texas authorities say the state might need more than $125bn.
At least 39 people have died in the storm and its aftermath. East of Houston, floodwaters are still rising.
Visiting Texas, Vice-President Mike Pence promised federal help to “rebuild bigger and better than ever before”.
The BBC’s Barbara Plett Usher in Houston, Texas, says Congress is expected to act quickly on the request for initial funding when it reconvenes next week after its August recess.
But, she adds, that will be only the first tranche of money needed for the recovery.
Trump donation
Mr Pence said 311,000 people had registered for disaster assistance. It is not yet clear how quickly funds might reach victims.
Interactive See how West Houston Airport was flooded
After
Before
Visiting the battered town of Rockport, Mr Pence paid tribute to the people of Texas: “The resilience of the people of Texas has been inspiring.”
He added: “The American people are with you. We are here today, we will be here tomorrow and we will be here every day until this city and this state and this region rebuild bigger and better than ever before.”
The White House also said Mr Trump would donate $1m of his own money to the relief effort.
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Media captionMan plays piano in flooded Texas home – footage courtesy of Greg Aylor
Firefighters in Houston have been carrying out door-to-door searches for survivors and bodies in an operation that could take up to two weeks.
Rescue operations are still continuing further east, where floodwaters are still rising.
Hundreds of thousands of residents who were evacuated or chose to leave are being warned not to return home until they are told it is safe to do so.
Earlier, a senior White House aide said about 100,000 homes, not all of which were fully insured, had been affected by the storm and the flooding that accompanied it.
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Media captionThe BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse finds out what Storm Harvey left behind
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) said its teams had rescued more than 3,800 people, and more than 90,000 had already been approved for disaster assistance.
Fema also warned that residents were being targeted by scams. There are reports of criminals impersonating inspectors and immigration officials.
Others were receiving fraudulent calls about flood insurance claiming a premium must be paid or coverage would be lost.
Interactive See how Buffalo Bayou and Allen Parkway underpass flooded
After
Before
Energy suppliers in southern Texas were forced to shut down refineries and close off pipelines, sending petrol prices higher across the US. Many have restarted operations, but it could take weeks before production is back to normal.
Residents returning to their homes are also facing challenges.
The Environmental Protection Agency is warning residents that floodwater can contain bacteria and other contaminants from overflowing sewers. It said the biggest threat to public health was access to safe drinking water.
Thousands of homes remain without power.
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Media captionWhat are the long-term health risks for Storm Harvey victims?
One chemical plant in Crosby, near Houston, caught fire on Thursday, and more fires are expected in the coming days.
Chemicals stored at the flooded Arkema plant are no longer being refrigerated, making them combustible.
Residents have been evacuated from the plant in a 1.5 mile (2km) radius, and smoke was seen rising from the site on Thursday.
President Trump and his wife Melania are expected to return to Texas on Saturday.
The president visited the flood-hit state earlier in the week but limited his visit to Corpus Christi, which avoided the worst of the flooding, over fears his presence could divert resources from rescue efforts.
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Media captionAerials show the chemical plant fire
Storm Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical depression and is expected to dissipate in Ohio on Saturday evening.
Several inches of rainfall are expected in Tennessee and Kentucky over the next two days, and flood warnings remain in effect in parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, and Louisiana.
Are you affected by Tropical Storm Harvey? Let us know about your experiences. Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with your stories.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
Unified Nigerian Youth Forum, UNYF, has enjoined Muslim youths to use the Eid-el-Kabir prayer grounds across the country as avenues to pray for the cooperate existence of the nation.
UNYF president, Abdulsalam Muhammad Kazeem in a statement in Kaduna, northwest Nigeria on Thursday, said, “We urged all Youth leaders to use this period of Eid Kabir to organise special prayers, for the progress and success of the present administration under the able leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We know that prayers remain our only option, instead of blaming or criticizing our leaders, we should set aside a special day, venue and time to pray for our leaders, not inciting violence or promoting hate speeches.”
It enjoined the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, to deploy more policemen to various Eid praying grounds across the nation as a strategy of strengthening the internal security against common enemies.
“We call on Inspector General of Police Mr. Ibrahim Idris and all services Chiefs to please maintain their present standard of operations as it has help in curtailing crimes and winning the fight against insurgency.
“We passionately appeal to the Inspector General of Police, Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in charge of zone 7 and the gallant/reliable Commissioner of police Kaduna State, Agyole Abeh, to urgently look into the issue of continuous kidnapping along Kaduna/Abuja express way, particularly the Kakau village where 2 male and a female were abducted in this week, for more action as it will help in reducing the level of crimes on the road,” it observed.
While commending the courage of Senator Isa Mamma Misau of Bauchi central over his recent statement on the Inspector General of Police Mr. Ibrahim Idris, it appealed to the Senator to equally exposed the rot in the legislature.
The forum appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly look into the allegation of the special funds allegedly received annually, N120 billion by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, being payment for special security services rendered by the Nigerian police to corporate organizations.
It urged all religious and political leaders to avoid making reckless statement or actions but should help in fostering the unity of Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria Friday in Daura, Katsina State, expressed satisfaction with commitment of members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) towards achieving the purpose of national unity that inspired its creation since 1973.
