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Nigeria did not apply to join BRICS, says Shettima

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Vice-President Kashim Shettima says Nigeria did not apply to join BRICS, an economic bloc made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

Shettima represented President Bola Tinubu at the 15th BRICS summit which held this week at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa.

BRICS, which considers itself a counterweight to western powers, disclosed at the end of the summit that new members would be joining its fold from January 1 next year.

The new members are Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

With many still wondering why Nigeria did not make the cut of new members, Shettima said the country never applied for BRICS membership in the first instance.

“So far, we have not applied for the membership of BRICS,” Channels Television quoted Shettima as saying on the sidelines of the summit.

“And it is majorly informed by the fact that my principal President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a true democrat that believes in consensus building.

“There are so many variables that need to be taken into cognisance.

“We have to evaluate so many tendencies and issues that require engagements with the economic advisory council, the federal executive council, and even the national assembly, before an informed decision towards joining the BRICS would be taken.”

More than 40 countries expressed interest in joining BRICS, with 23 formally applying to be part of the club.

Some 50 other heads of state and leaders attended the summit in South Africa.

BRICS has been in formal existence for 15 years.

Its expansion is considered part of a plan to forge dominance and reshape global governance, with voices of the south at the centre of this new world order.

Shettima said he was asked to attend the summit by his principal because the Tinubu administration “which began less than three months ago, is examining the variables and evaluating the scope and level of regional and global cooperation to pursue in order to establish Nigeria as the desired friend and partner”.

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Okpebholo orders freezing of ALL Edo government accounts

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Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo, has ordered a freeze of all bank accounts belonging to the state government.

Okpebholo issued the directive on Thursday through Fred Itua, chief press secretary to the governor.

He asked commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to immediately comply with the order or face severe consequences.

“All bank accounts in all the commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with the order and ensure that not a dime is taken out of the coffers of Government until further notice,” the statement reads.

“Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies must comply with this order without further delays.

“After the necessary investigations and reconciliations, the Governor will do the needful and decide on the way forward. For now, this order stands.”

Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to reverse the naming of the ministry of roads and bridges to the ministry of works — a nomenclature changed during the Godwin Obaseki administration.

“It is funny how you can call a Government institution Ministry of Roads and Bridges,” the statement reads.

“Ironically, no single bridge was built by the same administration. Not even a pedestrian bridge

“In the coming days, we will look at more actions taken by the previous administration and more decisions will be taken that will be done in the best interest of the state.”

The development comes days after Okpebholo took over the reins of power in Edo.

The governor had earlier ordered an indefinite suspension of revenue collection in the state — including at motor parks.

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NESREA seals two facilities in FCT, Kogi for violating environmental regulations

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The National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) has sealed two facilities in Abuja and Kogi for breaching environmental laws.

The facilities are Geld Construction Limited, located in Abaji, FCT, and Arno Energy, a charcoal production company in Okaba, Kogi.

In a statement on Wednesday, Amaka Ejiofor, NESREA’s spokesperson, said the companies were sealed for failure to conduct their environmental impact assessment (EIA).

Ejiofor noted that the facilities also failed to provide important environmental documents, including an air quality permit, an environmental audit report, and a waste management permit, necessary for maintaining standards in companies.

“The EIA provides guidance on mitigating the negative impact of a facility’s operations on the environment,” the statement reads.

“Their failure to do so led to the closure of the facilities to save human health and the environment.”

The NESREA’s spokesperson added that the facilities were also operating in an environmentally harmful manner, resulting in negative impacts on the host communities and the environment.

She said procedural measures, including the issuance of compliance notices, had been taken to force the facilities to address and rectify their violations.

Innocent Barikor, the director-general of NESREA, urged industry operators to ensure their activities and operations follow the stipulations of the law.

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Federal high court to commence Christmas vacation December 16

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The federal high court says it would go on break from December 16 to mark the Christmas holiday.

In a circular, John Tsoho, the court’s chief judge, said the Abuja, Lagos, and Port-Harcourt judicial divisions would remain open to the litigating public during the break.

Tsoho added that the court would resume proceedings on January 6, 2025.

“The vacation is pursuant to the provisions of order 46, rule 4 (c) of the Federal High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, 2019 (as amended),” the circular reads.

“Only matters relating to the enforcement of fundamental rights, arrest or release of vessels and matters that concern the vacation judges shall entertain dire national interest.”

The notice added that Emeka Nwite and M. S. Liman would be judges at the Abuja division during the vacation, while Akintayo Aluko and Isaac Dipeolu would sit at the Lagos division of the court.

P. M. Ayua and A. T. Mohammed would be the adjudicators at the Port-Harcourt division pending the resumption of complete court activities.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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