NEWS
Ukraine War: Arnold Schwarzenegger speaks to Russian people, and its leader
Yemie ADEOYE with Agency reports
HOUSTON TX– FORMER California state Governor, and international Hollywood star, Arnold Schwarzenegger has made a passionate video appeal to the Russian people and leadership over the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The former republican Governor, who made a similar video to condemn the January 6th US Capitol insurrection spoke about his ties and love for Russia and its people, stating further that it is for the reason they deserve to hear nothing else but the truth at a crucial moment such as this.
“I am speaking to you today because there are things that are going on in the world that are being kept from you, terrible things that you should know about,” the global superstar, who visited Russia many times for work and as a tourist, began his message.
The Terminator star, 74, went on to say that because of his affection for the Russian people, he wanted to share the “truth” about the war. “No one likes to hear something critical of their government. I understand that. But as a longtime friend of the Russian people, I hope you will hear what I have to say.”
Schwarzenegger said, “I know your government told you this is a war to denazify Ukraine. De-Nazify Ukraine? This is not true. Ukraine is a country with a Jewish president,” President Zelenskyy. “A Jewish president I might add whose father’s three brothers were all murdered by the Nazis.
“You see, Ukraine did not start this war. Neither did nationalists or Nazis. Those in power in the Kremlin started this war. This is not the Russian people’s war.”
Schwarzenegger talked about the United Nations vote in which 141 countries condemned Russia for starting the war and demanded the and withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. Only four countries sided with Russia.
“The world has turned against Russia because of its actions in Ukraine,” said Schwarzenegger, who showed video footage of a bombed orphanage, hospital maternity ward and displaced refugees — 3 million and counting.
Schwarzenegger said the government hasn’t just been lying to citizens but to its soldiers. They’ve been given fake reasons for the war — and some soldiers weren’t even told they were going into battle, leaving them unprepared and putting their lives at risk.
He shared a personal story comparing what Russian soldiers have been told to his Austrian father being lied to by his government when he was a Nazi soldier.
“He lived the rest of his life in pain,” Schwarzenegger said of his father, both physically and mentally “from the guilt he felt.”
“To the Russian soldiers listening to this broadcast, you already know much of the truth that I’ve been speaking,” he said. “You have seen it with your own eyes. I don’t want you to be broken like my father. This is not the war to defend Russia that your grandfathers or great-grandfathers fought. This is an illegal war.”
Schwarzenegger called on Russians to help spread the truth about the “human catastrophe that is happening in Ukraine.”
To President Vladimir Putin, Schwarzenegger sent a direct message: “You started this war. You are leading this war. You can stop this war.”
Schwarzenegger concluded his video by applauding the bravery of Russian protestors who have spoken out against the war and faced consequences for it.
“You are my new heroes,” he said. “You have the true heart of Russia.” He enthused.
Schwarzenegger’s message, which has gone viral, is being sent at a time in which Russia is tightly controlling how news is being reported within the country. The government has also censored the internet, blocking various news sites as well as social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe was on Wednesday inducted into the Fellowship of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE).
Biztellers reports that the investiture was performed by the President/Chair-in-Council of the NSE, Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, FNSE at a ceremony in Abuja.
Oguntala congratulated the 63 new inductees and urged them to uphold the values of their new position in their field of engineering. She highlighted that engineers have been at the forefront of driving progress and development across various sectors of the economy, notably in the oil and gas industry.
She particularly lauded the ES of NCDMB for his excellent leadership and expertise through the strategic development of local content and in-country value retention, which is a testament to his brilliance in the field of engineering.
Oguntala also applauded the strategic partnership between the NSE, the NCDMB and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.
Similarly, the chairman Board of Fellows/College of Fellows, Engr. Kamila Maliki, FNSE, commended the new inductees for their resilience, dedication, and contribution to the field of engineering.
He added that it was not a small feat to be chosen for the investiture due to the rigorous and thorough nature of the selection process.
The ES later was joined by the Managing Director of Setraco Nigeria Limited, Engr. Ziad Mouannes and Senator Patrick Ndubueze for the unveiling of the very first edition of the 2024 NSE Quarterly Magazine.
Some senior officials of the Board who accompanied the ES to the event included the Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Abdulmalik Halilu, Director, Project Certification and Authorization, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, and the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Esueme Dan Kikile, Esq.
Before he was appointed the ES of NCDMB, Engr. Ogbe had nearly 30 years top-level career in the field of engineering in the employment of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), before retiring voluntarily to set up his private firm.
His last position at Chevron Nigeria was Construction Services Group Superintendent, and he oversaw 200 personnel, including Nigerian nationals and expatriates.
Other notable positions he held at the company included Offshore Projects Manager, Construction Manager (Lagos, Escravos -Warri), Construction Engineer (San Ramon) in California, United States of America.
On Saturday evening, armed soldiers shut down the popular Banex Plaza in the Wuse 2 district of Abuja after a clash between traders and three soldiers over a phone sale dispute.
According to eyewitness Okechukwu Daniel, the incident began on Saturday afternoon when a young military man returned to a phone shop, claiming a phone he bought about a month ago was faulty.
Daniel, also a trader at Banex Plaza, stated that the seller refused to accept the phone back due to the lengthy period that had passed since the sale.
He said “When the phone seller refused to collect the phone back, the young guy threatened him that he will shut down his shop for refusing to collect the phone, and the seller told him to do his worse.
“That was when he got angry and went to one of the barracks close by and brought two soldiers to come and harass the phone seller for him to collect the phone back.
“When the two soldiers got to the phone shop to threaten the seller, he still refused to collect the phone. The soldiers got angry and wanted to use force on him, that was when other traders came to the rescue of the phone seller and beat up the two soldiers.”
Daniel added that after the soldiers were assaulted, they went back to the barracks to gather reinforcements.
When they returned to Banex Plaza to confront the phone seller and other traders, the traders had already fled from their shops.
He added “When over 50 soldiers who were visibly angry got to the plaza, they could not find the traders that beat up their colleagues, so they decided to shut down the plaza by asking everyone to leave. Anyone found around the plaza was asked to do frog jump and other punishment,”
See videos below:
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the transfer of $22,000, recovered from a convicted internet fraudster, Hakeem Olanrewaju, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).
Dele Oyewale, the commission’s spokesperson disclosed on Saturday that the handover took place in Lagos State on Friday.
Acting Director of EFCC Lagos Zonal Command, Michael Wetkas, expressed appreciation for the collaboration and assured of EFCC’s continued efforts in combating financial crimes.
During the event, FBI’s Legal Attaché Charles Smith praised the EFCC for its action.
He said “The EFCC and FBI work collaboratively together, and it is thanks to the EFCC that we can recover funds of this nature, especially from Business email Compromise, BEC.
“This type of crime cripples businesses in the US, and for them to recover the money within one to two years gives hope to the affected companies and brings some level of justice, even if not all subjects have been identified.
“We hope our relationship continues and fosters a more cohesive partnership between the two agencies. If there’s anything the FBI can do to support this investigation, we will do so. We appreciate this on behalf of the FBI and thank the EFCC.”
On August 15, 2023, Justice Nicholas Oweibo of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, mandated that the funds retrieved from Olanrewaju, serving a two-year prison term for identity theft and impersonation, be returned to his victim in the US.
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