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Biden On Solidarity Visit To Israel

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President of the United States of America, Joe Biden is billed for a solidarity visit to Israel on Wednesday.

The visit has been described by Secretary of State, Antony Blinken as a statement of “solidarity with Israel” and an “ironclad commitment to its security”.

Recall that Washington had deployed two aircraft carrier strike groups to the eastern Mediterranean “to deter hostile actions against Israel.”

In the face of that, Iran on Monday signaled readiness to join the war with “pre-emptive action” against Israel “in the coming hours”.

Iran’s position is that on no account should Israel undertake a ground invasion of Gaza.

Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, stated that “the resistance leaders” would not allow Israel “to do whatever it wants in Gaza”.

The current hostilities broke out on October 7, 2023, when Gaza-based Hamas fighters breached Israel’s heavily fortified border, shooting, stabbing and burning to death more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.

The affront has seen shell-shocked Israel respond with air strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza and by deploying tens of thousands of troops to the border in preparation for a full-scale ground offensive.

Media reports, citing military sources, have it that Israeli air strikes already killed several senior Hamas figures and targeted the organisation’s headquarters.

What is of concern to the world is that majority of the almost 2,750 Palestinians already killed are mostly civilians, with some entire neighbourhoods razed.

Sadly, even the survivors are left with dwindling supplies of food, water and fuel.

Israel has demanded that residents of northern Gaza leave for the south, hoping to clear the area of civilians in preparation for a perilous urban ground assault.

Information filtering out of the Israeli military gave no clue on how Biden’s visit might change the timing of that operation.

The above scenarios indicate that the scale of the crisis is only slowly manifesting.

Since Israel’s evacuation order in north Gaza, entire families, of different age groups have been fleeing to southern Gaza, with many passing the night in any available space, even without shelter.

For instance, Khan Yunis in southern Gaza the normal population of 400,000 has roughly doubled.

In addition, thousands more Palestinians have gathered at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt in an effort to flee.

“The situation is catastrophic beyond what I could have imagined,” said Jamil Abdullah, a Palestinian-Swede who is hoping to leave after being forced to sleep on the street.

“There are corpses in the streets. Buildings are crashing down on their inhabitants. Blood is everywhere. The smell of the dead is everywhere.”

Probably the scariest aspect is that the civilian population in Gaza are effectively trapped, with mounting concerns that heeding Israel’s order would leave them permanently exiled.

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‘Celebrate This Poor Man’ – Shettima Defends Tinubu Over Economic Crisis

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Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged Nigerians to celebrate President Bola Tinubu, saying his leadership saved the country from a potential implosion.

Shettima said Nigeria’s economy had been teetering on the edge of collapse before Tinubu’s intervention, adding that the country could have faced a different situation.

“The economy was teetering on the edge of collapse, we were on a cliff edge,” the Vice President said.

ALSO READ: Subsidy Removal, FX Reforms Driving Fresh Oil Sector Investment – Shettima

“So he literally saved the nation from an implosion. That could have been the scenario. So, instead of demonizing him, Nigerians ought to celebrate this poor man.”

Shettima also called for a return to the drawing board, expressing confidence in the leadership’s commitment and the prospects for the 2027 elections.

“I believe on the bottom of my heart that with this presentation I have seen, and with the commitment of our leadership, by the grace of God, we are going to win,” he said.

Speaking about the 2027 elections, the Vice President reminded his audience that social media platforms should not be mistaken for actual polling stations.

“There are no polling stations on Facebook or Instagram,” he said.

Shettima also expressed gratitude for the efforts made towards promoting the cause of the 2027 elections.

 

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FG Withdraws Charges Against ‘Fake Agency’ DG, Adeniyi Adeyemi

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Contempt: Four SANs to be Served by Courier

Following observed mis-steps, the Federal Government of Nigeria has withdrawn the eight-count criminal charge brought against the alleged fake Director General (DG) of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi.

Biztellers reports that the matter, in accordance with the counsel of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, (SAN), the matter will be filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), instead of the Federal High Court (FHC).

Consequently, upon an unopposed application for termination by the prosecution counsel and Director of the Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), on Monday, Justice Mohammed Umar of a Federal High Court, Abuja on Monday, struck out the matter.

READ ALSO: Shell Identifies Keys to Nigeria’s Energy Future

In a motion for the termination of the charges, Oyedepo informed the court that the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice has carried out a review of the case file of Adeyemi and the charge filed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and found some loopholes.

The DPPF added that the documents allegedly forged by Adeyemi during his operations of the fake agency are those that can be prosecuted by the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He also informed the court that a new charge has been filed at the High Court of the FCT and that Adeyemi would be expeditiously arraigned afresh.

He therefore urged the judge to strike out the charge as required by law.

Following no objections from Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), who stood in for Adeyemi, Justice Umar subsequently terminated the charge.

Adeniyi, 38, was being tried alongside two others whose whereabouts are unknown, on charges bordering on conspiracy and forgery.

The two others said to be at large were identified as Femi (surname unknown) and Anu (surname unknown).

The charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/25/2025, was entered against the defendant by the DPPF.

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Shell Identifies Keys to Nigeria’s Energy Future

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To secure a bright energy for her teeming population, Nigeria must sustain the momentum of reform, accelerate investment, and deepen partnerships.

This view was expressed by Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company of Nigeria Limited (SNEPCo) Ronald Adams in Lagos at the weekend.

Delivering a keynote address at the Africa Energy Conference (AEC) of the Lagos Business School (LBS), Adams called for regulatory certainty through efficient execution of reforms, sustained investment appeal to enable projects to move more swiftly from opportunity to production and partnership by operators, regulators, NNPC Limited and communities to unlock the full value of Nigeria’s resources.

Adams cited Nigeria’s huge oil and gas resources as an advantage but pointed out: “Resources alone do not guarantee prosperity. Prosperity comes when resources are matched with investment, technology, sound policy and disciplined execution. Success will be determined not by the size of our resources, but by our ability to convert them into investment and economic growth.”

Adams pledged the support of Shell towards a bright energy future of Nigerians. He said: “For more than six decades, Shell has been part of Nigeria’s energy journey. Together with our partners, we have helped develop major energy infrastructure, supported Nigerian businesses, invested in talent, and contributed to economic development. Bonga remains a powerful example of what technology, partnership and Nigerian capability can achieve in deepwater operations. Today, that story continues through Bonga North.”

READ ALSO: ADF Targets 5 Million Students, 2 Million Vulnerable Women

Issuing a clarion call for action by all stakeholders, he added: “The world is not standing still. Capital is moving, technology is advancing and competition is intensifying. The countries that attract investment tomorrow are those that improve competitiveness today. Nigeria has begun that journey. Our task is to sustain the momentum and translate reform into projects, projects into growth, and growth into shared prosperity.”

The conference, the 4th in the series had at its theme; “Securing Nigeria’s Energy Future: Policy Reform, Capital Mobilisation, and Pathways to a Sustainable Power and Energy Market” and was attended by top government officials, industry captains, energy professionals, and students.

Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat represented Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the guest of honour. SNEPCo was a principal sponsor of the Africa Energy Conference (AEC) and mounted a well-received exhibition on its deepwater operations and social investments across Nigeria.

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