Category: News

UN Secretary-General mourns Buhari, condoles with Nigeria

 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, on Friday, paid tribute to late former President Muhammadu Buhari and personally conveyed the UN’s solidarity with the government and people of Nigeria.

 

Guterres, during his visit to Nigeria House in New York, described Buhari as a leader whose unwavering dedication to Nigeria, Africa and global cooperation will stand as his enduring legacy.

 

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Guterres signed the condolence register during his visit.

 

“On behalf of the United Nations, I extend my heartfelt condolences on the passing of His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari.

 

“President Buhari will be remembered for his steadfast commitment to selfless service, his leadership in advancing peace and stability across the African region and his dedication to strengthening institutions in Nigeria.

 

“President Buhari was also a great supporter of the United Nations and a strong voice for multilateralism, solidarity and sustainable development around the world,” Guterres wrote in the register.

 

The UN chief concluded his condolence message, “In this moment of loss, our thoughts are with his family, the Government and the people of Nigeria.”

 

Speaking afterwards with NAN, the UN Chief reflected on his working relationship with Buhari and praised his lifetime of service.

 

“I had the privilege to work with President Buhari, and I will say, I am a great admirer of his extraordinary work.

 

“Not only in defence of the interest of his own country, Nigeria but in his commitment to the African continent, to sustainable development and very particularly to the United Nations and multilateralism,” he said

Speaking about Buhari’s contributions to West Africa’s peace and security, Guterres described the late Nigerian leader as a crucial stabilising figure for the region.

 

“I think President Buhari has been a leading personality in defending the interests of West Africa and in a very difficult context, in affirming Nigeria’s leadership,” he said.

 

The UN chief affirmed that Buhari’s contributions to West Africa’s peace and security “was of course very much appreciated,”.

 

Guterres extended the UN’s sympathy to Buhari’s family, the Nigerian government and people, assuring that the world remembers him as a true servant-leader whose legacy will inspire generations to come.

The Chargé d’Affaires, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN, Mr Syndoph Endoni, thanked Guterres for the condolence visit.

 

Endoni said the condolence visit highlighted Buhari’s standing as a statesman whose voice carried weight far beyond Nigeria’s borders.

 

Bola Asaju and the Head of Chancery of the Mission, Mr Razak Lawal, were among the officers who received the UN chief during his condolence visit.

 

Buhari ruled Nigeria as a military leader from 1983 to 1985 and returned as a democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023.

 

Buhari died on Sunday at a London hospital at the age of 82 and was buried in his hometown in Daura, Nigeria on Tuesday.

 

NAN

New US Consul General Rick Swart arrives in Lagos

 

The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced the arrival of its new Consul General in Lagos, Rick Swart.

 

Swart, who arrived on Wednesday, will represent the US government across 17 states in southern Nigeria.

 

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday by the Public Diplomacy Section, US Consulate General Lagos.

 

Swart is expected to oversee efforts aimed at deepening trade, strengthening ties with Nigerians, and advancing key U.S.-Nigeria priorities in the region.

 

“I am honoured to serve in Nigeria. I am excited about the opportunity to travel across the region, meet the people, experience the culture, while advancing the shared goals of making our two countries safer, stronger, and more prosperous,” Swart was quoted as saying.

 

He succeeds JoEllen Gorg who had served in an interim capacity since November 2024, following the departure of Will Stevens.

Swart praised Gorg’s efforts, saying, “I thank JoEllen for her remarkable leadership and for the outstanding work she has done to promote our close partnership with the Nigerian people in the region.

 

“I look forward to working closely with Ambassador Mills and the team at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, to further advance the shared objectives between Nigeria and the United States.”

 

A career diplomat, Swart was previously Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Chad.

 

His past assignments have taken him to Congo, Burundi, Iraq, Geneva, London, Manila, and Dubai, among others.

 

He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali before joining the State Department in 2002.

Russian strikes kill six in Ukraine

 

Russian drone and bomb fire killed at least six people across Ukraine’s east and south, local authorities said Friday, as Russia resists US President Donald Trump’s call to halt its invasion.

 

Moscow has escalated long-range aerial attacks on Ukraine’s towns and cities as well as frontline assaults and shelling over the past weeks, defying Trump’s warning it could face massive new sanctions if no peace deal is struck.

 

The latest strikes killed at least three people in the Dnipropetrovsk region — an important industrial mining territory under increasing pressure from Russia’s attacks.

 

“Administrative buildings, a shop and private houses have been damaged,” Governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram after a morning drone attack caused a fire to break out in the region’s Kamyanske district, where two were killed.

 

A 52-year-old man was killed in another drone attack elsewhere in the region.

And in the Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions — all of which are partially occupied by Russian forces — attacks killed another three people.

 

Ukraine said Russia fired 35 long-range drones overnight — a relatively low number compared to the several hundred Moscow is capable of launching.

 

Moscow said it shot down 73 Ukrainian drones over its territory, including 10 it said were heading for the capital, Moscow.

 

AFP

EU okays 18th sanctions package on Russia over Ukraine war

 

EU countries on Friday signed off on a new package of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, including lowering a price cap on Moscow’s oil exports.

 

The 18th round of economic punishment against Russia since its 2022 invasion was approved after Slovakia dropped a weeks-long block following talks with Brussels over separate plans to phase out Russian gas imports.

 

“The EU just approved one of its strongest sanctions packages against Russia to date,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.

 

“Each sanction weakens Russia’s ability to wage war. The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will keep raising the pressure until Russia ends its war.”

 

Slovakia’s Russia-friendly leader Robert Fico dropped his opposition after getting what he called “guarantees” from Brussels over gas prices as the bloc pushes to cut off Russian imports by the end of 2027.

 

As part of the new sanctions designed to sap Russia’s war chest, diplomats said the EU has agreed to lower its price cap on Russian oil exported to third countries around the world to 15 percent below market value.

 

That comes despite EU allies failing to convince US President Donald Trump to go along with the plan.

 

The cap is a G7 initiative aimed at limiting the amount of money Russia makes by exporting oil to countries across the globe such as China and India.

The oil price cap, set at $60 by the G7 in 2022, is designed to limit the price Moscow can sell oil around the world by banning shipping firms and insurance companies dealing with Russia to export above that amount.

 

Under the new EU scheme — which is expected to get the backing of G7 allies like Britain and Canada — the new level will start off at $47.6 and can be adjusted as oil prices change in the future.

 

In adddition, officials said the EU is blacklisting over 100 more more vessels in the “shadow fleet” of ageing tankers used by Russia to circumvent oil export curbs.

 

There are also measures to stop the defunct Baltic Sea gas pipelines Nord Stream 1 and 2 from being brought back online.

 

Among other targets, sanctions will be placed on a Russian-owned oil refinery in India and two Chinese banks as the EU seeks to curb Moscow’s ties with international partners.

 

There is also an expanded transaction ban on dealings with Russian banks and more restrictions on the export of “dual-use” goods that could be used on the battlefield in Ukraine.

The new sanctions will be formally adopted by EU ministers later on Friday.

 

AFP

Petrol tanker explodes in Ibadan

 

A petroleum tanker carrying 33,000 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, on Thursday, exploded in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

 

PUNCH Online gathered that the incident occurred at Celica junction, on the new Ife Expressway in Ibadan.

 

Eyewitnesses explained that the fire incident was as a result of break failure, which made the vehicle lose control.

 

One of the witnesses said, “The tanker hit a Prado jeep and another car. And in the process, the tanker fell and exploded.

 

“Although no casualty was recorded, the fire affected the car and the Prado jeep.”

Confirming the incident in a statement in Ibadan, the state capital, the state Fire Service Chairman, Maroof Akinwande, confirmed the development to our correspondent, adding that no casualty was recorded.

 

He said, “The incident was reported at exactly 18.27hrs on Thursday.

 

“The firemen swiftly swung into action by applying chemical foam compound and restricted the fire from spreading to the nearby Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation petrol station and surrounding properties. The fire was jointly extinguished with officers from the Federal Fire Service.

 

“The fire incident was as a result of failure of breaking in system of the truck whist on motion which made the vehicle lose control, hit a Prado jeep and a car, then fell and caught fire.

 

“No casualty was recorded but the fire affected the trailer tanker and a car, while a Jeep was hit by the trailer into the nearby gutter,” he explained.

Nigeria can think for itself, DHQ responds to Turkish envoy’s terrorism claim

 

The Defence Headquarters has stated that Nigeria remains an independent nation capable of making its own decisions, particularly on security and counterterrorism matters.

 

This follows recent comments by the Turkish government alleging that members of a group it designates as the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation are operating in Nigeria under the guise of educational and healthcare institutions.

 

Speaking at a dinner in Abuja on Tuesday to mark Turkey’s Democracy and National Unity Day, the Turkish Ambassador-designate to Nigeria, Mehmet Poroy, claimed that FETO still has an active presence in the country.

 

He said, “The presence of such an organisation poses a threat to every country in which it operates… particularly in the fields of education and healthcare.”

 

Poroy added that Turkey continues to brief Nigeria on what it views as the group’s subversive activities and urged Nigerian authorities to remain “vigilant and cautious.”

 

However, in a response while briefing journalists on the military operations in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, said the Defence Headquarters does not recognise the claims as official or verified.

 

“Information from the person you are talking about, as far as Defence Headquarters is concerned, is an unofficial announcement. Everybody is free to say whatever they want. There is freedom of information, “he said.

 

He noted that Nigeria cannot be swayed by external commentary or claims that do not align with its own intelligence and national interest.

“Nigeria is an independent sovereign nation that can think and act for itself,” Kangye said.

 

While acknowledging Nigeria’s diplomatic and military relationships with several countries, Kangye cautioned against accepting unverified foreign narratives, especially those that may undermine national integrity or incite suspicion.

 

“We cannot take what other people are saying about Nigeria and accept it without our own independent assessment. Nigeria knows what it is, and the Nigerian military has its own code of conduct and operational guidelines,” he said.

 

Kangye also pointed to the rise of global propaganda and psychological operations, suggesting that foreign assertions could be part of broader strategic manoeuvres.

 

“There are propagandists all over the world. Psychological oppressions go on everywhere. That’s why we must be vigilant,” he added.

 

Kangye, however, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to fighting terrorism on its own terms, guided by national priorities and internal intelligence.

He reiterated that while the country values its international allies, its security decisions will always reflect its status as a sovereign state.

UK annual inflation jumps unexpectedly in June

 

 

British inflation jumped unexpectedly to an 18-month high in June, official data showed Wednesday, heaping more pressure on the government and the UK economy.

The Consumer Prices Index increased to 3.6 per cent last month compared with an annual inflation rate of 3.4 per cent in May as motor fuel and food prices stayed high, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

June’s level was the highest since January 2024, according to the ONS, while most analysts had forecast no change.

The inflation update follows recent official data showing Britain’s economy unexpectedly contracted for a second month running in May, placing more strain on Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the UK government as it faces uncertainty caused by US tariffs.

“Inflation ticked up in June driven mainly by motor fuel prices which fell only slightly, compared with a much larger decrease at this time last year,” ONS acting chief economist Richard Heys said in a statement.

“Food price inflation has increased for the third month to its highest annual rate since February 2024,” he added.

In response, finance minister Rachel Reeves said “there is more to do” to help Britons “struggling with the cost of living”.

 

Analysts said that despite the rise in inflation, the Bank of England could still cut its key interest rate next month as the UK economy struggles to expand.

 

“The unexpected rise in CPI inflation… may not prevent the Bank of England from cutting interest rates by 25 basis points in August,” said Ruth Gregory, deputy chief UK economist at Capital Economics research group.

 

“But it will add to the pressure on the Bank to continue to cut rates at a gradual pace,” she added.

 

AFP

US citizen who spied on Ukraine gets Russian passport

 

An American who spied on Ukrainian troops to help Moscow’s military offensive in the country has been granted Russian citizenship, Moscow-installed authorities said Tuesday.

 

Daniel Martindale spent two years in Ukraine after Russia launched its offensive, transmitting coordinates of military facilities to Russia’s secret services, according to reports in Russian state media.

 

“By decree of our President Vladimir Putin, a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation was awarded to Daniel Martindale,” Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region said on Telegram.

 

Pushilin said that Martindale had “long since proven with his loyalty and actions that he is one of us.”

 

“He spent more than two years in the territory under enemy control. And not only did he survive — he helped. He supported our guys, passed on important information to our special services, risked his life,” he added.

 

Martindale received his passport from interior ministry officials at a ceremony in Moscow, according to state media and a video published by Pushilin.

 

Martindale thanked Russia for “accepting me”, and said becoming a Russian citizen was a “dream”.

 

“Russia is not only my home, but my family,” he said in Russian on the video.

 

After two years spying on Ukraine, he was extracted in “a complex evacuation operation” after Moscow started to fear his life was in danger if he stayed any longer, Pushilin said.

 

In November 2024, state media reported Russian security forces had taken him to Russia and Martindale lodged his application for Russian citizenship.

 

A Telegram account purporting to be his posted that same month: “Hello, I’m Daniel Martindale, the guy that Russian soldiers risked their lives to evacuate from the village where I had lived for two years.”

 

AFP

Shettima arrives London to accompany Buhari’s remains to Nigeria

 

Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived London on President Bola Tinubu’s directive following the passing of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

Shettima arrived London on Monday morning in the company of the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.

 

He was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, and Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum.

 

Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, disclosed this in a post on Monday morning.

Tinubu announced the passing of his predecessor who died on Sunday in London at approximately 4:30 pm.

 

He directed Shettima and Gbajabiamila to proceed to the United Kingdom to accompany Buhari’s body back to Nigeria.

Buhari, who was 82, served as Nigeria’s democratically elected President from 2015 to 2023.

 

He also served as military head of state between January 1984 and August 1985.

 

Tinubu has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff as a mark of respect for the departed leader.

 

Buhari’s remains will be laid to rest in Daura on Monday, according to Islamic rites.

 

See the photo below.

 

Katsina declares Monday work-free day to mourn Buhari

 

The Katsina State Government has declared Monday, July 14, 2025, as a work-free day to honour the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, who died in London on Sunday.

 

The declaration was made in a statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government, Abdullahi Garba Faskari, on Sunday evening.

 

Faskari said the work-free day would enable workers and residents to mourn the passing of the former president, who hailed from the state.

 

The statement read, “The Governor of Katsina State, His Excellency, Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, PhD, CON, has declared Monday, 14th July 2025, as a work-free day in the State. This follows the demise of Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, who died earlier this evening of today (13h July 2025) in London.

“He noted that the holiday is intended to enable workers and residents of the State to join the rest of the country in mourning the loss and offering prayers for the late leader.

“Governor Radda expressed profound condolences to the family of the late President, the people of the State, and the entire nation, describing President Muhammadu Buhari as a great leader, a hero, a true democrat and a patriotic elder statesman whose life was dedicated to the service of Nigeria.”

 

He prayed for Allah’s mercy on Buhari’s soul and for his admittance into Aljannatul Firdaus.

 

The statement added that details regarding the burial arrangements would be communicated in due course.

 

Buhari, who hails from Katsina State, died on Sunday at the age of 83.

Exit mobile version