USA : 1ST INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE, 1ST BLACK, 1ST NIGERIAN, YEMI MOBOLADE ELECTED MAYOR, REFLECTS ON HISTORIC VICTORY
Colorado Springs is getting a new mayor, and he can boast some firsts – the first Black person to be elected mayor, the first non-Republican to be elected in decades in the famously conservative city. Independent candidate Yemi Mobolade took some 57% of the vote in Tuesday’s election and will take office June 6. Mayor-elect, congratulations, and welcome to the program.
Nigerian-born Yemi Mobolade defeated his Republican challenger, Wayne Williams, in a May 16 runoff election. Mobolade, an Independent, is also the first non-Republican mayor in the city’s history. His predecessor, Mayor John Suthers, publicly endorsed Williams during the campaign.
Before getting into politics, Mobolade co-founded restaurants Good Neighbors Meeting House and The Wild Goose Meeting House. He most recently served as the Small Business Development Administrator and Vice President of Business Retention and Expansion for the Colorado Springs Chamber of Economic Development Corporation.
The mayor-elect ran on a platform of crime and safety, improving the city’s infrastructure and bringing more businesses to Colorado Springs. And his victory speech was a hopeful message to the city’s residents that positive change is on the horizon.
YEMI MOBOLADE: Thank you, Ayesha. And thank you for having me.
RASCOE: You are originally from Nigeria. What attracted you to Colorado Springs?
MOBOLADE: Yes, I moved to the U.S. 27 years ago as an international student. My siblings and I moved because of opportunity. And by fate and faith and luck, we landed in the U.S. And I spent the first 14 of those years in northern Indiana, where I met my wife. And I landed in Colorado also because of opportunity, first as a pastor and then as a business leader and now as a civic leader.
RASCOE: You said in your acceptance speech and in other interviews that you want Colorado Springs to become an inclusive city on the hill. Have you always found the city to be welcoming?
MOBOLADE: Yes. In my study – as I study other leaders and admire what makes a great city, it starts with a city that is welcoming of different cultures, different ideas, different – even different politics.
RASCOE: Are you saying that the city is not there at this point?
MOBOLADE: What I’m saying is that we’ve had a good start, and I’d like for us to fully evolve into that. So the city has started in that direction. I mean, clearly, you know, electing an immigrant as mayor is a sign that the city is actually more open and embracing of people with my story than perhaps America has heard about Colorado Springs. What I’m saying is that I have an opportunity as a leader to fully help us evolve into that even more exponentially.
RASCOE: The mayoral race is officially nonpartisan in Colorado Springs, but there’s been a lot of buzz over your win as a blow to the Republican Party. Do you see it that way?
MOBOLADE: Not at all. Frankly, that part of the media messages and cycle has felt frustrating for me because that’s not the politics I’m trying to introduce. It’s actually quite contrary to the leadership I’m trying to promote, the new way of politics I’m trying to usher. I have been clear from day one that – putting our quality of life ahead of party politics. So many of us like me in my city – 48% of us are registered unaffiliated. We are independents, and we represent so many different political values and spectrums on the continuum. So this statement is not a statement of, again, politics because this is a cancer of our nation right now. It’s what I call the tribalism that we’re seeing. And that’s the world that I left to come to this country.
RASCOE: Can I ask you, though – you are an independent candidate, but when you look at your policies, do you consider yourself progressive? Do you consider yourself conservative? How do you look at your own policies?
MOBOLADE: There are parts of my story that people would say Yemi is conservative, and what they mean is I’m a small business owner. The way I envision government is from a limited perspective. I moved to the city as a pastor. I teach at evangelical churches. So those parts of my story lend itself as conservative. And then when you look at my work in this city – has been to embrace our communities that have been so – part of our community socioeconomically that have not had a place at the table of city leadership, reaching out to the minority communities, the African community, the African American communities, and trying to provide economic opportunities and trying to serve as a bridge to parts of our communities that have been traditionally left out from the table. That would be, quote, unquote, “more progressive.”
RASCOE: So I know you said that there are a lot of people who feel like they don’t have a home politically in this country. What do you feel like the movement or what you are trying to do – what would that home look like for you if it doesn’t necessarily neatly fit within the two-party system that is currently in place?
MOBOLADE: Right. The home is just being Americans – red, white and blue. That is a home. And for me, the home for my city is Colorado Springs. We are Colorado Springs. That’s my – that was my campaign brand. It takes all of us, not just some of us. That is a home – getting back to who we are as Americans. And I think two things can be true at the same time. I think I can hold on to my strong values and still have room for others to be welcome at the table.
RASCOE: That’s Colorado Springs Mayor-elect Yemi Mobolade. Thank you so much for speaking with us.
MOBOLADE: Thank you so much for having me. I really appreciate your time today.
Additional reports :NPR transcripts, Push News 24 International
US 2024 : DESPITE CLOCKING 82, JOE BIDEN DECLARES RE-ELECTION BID, POISE TO BE US OLDEST PRESIDENT
President Joe Biden speaks during a ceremony honoring the Council of Chief State School Officers’ 2023 Teachers of the Year in the Rose Garden of the White House, Monday, April 24, 2023 in Washington. President Biden announced 2024 reelection bid Tuesday.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday formally announced that he is running for reelection in 2024, asking voters to give him more time to “finish the job” he began when he was sworn in to office and to set aside their concerns about extending the run of America’s oldest president for another four years.
Biden, who would be 86 at the end of a second term, is betting his first-term legislative achievements and more than 50 years of experience in Washington will count for more than concerns over his age. He faces a smooth path to winning his party’s nomination, with no serious Democratic rivals. But he’s still set for a hard-fought struggle to retain the presidency in a bitterly divided nation.
The announcement, in a three-minute video, comes on the four-year anniversary of when Biden declared for the White House in 2019, promising to heal the “soul of the nation” amid the turbulent presidency of Donald Trump — a goal that has remained elusive.
“I said we are in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are,” Biden said. “The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer.”
While the question of seeking reelection has been a given for most modern presidents, that’s not always been the case for Biden, as a notable swath of Democratic voters have indicated they would prefer he not run, in part because of his age — concerns Biden has called “totally legitimate” but ones he did not address head-on in the launch video.
Yet few things have unified Democratic voters like the prospect of Trump returning to power. And Biden’s political standing within his party stabilized after Democrats notched a stronger-than-expected performance in last year’s midterm elections, as the president set out to run again on the same themes that buoyed his party last fall, particularly on preserving access to abortion.
“Freedom. Personal freedom is fundamental to who we are as Americans. There’s nothing more important. Nothing more sacred,” Biden said in the launch video, which painted the Republican Party as extremists trying to roll back access to abortion, cut Social Security, limit voting rights and ban books they disagree with. “Around the country, MAGA extremists are lining up to take those bedrock freedoms away.”
“This is not a time to be complacent,” Biden added. “That’s why I’m running for reelection.”
As the contours of the campaign begin to take shape, Biden plans to campaign on his record. He spent his first two years as president combating the coronavirus pandemic and pushing through major bills such as the bipartisan infrastructure package and legislation to promote high-tech manufacturing and climate measures. With Republicans now in control of the House, Biden has shifted his focus to implementing those massive laws and making sure voters credit him for the improvements, while sharpening the contrast with the GOP ahead of an expected showdown over raising the nation’s borrowing limit that could have debilitating consequences for the country’s economy.
But the president also has multiple policy goals and unmet promises from his first campaign that he’s pitching voters on giving him another chance to fulfill.
“Let’s finish this job. I know we can,” Biden said in the video, repeating a mantra he said a dozen times during his State of the Union address in February, listing everything from passing a ban on assault-style weapons and lowering the cost of prescription drugs to codifying a national right to abortion after the Supreme Court’s ruling last year overturning Roe v. Wade.
Buoyed by the midterm results, Biden plans to continue to cast all Republicans as embracing what he calls “ultra-MAGA” politics — a reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan — regardless of whether his predecessor ends up on the 2024 ballot. He’s spent the last several months road-testing campaign themes, including painting Republicans as fighting for tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy while trying to cut social safety net benefits relied on by everyday Americans and roll back access to abortion services.
Biden, speaking over brief video clips and photographs of key moments in his presidency, snapshots of diverse Americans and flashes of his outspoken Republican foes, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, exhorted supporters that “this is our moment” to “defend democracy. Stand up for our personal freedoms. Stand up for the right to vote and our civil rights.”
Biden also plans to point to his work over the past two years shoring up American alliances, leading a global coalition to support Ukraine’s defenses against Russia’s invasion and returning the U.S. to the Paris climate accord. But public support in the U.S. for Ukraine has softened in recent months, and some voters question the tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance flowing to Kyiv.
The president faces lingering criticism over his administration’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war, which undercut the image of competence he aimed to portray to the world, and he finds himself the target of GOP attacks over his immigration and economic policies.
As a candidate in 2020, Biden pitched voters on his familiarity with the halls of power in Washington and his relationships around the world as he promised to return a sense of normalcy to the country amid Trump’s tumultuous presidency and the deadly COVID-19 pandemic.
But even back then, Biden was acutely aware of voters’ concerns about his age.
“Look, I view myself as a bridge, not as anything else,” Biden said in March 2020, as he campaigned in Michigan with younger Democrats, including now-Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “There’s an entire generation of leaders you saw stand behind me. They are the future of this country.”
Three years later, the president now 80, Biden allies say his time in office has demonstrated that he saw himself as more of a transformational than a transitional leader.
Still, many Democrats would prefer that Biden didn’t run again. A recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows just 47% of Democrats say they want him to seek a second term, up from 37% in February. And Biden’s verbal — and occasional physical — stumbles have become fodder among the GOP, which has sought to cast him as unfit for office.
Biden, on multiple occasions, has brushed back concerns about his age, saying simply, “Watch me.”
During a routine physical in February, his physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, declared him “healthy, vigorous” and “fit” to handle his White House responsibilities.
Aides acknowledge that while some in his party might prefer an alternative to Biden, there is anything but consensus within their diverse coalition on who that might be. And they insist that when Biden is compared with whomever the GOP nominates, Democrats and independents will rally around Biden.
For now, the 76-year-old Trump is the favorite to emerge as the Republican nominee, creating the potential of a historic sequel to the bitterly fought 2020 campaign. But Trump faces significant hurdles of his own, including the designation of being the first former president to face criminal charges. The remaining GOP field is volatile, with DeSantis emerging as an early alternative to Trump. DeSantis’ stature is also in question, however, amid questions about his readiness to campaign outside of his increasingly Republican-leaning state.
To prevail again, Biden will need to revive the alliance of young voters and Black voters — particularly women — along with blue-collar Midwesterners, moderates and disaffected Republicans who helped him win in 2020. He’ll have to again carry the so-called “blue wall” in the Upper Midwest, while protecting his position in Georgia and Arizona, longtime GOP strongholds that he narrowly won in his last campaign.
Biden’s reelection bid comes as the nation weathers uncertain economic crosscurrents. Inflation is ticking down after hitting the highest rate in a generation, driving up the price of goods and services, but unemployment is at a 50-year low, and the economy is showing signs of resilience despite Federal Reserve interest rate hikes.
Presidents typically try to delay their reelection announcements to maintain the advantages of incumbency and skate above the political fray for as long as possible while their rivals trade jabs. But the leg up offered by being in the White House can be rickety — three of the last seven presidents have lost reelection, most recently Trump in 2020.
Biden’s announcement is roughly consistent with the timeline followed by then-President Barack Obama, who waited until April 2011 to declare for a second term. Trump launched his reelection bid on the day he was sworn in in 2017.
Biden is not expected to dramatically alter his day-to-day schedule as a candidate — at least not immediately — with aides believing his strongest political asset is showing the American people that he is governing. And if he follows the Obama playbook, he may not hold any formal campaign rallies until well into 2024. Obama didn’t hold a reelection rally until May 2012.
On Tuesday, Biden named White House adviser Julie Chávez Rodríguez to serve as campaign manager and Quentin Fulks, who ran Sen. Raphael Warnock’s reelection campaign in Georgia last year, to serve as principal deputy campaign manager. Reps. Lisa Blunt-Rochester, Jim Clyburn and Veronica Escobar; Sens. Chris Coons and Tammy Duckworth; entertainment mogul and Democratic mega-donor Jeffrey Katzenberg; and Whitmer will serve as campaign co-chairs.
On the heels of the announcement Tuesday, Biden was set to deliver remarks to union members before hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state visit at the White House. He plans to meet with party donors in Washington later this week.
Biden’s formal go-ahead comes after months of public incredulity that the president would seek another term despite plentiful signs that he was intent on doing so.
Ahead of the president’s announcement, first lady Jill Biden expressed disbelief at the persistent questions about her husband’s intent to run.
“How many times does he have to say it for you to believe it?” she told The Associated Press in late February. “He says he’s not done.”
Two-year US visa interview delay frustrates Nigerians
Travellers looking to visit the United States for tourism, business and family visits have expressed their frustration over delays in securing interview dates in order to get visas.
BusinessDay’s findings show that the earliest time to get interviews dates is in 2024, while the ‘DropBox’ option is only open for those whose visas expired within a space of two years.
DropBox is the facility or process used to apply for visa renewal without the visa interview. It is a facility to submit documents without an interview. The DropBox facility makes visa renewals quick and easy by helping applicants eliminate the in-person visa interview requirement.
Any applicant whose visa expired beyond two years and those who are applying for the first time will have to apply to get interview dates.
Applicants for US visas are required to appear in person for a visa interview at the embassy in Abuja or the consulate general in Lagos. Applicants are required to schedule an appointment for the interview, either online or through a call centre.
Apart from students, those travelling for emergencies and medicals, the earliest interview dates are years from now.
“We hardly get people buying tickets to travel to the United States for family visits, business or tourism because the process of getting the visas is very discouraging. Applicants will have to wait for over two years to secure interview dates and they are not even sure of getting the visas eventually,” Gina Ogonna, a travel agent at Green Travels, told Push News.
Ogonna said sometimes, even students are not issued early dates for interviews, despite having their Form I-20, which proves that a person is legally enrolled in a programme of study in the US.
She said the situation had made more students seek admission in the United Kingdom and other countries, saying the long wait for US visa interviews was affecting travels to the country.
The travel agent said the situation might have led to the suspension of Delta Air Lines’ direct nonstop service between New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport and Lagos three weeks ago.
Delta said customers impacted by its suspended New York-JFK-Lagos service would be re-accommodated on Delta-operated flights or service operated by its joint venture partners.
Push News 24 International findings show that Nigeria is not the only country affected by the development but has a longer wait time to secure interview dates. In Brazil, the wait time is 760 days, in Guyana it is 900 days.
The US Department of State blamed the pandemic for the backlogs.
David Bier, associate director of immigration policy at the Libertarian Cato Institute, said the two-year, pandemic-induced lockdown of US consulates around the world halted visa services.
“They just stopped doing work during COVID. And that produced what we’re seeing now, which is year-plus waits, massive backlogs and all the problems associated with that,” he told VOA.
Though wait times vary significantly from consulate to consulate, Bier said, “it is the worst it’s ever been since 9/11.”
The latest State Department data from its consulates show the wait for some visa interviews can routinely be more than a year, and the majority of consulates now take more than six months to schedule an interview for a tourist or business traveller.
In a February 2022 letter to the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, members of the US Chamber Travel Coalition urged the Biden administration to ease domestic and international travel requirements and coordinate with other countries to ease travel between countries.
Travellers looking to visit the United States for tourism, business and family visits have expressed their frustration over delays in securing interview dates in order to get visas.
BusinessDay’s findings show that the earliest time to get interviews dates is in 2024, while the ‘DropBox’ option is only open for those whose visas expired within a space of two years.
DropBox is the facility or process used to apply for visa renewal without the visa interview. It is a facility to submit documents without an interview. The DropBox facility makes visa renewals quick and easy by helping applicants eliminate the in-person visa interview requirement.
Any applicant whose visa expired beyond two years and those who are applying for the first time will have to apply to get interview dates.
Applicants for US visas are required to appear in person for a visa interview at the embassy in Abuja or the consulate general in Lagos. Applicants are required to schedule an appointment for the interview, either online or through a call centre.
Apart from students, those travelling for emergencies and medicals, the earliest interview dates are years from now.
Read also; US Consulate explains new visa programme, says not drop box
“We hardly get people buying tickets to travel to the United States for family visits, business or tourism because the process of getting the visas is very discouraging. Applicants will have to wait for over two years to secure interview dates and they are not even sure of getting the visas eventually,” Gina Ogonna, a travel agent at Green Travels, told the media.
Ogonna said sometimes, even students are not issued early dates for interviews, despite having their Form I-20, which proves that a person is legally enrolled in a programme of study in the US.
She said the situation had made more students seek admission in the United Kingdom and other countries, saying the long wait for US visa interviews was affecting travels to the country.
The travel agent said the situation might have led to the suspension of Delta Air Lines’ direct nonstop service between New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport and Lagos three weeks ago.
Delta said customers impacted by its suspended New York-JFK-Lagos service would be re-accommodated on Delta-operated flights or service operated by its joint venture partners.
BusinessDay’s finding show that Nigeria is not the only country affected by the development but has a longer wait time to secure interview dates. In Brazil, the wait time is 760 days, in Guyana it is 900 days.
The US Department of State blamed the pandemic for the backlogs.
David Bier, associate director of immigration policy at the Libertarian Cato Institute, said the two-year, pandemic-induced lockdown of US consulates around the world halted visa services.
“They just stopped doing work during COVID. And that produced what we’re seeing now, which is year-plus waits, massive backlogs and all the problems associated with that,” he told VOA.
Though wait times vary significantly from consulate to consulate, Bier said, “it is the worst it’s ever been since 9/11.”
The latest State Department data from its consulates show the wait for some visa interviews can routinely be more than a year, and the majority of consulates now take more than six months to schedule an interview for a tourist or business traveller.
In a February 2022 letter to the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, members of the US Chamber Travel Coalition urged the Biden administration to ease domestic and international travel requirements and coordinate with other countries to ease travel between countries.
The coalition is made up of Airlines for America, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Travel Association. It wrote that as other sectors of the economy reached a full recovery, business travel spending was about 50 percent below 2019 levels and international travel spending was down 78 percent compared with 2019.
“Imagine if you just got pregnant and would like your mother to come and take care of the baby, if your mother starts applying for a visa today, that baby will be over one year old by the time your mother is interviewed, ” a travel agent said.
Some applicants said they had applied for admission into various institutions in the US earlier this year, after which they were given admission and provided with Form I-20, which enabled them to book an interview appointment.
They however said it was very difficult to secure early interview dates after paying the necessary fee required by the US consulate.
“I am supposed to resume studies in the first week of September but my interview date is fixed for almost the end of October. This means I would have missed out from school activities for over one month and would have to catch up with things when I resume,” an applicant who identified himself as Chisom told BusinessDay.
Susan Akporiaye, president of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), said the US embassy had not opened for full operations since COVID-19.
She said: “They have really not opened and that is why people can’t get appointment dates till 2025. They have not started visa processes but they only opened for students, medical and emergencies. I had a meeting with the consular when she came for the launch of the resumption of United Airlines in Nigeria. I told her that by the end of this year, all Nigerian visas would have expired and people won’t be able to travel.
“They said they’re working on something and not too long after that, they resumed the ‘Drop Box’; and said if people’s visas expire within two years, they will be eligible for ‘DropBox’. This means that for instance, people whose visas expire between 2019 and 2022 can apply for a DropBox,” Akporiaye said.
She hinted that those whose visas have expired for more than two years would have to wait for interview dates. “People are seeing appointment dates till 2025 because they are hoping that before then, they will have started full operations. When they did the Drop Box option, a lot of people got their visas renewed,” she added.
The NANTA president said some students did not get US visas because they did not submit the right documents.
She said: “The I-20 form qualifies students to get dates and they use the interview option for them and their interview dates are always available. It is the I-20 number that the system recognises.
“For emergency cases, the US consulate will book any day available and send a request to applicants to provide all the documents to prove that the case is an emergency. The onus now lies on the US consulate to treat the cases as emergencies or not. If they check and find out that it is not an emergency, they may not attend to the person.”
According to Akporiaye, those travelling for tourism, family visits, and businesses whose visas have expired after two years or those applying for the first time would have to apply for interview dates and wait till 2025 for their interviews.
When contacted, a spokesperson for the US Mission in Nigeria told BusinessDay that the Department of State remains committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the US by both immigrant and nonimmigrant travellers.
According to the spokesperson, the US Embassy in Abuja and the US Consulate in Lagos are currently providing the full range of consular services, including processing all categories of nonimmigrant visas.
He said: “To address visa demand in Nigeria despite the ongoing challenges resulting from COVID closures and restrictions, the US Mission has introduced a number of initiatives including processing nonimmigrant visas without an interview for those who qualify.
“In the last few months, Consular Sections in Abuja and Lagos have processed over 95,000 non-immigrant visas. Demand continues to exceed appointment availability; however, and this is likely to be the case for the foreseeable future.”
The spokesperson said applicants with an urgent need to travel should book any available appointment on ustraveldocs.com and follow the instructions to request an expedited appointment.
He said as the Consular Sections must prioritise services for US citizens, immigrant visas, and work and student visas, only the most urgent tourist and business visa cases can be expedited.
“We remain committed to lowering those wait times as quickly and safely as possible, recognizing that visas for work and tourism play a critical role in the US economy. Regular updates on estimated nonimmigrant visa wait times are available on travel.state.gov,” he said.
President-elect Tinubu hails Olupona, Pate over election into American Academy of Arts & Sciences
The President-elect, Asíwájú Bola Tinubu, has congratulated two distinguished Nigerian academics in the United States, Professors Jacob K. Olupona and Dr. Mohammed Pate, over their election into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Professor Olupona and Dr. Pate were among the 269 outstanding individuals recently announced as new Fellows of the prestigious Academy.
In a statement released by his office at the weekend, the President-elect commended Olupona, a Professor in the field of Religious Studies, for his outstanding contributions to knowledge production and humanity.
Olupona, a former lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, was elected under the category of the study of religion.
The President-elect said: “I congratulate the Nigerian, Harvard University Professor, Jacob Olupona, for his outstanding academic achievement. To have been elected into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a no mean achievement, which is a testament to his high academic quality and deep knowledge.
“This comes as no surprise to me. The fact that he knows his onion is easily evident in conversations with him and Prof. Olupona and I have had several intellectual encounters.
“Professor Olupona has not only done remarkably well for himself and the Ivory Tower, he has also made Nigeria and indeed Africa proud.
“His accomplishment is a testament to the great Nigerian spirit and to what is possible and achievable given the right academic environment, something which, in my agenda for Renewed Hope for Nigerians, I promised to provide and sustain during my presidency.
“I rejoice with Professor Olupona and I salute him for his invaluable contribution.”
Olupona is a renowned Professor of African Religious Traditions, with a joint appointment as Professor of African and African-American Studies in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Religion at Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University, Cambridge.
Prof Olupona has held many academic appointments both at home and abroad.
He has published many books, academic journals and articles among which are ‘Òrìsà Devotion as World Religion: The Globalization of Yorùbá Religious Culture‘ (University of Wisconsin Press, 2008) and ‘City of 201 Gods: Ilé-Ifè in Time, Space, and the Imagination‘ (University of California Press, 2011).
The President-elect in his congratulatory statement also praised another illustrious Nigerian, Dr. Mohammed Pate of Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, who is among the appointees, saying his research work did not go unnoticed.
Dr. Pate was Minister of State for Health in the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Pate is a Professor of Practice of Public Health Leadership in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard University and a former Director of Global Financing Facility for Women, Children and Adolescents at the World Bank.
“He has had a distinguished career in public service in Nigeria as Chief Executive of National Primary Health Agency and later as Minister of State for Health from where he proceeded to join the World Bank and now at Harvard University. His global reputation as a Professor of Practice in Public Health continues to bring honour and prestige to our country,” the President-elect said.
Academy President David W. Oxtoby and Chair of the Board of Directors Nancy C. Andrews made the announcement of the 2023 list of recipients of the honours.
According to the Academy, both Olupona and Pate along with other newly appointed members will be inducted on Friday, September 29, 2023, with the formal ceremony on Saturday, September 30, 2023.
Office of the President-elect, Tunde Rahman April 23, 2023.
TINUBU, BIDEN MAKES LIST AS WORLDS MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE, AS FOREIGN MEDIA EXTOLS TINUBU’S VIRTUES
From movie stars and athletes to CEOs and politicians, members of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world for 2023 are forces to be reckoned with.
American magazine, Time, has named President-elect, Bola Tinubu, among the 100 most influential persons across the world in 2023.
Speaking on how Tinubu merited the list, the magazine stated, “Winning an election in Africa’s most populous country is no easy feat. But Nigeria’s newly elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has had nearly two decades to prepare.
“Called Jagaban, or “leader of the warriors,” by his supporters, the now 71-year-old ran in a presidential election for the first time this March. His campaign slogan, “It’s my turn,” was a nod to his role as a longtime political power broker.”
Time, further delved into the past how the former Lagos governor fought military regimes to return democracy. Tinubu helped restore the country’s democracy in 1999 after fighting military rule and then served two consecutive terms as governor of Lagos,” it added.
Among top world figures that made the list is the President of the United States, Joe Biden. Also, both Paris Saint-Germain stars of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe made the list among sportsmen.
Each year our TIME 100 list lets us step back and measure the forces that move us. Which is more powerful, hope or proof? Ambition or altruism? The lessons of the past or the lure of the future? The people we spotlight range from the globally famous to the literally anonymous—we leave it to you to guess the true identity of author Elena Ferrante.
There are world leaders and local activists, artists and athletes, scientists, moguls and a number of people who are running for President of the United States.
One way or another they each embody a breakthrough: they broke the rules, broke the record, broke the silence, broke the boundaries to reveal what we’re capable of. They are seekers, with a fearless willingness to be surprised by what they find.
As Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose musical Hamilton just won the Pulitzer Prize, puts it, “What’s the thing that’s not in the world that should be in the world?
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, a socio-political group in the Igbo community, has publicly denounced Simon Ekpa, a self-proclaimed Biafra agitator who recently declared himself the Biafran Prime Minister.
Pushnews.com.ng reports that the Secretary-General of the group, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, stated on Tuesday that Ekpa and his associates could not compel the Igbos into another civil war.
In a statement, Isiguzoro labeled Ekpa as an adversary of the Igbo nation and distanced Ohanaeze from the establishment of a unity government.
The statement reads: “Ohanaeze worldwide views with great distaste and condemnation” the purported declaration by Simon Ekpa, leader of the Ekpa Killer Squad (Autopilots) as a “Biafran Prime Minister in Exile”.
“Indeed, this latest episode, an orchestrated attempt by the Finland-based Igbo enemy, who has made himself a ready tool in the destruction of Ala-Igbo can only be blamed on his “deliberate pampering” by the Finnish and Nigerian Governments after detailed reports of heightening terrorism from his Finnish base, including reports from a Finnish journalist, who was in Enugu this February to personally interview families of victims of his terror attacks, which he boldly affirmed on Finnish Television was presented to the Finnish Government.
“Ndigbo has rebutted and renounced in strong terms the formation of a purported Biafra Government in exile, by Simon Ifeanyi Njoku Ekpa who is seen as the greatest enemy of Ndigbo in the last 200 years and one of the most dangerous terrorists in Africa and operating from Finland, if the Nigerian Government fails to check this ugly development, Ekpa’s game-plan is to plunge Nigeria into another undeserved Civil War.
“Ndigbo are now given a standing order to capture Ekpa dead or alive, he must not be allowed to escape justice as the leader of the most dreadful killer squad in the Southeast whose sole aim is to destabilize the Southeast with his satanic agenda of leading another Civil War against Nigeria.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Ndigbo can never be pushed into fighting another war, regardless of the provocations of Ekpa and his paymasters who surprisingly are hurt by the ongoing fraternity existing between Ndigbo and their Yoruba siblings and are hell-bent on thwarting it.
“From declaring a 5 Day sit-at-home in the South-East during the Presidential election to the declaration of Sit-at-home in Lagos, Ekpa has only one agenda- the destruction of Ala-Igbo, to fulfil his paymaster’s political ambitions.
“Indeed, his latest drama is aimed at distracting the Labour Party, LP, Presidential candidate from the pursuit of his Pan-Nigerian mandate at the election tribunal by questioning his belief in Nigeria when his people are pressing on with Biafra and now have a “Prime Minister in exile.”
The group therefore called on both the Nigerian and Finnish Governments to expedite the extradition of Ekpa to Nigeria for prosecution on charges of crimes against humanity.
Push News 24 International has before now reported that The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, confirmed the appointment of Simon Ekpa as a reporter of Radio Biafra.
Emma Powerful, the Publicity Secretary of IPOB, confirmed Ekpa’s appointment in a chat with Newsmen.
Powerful disclosed that Ekpa was appointed to report for Radio Biafra like others due to his track record.
Powerful said: “Yes Simon is appointed to report on radio Biafra like others, the leadership went to his record and decided to appoint him a reporter on radio Biafra. We have many reporters on radio Biafra.”We had reported that following the rearrest and detention of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu by the Nigerian Government, Ekpa was appointed to be in charge of the secession group media platform pending Kanu’s freedom.
As it is there EKPA seems to have taken over the Biafran struggle with his success on the sit-at-home proclamation in the SE, he appears to be in charge of the Biafran machinery.
TINUBU’S TEAM PARLEYS WITH THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS IN WASHINGTON DC:
THE NIGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2023: SEPARATING THE FACTS FROM FICTIONS.
TEXT OF THE PARLEY HELD WITH THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA AT THE NATIONAL PRESS CENTER, WASHINGTON D.C, UNITED STATES ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12TH, 2023 BY REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT, SENATOR BOLA AHMED TINUBU – MR. FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN (CHIEF SPOKESPERSON AND MINISTER OF STATE, LABOUR); MR. SUNDAY DARE (MINISTER OF YOUTH AND SPORTS); MR. AJURI NGELALE (ASST. PRINCIPAL SPOKESPERSON).
PROTOCOLS
INTRODUCTION
(1) It is our pleasure and privilege to welcome you to the National Press Center in Washington D.C for this interactive session on Nigeria’s Presidential Election, 2023. We do not intend to make this a long-winding and boring session, so we shall go straight to the points we intend to make to clear some of the fallacies that have been peddled around the world by the sore losers at the said election.
PREPARATION FOR THE ELECTIONS: A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD
(2) The country’s out-going President, Muhammadu Buhari, signed into law a Bill that seeks to improve our electoral process by introducing technology as a means of accrediting voters at the polling units. This is known as the ELECTORAL ACT, 2022. The opposition and international observers hailed him on this.
(3) There was also complete non-interference in the political process by State institutions. There were no reports of deployment of security agents or State apparati in support of the candidate of the ruling party. In fact, in some instances, the opposition celebrated the fact that our candidate had no support of the Government. These led to well-published reports (albeit false) that the President was not in support of the candidate of his own party.
THE STATE OF THE LEADING PARTIES BEFORE THE ELECTIONS
(4) The ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) controlled 21 out of the 36 States of the country and the FCT before the elections with elected Governors; whilst the main opposition, the People’s Demoratic Party (PDP) had 14 Governors and the All Progressives Grand Alliance had one Governor. The Labour Party had no single Governor or elected official at any level of Government.
(5) About eight months to the elections, the main opposition, the PDP, suffered some major set-backs. Its Vice-Presidential Candidate in 2019, Mr. Peter Obi moved to the Labour Party with his supporters, mainly from his region of origin, the South-East. Another of the Party’s main pillar of support in the North-West, Alhaji Musa Kwakwanso moved to the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), taking with him a chunk of the party’s supporters in that region. Five (5) out of the 14 Governors of the PDP, publicly announced they would not be campaigning for or supporting its Presidential Candidate (Alhaji Atiku Abubakar). Meanwhile, the ruling party remained one huge, indivisible entity with no departure of any of its elected officials or public dissent from them. It was in this state of affairs that all the parties went into the elections.
THE ELECTION OF FEBRUARY 25TH, 2023
(6) Contrary to the false outcry by the opposition, the main technological device, Bi-modal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) did not fail on the election day. All the local and international observers scored the use of BVAS very high, with one local body called YIAGA, working in coalition with the EU and other International Observers, saying it recorded 88% success in all the polling units it monitored. The Nigeria Bar Association also issued its report saying only 8 percent of voters were not satisfied with the process on that day. The portal that the opposition made so much noise about, IREV, is just a viewing portal, which has nothing to do with accreditation or verification of voters or even the counting or recording of votes.
(7) Whilst we hold no brief for the Electoral Commission, it sufficiently explained to Nigerians the next day that the delay in uploading the results to the viewing portal was as a result of a technical glitch. And since the results have since been uploaded eventually, none of the parties have produced their own copies of the result sheets obtained at various polling units that substantially contradicts the results released and announced by the Electoral Commission. Even in their Election Petitions presently before the Court, no such alternative figures have been provided. So, what is all the fuss about?
(8) It is significant to note that some other elections into the Senate and House of Representatives held on the same day, at the same time and with the same personnel. The opposition candidates have since gleefully gone to collect their Certificates of Return for the various seats they won. Why did they not reject the outcome of those elections too and reject their Certificate of Return? This is hypocrisy taken too far.
THE RESULT OF THE ELECTION
(9) On Wednesday, the 1st of March, 2023, the Electoral Commission announced the results as follows:
§ APC – 8,794,726 (36.61%)
§ PDP – 6,984,520 (29.07%)
§ LP – 6,101,533 (25.40%)
§ NNPP – 1,496,687(6.23%)
Other smaller parties scored some negligible figures.
(10) The winner, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu has since collected his Certificate of Return and the Transition Committees are working hard towards a smooth transition.
THE ANALYSES AND CREDIBILITY OF THE RESULTS
(11) Our Constitution requires a Presidential candidate to secure the highest number of votes and score at at least one-quarter of the votes in two-thirds of the States of the Federation which includes the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Only Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu met these requirements especially that of the spread (he scored 25 percent and above in 29 States), even though all 3 top candidates won 12 States each. The candidate of the PDP scored 25% and above in just 21 States, falling short of the 24 States required and the candidate of the Labour Party scored 25% and above in 15 States plus the Federal Capital Territory, making it 16 States. There was just no pathway to victory for these candidates who did not have the requisite national acceptability. So, how tenable is the claim of rigging the elections? We see none
(12) It is significant to note that the elections were so credible that it threw up some upsets in our otherwise settled demography. For the first time, 20 sitting Governors lost their States, mostly those of the ruling party. Seven Governors who sought elections into the Senate failed to scale through. This has never happened in the history of Nigeria. In addition, the President-Elect lost his home State (Lagos State); the sitting President lost his home State (Katsina State); the Director-General of the Campaign lost his home State (Plateau State); the ruling Party Chairman lost his home State (Nassarawa State); the Chairman of the ruling Party’s Governor Forum lost his home State (Kebbi State) and the ruling party lost some of its traditional strong holds like Yobe State, Kaduna State and Kano State. All these go to show that it was a keenly contested election and one of the most credible in our history.
(13) The reports of some irregularities and violence in some polling units could not have affected the overall outcome of the elections too. There are 176,974 polling units in Nigeria and infractions and violence were recorded in less than one percent of these units. How could these have affected the overall results of the elections? Whilst we look forward to an era when there would be no single casualty during elections in Nigeria, however, the statistics show that 2023 recorded the lowest casualty rates ever. During the 1964/65 elections about 200 deaths were recorded as a result of election violence; 1993 election recorded 100 deaths; 1999 election recorded 80 deaths; 2003 polls recorded 100 deaths and 2007 polls recorded 300 deaths. The 2011 polls recorded 800 deaths, the 2015 polls recorded 100 deaths and the 2019 polls recorded 150 deaths. However, the 2023 polls recorded no more than 28 deaths as a result of election violence. So, the claim that this is the “worst” election so far is totally unfounded.
(14) In conclusion, our laws have provided for settled means by which election disputes are resolved. The aggrieved parties have taken advantage of this remedy by filing their cases in Court. We urge them to have faith in our judicial system and desist from spreading false tales about our election across the world.
Meanwhile, arrangements for the handover ceremonies are in full gear. The President-Elect will take his Oath of Office as President of Nigeria on May 29th, 2023. You are all invited.
Thank you.
FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb (UK) For and on behalf of the team
Nigerian politician, wife, and a doctor guilty of organ trafficking to UK Three convicted of conspiring to exploit a man for his kidney in first verdict of its kind under Modern Slavery Act.
A senior Nigerian politician, his wife, and a doctor have been convicted of organ trafficking, in the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act.
Ike Ekweremadu, 60, a former deputy president of the Nigerian senate, his wife, Beatrice, 56, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 51, were found guilty of facilitating the travel of a young man to Britain with a view to his exploitation after a six-week trial at the Old Bailey.
They criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney, the jury found.
The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had been offered an illegal reward to become a donor for the senator’s daughter after kidney disease forced her to drop out of a master’s degree in film at Newcastle University, the court heard. Sonia Ekweremadu was found not guilty.
She cried in court as her parents were sent down from the dock.
In February 2022 the man was falsely presented to a private renal unit at Royal Free hospital in London as Sonia’s cousin in a failed attempt to persuade medics to carry out an £80,000 transplant. For a fee, a medical secretary at the hospital acted as an Igbo translator between the man and the doctors to help try to convince them he was an altruistic donor, the court heard.
The prosecutor Hugh Davies KC told the court the Ekweremadus and Obeta had treated the man and other potential donors as “disposable assets – spare parts for reward”. He said they entered an “emotionally cold commercial transaction” with the man.
The behaviour of Ekweremadu, a successful lawyer and founder of an anti-poverty charity who helped draw up Nigeria’s laws against organ trafficking, showed “entitlement, dishonesty and hypocrisy”, Davies told the jury.
He said Ekweremadu, who owns several properties and had a staff of 80, “agreed to reward someone for a kidney for his daughter – somebody in circumstances of poverty and from whom he distanced himself and made no inquiries, and with whom, for his own political protection, he wanted no direct contact”.
Davies added: “What he agreed to do was not simply expedient in the clinical interests of his daughter, Sonia, it was exploitation, it was criminal. It is no defence to say he acted out of love for his daughter. Her clinical needs cannot come at the expense of the exploitation of somebody in poverty.”
Ekweremadu, who denied the charge, told the court he was the victim of a scam. Obeta, who also denied the charge, claimed the man was not offered a reward for his kidney and was acting altruistically. Beatrice denied any knowledge of the alleged conspiracy. Sonia did not give evidence.
WhatsApp messages showed to the court revealed Obeta charged Ekweremadu 4.5m naira (about £8,000) made up of an “agent fee” and a “donor fee”.
Ekweremadu and Obeta admitted falsely claiming the man was Sonia’s cousin in his visa application and in documents presented to the hospital.
Davies said Ekweremadu ignored medical advice to find a donor for his daughter among genuine family members. He said: “At no point in time was there ever any intention for a family member close, medium or distant to do what could be paid for from a pool of donors.”
The judge, Mr Justice Jeremy Johnson, will pass sentence on 5 May.
The chief crown prosecutor, Joanne Jakymec, said: “This was a horrific plot to exploit a vulnerable victim by trafficking him to the UK for the purpose of transplanting his kidney.
“The convicted defendants showed utter disregard for the victim’s welfare, health and wellbeing and used their considerable influence to a high degree of control throughout, with the victim having limited understanding of what was really going on here.”
DI Esther Richardson, from the Metropolitan police’s modern slavery and exploitation command, said: “This is a landmark conviction and we commend the victim for his bravery in speaking against these offenders.”
• This story was corrected on 23 March to reflect the fact that Sonia Ekweremadu was found not guilty in the case.
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SIMON EKPA : FINLAND AMBASSADOR DISOWNS VIRAL LETTER, DECLARING IT FAKE.
Finland’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvänäinen said the letter purportedly warning Simon Ekpa “is a complete fake but unfortunately has spread very widely sadly.”
The Government of Finland has disowned a letter attributed to its prime minister, Sanna Marin, purportedly asking a Nigerian-Finish lawyer to withdraw some controversial comments about the upcoming Nigerian general elections.
Finland’s Ambassador to Nigeria Leena Pylvänäinen in a phone interview with a National Daily, on Thursday, said “it is a complete fake but unfortunately has spread very widely sadly.”
According to the letter, Finland’s prime minister purportedly gave a 48-hour to Simon Ekpa, a Nigerian-Finish and headliner in the South-east Biafran agitation, to desist from encouraging Nigerians to boycott the upcoming general elections.
A viral letter on social media claims that the Finnish government has threatened to arrest Simon Ekpa, a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Recently, videos emerged on Facebook of Ekpa pronouncing a sit-at-home order in the eastern states of the country from February 23 to 28.
“On the 23rd day of February 2023, there will be a sit-at-home. On the 24th day of February 2023, there will be a lockdown in the entire Biafra territory. On the 25th day of February 2023, Biafra land will be under lock and key. On the 26th of February 2023, Biafra land will be sealed and will be under the lock of key, there will be no movement of chicken. On the 27th of February 2023, Biafra land will be under total lock and key. On the 28th of February 2023, Biafra land will be under lock and key,” Ekpa said in a broadcast.
“I want Biafrans to understand that these particular dates and days are still subject to review, review in the sense that the sit at home may be called off at any point in time. In addition to the affirmation dates, there will be an imposition of curfew on two of those days – on the 24th and 25th of February 2023. In addition to the sit-at-home, there will be a six-to-six curfew.
There will be an imposition of curfew on all federal roads in the following areas: all federal roads leading to Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo state.
“I want Biafrans to understand that on these days mentioned, it will be an open war between Biafra and Nigeria because we are fighting to protect our life, our property, our villages, our cultures and values. So, anybody who the Nigerian government send to come and fight Biafra, we will engage you.”
SIT-AT-HOME : SIMON EKPA’S DUAL CITIZENSHIP HINDERING FURTHER ACTIONS – FINNISH GOVT. TO BUHARI
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday summoned the Finnish Ambassador, over misinfornation, disinformation, hate speech and incitive comments by a Nigerian-Finnish lawyer and Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa, which many fear could derail the peaceful conduct of 2023 general elections.
At the meeting with the Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Leena Pylvanainen, Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama expressed displeasure over the orders given by Simon Ekpa to his teeming followers who consequently embarked on killings, maiming, burning and other destructive activities.
The Ekpa-led faction of the outlawed Indigenous People’s of Biafra (IPOB) had reportedly declared that elections will not be allowed to hold in the South-East, and had declared the period of the elections as sit-at-home.
The minister who was represented by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubairu Dada said Ekpa’s action is fast becoming a threat to the forthcoming election, and that the Federal Government would not take it lightly with him and the Finland governments if nothing drastic is not done.
According to Dada, Simon Ekpa is living in the comfort of his home in Finland and dishing out dangerous orders to his followers not to allow elections to hold which is threatening the peace of the south-eastern Nigeria.
“We thought it was important for us to have this chat with you to let you know that, of course, he’s living in the comfort of his home there in Finland and we know that we have been in touch with your good self,” Dada said.
“We’ve had some time to ensure that we arrest this situation but it appears the situation is getting out of hand. And we’re saying enough is enough. We should let you know, in very strong terms that it’s high time you really mean and back Nigeria with the quest that something be done immediately because he threatens the forthcoming elections.
“The sad thing is that this gentleman has a lot of followers out there. And the moment he issues these instructions, what happens is that you have destruction the very next day. They embark on killings, maimings and burning and you name it. And we believe this is not acceptable.
“It’s important to get to know that this elections are being threatened by the actions of someone, and that something needs to be done immediately, to address the situation. This in essence is why we thought it was important for us to have this discussion with you, so as to let you know our concerns and the displeasure of the Government of Nigeria and the people of Nigeria on this very unhealthy development.”
Responding, Pylvanainen said that while they are watching to see how this fits into the legal framework of Finland, the personality in question is a double citizen and there is a need to take his rights into consideration.
She described it as an irritant in the relations between Nigeria and Finland which are celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations this year.
The Finnish envoy said it has been 60 years of excellent cooperation bilaterally and on international fora and they can not trade such for anything as the issue is such a serious concern to Finland and efforts are ongoing to address it.
“This is something I want to make very, very clear. Finland condemns all violence and incitement to violence in all its forms. Political aims, of course, should be pursued through political means only. That is very clear,” she said.
“It stems from the fundamentals of our actions, it’s enshrined in our constitution, and we do really underline our support and the importance we see for these elections not only for Nigeria, but for the entire region. So we’re with you very much on that.
“We share very much the concerns regarding the security situation in the southeast? Yes, there are problems in other parts of the country as well. But this is an issue that we are directly concerned with. This is an issue we have been discussing, we share the concerns. We have discussed the matter and as I mentioned, our law enforcement agencies are in touch and are cooperating.
“We do have this irritant, as you call it on our bilateral agenda. And it is a topic on which we have been cooperating, our authorities have been cooperating, there have been contacts between the law enforcement agencies of Nigeria and Finland on this topic.
“We’ve had several discussions here in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which we do appreciate very much, because you said this is an issue of national concern to Nigeria nationally, but it is very much a concern for us as well.
” Finland of course, as a member of the EU has been part and parcel of these efforts. We have our own long term observers on the ground at the moment. We are very much interested in the safe and secure conduct of these elections throughout the country.
“Information has been shared, and we hope for more of that in order for all authorities to do their job and that is to investigate really what is going on and to see how this fits into the legal framework of Finland, because we are of course speaking of a Finnish citizen.
“Also, he’s a double citizen as far as I know of Nigeria and Finland, and he’s therefore as you rightly said, protected and safe and sound in his home in Finland. But we have to take his rights into consideration as well. So everything has to obviously be done according to Finnish legislation, which has very strong protections for freedom of speech.
“But of course, stipulations against hate speech and incitement to violence for us, the situation is really of concern on three accounts, even you could say it is of concern. Most of all, of course, on the ground in the Southeast, but also what we have seen over the recent weeks.”
