Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

– Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they are recognising a Palestinian state in a historic move that drew condemnation from Israel and jubilation from the Palestinians.

 

 

Israel immediately ordered back its ambassadors from Norway and Ireland.

 

It was a lightning cascade of announcements. First was Norway, whose Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said: “there cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”

 

Gahr Støre said the Scandinavian country will officially recognie a Palestinian state as of May 28. “By recognizing a Palestinian state, Norway supports the Arab peace plan,” he said.

 

 

Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region.

 

The decision may generate momentum for the recognition of a Palestinian state by other EU countries and could spur further steps at the United Nations, deepening Israel’s isolation.

 

 

Norway, which is not a member of the European Union, but mirror its moves, has been an ardent supporter of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

 

“The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel,” the Norwegian government leader said. “Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state.”

 

 

The move comes as Israeli forces have led assaults on the northern and southern edges of the Gaza Strip in May, causing a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.

 

The Scandinavian country “will, therefore, regard Palestine as an independent state with all the rights and obligations that entails,” Gahr Støre said.

 

 

The development comes more than 30 years after the first Oslo agreement was signed in 1993. Since then, “the Palestinians have taken important steps towards a two-state solution,” the Norwegian government said.

 

It said that the World Bank determined that a Palestinian state had met key criteria to function as a state in 2011, that national institutions have been built up to provide the population with important services.

 

 

“The war in Gaza and the constant expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank still mean that the situation in Palestine is more difficult than it has been in decades,” the Norwegian government said.

 

Also Wednesday, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris made his announcement, saying it was a move coordinated with Spain and Norway, “an historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine.” He said the move was intended to help move the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to resolution through a two-state solution.

 

Harris said he thinks other countries will join Norway, Spain and Ireland in recognizing a Palestinian state “in the weeks ahead.”

 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that his country would recognise a Palestinian state also on May 28. Sánchez, Spain’s Socialist leader since 2018, made the expected announcement to the nation’s Parliament on Wednesday.

 

 

Sánchez has spent months touring European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, as well as a possible ceasefire in Gaza. He has said several times that he was committed to the move.

 

“We know that this initiative won’t bring back the past and the lives lost in Palestine, but we believe that it will give the Palestinians two things that are very important for their present and their future: dignity and hope,” Sánchez said.

This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people,” Sánchez added, while acknowledging that it will most likely cause diplomatic tensions with Tel Aviv. “It is an act in favor of peace, justice and moral consistency.”

 

Sánchez argued that the move is needed to support the viability of a two-state solution that he said “is in serious danger” with the war in Gaza.

 

 

“I have spent weeks and months speaking with leaders inside and outside of the region and if one thing is clear is that Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu does not have a project of peace for Palestine, even if the fight against the terrorist group Hamas is legitimate,” the Spanish leader said.

 

Earlier this month, Spain’s Foreign Minister José Albares said he had informed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken of his government’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state.

 

The fast-moving developments drew Israel’s condemnation.

 

Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered Israel’s ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to immediately return to Israel, as Norway said it would recognize a Palestinian state and Ireland was expected to do the same.

 

“Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: terrorism pays,” Katz said.

 

 

He said that the recognition could impede efforts to return Israel’s hostages being held in Gaza and makes a cease-fire less likely by “rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran.” He also threatened to recall Israel’s ambassador to Spain if the country takes a similar position.

 

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed Norway’s recognition of a Palestinian state and called on other countries to follow.

 

 

In a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency, Abbas said Norway’s decision will enshrine “the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination” and support efforts to bring about a two-state solution with Israel. (AP

Labour Unions in Nigeria will resume negotiations with the government on a new minimum wage later today, Wednesday, by 4pm.

Organised Labour has on Tuesday rejected the N54,000 proposed by the Federal government as a new minimum wage.

 

FG had in a meeting with Labour proposed N54,000 as against its earlier N48,000 offer. One of the leaders of the Organised Labour who attended the meeting revealed this to newsmen in Abuja after talks.

 

Organised Labour comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, walked out on the Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage following the proposed N48,000 as minimum wage by the Federal Government.

 

Last week Organised Labour told FG to perish any thought of offering N100,000 as the new minimum wage.

It also asked the government to be serious with negotiations on the issue of workers’ wages, insisting that it used the lowest minimum in arriving at N615,000 as the new minimum wage.

 

It was learnt that representatives of the federal government offered the minimum wage different from the N48,000 that was offered last week but members of the organised labour maintained their stance that only N615,000 is a living wage for workers.

 

Members of both the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) stormed out in anger at a meeting that was held last week with a view to meet the May 31 deadline.

 

The two labour unions after the meeting summoned an emergency news briefing where they wondered why the government and members of the organised private sector disgraced Nigerian workers with what they described as “ridiculous offers”.

 

At the resumed meeting on Tuesday, our correspondent gathered that the representatives of the government offered N54,000 as a new minimum wage, the development that made the meeting to end in a stalemate.

 

An official of TUC, who spoke to our correspondent with a directive that his name should not be mentioned explained that there was so much “macrebadance” before the government even put forward N54,000.

 

“After so much dilly-dallying, the federal government side at Tuesday’s minimum wage negotiation meeting proposed N54,000. But because the representatives of the state governors do not have the mandate to endorse or reject whatever the federal government proposes, we will hear their decision before we respond.”

 

“So by tomorrow, (Wednesday) at 4pm when the meeting will sit again to continue the negotiations, we will hear their input and then reveal our position. We have also met with the Organised Private Sector (OPS) and discussed.

 

“Our intent is to have a hitch free negotiation on their side. We did this because we are poised to do everything possible to ensure that negotiation is concluded and Nigerian workers have a new minimum wage by May 31.

 

“We are very serious about taking actions in the interest of protecting and promoting the welfare of Nigerian workers. So on our part, we will do our best to ensure smooth negotiation.

 

“But any form of delay tactics on the government side will attract serious industrial action. So for now, we have not revealed a new figure”, the labour leader

noted.

 

The Executive Director/CEO of National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Shaibu Husseini, says the Federal Government has approved the prohibition of money r!tuals and glamourizing of vices in Nigerian films.

 

Husseini disclosed this while speaking at a National Stakeholders Engagement on Smoke-Free Nollywood held in Enugu on Wednesday, May 22. The NFVCB boss said.

today, we are facing an industry emergency requiring bold and ambitious actions from all parents, guardians and stakeholders.

When my predecessor approached the former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed on the need to make a subsidiary legislation to curtail the display of smoking in Nigerian movies, he saw the need to include money rituals. Others included in the regulation are ritual killings and glamourising other crimes in order to further sanitise the film industry.

 

Today, I am delighted to announce to you that the Minister of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, pursuant to section 65 of the NFVCB Act 2004 has approved the regulation.

 

The minister has approved the Prohibition of Money Ritual, Ritual Killing, Tobacco, Tobacco Products, Nicotine Product Promotion and Glamorisation display in Movies, Musical Videos and Skits” Regulations 2024.

 

We have also forwarded the approved copy to the Federal Ministry of Justice for Gazette’’ he said

 

According to Husseini, besides the health implications, glamourising smoking in films poses a negative influence on teens and young adults who constitute the largest segment of Nigeria movie viewers. He said that the board was set to undertake detailed enlightenment programmes in secondary schools, tertiary institutions, local communities, faith groups and other institutions

As predicted by many, the entry of Nigeria’s major carrier, Air Peace, into the lucrative Lagos-London route has not only triggered a price war and ground operations politics at the London end but also sparked an international media attack aimed at removing the Nigerian airline from the once monopolized route dominated by foreign airlines.

 

Since Air Peace joined the route on March 30, 2024, with more affordable prices compared to the previous rates, we have witnessed a price war led by foreign airlines in an attempt to push Air Peace out of the market, just as they did with previous Nigerian airlines on the same route. It is worth noting that Nigerian carriers like Arik, Medview, and Bellview have attempted the London route in the past but were met with frustration and eventually closed their operations.

 

In what looks like a coordinated plan with multiple phases, starting from the price war to ground operations frustration and now the media attack, all because a Nigerian carrier joined the Lagos-London route. Yesterday, a UK-based media outfit, the Daily Mail, launched the first media attack on Air Peace CEO, labeling him a fugitive who allegedly used his plane to transport Prince Harry and his wife Meghan during their recent visit to Nigeria.

is reported in various British media that the Royal family is not happy that Prince Harry and his wife’s trip to Nigeria was received with such royal receptions, even though it was a private visit. British media have been striving to portray their visit negatively using the media to drive this narrative. However, Nigerians on social media are not giving in to that and continue to defend their country and Prince Harry and Meghan’s visit with patriotism.

 

Meanwhile, Air Peace started direct flights from Lagos to London on March 30, offering round-trip economy tickets at a price of N1.2 million, which is significantly lower than the previous prices charged by foreign airlines, which could go as high as N3 million.

Before Air Peace joined the Lagos-London route on March 30, the cost of flight tickets in the week prior showed that a one-way economy class ticket from Lagos to London on British Airways used to cost N3 million for Economy and N11 million for Business Class, which has now dropped to N1.7 million for economy and N6.8 million for Business Class respectively.

On Lufthansa, a one-way Economy class ticket from Lagos to London, which used to cost about N3 million, and N9 million for Business class, was later reduced to N2 million for economy class and N7 million for Business Class respectively.

On Virgin Atlantic, the same destination which used to cost about N2 million for Economy, N5 million for Economy Premium, and N12 million for Business Class, now costs N1.5 million for Economy, N3 million for Premium, an.

In the words of Adeyileka, “They have been enjoying a monopoly on the Nigerian route, but now that a Nigerian carrier has joined the market, they want to wage war and drive it out. If they succeed, within 48 hours the airlines will more than double the prices. They will increase the fares by 300 percent.”

 

Meanwhile, Onyema has maintained his innocence, saying back in 2019: “Be rest assured that I also have my lawyers on this and these mere allegations will be refuted.”d N6 million for Business Class.

I never laundered money in my life, neither have I committed bank fraud anywhere in the world,” he further asserted. “Every Kobo [Nigerian currency] I transferred to the US for aircraft purchase went through the Central Bank of Nigeria LC regime and all were used for the same purpose.”

The Nigerian Communications Commission (the Commission) informed all stakeholders of a temporary suspension on issuance of new licences in the following categories:

 

This is In line with its powers under the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, to grant and renew licences, promote fair competition and develop the Communications Industry,

This is contained in a statement signed by Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs,Nigerian Communications Commission(NCC).

The categories are:

1. Interconnect Exchange Licence

 

2. Mobile Virtual Network Operator Licence

 

3. Value Added Service Aggregator Licence

 

According to NCC,the temporary suspension is necessary to enable the Commission conduct a thorough review of several key areas within these categories, including the current level of competition, market saturation and current market dynamics.

 

The public is invited to note that during the suspension period commencing on 17th of May, 2024, new application for the aforementioned licences will not be accepted.

 

“This is without prejudice to pending applications before the Commission which will be considered on their merits.

 

“Any enquiries or clarifications in respect of this Suspension Notice should be forwarded to: licensing@ncc.gov.ng,” Muoka said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, through the Bank of Industry (BOI), to extend its single-digit interest-rate financing to media organizations in the country.

This is contained in a statement signed by Rabiu Ibrahim

Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation and made a copy available to The Reporters on Wednesday in Abuja.

 

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris stated this in Abuja on Wednesday when he received members of the Independent Broadcasting Association of Nigeria (IBAN) on a courtesy visit to his office.

 

According to the Minister, the gesture is in keeping with the administration’s resolve to create an enabling business environment for the media to operate in Nigeria.

 

“Let me say that the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation under my leadership, as part of our five pillars, will support all media platforms in this country, whether they are public or private.

Three commissioners in the cabinet of Gov. Siminilaye Fubara of Rivers resigned on Wednesday as political crisis between the governor and Nyesom Wike, his predecessor deepens.

The commissioners are those of Housing, Dr. Gift Worlu; Environment, Austin Ben Chioma and Education, Prof. Chinedu Mmom.

 

The affected commissioners provided different reasons for their reignation.

 

The crisis took a turn for the worst on Tuesday when the governor openly accused Wike of accumulating debts for the state through his failure to pay for executed contracts. (GBN)