Headline

Anxiety As Owan Forest Communities Drag Edo State Government To ECOWAS Court

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2022

Our Reporter

There is intense uneasiness and tongue-wagging around Edo State, as the state government has been dragged to the Community Court of Justice Economic Communities of West African States (ECOWAS), Abuja, by over 45 forested and agrarian communities of the Owan Forest Zone of the state, spreading across its four local government areas of Ovia North East, Uhunmwode, Owan West and Owan East.

The suit, reference no:ECW /CCJ/APP/22/22, was filed on 11 May, 2022, by its First Plaintiff, the Incorporated Trustees of the Okpamakhin Community Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), comprising farmers and other land users, drawn from the cluster communities (clans) of Irhue, Ozalla, Ora, Iuleha, Sobe and others.

The Second Plaintiffs are eight men and women, who are farmers and other land users of the forest zone.

The suit was filed by the communities’ lawyer on the matter, President Aigbokhan, Esq., with his legal team.

Aigbokhan, a Benin-based Freedom of Information (FOI) protagonist and human rights lawyer, had recently won a major suit at the same ECOWAS Court, against Edo State Government, with thousands of US Dollars damages to the petitioners.

By the ECOWAS Court’s suit, the ranging disputes on the forest zone, between the state government and the communities, also called Okpamakhin, seems to have come to a climax.

Over a year ago, the state governor, Mr. Obaseki, in conjunction with Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, inaugurated a N69 billion fund for establishment of oil palm plantations in the state, bringing forward some foreign and local private companies and local growers of oil palm as beneficiaries.

Governor Obaseki told newsmen that he had earmarked tens of thousands of the state’s forest reserve estate for the project, which continued to be under disputes.

The statutory Defendant in the suit is the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN), who stands in for state governments on such matters as with the ECOWAS Court, pursuant to the FRN’s being a founding member state of ECOWAS, subject to the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court and loyalty of FRN to the various charters and protocols of the United Nations, African and ECOWAS, as well as Nigeria’s local laws and regulations.

In the suit, the first and second plaintiffs prayed the regional Court to amongst other things, protect their inalienable rights and get judgment against the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government, who had ceded their communities’ vast ancestral forest reserves to private investors, to establish oil palm plantations and other agricultural activities, without their due information, consultation and consent.

Some of the Plaintiffs’ claims, which they also want the Court to stop, are the forceful takeover of their ancestral land by the State Government, with undue harassment of the communities and the locals by heavily armed policemen, stating that the land within the two forest reserves of Owan BC 10 Forest Reserve and Iuleha/Ora/Ozalla, that form a larger part of the Owan Forest Zone, is the communities mainstay, that were acquired by the British Colonial Government, who was duly accountable to their local communities, owners of the land, whereas the present state government, who the land was simply handed to should not act to the contrary

Headline

LIST: 25 Countries Where TikTok Is Banned

Published

34 mins ago

April 26, 2024

Editor

United States President Joe Biden recently signed a bill that could potentially result in the ban of TikTok in the US if its Chinese-owned parent company, ByteDance, fails to sell it within a year.

US lawmakers are concerned about the potential national security risks associated with the app, particularly if the Chinese government were to gain access to the data it collects.

Many countries have taken action to limit or ban TikTok, citing worries about privacy, security, or ethical issues.

Different approaches have been taken by various countries, with some implementing comprehensive restrictions and others focusing on particular features of the app or a partial ban on government devices.

Here is a list of countries that have implemented various forms of restrictions:

Countries with a complete ban

China

TikTok’s international version is not accessible within China. Instead, users are required to download Douyin, the Chinese counterpart of TikTok, which is subject to strict content control by the Chinese Communist Party.

Senegal

Senegal implemented a complete ban on the application following allegations that an opposition candidate had utilised the platform to disseminate “hateful and subversive messages.” The Senegalese government has declined to restore the app until a system is created that enables them to delete individual accounts.

Somalia

The Somali government officially outlawed TikTok, Telegram, and 1XBet, an online betting platform, in August 2023.

North Korea

Access to the internet is heavily restricted for the majority of North Korean citizens. While a select few websites and apps are allowed for the privileged elite, TikTok is not included in this list.

Afghanistan

In April 2022, the Taliban government decided to ban TikTok, citing concerns about its influence on young people.

India

India banned TikTok in 2020, including on personal devices, following a border clash between China and India in 2020. The ban was prompted by concerns about data theft and the government’s claim that certain apps were stealing. Many creators migrated to YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.

Iran

TikTok, along with other globally popular social media platforms like X and Facebook, has been banned by the Islamic Republic.

Uzbekistan

Since July 2021, TikTok has been inaccessible in Uzbekistan due to the authorities’ claim that the app does not adhere to the country’s personal data protection laws.

Countries with a partial ban on TikTok

Indonesia

In October 2023, Indonesia took action against TikTok Shop, a feature of the app that enables creators to sell products to their followers, due to its violation of the country’s e-commerce laws.

Kyrgyzstan

In August 2023, the small country, which was once part of the Soviet Union, decided to ban TikTok. The government justified this action by stating that the application harmed the growth and well-being of children.

Russia

There are limitations on the content that Russians can access on TikTok, resulting in a primary focus on videos created by Russian users. Recent reports indicate that the Russian government is planning to prohibit the use of TikTok, to promote the adoption of local social media platforms among its citizens.

Countries with bans on government-owned devices

In April 2023, the Australian government decided to ban TikTok on their devices. However, it remains accessible on devices owned by the general public.

Austria

In May 2023, TikTok was banned on all devices used by government employees in Austria.

Canada

On February 28, Canada banned the use of TikTok on all devices provided by the government because of concerns regarding privacy and security.

Denmark

In March 2023, Denmark’s Ministry of Defence decided to ban the use of the app on its employees’ work phones. Additionally, the country’s main public service broadcaster implemented specific protocols, requiring journalists to obtain special approval before using the app for reporting purposes. This action was taken in response to a warning from Denmark’s Centre for Cybersecurity.

Estonia

In March 2023, the use of TikTok on the work phones of state officials in Estonia was banned.

European Union

Employees of the European Parliament, European Commission, and E.U. Council are no longer allowed to have TikTok on their work phones, as the three main institutions of the E.U. implemented a ban.

France

In March of 2023, France banned the use of Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok on government employees’ mobile devices.

United Kingdom

In March 2023, the U.K. banned all government employees from using TikTok on government-provided mobile devices.

United States

The US military and US Congress have both taken action to block access to TikTok on all of their personnel’s devices.

Nearly half of the states have outright banned the app on state-owned devices, and in March 2023, the federal government followed suit.

Ireland

In April 2023, the Irish government implemented a ban on TikTok for use on government devices.

Belgium

The Belgian government announced in March 2024 the ban of the app on all government devices. TikTok remains accessible on devices not associated with government entities.

Taiwan

In December 2022, Taiwan implemented a ban on the usage of Chinese-made software, including TikTok, on all government devices. This decision came after a warning from the FBI.

Latvia

The Latvian Foreign Ministry banned the app from official company phones in March 2023.

Malta

In Malta, government-provided cell phones have restricted access to TikTok and other non-government applications.

Headline

Group Of Top Male Footballers ‘Planning To Come Out As Gay Next Month

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

A group of top male footballers ‘are planning to come out as gay on May 17.

German outlet Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung claims a group of professionals across the country will declare publicly their sexual orientation.

The date in question is of particular reference as it is the International Day Against Homophobia.

It is believed that all of the clubs the reported players are aware of the planned proposals.

However, Preussische Allgemeine Zeitung adds that some players still have reservations about revealing their homosexuality and could still make a U-turn in doing so.

Marcus Urban is a former footballer in Germany who came out as gay in 2007, 16 years after quitting the sport. Urban, now 52, is the co-founder of Diversero, a global community for diversity, and hopes next month’s plans do come to fruition.

‘I think they are respected and celebrated for that. Not by everyone, that’s clear. But hate speech cannot be a criterion for a life,

‘May 17 is an offer,’ he told the Editorial Network Germany (RND). ‘A date that you could use as a guide and get together as a group.

‘There is controversy there. Do I still want to wait until the world of football becomes the way I want it to be? Why should I wait? An interesting dynamic has come into play, you can see that people’s minds are starting to move and are thinking about whether it really makes sense to continue to hide and deny themselves.

Urban went on to reveal that there are gay couples playing in the Bundesliga too – declaring it would be ‘liberating’ if they came out.

‘There are also gay Bundesliga couples who are in hiding,’ he continued.

‘That would be so liberating. What’s wrong with it.’

Headline

Saudi Arabia Opens First Alcohol Store, Nigerian Muslims React

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Editor

Nigerian Muslims have gone on X to express outrage after it was announced that Saudi Arabia has opened its first alcohol store in Riyadh.

Alcohol consumption is against the teachings of Islam and Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country, has always obeyed to this law by forbidding the operation of alcohol stores in the country.

However, for the first time, the country opened its first alcohol store in the diplomatic quarter of its capital Riyadh.

After it was announced on X, Nigerian Muslims took to the platform to express their displeasure.

“Disgraceful,” one Nigerian Muslim wrote on X. “They’re slowly turning Saudi Arabia into Las Vegas and it’s making me mad. At the rate they’re going , very soon they’ll legalize prostitution and same sex marriage in our most sacred city.”

Nigerian Muslims read the riot act after Saudi Arabia opened its first alcohol store.

Another said: “It’s baffling and disgusting to see that Saudi Arabia has opened the first alcohol store in Riyadh.

“I wonder why the current crown prince is going against the teachings of the holy prophet by accommodating western cultures in a country like Saudi Arabia where the two most holy mosque are situated.

“This is an insult to the religion of peace and the entire Muslim ummah. It’s disgraceful.”