News
Content Creator, Skit Makers Get Boost In Edo, As FG Sets Up Digital Hub In Benin
Published
5 months agoon
By
Editor
The Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mr. Charles Ebuebu, on Wednesday, revealed plans by his agency to partner with Edo State Government to create a digital hub that will enhance better broadcasting services, content development, skit making, among others in the state.
The DG, who stated this when he paid a courtesy visit to Governor Monday Okpebholo in Government House, Benin City, disclosed that this would be achieved through Edo State Broadcasting Service (EBS).
A statement signed by Fred Itua, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, quoted The NBC boss, as saying, “We have shared some of the ideas, and we commend you, Your Excellency, on your remarkable achievements in a few months in office.
“We are ready to partner the administration on some of the objectives to enable us to bring up the standard of broadcasting in Edo State and empower the youths, using EBS as a platform.
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“NBC will collaborate with your administration to develop the youths and harness their talents, using EBS as a viable platform.
“We have youths with so much content, but no platform to put the contents.
“We will partner with EBS to create that platform that the youths will explore to break even.The partnership will equally help EBS to grow.
“The visit is very promising, and NBC chose to partner with Edo State, which is the first amongst other States. We are partnering with his administration to see what we can do with the media on how to empower the youths to produce more contents and be able to give a platform where they can be visible in Nigeria. Also, all over the world and be able to monetize their contents.
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“Our visit to the Governor is very rewarding. We have been able to touch on certain initiatives which we have the mandate to deploy all over the country, and that is a digital switch over. That is, we are digitalizing signals, clearer pictures, and more content.”
In his response, Okpebholo commended the NBC for choosing to partner with the Edo State Government.
He said his administration will create an enabling environment to ensure that the partnership is successful.
He noted that the NBC decided to partner with his administration and use EBS as a platform after recognizing the very many achievements recorded in just a few months.
He assured the NBC that the necessary support needed to enable broadcasting to thrive in Edo State will be provided.
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“I want to welcome you to Edo State, and you have started well by choosing to partner with us in the State. Edo is a home of history and culture. We have everything here. Coming to partner with us shows you recognize what we are doing in Edo State,” Governor Okpebholo noted.
On his part, Managing Director, EBS, Sulaiman Aledeh, commended the Okpebholo-led administration for the developmental strides EBS has received in the last few months of the current administration.
He noted that in less than 100 days in office, the Okpebholo administration has been able to revive the EBS station in Ihievbe, Edo North, which has been down for over a decade.
“I never saw this day coming where a regulator will come to partner with us. This has been made possible because of the road map given to us by his Excellency, Governor Monday Okpebholo.
“In less than 100 days in office, our office at Ihievbe has been activated by Governor Okpebholo, a station that has been down for over a decade. Our key focus with that station is to bring back Edo language and pigin to spice up our broadcasting,” he said.
He noted that the partnership will yield better results, as Edo State has a lot of content creators and skit makers, among others.
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News
LG Chairman Drags Niger Govt To Court Over Alleged Tenure Reduction
Published
10 hours agoon
July 25, 2025By
Editor
Alhaji Aminu Yakubu-Ladan, the Chairman of Chanchaga Local Government Area (LGA) in Niger, has sued the state government over alleged reduction of tenure of local government chairmen and councillors.
Yakubu-Ladan, in the suit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, sought an order restraining the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) and its co-defendants from conducting the scheduled LGAs’ election until the expiration of their tenure.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NSIEC has fixed November 1 for the conduct of the local government poll across the state.
However, the plaintiff, in the suit, named the Attorney-General of Niger State, the House of Assembly, NSIEC, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Inspector-General (IG) of Police as 1st to 5th defendants respectively.
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The chairman is challenging the constitutionality of the Niger State Local Government Law, 2001, which seeks to reduce the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors from four years to three years.
Yakubu-Ladan, in the originating summons marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1370/2025, dated July 10 but filed July 11 by his counsel, Chris Udeoyibo, sought eight questions for determination.
The chairman questions whether the state government can enforce inconsistent local government law, 2001 (as amended), which clashed with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022.
“Should Niger State Local Government Law Section 29 (2) be declared unconstitutional for clashing with the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2022,” he said.
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The plaintiff seeks a declaration that a four-year tenure for local government chairmen and councillors is constitutionally guaranteed by virtue of the Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022.
The suit also challenged the NSIEC’s preparation for the local government elections slated for November 1.
The plaintiff, therefore, seeks an order restraining the defendants from the elections on Nov. 1 until the expiration of a four-year tenure for chairmen and councillors.
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The suit also seeks to restrain INEC and the I-G from providing logistical support and security protection for the election.
Yakubu-Ladan argued that the state’s local government law, 2001, is inconsistent with Section 7 of the constitution and Sections 018 and 150 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The suit is yet to be assigned to a judge as of the time of the report.
News
France’s Top Court Annuls Arrest Warrant Against Syria’s Ex-president al-Assad
Published
10 hours agoon
July 25, 2025By
Editor
France’s highest court Friday annulled a French arrest warrant against Syria’s ex-president Bashar al-Assad — issued before his ouster — over 2013 deadly chemical attacks.
The Court of Cassation ruled there were no exceptions to presidential immunity, even for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
But its presiding judge, Christophe Soulard, added that, as Assad was no longer president after an Islamist-led group toppled him in December, “new arrest warrants can have been, or can be, issued against him” and as such the investigation into the case could continue.
Human rights advocates had hoped the court would rule that immunity did not apply because of the severity of the allegations, which would have set a major precedent in international law towards holding accused war criminals to account.
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French authorities issued the warrant against Assad in November 2023 over his alleged role in the chain of command for a sarin gas attack that killed more than 1,000 people, according to US intelligence, on August 4 and 5, 2013 in Adra and Douma outside Damascus.
Assad is accused of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity in the case. Syrian authorities at the time denied involvement and blamed rebels.
– Universal jurisdiction –
The French judiciary tackled the case under the principle of universal jurisdiction, whereby a court may prosecute individuals for serious crimes committed in other countries.
An investigation — based on testimonies of survivors and military defectors, as well as photos and video footage — led to warrants for the arrest of Assad, his brother Maher who headed an elite army unit, and two generals.
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Public prosecutors approved three of the warrants, but issued an appeal against the one targeting Assad, arguing he should have immunity as a head of state.
The Paris Court of Appeal in June last year however upheld it, and prosecutors again appealed.
But in December, Assad’s circumstances changed.
He and his family fled to Russia, according to Russian authorities, after he was ousted by advancing rebels.
In January, French investigating magistrates issued a second arrest warrant against Assad for suspected complicity in war crimes for a bombing in the Syrian city of Deraa in 2017 that killed a French-Syrian civilian.
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– Indictment of ex-bank governor valid –
The Court of Cassation said Assad’s so called “personal immunity”, granted because of his office, meant he could not be targeted by arrest warrants until his ouster.
But it ruled that “functional immunity”, which is granted to people who perform certain functions of state, could be lifted in the case of accusations of severe crimes.
Thus it upheld the French judiciary’s indictment in another case of ex-governor of the Central Bank of Syria and former finance minister, Adib Mayaleh, for complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity over alleged funding of the Assad government during the civil war.
READ ALSO:
Mayaleh obtained French nationality in 1993, and goes by the name Andre Mayard on his French passport.
Syria’s war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions from their homes since its eruption in 2011 with the then-government’s brutal crackdown on anti-Assad protests.
Assad’s fall on December 8, 2024 ended his family’s five-decade rule.
AFP
Headline
Fashion Designers, IT Specialists: UK Opens Door To Foreign Talents With New Visa Rules
Published
11 hours agoon
July 25, 2025By
Editor
The United Kingdom has expanded its Skilled Worker visa route to include more than 70 mid-level occupations, opening the door for foreign professionals such as fashion designers, technicians, and IT specialists to work in the country with salaries starting from €29,000.
This move, which took effect on July 22, 2025, is part of the government’s strategy to tackle urgent labour shortages by easing access to roles traditionally considered outside the high-skilled visa category.
The update introduces a newly expanded Temporary Shortage Occupation List (TSOL), which comes with significantly lower salary thresholds and streamlined visa processes for eligible roles across sectors such as engineering, construction, healthcare, science, finance, creative arts, and information technology.
The changes reflect a deliberate shift to address staffing gaps in industries critical to the UK economy.
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Under the revised rules, salary requirements now vary based on an applicant’s visa history. While standard
thresholds still apply to newcomers, those categorized as “new entrants,” PhD holders, or individuals with continuous Skilled Worker visas prior to April 4, 2024, can qualify at lower salary levels.
For instance, a pipe fitter who previously needed to earn at least £46,000 can now be eligible with £40,400. Engineering technicians are permitted at £34,700, down from £42,500. In the creative sector, fashion designers can now qualify with £29,100, while data analysts in tech are eligible at £28,600. Laboratory technicians in science and healthcare can apply with £25,000, reduced from the standard £33,400.
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This restructured visa list is seen as a direct response to economic and political pressures surrounding skills shortages. It seeks to make the UK labor market more globally competitive while addressing domestic gaps in practical, mid-level roles.
Despite these new allowances, all applicants must still meet basic eligibility requirements, including having a confirmed job offer from a licensed UK sponsor and obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship. Applications must also include proof of qualifications, salary information, and a valid job match aligned with the official occupation codes.
Although the government describes the updated list as temporary, no fixed end date has been announced.
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