Headline

Emulate Aisha Buhari’s Humanitarian Gesture, NYSC DG Urges Nigerians

Published

3 years ago

March 1, 2022

Our Correspondent, Bauchi

Director-General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Maj.-Gen. Shuaibu Ibrahim, has called on wealthy Nigerians and corporate bodies to emulate the humanitarian gesture of Nigeria’s First Lady, Hajiya Aisha Buhari.

Ibrahim made the call on Tuesday during the swearing-in of the 2022 Batch “A” Stream I corps members at the orientation camp in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

He lauded the donation of medical equipment by the first lady, saying that this had helped in easing the corps’ medical outreaches to rural areas.

“May I appeal for the support of all stakeholders for the success of our health initiative for rural dwellers, which is aimed at providing easier access to free and qualitative health care, especially for the indigent.

“I implore them to take a cue from the first lady by donating well-equipped ambulances for the operation of NYSC mobile clinics as well as other essential equipment and drugs.

” These will facilitate the conduct of our medical outreaches, thus boosting the provision of quality medical services to rural dwellers,” he said.

Represented by the state Coordinator of NYSC, Alhaji Namadi Abubakar, Ibrahim said that the orientation course was a platform for kick-starting various activities.

These activities, he said, would enable the corps members realise their potential and attain individual feats, both within and beyond the period of service.

He, therefore, enjoined the corps members to avail themselves of the ‘once-in-a-life-time’ opportunity by participating actively in all the camp activities.

The Director-General also appreciated the House of Representatives for the progress made so far on the Bill for the establishment of NYSC Trust Fund.

“I also wish to thank Nigerians for the continuous show of support for the proposed trust fund, as overwhelmingly demonstrated during the public hearing conducted by the House Committee on Youth on the matter.

“I wish to once again appeal to the appropriate authorities to provide the necessary enablement for the actualisation of the fund.

“This will surely enhance the smooth operation of the scheme, especially by addressing the challenge of infrastructure and boosting our skills and entrepreneurship development programme,” he said.

INFO DAILY reports that 1,700 corps members were deployed to the state for their one year mandatory national youth service.

However, 1,500 of the corps members were sworn-in for the orientation course, owing to redeployment of some of them.

Headline

42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

34 minutes ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

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Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

44 minutes ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP

Headline

Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

48 minutes ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP