Pope Francis decried the state of democracy and warned against “populists” during a short visit to Trieste in Italy’s northeast on Sunday ahead of a 12-day trip to Asia — the longest of his papacy.

“Democracy is not in good health in the world today,” Francis said during a speech at the city’s convention centre to close a national Catholic event.

Without naming any countries, the pope warned against “ideological temptations and populists” on the day that France holds the second round of a snap parliamentary vote that looks set to see the far right National Rally (RN) party take the largest share of the vote.

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“Ideologies are seductive. Some people compare them to the Pied Piper of Hamelin: they seduce but lead you to deny yourself,” he said in reference to the German fairytale.

Ahead of last month’s European parliament elections, bishops in several countries also warned about the rise of populism and nationalism, with far-right parties already holding the reins to power in Italy, Hungary and the Netherlands.

Francis also urged people to “move away from polarisations that impoverish” and hit out at “self-referential power”.

After Venice in April and Verona in May, the half-day trip to Trieste, a city of 200,000 inhabitants on the Adriatic Sea that borders Slovenia, marked the third one within Italy this year for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has suffered increasing health problems in recent years.

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Since travelling to the French city of Marseille in September 2023, the Argentine Jesuit has limited himself to domestic travel.

But he plans to spend nearly two weeks in Asia in September visiting Indonesia, Singapore and the islands of Papua New Guinea and East Timor.

He arrived in Trieste shortly before 9:00 am (0600 GMT) and was due to meet with various groups from the religious and academic spheres, along with migrants and the disabled.

The papal visit is due to conclude with a mass in the city’s main public square before he departs for the Vatican in the early afternoon.

AFP

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced that students enrolled in 36 state-owned tertiary institutions can now apply for student loan effective from Sunday,…

The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has announced that students enrolled in 36 state-owned tertiary institutions can now apply for student loan effective from Sunday, July 7, 2024.

NELFUND said the management of the institutions had successfully submitted their student data to the NELFUND Student Verification System (SVS).

This was contained in a post made at the Fund’s X handle on Sunday.

Recall that the management of the Fund has postponed the application for the loan by two weeks for state-owned institutions on the ground that many of them failed to upload the required student data and fees information to the NELFUND Student Verification System (SVS).

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The Fund however urged all other state-owned tertiary institutions to submit their complete student data to the NELFUND Student Verification System timely to enable their students benefit from the scheme.

Meanwhile, students from the following state institutions can now apply for the loan: Adamawa State University, Mubi; Ramat Polytechnic, Maiduguri; Borno State University; Mohammed Lawan College of Agriculture, Borno State; Edo State University, Uzairue; Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti; Gombe State University; Kingsley Ozumba Mbadiwe University, Imo State; Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Umuagwo; Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria; Yusuf Maitama Sule University, Kano; Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina; Katsina State Institute of Technology and Management; Kebbi State University of Science and Technology Aliero; and Confluence University of Science and Technology, Kogi State.

Others are Lagos State University of Education; Lagos State University; Nasarawa State University, Keffi; Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State; University of Medical Sciences, Ondo; Osun State University; University of Ilesa, Osun State; GTC, ARA Osun State; Taraba State University, Jalingo; Umar Suleiman College of Education, Gashua Yobe State; Zamfara State University, Talata Mafara and few other GTC institutions in Osun State.

President Bola Tinubu has been re-elected as the chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.

He was re-elected at the 65th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of States and Government at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nigeria.

President Tinubu, who accepted his re-election, appointed the President of Senegal to join in the mediation with Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.

Meanwhile, Tinubu urged members states of the region to fulfil their financial commitments to the regional body to effectively tackle security challenges.

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President Tinubu, who gave the charge at the 65th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS, said substantial financial resources are crucial to operationalize the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) and combat terrorism, banditry and violent extremism.

The Nigeria President, whose one-year tenure as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority is expected to expire tomorrow, July 9, urged member states to honor their financial obligations to enable ECOWAS to meet the expectations and recommendations of its ministers of Defense and Finance.

He contended that fulfilling the commitments will help stabilize the region and counter insecurity, adding that by meeting their financial commitments, ECOWAS member states will demonstrate their dedication to regional security and cooperation, enabling the community to better address the security challenges facing West Africa.

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According to him, “Let me underscore that a peaceful and secure society is essential for achieving our potentials, move to operationalise the ECOWAS Standby Force (ESF) in combating terrorism, I must emphasise that the success of this plan requires, not only strong political will, but also substantial financial resources.

“We must therefore ensure that we meet the expectations and recommendations set forth by our ministers of Defense and Finance in order to counter the insecurity and stabilise our region. Member states must make extra commitment on providing resources for stabilizing the region.

“To this end, I urge ECOWAS to leverage on the capability of the Nigeria National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC), which is widely acknowledge as one of the best on the continent.

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“The Nigerian government has decided to declare the NCTC as a regional centre to enable all ECOWAS member states benefit from capacity building and other related opportunities it offers.

“Your excellencies, dear heads of state, I urge those of you with time to visit the centre before your departure and assess first-hand on the facilities and the capabilities of NCTC”, President Tinubu said.

President Tinubu also urged ECOWAS member states to unite and develop innovative approaches to unlock the region’s economic potential and promote prosperity.

He acknowledged the economic hurdles hindering progress and stressed the need for partnerships, investment, and infrastructure development.