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Save Us From Ocean Encroachment, N-Delta Coastal Communities Cry Out

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Community along the coast of the Niger Delta who are on the verge of been wash off into the sea/rivers, a situation that has led to the eviction of several coastal communities, have cried out to government to come to their aid and tackle the rampaging sea level rise.

Stakeholders of coastal communities including women and youths leaders from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and Rivers States, made the appeal in Yenagoa the Bayelsa State capital, weekend during a ‘National Community Dialogue on Fossil Fuel Exploitation and Sea Level Rise (SLR) in Nigeria’ organized by Oilwatch Nigeria.

The communities lamented that they have suffered loss of sources of livelihoods, displacement of indigenes and acidification of fresher waters, a situation they said has affected sources of drinking water and the life expectancies of the people.

According to the communities, the exploration and production of oil, gas flaring have exacerbated the problems of sea level riseL, natural resource depletion, and the washing away of historical sites like the grave of Lord Luguard in Forcados, Delta State and the aesthetic nature of Niger Delta communities.

They urged the Nigerian government, the World Bank, and other bilateral agencies to commit funding to address sea level rise just like the attention that is currently being given to desertification.

Speaking at the one day community dialogue, the Coordinator, Oilwatch Nigeria, Kentebe Ebiaridor, said it is fact that the impact of climate change is real and is gradually erasing Niger Delta communities in the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean, adding that it is imperative to hear from the community people and know their plight.

He said “We have noticed in the past that apart from flooding our communities are gradually going extinct on the fringes of the Atlantic Ocean because of that we think that it is important that we hear from the communities and also use it as a platform to advocate for government attention towards putting their eyes in frontline communities and most importantly trying to reduce the impact of climate change on our communities because they are the ones suffering the impacts.”

READ ALSO: FEC Approves $11.17bn Rail Project To Link All Coastal Cities

Also in his remarks, Mr. Alagoa Morris, the Head of Environmental Rights Action, Friends of the Earth Nigeria, ERA/FoEN, Niger Delta Resource Centre, admonished the stakeholders for taking proactive steps in ensuring that they live in harmony with nature and consciously work to stand firmly against all activities that will cause mother earth to retaliate against human actions.

In a communique issued, the stakeholders noted that desertification, sea level rise and coastal erosion are some of the causes of resource conflicts and disputes being experienced in the country, such that the natural forest and land resources of the Niger Delta are gradually disappearing based on the effects of oil and gas activities, government inaction, sea level rise, and deforestation.

Parts of the communique reads: “Many Niger Delta communities have been washed off and many others are at the verge of being washed off. A practical example is that of Koluama Community in Bayelsa State that was wiped out some years ago. This made the community to migrate to two separate locations which gave birth to the present day Kolauma 1 & 2 and in the nearest future, both communities will go under the sea.

“Niger Delta communities thought the coming of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) was the solution to the problems of oil-bearing communities, but it is not only a threat to the lives of the people and the environment and it is also worsening the existing impacts in the region.

“Government should provide drinking water to coastal communities to combat increased salinity in freshwater sources due to sea level rise and ensure that emergency preparedness measures and databases to cope with increased climatic disasters such as floods and ocean encroachments are made available to the people.

“All environmental laws should be strengthened to address the several environmental challenges confronting communities as a result of fossil fuel extractions mankind in our respective states.

“Governments should make use of the ecological funds to address issues of sea level rise.”

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How Flight Engineer Saved Us From Disaster — Ex-DG, Bureau of Public Service Reforms

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A former Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms, Dr Joe Abah, has narrated how a ground engineer saved travellers on an Ibom Airlines flight from a “potential disaster”.

Narrating the experience on his X handle on Thursday, Abah said he boarded a 7 am flight from Lagos to Abuja on Thursday morning and the flight was ready to take off when the unusual happened.

The popular public commentator explained that he was on the flight heading to Abuja with the co-founder and Director of BudgIT, Oluseun Onigbinde when they heard a loud knock on the aircraft door.

He wrote, “I boarded a 7 am @ibomairlines flight in Lagos this morning, heading to Abuja. My brother @seunonigbinde was on the same flight and we had chatted briefly about work. The aircraft door was shut, phones switched off, and ready for takeoff.

READ ALSO: German Police Arrest 11 Nigerians For Dating Scam, Money Laundering

“As we were about to start taxiing, there was a loud knock on the aircraft door from outside. We all wondered what it could be. The knocking got more persistent. The attendant had to open the door again.

“As she did, a ground engineer came in and those of us in front clearly heard him say “You can’t go. Your landing gear is bad.”

“The pilot made a ‘political’ announcement that they needed to perform some additional checks before take-off and apologised for the delay. He spoke with the engineer and, a few seconds later, announced that we were to disembark.

“I thank God that we have the systems in place to check this and avert potential disaster. And that we have some diligent Nigerians who take their work seriously.

READ ALSO: Edo Cultists Kill Rival In Daughter’s Presence, Abandon Getaway Car

“If you are that young Nigerian engineer, God will bless you abundantly.”

He also urged the Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency to help him identify the engineer for him to personally thank their ‘saviour’.

Speaking with our correspondent on Thursday morning, the Ibom Airlines spokesperson, Annie Essienette, confirmed the development.

She said, “It is a technical thing. We were about to take off and someone called that the gear was faulty. So, the next thing to do was to disembark the passengers.

READ ALSO:JUST IN: Flights Diverted As Fire Breaks Out At Lagos Airport

“We are working on rescheduling the flight to accommodate the passengers so the faulty gear could be repaired accordingly and that is what we are doing.”

On Wednesday, the Federal Government suspended Dana Airline operations due to concerns surrounding safety.

This is coming after an aircraft belonging to the airline, with registration number 5N BKI, skidded off the runway at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday morning.

The aircraft, which flew from Abuja to Lagos, skidded off the runway in an attempt to land.

However, no casualty was recorded.

However, the Ministry of Aviation, through the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, suspended the airline’s operations in the country until a comprehensive audit is conducted.

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EFCC Withdraws Appeal Against Former Kogi Gov, Bello

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has filed a notice of withdrawal to discontinue an appeal against an order of a Kogi high court…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has filed a notice of withdrawal to discontinue an appeal against an order of a Kogi high court restraining the agency from arresting Yahaya Bello, former governor of the state.

In the notice filed on April 22, and signed by its counsel, J.S Okutepa, SAN, the EFCC said the withdrawal is predicated on the fact that events have overtaken the appeal.

The commission also admitted that the appeal was filed out of the time allowed by law.

“The appellant herein intends to and do hereby wholly withdraw her appeal against the respondent in the above mentioned appeal.

READ ALSO: Why Yahaya Bello Was Absent In Court — Lawyer

“This notice of withdrawal is predicated on the fact that; on the April 17, 2024, the application filed by the appellant herein was overtaken by the decision of the same high court of Kogi state,”

“The orders made ex parte by Jamil on the Feb 9, 2024 in the said suit which is the subject of this appeal, was made to last pending the hearing and determination of the originating motion on notice which was finally determined by Jamil J. on the April 17, 2024.

“Furthermore, the notice of appeal was filed out of time and we, therefore, pray that the appeal be struck out for being filed out of time and incompetent,” he stated.

On Feb 8, Bello instituted a fundamental rights enforcement suit, asking the court to declare that “the incessant harassment, threats of arrest and detention, negative press releases, malicious prosecution” of the EFCC — “without any formal invitation — is politically motivated and interference with his right to liberty, freedom of movement, and fair hearing”.

The former governor also sought an order “restraining the respondent by themselves, their agents, servants or privies from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain him”.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: EFCC Chair Vows To Follow Yahaya Bello’s Prosecution To Conclusion

On Feb 9, the Kogi high court granted an interim injunction restraining the EFCC from “continuing to harass, threaten to arrest, detain, prosecute Bello, his former appointees, and his staff or family members, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive originating motion for the enforcement of his fundamental rights”.

On March 12, the EFCC filed an appeal against the interim injunction because the court could not stop the commission from carrying out its statutory responsibility.

The Kogi high court delivered judgment on the substantive motion on notice on April 17 wherein Isa Jamil Abdullahi, presiding judge, granted an order restraining the EFCC “from continuing to harass, threaten to arrest or detain Bello”.

However, Abdullahi directed the commission to file a charge against Bello before an appropriate court if it had reasons to do so.

The judgment coincided with the recent “siege” laid to the Abuja residence of Bello by EFCC operatives seeking to arrest him.

READ ALSO: Drama! Supporters Of Yahaya Bello Perform Rituals to Prevent His Arrest By EFCC [Video]

The commission had also obtained a warrant of arrest against the former governor from the Abuja federal high court.

The EFCC is seeking to arraign Bello on 19 counts bordering on alleged money laundering, breach of trust and misappropriation of funds to the tune of N80.2 billion.

At the scheduled arraignment on April 18, Bello was absent.

At the court session, Abdulwahab Mohammed, counsel to Bello, told Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, that the court lacked jurisdiction to grant the warrant of arrest in the first instance.

He referenced the February 9 interim injunction issued by the Kogi high court, adding that the appeal filed by the EFCC was still pending. (NAN)

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Kanye West To Launch Yeezy P0rn Studio With Stormy Daniels

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Ye, the musical artist formerly known as Kanye West, 46, is considering the idea of launching a pornography studio as his latest non-musical project.

According to a new report by TMZ, Ye and his associates are reportedly now in advanced talks with Stormy Daniels’ ex-husband Mike Moz start building a supposed “Yeezy Porn” division, which would fall under the Yeezy parent company.

Moz is a veteran in the adult entertainment industry with over a decade’s worth of experience as a producer. He would reportedly be brought in to lead the new effort, which could launch as early as this summer.

Ye seems to have a complicated relationship with pornography. He wasn’t shy when it came to rapping about his fantasies with women at the start of his career but something shifted about five years ago when he confirmed he converted to Christianity.

During a 2019 interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, West—who served as creative director for the Pornhub Awards in 2018, complete with merchandize, said Playboy magazine was his gateway to a “full-on pornography addiction.”

“My dad had a full-on magazine laid out when I was five,” he told Lowe. “Playboy was a gateway to a full-on pornography addiction. … It has impacted every choice I have made in my life from age five to now.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, which was recorded ahead of the release of his Jesus Is King album featuring the Sunday Service Choir, Ye opened up about how his Christianity changed him.

“Now that I’m in service to Christ, my job is to spread the gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me,” said Ye, who was still with Kim Kardashian. “I’ve spread a lot of things. There was a time I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me, I was letting you know what the Hennessey had done for me, but now I’m letting you know what Jesus has done for me, and in that I’m no longer a slave, I’m a son now, a son of God. I’m free.”

In 2022, West wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post that pornography “destroyed” his family.

“Hollywood is a giant brothel Pornography destroyed my family I deal with the addiction instagram promotes it Not gonna let it happen to Northy and Chicago,” he wrote at the time, per Page Six.

A lot has changed between then and now, including Ye’s marriage to Bianca Censori, 29, which happened secretly in December 2022. She’s been photographed a number of times—by Ye and paparazzi alike—in clothing that tests the boundaries of the word “revealing.”.

On his latest album, Vultures, Ye sampled an infamous line from the 1999 film Dogma for his song “Back to Me” where he raps, “Beautiful, big titty, butt-naked women just don’t fall out the sky, you know?”

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