The ongoing dispute between Nigeria and the United Kingdom over Air Peace's access to London Heathrow Airport highlights a critical issue of fairness and reciprocity in international air travel agreements. The UK's consistent denial of slot allocation to Air Peace at Heathrow, despite the airline's persistent efforts, stands in stark contrast to the open access British carriers have long enjoyed to Nigeria's primary airports in Lagos and Abuja.

This situation not only violates the spirit of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the two nations but also threatens to escalate into a diplomatic row with potential economic consequences for both countries. The principle of reciprocity is a cornerstone of international aviation agreements, and the UK's failure to honor this principle undermines the trust and cooperation that have characterized Nigeria-UK relations.

Nigeria's Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has rightly expressed the government's displeasure and warned of potential reciprocal actions. If the UK authorities continue to deny Air Peace access to Heathrow, Nigeria may be forced to restrict British Airways and Virgin Atlantic's access to its primary airports. Such a move, while regrettable, would be a justified response to the UK's apparent disregard for the BASA agreement.

It is crucial to recognize that this is not merely about airline preferences. Heathrow's proximity to central London offers significant advantages in terms of passenger convenience and business opportunities. By relegating Air Peace to Gatwick Airport, the UK is effectively placing Nigerian carriers at a competitive disadvantage, which goes against the principles of fair trade and equal opportunity that both nations purportedly uphold.

The UK authorities must understand that their actions have broader implications. The goodwill generated by decades of British Airways' operations in Nigeria since 1936 is at risk of being eroded. Moreover, the UK stands to lose more if this situation escalates. Nigeria's growing economy and large population make it a valuable market for British airlines. Losing access to primary airports in Lagos and Abuja would be a significant blow to British carriers and the UK economy.

In the interest of maintaining strong bilateral relations and ensuring fair competition in the aviation sector, the UK must take immediate steps to address this issue. Allocating appropriate slots to Air Peace at Heathrow Airport would not only demonstrate good faith but also reinforce the UK's commitment to honoring international agreements.

As we move forward, it is imperative that both nations engage in frank and constructive dialogue to resolve this impasse. The UK must recognize that its obligations under the BASA agreement supersede any third-party arrangements with airport concessionaires. Failure to do so risks not only damaging aviation ties but also souring broader economic and diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In conclusion, the ball is now in the UK's court. By respecting the provisions of the BASA agreement and granting Air Peace access to Heathrow, the UK can avoid a potentially damaging reciprocal action from Nigeria. This would not only be a win for fair competition but also a reaffirmation of the strong ties between the two countries. The time for equitable treatment in international aviation is now, and the UK must rise to the occasion.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Using his sleeve to wipe tear gas from his burning eyes, 25-year-old Mugdho weaves through the crowd, handing out bottles of water to the protesters whose demands for reform would soon topple Bangladesh’s leader.

Fifteen minutes later, the university student would become a martyr of the protest movement, when a bullet pierced his forehead as he paused to rest during the searing afternoon heat in the capital Dhaka.

Mugdho – whose full name was Mir Mahfuzur Rahman – was rushed to hospital by his friend and fellow protesters, but it was too late, his twin Snigdho – Mir Mahbubur Rahman – told CNN. “I just hugged him, and I cried.”

The video of Mugdho handing out water before his death on July 18 punctured the social news feeds of millions across Bangladesh, galvanizing more people to take to the streets calling for justice for the lives lost.

What began as peaceful protests against a quota system for government jobs spiraled into a nationwide movement to push longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of office, resulting in a deadly crackdown and clasheswhich killed at least 300 people, according to analysis by local media and agencies.

“(The killings) kept happening, and everyone was silent,” said Farah Porshia, a 23-year-old protester who works at a tech company in Dhaka. “We needed to stand up for ourselves, and for democracy.”

Hasina fled to India by helicopter last week as tens of thousands of protesters marched on her home. By Thursday, the Bangladeshi economist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus had returned to Dhaka to form a temporary government, ahead of elections which the constitution states should be held within 90 days.

“I’m surprised by the amount of power we hold,” Porshia said. “Because for years, all of us have been feeling so powerless.”

Families seek justice

As the chaos of the last month is replaced by an uneasy calm, many families are now seeking accountability for the deaths of their loved ones.

Identical twins Mugdho and Snigdho were inseparable since birth – eating, sleeping and studying together, sharing clothes as well as secrets.

“He was not only my brother, he was my best friend, he is one of the parts of my body,” Snigdho said. “We used to do everything together.”

Math graduate Mugdho was studying for an MBA, and Snigdho had graduated with a law degree. The twins were planning to move to Italy this fall – to further their studies and explore Europe on motorbikes. To save money for their travels, they were doing social media marketing for the online freelancer hub Fiver.

Now, Snigdho and the twins’ older brother Dipto – Mir Mahmudur Rahman – are facing a future without Mugdho.

They kept hold of the university ID card Mugdho wore on a lanyard around his neck when he died – his spattered blood left to dry as a symbol of that dark day.

Now, they are trying to find solace from the impact Mugdho made on the protest movement.

“Because of him, people got the strength to do the protest,” Snigdho said. “He always used to say that ‘I will make my parents proud someday.’ That moment has come.”

Mugdho died two days after another pivotal moment in the protests – the death of 25-year-old Abu Sayed on July 16, captured on video which was widely circulated.

Amnesty International analyzed the videos and accused police officers of deliberately firing at Sayed with 12-gauge shotguns in a “seemingly intentional, unprovoked attack,” and condemned the authorities for using “unlawful force.”

CNN tried to reach the police for comment.

The shocking deaths of Sayed and Mugdho catapulted the unrest from being a largely student-led protest into the mainstream.

“Everybody was on the streets, people of every race, every religion, every ethnicity, of all ages, professionals, students, infants were on the roads,” Porshia said.

Among the hundreds of people who have reportedly died during the clashes over the past few weeks, UNICEF says at least 32 were children.

In a tiny shack made of corrugated metal and mud in the heart of Dhaka, the parents of 13-year-old victim Mubarak are still trying to process what happened to their son.

His mother Fareeda Begum rocks back and forth, weeping as she watches Mubarak’s TikTok videos on her phone – now all that she has left of him.

The youngest of four and the only one who still lived at home, Mubarak often helped his parents with their cows so they could sell milk to survive.

“He was a smiling, happy boy. If you gave him work, he would never say no, he would do it with a smile,” his father Mohammad Ramzan Ali said, adding that he could also be “a little mischievous.”

Mubarak was outside playing with his friends on July 19 when the curious teenager wandered a short distance from their home in central Dhaka to see the protests.

The parents only found out that he’d been shot when they got a call from the hospital.

Holding his wife Fareeda in his arms as her tears rolled down her face, Ali said, “My son has been martyred for this movement.”

“I did not understand this quota protest before, we are uneducated,” he said. “But later what I understood is that this protest isn’t just for students, it’s for all of Bangladesh.”

CNN

Israel keeps up strikes in Gaza as fears of wider war grow

Israeli forces pressed on with operations near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday amid an international push for a deal to halt fighting in Gaza and prevent a slide into a wider regional conflict with Iran and its proxies.

Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes on Khan Younis on Monday killed at least 18 people and wounded several. Meanwhile more families and displaced persons streamed out of areas threatened by new evacuation orders telling people to clear the area.

Later an Israeli airstrike killed five people in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, and two others were killed in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, medics said.

As fighting continued, Hamas reacted sceptically to the latest round of Egyptian and Qatari-brokered talks due on Thursday, saying it had seen no sign of movement from the Israeli side.

The group said on Sunday that mediators must force Israel to accept a ceasefire proposal based on ideas from U.S. President Joe Biden, which Hamas had accepted, "instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals that would provide cover for the occupation's aggression".

Two sources close to Hamas told Reuters the group was convinced the new call for talks was coordinated beforehand with Israel to deter responses from Iran and Hezbollah to the assassination of the group's chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran and a top Hezbollah leader in Lebanon.

"It is a mild rejection you can say. Should Hamas receive a workable plan, an Israeli positive response to the proposal it had accepted, things may change, but so far Hamas believes Netanyahu isn't serious about reaching a deal," said one Palestinian official close to the mediation effort.

Hamas' reaction to the talks came as preparations for a larger scale confrontation grew, with Washington ordering a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and the Abraham Lincoln strike group accelerating its deployment to the region.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that Iran was making preparations for a large-scale military attack on Israel, Barack Ravid, a normally well-sourced reporter for Axios News, reported on Twitter.

Israel has been braced for a major attack since last month when a missile killed 12 youngstersin the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Israel responded by killing a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

A day after that operation, Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran, drawing Iranian vows of retaliation against Israel.

The potential escalation underlined how far the Middle East has been thrown into turmoil by the Gaza war, now in its 11th month.

A Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7 killed some 1,200 people, with more than 250 taken into captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies, in one of the most devastating blows against Israel in its history.

In response, Israeli forces have flattened Gaza, displaced most of the population and killed around 40,000 people, according to the Palestinian health ministry, in a war that has caused horror around the world.

On Saturday, scores of people were killed in Israeli strikes on a school building in Gaza City that the military said targeted fighters from the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The Israeli military on Monday released an updated document with names and other details of 31 fighters it said were killed in Saturday's strike.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad denied any of their fighters were present at the school.

Gaza health officials say most of the conflict's fatalities have been civilians but Israel says at least a third were fighters. Israel says it has lost 330 soldiers in Gaza.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine taking heavy losses in Kursk – FT

Ukrainian troops that invaded Russia’s Kursk Region have taken heavy losses in men and Western-provided vehicles, the Financial Times (FT) has reported.

The attack that began last Tuesday involved units drawn from six Ukrainian frontline brigades, soldiers told the outlet. They also claimed to have caught the Russians by surprise, but quickly came under fire from drones and FAB glide bombs.

Russian estimates of over 1,600 Ukrainians killed were “impossible to verify” and “exaggerated,” according to the FT, which nevertheless reported “many ambulances and armored medical evacuation vehicles rushed to and from the front line.”

FAB glide bombs also reportedly “wiped out some Ukrainian troops and valuable western-provided equipment.” The group of fighters interviewed by the paper on Sunday said their Stryker – a wheeled US-made armored vehicle – had been demaged and had to be towed back into Ukraine where it would be cannibalized for parts.

According to the soldiers, the goal of the operation was to capture Russian territory as a bargaining chip and force Moscow to divert troops from the Donbass front.

“We can fight here and take their territory. And then negotiations can start, and we will have some land of theirs to trade for our land,” said one soldier, identified as ‘Denys.’

Ukraine reportedly stripped its frontline of troops to stage the Kursk incursion. According to the FT, the soldiers interviewed had fought in Kharkov and on the Donetsk front, at places such as Chasov Yar and a settlement called New York.

“These cities are already lost. They are only ours on the map. The Russians have wiped them out,” Denys said.

The invading force lost 70 armored vehicles just on Sunday, according to unofficial Russian estimates making the rounds on social media, which claimed this was a record for any one day since the conflict escalated in February 2022.

According to acting Kursk Region Governor Aleksey Smirnov, Ukrainian forces have advanced about 12km into Russia and occupied about 28 settlements. At least 12 Russian civilians have been killed and another 121 injured, including ten children. Over 120,000 residents have been evacuated from the border region over the past week, Smirnov said.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine touts huge gains in Kursk region as it takes war back to Russia

Ukraine said on Monday its biggest cross-border assault of the war had captured 1,000 square kilometres (386 square miles) of Russia's Kursk region and that Russian President Vladimir Putin would have to be forced into making peace.

With Russia still struggling to repel the surprise assault a week after it began, Ukraine's top commander Oleksandr Syrskyi briefed President Volodymyr Zelenskiy by video link and said the advance into Russian territory was ongoing.

"We continue to conduct an offensive operation in the Kursk region. Currently, we control about 1,000 square kilometres of the territory of the Russian Federation," he said in a video published on Zelenskiy's Telegram account.

He provided scant other detail, continuing Kyiv's strategy of silence that contrasts starkly with last year's counteroffensive that was known about for months in advance and which foundered on Russian defensive lines.

Syrskyi spoke a few hours after Alexei Smirnov, Russia's acting regional governor of Kursk, estimated that Kyiv's forces had taken control of 28 settlements in an incursion that was about 12 km deep and 40 km wide.

Though less than half Syrkyi's estimate of the Ukrainian gains, Smirnov's remarks were a striking public admission of a major Russian setback more than 29 months since it launched a full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbour.

Reuters was unable to verify the claims by either side.

Putin has described the cross-border attack as a "major provocation" and said it was aimed at improving Kyiv's negotiating position.

Zelenskiy told Ukrainians in his nightly address that the operation was a matter of Ukrainian security and the Kursk region had been used by Russia to launch many strikes against Ukraine.

He said Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, which lies across the border from Kursk region, had been struck by Russia almost 2,100 times since June 1.

"Russia must be forced to make peace if Putin wants to fight so badly," Zelenskiy said.

DIVERT TROOPS

The Ukrainian attack comes after months of slow but steady advances by Russian forces in the east that has forced Ukraine's troops onto the back foot as they try to withstand Russia's heavy use of gliding bombs and assault troops.

Former Ukrainian defence minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk told Reuters the Kursk operation looked like it aimed to distract Russian forces and its leadership from the eastern fronts.

"The apparent goal is to create a problem area for Russia, which will distract its forces and its leadership's attention and resources from where they're trying to succeed right now," he said by phone.

Visiting Kyiv on Monday, U.S. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham urged the U.S. presidential administration to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs.

"What do I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Keep it up," he told reporters.

Putin has said Ukraine had received help from its "Western masters" and vowed that "the enemy will certainly receive a worthy response".

RT/Reuters

Following the twin policy decisions to remove subsidy on petrol and the floatation of the naira against major world currencies by President Bola Tinubu upon assumption of office a little over a year ago, the predictable consequences of these IMF/World Bank induced neoliberal economic experimentations have exploded in the faces of its promoters. Tinubu’s widely advised but ill-informed policy decision to remove petrol subsidy and float the naira has seen the price of Nigeria’s most utilised energy product quadruple from less than N200 a litre to between N700 and N800 a litre, thereby setting off the worst inflation in the living memory of Africa’s most populous country. With wages remaining stagnant but thoroughly depreciated by the free fall of the naira and soaring energy prices, most of Nigeria’s 200 million people are now experiencing a cost of existence crisis that is accentuated by the widespread hunger, misery and deprivation in the land.

Having endured the dire consequences of the toxic effects of the IMF/World Bank induced experimentation in the last one year, the Nigerian people have decided to draw the attention of their leaders to their unbearable plight by embarking on protests. Tagged #EndBadGovernance, the organic, amorphous and unorganised protest by Nigerians from all divides that have been united by hunger have been on the streets of Abuja, Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, Benin, Jos, Maiduguri, etc., making demands for a better Nigeria, wherein their welfare and security are guaranteed. The protests, which have been characterised by social unrest in some cases, have one consistent demand among many others – the return of subsidy on petrol.

This is because common sense economics have linked the current hardship in Nigeria to the cost of petrol; an energy product that powers the bulk of Nigeria’s small-and-medium-scale-enterprises-dominated economy. Petrol, as Nigeria’s most utilised energy product, drives the largest segment of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, from agriculture to services and from transportation to manufacturing sectors. Common economic sense should have indicated that an increase in the price of such an energy product will increase the cost of production and induce a severe cost push form of inflation, such as the kind Nigeria is currently grappling with. And many Nigerians have come to this common sense realisation that subsidy removal on petrol by Tinubu is primarily responsible for the current hardship and hunger they are facing.

Having realised this basic linkage between high cost of energy and inflation, the people enthusiastically demanded an address from the president in the hopes that like former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, President Tinubu would see reason and reduce the cost of petrol by restoring petrol subsidy as a way of fundamentally rolling back the current precarious socio-economic conditions of the people. Unfortunately, while the ordinary man on the streets of the suburbs of Abuja like Nyanya, Mararaba and the street hawkers in Kano, Lagos and Maiduguri have understood the imperative of energy security (availability, accessibility and affordability) to economic growth, development and prosperity, the top politicians and technocrats in the Aso Villa seat of power are yet to come to terms with this basic matter of economic fundamentals.

Tinubu’s address to the nation not only failed to address the fundamental demand for the restoration of petrol subsidy by the Nigerian people but he doubled down on the fatal policy error of his administration in an unfeeling and detached manner, with a touch of disdain for the people. It would seem by his response to the protesters’ demand to restore subsidy on petrol, that Tinubu has thrown Nigerians into a bottomless hell hole of hunger and misery, and he is still digging, while at the same time insisting that his worst performance in the last one year is the best for Nigeria. By his detached, aloof and out of touch address to the Nigerian people, which was lacking in economic common sense of pledging to intervene in the high cost of Nigeria’s most utilised energy product, Tinubu has cast a dark shadow that has rendered the helplessness of the people even more hopeless.

And to overcome this state of hopeless helplessness, the theme of the protest may shift gear from #EndBadGovernance to #EndBadGovernment with calls for Tinubu and his government to step down. Already, the protests and social unrests have resurged after his address and is now taking a revolutionary dimension with some protesters brandishing of the Russian flag and some calling on the military to intervene. Unbeknownst to many, the brandishing of the Russian flag is a symbolic rejection of what the protesters consider neo-liberal economic influence of the West through the IMF and World Bank over Nigeria, which they blame for the toxic economic policies of the Tinubu administration that have poisoned their individual socio-economic well-being. To avert a system collapse and a consequential reign of terror that may engulf the country, Tinubu is hereby urged in the interest of national security of the Nigerian state to restore subsidy on petrol without further delay as his numerous interventions are ineffectual because the fundamentals of energy security is lacking. A word they say is enough for the wise but many words are not enough for the foolish.

** Majeed Dahiru, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja and can be reached through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Sometimes, what separates successful people from everyone else isn’t what they say — it’s what they don’t say.

You might want to avoid jargon in the workplace: phrases like “ducks in a row” or “move the needle” that probably confuse your co-workers, according to research published by LinkedIn and Duolingo last year. Other sayings, like “keep me in the loop” or “just checking in,” can unintentionally come across as passive-aggressive, Slack executive Jaime DeLanghe told CNBC Make It in 2022.

In particular, the best employees typically steer clear from these three phrases and sayings, according to CEOs, psychologists and linguistics experts:

‘It is what it is’

There’s one phrase bosses and colleagues don’t want to hear when they’re facing a problem at work: “It is what it is.”

“People say it when, really, what they mean is, ‘I don’t care,” John McWhorter, an author, linguist and associate professor at Columbia University, told Bill Gates’ “Unconfuse Me” podcast last year. 

You’ve probably heard the phrase before, or used it yourself —perhaps in response to a dilemma or situation that can’t be fixed and just has to be accepted. Using it, however, can appear highly passive to other people and tarnish their trust in you, McWhorter said.

Try swapping the phrase for something less dismissive, psychologist Cortney S. Warren told Make It last year: “I have to see reality for what it is, even if it’s not what I want, so I can move forward.”

‘This is how we’ve always done it’

For Jason Buechel, CEO of Amazon-owned grocery chain Whole Foods, the biggest red flag in an employee is “somebody who thinks they know the answer to absolutely everything,” he told Make It last month.

“I sometimes could have been that person in my past, on certain things,” Buechel said. “And I learned the hard way that you have to be flexible, especially in today’s world. Our customers’ demands are changing all the time, things are always changing the business.”

Executives from JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy say they value employees who are energized by learning new ideas and perspectives and find ways to apply them to the workplace. That means there’s one sentence that can frustrate such CEOs: This is how we’ve always done it.

In contrast, staying curious and embracing new opportunities can help you stay engaged in your career and hobbies, make you happierand help you better manage your professional journey’s twists and turns, research shows.

‘I’ll never be able to get this. Why bother?’

Everyone, at some point or another, is faced with a task that seems impossible. You may try to psych yourself out, telling yourself  “I’ll never be able to get this. Why bother?”

In actuality, your brain “can continue to develop and change until old age,” Emma Seppälä, a Yale lecturer and psychologist, wrote for Make It in April. “You can change careers at 50 and you can start playing the piano at 80. You can learn new things at any point and, with practice, you can get better at almost anything.”

Instead of battering “I can’t do this” into your brain, change your perspective and say, “I need more practice,” Seppälä advised. Thinking about something you can do with ease, and then thinking back to the first time you did that thing, can help reassure you, she wrote.

“The same will be true of the thing you attempted for the first time today — if you keep trying,” wrote Seppälä.

CNBC

The row over Air Peace’s flight operations from the United Kingdom has taken another turn with Festus Keyamo, the Nigerian minister of aviation and aerospace development, writing to his British counterpart to lodge a formal complaint, TheCable understands.

In a letter dated August 1, 2024 and addressed to Louise Haigh, the UK secretary of state for transport, Keyamo warned that if Air Peace is not allocated a space at the London Heathrow, Nigeria will be forced to “reciprocate” by denying British Airways and Virgin Atlantic slots at the Lagos and Abuja airports.

Although Heathrow is the UK’s primary airport, Air Peace, the Nigerian carrier, currently operates from the Gatwick Airport, the secondary airport.

All efforts by Air Peace to get a slot at Heathrow, which is closer to the heart of London, have been unsuccessful.

In the letter seen by TheCable, Keyamo expressed “the displeasure” of the Nigerian government over the “consistent denial of slot” by the UK slot office to Air Peace on the Nigeria-London route to fly into Heathrow, its first choice, since it began operations in the UK in March 2024.

“The Airline had made consistent efforts in the past to fly into Heathrow Airport from Lagos, but was denied, and only granted approval to fly into Gatwick Airport from Lagos,” he wrote.

“Following the approval granted the Airline by the Nigerian Government to fly the Abuja-London route, the Airline approached the Slot Office for slot allocation at the London Heathrow Airport, for flight operations planned to commence in November 2024, during the IATA Winter Season. It is highly disheartening that up till this moment, the Airline has not received any favourable response from the Slot Office.”

He reminded the UK that both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are operating into Nigeria’s primary airports in Lagos and Abuja “without encumbrances placed in their ways”.

British Airways, in particular, has been flying into Lagos since 1936.

“Therefore, it is necessary for Nigerian designated carriers to enjoy similar reciprocity that British carriers are enjoying. It is highly unfair on the side of the British authorities and a discredit to the Nigerian authorities and the Nigerian nation as a whole, for slot allocation to Nigerian carriers to be an issue at all times. We feel totally betrayed by the British authorities for not reciprocating the good gesture of the Nigerian State and its people,” Keyamo wrote.

“The slot allocation issue should not be used as an alibi to deny the existence of a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, which hallmark is based on the principle of reciprocity. Whatever concessionary arrangements you have with your airports with third parties, the concessionaire(s) should legally inherit your existing obligations (especially those under Bi-Lateral Services Agreements) in respect of the use of those airports.

“Arising from the foregoing, I wish to emphatically state that if Air Peace is not allocated a slot at the London Heathrow Airport, it might be difficult for British flag carriers to access Nigeria’s tier one airports from the next Winter Season, unless when a frank discussion is opened with us to break the debacle associated with the slot allocation at Heathrow to the Airline and other Nigerian designated airlines.

“While expecting your timely intervention over this pressing issue dear to the hearts of Nigerians, please, accept the consideration of my warm regards.”

TheCable confirmed that the letter has been received by the UK high commission in Abuja.

Keyamo was unavailable for comments when he was contacted by TheCable.

The Cable

In response to the ongoing monkeypox (Mpox) outbreak in parts of Africa, Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health has mandated that all travellers entering the country fill out and submit a health declaration form. This measure, aimed at curbing the spread of the disease, came into effect yesterday, August 11, for passengers arriving at the airports in Abuja and Lagos.

Travellers can complete the form online or opt to print and fill out a physical copy. The ministry has encouraged passengers to submit the form online before departure to avoid delays upon arrival in Nigeria.

According to the ministry's website, "The Nigeria Health Declaration Form must be filled out by all incoming passengers to Nigeria. Paper-based versions will be provided on arrival in Nigeria for passengers unable to fill the form."

The form is designed to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, monitor potential importations, and aid in controlling outbreaks, thereby safeguarding the health of Nigerians. It requires personal information, as well as details about the traveller's recent travel history, health status, and contact history within the 21 days preceding their arrival.

This announcement comes as the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) considers declaring a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) over Mpox, due to the spread of a new variant known as Clade Ib, particularly in Congo. Since mid-July, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya have also reported cases of this new variant.

Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC, stated on Thursday that reported Mpox cases on the continent had increased by 79 percent from 2022 to 2023 and by 160 percent from 2023 to 2024. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has also noted an unprecedented rise in Mpox cases across Africa this year.

President Bola Tinubu's recent mischaracterization of a World Bank loan as a federal grant to states is not just a simple slip of the tongue—it's part of a disturbing pattern of misinformation emanating from the highest office in the land. This latest incident, where the President claimed credit for "releasing" N570 billion to states for livelihood support, only to be contradicted by governors from both the ruling and opposition parties, is a stark reminder of the growing credibility crisis facing this administration.

In a time when Nigerians are grappling with severe economic hardship, the President chose to present a pre-existing World Bank loan as a magnanimous gesture from his government. This deliberate distortion of facts is not only misleading but also deeply insulting to the intelligence of Nigerian citizens. It raises serious questions about the integrity of the information being disseminated by the presidency and its officials.

The ease with which falsehoods are peddled from the nation's highest podium is alarming. Whether it's misrepresenting economic figures, overstating policy impacts, or, as in this case, taking credit for initiatives that predate the current administration, the Tinubu government seems to have developed a habit of bending the truth to suit its narrative.

The string of misleading claims began almost immediately after Tinubu took office. His Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, falsely announced the lifting of a UAE visa ban on Nigerians and the resumption of Emirates flights—a claim swiftly debunked by the UAE government itself. This was followed by the erroneous assertion that Tinubu was the first African leader to ring the closing bell at NASDAQ, ignoring the fact that Tanzania's President had done so over a decade earlier.

The administration's cavalier approach to facts extended to domestic appointments, with false claims about "firsts" that a simple fact-check could have prevented. Even more alarming was the premature or false announcement of a $600 million investment from Maersk, damaging Nigeria's international credibility.

This culture of misinformation undermines the very foundation of democratic governance. How can citizens make informed decisions or hold their leaders accountable when they cannot trust the words coming from the President himself? The irony is palpable—a government that campaigned on transparency and renewed hope is now eroding public trust through its own actions.

Moreover, this incident highlights a worrying disconnect between the federal government and the states. For the President to be so misinformed about the nature and source of funds going to states suggests either a shocking level of incompetence or a willful disregard for accuracy in public statements.

The Nigerian people deserve better. They deserve a government that respects them enough to tell the truth, even when it's not politically expedient. They deserve leaders who understand that trust is the currency of effective governance, and that every lie told chips away at the social contract between the government and its people.

Tinubu and his administration must put an immediate end to this dangerous game of misinformation. The challenges facing Nigeria are too grave, and the stakes too high, for the luxury of spin and falsehoods. It's time for the President to demonstrate true leadership by committing to honesty and transparency in all communications with the public.

The credibility of the presidency is not a trivial matter. It's essential for the functioning of the country’s democracy and the trust of the international community. Tinubu must recognize that the path to effective governance lies in transparency and integrity, not in the shallow victories of rhetorical manipulation.

Bandits have ambushed soldiers on patrol in Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing four of them.

Two others were also injured during the attack which occurred last weekend.

The member, representing Gudu at the state House of Assembly, Yahya Gudu who confirmed the attack said the assailants burnt down two patrol vehicles of the operatives.

“Yes it is truth, some gunmen ambushed soldiers on patrol along Kukurau-Bangi road on Saturday and killed four of them while two others were injured. They also burnt their patrol vehicles,” he said.

The member, who described the development as disheartening, said after notifying Governor Ahmed Aliyu about the attack, reinforcement had since been sent to the area.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bandits were seen passing through their area on 20 motorcycles.

“Each motorcycle was carrying two well armed bandits. They didn’t touch or kidnap anybody in our community. They just passed and the next thing we heard were sounds of gunshots.

“It was later that we discovered they laid an ambush for the security operatives patrolling the area and killed four of them. Their bodies were later recovered by their colleagues.

“About a week ago, the bandits while pursuing vigilantes, killed seven persons in our community. They are still in that bush. There is a stream where they meet and discussed everyday. We used to tell security operatives about their presence but they have not being responsive. May be because the bandits are using more sophisticated weapons,” he said

When contacted, the spokesman of the Sokoto state Police Command, Rufa’i Ahmed, referred our reporter to the Public Relations Officer of the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ikechukwu Eze, a Lieutenant Colonel, who could not be reached on phone.

Daily Trust