GRAPHITTI NEWS BRIEFS — 12 National & International Highlights To Know For Wednesday, September 24, 2014

GRAPHITTI NEWS collates national and international highlights from late-breaking news, up-coming events and the stories that will be talked about Wednesday:

Participants observe a moment of meditation during the first plenary meeting of the 69th session of the UN General Assembly, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 16, 2014. The UN General Assembly started its 69th session at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Niu Xiaolei)

1. ATIKU SAYS NIGERIA’S FUTURE SHOULD NOT BE SUBJECTED TO ‘LEADERSHIP EXPERIMENTATION’

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said the future of Nigeria should not be subjected to “leadership experimentation”, insisting that there is leadership vacuum in the country.

Speaking at his formal presidential declaration on Wednesday in Abuja on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the former vice president expressed optimism that the opposition party will form the next government in 2015.

This will be the third time Atiku will run for the presidency in this Fourth Republic, the first as standard bearer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2007 where he lost to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in the 2007 presidential poll as well as presidential aspirant of the PDP in 2011 where he was defeated by incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan at the party’s presidential primaries.

2. WE’RE FINDING IT DIFFICULT TO FISH OUT IGWE’S KILLER — LAGOS CP

The Lagos State Police Command yesterday said it is having challenges with the investigation into the death of late Vice-Chairman of The Sun Publishing Limited, Mr Dimgba Igwe who was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver three weeks ago in Ago-Okota area of the state.

The late Igwe, 58, was reportedly jogging when he was hit by a vehicle.

He was moved to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, for surgical emergency, unfortunately, he did not survive.

Late Igwe

Speaking with newsmen yesterday, the CP, Kayode Aderanti, disclosed that the killer driver was yet to be apprehended despite intensified efforts.

Part of the difficulty faced by operatives of the State Criminal Investigation Department ,SCID, Yaba, according to the CP,  was inability to get information from eye-witnesses.

According to him: “My presence at the Sun Publishing Limited shows the commitment of the Inspector-General of Police over the death of the veteran journalist.

‘’I have transferred the case to SCID for a thorough and comprehensive investigation because I want to take it beyond mere hit-and-run. I have even involved operatives of SARS.

‘’I am using this medium to appeal to members of the public to avail us with information because we tried to identify the kind of vehicle that knocked him down. So far, the information we have is scanty.

“That brings to mind the culture of having Closed-Circuit Television, CCTV, in our houses. This should not be left to government alone. Individual houses should also learn to install them in their premises.

If we had CCTV around, somebody, somewhere would have captured the incident and within 24 hours, we would have been able to solve this issue.”

He also appealed to the driver of the vehicle that knocked down  the late Igwe to come forward and give himself to the police, recalling that; “ A similar incident happened in Area ‘A’ sometime ago, where the driver showed up by himself in my office then, saying he was the one that hit the person in question. He said he had not been able to sleep since the incident occurred.

2. WORLD LEADERS MEET AT UN FACING TURMOIL FROM MULTIPLE CRISES, WITH FEW SOLUTIONS

Facing a world in turmoil from multiple crises ranging from wars in the Mideast and Africa to the deadly scourge of Ebola and growing Islamic radicalism, leaders from more than 140 countries open their annual meeting at the United Nations on Wednesday with few solutions.

The issue certain to top the agenda is the threat from Islamic terrorists intent on erasing borders, with the first U.S. and Arab airstrikes in Syria delivered Monday night in response.

Many diplomats hope that crisis won't drown out the plight of millions of civilians caught in conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza; the misery of the largest number of refugees since World War II; and global support for new U.N. goals to fight poverty and address climate change.

Looking at the array of complex challenges, Norway's Foreign Minister Borge Brende told The Associated Press: "It's unprecedented in a decade, that’s for sure."

He pointed to an unprecedented situation in which the U.N. and international donors are confronting four top-level humanitarian crises at the same time in Iraq, Central African Republic, South Sudan and Syria, which is now in the fourth year of a civil war which the U.N. says has killed more than 190,000 people.

Radical cleric Abu Qatada is pictured behind the bars at the state security court in Amman, Jordan. (AFP/STR)

3. JORDANIAN COURT ACQUITS RADICAL CLERIC ABU QATADA OF PLOTTING ATTACKS ON AMERICANS, ISRAELIS

A Jordanian court on Wednesday acquitted radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada — known for his fiery pro-al-Qaida speeches — of involvement in a plot to target Israeli and American tourists and Western diplomats in Jordan more than a decade ago.

The ruling capped a lengthy legal odyssey for the 53-year-old cleric who has been described as a onetime lieutenant to Osama bin Laden, but in recent months emerged as a harsh critic of the Islamic State militant group. Abu Qatada was deported from Britain to Jordan last year, after years of fighting extradition.

The three-judge panel unanimously acquitted Abu Qatada "because of the lack of convincing charges against him," said Judge Ahmed Qattarneh.

The gray-bearded Abu Qatada sat on a bench in a cage in the courtroom, largely blocked from view by black-clad riot policemen lining the case. When the verdict was announced he briefly punched his left fist in the air.

Several family members jumped up from their seats, one calling out "Allahu Akbar," or "God is great."

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GRAPHITTI NEWS BRIEFS — 12 National & International Highlights To Know For Sunday, September 21, 2014

GRAPHITTI NEWS collates national and international highlights from late-breaking news, up-coming events and the stories that will be talked about Sunday:

AP Afghanistan's presidential election candidates Abdullah Abdullah (left), and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai shake hands after signing a power-sharing deal at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan on Sunday.

1. WHY NIGERIA, SOUTH AFRICA FLEX MUSCLES

Prevailing underlying issues between Nigeria and South Africa may have influenced the decision of the South African government to take the hard stance on the recent US$9.3m cash for weapons scandal allegedly involving some Nigerian security agencies, according to diplomats and informed U.S. sources.

A top African official with connections to issues of global finance who has arrived in New York ahead of next week opening of the United Nations General Assembly said over the weekend that the South African government are persuaded that the arms deal was simply a money laundering deal gone back for which the South Africans could use to embarrass the Nigerian government.

Another diplomatic source said since the Nigerian rebasing of her GDP, which put the country ahead as the biggest African economy ahead of South Africa, some in the South African government circles have been irked by what they consider to be the “artificial claims” about the Nigerian economy compared to South Africa.

In the battle to curry foreign investors to Africa, some western economic analysts had warned that the rebasing of the Nigerian GDP which clearly raised the profile of the country would certainly deepen the cold war relationship between Nigeria and South Africa.

While Nigeria continues to deal with problems of insecurity and fears of political woes expected with next year’s presidential elections, South Africa which seems to fare better in those areas is also facing striking workers problems and budget deficits.

In the event, diplomatic sources said, the rivalry for economic space and opportunities between both Nigeria and South Africa deepens and such an occasion as the US$9.3m cash scandal tilts the balance in South Africa’s favour.

A source said South Africa is taking advantage of the scandal to expose some of Nigeria’s weak points, citing in addition the propensity of bad building compliance issues, which has resulted into several collapses in Lagos including that of the Synagogue Church building which reportedly killed 67 South Africans.

Diplomats say it is well known that a frosty relationship has been subsisting between Nigeria and South Africa for a long time, and the Nigerian government may have played directly into the hands of the South Africans with the cash scandal.   Unlike the expectation of the Nigerian official that the South Africans would play down the US$9.3m cash scandal, the South Africans pressed the issue and actually was the source that confirmed the involvement of the Nigerian government to the shock of some Nigerian government officials.

The Guardian on Sunday learnt that while Nigerian officials were trying to establish some justification for the movement of such a large amount of cash, their South African counterparts clearly retorted back that their suspicions were that the whole deal is about money-laundering rather than weapons’ purchase.

US sources over the weekend said expectations from the Nigerian government that the South Africans will overlook the development and give Nigeria a pass, is “both unrealistic and naive,” at a time both countries are in intense competition as to where is the best destination for foreign investment.

“If South Africa gets the opportunity to expose Nigeria’s underbelly as corrupt just after the Nigerian government made a big deal that it is now the biggest economy in Africa, why would they not knock Nigeria on the head?, queries an international finance expert who works with several African leaders and government on development issues.

2. WREATHS TO MARK WESTGATE MALL ATTACK ONE YEAR ON

Kenya is marking a year since the attack on Nairobi's Westgate shopping centre, in which at least 67 people were killed.

A memorial plaque will be unveiled and a candle-lit vigil held.

Rupal Shah explained that the families of victims have been laying wreaths at a garden in the forest where 67 trees were planted after the attack.

3. POLICE IG, SULEIMAN ABBA, ORDERS DISMANTLING OF ALL POLICE ROADBLOCKS NATIONWIDE

The order banning the setting up of Police roadblocks nationwide is still strictly in force, the Acting Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has said.

In a statement Sunday, Force Spokesperson, Emmanuel Ojukwu, said the police boss has sent a directive to all commands and formations of the Force nationwide asking them to immediately dismantle “all semblances of Police roadblocks and permanent checkpoints reportedly re-emerging in some parts of the country, especially in the South-East, South-South and South-West geo-political zones of Nigeria”.

Mr. Ojukwu further quoted Mr. Abba as describing the reemergence of roadblocks as a serious violation of subsisting order on the matter and threatened severe sanctions on any police commands, formations and personnel who violate the order.

While charging the state Commissioners of Police and Heads of Formations to ensure total compliance with the order, the IGP further ordered extensive visibility patrol and effective surveillance on Nigerian roads.

Meanwhile, as Nigeria joins the rest of the world in marking World Peace Day on September 21, 2014, the Nigeria Police Force has restated its resolve to work assiduously for the enthronement of genuine peace in the nation.

South African survivor, Lindiwe Ndwandwe "It's like a dream to me that really, it's me that came out from here," the South African told AFP on Saturday as she surveyed the remains of the church in the Nigerian city of Lagos. Photo credit: Sunday Alamba / AP

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