Super Eagles drop on FIFA ranking after Algeria defeat
Nigeria’s national football team dropped one step in the latest edition of the monthly FIFA rankings released recently. The Super Eagles, who were in the 31 positions in the August rankings and fourth on the continent, dropped to the 32 spots in the world while still maintaining their position amongst African teams. As revealed by FIFA, 53 UEFA Nations League matches and 119 friendlies were played in the last international break before the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, with Nigeria’s Super Eagles also in action. In the period under review, the Super Eagles were up against the Desert Foxes of Algeria, who beat the three-time African champions by two goals to one. The victory secured by the North Africans saw them rise four spots to the 37 position. Senegal, which is in the 18 position, remains the highest-ranked African team with Morocco and Tunisia following in the 22 and 30 positions, respectively.
Victims of Kaduna-train attack gain freedom
The remaining 23 passengers, who were victims of the Kaduna train attack abducted on March 28, 2022, have gained freedom from the hands of terrorists, Wednesday, July 5, 2022. The release was after they had spent six months and eight days in the terrorists’ captivity during which they were subjected to dehumanising treatment. In a statement signed by Usman Yusuf, secretary of, Chief Defence Staff Action Committee (CDSAC), no ransom was paid by any member of their families. The statement reads: “I am pleased to announce that at 4 pm on Wednesday, the seven-man presidential committee assembled by Lucky Irabor, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), secured the release and took custody of all the 23 remaining passengers This passenger were held hostage by Boko Haram terrorists following the attack on the Abuja to Kaduna train. According to Irabor, the nation owes a debt of gratitude to the Nigerian Military under the leadership of the CDS who conceived and guided the operation from start to finish, as well as sister security agencies and the Federal Ministry of Transportation who contributed immensely to this operation.
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Nigerian government files lawsuit against Meta
The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria has filed a legal case against Meta Platforms Incorporated, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, accusing the company of rendering unapproved advert materials in the country and demanding up to $70 million as damages. The council noted the company should pay up following its failure to get adverts on the social media platforms vetted by the government before publishing. In previous social media crackdowns, the government suspended Twitter on June 4, 2021, after the company deleted President Muhammadu Bihari’s tweet. It accused the company of allowing content that threatened Nigeria’s security and the Nigerian officials denied that the ban was in retaliation for deleting the president’s tweet. The ban was then lifted after ignoring public voices for months.
NNPC detects pipeline used to steal crude for 9yrs
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited detected an illegal four-kilometre pipeline from Forcados in Delta State to the sea and a loading port that was part of an elaborate crude theft operation for the last nine years. Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer, NNPC made this known when he appeared before a joint senate committee on Upstream, Downstream and Gas, lamenting that though oil theft in Nigeria has been going on for over 22 years, the rate it has assumed in recent time is unprecedented. Kyari also stated that three operational facilities of Forcados, Bonny and Brass oil terminals have all been shut down as a result of the high rate of crude oil theft, leading to the loss of about 600, 000 barrels per day (bpd). “In the last six weeks, there has been a spill site in Bodo community in Rivers state, which may affect the operations of the Trans-Niger pipeline if not clamped,” Kyari said. He added that hundreds of illegal refineries in the country have led to the oil spill that made the country lose 120,000 bpd.
African Union calls Ethiopia’s warring parties for peace talks
The African Union (AU) has invited the leaders of both Ethiopia’s federal government and the country’s embattled Tigray region to peace talks. The national security adviser to Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopian Prime minister, on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, said the federal government accepted an AU invitation to hold peace talks with Tigrayan rebels, Furthermore, the government of Tigray regional state also accepted the invitation but has asked for clarification on who has been invited as participants, observers and guarantors. According to reports, Uhuru Kenyatta, former, president of Kenya is among the African leaders who will mediate the peace talks slated to take place in South Africa from Saturday, October 8, 2022, led by the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and ex-Nigeria president Olusegun Obasanjo. The U. S Department of State says Mike Hammer, envoy to the region, will be making his second visit to Ethiopia in as many months with the aim of halting violence. Meanwhile, Addis Standard reported that this is the first official attempt at bringing the two sides together after a five-month truce collapsed when militarised hostilities resumed on August 24, 2022.
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