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  • 2nd Term-NLC's Presence in Oyo Gov.'s Campaigns a show of Appreciation-NLC Secretary

    TradeThe Oyo state council of the Nigeria Labor Congress has declared that some of its members decided to feature prominently in the second term campaign of the state Governor as a show of appreciation for meeting their demands.

    This declaration was made by the secretary of the nlc, Comrade Adebayo Aritbatishe.

    ''The Governor has responded to their demands and they go in groups to campaign venues to show appreciation for what the Governor has done for them. It should be noted that affiliates of the union have various agitations and demands. These demands are tailored through the Joint Negotiation Committee(JNC). And when such demands or agitations are met, it is only proper to show appreciation. They have every right as affiliates.'' Comrade Artibatise also disclosed that the state Governor has paid three out of the five-month unremitted union dues deductions, adding,'' he has promised to pay the remaining at the end of the month.''

  • God Speaks to Us

    DeutGod always speaks to us through His Word, through the apostles and other faithful servants of old. Deuteronomy 30 : 1-20

    1And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 And shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; 3 That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. 7 And the LORD thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8 And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the LORD, and do all his commandments which I command thee this day. 9 And the LORD thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good: for the LORD will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers: 10 If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. 11 For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? 14 But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it. 15 See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil; 16 In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it. 17 But if thine heart turn away, so that thou wilt not hear, but shalt be drawn away, and worship other gods, and serve them; 18 I denounce unto you this day, that ye shall surely perish, and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the land, whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it. 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

  • U.S. Citizen Sentenced to 30 Months in Prison for Conspiring to Provide Electronic Equipment and Technology to the Government of Iran

    Defendant Conspired to Illegally Export U.S. Goods and Technology Without Required Export Licenses

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Kambiz Attar Kashani, a dual citizen of the United States and Iran, was sentenced by United States District Judge Eric R. Komitee to 30 months’ imprisonment for conspiring to illegally export U.S. goods, technology, and services to end users in Iran, including the Government of Iran, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).  The defendant has agreed to pay a $50,000 fine. Kashani pleaded guilty to the charge in June 2022.

    Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Matthew G. Olsen, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and Joseph R. Bonavolanta, Special Agent-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division (FBI), announced the sentence.

    “Kashani defied export restrictions and sanctions against Iran, a country that sponsors international terrorism,” stated United States Attorney Peace. “His scheme undermined U.S. foreign policy and national security interests, and warranted a substantial sentence of incarceration to deter others.”

    “Kashani conspired to illegally export U.S. goods and technology for the benefit of the Central Bank of Iran, a designated entity that materially supports known terrorist organizations,” said Assistant Attorney General Olsen. “The Department remains vigilant against any efforts to circumvent our export control laws, which exist to protect the security of the United States and its people.”

    “Kambiz Attar Kashani will now head to prison for strengthening the economy of one of the world’s most infamous state sponsors of terrorism to line his own pockets, while circumventing U.S. laws in place to protect our national security interests. He used two United Arab Emirates companies to procure items from multiple American technology companies, including one located right here in Massachusetts,” said Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Bonavolonta. “Today’s sentencing should send a strong message that the FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and hold accountable those individuals who illegally export our country’s sensitive information and technology to hostile nations such as the Government of Iran.”

    Between February 2019 and June 2021, Kashani conspired to illegally export goods and technology to end users in Iran, including the Central Bank of Iran (CBI). The U.S. government recognizes CBI as an agency of the Government of Iran and the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has classified it as a Specially Designated National (SDN) acting for or on behalf of a terrorist organization.  According to the U.S. government, CBI has materially assisted, sponsored and provided financial, material or technological support, goods or services to Lebanese Hizballah, a terrorist organization, and to the Qods Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), which is a branch of the Iranian armed forces and represents the primary means of the Government of Iran to direct and implement its global terrorism campaign.   

    Kashani and his co-conspirators perpetrated the illegal transshipping scheme through two separate United Arab Emirates (UAE) companies.  They used the UAE companies to procure electronic goods and technology from multiple U.S. technology companies, including one located in Brooklyn, for end users in Iran, including CBI, without obtaining required OFAC export licenses.  Certain of the goods and technology Kashani and his co-conspirators transshipped were classified by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security as information security items subject to national security and anti-terrorism controls.  Kashani and his co-conspirators intentionally concealed from the U.S. companies that they intended to send the items to Iran, falsely claiming that the UAE companies would be the ultimate end users.   

    As set forth in court papers, by providing the Government of Iran and end users in Iran with sophisticated, top-tier U.S. electronic equipment and software, the defendant and his co-conspirators enabled the Iranian banking system to operate more efficiently, effectively, and securely.  In doing so, the defendant and his co-conspirators likely helped strengthen Iran’s economy and provided faster and more secure access to funds that enable the Government of Iran to further priorities including its nuclear program and terrorist agenda – exactly what the U.S. sanctions against Iran were intended to prevent.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon and Meredith A. Arfa are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance provided by Trial Attorney S. Derek Shugert of the Justice Department’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

    Defendant:

    Kambiz Attar Kashani
    Age:  45
    United Arab Emirates

    Source-FBI

  • Scrap Ezendigbo Title-Ibadan Residents and Indigenes Suggest

    King 2Concerned residents and indigenes of Ibadan, Oyo state have called on the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun,Alli Okunmade II, to, as a matter of urgency, scrap the title of Ezendigbo of Ibadanland.

    They hinged their call on the attempt to desecrate the position of the Olubadan.

    ''We call on the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun to urgently scrap the title of Ezendigbo of Ibadan. If you are observant, they are covertly working to bring the Olubadan position to ridicule. In addition, the activities of the Ezendigbo should be comprehensively probed for the good of society'', they stated.

    In most recent times, there has been an upsurge in lawlessness and all forms of criminality in several communities in the state capital.

    However, those-in-authority are either complicit or lack the will to convincingly put an end to the ugly situation.

    The Balogun Nidgbo of Ibadan land, Chief Alloysious Obi, had in an interview with The Sun accused Eze(Dr.)Alozie of desecrating the stool of Olubadan with the conferment of a chieftaincy title of Ezi Ogo Ukwu N’digbo Nala on Oba Balogun.

    ''He said: “I found it ridiculous that an individual would just wake up and say he is conferring a chieftaincy title on the occupant of the revered stool of Olubadan. For Anozie to do such, it is nothing but desecration of the Olubadan stool and it should be condemned by those who mean well for Ibadanland. It is my candid view that the people of Ibadanland should, this time around, come together and put a stop to what I can only describe as an insult to the Olubadan stool, as I know that Igbos have great respect for traditional institutions.”

    However, in his reaction, the Eze Ndigbo of Ibadan and Oyo state Eze(Dr.) Alex Anozie insisted that his detractors were at work, explaining that he gave the Olubadan an award and not a chieftaincy title.

    ''Because of the love and understanding between us, Ndigbo and Kabiyesi Olubadan of Ibadanland and Ibadan people, we decided to give an award to Olubadan in appreciation for our cordial relationship and because he is our in-law as he is married to one of our daughters. So we gave him an award and this matter, that same yesterday, 14th February, I was called and myself and my council members held a meeting with the Olubadan-in-Council and a satisfactory explanation has been given and the matter has been resolved . The Igbos and Ibadan people and the whole Yoruba race have been living peacefully. All that we did was to show love and appreciation for all that has been happening between the two ethnic groups. But we know that detractors are behind all the noise, but thank God the matter was resolved yesterday. We know that our detractors are the ones fanning the members of hatred unnecessarily,'' Eze(Dr.) Anozie concluded.

  • Unfolding events are signs that Labor leaders have Compromised-Former Oyo TUC Chairman

    The prolonged silence by labor leaders in Nigeria that has trailed the lingering fuel scarcity and the Naira re-design controversy has been described as a good sign that the union leaders have compromised.

    This assertion was made by a former chairman of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Andrew Emelieze.
    ''The labor leaders are supposed to make statements that would make the Federal Government reverse some of its policies that are anti-people. This is not so.There is fuel scarcity and people are not able to access their money in the banks because of the anti-people policies of the Federal Government. But this would be very difficult considering the hidden benefits the labor leaders are enjoying from other political parties, but it is impossible , they should have a change of heart. The Nigerian workers have been visited with unexpected hardship and confusion has been the order of the day. Our people have never had it this bad. Besides, mass hunger and poverty  is now with us in the land and our people are murdered daily  in cold blood. The Nigerian workers, unemployed and the retirees are the worse hit,'' Comrade Emelieze concluded.
    Similarly, Nigerians have expressed anger and disgust over the unbecoming attitude of several Point of Sale Operators, who now sell both the old and new naira notess, while the staff of the money deposit banks have continued to make covert gains from the present situation.
    In his reaction, the Secretary of the Oyo state wing of the Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT), Comrade Oukayode Salami lamented that teachers were among poor Nigerians that are at the  receiving end of the Federal Government's policies.
    ''It is an issue that affects all of us, even teachers are among poor Nigerians at the receiving end of the Federal Government's policies. Teachers now find it difficult getting to work. These government policies have crippled the source of livelihood of millions of Nigerians. We want the government to rise to the occasion and reduce the hardships.''
    In the same vein,the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has been called upon to ensure that there is adequate supply of the newly redesigned Naira notes within the period of extension of the deadline.

    This call was made recently by the chairman of the Non-Academic Staff and Associated Unions(NASU) University College Hospital(UCH)Ibadan, Nigeria, Comrade Kehinde Abiona.

    ''The policy is a welcome development because of what it is out to address. There is this notion that almost all the government policies are good, but the challenge arises during the implementation stage in addition to those responsible for the implementation. A lot of Nigerians who need money for their daily transactions are unable to access the new naira notes. They are passing through pains and agonies. I feel the pains and sufferings of people. The CBN should ensure that there is adequate supply of the new naira notes within the extension period, otherwise the situation may not improve but go from bad to worse,'' Comrade Abiona stated.

  • Naira Redesign-Govt Officials are not Devoted to Duty-Former Oyo TUC Chairman

    Diligent 1The hitches trailing the introduction of the new Naira notes in Nigeria has exposed the lack of devotion to duty by certain government officials and the dubious attitude of staff of some banks.

    This assertion was made on Monday by a former chairman of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

    ''The Naira redesign is an indictment on certain officials of government who have not been diligent in their duties and a number of staff in banks who are duboius and questionable. As a matter of fact, Nigerians are now in great doubt of the real motive behind the Naira redesign. The apex bank should not be used to achieve sinister motives, it could be counter productive'', Comrade Emelieze stated.

  • Naira Redesign-Deadline in Order but......-Prof. Olagoke

    Prof 9The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) has insisted that the January 31st deadline for the invalidation of the old naria notes remains unchanged.

    However, the Federal House of Representatives and the Senate want the apex bank to extend the deadline to 30th June, for the benefit of millions of Nigerians. Interestingly, a sizable number of Nigerians who have handled the new notes have expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction with the quality of the new notes compared to the old ones.

    In his reaction, the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafasudeen-in-Islam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu OlagokeJP, opines that the deadline for the withdrawal of the 200, 500 and 1,000 Naira notes is in order, but warns that this could result in negative consequences. Excerpts:

    What is your reaction to the insistence of the CBN that the January 31st deadline remains unchanged for the invalidation of the old naira notes?

    First and foremost, we should not lose sight of the purpose of the introduction of the new Naira notes, which which is to curb the excesses of politicians and to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) conducts free, fair and credible elections.

    This will usher in the truly chosen ones for the next political dispensation. Vote buying has always been the bane of our struggle to have genuine representatives in power, making the efforts and the huge amount being spent on the election be without impact.

    The January 31st deadline by the CBN, therefore, must have been informed by the advice of its in-house economic experts.

    This advice may revolve around the need to curb the spending tendencies of politicians before, during and after the elections.

    To be fair to the CBN, 80 per cent of Nigeria's money in circulation is outside the box of control of the apex bank.

    However, the following challenges must be addressed without losing focus of the objectives for introducing the new naira notes:

    1)Nigerians, particularly traders across the country o are feeling the impact of the unavailability of the new naira notes.

    2)There are also challenges to getting old naira notes into the banking system.

    3) Businesses are shutting down and markets are operating at a reduced capacity as the deadline for the collection of the old naira notes is near.

    4)The new notes are not easily accessible presently.
    ATM machines are still dispensing the old notes.
    I believe that the January 31st deadline should remain and that Nigerians should bear and cope with the scramble that comes with such changes.
    Stemming from all the accompanying negative developments that have trailed the naira redesign, further efforts to cushion the effects of poverty and hunger must be intensified to be able to achieve rational changes for which the new naira notes are designed.

  • Nigerian National Sentenced to Prison for Bank Fraud Scheme

    Scheme Involved Selling Stolen Personal Identifiable Information

    CLEVELAND – A Nigerian national was sentenced today to more than three years – or 37 months – in prison by U.S. District Judge James S. Gwin after he was convicted by a jury of formulating a conspiracy to obtain stolen financial information, making fraudulent and unauthorized purchases of retail goods and gift cards, and stealing funds from victim bank accounts in Northern Ohio and elsewhere.

    Blessing Adeleke, 31, of Nigeria, was convicted in October 2022 of one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and 16 counts of bank fraud. According to court documents, between January 2014 through October 2016, Adeleke served as an administrator for an online marketplace, Shad0w.info, where compromised data, such as credit numbers and personally identifiable information (PII), were sold.

    As part of the conspiracy, Adeleke and others obtained stolen credit card information and purchased items, such as retail goods and gift cards for themselves. Adeleke shared this stolen credit card information with others, including co-defendant Kylie Ann Harlow. Court documents state that Adeleke and Harlow shipped retail goods purchased with the stolen financial information to Harlow and others and, in some instances, returned the goods and gift cards to retail stores to obtain cash.

    Adeleke and Harlow eventually forwarded the fraudulently obtained goods, gift cards, and money to other members of the conspiracy for their personal enrichment.

    Adeleke gained access to at least one bank account belonging to a victim in Pepper Pike, Ohio, from which he sent 16 fraudulent checks. 

    Kylie Ann Harlow previously pleaded guilty to her role in the scheme and was sentenced in June 2021. This case was investigated by the Cleveland FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian S. Deckert and Daniel J. Riedl.

    The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided significant support and assistance in securing the defendant’s arrest and extradition from Ghana.

    The U.S. Department of Justice thanks its Ghanian partners, specifically the Ministry of Interior and the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, for supporting this extradition.

    The FBI Legal Attaché in Accra and the U.S. Marshals Service also provided significant support and assistance to Adeleke’s extradition.

    Source-FBI

  • Elections-We don't want a Sectional Leader-Prof. Olagoke

    Lead 2Nigeria needs a detribalized leader who will be able to address its multiferous challenges.

    This assertion was made over the weekend by the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his address titled, ''Governance and Leadership : 2023 Election and Effective Participation'', at the grand finale of the 40th Annual Shafaudeen International Convention, ''Ishrat 2023'', in Ibadan, Nigeria.

    ''Our challenges are solvable problems. We don't want a sectional leader. We don't want a tribal leader, but rather, we want a leader who will lead all Nigerians leaders who have not been able to solve the country's problems, and are not supposed to get to the exalted position. Nigeria deserves to have Godly, but non-religious bigot leaders for good governance for our unity and development. He must be able to see to the restructuring of the country and the amendment of the 1999 constitution for us to have fiscal federalism in place that will allow regions, states, local governments to control resources for their development through the right placement of items on the exclusive list and consider concurrent lists. All eligible voters must get registered, collect their Permanent Voters Cards and come out to vote for candidates of their choice, but with the positive mindset of objective exercise to elect a credible leader for real change, Nigeria deserves to have to be truly united and developed.

  • General Elections-Be Vigilant-Labor leader to Nigerians

    DemoUnfolding events that have characterized the last few weeks until the general elections have been described as a written script by Those-in Authority being played out.

    This was made known by a former chairman of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

    ''Nigerians should be very vigilant and resist any attempts to either manipulate or postpone the general elections. Happenings have indicated that the government is desperate to scuttle democracy regardless of denials. What is happening is very suspicious and calls for worry and vigilance,'' Comrade Emelieze stated.

    Illicit and Outlawed substances

    The use of illicit and outlawed substances is now the status quo in several communities in Nigeria. Indeed, it has become a source of livelihood for a sizable number of Nigerians. The inaction of Those-in-Authority to reign in those involved suggests that there is clandestine support for their activities.

  • Use Elections to Establish functional Education-Prof. Olagoke

    Education 4The general elections have been described as a good opportunity to establish functional education in Nigeria.

    This assertion was made on Tuesday by the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his address titled, ''SHAPING THE FUTURE OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA-THE FUTURE IS NOW'' at the 3oth Annual Shafaudeen-in-Islam stakeholders' Conference in Ibadan, Nigeria.

    ''Functioanl education is deserved by a nation like Nigeria to promote inclusive society, civility and patirotism, credible leadership and good governance driven through zero tolerance to corruption and institutional indiscipline. Education will make us realize achieving this sanity-prone environment for development. Luckily for us, the 2023 general elections will avail us the opportunity to achieve this if we make give the right choice of a visionary leader that would be spirit led to operationalize democracy through justice and equity to propel Nigeria into peace and sustainable development and a safe and secured environment., Prof. Olagoke stated.

  • The Right Policies and Programs will Groom Future Leaders-Prof. Olagoke

    Leadership 2The provision of the appropriate policies, programs, services and information that supports children and youth development has been recommended for the grooming of the future generation.

     This recommendation was given on Saturday by the Founder, Spiritual Head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeen-in-Islam Worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke at the opening ceremony and Inter-House Sports of Shafaudeen Group of Schools in Ibadan,, Oyo state, Nigeria.

    In his address titled, ;; Child Rearing and Wellness for Growth and Development, Prof. Olagoke stated : ''Appropriate policies, programs, services and information that focus on nurturing care are, therefore, needed to build an environment in which children and young people can thrive. So,the way parents nurture and the way government as well as other stakeholders support children and the youth constitute one of the most critical factors for their health, growth and development.''

  • China: Tech giants’ pivot out of China can usher in a human rights reset

    Written by Michael Caster, Asia Digital Programme Manager at ARTICLE 19.

    In late November, protests erupted in a factory manufacturing Apple products in the Chinese city of Zhengzhou amid workers’ discontent about pay. Footage and images from the site showed police beating protesters and arresting them. The turmoil in Zhengzhou was the latest in a series of challenges that have delayed the manufacturing of Apple products in China and led to the company accelerating its plans to move its production elsewhere. Other tech giants are seeking to do the same, concerned about tensions between the US and China and COVID-19-related shutdowns imposed by the Chinese authorities. As these companies start to relocate their operations, they have the chance to account for their human rights record in the communist country. For years, they have bowed to state policies that restrict the fundamental freedoms of Chinese citizens. These companies have to review their human rights records in authoritarian states and commit not to make the same mistakes in the countries where they will relocate their production or grow their markets. It is time for tech companies to undertake a human rights reset. Compliance with censorship Apple, the world’s richest company, has made a significant profit in China, which has also left it vulnerable to pressure from the local authorities to act against its stated human rights commitments. While the size of its production has been politically and economically important to the Chinese government, which in theory would have given the company leverage to oppose such rights abuses, Apple has been seemingly unwilling to push back in meaningful ways. The company has complied with repressive legislation, such as the Cybersecurity Law and others, which require tech companies, among others, to monitor and report politically sensitive content, store Chinese users’ data in China and provide the authorities with access to it. Apple has also engaged in censorship, deleting tens of thousands of apps from its Chinese App Store, including encryption and circumvention tools, such as VPNs needed to hop over the Great Firewall of China. Most recently, in November, Apple limited the parameters for wireless filesharing on its app AirDrop after its use by anti-government protesters in China. The changes allow the option “share with everyone” to be active for just 10 minutes before it switches back to “contacts only”, effectively eliminating its utility during protests. Apple is not alone. Microsoft, another US-based tech giant, has also been compliant with the repressive policies of the Chinese government. Following the implementation of the Cybersecurity Law, the company partnered with the state-owned China Electronics Technology Group to develop a version of its Windows operating system specifically for Chinese government users. This has raised concerns about the company giving backdoor access to its software to the Chinese government. Microsoft is also a member of the Internet Society of China and as such has made a pledge to block websites that offend the Chinese censors. After most services offered by Google were blocked in China in 2010, Microsoft’s Bing has been the only major foreign search engine that works without a VPN. Surely, compliance with Beijing’s censorship demands helps keep it that way. Similarly, LinkedIn, which Microsoft acquired in 2016, was the only big foreign social networking site available in China, after Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube were blocked in 2009. In late 2021, LinkedIn had over 57 million users, making China its third largest market after the United States and India. In exchange for access to this sizeable userbase, LinkedIn too was expected to play the censorship game. The platform geoblocked content belonging to high-profile human rights defenders, such as Zhou Fengsuo, journalists like Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, and corporate investigator Peter Humphrey, along with the posts of millions of Chinese users deemed “sensitive”. Despite its record of compliance, in March 2021 the Cyberspace Administration of China rebuked LinkedIn for not censoring enough. Finally, in October 2021, Microsoft announced it was shutting down LinkedIn services in China due to a “significantly more challenging operating environment and greater compliance requirements”. Clearly, the cost of tech companies doing business in China’s enormous market, whether producing or selling products and services, has long been to abandon their responsibilities to respect human rights. But it shouldn’t be this way. A human rights reset As big tech companies prepare to reduce their reliance on production in China, they have an opportunity to set new standards for human rights. Apple is looking to shift its supply chain to India and Vietnam. But both of these countries are known to engage in severe censorship as well. India leads the world in internet shutdowns, responsible for 106 of 182 shutdowns documented last year by the #KeepItOn Coalition. In recent years, the Indian authorities have enacted legislation that pressures tech companies to over-censor and retain user data to hand over to the government. It now looks to threaten end-to-end encryption. India has ordered platforms to take down content it didn’t want and warned of severe penalties for noncompliance, including threatening Twitter staff with up to seven years imprisonment. Earlier this year, Twitter sued the government for such “overbroad and arbitrary” regulations. It is also concerning that Apple is expanding into Vietnam, which ranks among the five worst internet freedom abusers in the world, according to US-based pro-democracy organisation Freedom House. Like China, Vietnam’s Cybersecurity Law requires tech companies to comply with data localisation, actively censor content, and make user data available to the authorities. In November, its government announced plans for new rules that would require platforms to remove offending content within 24 hours. Vietnam has also shown that it will hold tech companies financially hostage until they comply with its digital diktats. In 2020, following months of government-backed bandwidth throttling to drastically slow down its services, Facebook, which makes about $1bn a year in the country, agreed to increase censorship of “anti-state” content on its platform. With such repressive policies in place in both India and Vietnam, Apple faces the risk of repeating the same mistakes it made in China unless it changes its approach to dealing with government pressure. The company and other tech giants doing business with repressive states should heed their responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) to address any adverse human rights impacts their activities may have, including on the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, and access to information online. They should resist government orders to arbitrarily restrict freedom of expression and implement labour protections in their supply chains. They should be fully transparent about how they negotiate market access and licensing agreements with governments and make such documents publicly available to empower independent oversight. Companies should have a robust policy on how they will adhere to their human rights responsibilities in the face of government pressure and hold open consultations with civil society to establish clear benchmarks and red lines. Companies must commit to independent human rights impact assessments, which should be revised as conditions change, and be publicly available. Shareholder groups in these companies should also impress upon corporate leadership the importance of compliance with their human rights responsibilities. Tech companies can and should do business without hurting human rights. Having a positive human rights record could be just as profitable as bowing down to repressive state policies.

    Source-Article 19

  • Hike in Electricity Tariffs an attempt to Wipe out Nigerians-Labor Leader

    Hard 1The systematic increase in the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit(PMS) and the recent increase in electricity tariffs by the electricity distribution companies has been described as premeditated attempts to exterminate Nigerians.

    This is the opinion of a former chairman of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

    ''The systematic increase in the price of petrol and then now the increase in electricity tariffs are premeditated attempts to wipe out Nigerians by continuously ensuring that life is unbearable.''

    Note-Olorunsogo, Molete, Molusi, Oshodi, Aluko, Scout Camp and Felele among several other communities in Ibadan, Oyo state Nigeria, where parents and guardians groom their children and wards to become future criminals.

    Of worry, is the high population of dropouts that has made it very difficult to justify the expenditure on education.

    Illiteracy, ignorance and idleness coupled with crime and all forms of criminality have now become norms and values. Sadly, the government of the day, at all levels may have proceeded on vacation or are complicit.

  • Final Defendant In Michigan Governor Kidnapping Plot Sentenced To 235 Months In Prison

    GRAND RAPIDS – Barry Croft Jr., 47, of Bear, Delaware, was sentenced today to 235 months (19 years 7 months) in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to kidnap the Governor of Michigan, conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction against persons or property, and knowingly possessing an unregistered destructive device, which was a commercial firework refashioned with shrapnel to serve as a hand-grenade. Croft was convicted by a federal jury in August 2022 during an 11-day retrial. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Croft and others intended to kidnap Governor Gretchen Whitmer from her vacation cottage near Elk Rapids, Michigan, and use the destructive devices to facilitate their plot by harming and hindering the governor’s security detail and any responding law enforcement officers. They specifically explored placing a bomb under an interstate overpass near a pedestrian boardwalk. A jury in an earlier trial was unable to reach a verdict. Croft is the final defendant to be sentenced for his role in the plot. Co-defendant Adam Fox, 39, of Wyoming, Michigan, was sentenced yesterday to 16 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his role in the conspiracy. Ty Garbin, 27, of Hartland, Michigan, pleaded guilty in January 2021 and initially received a sentence of 75 months, or over six years, in prison. The district court later reduced that sentence to a term of 30 months, or two and a half years in prison, after fully considering his cooperation at both trials. Kaleb Franks, 28, of Waterford, Michigan, received a term of four years in prison after pleading guilty and testifying at both trials. Co-defendants Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta were acquitted at the first trial in April 2022. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, Former U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge for the Western District of Michigan, appointed to oversee the trial, and Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division made the announcement. The FBI’s Detroit Field Office investigated the case with valuable assistance provided by the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office and the Joint Terrorism Task Force, including Michigan State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan charged the case and conducted the trials, with valuable assistance provided by the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    Source-FBI

  • Election- Nigerians are expecting leaders who will lift them out of Hunger and Poverty-Prof. Olagoke

    Leader 2The expectation of Nigerians is that credible leaders with passion to put an end to hunger and poverty in the country will emerge after the general elections.

    This assertion was made on Thursday by the Founder, Spiritual head and Grand Imam of Shafaudeeen-inIslam worldwide, Prof. Sabitu Olagoke in his lecture titled ''Leadership and the Three Rings of Life'' at the second Ogunelu Aaare Alasa Dynasty day in collaboration with Shafaudeen-in-Islam Medical Outreach in Ibadan, Nigeria.

    ''Nigerians are expecting credible leaders at all levels of government, who will lift them out of hunger, poverty and unemployment to emerge after the general elections.Only credible leaders at all levels of government, who are purposeful, visionary, emotionally and passionately patriotic, ready to sacrifice their best to serve the people will all digilence can be goal getters and unifying factors to the people of diverse interest-religious, ethnic divides and gender equlaity challenge. They expect to be loved by the people, for them to buy in Zero tolerance to corruption and institutional indiscipline as a cultural or normal way of life,'' Prof. Olagoke stated.

  • Pray ceaselessly for Hardships to End in 2023-Pastor Ajayi

    EcoNigerians have been charged with keeping hope alive by praying ceaselessly for the present hardships and violent crimes weighing the country down to come to an end in the new year.

    This charge was given by Pastor Opeyemi Ajayi.

    ''Nigerians should continue to pray ceaselessly for an end to the present hardships and spate of killings, ritual killings, armed robberies, rape and other violent crimes in the new year. The challenges Nigerians are passing through today will soon be over. It is a matter of time and at the end of it all we shall have cause to rejoice and be happy. Nigerians should be optimistic that the new year will bring good tidings,'' Pastor Ajayi stated.

    Similarly, labor leaders in Nigeria have been castigated for keeping mute in the face of the hardships being experienced, particularly by workers and generally by Nigerians.

    This castigation was given by a former chairman of the Oyo state council of the Trade Union Congress(TUC), Comrade Andrew Emelieze.

    ''We protested to demand that the labor movement should wake up from their slumber because we believe that the leaders of the Nigeria Labor Congress and Trade Union Congress are in a deep sleep and it is as if the labor movement in Nigeria is in a state of coma. Why can the labor leaders keep quiet in the face of the fuel crisis and the sky-rocket costs of living? Nigerians are suffering, our sufferings are no longer in silence. We are protesting the general hardships confronting Nigerians; their incomes are static while the prices of goods and services have gone beyond their reach,'' Comrade Emelieze concluded.

  • Stemming the Tide

    ProverbsWhen confronted with difficult and hard times, stiff challenges and major disappointments, identify and hold on to those who offer encouragement and hope, if at all, they are brothers, sisters or friends.

    Galatians 6 : 1-5

    ''1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. 3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. 4 But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden.''

  • Man Indicted for Stealing Chief Federal Judge’s Identity and Forging Court Documents

    For Further Information, Contact: Assistant U. S. Attorney Mark Conover (619) 546-6763  Honolulu, Hawaii – Edmond Abordo of Honolulu was arrested by the FBI today in connection with a federal grand jury indictment charging that he forged the signature of a federal judge in order to trick a woman into paying him thousands of dollars for bogus legal services. According to the indictment, Abordo used the forged signature and a federal court seal to create a phony court order, which he then used to prove to the victim that he’d pulled her Ewa Beach, Hawaii, home out of foreclosure. Abordo allegedly claimed to be a legal expert, which he was not. The case was initiated when the Clerk's Office of the District Court, District of Hawaii learned of the forged court order containing the signature and seal of U.S. Chief District Judge Derrick K. Watson. The FBI began investigating. The indictment alleges that Abordo first met the elderly victim in late 2017 and described himself to her as a “non-licensed attorney” who could help her prevent foreclosure. Abordo, who is not a lawyer and has no legal training, claimed that he had expertise on several legal subjects, including mortgages and adverse possession. He convinced the victim to file a federal lawsuit challenging foreclosure of her home. Nearly each time that Abordo met with the victim, he demanded a cash payment of $1,000 to $3,000 dollars. Abordo ultimately convinced the victim that the federal judge assigned to the lawsuit had awarded her possession of her home, the indictment said Abordo stated that he would not give her the court order until she paid him additional money. In reality, the victim’s home had been lost to foreclosure and the federal lawsuit had been dismissed months earlier. The victim, believing Abordo had a real court order, paid him thousands of dollars in exchange for the forged court order. The forged court order was a two-page document dated June 26, 2019 and titled “Order Granting Plaintiff’s Motion For Adverse Possession Pursuant HRS § 657-31.5 Adverse Possession and 43 U.S. Code § 1068 Lands Held in Adverse Possession.” The document contained the caption of the federal lawsuit as well as the purported signature of U.S. District Judge Watson, and the seal of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. Abordo assured the victim that the forged court order was a genuine court document and that the judge’s signature on the forged order was genuine, and that the forged court order gave legal possession of the Ewa Beach property to the victim. In reality, and as Abordo then well knew, the forged court order was not genuine, was never issued or signed by the judge, and did not confer any property rights to the victim. “We will always act to protect the integrity of the court and seek justice for victims of fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman of the Southern District of California. Grossman applauded the work of the prosecution team and the FBI in this matter. “Trust in our court system is paramount to our society,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill. “When individuals forge court documents and victimize our kupuna, the FBI will aggressively pursue those individuals to maintain the public’s confidence in the court system and protect the vulnerable.” Abordo was arraigned on the indictment by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kendal Newman and entered a plea of not guilty. Judge Newman detained Abordo temporarily and ordered him to appear before U.S. District Judge Lynn Winmill on January 19, 2023, at 9 a.m. for a motion hearing. *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. DEFENDANT Edmund Abordo 67 Honolulu, HI SUMMARY OF CHARGES 18 U.S.C. § 1343, Wire Fraud Maximum Penalty: Twenty years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution 18 U.S.C. § 505, Forgery Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution 18 U.S.C. § 1028A(a)(1), Aggravated Identity Theft Maximum Penalty: Two years consecutive to underlying count   AGENCIES Federal Bureau of Investigation *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    Source-FBI

  • Nigeria Lacks Responsive and Reponsible Govt-Oyo NRM Gov. Candidate

    Fuel 3The Gubernatorial candidate of the National Rescue Movement(NRM)in Oyo state, Dr. Raymond Adegboyega has declared that the lingering fuel scarcity shows that Nigeria lacks responsive and responsible governments at all levels. Dr. Adegboyega made this declaration on Thursday in a chat in Ibadan, Nigeria.

    ''Different petrol stations are sold at different prices, some people are creating bottlenecks and benefitting from the scarcity. They have brought Nigerians hardships. We don't have responsive and responsible governments at all levels. If the government wants to increase the price of petrol, there is a way to do it. I foresee the government increasing the price of petrol. The government does not care. This may result in crises before the elections. It is a bad omen,'' he stated.