RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine must pay Americans back – top Trump aide

Washington expects Kiev to repay the US for the “investments” it has made in the Ukraine conflict, US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told Fox News on Sunday. He argued that repaying the American people would be the best way for Ukraine to ensure continued assistance in the future.

Waltz’s remarks came after Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky reportedly “politely declined” to sign a document granting the US rights to 50% of Ukraine’s future mineral reserves, allegedly seeking a “better deal.”Former US President Donald Trump has recently demanded the “equivalent of $500 billion worth of rare earths” from Ukraine in exchange for what he estimates to be “more than $300 billion” that Washington has provided to Kiev in various forms of aid amid its conflict with Moscow.

“The American people deserve to be recouped, deserve to have some type of payback for the billions they have invested in this war,” Waltz said on Sunday. “I can’t think of anything that would make the American people more comfortable with future investments than if we were able to be in a partnership and have the American people made whole.”

The national security advisor added that Zelensky “would be very wise to enter into this agreement with the United States.”

Zelensky has previously stated that he wants to establish a mutually beneficial “partnership” rather than simply handing over Ukraine’s natural resources. Meanwhile, his prime minister, Denis Shmigal, has proposed granting the EU access to Ukraine’s resources in exchange for cooperation with Kiev and investments in the country’s reconstruction.

Waltz also claimed that the US “has borne the brunt” of Western military and financial aid to Kiev. Officially, the US Congress has authorized roughly $175 billion for Ukraine since 2022, though a significant portion of that funding has gone to American industries and government activities related to the conflict. According to Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy, as of October 2024, the US had provided Ukraine with approximately $92 billion in financial and military assistance, while EU nations and the UK had allocated a combined $131 billion.

A 2024 World Economic Forum report noted that Ukraine “holds immense potential as a major global supplier of critical raw materials” essential for defense, high-tech, and green energy industries. The country has Europe’s largest titanium and lithium reserves, though these are not classified as rare-earth elements.

Zelensky has previously acknowledged that much of Ukraine’s mineral-rich territory is now under Russian control. According to Forbes, around $7 trillion worth of Ukraine’s former mineral wealth is located in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which joined Russia in 2022.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine, Europe will be part of 'real' peace talks, says Rubio, as US weighs Putin's motives

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said Ukraine and Europe would be part of any "real negotiations" to end Moscow's war, signaling that U.S. talks with Russia this week were a chance to see how serious Russian President Vladimir Putin is about peace.

America's top diplomat played down European concerns of being cut out of the initial talks between Russia and the United States set to take place in Saudi Arabia in the coming days. In an interview with CBS, Rubio said a negotiation process had not yet begun in earnest, and if talks advanced, the Ukrainians and other Europeans would be brought into the fold.

Earlier on Sunday, Reuters reported that U.S. officials had handed European officials a questionnaire asking, among other things, how many troops they could contribute to enforcing a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia.

"President Trump spoke to Vladimir Putin last week, and in it, Vladimir Putin expressed his interest in peace, and the president expressed his desire to see an end to this conflict in a way that was enduring and that protected Ukrainian sovereignty," Rubio said on CBS's "Meet the Press."

"Now, obviously it has to be followed up by action, so the next few weeks and days will determine whether it's serious or not. Ultimately, one phone call does not make peace."

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and national security adviser Mike Waltz were due to leave for Saudi Arabia on Sunday evening, Witkoff said in a Fox News interview.

Rubio noted he was due to be in Saudi Arabia anyway due to previously arranged official travel. The composition of the Russian delegation had not yet been finalized, he said.

The planned talks in Saudi Arabia coincide with a U.S. bid to cut a deal with Kyiv to open up Ukraine's natural resources wealth to U.S. investment. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an NBC interview broadcast on Sunday, questioned if minerals in areas held by Russia would be given to Putin.

Trump, who held a call with Putin on Wednesday and said the Russian leader wants peace, said Sunday he was confident Putin would not want to try and take control of the entirety of Ukraine.

"That would have caused me a big problem, because you just can't let that happen. I think he wants to end it," Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump added that Zelinskiy would be involved in the conversations to end the conflict.

EUROPEAN ROLE IN PEACE TALKS, OR NOT?

Rubio and Witkoff rejected concerns that Ukraine and other European leaders would have no place at peace negotiations, despite Trump's Ukraine envoy, Keith Kellogg, suggesting precisely that at this weekend's Munich Security Conference.

Witkoff noted in an interview on Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that Ukrainian officials had met several U.S. officials in recent days at the conference, while Trump had talked with Zelenskiy last week.

Rubio, for his part, said that Ukrainians and other Europeans would be included in any meaningful negotiations.

"Ultimately, it will reach a point - if it's real negotiations, and we're not there yet - but if that were to happen, Ukraine will have to be involved because they're the ones that were invaded, and the Europeans will have to be involved because they have sanctions on Putin and Russia as well," Rubio said.

"We're just not there yet."

French President Emmanuel Macron will host European leaders on Monday for an emergency summit on the Ukraine war, Macron's office said, in the wake of Kellogg's remarks.

European officials have been left shocked and flat-footed by the Trump administration’s moves on Ukraine, Russia and European defense in recent days.

Chief among their fears is that they can no longer count on U.S. military protection and that Trump will attempt to ink a Ukraine peace deal with Putin that undermines Kyiv and broader European continental security.

Asked if he had discussed lifting sanctions on Russia during a Saturday phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Rubio declined to provide confirmation, saying only that they "did not go into any details."

After the call, Moscow said that the two had discussed the removal of "unilateral barriers" set by the previous U.S. administration in relations with Russia.

Rubio said he did address the "difficult" operating conditions of the U.S. embassy in Moscow with Lavrov. If there was to be progress in Ukraine peacemaking, both Russia and the U.S. would need properly functioning embassies in the other country, he added.

“The judiciary,…. has no influence over either the sword or the purse; no direction either of the strength or of the wealth of the society; and can take no active resolution whatever. It may truly be said to have neither force nor will, but merely judgment.”

Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist, No. 78.

In January 1983, a suspicious fire incident did considerable damage to NECOM House, the high-rise building in Lagos that housed the headquarters of the country’s telecommunications monopoly, then known as the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited, NITEL. Shehu Shagari was in power as elected civilian president. The belief was widespread that the fire was the handiwork of “senior officials in the building (who) had been under investigation for fraud and embezzlement that police estimated at more than $100 million.” 

The NECOM House fire was another in a succession of high-profile incidents with a whiff of arson affecting public infrastructure in the country. The previous month, another fire had consumed the Ministry of External Affairs, reportedly “set by accountants who were under investigation.” 

Casualty count from the NECOM House fire incident was substantial but uncertain. By some coincidence, the fire occurred the week after the fire-fighting team at the facility had been inexplicably withdrawn.

The response of the federal authorities was even more inexplicable. The 21 persons whom they chose to prosecute in connection with the incident included Ray Ekpu, at the time a senior journalist and columnist, whose crime appeared to be that he published an article after the incident suggesting that it was arson. 

Also charged were Adamu Akokhia, Chief Fire Officer of the Federation; and Saidu Garba, the Divisional Fire Officer responsible for the building. While they were suspects in pending criminal proceedings, the federal authorities also suspended Adamu Akokhia and Saidu Garba from work.

Saidu Garba sued at the High Court of Lagos State challenging his suspension. While his case was still pending, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, John Oyegun, issued a letter sacking him from the public service. 

Informed of this development, the presiding judge, Yahaya Jinadu, summoned John Oyegun to appear before him and explain why he should not be held in contempt of court. The judge subsequently found Oyegun guilty of contempt, cautioned him and required him to withdraw the letter of termination issued to Garba while his case was pending. 

Despite the forbearance of the court, Oyegun failed to comply. On 3 August 1984, the court ordered his lawyer to secure compliance by his client with the order or cease participation in the proceedings until he complied. By this time, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was in his eighth month in power as military ruler, having overthrown Shagari.

Five days later, on 8 August, then Chief Judge of Lagos State, Adetunji Adefarasin, summarily withdrew the case file from Jinadu and reassigned it to himself, claiming that he did so at the request of the trial judge. Jinadu denied ever having made such a request to the Chief Judge.

While Jinadu was on pilgrimage to Mecca shortly thereafter, the Advisory Judicial Committee (AJC), then chaired by Chief Justice Sodeinde Sowemimo (the same one who infamously convicted Obafemi Awolowo two decades earlier), constituted a committee “that curiously condemned his actions and asked him to make written and verbal apologies” to, among others, the federal attorney-general, the President of the Court of Appeal, and the Chief Judge of Lagos State. Unwilling to abide an order which he characterised as “humiliation and disgrace of the judiciary”, Jinadu served the statutory sixty-day notice of his intention to resign as a judge. In response, the regime terminated his judicial career summarily.

For being acutely aware of the duty to conserve the currency of judicial authority and being prepared to defend that, Jinadu paid a heavy price with his career. Those who traduced him set in motion a deadly corrosion of judicial authority whose inter-generational consequences today endanger the very foundations of both the institution and the country.

Two contemporaneous events this past week dramatized how badly so. Addressing judges at the beginning of the week at a continuing judicial education event in Abuja, the Federal Capital, Chief Justice of the Federation, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, complained about deepening public distrust of the judiciary, reminding her colleagues that “it is not enough to be impartial; we must also be seen to be impartial. The perception of bias or impropriety can be as damaging as the reality itself.” 

At about the same time as the Chief Justice uttered them, these sentiments were on trial at another end of town. The Federal High Court in Abuja was the venue of the now viral contretemps between Nnamdi Kanu, self-proclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPoB), on the one hand; and the presiding judge, the lead prosecutor, and even his own team of lawyers, on the other. If anything was more troubling than the conduct of Mr. Kanu in that outing, it was the self-inflicted lack of judicial authority to firmly put a stop to it.

To be sure, there are ample provisions in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) empowering courts to preserve their authority or act against the disruption of their proceedings. A judge for a quarter of a century and a state attorney-general before that, the one charge that cannot possibly be made against the presiding judge in this case is inexperience. So, why was the court, nevertheless, so craven? 

On 24 September 2024, she had ruled in respect of the same proceedings concerning Kanu that: “The root of adjudication is confidence. The defendant has no confidence in this court. Consequently, I hereby recuse myself from this trial and hereby remit the case file to the Chief Judge for further necessary action.” Three weeks later, it was reported that the Chief Judge decided administratively to overrule the trial judge’s recusal and return the case file to her.

There are, however, two problems with this decision. First, as a matter of law, the Chief Judge may be a first among his peers but he is no paramount chief at large. His powers do not extend to administratively overruling a written decision of a judge sitting as such. Second, as a practical matter, a judge who by her own hand rules to recuse herself from proceedings after affirming cratered confidence in her handling of the proceedings cannot allow herself to be bullied or inveigled into attempting to ingest her judicial vomit.

The coincidence of these two developments almost assuredly denied the court of its constitutive authority, making it a passenger in that piece of execrable judicial theatre. 

The standard under the 1999 constitution is that a court shall be constituted “in such a manner as to secure its independence and impartiality.” A judge cannot return to claim impartiality and independence after having gone on record to recuse herself for having lost the confidence of the defendant. A forum in that setting hardly deserves the appellation of a court.

Nigeria’s 1999 constitution speaks loosely of “judicial power”. The traditional tools of power in this sense are coercive or transactional. As a fact, the judiciary lacks both. Its currency is neither arms nor money. Rather it is reason and authority.

To the extent that it is possible to salvage anything from the wreckage of those proceedings in that Federal High Court last week, it is the importance of holding the feet of the judiciary to fire when any judge – no matter how high – acts in a manner that casually endangers that authority. The costs of not doing so are incalculable.

A lawyer and teacher, Odinkalu can be reached This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For much of my twenties, while earning a modest journalist’s salary in pricey Washington, D.C., I had to get creative to make ends meet. For a time I wrote by day and waited tables by night. I lived in a series of group houses, including a basement apartment where the only bathroom was located in someone else’s bedroom. Naturally, I knew every happy hour and cheap drink deal in the city.

I was paying down my student loans and saving for retirement. Beyond that, I didn’t feel like I had much money to spare.

Unfortunately, it’s a feeling I still occasionally have, even though I’ve more than doubled my salary since my 28th birthday. When I finally got some financial breathing room, I used it to upgrade my lifestyle.

If I ever want to truly feel rich, I’m going to have to adjust my approach to money.

That’s the general premise of financial psychologist Brad Klontz’s recent book “Start Thinking Rich,” co-authored with entrepreneur Adrian Brambila. The book outlines 21 “harsh truths” that Klontz and Brambila say can help you achieve financial freedom. 

For me and many others, the bottom line is that building wealth often requires making choices that can be uncomfortable. Here are four straightforward moves you could take to increase your savings in a year, for example, according to Klontz:

1. Get a roommate: Sharing housing costs can help lower your living expenses, freeing up more money to save and invest.

2. Get on the bus: Ditching your car and using public transportation can save you thousands of dollars in monthly payments, insurance and maintenance costs.

3. Get sober: Depending on your current consumption, quitting alcohol could help you save a bundle.

4. Get a side hustle: Adding an income stream can be an excellent way to boost your net worth. 

Look, none of these are particularly fun – especially if, like me, you feel like you’ve graduated from the era when having roommates, working two jobs and riding the bus were necessities.

But “if you want to go from poor to rich, you have to be willing to live a minimum-wage lifestyle, at least for a while,” Klontz writes.

CNBC

Aminu Tambuwal, a former Sokoto State governor and currently a senator, has condemned the recent wave of political defections in Nigeria’s North West, describing them as self-serving and disconnected from the needs of the people. Speaking to journalists after the inaugural North West Zonal Executive Council Meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna on Saturday, Tambuwal criticized politicians switching to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing them of prioritizing personal gain over public interest.

“Defections are often driven by personal motives, or what I refer to as ‘stomach infrastructure,’ rather than a genuine concern for the people,” Tambuwal remarked. He argued that no politician with a conscience would join the APC, given the economic hardships and poor governance under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. “The APC-led government lacks focus, compassion, and direction,” he added, urging opposition parties to unite and offer Nigerians a viable alternative in the 2027 elections.

Tambuwal emphasized the need for collective action, stating, “Those of us committed to this country and to serving its people must come together to ensure that by 2027, we remove this failed administration and provide hope for Nigerians.”

At the meeting, the PDP North West zone reaffirmed its determination to reclaim power in 2027, highlighting the importance of unity and strategic planning. In a communiqué presented by the zone’s chairman, Senator Bello Gwarzo, the party stressed its ambition to assume national leadership and resolve internal conflicts swiftly. “The PDP in the North West must take its rightful place by offering quality leadership. Nigerians are looking to us for direction,” the statement read.

The communiqué also acknowledged the party’s strong grassroots support and growing national appeal, despite setbacks in the 2023 elections. It called for solidarity among members to address challenges and secure victories at both state and federal levels in 2027. “Unity is essential. All hands must be on deck to achieve success,” the statement concluded.

The meeting drew prominent PDP figures, including former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi, former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau, PDP Jigawa governorship candidate Mustapha Sule Lamido, Lado Dan Marke, Isa Kudan, Ango Abdullahi, and the PDP National Youth Leader, among others.

The Coalition of Sankera Elites (CSE) has reported widespread violence in Benue state's Sankera region, which encompasses the Ukum, Logo, and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas. According to the coalition's leader Job Tiza, armed attacks have resulted in over 1,000 deaths and affected more than 2,000 villages, with property damage estimated in the billions of Naira.

The situation has led to mass displacement, with residents fleeing to IDP camps and seeking refuge with relatives in other communities. Six council wards in Ukum Local Government, representing approximately half of the area's population, have been completely displaced since July 2023.

Recent violent incidents include:

- March 9, 2024: 68 people killed in Gbagir, Tyuluv Council Ward

- August 11, 2024: Over 80 fatalities in Ayati and Borikyo Council Ward

- October 19, 2024: 14 people killed in Anyiin town

- November 24, 2024: 17 fatalities in Azege settlement

The coalition emphasized that Sankera, known as Benue's agricultural heartland, faces a severe food security crisis as farmers cannot access their lands. They have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to:

- Deploy security forces to reclaim occupied territories

- Establish a military barracks in Ukum LGA

- Complete the Mobile Police barracks construction in Anyiin

- Provide emergency relief through NEMA for displaced residents

In response, the Governor's office, through Chief Press Secretary Tersoo Kula, has stated that the current administration has achieved relative peace compared to previous periods.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Renowned businessman and philanthropist, Sir Kessington Adebutu, has expressed deep sorrow over the passing of elder statesman and nationalist, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, who died on the morning of Friday, February 14, 2025.

In a heartfelt condolence letter addressed to Adebanjo’s family, Sir Adebutu described the late Afenifere leader as a “foremost nationalist, elder statesman, and legal luminary titan” who remained a “dogged fighter for the cause of the masses” throughout his life. He praised Pa Adebanjo’s unwavering commitment to the principles of Obafemi Awolowo, noting that his resilience, candor, and steadfastness made him an inspiration to many.

“As we mourn his passing, let us also celebrate his life, which was a testament to his strength of character, forthrightness, and tireless service to Nigeria,” Adebutu wrote. He prayed for the late leader’s peaceful repose and for divine comfort for his family.

Pa Ayo Adebanjo was a key figure in Nigeria’s political landscape, known for his advocacy for democracy, true federalism, and good governance. His death marks the end of an era of principled leadership in Nigerian politics.

Adebutu, widely regarded as the “Pillar of Methodism in Nigeria” and the “Odole-Oodua of the Source,” joins a long list of dignitaries, political leaders, and well-wishers paying tribute to the late statesman.

Three Israeli hostages freed in Gaza, Israel releases 369 Palestinians in exchange

Hamas released Israeli hostages Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen and Sasha (Alexander) Troufanov in Gaza on Saturday and Israel freed some 369 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in exchange, after mediators helped avert a collapse of the fragile ceasefire.

The three Israelis were led onto a stage with Palestinian Hamas militants armed with automatic rifles standing on each side of them at the site in Khan Younis, live footage showed, before they were taken back into Israel by Israeli forces.

Shortly afterwards, buses carrying freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees departed Israel's Ofer jail in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The first bus arrived in Ramallah to a cheering crowd, some waving Palestinian flags.

"We didn't expect to be freed, but God is great, God set us free," said Musa Nawarwa, 70, from the West Bank town of Bethlehem, who was serving two life terms for killings of Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

Buses carrying some of the hundreds of Palestinian freed prisoners and detainees, some flashing victory signs as they hung from the windows, arrived later at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Some of the Palestinians were serving long prison terms for involvement in suicide bombings and other attacks that killed dozens of Israelis during the second Palestinian uprising in 2000. Others were jailed for killing Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank.

Some, like Hassan Ewis, will be allowed to return to their homes. Others, such as his brother, are expected to be deported to Egypt.

Ewis' charge sheet in the Israeli Justice Ministry records include the planting of explosives and attempted murder and intentional homicide. He said prison conditions were difficult and Palestinians were deprived of sufficient food.

Some of the Israeli hostages who have returned since January 19 have reported being deprived of food, held in tunnels for months and not seeing daylight, and being subjected to physical and psychological abuse.

Some freed Palestinians are returning to an enclave they have not seen for years, before it was blasted into rubble by Israeli airstrikes and shelling in 15 months of war. But most were rounded up after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

'NOW WE CAN BREATHE A LITTLE'

The ceasefire's second phase is meant to usher in negotiations to return the remaining living hostages among the 251 seized that day, and complete an Israeli military withdrawal before a final end to the war and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Netanyahu thanked U.S. President Donald Trump for putting pressure on Hamas, which he said led to the release of the three hostages and said he would convene a cabinet meeting to discuss next steps, the Israeli prime minister's office said in a statement.

Argentina-born Iair Horn, 46, was taken captive together with his younger brother Eitan. Horn appeared to have lost considerable weight in captivity.

"Now, we can breathe a little. Our Iair is home after surviving hell in Gaza. Now, we need to bring Eitan back so our family can truly breathe," Horn's family said in a statement.

The swap of the three Israelis for the 369 Palestinians allayed growing alarm that the ceasefire agreement could unravel before the end of the 42-day first stage of the truce pact in effect since January 19.

In what has become known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv, people broke into cheers and tears after hearing the Red Cross was on its way to deliver the three to Israeli military forces.

Dekel Chen, a U.S.-Israeli, Troufanov, a Russian Israeli, and Horn along with his brother Eitan were seized in Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities near Gaza's border that were overrun by Hamas gunmen on October 7, 2023.

On the handover stage in Khan Younis, the hostages were made to give short statements in Hebrew and militants presented Horn with an hourglass and photo of another Israeli hostage still in Gaza and his mother, reading "time is running out (for the hostages still in Gaza)".

Troufanov was abducted with his mother, grandmother and girlfriend - all of whom were released during a brief November 2023 pause in hostilities. His father was killed in the attack on Nir Oz, one of the worst-hit communities, where one in four people either died or were taken hostage.

On October 7, Dekel Chen, 36, left his pregnant wife and two little daughters in the family safe room to go out and fight gunmen rampaging through the kibbutz.

He embraced his tearful wife Avital tightly and said "perfect" with a big smile when she told him the name of their baby daughter, who he has not yet seen, was Shahar Mazal, Hebrew for "dawn" and "luck", in a video released by the military.

Nineteen Israeli and five Thai hostages have been released so far, with 73 still in captivity, around half of whom have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.

Prospects for the ceasefire surviving have been shaken by Trump's call for Palestinians to be resettled permanently out of Gaza, and for the tiny enclave to be turned over to the U.S. to be redeveloped as a seaside resort. That idea has been rejected out of hand by Palestinian groups, Arab states and Western allies of Washington.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

US, Russia to meet in Saudi Arabia over Ukraine war

U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia in the coming days to start talks aimed at ending Moscow's nearly three-year war in Ukraine, a U.S. lawmaker and a source familiar with the planning said on Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who met with U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Germany on Friday, said Ukraine was not invited to the talks in Saudi Arabia and Kyiv would not engage with Russia before consulting with strategic partners.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul told Reuters. It was not immediately clear who they would meet from Russia.

On the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, McCaul said the aim of the talks was to arrange a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy "to finally bring peace and end this conflict."

A source with knowledge of the plans confirmed the planned talks in Saudi Arabia between U.S. and Russian officials. The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, who took office on January 20, has repeatedly vowed to swiftly end the Ukraine war. He made separate phone calls to Putin and Zelenskiy on Wednesday, leaving Washington's European allies alarmed that they will be cut out of any peace process.

Those fears were largely confirmed on Saturday when Trump's Ukraine envoy said Europe won't have a seat at the table, after Washington sent a questionnaire to European capitals to ask what they could contribute to security guarantees for Kyiv.

MINERALS DEAL

Earlier on Saturday Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. They agreed on regular contacts to prepare for a meeting between Putin and Trump, Russia's Foreign Ministry said.

Zelenskiy said on Friday he would visit the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, but did not say when. However, the Ukrainian leader said he had no plans to meet with U.S. or Russian officials during those visits.

Moscow controls a fifth of Ukraine and has been slowly advancing in the east for months, while Kyiv's smaller army grapples with manpower shortages and tries to hold a chunk of territory in western Russia.

Russia has demanded Kyiv cede territory and become permanently neutral under any peace deal. Ukraine demands Russia withdraw from captured land and wants NATO membership or equivalent security guarantees to prevent attack by Moscow.

The United States and Europe have given Ukraine tens of billions of dollars in military aid since the war started. Trump has said he backs Ukraine but is seeking security for U.S. funding for Kyiv.

The U.S. and Ukraine are currently negotiating a deal that could open up Ukraine's vast natural wealth to U.S. investment. Three sources said the U.S. proposed taking ownership of 50% of Ukraine's critical minerals. Zelenskiy said on Saturday that the draft deal did not contain the security provisions Kyiv needed.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian army controls 20% of Chasov Yar in DPR — expert

Only 20% of Chasov Yar in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) is controlled by units of the Ukrainian armed forces, military expert Andrey Marochko told TASS.

"All in all, the enemy only controls around 20% of Chasov Yar, which is also decreasing," he said.

Reuters/Tass

This month, the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Musa Aliyu, brought senior journalists described as “northern Nigeria media editors” to Abuja.

He apparently wanted to showcase his achievements and describe how difficult it is to fight corruption.

Aliyu was concerned that corruption in the Nigerian public sector thrives “despite the efforts of the anti-corruption agencies.”

He regaled the editors with stories of ICPC bravado to buttress the point that corrupt officials manipulate the judicial process to escape sanction and protect their proceeds.

One of his stories was of a certain hospital, or better still, non-hospital, somewhere in the Federal Republic.

“There was a case of a hospital that was paid 100 per cent five times,” he told the assembled journalists. “Yet, there was nothing to show for it.”

I do not know if the journalists gasped or stopped eating.

Also, this month, the federal government announced new spending of over N4.2tn on roads.

It includes the ‘second phase’ of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road, which will cost N1.334tn to construct 130 kilometres.

Remember that when the highway was first announced, Works Minister, David Umahi, proudly stated that it would feature round-the-clock lighting, security posts, medical facilities, and presumably rest stops.

The Minister also announced that N195bn would be allocated to the reconstruction of ‘Phase 2, Section 1’ of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for something described as ‘improving traffic flow and reducing congestion.’

He further stated that the Abuja-Kano road has been restructured into two lots, adding that the total length is now 118 kilometres—no details, no deadlines.

Regarding the reconstruction of the Lokoja-Benin road, Umahi said it would be carried out in three sections at a total cost of N305bn: Obajana to Benin (Section I) at N64bn; Auchi to Edo (Section II) at N110bn; and the Benin Airport area (Section III) at N131bn.

Also this month, the Senate Public Accounts Committee hosted the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the subject of nearly 200,000 missing firearms arising from a report of the Auditor General of the Federation.

The IGP showed up after the committee threatened to have him arrested by his own men.

It was no surprise that Egbetokun appeared not to know anything about any missing firearms.

He pleaded “other official matters” and was let go.  In the hours that followed, police spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, declared  no firearms to be missing under Egbetokun.

What is the missing link here?  Let me take this back-to-front.

It is to be expected that the missing police firearms story would be vigorously denied by the top brass of the force.

Adejobi’s denial, for instance, is not really that the audit is wrong, but that no weapons are missing under Egbetokun.

The missing link is the indifferent media reporting of the issue.  This matter first broke into the open early in 2022 when the Auditor-General’s report for 2019 appeared, declaring “The total number of lost firearms as reported as of December 2018 stood at 178,459 pieces. Out of this number, 88,078 were AK-47 rifles.”

Following news reports, the House of Representatives threw into the frenzy a body it called the “Ad hoc Committee on Arms.”

In “The National Assembly Is In Decay,” I said the matter proved that the political elite does not read the reports of the Auditor-General, which was annually littered with similar revelations.

I predicted that the committee would disappear quietly and that there would be “no report detailing the nation’s booming industry in disappearing police equipment.”

I was right. And now, it is the Senate which is going through the same motions. But in every Auditor-General’s report in the past 10 years, he has screamed himself hoarse about the alarming rate at which police equipment, of which arms and ammunition are only one part, are disappearing.

The founding fathers forgot to deploy aliens to implement the Auditor-General’s report, so even the police have become a part of the malfeasance.

The media, for its part, appears to be indifferent.

Take the example of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and other roads. Remember when Minister Umahi widely announced that it would be a 10-lane marvel of six major and four service lanes?

President Tinubu described it as “world-class” infrastructure.  “Today is my day to boast,” he said of the massive project, which had enjoyed neither legislative approval nor competitive bidding. “The deal is done. The dream is realizable…We said we would build this road, and we are determined to do it.”

In that same May 2024, a marginalized House of Representatives swore to commence “a comprehensive investigation” of the project.

It never did. Only a few months in, the government said it would downgradeit from 10 lanes to six. It is hoping to launch the “first phase,” about 25 kilometres, on the government’s midterm anniversary this May.

As Minister Umahi spoke this month, it was unclear whether his 130 kilometres’ N1.334tn would be spent on the original design or the slimmed-down “dual carriageway.”

Nor was it clear why the government is spending a whopping N195bn on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway that has only just been completed, rather than on reconstructing one of the washed-out highways, such as the abandoned Sagamu-Ore.

Nobody asked him about the Abuja-Kano Road, either. And nobody is reporting the Julius Berger story.

In January 2024, Umahi praised the excellence of that contractor, saying, “…Only Julius Berger can do it,” and “I am very sure if we pay Julius Berger according to the commitment on funding, they will complete the job.”

He said: “From Kaduna to Zaria is completed. We have only 20 kilometres between Zaria and Kano, and then we have 40 or 38 kilometres from zero point.”

But then curiously, he canceled the contract and handed it to Hitech, Tinubu’s friends, who also happen to be feasting on the Lagos-Calabar and Sokoto-Badagry buffets.

The Minister is also now going to spend N305bn on Lokoja-Benin, the same road he previously promised to deliver in September 2024. This time, he gave no apologies and no details, such as a timeframe.

Finally, the ICPC. No, Aliyu, corruption is not widespread in the Nigerian public sector despite the efforts of the anti-corruption agencies: it is widespread because your agencies are complicit!

The first thing we must do is dispense with such excuses and cliches as “when you fight corruption, corruption fights back.”

Who is fighting corruption? Is it the same institutions that, armed with wide powers, deploy them to protecting the corrupt?

ICPC has since 2019 done an excellent job of tracking constituency projects, which—in the absence of demonstrable, viable projects—are but another slush fund for politicians. But how many politicians have been named and prosecuted? If none, where are the projects?

Aliyu provided the worst-case scenario by detailing one of thousands of projects paid for several times. Are we supposed to applaud him for protecting the crooks?

To be clear: podium conquest before journalists is not fighting corruption. Telling the whole truth and naming names, is.  Publishing reports of your activities, even if the law does not demand it, is.

And then, whatever weak government agencies do or do not, journalists asking questions is critical. A journalist without aggression is at best in the wrong trade.

"God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:9).

Introduction: One of the strongest truths in the entire Bible is that God is inherently faithful. He is trustworthy. He honours His words, fulfills His promises, and He won’t let down anyone that trusts in Him. Our God is too faithful to fail!

God’s faithfulness is in direct contrast to the other heathen faiths. Other gods are, generally, immoral, selfish, cruel and careless with their promises regardless of their pledged word. Contrariwise, the God of the Bible is always loving and caring, and especially faithful both to His covenant and to His children (Ps. 89:34).

God’s Faithfulness Reaches Unto the Clouds

Reflecting on history, magnificent thoughts of God’s faithfulness spring forth! Yet, from his personal experience, King David saw God through his many cloudy seasons, and he sang: “Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds” (Ps. 36:5). Such inspirations must be stamped upon our hearts, never to be erased by any ominous finger.

In every life are shadowed days when the sun withdraws its shining, as it were, and the clouds return. This may be a time of family trouble or of great financial anxiety, a time of failing health or times when the grave is full and the living is beginning to envy the dead. It may even be a time when all that a man has lived for seems washed away like a castle in the sand - a day of unexpected turns.

Sometimes, to our chagrin, these cloudy moments gather very swiftly like some tropical thunderstorms, and we think that God has forgotten to be gracious and are tempted to secretly doubt His care for us. However, we ought to keep in mind that our God is faithful to “them that love him and keep his commandments” (Deut. 7:9).

Certainly, history has its cloudy days. It was a cloudy day experience when the Jews were carried away to Babylon. Exiled to a distant, heathen land, they thought that God had forgotten them and had broken His covenanted faithfulness (Isaiah 40:7). They were seriously confounded: “By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion” (Ps. 137:1).

One day, their heart would rise to sing again on the other side of captivity. But at that time, they had hung their harps, not wanting to sing the Lord’s song of faithfulness in that strange land. Then suddenly, across those dark and cloudy days, came the ringing prophetic voices with the message of ransom and return (Is. 35:1-10). God is faithful!

Another desolating moment showed up when our Lord ascended to the Father, and a cloud received Him from the disciples' sight (Act 1:9). The disciples had loved Him and leaned upon Him, so they were well-nigh broken-hearted when the cloud took him away from them, thinking the sweet companionship was over, forever. But, Jesus Christ had promised them His abiding presence, and He showed up to fulfill that promise on the day of Pentecost.

Jehovah God is faithful, and He won’t break His covenant, no matter what (Hebrews 10:23). Remember Abraham? He held on to God’s faithfulness, even in his hopeless situations (Romans 4:19-21). And his Isaac - meaning Smile - came at last!

God’s Faithfulness Is Inexhaustible

Yes indeed, from time to time, the clouds of uncertainty do hang over humanity. But, if we only could carefully reflect on our personal experiences of dark days, remembering how, severally, God had acted to illuminate our paths, we cannot but shout: Great is His faithfulness. Alleluia!

We were stained with sin and shame, and marked for death. But God, who is rich in mercy and unfailing in His faithfulness, marked us by His love in Christ Jesus, and redeemed us unto Himself. Assuredly, He won’t abandon us, anytime.

For people out there, anxious and distressed because things are presently dark and cloudy - have faith in God. Do not despair. The hour is nearer than you think when you also, like David, will sing the songs of God’s faithfulness.

Tomorrow belongs to those who live today by a faith that sees beyond the limitations of human reasoning, trusting in the unfailing love of the Faithful God. He alone has helped us thus far, and He alone will carry us all the way to our Hope of Glory.

Maturing Confidence In God’s Faithfulness

It’s very crucial to have robust faith in God’s ability to keep us away from evils and answer our prayers, but it is also very important that we grow up spiritually to a point where our relationship with God is not based just on His ability to perform, but on our love for Him, because He first loved for us.

The three young Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, faced a tragic death threat for choosing not to worship the Babylonian golden image. However, their resolution was not based only on God’s power and faithfulness to save them, they said they would rather die than to worship any heathen god, even if God wouldn’t deliver them. That’s a statement of genuine love for God, which won’t disobey His commandment even in the face of death. And it was this unwavering love for God, not just their faith, that provoked and attracted God to them in their desperate hours. When we live true to the Lord, we will in turn enjoy His faithfulness in full.

Conclusion

God’s faithfulness is never, in any way, diminished by men’s unfaithfulness. Albeit, unfaithful men cannot access the provisions that the Faithful God had reserved for the faithful (2 Timothy 2:13).

With God’s faithfulness in view, keep up hope even if it appears that disappointment is starring you in the face. God will never give up on you, no matter what. He’s constantly holding out hope concerning His people, so that we might fulfill all His pleasure.

The challenges may not be all over yet, nor the changes complete, but when our hearts are excited with loving faith in God’s faithfulness, things long-awaited will certainty land in our hands.

Friends, the smell of rain is in the air, renew your trust in the Faithful God. For it will soon be said of us as it was of our predecessors: "They did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year"(Jos.5:12). Happy Sunday!

Further Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10; Leviticus 26:42-45; Psalm 89:1-24; Lamentations 3:22-23; 2 Thessalonians 3:3.

____________________

Archbishop Taiwo Akinola,

Rhema Christian Church,

Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.

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