RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Putin lists guarantees Moscow wants for 30-day ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed support for a potential 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict but has raised concerns regarding how such a truce be implemented. Speaking on Thursday, Putin warned of potential loopholes and strategic disadvantages. 

“We also want guarantees that during the 30-day ceasefire, Ukraine will not conduct mobilization, will not train soldiers, and will not receive weapons,” Putin said during a press briefing with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow.

The president pointed out that Russian troops are advancing along nearly 2,000 kilometers of frontline, and halting military actions could disrupt ongoing operations. Ukrainian forces could use a ceasefire period to regroup, receive more weapons, and train fresh recruits, he warned.

“These 30 days — how will they be used? To continue forced mobilization in Ukraine? To receive more arms supplies? To train newly mobilized units? Or will none of this happen?” Putin asked.

Enforcing a ceasefire over such a vast battlefield would be difficult, he added, violations could be easily disputed, leading to a blame game between both sides. Systems of “control and verification” to monitor a ceasefire are not in place but should be agreed.

Putin also mentioned that Ukrainian troops who invaded Russia’s Kursk Region in August 2024 are now cut off. What is to be done with them in the event of a truce is unclear, he noted. 

“Are we supposed to let them out, after they committed mass war crimes against civilians? Will the Ukrainian leadership tell them to lay down their arms, and just surrender?” Putin said.

As of Wednesday evening, Moscow’s forces have regained control of 86% of the territory that was occupied by Ukrainian forces in August 2024, according to the head of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov. Kiev’s remaining units in the area have been largely “encircled” and “isolated,” he claimed.

Putin suggested that discussions with his American counterpart Donald Trump will be necessary to find a viable solution.

“The idea of ending the conflict through peaceful means is something we support,” he stressed.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Putin says Ukrainians face choice of 'surrender or die' as Russia tightens squeeze in Kursk

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russia had trapped the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in its western Kursk region, where they have clung on for more than seven months in one of the key battles of the war.

A day after instructing his top commanders to complete the ejection of Ukrainian forces as fast as possible, Putin told a news conference that the situation in Kursk was "completely under our control, and the group that invaded our territory is in isolation".

Ukraine's top commander denied this week that his men were being encircled, but said they were adopting better defensive positions. Its general staff said on Thursday that five Russian attacks had been repelled and clashes were continuing in four locations.

A Russian war correspondent reported heavy Ukrainian artillery fire on the town of Sudzha, which Russia recaptured on Wednesday. Maps published by Deep State, an authoritative Ukrainian source that charts the frontlines of the war, showed a dramatic shrinking of Ukrainian-held territory in the past week but little change in the past 24 hours.

Putin said Ukrainian soldiers were cut off inside the invasion zone. "And if a physical blockade occurs in the coming days, then no one will be able to leave at all, there will be only two ways - to surrender or die."

Ukraine's surprise incursion into Kursk last August aimed to embarrass Putin, divert Russian forces from elsewhere on the front lines and grab land to trade for its own captured territory. Its troops were the first to invade Russia since Adolf Hitler's army in 1941.

But Russia's forces, supported by troops from its ally North Korea, have gradually clawed back the lost ground, intensifying pressure on Ukraine in the past week by cutting supply lines.

Putin's growing confidence was reflected in a surprise visit on Wednesday to commanders in Kursk, when he told them to finish the job "in the shortest possible timeframe".

Putin, who rarely dons military uniform, was shown on TV in camouflage fatigues - a pointed signal to the West of Russia's military resolve as it weighs up a 30-day ceasefire plan proposed by the United States and supported this week by Ukraine.

CEASEFIRE 'NUANCES'

At his news conference, Putin said Russia supported the idea of a ceasefire, but with the caveat that it should lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the root causes of the conflict.

He said there were a number of "nuances", including in Kursk, where a truce would be "very good" for the Ukrainian side.

"If we stop hostilities for 30 days, what does that mean? That everyone who is there will leave without a fight? Should we let them out of there after they have committed a lot of crimes against civilians? Or will the Ukrainian leadership give us the order to lay down our arms? It is not clear."

Ukraine denies committing such crimes, says it abides by humanitarian law and does not target civilians.

The Russian Defence Ministry said earlier that its forces were pounding remaining Ukrainian positions after capturing three more settlements including Sudzha, which is located near the border with Ukraine and lies on a road that Kyiv had used to resupply its forces.

Video from Sudzha, published by Russian media and military bloggers, showed scenes of devastation from the seven months of fighting, with burnt-out vehicles, roofless buildings and mountains of rubble.

RT/Reuters

Many years ago, when my teacher said nothing sells like sex, crime, and money, I didn’t fully understand what he meant. Yet, over the years, I’ve repeatedly seen that a judicious mix of these socio-economic ingredients is a spellbinder.

Apart from the tragic news about banditry, the suspense in Rivers State, and the heightened prostitution amongst politicians crossing carpet or finding new harems, nothing has hugged the headlines as relentlessly as the salacious tango between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

After weeks of trying to see, hear, and say no evil, I’m compelled to overcome the temptation of abstaining by yielding. It’s not an easy road, believe me – not for those genuinely trying to make sense of it, not for the busybodies and certainly not for the parties involved.

Managing their libido

It's heartbreaking that despite the perennial underperformance of the legislature, managing the libido of its menfolk has piled on the hazards we must endure.

But it’s not a Nigerian thing, if that is any comfort. A 2016 study by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) on sexism, harassment and violence against women parliamentarians indicates that 20 percent of women parliamentarians globally report sexual harassment during their terms. The hospitality and healthcare sectors follow the pecking order, with power relations influencing the trend in several industries, professions, and workspaces.

Allegations of sexual harassment or assault have indeed been weaponised in the past. From the Central Park Five in the US to Ivan Henry, and Perry Lott, exonerated only two years ago after serving 35 years for a rape conviction in Oklahoma, the literature is replete with cases of persons wrongfully convicted for sexual offences they did not commit. Lott won’t be the last.

What is behind seven…

Yet, Akpoti-Natasha’s allegation should be taken more seriously than just another regular nuisance from an under-performing legislative branch. The feedback from insiders has been puzzling. Akpabio and Akpoti-Natasha have been good friends, one source told me. In Akpabio’s Senate presidency, the source said, none of the other three female senators have enjoyed the privileges Akpoti-Uduaghan has, even though she is a first-timer.

Jealousy, I thought, especially when my source added that apart from her appointment as chairman of the juicy local content development committee, Akpoti-Natasha had been a part of the Senate president’s entourage on trips to several enchanting destinations before things fell apart. This source, I’ve known for years, is not given to flippancy. But I pressed for more.

Show me your friend…

The source added that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s husband, Emmanuel, a hard-working man, high chief, husband of one wife, and friend of the establishment but a non-legislator, had also executed several significant contracts for the National Assembly running into hundreds of millions of naira.

For anyone familiar with how things are done here, lavish travels and contracts for one’s buddies are only a tiny part of the fringe benefits. There is a common saying among Nigerian politicians that one does not give jobs to one’s enemies.

Yet, if it’s also true that one’s friends can sometimes tell a lot about who they are, then anyone who is Akpabio’s friend and gets special treatment cannot claim they’re strangers to his flippancy, a shortcoming for which he cannot help himself. Akpoti-Uduaghan should know him.

A lifestyle of rough jokes

As governor of Akwa Ibom State, he said before TV cameras at a zonal meeting in Port Harcourt that “hungry” state party chairmen of his former party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), should be given one million naira each for snacks at Mr. Biggs. Akpabio also famously said that whatever money cannot do, more money can do.

The bawdier variety range from telling young protesters last year that those who wanted to protest could do so “while the rest of us would be here eating.” Not to mention his off-colour quip about the Senate not being a night club or his pre-recess gaffe to “send prayers” (meaning money) to senators just before their holiday.

The man can’t help himself. He thinks the allegation against him is wokeism gone rogue and called it “a useless allegation of sexual harassment.” But the gravity goes beyond his insinuation that Akpoti-Uduaghan is fighting back for losing her “juicy” committee seat or his charge that she thinks of herself as finer than Snow White, a woman to kill for.

Under the rug

The point is that even though he has framed this dispute as a useless distraction, he should never have been the prosecutor and judge in his own case. Because he was involved – the second time in five years – the matter should have been referred to an independent panel or opened to the public.

Allegations of sexual harassment are often difficult to prove. Many incidents occur privately, leaving no direct witnesses or corroborative testimony. Claims usually rely on the complainant’s words, and documentation of circumstantial evidence is challenging.

Referring the matter to the Ethics and Privileges committee was supposed to create a veneer of impartiality. Still, Akpabio’s vindictiveness was apparent long before the committee returned the six-month suspension verdict on Akpoti-Uduaghan. The Senate president was pulling the strings.

It was not Akpoti-Uduaghan’s right to a fair, impartial hearing alone that was at stake, even though the absence of that should have been sufficient to discredit her punishment. Akpabio has also abridged the rights of the senator’s constituents in Kogi Central by this libidinous overreach.

He should have been more restrained.

A worrying record

Discipline of members shouldn’t be taken lightly. Of eight senators suspended since 1999, three have been in the last two years under Akpabio’s presidency. In 236 years, the US Senate has censured nine members.

In South Africa, apart from the raft of parliamentarians who resigned after the so-called Travelgate scandal in the early 2000s, the most notable cases of censure since 1994 have been Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, for different reasons.

Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has said Akpoti-Uduaghan was not suspended for her allegation against the Senate president but for multiple breaches, from refusal to sit in her assigned seat, speaking without recognition, disruptive behaviour, and failure to appear before the Senate Ethics Committee, contrary to Senate Orders 2023 as amended.

With only four women out of 109 senators (both chambers of the National Assembly have eight of 469 members), this might sound like music to the ears of the male-dominated chamber. But in the hallways, just outside their gilded offices, the word is that after a previous sexual harassment allegation by Akpoti-Uduaghan against former presidential aide Reno Omokri, it’s time to teach her a lesson.

Spouses beware

Akpabio cannot come clean by asking his wife to tell us what a faithful husband he has been. Or telling us stories of how he spent the night at the Dangote Cement factory to make it to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s wedding. We have an idea what spouses would say in situations like this, and where he spent the night to attend his friend’s wedding is his business.

Enough of the salacious spellbinder. He should allow an independent investigation and publish the findings to bring closure to this sordid episode.

** Ishiekwene is Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has described the N15.6tn Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway project as wasteful and corrupt.

He equally slammed the President Bola Tinubu administration for spending N21bn on a new official residence for Vice President Kashim Shettima, calling it a misplaced priority and conduit designed to embezzle public funds.

The ex-leader disclosed this in chapter six of his new book, ‘Nigeria: Past and Future’ where he painted the portrait and characters of chief executives at both the federal and state levels.

The book was one of the two new books unveiled to mark Obasanjo’s 88th birthday last week.

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, had revealed that the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will cost N4.93bn per kilometre, stating that the contract was awarded on a counterpart-funding basis and not a Public-Private Partnership.

About N1.06tn has been released for the pilot phase, or six per cent of the project, which begins at Eko Atlantic and is expected to terminate at the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

Many prominent Nigerians, including the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, have questioned the Federal Government’s decision to award the contract to Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech Construction Company without competitive bidding.

Chagoury is believed to be Tinubu’s long-time business partner and friend.

Assessing the two years of Tinubu in office, Obasanjo said it appears that the game of short-changing the over 230 million Nigerians would continue because “Everything is said to be transactional and the slogan is ‘It is my turn to chop.’’’

Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, declined to react to Obasanjo’s criticism of his principal when contacted on Wednesday night.

The former President said the majority of those who have been opportune to hold leadership positions in the country as governors, presidents, ministers, commissioners even as local government chairmen are ill-prepared, satanic, self-centred and are all out to corruptly enrich themselves while the nation continues to wallow in abject poverty and condemnable underdevelopment.

Obasanjo said that many clamouring to be governors or lead the country in one form or the other are only interested in using their offices to enrich themselves and their cronies and then leave the country worse than they met it.

The former President pointed out that most office-seekers in the country would go as far as obtaining loans of billions of naira believing that paying back from the public funds after being elected won’t be a problem.

He stated, “How do you explain the situation of a chief executive, a governor, whose business was owing the banks billions of naira and millions of dollars before becoming a governor and within two years of becoming governor, without his company doing any business, he paid all that his businesses owed the banks.

“You are left to guess where the money came from. Having got away with that in the first term, he consigned to himself almost half of the state resources in the second term. He was a typical example of the goings-on at that level almost universally in the country with only a few exceptions.

“State resources are captured and appropriated to themselves with a pittance to staff and associates to close the mouths of those that could blow the whistle or raise alarm against them while in office and when they are out of office.’’

He further noted that “The ones that are criminally ridiculous are the chief executives that deceive, lie and try to cover up on the realities and truth of action and inaction on contract awards, agreements, treaties, borrowings and forward sales of national assets. Such chief executives are unfit for the job they find themselves in.

“Typical examples of waste, corruption and misplaced priority are the murky Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road on which the President had turned deaf ears to protests and the new Vice-President’s official residence built at a cost of N21bn in the time of economic hardship to showcase the administration hitting the ground running and to show the importance of the office of the Vice-President. What small minds!”

To address some of the challenges facing the country, the former President said that there is a need to interrogate the Western liberal democracy being practised and see how it could be reviewed to reflect African peculiarities.

“If the West, from where the liberal democracy started should complain about it not working well for them, we should be wise enough at this stage to interrogate, carry out introspection, internal analysis and realise that Western liberal democracy is not working for us and is not delivering apart from the shortcomings of the operators.

“We should seek democracy within African history, culture, attributes and characteristics, one that will take necessary African factors into consideration. Until we can get a better word or description for it, let us call it Afrodemocracy.

“It is from Afrodemocracy that we will draw up an African people’s constitution for any African that chooses to go the way of Afrodemocracy, which will avoid most, to all, the faults we have found in Western liberal democracy,” he suggested.

Punch

Nigeria's crude oil production decreased to 1.46 million barrels per day (bpd) in February, according to the latest monthly market report from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The figures, based on direct communication with Nigerian authorities, represent a 4.8% decline from January's output of 1.53 million bpd, marking the first month-on-month decrease of the year.

Interestingly, secondary sources cited by OPEC painted a different picture, reporting Nigeria's February production at 1.56 million bpd—a 2.2% increase from January's 1.52 million bpd. OPEC collects production data through both direct communication with member countries and secondary sources such as energy intelligence platforms.

Despite the production drop reported through direct channels, Nigeria maintained its position as Africa's largest oil producer, with Algeria following in second place at 912,000 bpd.

In the broader context, OPEC reported that total crude oil production across its 12 member countries averaged about 41.01 million bpd in February. Production increases were noted in several countries including Nigeria, Iraq, and Iran, while Gabon and Congo experienced declines.

Meanwhile, non-OPEC Declaration of Cooperation (DoC) countries produced 14.15 million bpd in February, showing a decrease from the previous month. Kazakhstan saw production increases, while Mexico, Malaysia, and Russia reported lower output.

The report comes shortly after OPEC and its allies (OPEC+) announced plans on March 3 to increase oil output in April.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Arab states to keep talking with Trump envoy on Egypt's Gaza plan

Arab foreign ministers said on Wednesday they would continue consultations with U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy over Egypt's plan for rebuilding the Gaza Strip, an alternative to Trump's proposed takeover of the Palestinian territory.

Consultations and coordination on the plan would continue with the U.S. special envoy, Steve Witkoff, as a "basis for the reconstruction efforts" in Gaza, according to a joint statement following a meeting of the foreign ministers in Doha.

Earlier this month, Arab leaders adopted a $53 billion Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave, in contrast to Trump's vision of a "Middle East Riviera".

Trump's plan reinforced long-standing Palestinian fears of being permanently driven from their homes, and was met with widespread international rejection.

Egypt, Jordan and Gulf Arab states are concerned that any such plan would destabilise the entire region.

Egypt's reconstruction plan for Gaza provides for an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza.

The plan is detailed in a 112-page document that includes maps of how its land would be redeveloped and dozens of colourful AI-generated images of housing developments, gardens and community centres.

Large-scale reconstruction funding would require heavy buy-in from oil-rich Gulf Arab states such as the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

The White House has previously said that the plan, which has recently received backing from France, Germany, Italy and Britain, did not address Gaza's reality.

Reuters

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian forces encircled in Kursk Region – Russia’s top general

Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region, western Russia, have been encircled and isolated, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said on Tuesday. He added that 86% of the territory has been liberated, and that the systematic destruction of enemy forces is underway.

Gerasimov reported on the situation in Kursk Region during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at one of the command posts in the area.

Over the past five days, Russia’s ‘North’ military grouping took control of 24 settlements and 259 square kilometers of territory, Gerasimov said. In certain areas, Russian forces have advanced and crossed into Ukraine’s Sumy Region.

He also said that the Ukrainian army suffered 67,000 casualties in the area.

Gerasimov added that in the nearest future Ukrainian troops would be defeated in Kursk and that Moscow’s forces would reach the border. He said that enemy soldiers were surrendering, with 430 prisoners already taken.

Putin stated that Ukrainian prisoners should be treated “as terrorists in accordance with Russian law.”

The visit came just hours after media reports about the liberation of Sudzha – the biggest city held by the Ukrainians in Kursk Region. Videos on social media appear to show Russian troops raising a flag in the city center. According to some reports, the fighting is ongoing in the western and northwestern outskirts of Sudzha.

Earlier this week, the Russian military recaptured 12 settlements and over 100 square kilometers of land in a surprise attack that also allowed them to retake Sudzha’s industrial zone. The operation was in preparation for months and involved around 800 soldiers walking several miles through an empty gas pipeline to infiltrate Ukrainian positions.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Cautious Russia weighs Ukraine ceasefire plan as US tries to seal a deal

The Kremlin said on Wednesday it would review details from Washington about a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine before responding, while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio hoped a deal would be struck within days.

As Moscow considered the plan, President Vladimir Putin, dressed in military fatigues, made a surprise visit to Russia's Kursk region for the first time since Ukrainian troops captured part of it last year.

With Putin's presence highlighting recent Russian advances in Kursk, Valery Gerasimov, head of Russia's General Staff, told the Kremlin leader his troops had repelled Ukrainian forces from 86% of the ground they once held in Kursk. Ukraine had hoped to use that territory as a bargaining chip in any peace talks with Moscow.

The U.S. on Tuesday agreed to resume weapons supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after Kyiv said at talks in Saudi Arabia that it was ready to support a ceasefire proposal.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said it was carefully studying the results of that meeting and awaited details from the U.S.

Rubio said the United States was hoping for a positive response, and that if the answer was "no" then it would tell Washington a lot about the Kremlin's true intentions.

Speaking to reporters when his plane refueled in Ireland, Rubio said on Wednesday: "Here’s what we’d like the world to look like in a few days: Neither side is shooting at each other, not rockets, not missiles, not bullets, nothing ... and the talking starts."

Two people familiar with the matter said Russia has presented Washington with a list of demands for a deal to end the Ukraine war and reset relations with the United States.

The specific demands were not clear, nor whether Russia, which holds just under a fifth of Ukraine, was willing to enter peace talks with Kyiv prior to their acceptance.

The people said the demands were similar to previous Kremlin terms including no NATO membership for Kyiv, recognition of Russia's claim to Crimea and four Ukrainian provinces and an agreement that foreign troops not be deployed in Ukraine.

Rubio said that Europe would have to be involved in any security guarantee for Ukraine, and that the sanctions Europe has imposed would also be on the table.

After a meeting of five European defence ministers, British defence minister John Healey on Wednesday told reporters that work was accelerating on a "coalition of the willing from Europe and beyond" to support Ukraine. French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said about 15 countries had expressed interest.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy hailed this week's meeting in Saudi Arabia as constructive, and said a potential 30-day ceasefire with Russia could be used to draft a broader peace deal.

After Russian forces made gains in Ukraine in 2024, Trump reversed U.S. policy on the war, launching bilateral talks with Moscow and suspending military assistance to Ukraine, demanding that it take steps to end the conflict.

Tuesday's agreement signaled a major improvement in U.S.-Ukraine relations after a clash between Trump and Zelenskiy at the White House last month sent them to a new low, but it did not alter the issues underlying the conflict with Russia, Ukrainian sources said.

RUSSIA WANTS ITS ADVANCES TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 has left hundreds of thousands of dead and injured, displaced millions of people, reduced towns to rubble and triggered the biggest confrontation between Moscow and the West in six decades.

During Putin's visit to Kursk, Gerasimov told him Russian forces had regained 1,100 square kilometers (425 square miles) of territory including 259 square kilometers in the last five days.

Kyiv's forces have been on the verge of losingtheir foothold in Kursk. Their main supply lines were cut and they ceded control of the town of Sudzha.

Putin called for Russia's forces to swiftly retake any remaining area from Kyiv's troops. He also made it clear he was considering the creation of a buffer zone in Ukraine's Sumy region, across the border from Kursk.

Deep State, an authoritative Ukrainian site that charts the frontlines of the war, updated its battlefield map to show Ukrainian forces were no longer in control of Sudzha. However, it said fighting was continuing on the outskirts.

Ukraine's top army commander said on Wednesday that Kyiv's troops will keep operating in Kursk region as long as needed and that fighting continued in and around Sudzha.

Putin has repeatedly said he is ready to talk about an end to the war and Trump says he thinks Putin is serious, though other Western leaders disagree.

Reuters reported in November that Putin was ready to negotiate a deal with Trump, but would refuse to make major territorial concessions and would insist Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO.

Ukraine says the regions claimed by Moscow have been annexed illegally and that it will never recognise Russian sovereignty over them.

Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, the upper house of Russia's parliament, said on Telegram that Russia's advances in Ukraine must be taken into account in any deal.

"Real agreements are still being written there, at the front. Which they should understand in Washington, too," he said.

RT/Reuters

In the latest plot twist in the case involving Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, it turned out that the head of the Ethics Committee, Neda Imasuen, who read out the punitive statement against Akpoti-Uduaghan has a soiled professional record. Yes, the man who claimed a woman had to be punished for “bringing the Senate’s presiding office and the entire Senate into public opprobrium” is a walking bag of ethical violations, alleged fraud, and fugitive? Who could have thought?

First, I must confess a grudging admiration for Imasuen. It takes chutzpah to speak so self-righteously about a colleague whose supposed sins pale beside yours. The confidence with which he read the statement shows he has learned that the best way to deflect from the log in one’s eye is to shout the loudest at the appearance of a speck in another’s eye. We must thank him for exposing himself. If he had managed to keep his head down and his mouth shut, perhaps the can of worms spilling out of his orifices would have stayed within. It is bad enough that a character like that was elected a senator, but it is far worse that he also heads the ethics committee! Is it not too much of an irony that the sundry allegations against him were also about ethical violation—first disbarred for professional misconduct and absconded from the USA shortly after the FBI linked him to a multi-million dollar fraud? And only God knows what other scandal will come out of him if you keep shaking!

It would have been shocking if this was an isolated case, but no, the Senate that threw a fit over Akpoti-Uduaghan’s supposedly bringing them to disrepute is full of unsavoury characters like Imasuen. Even Akpabio himself has an extended record of corruption allegations that have been put in abeyance. As long as he continues to play the obsequious politics his handlers need him for, his case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission remains frozen. His status and influence are tied to his serving the President rather than democracy.

Imasuen’s case is, of course, also similar to that of former Speaker of the House of Representatives and current Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. He too was a lawyer in the USA suspended (and later disbarred) for violating professional trust. The decision to permanently terminate his law license was ratified the same year he became the chief of staff. Nobody, of course, is naïve enough to wonder for even a minute why the President would keep someone so tainted that close. The reason birds of the same disreputable feather must flock together is self-evident.

Imasuen knew who he was and what he had to hide, and that was why he could proclaim that the petition accusing Akpabio of sexual harassment was “dead on arrival”. To scrutinise the conduct of the Senate’s presiding officer was to risk exposing his unflattering flank. Despite the precedents that should have instructed the committee that suspending a senator for six months is unconstitutional, they insisted on towing a discredit path. Rather than at least giving Akpoti-Uduaghan a fair hearing, he pronounced an unnecessarily harsh punishment. He is another legislative officer merely playing quid pro quo with the tools of the institution.

Now that Imasuen had no moral standing to either sit on a committee regulating the ethics of the National Assembly or pronounce judgment on a colleague, can the decision on Akpoti-Uduaghan now be rescinded? That will be the fair thing to do in the light of developments.

It will be too complicated to get him out of the Senate based on the allegations of the crime committed elsewhere (which should have been raised before his election), but someone that ethically tainted is too unfit to have the privilege of regulating the ethics of an institution like the Senate. He should be removed from leadership positions and consigned to being just a floor member. If the concerns that certain actions by lawmakers can bring the Senate to disrepute are sincere, then Imasuen should be yanked from every position of responsibility. If the Senator’s case against Akpoti-Uduaghan was truly about instituting the rules she supposedly violated and not a personal attack on her, then the Senate should immediately move to relieve Imasuen of his position and recall every decision he made as the ethics committee leader.

That brings me to another point about the misogyny that has attended the Akpoti-Uduaghan case. I never knew so many bad-mannered and uncouth men could still appear on television in 2025 until recently. Under the pretext of commenting on legislative issues, all manner of scum bags went on TV to pour their misogynistic innards into the public space. It was a shame to see.

The most irritating commenter of the misogynistic lot is Mrs Oluremi Tinubu who thinks women suffer sexual harassment because they invite it. But when she had an altercation with fellow Senator Dino Melaye in 2017, and he made some demeaning comments bordering on sexual assault about her, was it also because she failed to set boundaries with him? Women like Mrs Tinubu are the exact reason I do not believe that pushing more women to occupy leadership positions will necessarily lead to female progress in the country. Those kinds of women play identity politics just to get into places of power only for their politics to pander to oppressive norms rather than disrupt them. Their understanding of “gender empowerment” never goes beyond the rudimentary idea of gifting women money and a few household items. Advocacy for women would be better off soliciting reasonable men than relying on these “pick me” women whose ideological incoherence set the course of feminine progress back by a century.

She is not the only woman whose intervention on this issue has been more of indulging male sensibilities than offering insights. I wished the women who appeared on television to speak on this issue had spoken the way some of the men did rather than merely pander. When men have gone on television to talk about this issue, some of them said the worst things and with utmost confidence too. I wish the women who got a chance did the same. Those men could say misogynistic things on television because they have never heard their stupidity echoed back at them. Women need to speak like them for them to get it.

For instance, if a man can say a woman’s beauty is a problem for her, then women too should point out how a man’s ugliness can also be a source of his problem! Another moron, seeking to delegitimise Akpoti-Uduaghan, blatantly lied that she has had six children by six men. Akpabio also once pulled that card on television when talking about a woman. If men can be so confidently coarse, women should be able to mirror their words back to them rather than being apologetic. Talk about the number of children the man has out of wedlock; ask him if he has stopped cheating on his wife. When they go low, do not go high; kick them in the face like rabid dogs.

One simpleton said this issue of sexual harassment undermines the credibility of women in politics, and it might get to a point where they ought to be tested for emotional stability to qualify for leadership. But does Imasuen’s case also not prove that men are professionally and ethically unqualified? From Bola Tinubu to Akpabio to Gbajabiamila, there is far more evidence to prove that men are too unscrupulous, venal and felonious to be leaders. It is not women who should be examined for mental stability before they are elected; it is men who should be made to undergo a virtue test with a psychiatrist to determine if there is something about their male hormones that predisposes them to avarice.

If women talk about men the way men talk about women, it will get to a point where obtuse men will finally begin to realise how ridiculous they sound when they talk about women.

Punch

Josie Hannett & Alex Bish

An Albanian national who travelled to the UK illegally has told the BBC how his life became "unbearable" after he ended up working on a cannabis farm.

Gzim, who wished to remain anonymous, was one of more than 12,600 Albanians who made the trip to the UK by small boat in 2022 - the peak year for English Channel migrant crossings.

Last year the number of Albanians that made the dangerous journey dropped to just 616 people, following a campaign by the UK and Albanian governments.

Gzim says he is speaking out to warn others, as the UK government relaunches a social media campaign aimed at warning Albanians who enter illegally of possible hardships in the UK.

He says he found a smuggler on TikTok who agreed to help him make the journey to England, and after travelling to France via buses, he arrived in Dunkirk, where a boat was launched to Dover.

He says his cousins, who were already in the UK, paid the smuggler £3,500 for him to cross the channel.

After being placed in a hotel, he says he was able to leave unnoticed to work on a cannabis farm.

He said: "I wanted a better life, to help my family, like all the other people who have done this journey.

"I knew the risks involved with this kind of business, but I hoped that I wouldn't be unlucky."

He says the cannabis farm was broken into and because of this he didn't get paid.

Gzim moved into a construction role where he says he felt forced to take a lower wage - not enough to cover his own expenses and support his family back home.

Five months after arriving in the UK he said it got so "unbearable" he decided to return to Albania.

He added: "I dreamed of other things. I hoped I would make it.

"Nobody wants to leave his homeland. Nobody wants to leave his people and his friends. But in Albania it is a war of survival and I didn't have any other choice."

New social media adverts are highlighting stories of migrants who entered the UK illegally "only to face debt and exploitation".

This approach originally started in 2023 under the Conservative government.

It followed a cooperation agreement signed by the UK and Albania under the previous government to try and reduce illegal migration.

The numbers on small boats had already started to fall before the agreement was struck.

The National Crime Agency said the reduction in crossings is due to a number of different factors, including law enforcement activity, deportations, diminished demand for travel to the UK and potential displacement to other methods.

Last year more than 2,600 people were returned to Albania, more than any other nationality.

Balkans expert Andi Hoxhaj told a committee of MPs in 2022 that he estimated about 40% of people leave Albania for "economic opportunities".

Lavdrim Krashi, an MP in the ruling Socialist Party, said some people had been lured on social media by promises of a better life in Britain.

He told the BBC: "The promotion was made to especially young people to come to the UK and if you make it there, don't worry about any finances because money really grows on trees, and we know that's not the case.

"The numbers travelling illegally has drastically reduced in the last few years, but always more can be done," he said.

"It's not in our interest to lose our young people, we want to make them thrive in the Albanian economy."

Families left behind

But there are also ongoing concerns about Albanians being trafficked into the UK.

They are still among the most common nationalities referred to the National Referral Mechanism as potential modern day slaves.

Jorida Tabaku, an opposition MP from the Democratic Party said: "When people go there they face a different reality.

"A lot of them are paying very much to go to the UK, a lot of them are leaving families behind because they are unemployed men."

Albanian TV journalist Eraldo Harlicaj says depopulation of the country has been an issue for years.

"We have lots of problems here again.

"Nothing has changed about Albania from 2022 when we had the peak of illegal migration," he said.

"Most of the young Albanians who wanted to go to England are in England, so we don't have any more to send."

Since 2022 the British Embassy has invested £6m in a project aimed at stemming the flow of people leaving northern Albania for a life of illegal working in the UK.

The New Perspectives programme is designed to create job and business opportunities.

Vasyl Chornyi, the team leader, said: "There are organised criminal groups using their social media, trying to lure people into trafficking scheme.

"Trying to change the narrative with a positive image that people can make their life here is extremely important," he added.

The project provides business mentoring and coaches people in employment and entrepreneurship skills.

Albert Halilaj, the Mayor of Kukës said: "The number of immigrants going abroad is falling down. The young people of Kukës are not looking to migrate anymore.

"Tourism is the sole focus of the future of Kukës, and i'd like to make a public call to all the immigrants abroad that they can return here and they will find support for their investments in every field."

The migration agreement with Britain has also resulted in closer co-operation to tackle people smuggling.

Head of the Albanian Border and Migration Police, Saimir Boshnjaku, said: "Albanian law enforcement officers have been deployed in the UK, especially in Dover, to support the British authorities".

A network of UK-funded cameras has also been installed on the Albania-Kosovo border to tackle illegal migration and criminal gangs.

The equipment includes a fleet of drones and number plate recognition cameras to recognise British vehicles which criminals use to avoid detection by the local police.

Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty said: "By working directly with Albanian communities, we are discouraging the dangerous journeys to the UK.

"Together with tougher border controls and cracking down on people-smuggling gangs, the government is focused on the international challenge and delivering on its Plan for Change."

BBC

The 2024 State of the Nation Report has revealed that Nigeria’s life expectancy remains critically low at 54.6 years, significantly below the global average of 73.3 years. This is a stark difference of 18.7 years.

The report, released on Tuesday in Abuja, highlights the devastating interplay of economic hardship, widespread insecurity, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure as key factors driving this alarming statistic. Against the backdrop of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, which have exacerbated hunger and poverty, the report underscores the urgent need for systemic reforms to address the nation’s deepening crises.

Economic Policies and Rising Poverty

President Tinubu’s administration has implemented a series of economic measures, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the naira, which have led to skyrocketing inflation and a sharp increase in the cost of living. While the report notes a growth in Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to N60.9 trillion in 2024, with a growth rate of 3.19%, the benefits of this growth remain starkly uneven. Approximately 63% of Nigerians continue to live in multidimensional poverty, struggling with inadequate access to healthcare, education, and basic living standards.

The economic policies, though aimed at stabilizing the economy, have disproportionately affected the most vulnerable populations. Rising food prices and unemployment have pushed millions deeper into poverty, with young people aged 15 to 24 years facing an unemployment rate of 8.4%. Young women are particularly affected, further exacerbating gender disparities in access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.

Insecurity and Its Toll on Life Expectancy

The report also highlights the pervasive insecurity plaguing Nigeria, with armed conflicts, banditry, and kidnappings cutting short lives across multiple geopolitical zones. Communities in the North-West, North-East, and parts of the South are particularly affected, with thousands displaced and many more living in constant fear. This insecurity not only directly contributes to mortality but also disrupts healthcare delivery, agricultural activities, and access to essential services, further worsening health outcomes.

Health Challenges and Gender Disparities

Communicable diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis remain significant contributors to Nigeria’s disease burden, negatively impacting life expectancy. The report notes a slight gender disparity in life expectancy, with women living an average of 54.9 years compared to men’s 54.3 years, consistent with global trends. However, women in rural areas face higher poverty levels, limited access to healthcare, and lower educational attainment, which further compounds their vulnerability.

The fertility rate, at 4.8 children per woman, remains among the highest in the world, with rural areas recording an even higher rate of 5.6. This reflects disparities in access to education and family planning services, as well as cultural norms that perpetuate early marriages and large family sizes.

Urbanization and Its Challenges

Urbanization continues at a rapid pace, with 54% of Nigerians now living in urban areas. While this shift is driven by the search for better economic opportunities and access to essential services, it has also led to infrastructure strain, pollution, and the growth of informal settlements. Cities like Abuja, Lagos, Kano which are rapidly expanding, face significant challenges in providing adequate housing, sanitation, and healthcare to their growing populations.

Call for Action

The report emphasizes the need for continued investment in healthcare, education, and social safety nets to address the root causes of Nigeria’s low life expectancy. It calls for targeted interventions to reduce poverty, improve access to healthcare, and address the gender and age disparities that perpetuate inequality. Additionally, the report highlights the urgent need to tackle insecurity, which remains a major barrier to development and a significant contributor to premature deaths.

Conclusion

Nigeria’s life expectancy of 54.6 years is a stark reminder of the nation’s ongoing struggles with poverty, insecurity, and inadequate healthcare. While economic growth is a positive indicator, the benefits must be more equitably distributed to ensure that all Nigerians can lead healthy and fulfilling lives. President Tinubu’s administration faces a critical juncture: to either recalibrate its economic policies to prioritize the welfare of its citizens or risk further entrenching the cycles of poverty and insecurity that continue to cut lives short. The time for decisive action is now.