• Nigeria is emerging as a significant economic force on the global stage. 
• With a current GDP of $477 billion, Nigeria is Africa's largest economy and is poised for rapid growth. 
• A report by Goldman Sachs forecasts that by 2075, Nigeria is set to become one of the top economies globally. 

The "Giant of Africa," Nigeria, is quickly establishing itself as a major economic force on the international scene.

Nigeria is positioned to play a key role in the global economy because of its expanding population, wealth of natural resources, booming tech sector, and dedication to economic change.

Currently, Nigeria stands as Africa’s largest economy, with a GDP of $477 billion, and a lot of wiggle room for fiscal expansion. Additionally, the country is estimated to grow at a rather rapid pace, taking its economic dominance past the African landscape and onto the global stage.

A report by Goldman Sachs, a world-leading investment bank, buttresses this point. In one of its research reports titled, The Path to 2075, the investment bank noted that Nigeria is set to become one of the top economies in the world by 2075, standing only behind, China, India, the United States, and Indonesia.

The report identifies four major themes for the global economy, “1. slower global potential growth, led by weaker population growth,

2. EM convergence remains intact, led by Asia’s powerhouses,

3. a decade of US exceptionalism that is unlikely to be repeated, and

4. less global inequality and more local inequality.”

The report also notes that by 2050, Nigeria will be amongst the top 15 economies in the world, coming in at the 14th spot.

Business Insider

The supreme court will on Monday hear the appeal filed by Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the judgment which affirmed the election of President Bola Tinubu.

The court sent out hearing notices to the counsels for the respective parties on Thursday.

Abubakar and the PDP had filed a petition challenging the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

Among several issues raised, the petitioners alleged that the election was fraught with irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

They also alleged that Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima were not qualified to contest and did not win the election by the majority of lawful votes cast.

However, the presidential election petition tribunal, in its judgment on September 6, held that Abubakar failed to prove all the averments in his petition.

Aggrieved, the PDP candidate filed an appeal before the apex court on September 18.

In the 35 grounds notice of appeal, the appellants submitted that the tribunal’s findings had “grave errors and gross misrepresentation” which resulted in a miscarriage of justice.

Consequently, the appellants are praying the supreme court to set aside the findings and conclusions of the tribunal.

In a separate application, Atiku asked the court to grant him leave to file fresh evidence against Tinubu.

Abubakar had alleged that Tinubu’s academic records were fraught with discrepancies and forgeries.

His request for an order compelling the Chicago State University (CSU) to release Tinubu’s academic records has since been granted by a US court and the PDP candidate is seeking to introduce them before the apex court

In his response, Tinubu described the appeal as “abusive in nature” and prayed for its dismissal.

Tinubu is also challenging the application for the introduction of fresh evidence.

Tinubu said the allegation of certificate forgery was not introduced in Abubakar’s petition at the tribunal, and thus, his academic records obtained from CSU cannot be considered by the supreme court.

By law, the supreme court has 60 days from the date of the tribunal’s verdict to deliver its own judgment.

The 60 days timeline would elapse on November 5.

The Cable

The Supreme Court has constituted a seven-member panel of justices to hear the appeal in the petitions filed by three presidential candidates challenging the outcome of the February 25 election.

The notices for the hearing were served on the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; that of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Chichi Ojei.

The notices signed by Zainab M. Garba in the office of the registrar, said by the Order 2 Rule 1(2) of the Supreme Court’s Rules 1985 as amended, the notice is deemed as sufficiently served on the parties.

The list of members of the panel to sit on the appeals include justices Adamu Jauro, Uwani Musa Abba Aji, Lawal Garba, Helen M. Ogunwumiju, I.N. Saulawa, Tijjani Abubakar and Emmanuel Agim.

Atiku had in his appeal maintained that the Presidential Election Petitions Court erred when it dismissed his petition on the grounds that the petitioners failed to prove allegations of irregularities in the presidential election, 25 percent requirement in the FCT, $460,000 forfeiture and failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to transmit the results from the polling units to the IREV using BVAS as provided in its laws and guidelines.

In the application by his counsel, Chris Uche, Atiku also requested leave to file academic records of Tinubu, which he alleged were forged.

On his part, Obi is contending that the tribunal’s refusal of his 18,088 polling units’ blurred results, was a miscarriage of justice.

Ojei of the APM, in her petition, is contending that Tinubu and his deputy, Kashim Shettima were disqualified on the grounds of invalid nomination for the offices.

But in his replies, Tinubu, through his counsel, Wole Olanipekun, requested the court to hold that Atiku’s petition was an abuse of court process and lacked merit.

Tinubu described Obi’s petition as a jamboree and lacking in merit.

Daily Trust

President Bola Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of the nomination of Imam Kashim Imam to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

In a statement on Thursday, Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, announced that the president had revoked the appointment.

“The President’s withdrawal of the above-mentioned nomination is directed with immediate effect. All other appointments to the Board and Executive Management team of FERMA are not affected by this directive,” the statement read.

The appointment of the 24-year-old fresh graduate had sparked outrage across the country.

According to those who disagreed with the appointment, Imam lacked the experience and expertise to head a strategic organization.

The few that supported the appointment noted that the young man would learn on the job.

Below are some of such comments on X:

@Haslawal87 said: “Appointing a fresh graduate with no work experience to such a high position is absolutely ill-advised.”

@fine_stefany1 wrote: “He will learn on the job.”

@kennyNuga: “This appointment is not worth it. A fresh graduate to oversee the entire FERMA board. Absolutely unworthy.”

@Dipo_Bello: “This doesn’t seem right. We want young for young-appropriate roles. This role seems the type that requires a lot of experience. A board member could be more suited to him.”

@aminsaad: “Political expediency should not be a factor in making appointments where experience and even expertise could be called upon.

“Ferma is all about construction. An experienced civil engineer could make a better choice. True, the mech engr could as well marshall channel knowledge into ensuring the heavy equipment of the agency are in top shape

“Those in authority should try to make the country work by prioritizing expertise and experience. These two are essential commodities to any struggling economy like ours.”

@peng_writer opined that, “This is not as good as people make it feel. Not in any way undermining the young man but he’s not ripe for this job. Apart from the fact that he doesn’t have any experience in public work, neither has he displayed any expertise in field work as it relates to Nigeria terrain.”

@JALLO71424757: “This is an absolutely Silly appointment!.”

@adamsaleemm: “Good to see young and vibrant people occupy places of authority. Despite his inexperience, which raises ethical concerns, he could be the catalyst for the transformation we have longed for. May Allah grant him wisdom and strength to fulfill his duties.”

@AtahiruAbdulka1: “NYSC completed in 2022. Congratulations to you o. But if it’s me and another common Nigerian, they will ask us for 5 to 10 years working experience. I know that God will surely judge us all.”

On another platform, someone wrote, “His father is currently the chairman of the board of the TETFund. That’s not even the issue. Yes, it is good to appoint youths into positions of responsibility. Nonetheless, appointing a fresh graduate, with no cognate experience, into such a sensitive position is ill-advised. The truth is that Tinubu doesn’t seem to be getting it right with appointments made so far.”

Daily Trust

Federal government says it will henceforth adopt the principle of reciprocity in the issuance of visas to citizens of countries with strict visa requirements for travelling Nigerians.

Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of interior, made this known at the Business Day Conference on Thursday.

Nigeria was excluded from Turkey’s e-visa application and Ethiopia removed Nigerians from the visas-on-arrival option, while Nigerians were banned by Seychelles from visiting the country for holiday purposes.

Tunji-Ojo said each citizen of a country seeking a visa will receive the same treatment meted out to Nigerians seeking to travel to that country.

“Some of our foreigners might not like this but part of our responsibility is the interest of Nigerians. As much as we have to protect your interest; you must also protect our interest,” he said. 

“Yesterday (Wednesday) the director for the Centre for illegal migration in Turkey, came to my office. And I told him in the next couple of weeks expect reciprocity in terms of travel policy. 

“Any country that does not give me the visa on arrival cannot have visa on arrival in Nigeria. I’m sorry but it is the truth.”

Tunji-Ojo said Nigeria wants to be an equal partner with foreign countries, so the relationship of investment must be on the basis of the principle of reciprocity.

He said a committee will submit a report that will enable his ministry to know how to deal with other countries regarding visa issuance.

The minister said if a Nigerian is charged $100 for a visa, Nigeria will also charge $100 for a Nigerian visa.

“If you give me visa on arrival. I give it to you. If you say the condition for me to enter your country today is that I must have American visa, Schengen visa, UK visa etc, you will have the same conditions to enter my country. It is not fight, it is about the issue of mutual respect,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo added that his “job is interior security and not external. So let’s call a spade a spade. We must change perception”.

He said: “Perception is everything in life. Perception is your reputation, if people have a wrong perception about you, they will have a negative interpretation about who you are. So, for us we’ve been doing that. 

“I told them yesterday (Wednesday), if you have stopped issuing to Nigerians Schengen visa, America visa, etc, please tell your people to change it because on issue of policy on visa reciprocity is my own.”

The minister said relationships with other countries are based on the quality of partnership. He described Nigeria as the biggest economy, but he said the kind of assets Ghana, South Africa and Seychelles have, Nigeria don’t have it.

Tunji-Ojo said he is not demanding that any country open their gates to all 220 million Nigerians, but at least, there should be a meeting point based on mutual respect.

The Cable

The so called 'nuclear briefcase' that accompanies Russian President Vladimir Putin was caught on camera on Wednesday (Oct 18) as the president headed to a meeting after his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The briefcase can be used to order a nuclear strike by the Russian president. The nuclear briefcase is rarely filmed.

After his meeting with Xi, as Putin walked to another meeting, he was surrounded by security officers and was followed by two Russian naval officers in uniform. Each of these officers carried a briefcase. One of these was the actual nuclear briefcase.

The briefcase is traditionally carried by Russian naval officers. The briefcase is known as the "Cheget". It is named after Mount Cheget in the Caucasus Mountains.

"There are certain suitcases without which no trip of Putin's is complete," the Kremlin correspondents of state news agency RIA said in a post on Telegram under the footage.

In another clip, Putin walks out of a meeting in Beijing with the naval officers again filmed just a few paces from Putin who grins as he walks down some stairs.

The President of the United States also has such a device. It is called the 'nuclear football'. The satchel contains the codes the US president can use to authorise nuclear missiles in case he is not at the White House.

Tensions between Russia and the US are on the rise in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Even China is seeking to bolster its nuclear arsenal. US-China relations are strained as well.

On Tuesday, the Russian parliament took first steps towards revoking ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Its top lawmaker has even warned US that Russia may even abandon the pact altogether.

What is in the briefcase?

The "Cheget" is essentially a secure communication tool that enables Russian president a link to his military top brass and through them, to the rocket forces. via the highly secret "Kazbek" electronic command-and-control network.

Russia's defence minister has such a briefcase with him. Reuters said that Russian chief of general staff may also have been given a nuclear briefcase.

Footage shown by Russia's Zvezda television channel in 2019 showed what it said was one of the briefcases with an array of buttons.

According to Zvezda, there is a white 'launch' button and a red "cancel" button and the briefcase is activated by a special flashcard.

WION

The son of a founding Hamas leader broke his silence on his decision to denounce the terrorist group after he turned on his own family and converted to Christianity when he saw the horrors of the group's reign firsthand. 

Mosab Hassan Yousef, who spied in favor of the Israelis and sought asylum in the U.S., spoke out on his decision to leave the life of terror behind during "FOX & Friends."

"I was born at the heart of Hamas leadership… and I know them very well. They don't care for the Palestinian people. They do not regard the human life," Yousef told Brian Kilmeade Thursday. 

"I saw their brutality firsthand back in 1996 when I spent about a year and a half in Megiddo Prison… They killed so many Palestinian people at that point, and this is when I decided that I cannot be together with this movement."

"I had to be honest with myself. Even though Hamas gave me advantages…. I was like a prince in that world… but I did not like them," he continued. "I turned against even my own blood… because this is how much I did not like Hamas, and today, 25 years later, they are the rulers of Gaza, and we see what they are capable of doing."

His remarks come almost two weeks after the terror group carried out a massacre on Israeli border communities, murdering and dismembering civilians, including children, and taking hostages. 

They also reportedly have upwards of 200 hostages held in Gaza, which is currently facing dire food, water and medicine shortages. 

Israel declared war shortly thereafter and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have traded airstrikes with Hamas as a ground invasion remains imminent. 

"Hamas is not a national movement. Hamas is a religious movement with a goal to establish an Islamic state," Yousef said. "They don't care for nationalism. Actually, they are against nationalism. But that's my understanding that they are using the Palestinian cause only to achieve their goals, so the long-term goal… [is] transforming the Middle East and the world into an Islamic state."

But Yousef said the real culprit behind the scenes is Iran - a known sponsor of the terror group. 

The country's foreign minister posted an ominous tweet on Wednesday that said time is "running out" for Israel. 

"Iran is the real master in this picture," Yousef said. "Hamas does not serve the Palestinian people, Hamas serves Iran. Those are the masters of Hamas. So their lie about nationalism, that they are a national movement… They are using Palestinian people as a human shield."

"We need to free Gaza from Hamas," he continued. "Israel … is doing the Palestinian people the greatest favor by bringing Hamas down."

At least 4,800 people have been killed on both sides since the war began earlier this month, including at least 30 Americans.

Fox News

As Israel readies troops for ground assault, Gaza awaits urgently needed aid from Egypt

Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, as the Israeli defense minister ordered ground troops to prepare to see Gaza “from the inside”, though he didn’t indicate when the ground assault would begin.

Gaza’s overwhelmed hospitals tried to stretch out ebbing medical supplies and fuel for generators, as authorities worked out logistics for a desperately needed aid delivery from Egypt. Doctors in darkened wards across Gaza performed surgeries by the light of mobile phones and used vinegar to treat infected wounds.

Amid the violence, President Joe Biden pledged unwavering support for Israel’s security, “today and always,” while adding that the world “can’t ignore the humanity of innocent Palestinians” in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In an address Thursday night from the Oval office, hours after returning to Washington from an urgent visit to Israel, Biden drew a distinction between ordinary Palestinians and Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. He linked the current war in Gaza to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, saying Hamas and Russian President Vladimir Putin “both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.”

Biden said he was sending an “urgent budget request” to Congress on Friday, to cover emergency military aid to both Israel and Ukraine.

Meanwhile, an unclassified U.S. intelligence assessment delivered to Congress estimated casualties in an explosion at a Gaza City hospital this week on the “low end” of 100 to 300 deaths. The death toll “still reflects a staggering loss of life,” U.S. intelligence officials said in the report, seen by The Associated Press. It said intelligence officials were still assessing the evidence and their casualty estimate may evolve.

Biden and other U.S. officials already have said that U.S. intelligence officials believe the explosion at al-Ahli Hospital was not caused by an Israeli airstrike. Thursday’s findings echoed that.

The Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in retaliation for the devastating Oct. 7 Hamas rampage in southern Israel. Even after Israel told Palestinians to evacuate the north of Gaza and flee south, strikes extended across the territory, heightening fears among the territory’s 2.3 million people that nowhere was safe.

Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel from Gaza and Lebanon, and tensions flared in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

In a fiery speech to Israeli infantry soldiers on the Gaza border, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant urged the forces to “get organized, be ready” to move in. Israel has massed tens of thousands of troops along the border.

“Whoever sees Gaza from afar now, will see it from the inside,” he said. “It might take a week, a month, two months until we destroy them,” he added, referring to Hamas.

Israel’s consent for Egypt to let in food, water and medicine provided the first possible opening in its seal of the territory. Many Gaza residents are down to one meal a day and drinking dirty water.

Egypt and Israel were still negotiating the entry of fuel for hospitals. Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Hamas has stolen fuel from U.N. facilities and Israel wants assurances that won’t happen. The first trucks of aid were expected to go in Friday.

With the Egypt-Gaza border crossing in Rafah closed, the already dire conditions at Gaza’s second-largest hospital deteriorated further, said Dr. Mohammed Qandeel of Nasser Hospital in the southern town of Khan Younis. Power was shut off in most of the hospital and medical staff were using mobile phones for light.

At least 80 wounded civilians and 12 dead flooded into the hospital after witnesses said a strike hit a residential building in Khan Younis. Doctors had no choice but to leave two to die because there were no ventilators, Qandeel said.

“We can’t save more lives if this keeps happening,” he said.

The Gaza Health Ministry pleaded with gas stations to give fuel to hospitals and a U.N. agency donated some of its last fuel.

The agency’s donation to Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, the territory’s largest, would “keep us going for another few hours,” hospital director Mohammed Abu Selmia said.

Al-Ahli Hospital was still recovering from Tuesday’s explosion, which remains a point of dispute between Hamas and Israel. Hamas quickly said an Israeli airstrike hit the hospital, which Israel denied. The AP has not independently verified any of the claims or evidence released by the parties.

The blast left body parts strewn on the hospital grounds, where crowds of Palestinians had clustered in hopes of escaping Israeli airstrikes. The U.S. assessment noted “only light structural damage,” with no impact crater visible.

Near al-Ahli, meanwhile, another explosion struck a Greek Orthodox church housing displaced Palestinians late Thursday, resulting in deaths and dozens of wounded. Abu Selmia, the Shifa Hospital director general, said dozens were hurt at the Church of Saint Porphyrios but could not give a precise death toll because bodies were buried under rubble.

Palestinian authorities blamed the blast on an Israeli airstrike, a claim that could not be independently verified. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchy of Jerusalem condemned the attack and said it would “not abandon its religious and humanitarian duty” to provide assistance.

The Gaza Health Ministry said 3,785 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, the majority women, children and older adults. Nearly 12,500 were injured, and another 1,300 people were believed buried under rubble, authorities said.

More than 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, mostly civilians slain during Hamas’ deadly incursion. Roughly 200 others were abducted. The Israeli military said Thursday it had notified the families of 203 captives.

More than 1 million Palestinians, about half of Gaza’s population, have fled their homes in the north since Israel told them to evacuate, crowding into U.N.-run schools-turned-shelters or the homes of relatives.

For the first time since Israel captured Gaza from Egypt in 1967, a major tent camp arose to house displaced people. Dozens of U.N.-provided tents lined a dirt lot in Khan Younis.

The deal to get aid into Gaza through Rafah, the territory’s only connection to Egypt, remained fragile. Israel said the supplies could only go to civilians and that it would “thwart” any diversions by Hamas. Biden said the deliveries “will end” if Hamas takes any aid.

More than 200 trucks and some 3,000 tons of aid were positioned at or near Rafah, according to Khalid Zayed, the head of the Red Crescent for North Sinai.

Under an arrangement reached between the United Nations, Israel and Egypt, U.N. observers will inspect the trucks before entering Gaza. The U.N., working with the Egyptian and Palestinian Red Crescent, will ensure aid goes only to civilians, an Egyptian official and European diplomat told the AP. A U.N. flag will be raised on both sides of the crossing as a sign of protection against airstrikes, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

It was not immediately clear how much cargo the crossing could handle. Waleed Abu Omar, spokesperson for the Palestinian side, said work has not started to repair the road damaged by Israeli airstrikes.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Al-Arabiya TV that foreigners and dual nationals would be allowed to leave Gaza once the crossing was opened.

Israel said it agreed to allow aid from Egypt because of a request by Biden — which followed days of intense talks with the U.S. secretary of state to overcome staunch Israeli refusal.

Israel had previously said it would let nothing into Gaza until Hamas freed the hostages taken from Israel. Relatives of some of the captives were furious over the aid announcement.

“The Israeli government pampers the murderers and kidnappers,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said.

The Israeli military said Thursday it killed a top Palestinian militant in Rafah and hit hundreds of targets across Gaza, including militant tunnel shafts, intelligence infrastructure and command centers. Palestinians have launched barrages of rockets at Israel since the fighting began.

Violence was also escalating in the West Bank, where Israel carried out a rare airstrike Thursday, targeting militants in the Nur Shams refugee camp.

Six Palestinians were killed, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, and the Israeli military said the strike killed militants and resulted in 10 Israeli officers being wounded. More than 74 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since the war started.

AP

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

US to divert shells for Ukraine to Israel – Axios

The US will give Israel tens of thousands of 155mm artillery shells that were originally set aside for Ukraine, Axios reported on Thursday. The Israeli military reportedly told the Pentagon that it needed the shells to prepare for a ground invasion of Gaza.

The US maintains a stockpile of ammunition at a facility in Israel, which only US forces have access to. Earlier this year, the US began taking shells from this facility and another stockpile in South Korea in order to meet Ukraine’s massive demand for ammo.

Israeli officials told the news site that the US will now be refilling this stockpile with ammunition from its own stocks that had been earmarked for Ukraine, at the direct request of the Israeli government. The officials said that the shells will arrive in Israel in the coming weeks.

The report comes a day after US President Joe Biden visited Israel. After Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv, the latter said that the US president had promised him a “massive, unprecedented” package of military aid. 

It is unclear from his statement whether the Israeli PM was referring to the artillery shells.

The conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted at a crucial time for Ukraine. With its summer counteroffensive over having achieved only minimal gains at an enormous human cost, Kiev is currently lobbying European nations that can’t manufacture the arms it needs, while American officials are reportedly preoccupied with rushing weapons to Israel.

“We need some support from the leaders,” Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said during an impromptu visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels last week. “It’s important there are long-distance missiles, or long-distance weapons ... The problem: How to get it?”

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has insisted that Washington can afford to fight two foreign wars. However, funds allocated to Ukraine by Congress are drying up, and President Joe Biden is now reportedly trying to convince an increasingly Ukraine-skeptic Republican Party to okay $60 billion in military and economic aid for Kiev by tying it to a $10 billion package for Israel, which the GOP would traditionally be more amenable to supporting.

Israel has not yet made heavy use of artillery in its war against Hamas, opting instead to pound Gaza with airstrikes while artillery and tanks engage in sporadic exchanges of fire with Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the Golan Heights. However, Israeli troops are currently massed along the Gaza border in preparation for a ground operation, which Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Thursday would take place “soon.”

Artillery would be “urgently” needed for such an offensive, Israeli officials told Axios.

** Putin visits command post of Russian armed forces in Rostov-on-Don

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the command post of the Russian armed forces in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where he was briefed about the special military operation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday.

"While returning from Perm, President Putin made a detour to Rostov-on-Don, where he visited the command post of the Russian armed forces," he said.

Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov briefed the Russian president about the current situation in the special operation zone.

"Conversations with other high-ranking military commanders were held as well," Peskov added.

Later, Gerasimov reported to Putin that Russian troops kept fulfilling their objectives in accordance with the plan of the special military operation.

"The combined group of forces is fulfilling objectives in accordance with the operation’s plan," Gerasimov reported.

Putin regularly visits the command post of the Russian special military operation in Rostov-on-Don. In particular, he held a meeting here and heard the military’s reports on August 19. He also made a stop in Rostov-on-Don in mid-March, at the time when he visited Mariupol. Putin also was at the building on December 31, 2022, when he addressed the country on New Year’s Eve.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Ukrainian troops face new Russian assault on eastern town of Avdiivka

Ukrainian troops are facing a new Russian onslaught in the largely destroyed eastern city of Avdiivka, while making some progress on their counteroffensive in the southern theatre, senior military officials said on Thursday.

General Valery Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's commander-in-chief, posted a video on Telegram in which he appeared to be conferring with officers in Avdiivka and in Kupiansk, a town further north where Russian forces have intensified attacks in recent weeks.

"The enemy is not relenting in attempts to break through our defences and surround (Avdiivka)," Zaluzhniy wrote in a commentary attached to the video.

"The enemy is actively bringing in assault units and large amounts of armoured equipment and using aircraft and artillery."

Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for the southern group of Ukrainian forces, told national television there was constant pressure on Avdiivka, about 20 km (12 miles) west of the Russian-held city of Donetsk.

"They regrouped and launched new assaults there," he said.

Russian forces subjected Avdiivka to fierce attacks last week, but the shelling had tapered off in the last few days.

Avdiivka has become a watchword for Ukrainian resistance. The town, known for its large coking plant, held out in 2014 against Russian-backed separatists who secured swathes of eastern Ukraine and it.

And like Bakhmut to the northeast, captured by Russian forces in May, it has endured months of attacks since Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion. Officials say some 1,600 residents remain from a pre-war population of 32,000.

Kupiansk was recaptured by Ukrainian troops late last year in a lighting advance through the country's northeast, but Russian forces have stepped up attacks in a bid to retake it.

Zaluzhniy said Ukrainian forces around Kupiansk were "maintaining their defence in the most difficult of conditions".

Russia's accounts of the fighting said its forces had destroyed a command point near Avdiivka and repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk.

Spokesperson Shtupun said Ukrainian troops engaged in the country's four-month-old counteroffensive had made a degree of headway in the southern theatre, where they are trying to advance to the Sea of Azov to sever a land bridge linking Russian positions in the east and south.

He said troops had advanced 400 metres (a quarter mile) to the southwest of the village of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia region.

Verbove is a few kilometres east of Robotyne, a village recaptured by Ukraine last month in the southward drive.

The Institute for the Study of War, a U.S. think tank and non-profit research group, said Ukrainian forces appeared to have broken through on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River in the southern Kherson region. Kyiv did not comment on the report.

When Ukrainian troops retook parts of Kherson region last year, Russian forces abandoned its biggest city, also called Kherson. They now shell the city from the opposite bank.

RT/Tass/Reuters

I grew up thinking that a judicious mix of crime, sex and money might not only help a publisher turn a good profit but could also be the catalyst for a better society. But my friend, the Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of NaijaTimes,Ehi Braimah, subscribes to a slightly different model.

When he sent me a collection of the editorials by the online newspaper to review, it was obvious that he believes it is possible to change society – for the better – by using a genre different from my old, familiar mix. Which is a bit of a surprise because in his former life, Ehi was old school.  

He has had such an extraordinarily buoyant social life as a younger man, he appears to be afraid of getting old. That’s probably why instead of reproducing the old school journalism that extolled sex, money and crime, he is charting a different pathway for a better society, as you would find in the new book from the stable of NaijaTimes.

My first impression of the book, For A Better Society – A Compilation of Editorials Published in NaijaTimes from September 2020 to July 2023, published by Bookcraft and released this year, is that it reflects the importance the author puts on newspaper commentary with the notion that it holds a crucial place in the overall objective of news production.

The numbers

Newspapers – print and online alike – use the weight of their editorials to achieve any or all of these three objectives: 1) influence public opinion, 2) promote critical thinking, and 3) cause people to take action.

Perhaps it might be useful to give a sense of the analytics of the NaijaTimeswebsite. According to open-source statistics of the site as of October 13, 2023, it currently ranks 1,142,571 globally, with a country ranking of 12,882 and trending up.

That’s not bad, considering that the brand is still in its infancy. Ten percent of its users, which is the highest percentage, comes from Nigeria; 7.56 percent from Antigua and Barbuda; 2.72 percent from the Maldives; 2.46 percent from the United States; and 2.39 percent from Jersey. Other parts of the world, combined, account for 74.79 percent.

Perhaps a far more relevant statistic would be the demographics of the users of NaijaTimes, especially those who read its editorials. Unfortunately, since I’m not a staff, I’ll need to use a hacker’s ingenuity to reach the backend, a skill that is obviously against the ethos of a better society!

We can argue that traditional newspapers with both hardcopy and online presence appear to stick more to publishing daily editorials as part of their content. Many strictly online news platforms do not dedicate much energy and time to editorial publishing for reasons ranging from mode of operation, a lack of proper editorial board, the virtuality associated with content production, and a lack of commitment. The ones that do, publish editorials at intervals – say, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

Not NaijaTimes!

In 35 months, NaijaTimes published 115 editorials broadly covering nine areas, each of which constitutes a chapter in this book – governance, politics, economy, education, security, health & environment, international affairs/diplomacy, sports and tributes/obituaries.

The major events that define the period covered by this book are: Covid-19, the #EndSARS protests, the 2023 general elections, and the state of the Nigerian economy. And, maybe we should add notable deaths around the world, and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar to the mix?

#EndSARS and all that

You don’t have to travel far into the pages of For A Better Society before we are thrown right into one of the most defining moments in our recent history. On Page 4 of the book, the editorial: “End SARS protests: Time to address the hard facts,” published on October 18, 2020, the newspaper draws readers’ attention to perhaps why the massive protests eventually yielded little.

It reads: “While those in the South are in support of a complete disbandment of SARS, those in the North are not; rather, they are calling for a comprehensive reformation of the squad… Of course, this kind of argument is expected in a plural society like ours, but we call for caution so that the differences in approach do not distract from the essence of guaranteeing the rights and privileges of members of the society and saving them from the brutality of security agencies.”

In Chapter Six, four out of the nine editorial publications under the Health and Environment deal with the Covid-19 pandemic. No single event highlighted 2020 like the pandemic, and because NaijaTimes itself was launched just around the peak of it, the newspaper rightly uses it as the peg of its evaluation of the year.

The other editorial “Crisis in APC and PDP: Do Nigerians need an alternative in 2023?”, published on August 15, 2021, captures the exasperation with the two dominant parties, which set the stage for the emergence of Peter Obi of the Labour Party. Obi’s eventual performance as the best third-place finisher in decades in the election was probably a vindication of the newspaper.

One of the most controversial issues in Nigeria’s economy has been the removal of subsidy on petrol announced by President Bola Tinubu in his inauguration speech on May 29, 2023. The newspaper supports the call for subsidy to be removed and for the government to speedily deregulate the oil and gas sector to allow “free but monitored market interactions to determine exploration, exploitation, processing and supply of petroleum products in the country.”

You know the rest of the story: Subsidy is gone! Subsidy is back!

Mind your language

Perhaps it would be useful to talk briefly, at this point, on the use of language. In my experience, apart from their general staleness and lack of authority, one of the other reasons why a number of readers tend to ignore editorials is the use of ponderous language, like the one I have just used – ponderous!

You may say this collection of editorials looks at the government of Tinubu with rose-tinted glasses. But you cannot say its language is ponderous or ambiguous. It adopts clear, straightforward language and examples in making its case for a better society.

Tribute editorials, for which global brands such as the Times of London and The Economist, are well-known appear to be going out of fashion in our province. Chapter Nine, the final chapter of this book, has a rich array of tributes and obituaries not only because many iconic personalities coincidentally died within the time of its compilation, but also because there is the consciousness to document their journey. From JP Clark to Jerry Rawlings, Diego Maradona to Pele and Queen Elizabeth in-between, For A Better Society got them all covered.  

Except, of course, for brevity and uniformity of length, the book is a compilation of what an editorial should be. The newspaper set for itself, the lofty goal of seeking a “better Nigeria with strong institutions, respect for the rule of law and defending the public interest.” This is not a three-year goal, never mind one that can be achieved easily in a society where almost everyone is talking, few are listening, and fewer still are doing right.

A good editorial

But let me borrow the words of Singh A. and Singh S. (2006), in their book, What Is A Good Editorial? “A good editorial should express an opinion without being opinionated. It should teach without being pedagogic. It should transform without being evangelical. It should engulf without drowning. It should motivate to action without making you dictatorial. It should enlighten without getting you dogmatic, prejudiced and egotistical.”

This book is a solid reference material for policymakers and those who seek knowledge in various fields or those who simply want to read balanced and informed commentaries about specific topics. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re the old school of Ehi’s variety or a product of the Arab spring!

And when Ehi has made his money, he should not forget to pay tithe to Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, whose newspaper, Champion, has the proprietary right of the mantra, “Towards a better society!”

Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP