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Taliban Ask To Speak At UN General Assembly In New York

Taliban ask to speak at UN General Assembly in New York

The Taliban have asked to address world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly this week in New York City.

A UN committee will rule on the request but it is unlikely to happen during the current session of the body.

The Taliban also nominated their Doha-based spokesperson, Suhail Shaheen, as Afghanistan’s UN ambassador.

The group, which seized control of Afghanistan last month, said the envoy for the ousted government no longer represented the country.

The request to participate in the high-level debate is being considered by a credentials committee, whose nine members include the US, China and Russia, according to a UN spokesperson.

But they are unlikely to meet before the end of the General Assembly session next Monday. Until then, under UN rules, Ghulam Isaczai will remain Afghanistan’s ambassador to the global body.

He is expected to make a speech on the final day. However the Taliban said his mission “no longer represents Afghanistan”.

No government has formally recognised the Taliban as Afghanistan’s new government and for the UN to agree to its nominee for ambassador would be an important step towards international acceptance.

The Taliban also said that several countries no longer recognised former President Ashraf Ghani as leader.

Mr Ghani abruptly left Afghanistan as Taliban militants advanced on the capital, Kabul, on 15 August. He has since taken refuge in the United Arab Emirates.

In Afghanistan itself, the last minister from the deposed government, Wahid Majrooh, has left office as public health minister after hearing that he had been replaced.

.@ashrafghani’s last minister is replaced by the Taliban. @WahidMajrooh tells me “It’s the last day of my work. I’m happy I was privileged with an opportunity to say goodbye to my staff & meet the moment of smooth transition which I was waiting for, for the last 30 days” pic.twitter.com/Ar18MfvW6C

When the Taliban last controlled Afghanistan, between 1996 and 2001, the ambassador of the government they overthrew stayed on as a UN representative, after the credentials committee deferred its decision on competing claims for the position.

At the UN meeting on Tuesday, Qatar urged world leaders to stay engaged with the Taliban.

“Boycotting them would only lead to polarisation and reactions, whereas dialogue could be fruitful,” said Qatar’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar has become a key broker in Afghanistan. It hosted talks between the Taliban and US which culminated in a 2020 agreement to withdraw US-led Nato forces.

The country has helped Afghans and foreign nationals to evacuate the country since the Taliban takeover, and has facilitated recent intra-Afghan peace talks.

News

Bauchi SSG resigns, Gov Mohammed announces replacement

The Secretary to the State Government (SSG) of Bauchi State, Mr Ibrahim Kashim has resigned with immediate effect.

The State Governor, Bala Mohammed has accepted the resignation and announced Mr Aminu Gamawa as his replacement.

This is contained in a statement by Mr Mukhtar Gidado, the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Publicity in Bauchi on Friday.

Until replacing Kashim as SSG, it was gathered that Gamawa was the Chief of Staff, Government House. He was directed by the Governor to take over as SSG with immediate effect in an acting capacity.

“Governor Bala Mohammed has accepted the resignation of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Ibrahim Kashim with immediate effect .

“The Chief of Staff, Government House, Bauchi, Mr Aminu Gamawa, has been directed to take over from him in an acting capacity.

“Governor Mohammed, on behalf of the government and the people of Bauchi State, thanked him for the services he rendered to the State and wished him well in his future endeavors,” the statement reads

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U.S. returnee arrested at Lagos airport for duping 139 Australians

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a suspected online fraudster known as Osang Otukpa for allegedly duping 139 Australians to the tune of eight million Australian dollars.

Otukpa was arrested by EFCC operatives in a stakeout at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, after arriving from the United States of America on December 6.

“Otukpa goes by five aliases, namely: Ford Thompson, Oscar Donald Tyler, Michael Haye, Jose Vitto and Kristin Davidson.

“He scammed his victims by luring them on social media to invest in his rogue cryptocurrency investment platform, Liquid Asset Group (LAG).

“The proceeds of the alleged crimes were routed to his bank accounts through a global cryptocurrency exchange platform,” a statement by EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale on Friday in Abuja reads.

Oyewale said that the suspect would be charged to court upon the conclusion of investigations.

News

Ex-kogi Deputy Speaker is dead

The immediate past Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon Enema Paul, is dead.

He died of an undisclosed illness in Abuja at a private hospital in the early hours of Saturday.

Before his death, Hon Paul was the member representing Okura State Constituency in the current 8th Assembly in Kogi State.

Hon Paul stepped down as Kogi State Deputy Speaker on health grounds, and he was later replaced by the member representing Ibaji State Constituency, Hon. Comfort Ojoma Nwuchiola.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Aliyu Umar Yusuf, has commiserated with the family of the former Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Rt. Hon. Enema Paul, whose demise was announced early Saturday.

This is contained in a press statement signed and made available to journalists in Lokoja by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Yabagi Mohammed.

He described the deceased Assembly member as a friend, temperate, humble, team-playing, committed lawmaker, and public servant.

According to Rt Hon Umar, the former Deputy Speaker was a man who exemplified commitment to the unity of the state, having demonstrated a genuine desire to enhance pro-people legislation for overall development.

He noted that the late Enema Paul was also a devoted Christian who saw beyond religion and whose godliness and commitment to family values were unquestionable.

The Speaker prayed to God to grant the immediate family and members of the current and immediate past Assembly the fortitude to bear the huge loss.