A court in Myanmar on Monday sentenced Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s ousted civilian leader, to four years on charges of inciting public unrest and breaching Covid-19 protocols. She is facing a series of rulings that could keep her locked up for the rest of her life.

Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained in a military coup in February, had been facing a maximum imprisonment of 102 years on a total of 11 charges.
Her trials, which the United Nations and foreign governments have described as politically motivated, have been held in closed-door hearings in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital. The junta has barred all five of her lawyers from speaking to the news media, saying that their communications could “destabilize the country.”

“This ridiculous ruling is a travesty of justice,” Charles Santiago, a Malaysian legislator and chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, said in a statement.

Mr. Santiago said the sentencing was further evidence that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations “must hold the line against this illegal takeover” by the junta.

Prosecutors have continued to slap more charges on Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi as her case proceeded. The verdicts rendered on Monday are the first of several that are expected to be announced in the coming months.

The charge of breaching Covid-19 protocols stems from an episode during the 2020 election campaign in which Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi stood outside, in a face mask and face shield, and waved to supporters passing by in vehicles.

Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, 76, is a flawed hero for a troubled nation.

She is held up as an almost godlike figure among her supporters in Myanmar, who describe her as a defender of the country’s democracy — a struggle for which she won a Nobel Peace Prize. But her reputation on the international stage was tarnished over her complicity in the military’s mass atrocities against the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group.

The guilty verdict is likely to galvanize a protest movement that has spurred thousands of people to take up arms against the army since February, when the generals seized power.

On Sunday morning, a military truck plowed into a group of protesters who were carrying banners bearing her portrait and quotations of hers on the streets of Yangon, Myanmar’s most populous city, causing fatalities. At night, protesters continued to demonstrate in the streets, and residents banged pots and pans to register their anger.

Dozens of new cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus were reported in Britain and Denmark yesterday, adding to increases across Europe and fueling fears that the variant had already spread widely. Though some European countries have imposed travel restrictions, it is unclear how much they will be able to curb transmission.

The highly mutated variant of the virus has reached almost 50 countries and has been detected in 17 American states. Scientists in South Africa said Omicron appeared to spread more than twice as quickly as Delta, thanks to a combination of contagiousness and an ability to dodge the body’s immune defenses. Here’s what we know so far.

The precise origins of the variant remain unknown. Some of the first cases to be detected in Botswana — among the first known in the world — were in foreign diplomats who had traveled to the country from Europe, the country’s president said. Infections at a New York anime convention suggest that it may have been spreading in the U.S. before it had a name.

Research shows a cutting-edge lab in South Africa, which is on the front lines in the world’s battle against the evolving coronavirus.

Pope Francis, returning to a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, yesterday spoke out against the limited progress made in helping migrants. “Five years have passed since I visited this place,” he said. “After all this time, we see that little has changed with regard to the issue of migration.”

His remarks came at the end of a five-day trip to Cyprus and Greece meant to renew focus on migration, an issue he has never wavered on, even as the world’s attention has faltered. When the world has paid attention, it has usually been in a way opposite to how he had hoped, with migrant flows fueling nationalist and populist surges across Europe.

Francis argued yesterday that the intractable reality of the issue exposed both the failure of stopgap measures and the need for a coordinated global response. He denounced an “indifference that kills” in Europe, which he said had shown a “cynical disregard that nonchalantly condemns to death those on the fringes.”

Pandemic effects: Stringent restrictions were in place for Francis’ visit. A maximum of 160 migrants were admitted into the tent in which he spoke. All were required to be vaccinated and have tested negative as an extra precaution.

Newly appointed boss Ralf Rangnick hailed Cristiano Ronaldo's defensive work as his Manchester United reign got off to the perfect start with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace on Sunday.

The German's first game as interim manager ended in victory after Fred's goal late in the second half.
Rangnick said afterwards he was particularly pleased with United's first home clean sheet since April and singled out Ronaldo for his role in keeping Palace out.

"The way we defended, we had control of the whole game -- the clean sheet was the most important part," Rangnick told the BBC.

"By the way, Cristiano Ronaldo's work off the ball, chapeau.

"I am very happy with the way the team performed, especially the first half hour, with the pressing, it was exceptional. The only thing missing was the 1-0 or 2-0.

"These are the things we must improve. We need to keep clean sheets. With just the one training session, I was really impressed. We did much better than expected."

United dominated much of the game but had to wait until 13 minutes from time for Fred to score his second goal of the season with a fantastic effort which sailed into the top corner off his weaker right foot.

The result handed United back-to-back wins for just the second time this season.

"I had to ask my assistant coach if that was Fred's right foot; I thought he could only shoot with his left," Rangnick said. "I'm happy for him.

"We always tried to be on the front foot. We were never not apart from maybe the last five minutes. At all other times we were trying to keep them away from our goal.

"It's always easier to build on things after you're successful. We must produce further clean sheets and get better at creating chances for our attack. Overall I was very pleased with the way we played today."

Just four weeks ago, the Federal Reserve set in motion carefully telegraphed plans to gradually wind down a bond-buying stimulus program by June. Officials are making plans to accelerate the process at their policy meeting next week, ending it by March instead.

The abrupt shift opens the door to the Fed raising interest rates next spring rather than later in the year to curb inflation, marking a significant policy pivot by Chairman Jerome Powell shortly after President Biden offered him a second four-year term leading the central bank.

SEOUL — With attempts to restart nuclear negotiations with North Korea going nowhere, the president of South Korea is looking anywhere for help as his term heads into its final stretch. His long-shot hope: that Pope Francis can step in.

Allies of Moon Jae-in acknowledge that direct papal intervention is unlikely. Francis has said nothing about the notion of going to Pyongyang, but he was quoted by the Blue House — the South Korean presidential palace — as being willing to go, in the name of peace, “if he received an invitation” from Kim Jong Un’s government.

Rescue workers in Indonesia continued to dig through thick layers of hot ash and debris Monday to find survivors of a volcanic eruption that left more than a dozen people dead and thousands displaced in the country's East Java province, even as the volcano continued to erupt ash.
Mount Semeru, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, erupted Saturday, shooting smoldering hot ash and volcanic gas into the air that turned the sky dark over villages in East Java's Lumajang district.
At least 15 people have died and 27 others are missing, according to the Command Post for Emergency Response of Mount Semeru. More than 1,700 people had been evacuated across 19 makeshift centers, the group said in a statement.

Nearly 3,000 houses and 38 schools have been damaged by the debris, the statement said. The eruption also destroyed a bridge that connects Lumajang with the neighboring Malang district, blocking access from the main road and hampering rescue efforts, it added.
Maulana Ardiansyah, a volunteer from Baznas Search and Rescue team told CNN the group found three bodies -- one man, one woman, and one child -- submerged in cold lava in Kampung Renteng village Monday morning.
The evacuees included hundreds of villagers who lived near a dam that burst Monday due to cold lava and heavy rain, Operational Chief of Search and Rescue I Wayan Suyatna told CNN.
He added that Monday's search operation was forced to stop twice due to pyroclastic clouds -- a mix of ash, rock and volcanic gases that can be much more dangerous than lava.
"Hot volcanic cloud is dangerous for the team safety," Suyatna said. "The weather here is also really bad. (It is) dark and rainy."

Video shared Monday by Indonesia's National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) shows debris-filled mud stretching for miles around the volcano. Villages are completely abandoned and vehicles remain submerged under the sludge, while thousands of trees are covered in a sheet of ashy dust.
Local resident, Hosniya, 31, told Reuters the eruption caught her by surprise.
"At first, I thought it was a bomb explosion ... suddenly it was all dark, like it was going to destroy the earth," she said.
Hosniya was evacuated with her family, but they were unable to take anything with them but their official papers.
In the village of Sumberwuluh, where 16 houses were buried under ash, residents raced to evacuate their livestock on trucks Sunday. Roofs of several of the village's houses had caved in, leaving bricks and metal rods exposed.
Aftershocks from the eruption were also felt among some residents of Kobokan and Kanjar villages late Sunday. They were later evacuated to a shelter in a nearby district.
The Indonesian government said it was preparing a relocation process for villagers who lost their home in the eruption. The BNPB said it will provide them with financial aid before the government can relocate them.
ndonesia sits between two continental plates on what is known as the Ring of Fire, a band around the basin of the Pacific Ocean that leads to high levels of tectonic and volcanic activity.
In January, Mount Merapi on Java Island erupted, shooting up a cloud of ash that led authorities to warn of the risk of lava reaching roads. The volcano violently erupted in 2010, killing more than 350 people.

Hernán Darío Velásquez, nicknamed El Paisa, was reportedly shot dead in Venezuela's Apure state.

His death has not been officially confirmed and the Colombian army said it had no knowledge of the killing.

Local media have speculated that mercenaries may have killed Velásquez, seeking rewards for his capture.

Colombian authorities told El Tiempo newspaper that they would not confirm his death until officials had seen his body. A spokesperson for Colombian President Iván Duque told Reuters news agency that his office was seeking more information.

The Farc rebels were a Marxist group that waged a bitter war against the Colombian government for over 50 years, before eventually calling a ceasefire in 2016.
A commander of one of the Farc's most feared units, Velásquez became notorious for the severity of his attacks.

He was behind a car bombing on a social club in the Colombian capital, Bogotá, that killed 36 people and wounded nearly 200 more in 2003.
He also played a key role in the 1998 attack on a joint army and police base in Miraflores in which 16 members of the security forces were killed.

More than 100 soldiers and police officers were kidnapped as part of the attack. Most of those kidnapped were freed in 2001 in exchange for the release of jailed Farc members, but two officers were held for more than 12 years by the rebel group.

El Paisa's reputation for being one of the most brutal Farc commanders was such that when he joined peace talks in Havana in 2016, many saw it as a sign that the guerrillas were truly committed to laying down their arms.

But in 2018 he broke with the truce and reappeared a year later alongside former Farc leaders Iván Márquez and Jesús Santrich to announce the formation of a new rebel group called Segunda Marquetalia, and declared that he was taking up arms once more.

If his death is confirmed it will be the second major loss for the group this year. Santrich, once a key figure in the peace process, was killed in a shoot-out in Venezuela in May by what the dissident group claimed were Colombian army commandoes.

Some 13,000 Farc guerrillas have laid down their arms since the 2016 ceasefire and the group has since transitioned into a minor political party, holding 10 seats in the Colombia's congress.

Nonetheless, violence continues in some regions of Colombia where an estimated 5,000 dissidents continue to fight against government forces.

The Colombian government has repeatedly accused Venezuelan leaders of harbouring Farc dissidents and has claimed that an attack on a helicopter carrying President Duque in June was planned from the neighbouring state.

Tensions prevail in the restive north-eastern Indian state of Nagaland following the killing of 14 civilians by soldiers.

Authorities have shut down internet services and imposed a curfew to quell mass protests.

Violence started on Saturday when an army patrol in Mon district mistook a group of labourers for militants and opened fire, killing six.

The army called it a "case of mistaken identity" but locals reject the claim.

An Indian soldier and seven more people died as angry locals clashed with the troops in the region. On Sunday afternoon, another civilian was killed by forces after protesters attacked an army camp.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, who is responsible for domestic security, has expressed "deep anguish" over the incident, and the Nagaland state government has promised a high-level inquiry led by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The violence marks one of the deadliest escalations in recent years in Nagaland, which has long been roiled by insurgency and ethnic divisions led by local militant groups. And it is not the first time that Indian security forces have been accused of wrongly targeting innocent locals in their operations.

Saturday's incident took place in Mon, along the border with Myanmar (previously known as Burma), during a counter-insurgency operation led by soldiers of the Assam Rifles, an Indian army unit, and an elite para-commando battalion.

The Indian army said the soldiers had been responding to "credible intelligence inputs" about the movement of separatist guerrillas in the region, who often cross into Myanmar after attacking security forces.
The soldiers opened fire on a truck carrying coal miners to their villages for their usual weekend rest. The locals allege the firing was unprovoked, but the soldiers claim they fired when the miners "refused to cooperate", leading to suspicion that they were insurgents.

The army maintains the botched up operation was a "case of mistaken identity".

"It was truly a case of mistaken identity, so when angry locals set fire to a military camp on Sunday, the soldiers maintained utmost restraint and did not shoot at them," says Jaideep Saikia, a security analyst.

But experts say "mistaken identity" does point to lack of "credible intelligence" and raises questions about counter-insurgency operations. The Nagaland police has lodged a complaint against the security forces, saying that it is "obvious" that their "intention" was to "murder and injure civilians".

"This is horrible and outrageous," said Sanjoy Hazarika, writer and commentator on north-east India. He blamed "the omnibus protection provided to the security forces" under India's Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) as the "major obstacle to justice" in the troubled region.

AFSPA is a controversial anti-insurgent law that gives the security forces the powers of search and seizure. It also protects soldiers who may kill a civilian by mistake or in unavoidable circumstances during an operation. The law has been blamed for "fake killings" and campaigners say it is often misused.

Nagaland is home to India's oldest ethnic rebellion, dating back to the 1950s. The armed movement revolves around the demand for an ethnic homeland - a sovereign territory that includes Nagaland and all Naga-habited areas of the neighbouring states of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh as well as Myanmar.
An agreement in 1975 led to the surrender of the biggest rebel faction, the Naga National Council. But a breakaway faction, National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN), consisting of fighters trained and armed by China, denounced the agreement and decided to fight on.

In 1997, the NSCN's main faction led by Thuingaleng Muivah finally agreed to a ceasefire and started negotiations with the Indian government.

A "framework agreement" signed by the two sides in 2015 laid the basis for final settlement but the negotiations are stuck because Delhi is unwilling to concede the NSCN's demand for a separate flag and a separate constitution for Nagaland.

Indian troops, which attacked the truck carrying miners on Saturday, were hunting for guerrillas of another NSCN faction that opposes Mr Muivah's negotiations with Delhi and carries out attacks from its bases in Myanmar's Sagaing region.
The 1,643km (1,020 miles) border between India and Myanmar is largely hilly, home to multiple separatist insurgencies on both sides.

One such rebel group, the Peoples Liberation Army, active in Nagaland's neighbouring state of Manipur, carried out a vicious attack on an Assam Rifles convoy last month, killing an army colonel, his wife and minor son and four soldiers.

Some say the troops were desperate to hit back to avenge the killing of their commander.

Others say their counter-insurgency tactics are outdated, the emphasis on "area domination" through show of force largely misplaced and that they need to win the "hearts and minds" of local people to gather "credible intelligence".

Far-right French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour has been attacked at his first campaign rally.

As the 63-year-old moved through the crowd to the stage, a man briefly grabbed him by the neck before security officers intervened.

Local media report his wrist was injured and that his doctors have ordered nine days of rest.

The former journalist and pundit is known for his controversial views on migrants and World War Two.

In the past, the child of Jewish Algerian immigrants has claimed the French state protected Jews during the conflict, when in reality the collaborationist Vichy regime shipped thousands of French Jews to Nazi death camps.
After weeks of speculation Mr Zemmour announced his candidacy in the 2022 French presidential election on Tuesday. He is challenging far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen for leadership of France's nationalist hard right.

The incident in which Mr Zemmour was attacked was one of several violent clashes during the event, held at a convention centre north-east of the capital Paris on Sunday night.

Some 10,000 people reportedly turned up for the rally. Thousands of demonstrators against the far-right politician reportedly marched through the city, with police arresting dozens outside the event.

Mr Zemmour arrived at around 17:30 (16:30) local time and was attacked as he made his way through the crowds. Police quickly removed the individual.

A spokesman for his newly-announced party told Le Figaro newspaper that they were planning to file a legal complaint, and praised Mr Zemmour's "courage".
The candidate proceeded to deliver his speech after the incident. As he began, his supporters threw chairs at demonstrators who stood up wearing T-shirts bearing anti-racism slogans.

"If I win this election, it won't be another rotation of power but a reconquest of the greatest country in the world," he told the crowd during a lengthy speech.

He announced he had named his party Reconquest - a name Mr Zemmour said harked back to the period of history known as the Reconquista, when Christian armies drove Muslims from the Iberian peninsula.

The far-right politician also railed against political elites and the media. Several times the crowds booed members of the press gathered in the arena.

"I am the only one defending freedom of thought, freedom of speech," he declared, dismissing allegations of fascism, racism and misogyny. In the past Mr Zemmour has been convicted of hate speech.

French politicians are vying for the chance to face President Emmanuel Macron in next year's election.

Opinion polls currently suggest the centrist Mr Macron is likely to retain power, but analysts believe the outcome of the race is still uncertain.

The centre-right Les Républicains party last week announced they had chosen the moderate Valérie Pécresse as their 2022 candidate.

Legendary Canadian singer Joni Mitchell made a rare public appearance on Sunday to receive one of the most prestigious honours in US arts.
President Joe Biden also attended the Kennedy Center Honors, after previous incumbent Donald Trump skipped proceedings during his four-year term.
The ceremony saw singers including Norah Jones and Brittany Howard perform some of Mitchell's classic songs.
Actress Bette Midler and Motown founder Berry Gordy were also recognised.
Stevie Wonder, who was one of the many acts discovered by Gordy, headlined the star-studded four-hour gala in Washington, DC.
Smokey Robinson, who was also discovered by Gordy as a teenager, performed a song he wrote for the music mogul.
I think I'm in a dream... and it's a wonderful dream," Gordy told reporters on the red carpet.

In honour of Mitchell, Howard performed the veteran singer-songwriter's Both Sides Now; Jones sang The Circle Game and A Case of You; and Brandi Carlile performed River.
Mitchell's appearance came six years after she suffered a brain aneurysm.
Others to receive honours at the ceremony included Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels and opera singer Justino Diaz.
Trump did not attend during his presidency after several recipients threatened to boycott the gala in his first year in office if he was present.
"It is quite nice to see the presidential box once again being occupied," comedian and past honouree David Letterman told the audience.
President Biden held a black tie reception for the recipients at the White House, declaring: "To all of the Kennedy Center honorees past and present, thank you for sharing your gift with the nation and with the world."
Midler joked to reporters: "I'm a low end performer. I'm someone who tells terrible jokes and rides around in a wheelchair in a fishtail. That's what I do. And yet people like that. They really enjoyed it. So hey, I'm beloved!"
Paul Simon sang America for his friend Michaels, while soprano Denyce Graves performed excerpts from Carmen and Faust in honour of Diaz.
The 2020 gala was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In May, the centre held a series of smaller, socially-distanced events for last year's honourees, who included folk singer Joan Baez and actor d!ck Van Dyke.

Billionaire investor Ray Dalio has become the latest high-profile Wall Street figure to become embroiled in controversy over comments about China.

Mr Dalio took to social media at the weekend to say comments he made in a TV interview had been misunderstood.

It came after he compared China to a "strict parent" when asked last week about the disappearance of dissidents.

Last month, JP Morgan boss Jamie Dimon apologised after saying his firm would outlast China's Communist Party.

The founder of Bridgewater Associates - which is largest hedge fund in the world - said in a Twitter thread and LinkedIn post that he had "sloppily answered a question about China".

In the posts, he went on to say that he did not mean to downplay the importance of human rights issues but was "attempting to explain" the Chinese approach to governing as an extension of Confucian ideas about family.

"I assure you that I didn't mean to convey that human rights aren't important because I certainly believe they are... My overriding objective is to help understanding," the post continued.

After Mr Dalio's original comments, he was criticised by Republican senator Mitt Romney, who accused him of feigning "ignorance of China's horrific abuses and rationalization of complicit investments there" and that it was "a sad moral lapse."

Now that things have calmed down I want to clarify what I meant when I sloppily answered a question about China from Andrew Ross Sorkin that created a misunderstanding of my views. (1/6)— Ray Dalio (@RayDalio)
In November, JP Morgan chief executive Jamie Dimon said he regretted saying that his Wall Street bank would be around longer than the Chinese Communist Party.

The comment, made at a US event, sparked anger in China, with experts warning that it could jeopardise the bank's ambitions in the the world's second largest economy.

Mr Dimon made his original remarks at Boston College, where he was taking part in a series of interviews with chief executives.

"I made a joke the other day that the Communist Party is celebrating its 100th year - so is JPMorgan," he said.

"I'd make a bet that we last longer," he told the event. "I can't say that in China. They are probably listening anyway," he added.

It sparked a swift reaction, with Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the state-backed Global Times newspaper, saying on Twitter: "Think long-term! And I bet the CPC [Chinese Communist Party] will outlast the USA."

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a news conference: "Why the publicity stunt with some grandstanding remarks?"

In August, JP Morgan won approval to become the first full foreign owner of a securities brokerage in China.

There has to be unity with the uinform officials

The Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, has said the state’s newly-unveiled 30-year development plan will sustain ongoing reforms and projects by his administration aimed at improving the livelihood of the people.


He said, “This year, our state marked its 30th anniversary. While we are grateful to God for seeing us through the different challenges we faced all these years, we believe it is time for reflective thinking and an opportunity to chart a new course, while being targeted in our quest for sustainable development.

“In the last five years, we have undertaken transformational reforms targeted at overhauling the civil/public service, which is the engine that drives government.

“We are undertaking fundamental reforms in healthcare; emplacing foundational changes in the education system, revamping moribund infrastructure, prioritising human capital development and fast-tracking programmes and initiatives to drive inclusive growth.”

Noting that the 30-year development plan will drive sustainable socio-economic growth and development in the state over the next three decades, the governor said, “The last five years have been one of a battle to fix a disarticulated system by reintroducing the discipline and values of planning into government and governance process. We are aware that we need to sustain these deep reforms and initiatives. That is why we unveiled the 30-year development plan process, which we have commenced.

“The Edo State 30-year development plan and the Edo State 30-year Urban and Regional Masterplan will be a grand design to set the new course and direction for one of the most progressive and prosperous sub-national governments in Nigeria.”

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has called for stiffer penalties for drug trafficking by removing the option of fines for drug offenders.

The agency’s Chairman, Brigadier-General Buba Marwa (retd.), said this, according to a statement on Monday, during the Institute of Change Management’s annual dinner, in Lagos.

Marwa, who was represented by the Director, Seaport Operation, Omolade Faboyede, spoke on the theme, ‘Drug abuse in Nigeria: Changing the narrative.’

He said, “It is worrisome that we have some of our officers lose their lives in the course of battling with drug traffickers. But at the end of the day, some of these offenders when taken to court, are just fined and they later return to the same business.

“This is a worrisome trend that we are trying to correct in other to make the punishment stiffer.”

Marwa further explained that the drug problem in Nigeria is massive, adding that an aggressive reduction in drug supply should be embarked on.

He added, “The National Drug Use Survey 2018 indicated that 14.3 million Nigerians representing 14.4 per cent of the country’s population used psychoactive substances aside from alcohol.

“As chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee for the Elimination of Drug Abuse, I had a clear view of the situation and what should be done to reverse the trend.

“Basically, we have to shut down the pipeline. That is, take the traffickers and their barons out of the picture. We have to embark on an aggressive drug supply reduction campaign.

“It is to this end that we launched the War Against Drug Abuse campaign which is meant to, in the long run, help prevent the entrenchment of drug abuse culture among young people in the society.”

Also, the President of ICM, Nathaniel Osewele, said the choice of the topic was informed by the need to further deepen the discourse on the increasing wave of misuse and abuse of hard drugs in the society, especially among youths.

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, are among seven distinguished Nigerians who will receive honorary doctoral degrees at the 8th and 9th Convocation of the Kwara State University, Malete on Saturday.

The Vice-Chancellor of KWASU, Prof. Muhammed Akanbi, SAN, who disclosed this in Ilorin on Monday said that seven distinguished personalities would be conferred with the doctorate degree for their contributions to the development of the country.

While the first lady will be conferred with Doctor of Entrepreneurship, Gambari who was the first Chancellor of KWASU will bag Doctor of Letters.

Others include Alh. Mohammadu Indimi, Doctor of Technology, Alh. Abdulsamad Rabiu, Doctor of Business, Alh. Kamoru Yusuf, Doctor of Technology, Jolayemi Omotowa, Doctor of Science, and Engr. Bamidele Adewumi, the Chancellor of the institution will be also be conferred with Doctor of Technology.

Akanbi in his address also canvassed a mandatory on-campus residence for all students of tertiary institutions in the country.

Akanbi said this would help to check negative influences from outside campus that lead students to be involved in anti-social and criminal activities of which the now common internet fraud is inclusive.

“Exposure of negative influence outside the university campus is majorly responsible for the involvement of some students in internet fraud, substance abuse and other untoward crimes,” he said.

The Vice-Chancellor said that accommodation of students on the campus would not only enable them to imbibe academic culture and discipline but also insulate them from negative influence off-campus areas where the jurisdictions of the schools do not cover.

He said the on-campus residence for all students could be facilitated by the government’s support and called on relevant government agencies to plan for and make it mandatory for the students to live on campus.

He said, “We earnestly seek the support of government and the NUC in the formulation of policies that will make it mandatory for all students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria to live on campus.”

Akanbi said his university, in an effort to put an end to off-campus residences, had engaged in the private sector driven hostel accommodation projects which consist of 10 mega hostels each of which provides 120-bed space on the campus.

The Vice-Chancellor said the university had zero tolerance for indiscipline and misconduct as he disclosed that 87 students were expelled between 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 academic sessions.

He said the expelled students were found guilty of involvement in examination malpractice, drug-related offences, internet fraud, robbery, and some other anti-social behaviours.

Akanbi disclosed that a total number of 6,620 first degree students would graduate at the convocation ceremonies that cover two sessions of 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.

He explained that of the total 6,620, 3,864 belong to the 2019/2020 session and that the remaining 2,756 are of the 2020/2021 session while disclosing that a total of 98 students from the two sessions graduated with First Class Honours.

He also said that there were 321 graduating higher degree students in 20219/2020 and 96 in 2020/2021.

Scores of unemployed graduates from the Egbema/Gbaramatu host communities in the Niger Delta region, on Monday, besieged the operational headquarters of Chevron Nigeria Limited in the Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State in a peaceful protest against the alleged failure of the oil company to fulfil the terms of the Global Memorandum of Understanding it signed with them regarding filling the graduate employment quota for the region.

The protesters, who carried placards with different inscriptions, also condemned Chevron’s alleged unilateral disengagement of some graduates from the host communities and replacing the sacked workers with people without pre-requisite qualifications from other parts of the country.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read, ‘Chevron must keep to GMoU terms, employ the 200 deficit employment for graduates of Egbema/Gbaramatu host communities’, ‘Chevron, give us our required employment’, ‘Chevron is robbing host communities of graduate employment slots’, and ‘Chevron, stop diverting host communities’ graduate employment quota allocation to powers that be’.

Addressing journalists, the President of the Egbema/Gbaramatu Graduates, Tare Olaye, condemned Chevron for allegedly discarding provisions of the Local Content Act that prescribes the employment of a certain percentage of the workforce from the host communities.

He also accused the multinational oil firm of maltreatment of graduates from the host communities, citing the case of one Timmy Okirika, a senior production operator and executive member of the Egbema/Gbaramatu Graduates, who was allegedly disengaged by Chevron for no just cause, while calls for his reinstatement by the National Industrial Court and the National Assembly had not been heeded by the oil firm till date.

“Chevron must abide by the laws of the land,” Olaye declared, while insisting that “the ongoing protest would last until the demands are met.”

Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, has revealed that a total of 27 students of the institution graduated with first class honours in the 2020/2021 Academic Session.

The Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Samuel Aje, disclosed this on Monday while speaking with journalists on the forthcoming 11th convocation ceremony of the institution.

Aje also stated that a total of 434 students would be awarded first degrees in the convocation ceremony.

He said, “This convocation marks the graduation of 434 students in various disciplines in the college of social and management sciences, the college of engineering technology and the college of natural and applied sciences of this university.

“Out of the number, a total of 27 students made first class.”

The don also revealed that the institution had begun to offer scholarships to the students in 10 departments of the institution, saying over 200 students are already enjoying the scholarship.

“In the 2020/academic session, we embarked on the journey of offering scholarships/free tuition to all students of our highly respected programmes, namely, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, Plant Science, Biotech Industrial Chemistry, and Geology.

“Indeed, 280 students were given admission and are enjoying the scholarship/tuition-free arrangement. This arrangement provides an opportunity to students who, under normal circumstances, would not have had access to a choice university of this nature, the Achievers University boss stated.

As part of the convocation ceremony activities, a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar would deliver the convocation lecture, which is titled, ‘Diversity, education and autonomy’.

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has sent warm felicitations to President Adama Barrow of The Gambia over his re-election for a second term of five years.

This is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled ‘President Buhari felicitates with President Adama Barrow of The Gambia on re-election’.

Reacting to Barrow’s victory, Buhari congratulated the Independent Electoral Commission for dutifully handling the electoral process, while commending the Gambians for their high sense of civility, maturity and patriotism.

He assured President Barrow and all Gambians of Nigeria’s commitment and partnership as they collectively work on making the country better and stronger for posterity.

The National Universities Commission has said that it has discovered 67 illegal universities, satellite campuses and study centres in the country.

Executive Secretary of the Commission, Abubakar Rasheed, stated this while speaking at the 11th convocation of Al-Hikmah University held in Ilorin on Saturday.

Rasheed said all the alleged illegal institutions award certificates made the matter worse.

He, however, said that the NUC is tackling the situation headlong to discourage the illegality and ensure that reputation of tertiary education in the county is not damaged.

“The commission is taking concrete steps through inter-agencies collaboration to tackle the untoward development headlong, especially by mass sensitisation of unsuspecting patrons through periodic publication list of such ‘Degree Mills’,” he stated.

The NUC boss called for concerted effort of all stakeholders to check dwindling standard of education to make the country greater.

He said, “The New Nigeria project is a task that must be accomplished by all. We all have a role in shaping the future of our dear country. So, no sacrifice will be too much to salvage the palpable nosedive of our education system. We are are all stakeholders in the scheme of selfless commitment to producing competent and resourceful manpower that will drive the much desired development in all strata of the Nigerian life.”

Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor of the Al-Hikmah University who is a former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, said the security challenge in the country was a creation of all the people of the country and advised that there is the need for the people to all get involved in the efforts to get rid of the challenge if the country is to get over the crisis.

He stated, “At present, the overarching topical issue is the one that borders on security challenges. We are where we are today as a direct consequence of our actions and inactions Although the government, especially at the centre, is doing its best to tackle the problem, we all must stand up to confront the monster together.

“From the community to the state and national levels, we need to change our mindset. The restoration of peace and security remains a non-negotiable responsibility that must be borne by all. Far from just paying lip-service while discussing the problem, we all need to assiduously work to walk the talk.”

In his speech, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Noah Yusuf, congratulated the 1,079 students that graduated at various levels at the convocation but advised them to be ready for the task ahead and not to see their graduation as end of learning and life struggle.

Out of the 1,079 graduands produced by the institution, 28 are in first class, 282 in second class upper division, 532 in second class lower division while 97 are in third class.

97 received their Master degree certificate while 43 receive post graduate diploma.