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  • ANALYSIS: With an absentee governor, embattled deputy, governance goes on recess in Ondo

    On Monday the 16th of October 2023, the media space was agog with reports of how a detachment of operatives of the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) stormed the Ondo State secretariat of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) sealing it off.

    The action of the security agencies, according to reports, was to forestall a planned protest by the opposition party in the state to draw attention to the absence of the governor, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu from the state.

    The planned protest, which was eventually aborted as it was confined to the premises of the secretariat where banners were displayed, was planned by the youth wing the state PDP.

    Ripples Nigeria reports that the PDP has been in the forefront of demanding that Akeredolu resumes office or resign from office.

    The demand of the PDP stemmed from the refusal or inability of Governor Akeredolu to return to the state capital, Akure to resume office since his return from medical vacation in Germany where he spent months to attend to his health. However, after his much celebrated return to the country, Akeredolu has remained in his private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, from wherehe supposedly governs Ondo State.

    While he was away in Germany, Akeredolu, a lawyer and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, satisfied constitutional provisions by transmitting power to his deputy, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, who took charge as acting governor.

    Since the governor’s return, however, Aiyedatiwa, instead of continuing to act for his principal since he seemed unfit to return to office yet, was not stripped of the acting role, but was stripped of his media aides before the State House of Assembly moved against him for alleged gross misconduct amongst others, and initiating moves for his impeachment.

    Though an Abuja Federal High court ordered a stay of proceedings in the impeachment process and the State Chief Judge declined to set up a panel to investigate the allegations leveled against Aiyedatiwa, the unrepentant lawmakers at the Ondo State House of Assembly were bent on removing the embattled deputy governor.

    Even though Akeredolu continued to deny having a hand in the impeachment moves against his deputy, it was glaringly clear that it was a case of the voice of Esau, but the hand of Jacob at play, as the lawmakers seemed bent on ensuring that Aiyedatiwa did not survive their impeachment move against him.

    With all that has transpired even before Akeredolu left on his medical vacation abroad to recent happenings in the state, it will be safe to conclude that the lawmakers were merely doing the bidding of Governor Akeredolu, who had a similar face-off with his first term deputy governor, Mr. Agboola Ajayi, who was practically disgraced out of office.

    READ ALSO:Akeredolu unwell, needs special housing to recover, aide explains why Ondo gov is staying in Ibadan

    Seeing the political conflagration between the governor and his deputy, and how it was slowing governance in the state, with the elections just around the corner, their party the All Progressives Congress (APC) stepped in as the national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje inaugurated members into a nine-man reconciliation committee set up to resolve the political disagreement between Governor Akeredolu, and Aiyedatiwa.

    So far, the party has been able to broker an uncanny peace among the feuding parties. After weeks of animosity, the committee members got the state’s lawmakers to suspend the impeachment process against Aiyedatiwa. Addressing a press conference after a closed door meeting, at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, both Ganduje and the Assembly Speaker, Hon. Oladeji Olamide, confirmed the development to suspend the impeachment process.

    Agreed that both Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa have personal or political grudges to settle among themselves, which should be normal in any human relationship, governance and the people of Ondo State are currently at the receiving end of whatever their personal or political beef might be.

    There is no way governance in the state can be said to move on smoothly with an absentee governor, whose true current state of health is not known to the people he governs and an embattled deputy governor, whose present preoccupation is survival, as no one is sure what his fate will be even though the impeachment plot has been suspended for now. There were indications that his fall out with his principal was because of his political ambition to take over from Akeredolu at the expiration of this tenure.

    insofar as he has not jettisoned that ambition, and Akeredolu has his preferred candidate to succeed him, the animosity has only been set aside for a later date. Meanwhile, governance in the state has taken a backseat and has been reduced to a slow pace, as the governor has continued to rule from Ibadan, with the deputy who of course will be sidelined, still fighting for political survival.

    It is even more disheartening that those who were elected to make life more tolerant for the people of the state have abandoned their responsibilities at a time life has become practically unbearable in the country, with the cost of living ballooning beyond the reach of the ordinary Nigerian. It is also sad that while states with active managers of governance are struggling to bring succour to citizens, those in Ondo are either missing in action, or are unable to deliver optimum service.

    What is more intriguing is the fact that, Akeredolu, as a senior lawyer and past president of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), should have been more circumspect in handling issues as it relates, not just to his deputy, but absence from his duty post.

    Though many of his aides have argued that he can rule from anywhere, something left to be proven legally correct, it would have been expected that with his stature in the legal profession, he would not engage in actions majority of the people see as potentially unconstitutional. His actions are reminiscent of the Yar’Adua days, or a period in the history of Nigeria, when the president, Muhammadu Buhari also went missing due to ill-health.

    For the lawmakers at the state House of Assembly, who should normally act on the side of the people, they have no doubt become partisan in the political war between Akeredolu and Aiyedatiwa and unable to function and protect the interest of the long suffering people of Ondo State.

    Meanwhile, governance in Ondo State has gone on recess for the time being!

    Source

  • Gov Alia promises to pay Benue civil servants’ entitlement four months after retirement

    Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue has promised to settle the entitlements of retired civil servants within four months after departure.

    Mr Alia made the promise on Wednesday in Makurdi during a meeting with heads of ministries, departments and agencies.

    “Going forward, retired civil servants have a maximum of 120 days to get their entitlements. This is our commitment to them,” he stated.

    He urged the officials to ensure discipline, hard work and diligence while emphasising accountability, transparency, confidentiality and teamwork. He also urged them to be punctual.

    “If you come late to work, close when you want or you are absent, how do you want your subordinates to act differently? There has to be a drastic change in attitude towards work for optimal results. That is what the Benue people want from us,” stated the Benue governor.

    He added, “Accountability has to be built in your heart. The confidentiality we used to have in the service needs to be returned. I am here to serve you and the state. You have accepted the job to also serve in various capacities. I call for a uniform style of work to justify the prompt payment of salaries.

    “We need to revive, revamp and reform the civil service, and we have to change the narratives. We must recalibrate to avoid embarrassing scenes and situations. This administration will not tolerate laziness and truancy.”

    Mr Alia directed the civil servants to dress properly to show respect for their offices.

    “Let us bring back the aura, respect and value into the civil service,” he said.

    He promised that staff due for promotions would enjoy it promptly and called for weekly meetings to review performance, strengths and weaknesses.

    Mr Alia said that affordable homes would be constructed, just as the Benue Micro Finance Bank would be revived to encourage small businesses for workers, especially for agricultural purposes.

    “I encourage you all to have farms, but farming around office premises must stop by November,” he said.

    He said the works ministry would gradually rehabilitate Benue’s civil service secretariat with light, water and other amenities. He commended the officials for the hard work that earned them their current status but reminded them that more was expected of them.

    (NAN)

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  • Celebrity bodyguards join Israel’s fight against Hamas terrorists

    Celebrity bodyguards, including Oded Krashinsky and an unnamed Taylor Swift bodyguard, have returned to their native country of Israel to join the fight against Hamas terrorists.

    According to The New York Post, Oded Krashinsky, a veteran lieutenant in an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) secret service special operations unit and the head of Los Angeles-based Advanced Security Concepts, has taken a proactive role in training IDF soldiers and kibbutz members in Northern Israel.

    Previously, Krashinsky provided security services for celebrities like Nicole Kidman. Speaking to The New York Post, he stated, “I came here to help my unit. The morale is tense. The main threat is invasion — we have to deflect it, fight it, and protect against it.”

    The IDF veteran stressed the importance of his home country, saying, “I am who I am because I came from here. At the end of the day, it’s about experience, decision-making, tactics, and leadership — that’s what I felt I could bring, and that’s what I do now.”

    Krashinsky, who spent over three decades in the United States as a security consultant, emphasized the challenge and commitment required in his current role. “We’re putting protocol and procedures in place for safety and shelter. There’s a lot of strategic decision,” he remarked. “We are well prepared right now. Everyone understands that they have to give their all.”

    Taylor Swift’s bodyguard also recently flew back to Israel. He told Eran Swisa of Israel Hayom news that he “couldn’t stand by while families were slaughtered and burned alive in their homes.”

    READ MORE: Marine rapid response force moving to coast of Israel

    In a statement to Variety, Swift’s bodyguard further mentioned that he previously lived in an Israeli kibbutz. While he described his time working for Swift as his “dream job,” he indicated that he could not remain on the sidelines as Israeli civilians were being killed “just for being Jewish or for being Israelis.”

    Historically, the Hollywood security bodyguard community has seen many Israeli combat veterans join its ranks, according to The New York Post.

    Aaron Cohen, an Israeli special operations vet and bodyguard to stars like Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, and Katy Perry, told The New York Post about the rich legacy of IDF veterans serving as bodyguards, highlighting figures like Elizabeth Taylor’s late bodyguard Moshe Alon.

    Cohen observed, “There’s a lot of them going back [to Israel to fight]. These guys are very deeply connected.”

    Krashinsky told The New York Post that his celebrity clients, such as Kidman, have reached out to him, wishing him safety as he faces the devastating conflict in the Middle East.

    Krashinsky explained, “Some clients are like my family — I’ve worked with them for 15 more years. They call, and they text.”

    This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.



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  • Army Moves To Increase Personnel Intake In Rivers, Delta Commences Sensitisation On Recruitment

    Chief-of-Army-Staff-COAS-Lt.-Gen.-Faruk-Yahaya-addresses-troops-in-Yola

    The Nigerian Army has commenced a sensitisation campaign in Rivers and Delta to prevent future marginalisation and to boost its regular personnel intake shortfall in the region.

    The development followed the low turnout of the youths during the last recruitment exercise where both states fell below their 60 per cent quota.

    The situation led to an advocacy visit by the Army to the Secretary to the Rivers State Government, Dr Tammy Danagogo, in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

    The team, led by Brigadier-General Timmy Mackintosh, said the anomaly is likely not to cause a challenge presently, but in the future.

    Mackintosh said, “We are here from the Army headquarters to sensitise Rivers State on the Nigerian Army requirement that is ongoing and the major reason we are doing this is that the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja has realised that Rivers and Delta state in the South-South zone are lacking when it comes to recruitment into the Nigerian Army.

    “The recruitment that is ongoing is regular intake 86, for 84 and 85 regular intakes, Rivers State, in particular, could not make up 60 per cent of its own quota which today we may not see as a problem.

    “But in the next 10, 15, 20 years, it will be a problem because, at that time, we will be the ones shouting we are marginalised.

    “So, the Chief of Army staff deemed it fit that we should come and speak to you to assist us in speaking to your indigenes.

    “In as much as we are looking to join the Army, the military is not a place where we do not take care of our own, we do take very good care of our own in areas such as uplifting them academically, medically and otherwise.

    “One of the requirements for us is a minimum of four credits for those that want to join the army. I can tell you that with those four credits today, there are people who are going for master’s degrees especially for the lower cadre, because the army sent them to school, both in military institutions and even civil.

    “I know a lot of my soldiers that the army sponsored them up to their BSc, Masters and some are even doing their PhD. So, it is an opportunity for our people to come, you don’t need to know anybody to join the army. Just make sure you meet the basic criteria.”

    On his part, the Secretary to the state, Danagogo, attributed the low turnout of Rivers people to the Army recruitment to ignorance and information gap.

    Source

  • British woman sentenced to death for murd3ring husband over £2m

    British woman sentenced to death for murd3ring husband over �2m

    A British woman, Ramandeep Kaur Mann has been sentenced to d£ath by hanging in India over the death of her husband.

    According to Mirror UK, Kaur Mann was sentenced by a court in India for the murder of Sukhjeet Singh.

    The court in India heard how Kaur Mann had poisoned her family before slitting her husband’s throat on September 2, 2016, in order to inherit £2 million from his life insurance.

     

    Her accomplice Gurpreet Singh was sentenced to life in prison.

    The eyewitness testimony of the victim’s nine-year-old son was said to have been crucial in securing a conviction against the woman, who is a British national.

    The report said she returned from a month-long family holiday to Sukhjeet’s hometown of Shahjahanpur when she carried out a plan to kill her husband, whom she had been with for 11 years.

    She carried out the heinous act by poisoning a meal given to several members of the family, but her eldest son did not eat it.

    On the morning of September 2, 2016, Sukhjeet’s body was found lying dead on the first floor of the house, where he was sleeping with his family.

    Sukhjeet’s mother Vansh Kaur was sleeping on the ground floor of the house, the report said.

    Murder charges were brought against Kaur Mann and Gurpreet, and the police discovered during their investigation that both killers were in a relationship.

    The court found them guilty of murder and the offence of criminal acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention.

    A judge described the case on Saturday, October 14 as the “rarest of rare” and said, “Not only Sukhjeet was murdered but the remaining years of an elderly widow was killed, the childhood as well as the youth of two minor children was exterminated. The children have lost the happiness which they had when their father was alive.”

    Reacting to the verdict, Sukhjeet’s mother told reporters outside the court that she was pleased her son’s killer had been given capital punishment.

    She said: “I feel relieved. My prayers were answered and I got what I was expecting from the court. I was demanding capital punishment for Ramandeep so that no mother’s child dies like this.”
     

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  • EXCLUSIVE: Powerful Cabal Lobbies Tinubu Government To Divert N35Billion Out Of N154Billion Licence Renewal Debt Paid By Globacom

    A powerful cabal allegedly in collusion with the immediate former Executive Vice Chairman of Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta and his son is pushing to divert part of the spectrum licence fees recently paid to the Nigerian government, SaharaReporters has learnt.

    Sources told SaharaReporters on Wednesday that the cabal is pushing to divert from established protocols N35 billion from the N154 billion spectrum licence fees paid by the telecommunication giant.  

    Meanwhile, Danbatta’s son has been purportedly fraternizing with President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, who has cut a controversial figure and has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons.

    For instance, Seyi recently attracted public outrage for flying a jet in the presidential fleet on a private trip with friends to Kano State to watch a polo tournament.

    SaharaReporters earlier in October reported that Mike Adenuga, founder and owner of Globacom Limited, one of the biggest telecommunication companies in Nigeria, had paid N154 billion to the Nigerian government, which was part of the spectrum license renewal fees for the company.

    The payment came a few weeks after the newspaper exposed the company as owing about N200 billion to the government.

    SaharaReporters on September 21 reported that sources within the presidency accused the telecoms tycoon of compromising the then-Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Danbatta with bribes and promises of presidential intervention to secure his two-year term.

    “After SaharaReporters’ report on Globacom which broke the back of the horse, Mike Adenuga has paid the government N154 billion with the remaining outstanding to be paid,” an authoritative source said.

    “Additionally, it is confirmed that the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Danbatta is to leave his current position in the coming days.”

    However, last Wednesday, the same day SaharaReporters confirmed the payment of N154 billion to government coffers by Globacom, President Tinubu sacked Danbatta as the EVC of NCC along with the CEOs of other agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovations, and Digital Economy with immediate effect.

    Apart from Danbatta, the President also sacked the Nigerian Postal Service’s Sunday Adepoju and Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited’s Tukur Funtua.

    Aminu Maida was named as the new Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC, in place of Danbatta.

    Meanwhile, sources in the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and the Digital Economy told SaharaReporters that the cabal was also scheming to mislead the minister, ‘Bosun Tijani, to buy into their plan.

    One of the sources said, “In a recent revelation that has sent shockwaves through the corridors of power, it has come to light that a concerted effort is underway to manipulate the utilization of funds derived from a significant financial transaction involving Globacom Chairman and the Nigerian government.

    “The intricate narrative unfolds with the exposé by SR, exposing the reluctance of the Glo chairman to remit a substantial sum of N200 billion to the Nigerian government, ostensibly due to alleged affiliations with the then EVC Danbatta. Succumbing to pressure, he ultimately paid 154 billion, which SR made known to the public last week.

    “This convoluted saga takes a disconcerting turn with the emergence of a cabal, allegedly in collusion with Danbatta and his son, who has been purportedly fraternizing with the President’s son.

    “Reports indicate that this influential group is orchestrating a scheme to mislead Minister Bosun into submitting a memo to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for the allocation of N35 billion from the funds paid by Adenuga.”

    According to one of the sources, the new EVC is in the dark and not aware of the plan to divert N35 billion from established protocols.

    The source said, “The intended purpose is the Digital Switchover (DSO), an arena overseen by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) under the Ministry of Information.

    “Questions arise as to the deviation from constitutional provisions mandating funds to be directed into the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

    “Instead, the proposed plan raises suspicions of ulterior motives, with a selected company purportedly positioned to share in the proceeds.

    “Pertinently, concerns linger regarding the absence of consultation with the new Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of NCC on this and whether the fear of an unfavourable response prompted the detour towards FEC.

    “In the interest of transparency and public accountability, it is imperative that Minister Bosun, the Ministry of Communications, and relevant stakeholders address these pressing concerns.

    “The Nigerian public deserves clarity on the intended course of action, the justification for the diversion from established protocols, and reassurance that the principles of good governance and constitutional provisions are upheld.

     “This revelation invites closer scrutiny of the intricacies surrounding the utilization of public funds, underscoring the need for an earnest and impartial investigation into the unfolding narrative.

    “The citizens of Nigeria, ever vigilant and discerning, await comprehensive explanations to dispel any shadows cast upon the integrity of the process.

    In May 2023, SaharaReporters exclusively reported how Isa Ali Pantami, then Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and Sabiu “Tunde” Yusuf, who was former President Muhammadu Buhari’s personal secretary, reportedly colluded to ensure the granting of licences for broadcast frequencies in the 600MHz spectrum band by the NCC in the twilight of the Buhari’s administration.

    SaharaReporters had learnt that the move was to grant such licences to companies linked to their cronies and associates in the Aso Rock Villa, as well as a close ally of Bola Tinubu, who was the president-elect at the time.

    A source within the presidency had confirmed this to SaharaReporters, adding that Pantami and Tunde Yusuf had also been attempting to shift earnings from sales to private bank accounts, which was another attempt to siphon additional public assets before handing over to the incoming government.

    This mischief also included a 50% discount on the licence.

    In a similar scenario, sources within the presidency had told SaharaReporters that Danbatta in August tricked the current Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, into signing off on a spectrum license trade that violates the one-year operating requirement, and also dispatched his son to India to lobby Tinubu’s son, Seyi, on his behalf.

    One of the sources had said, “Since President Tinubu took office, Danbatta has showered those around the Aso Villa with bulletproof cars and cash to secure his position. His recent blunder of allowing Glo to ‘murder’ Nigerians without paying its N200 billion debt is a test of the president’s resolve.

    “Upon learning of the presidency’s awareness of his misdeeds, Danbatta issued a fake threat to his staff to suspend all regulatory services to Glo. The question is, why did he not do so in May when the money was due?

    “This story is a cause for concern because it suggests that Adenuga is using his wealth and power to evade his financial obligations to the government. It is also a cause for concern that Danbatta is using his position to protect Adenuga instead of upholding the law. His bribery of those around the Villa further suggests that he is trying to buy influence.”

    Source

  • Suspected bandits kill two, abduct 3 others in Kebbi village

    Gunmen suspected to be bandits in the early hours of Wednesday killed two people and kidnapped three others in Kanzanna village, Bunza local government area of Kebbi State.

    The spokesman for the state police command, Nafi’u Abubakar, confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday in Birnin Kebbi.

    He said the state’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Aimiono-Wane had visited the village and sympathised with the villagers.

    He said a combined team of Mobile, Anti- Kidnapping, and Counter Terrorism personnel had been deployed to the area.

    According to him, the operatives are currently combing nearby forests, routes, and suspected hideouts to track the bandits and rescue the victims.

    Source

  • Court jails five internet fraudsters in Ilorin

    A State High Court in Ilorin convicted five persons on Wednesday after they were found guilty of internet fraud and related offences.

    The Ilorin zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) secured the conviction.

    The convicts include Olamilekan Quadri from Ijebu Ode in Ogun; Oladele John from Ijero Local Government Area (LGA) of Ekiti; Abiodun Abiola from Sapati-Ile, Asa LGA of Kwara; Ishola Orimadegun from Lagos State, and Kayode Awolola from Inisha, Odo-Otin LGA of Osun.

    The presiding judge, Justice Mahmoud Abdulgafar, sentenced Mr Quadri to 12 months imprisonment, which would be suspended and ordered the forfeiture of his two phones, along with a payment of $800 to the federal government.

    Mr John was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N350,000. He is also to forfeit $250 and an iPhone 12 to the federal government.

    Mr Abiola was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment, which would be suspended, and ordered to forfeit an iPhone 7, along with a payment of N210,000 to the federal government.

    Mr Orimadegun was sentenced to six months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N150,000. He was also ordered to forfeit an iPhone 12 and pay $400 to the federal government.

    Mr Akinpelu sentenced Mr Awolola to six months imprisonment with an option of a fine of N100,000. He is also to forfeit an iPhone 13, one Dell Laptop, and $40 to the federal government.

    Following their “guilty plea”, Aliyu Adebayo, Andrew Akoja and Isabel Adeniran, who prosecuted the cases on behalf of the commission narrated the circumstances which led to the arrest of the defendants.

    They tendered the extra-judicial statements and items recovered from the defendants at the point of arrest as exhibits, which were admitted in evidence.

    (NAN)

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  • ‘A knot in my stomach’: Her son returns to Israel to fight in war after Hamas attacks

    Natalie only had a few hours to say goodbye to her 22-year-old son David last Saturday — the day of the deadly Hamas attacks in Israel — after he decided to return to Israel to re-enlist in the Israel Defense Forces.

    David — a dual citizen who grew up in Aventura, moved to Israel after graduating from high school and served in the military through last summer — decided just moments after he heard the news.

    “He held my hands and he said, ‘Mom, I know you’re gonna start crying now. And you’re not gonna stop for a while.’ He knows me well,” said Natalie, who asked the Herald not to use their last name out of security concerns. “And he goes, ‘But I made a decision. I’m going to Israel.’”

    David spent the next few hours planning his route and packing a bag. Less than 24 hours after the Hamas attacks, Natalie was driving her son from their Hollywood home to Miami International Airport so he could go to war.

    “He did not really prepare himself and we didn’t have time to process … knowing that this was not going to be just a military operation, that it is a real war.”

    David is one of many who have returned to Israel to fight in a war that has killed thousands of civilians, an undetermined number of Hamas fighters and more than 200 Israeli soldiers. More than 100 Israeli reservists and volunteers in Florida are estimated to have traveled to Israel to join the military, according to the Consulate General of Israel to Florida & Puerto Rico in Miami.

    Israel, with some exceptions, requires every Israeli citizen over the age of 18 to serve in the military for two to three years. After that, most of them can be called up to reserve units until age 40 or older in times of national emergency, Reuters reported.

    Israeli Defense Forces has activated over 300,000 reservists — one of the country’s largest military mobilizations in history, according to news reports.

    “Many Floridians, Israeli-Americans, that have served in the military and are now reservists have gone to Israel to volunteer in the IDF,” Consul General Maor Elbaz-Starinsky told the Herald. “They are fighting to get plane tickets to go to Israel because they are committed and dedicated for the safety and security of Israel.”

    Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack killed more than 1,400 people in Israel, including babies and children, according to the country’s military. At least 155 people, including children, the elderly and some Americans, are being held hostage by Hamas, designated as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

    In Gaza, 2,808 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, as reported by the New York Times. To date, 289 Israeli soldiers died during the Hamas attacks and thereafter, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

    With Israel sealing its Gaza border, Palestinians have been cut off from water, electricity, fuel and food. Egypt, too, has closed its border with Gaza in the south, blocking an escape route for thousands trapped in Gaza.

    ‘Proud of him’

    As someone with several family members, including her parents and sister, living in Israel, Natalie is “shattered in pieces” about her son’s decision.

    “There’s a knot in my stomach, a hole in my heart. But at the same time, I’m also very proud of him,” Natalie said. “I’m very proud of his choice to join the army in general, which he didn’t have to, but also now not to hesitate and go to protect our country. And the lives of others too.”

    David spent most of his life in Aventura, but grew up traveling to Israel almost every summer. At 18, after graduating from Scheck Hillel Community School in North Miami Beach, he decided to join the Israel Defense Forces and immigrate to Israel, a pilgrimage known in Hebrew as “Aliyah.”

    After finishing his military service as an Israeli citizen, David stayed in the army to become part of an elite combat unit, which requires more training and a longer commitment — called “Keva” in Hebrew. His service ended last summer.

    “He’s not obligated to do it, but chose to do it. He said, ‘My brothers are gonna go fight; I’m not gonna sit at home,’ Natalie said, recalling the conversation with her son. “They’re all very close, and they have each other’s back.”

    Support group for soldiers’ families

    After David left for Israel, Natalie became so consumed with following the news about the war that she had difficulty resuming her daily life. She joined a support group for parents of soldiers who live in South Florida and saw a psychologist who specializes in crisis management.

    “It’s difficult for everyone — and in my community, everyone has someone that we know — I am trying my best to take care of my mental health, but I don’t know if I’m being successful.”

    Despite taking some time off initially, Natalie has found some comfort at her job at Scheck Hillel. As the director of after-school enrichment and student engagement, Natalie works with children.

    “When they come and smile and give you a hug, even though your heart is broken, for one second, you need to put on the smile and get the hug,” Natalie said about the young children. “Actually, it helps a lot.”

    “We all should pray for peace and for the war to stop,” said Natalie “And for our soldiers to be brave and protect the rest of the people.”

    ___

    © 2023 Miami Herald

    Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC



    Source

  • Massive Boost For Nollywood As Sanwo-Olu Flags Off Construction Of N100 Billion Lagos Film City

    Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Wednesday, laid the first foundation block for the development of the Lagos Film City.

    The project, which is sited on 100-hectares of land in Ejinrin town, Epe, is intended to enhance originality in content creation in Nollywood – Nigeria’s film industry.

    Recall that the state government in October last year, announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Del-York Group for the construction of the project.

    Sanwo-Olu said the project, which would be executed through PPP model, marked a significant milestone in his administration’s journey to creating a thriving film industry in Lagos that would have a global appeal.

    The governor said: “Today, we embark on a journey that will redefine the landscape of the film industry in Lagos. As we break the ground for this $100million (N100 billion) project covering a land area of 100 hectares and which will be executed through PPP model, we are laying the foundation for a creative hub that will serve as a catalyst for innovation, talent discovery, and storytelling excellence. This is a testament to our commitment to nurturing the arts and supporting the dreams of aspiring filmmakers, actors, and technicians.

    “It is our strong belief that the film industry has the power to transcend boundaries and bring people together. It has the ability to inspire, entertain, and educate. Through the magic of cinema, we can showcase the rich cultural heritage of Lagos, while telling stories that reflect our shared experiences, and amplify the voices of our diverse communities. This film city will serve as a canvas for these stories, providing a platform for our talented artists to shine on both local and global stages.”

    Through the project, Sanwo-Olu said Lagos would tap into the global entertainment GDP and create job opportunities for young cinematographers, while stimulating economic growth and attracting more foreign investment into the sector.

    “The Film City is not just about bricks and mortar. It is about the people who will walk through its doors and breathe life into its spaces. It is about the dreams that will be realised, stories that will be told, and impacts that will be made. Our creative community is the beating heart of this film city, and we are committed to providing them with the resources, support, and opportunities they need to thrive. This is an ecosystem that will nurture creativity, foster collaboration and empower artists to push their craft beyond the local boundaries,” he said.

    The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson-Awoyinka, noted that upon completion the project would have positive impact on tourism in the state.

    “By the time the Lagos Film City comes on board, the spiral-effect on Lagos profile as a tourist destination of choice would be appreciated beyond the entertainment sector,” the Commissioner said.

    The founder of Del-York Group, Linus Idahosa, said allocation of private equity to investors in the project development underscored Sanwo-Olu’s understanding of key partnerships required to deliver the vision and enhance growth in the creative sector.

    He said: “This idea of strategic collaboration between the Government and stakeholders is what it takes to push the country forward. The future of this country will be determined by the creative energy we are about to harness through the Film City project.”

    Source