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ECOWAS To Jammeh: Step Down Now Or Face Forceful Ejection

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has given the embattled President of The Gambia, Mr. Yahya Jammeh, till midnight today to vacate office and hand over power to the country’s President-Elect, Mr. Adama Barrow, or be ousted by force, it was learnt, last night.
Though details of the planned military intervention by ECOWAS in The Gambia if Jammeh refuses to vacate office for Barrow on Thursday remains sketchy, our correspondent learnt that ECOWAS has perfected plans to install the president-elect.
Efforts by Jammeh to erect a legal hurdle in the way of the ECOWAS-backed inauguration of Barrow suffered a serious setback yesterday as the country’s Supreme Court declined to hear an application by his party to that effect.
Last Thursday, the country’s ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) filed an application for an interlocutory injunction seeking to stop the inauguration of Mr. Barrow as President on January 19.
But the Chief Justice of the Gambia, Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle refused to grant the application.
Barrow was declared winner of the December 1, 2016 presidential election. Jammeh, who had initially accepted defeat by congratulating Barrow, suddenly recanted a week later saying he would challenge the election results at the apex court.
His recant threw the country into confusion amid intervention by African leaders suing for a peaceful transition.
The African Union (AU) and ECOWAS have pledged to withdraw their recognition of Jammeh as President after Thursday.
But Nigerian officials played down the planned military intervention by the sub-region’s power block last night, saying ECOWAS still hoped Jammeh would respect himself and leave office by tomorrow night.
“From what I gathered, they are extending the olive branch till midnight of January 18th. If he does not (handover power) by 19th, the troops will take over,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs told newsmen last night.
Asked about the composition of troops and Nigeria’s strategic role, the source responded: “I don’t have an idea of the troops but they are from ECOWAS.”
Speaking to newsmen, however, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig-Gen. Sani Usman, said he was not aware of plans for military intervention, explaining that such issues fall squarely under the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Government.
Usman added that the Army could not comment on the matter. “We are not at the forefront of solving the political problem in The Gambia; we are soldiers,” he said.
An official at the Ministry of Defence, Abuja also could not provide an insight on the level of preparedness by the Nigerian military.
But as the inauguration day draws closer, tension appears to have gripped Gambians, with many struggling to leave the tiny West African nation.
Efforts by ECOWAS leaders led by President Muhammadu Buhari to persuade Jammeh to relinquish power has failed to yield any tangible result, even as Barrow relocated to Senegal, where reports suggest he would be brought into The Gambia by ECOWAS troops for the inauguration on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court yesterday refused to hear an application by Jammeh’s party, APRC, to stop the inauguration of Barrow as president on Thursday.
In the application signed by its lawyer, Mr. Edward Gomez, the APRC asked the court for an order of interlocutory injunction preventing the chief judge of the country from inaugurating or swearing in Barrow as the President of The Gambia until the determination of the election petition.
The party also asked for an order “restraining, the President from preparing, arranging, organising, conducting, partaking or participating in any manner or form in the swearing-in and /or inauguration of Adama Barrow as President of the Republic of The Gambia on January 19, 2017.”
The APRC further prayed the court for an order restraining the country’s National Assembly, its members and any organ of government from partaking in the inauguration of Barrow.
It asked the court to stop Barrow from presenting himself to the country’s chief judge or judiciary to be sworn-in as president of The Gambia.
After hearing the application yesterday, the Chief Judge, Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle, a Nigerian, refused to grant the prayers that would have effectively extended the tenure of Jammeh.
The court declined to grant the requests on the ground that the application listed the Chief Judge, who is the only Supreme Court Judge at the moment, as a party in the application.
Fagbenle, therefore, ruled that he could not grant an order against himself.
He said he would remove himself from the suit in the interest of fairness. He then adjourned the election petition until the court is fully constituted.
The court had ruled penultimate Monday that it could not consider the election petition filed by the APRC because the quorum of five judges to hear the petition could not be met because Nigeria and Sierra Leone declined the Gambian request to send judges to sit at the Supreme Court
The Gambia relies on judges and other judicial officials from other West African countries to help fill its drought of top officials in its judiciary.

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NAFDAC Alerts Nigerians To EU Ban On Dex Soap

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The National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has alerted Nigerians on the ban on Dex Luxury Bar Soap (No 6 Mystic Flower), by the European Union (EU).
The notification is contained in a public alert with No. 012/2024, signed by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, and issued to newsmen in Abuja yesterday.
“The product does not comply with the cosmetic products regulation; it also contains Butyphenyl Methylpropional (BMHCA), which is prohibited in cosmetic products due to its risk of harming the reproductive system.
“It also causes harm to the health of unborn children and may cause skin sensitisation.
“It is as a result of the defective nature of the product that the EU banned it.
“The products is not in NAFDAC database; importers, distributors, retailers and consumers are to exercise caution and vigilance within the supply chain,” she said.
NAFDAC boss urged marketers and consumers to avoid the importation, distribution, sale and use of the product, stressing that product’s authenticity and physical condition must be carefully checked.
She enjoined members of the public in possession of the product to discontinue sale or use, and submit stock to the nearest NAFDAC office.

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Communities, Volunteers Ready To Face Upcoming Floods – Red Cross

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The Country Manager of the British Red Cross in Nigeria, Karsten Voigt, says communities and volunteers are ready to face the challenges expected with the upcoming floods.
Voigt said this at the sidelines of the 56th Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), Lagos Branch.
The Tide’s source recalls that the British Red Cross donated resilience items to some communities in December 2023, to help mitigate the effects of flooding.
The items included cash, rain boots, rain coats, mosquito nets, handheld flashlights, solar powered lights with radio, USB chargers and a bridge to link the communities.
The communities that benefited included Agboyi 1, Agboyi 2, Agboyi 3 and Odo Ogun in Kosofe Local Government Area of the state.
Voigt said the Red Cross had measured the impact of the project in the communities and noticed that a lot of progress had been made.
According to him, apart from the cash and items given to the communities, simulation exercises have also been carried out to prepare the volunteers ahead of the floods.
“We have seen that people used the cash to address immediate needs they have after floods.
“Many households have used part of the cash to build up businesses.
“The solutions we have given to them are not only addressing their immediate needs after the disaster but actually building family income for their future,” he said.

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Nimet Forecasts Three-Day Sunshine, Thunderstorms

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The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted sunshine and thunderstorm from Monday to Wednesday across the country.
NiMet’s weather outlook released yesterday in Abuja, forecasts sunny skies on Monday with a few patches of cloud over the northern cities and prospects of thunderstorms over parts of Taraba later in the day.
According to the forecast, sunny skies with patches of clouds are expected over the North Central region with prospects of morning thunderstorm over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Nasarawa, Kogi and Kwara States.
“Later in the day, isolated thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Kogi and Benue States.
“The southern region is expected to be cloudy with spells of sunshine with prospects of morning thunderstorms over parts of Oyo, Ekiti, Ogun, Ondo and Lagos States.
“ In the afternoon/evening periods, isolated thunderstorms are expected over parts of Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Ekiti, Ogun, Imo, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers, Lagos and Bayelsa States,” it said.
NiMet also anticipated sunny skies on Tuesday with few patches of cloud over the northern states with prospects of isolated thunderstorms envisaged over parts of Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba and Kaduna States during the afternoon and evening hours.
It envisaged the North Central region to be sunny with patches of cloud during the morning hours.
The agency also envisaged isolated thunderstorms over parts of the Federal Capital Territory, Plateau, Nasarawa, Kogi, Benue, Kwara and Niger States, later in the day.
“Cloudy atmosphere with intervals of sunshine is expected over the inland and coastal areas of the South, with chances of morning thunderstorm over parts of Cross River, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States.
“In the afternoon/evening periods, isolated thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Abia, Oyo, Edo, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Rivers and Bayelsa States ,” it said.
It predicted a sunny atmosphere on Wednesday, with patches of cloud over the northern region, during the forecast period.
“Sunny skies with patches of clouds are expected over the North Central region with chances of isolated thunderstorms over parts of Plateau, Kogi, Nasarawa, the Federal Capital Territory and Benue States, during the afternoon/evening periods.
“ Cloudy atmosphere with intervals of sunshine is expected over the inland and coastal areas of the South with prospects of thunderstorms over parts of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia.”
Other states to experience cloudy atmosphere, are “Edo, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Cross River, Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta and Bayelsa States, later in the day.”
NiMet urged the public to take adequate precaution as strong winds might precede rains in areas where thunderstorms were likely to occur.
The agency also urged airline operators to get updated weather reports and forecasts from its office for effective planning in their operations.

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