President Bola Tinubu on Thursday gave all the state governors seven days to provide concrete feedback on their plans to rev up food production in their respective states.

Tinubu gave the directive at the 142nd National Economic Council meeting attended by state governors and some deputies at the State House, Abuja.

He also announced a National Construction and Household Support Programme which will see 100,000 families in each state getting N50,000 grant for three months, N155bn to be disbursed for assorted foods, N540bn for household grants even as 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory will get N10bn allocations each for CNG buses.

The N50,000 planned for 3.7 million families across the 36 states and the FCT, the N10bn allocation each for CNG buses in the 36 states and the FCT, as well as the N155bn spending on assorted foods, are estimated to cost over N1tn.

While emphasising the urgency of boosting food production in the country, the President urged state governors to work together to meet the needs of citizens, stating his willingness to provide the needed support to ensure that Nigerians are relieved of hardship.

“We must deliver on our targets at all levels. Please report back following your consultations and submit it to my office within seven days.

“How much support do you need from me and in what form? I am prepared to provide it. But we must achieve the result.

“There is nothing we are doing that is more important than producing high-quality food for our people to consume, buy, and sell. We create jobs in the production of it. And that is before we generate wealth by exporting the excess. It is not beyond us to achieve this for Nigerians,” he said.

The President’s comments followed multiple economic challenges rocking the country. High inflation driven by the removal of fuel subsidies and exchange rate depreciation reached 27 per cent year-on-year in October 2023.

This price surge, coupled with high food insecurity has exacerbated the cost-of-living crisis, leaving Nigerians struggling to afford necessities.

Despite adopting significant policy reforms like fuel subsidy removal and exchange rate unification, the challenges of poverty, stalled per-capita growth, and a weak business environment persist and are compounded by external pressures such as global food price surges and geopolitical uncertainties.

At Thursday’s NEC meeting, Tinubu announced new plans to boost agricultural productivity, strengthen the economy by creating opportunities in the real sectors of agriculture, manufacturing, and construction, and provide urgent economic relief for Nigerians.

This includes the immediate rollout of the National Construction and Household Support Programme to cover all geo-political zones in the country.

“Under the programme, the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Oyo, Ogun, and Lagos, is prioritised,” according to a statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ajuri Ngelale.

The statement is titled, ‘President Tinubu urges governors to meet target on food security; approves immediate rollout of national construction and household support programme.’

The programme also prioritises other road infrastructure projects, such as the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is underway and the Trans-Saharan Highway, which links Enugu, Abakaliki, Ogoja, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa and Abuja.

Tinubu also approved full counterpart financing for Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway; to traverse Rivers, Abia, Enugu, Benue, Nasarawa, Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe and Borno, as well as for the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway; which will traverse Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Niger, Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano.

Ngelale noted that the programme would especially prioritise the Sokoto-Badagry road project “For its importance as some of the states it will traverse are strategic to the agricultural sustainability of the nation.”

Explaining the rationale for the project, the Presidency said, “Within the Sokoto-Badagry Highway corridor, there are 216 agricultural communities, 58 large and medium dams spread across six states, seven Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones, 156 local government areas, 39 commercial cities and towns, and over 1 million hectares of arable land.”

Other items under the National Construction and Household Support Programme include: “One-off allocation to states and the Federal Capital Territory of N10bn for the procurement of buses and CNG uplift programme.

“Delivery of N50,000 uplift grant each to 100,000 families per state for three months—provision for labour unions and civil society organisations. 

“Deployment of N155bn for the purchase and sale of assorted foodstuff to be distributed across the nation.”

Tinubu is attending the National Economic Council meeting, often chaired by his deputy, Vice President Kashim Shettima, for the first time.

NEC was expected to deliberate on the new minimum wage given the president’s decision to step down the proposal of the National Minimum Wage Committee at Tuesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting to allow for more consultations with necessary stakeholders, including the state governors, all of whom are members of the NEC.

The president had said he would only submit a new national minimum wage to the national assembly for passage into law after such talks.

However, council members who briefed State House correspondents after the meeting were silent on the minimum wage matter.

Announcing the resolutions reached, the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, who joined the governors of Imo, Kano and Kogi to brief correspondents, revealed that the federal government has approved a $1bn agriculture mechanisation programme that will set up 1000 agro-sector service providers across the country with tractors.

He explained, “We’ll have a minimum of 2000 tractors a year for the next five years and all other aggregation of agricultural commodities is going to be utilized at least nothing less than 600,000 youths to man these 1000 service centres.”

Kyari noted that the elaborate plan is an arrangement with John Deere and Tata to provide 2000 tractors before the end of the year. They will be rolled out as soon as is feasible, he said, adding that the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council last Tuesday.

According to Kyari, the Greener Imperative Project, which he said was still in the works, is a €950m project that will soon be unveiled.

Kyari revealed that the FG was anticipating another deal with Belarus Tractors to supply 2000 tractors per year for the next five years, with 9000 implements and spare parts, among others.

The agriculture minister also said Saudi Arabia had expressed interest in providing 200,000 metric tons of red meat every year and 1 million tonnes of soya from Nigeria.

“We have already last week had a meeting with our entrepreneurs and we have come out with a roadmap where we can supply and satisfy that demand.

“We are looking at partnership with foreign governments, not necessarily trying to ask them to come and invest, but asking them what can we produce so that we can sell to you so that we can earn foreign exchange,” he added.

In his remarks, Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State said that the NEC directed the sub-committee on crude oil theft right provide comprehensive recommendations to end the menace during the next meeting.

Uzodinma said that even though the sub-committee was expected to submit its report during Thursday’s meeting, “it was inconclusive.”

Meanwhile, Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State announced the constitution of the board of the Niger Delta Power Holding, which he said had operated for a long time without a supervising board.

He revealed that it is made up of governors of Borno, Katsina, Imo, Ekiti, Kwara, and Akwa Ibom states representing the different geo-political zones.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, spoke of the activation of the Presidential Food Systems coordinating unit chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima

[Punch]

JULIAN Assange, an innocent man walked out of an American-staged court this Monday, June 24, a free man after spending1901 harrowing days in British captivity. He spent those hellish days in the British Belmarsh maximum security prison in a 2×3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day. Not even a dog deserves such inhuman treatment.

The sin of Assange is that he is the Editor-in-Chief of WikiLeaks which exposed the war crimes, especially by the United States, in Iraq; human rights abuses, corruption and serial lies by the powerful. This was before Donald Trump, who told 21 lies for everyday he was American President, made falsehood a state policy.

The dehumanisation of Assange and holding him hostage, negated the fundamental teachings of the West on journalism. One is that facts are sacred. But for them, facts are harmful and should be teleguided by nuclear missiles of lies. Another is that: ‘It is the business of government to keep its secrets secret, and the business of the press to expose those secrets’. But for Western powers like Britain and the US, the public should know only what the government wants it to know. To them, a press that keeps the people informed is an enemy of the state. In fact, as is the case of Assange, a journalist who exposes what government wants covered up is no different from a spy, and should be so treated.

The West used to claim it stood by the truth; didn’t the Holy Scriptures state that: “ Thou shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”? But we now know that as far as the powerful are concerned, ‘Thou shall know the truth, and the truth shall send you to prison.’

A hostage of Western hypocrisy, the attempt to destroy Assange physically and mentally is a testimony to the lies  of Western press freedom, justice and commitment to human rights.

In the gathering of Western cocks led by the United States and Britain, Assange was essentially, a cockroach pleading his innocence. Only a miracle could save him as he had been held hostage by British Prime Ministers David Cameroon, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. Britain acted at the behest of US Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

In their mindless attempts to break Assange, the Western powers violated Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”

They also raped several articles of the Declaration, including the fundamental right to the dignity of human person; freedom of thought, conscience, movement, fair hearing, personal liberty and family life.

Also, Britain, the jailor, violated its own laws, including its Human Rights Act 1998 which guarantees the freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.

Similarly, the US violated the First Amendment of its Constitution which states that: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Although Assange spent five years in British prison, in all, he spent 14 years in that country mostly fighting against extradition to Sweden for what, in my view, were bizarre cases of suspected rape and alleged sexual molestation.

He had visited Sweden in 2010 during which two Swedish women, Ms. Annan Ardin, 31, in whose home he lived, and Miss W, a staff of Wikileaks, discovered he was simultaneously sleeping with them. The latter complained that on an occasion, he had unprotected sex with her and, Miss Ardin recalled that the condom broke while they were having sex. The ladies demanded that Assange took a test for sexually transmitted infections. But he allegedly declined on the basis that he hadn’t the time.

So, on August 20, 2010, the ladies went to the police to compel him. But the police said it could not do so unless there was a criminal aspect. The case was then reported as alleged rape and sexual assault. The latter complaint arose from Miss Ardin also claiming that Assange had one morning, exposed himself to her, and went on to rub his body against her. To Swedish authorities, such an act amounted to Assange having “deliberately molested” her. The complainants agreed they had consensual sex with Assange, but they had not consented to unprotected sex. Assange was interviewed by the police.

Twenty seven days after the complaint and on the legal advice that he was free to travel, he left for London. Same day, he was arrested in his absence. A European Arrest Warrant was issued and extradition proceedings initiated.

However, Assange, who the US was trying to arrest for exposing its classified secrets, said it was “actually an attempt to get me into a jurisdiction which will then make it easier to extradite me to the US.” He asked Sweden for guarantees that he would not be extradited to the US, but the latter declined. So for seven years, he took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

While Britain held Assange, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that Britain and Sweden were holding Assange in arbitrary detention. Sweden, in 2019, dropped the charges against him, but Britain continued holding him until June 24, 2024 when under arrangement with the US, he was granted bail, taken before an American judge and sentenced to time already served in British prison.

The release of Assange and return to his Australian home is a victory for press freedom and fundamental human rights. It shows that no matter how long dark clouds seize the sky, sooner or later, the sun will shine.

In expressing solidarity with him and the millions across the world who campaigned for his release, I specially salute his wife, Stella, a Swedish-Spanish lawyer and human rights defender. Apart from standing firmly by his side, she showed remarkable commitment, taking care of their children, Gabriel and Max, while he was in prison.

The couple had met while he was holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy. So, this will be the first time the family will be meeting from the prying eyes of prison guards.

Assange has been prised out of the hands of the powerful. But the hounds are still out there waiting to snap journalists who dare publish the truth and make governments uncomfortable.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump met for a showdown over policy and their records, but not everything claimed by the candidates onstage was factual.

Inflation rates, border crossings, Jan. 6, abortion, the stock market and the cost to America of the Paris Climate Accord were among the issues the two sparred over that need a closer look.

ABC News’ politics team analyzed their comments to break down fact from fiction.

Did Biden inherit 9% inflation?

TRUMP CLAIM: "He also said he inherited 9% inflation -- no. He inherited almost no inflation, and it stayed ... stayed that way for 14 months, and it blew up under his leadership …"

FACT CHECK: This is mostly true. In January 2021, when Biden was inaugurated, year-over-year inflation was about 1.4%. Under Biden, year-over-year inflation peaked at 9.1 % in June 2022. But it is now down to 3.3 %. Under Trump, inflation rose 7.76 % from January 2017 to January 2021, and year-over-year inflation peaked at 2.9 % in July 2018.

--Zunaira Zaki

TRUMP CLAIM: "We got…a lot of credit for the military, and no wars and so many other things. Everything was rocking good."

FACT CHECK: Needs context. While it's true that Trump did not formally declare war against a foreign power while in the White House, he significantly scaled up military action in Syria and Iraq in the fight against ISIS and also authorized the air strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, putting the country on the brink of a direct conflict with Iran. Pentagon records also show that at least 65 American troops were killed in action during Trump's term.

--Shannon Kingston

Crime and the Border

TRUMP CLAIM: "We have a border that's the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, considered the most dangerous place anywhere in the world, and he opened it up, and these killers are coming into our country, and they are raping and killing women."

FACT-CHECK: False. The reality is that no evidence points to a significant surge in crime caused by recent arrivals. The former president's claims ignore the fact that, overall, crime is down across the country. According to the latest FBI statistics released quarterly, violent crimes were down 6% in quarter 4 of 2023 (through Dec 2023) compared to the same time frame in 2022. There was a 13% decline in murders and a 4% drop in property crimes across the country. That declining trend followed unprecedented spikes in 2019 and 2020, Trump's last two years in office.

--Armando Tonatiuh Torres-García

Hunter Biden's laptop

TRUMP CLAIM: "It's the same thing -- 51 intelligence agents said that the laptop was Russian disinformation. It wasn't that -- it came from his son, Hunter. It wasn't Russia."

FACT CHECK: True, but needs unpacking At the final presidential debate of the 2020 cycle, Joe Biden suggested the contents of his son's laptop's hard drive -- which by then had been dubbed the "laptop from hell" in the New York Post and other conservative outlets -- were "garbage" and a "Russian plant."

Biden's claim that the laptop hard drive was a "Russian plant" was an apparent reference to a letter signed by 51 retired intelligence officials who wrote that the timing of its emergence "has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."

Several of those signees have since said that Biden mischaracterized the language in their letter.

Furthermore, earlier this month, prosecutors at Hunter Biden's criminal trial in Delaware introduced the laptop into evidence and, in one of the more theatrical moments of the trial, showed jurors the physical MacBook Pro 13 that Hunter Biden purportedly abandoned at a Wilmington computer repair shop in April 2019.

"Ultimately, in examining that laptop, were investigators able to confirm that it was Hunter Biden's laptop?" prosecutor Derek Hines asked an FBI agent who testified as an expert witness in Hunter Biden's recent gun case.

"Yes," the FBI agent said.

--Lucien Bruggeman

TRUMP'S CLAIM: "The problem they have is they are radical because they will take the life of a child in the eighth month, the ninth month and even after birth."

FACT CHECK: This is not true. Abortions that occur later in pregnancy are around 1% of abortions, according to KFF. Democrats do not call for abortions late into pregnancies, and infanticide is illegal in the U.S. Democrats often respond that abortions that do happen in the third trimester are the result of tragic circumstances in a pregnancy.

--Cheyenne Haslett

Who had a better stock market?

TRUMP CLAIM: "[Biden] created mandates. That was a disaster for our country but other than that we had, we had given back a country where the stock market actually was higher than pre-COVID, and nobody thought that was even possible.

FACT CHECK: Unclear. The Dow hit 30,000 for the first time on November 24, 2020. But that was after the last presidential election, so it's hard to say whether it was because of Trump's presidency or because of Biden's win.

--Zunaira Zaki

Are more terrorists now crossing the border into America?

TRUMP CLAIM: "We have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now."

FACT CHECK: Largely exaggerated. Trump appears to be referring to the increasing number of migrants on the federal terror "watchlist" who are encountered at the border. The number of people encountered by border authorities on the watchlist jumped from three in Trump's last full year to nearly 100 in the first full fiscal year under Biden. However, the Terrorist Screening Dataset, maintained by the FBI, includes names of people who have suspected ties to individuals who may be affiliated with a foreign terror organization. It is not a comprehensive list of actual terrorists.

--Quinn Owen

Paris Climate Accord

TRUMP CLAIM: "The Paris Accord was going to cost us a trillion dollars and China nothing and Russia nothing, and India nothing. It was a rip-off of the United States, and I ended it because I didn't want to waste that money because they treated us horribly."

FACT CHECK: Not entirely true. Biden rejoined the Paris Climate Accord on his first day in office, according to a State Department memo. One-hundred and ninety-six countries signed on to the Paris Accord, agreeing to work together to limit the impacts of climate change and global warming. As part of that, the more developed, wealthier nations committed to contributing $100 billion to support developing countries more vulnerable to climate change's impacts.

Biden pledged to work with Congress to authorize $11 billion to contribute to the Paris Agreement's $100 billion in funds to support developing countries who need help adapting to climate change's impacts. As of 2023, the U.S. was on track to meet that goal with $9.5 billion committed to financing global climate initiatives, according to the State Department.

--Stephanie Ebbs

National Guardsmen on Jan. 6

TRUMP CLAIM: "I offered her [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi] 10,000 soldiers who are National Guard. And she turned them down, and the mayor of - in writing, by the way, the mayor, in writing, turned it down. The mayor of D.C. They turned it down. I offered 10,000 because I could see I had virtually nothing to do. They asked me to go make a speech."

FACT-CHECK: False. The final report by the bipartisan Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol determined there was "no evidence" to support the claim that Trump gave an order "to have 10,000 troops ready for January 6th."

The report quoted President Trump's Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, who directly refuted this claim under oath, saying, "There was no direct order from the President" to put 10,000 troops to be on the ready for January 6th.

Instead, the report noted that when Trump referenced that number of troops, it was not to protect the Capitol but that he had "floated the idea of having 10,000 National Guardsmen deployed to protect him and his supporters from any supposed threats by left-wing counter-protesters."

--Luis Martinez

Iran, Israel, and Oct. 7

TRUMP CLAIM: "He [Putin] never would have invaded Ukraine, never, just like Israel would have never been invaded in a million years by Hamas. You know why? Because Iran was broke with me. I wouldn't let anybody do business with them. They ran out of money. They were broke. They had no money for Hamas. They had no money for anything, no money for terror. That's why you had no terror at all during my administration.”

FACT CHECK: Not true. Iran has been Hamas' principal backer for decades, including through the Trump presidency. Although Trump did withdraw from an Obama-era nuclear deal and levy sanctions against Tehran that dealt a sharp blow to its economy, records retrieved from inside Gaza by the Israeli Defense Forces and verified by independent news outlets indicate Iran still funneled tens of millions of dollars to Hamas during his administration. Two of Trump's top advisers for Middle Eastern affairs also claimed that Iran was supplying Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups with $100 million each year in an op-ed published in 2019.--Shannon Kingston

Trump's Manhattan hush-money case

TRUMP CLAIM: "That was a case that was started, and … they moved a high-ranking official, a DOJ, into the Manhattan DA's office to start that case. … [Biden] basically went after his political opponent because he thought it was going to damage me."

FACT CHECK: There are a few things to unpack here – but there is no evidence to support either statement.

First, there is no evidence that Joe Biden, as president of the United States, directed or choreographed a state prosecution -- which was brought by the Manhattan District Attorney, Alvin Bragg. Biden has no authority to do so, and there is no evidence to support Trump's assertion.

Second, with regard to the "high-ranking" DOJ official who Trump claims was moved into the District Attorney's office to "start the case," Trump appears to be referring to Matthew Colangelo, who left the Justice Department in December of 2022, years after the investigation began. There is no evidence that Biden or the Justice Department coordinated Colangelo's move. The case was brought by Bragg, an elected Democrat in New York.

Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers.

--Lucien Bruggeman

Were tax cuts under Trump the largest in history?

TRUMP CLAIM: "I gave you the largest tax cut in history. I also gave you the largest regulation cut in history, that's why we had all the jobs."

FACT-CHECK: False. According to Erica York at the Tax Foundation, the Trump-era tax cut (TCJA) was a large tax cut but not the largest in history. If you look at percent of revenue as share of GDP in the first two years, several tax cuts going back to 1940 were larger. The most recent that was larger was the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.Separately, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the tax cuts under President Ronald Reagan were the largest tax cuts in recent history as a percent of GDP.

At the time the law went into effect, the Tax Foundation estimated that it would boost long-term employment by more than 300,000 jobs. But Moody’s Chief Economist Mark Zandi says, "the tax cuts did support job growth, but at the cost of adding approximately $2 trillion to the nation’s debt." He added, “The regulatory changes had no measurable impact on job growth.”

--Zunaira Zaki

[abcNews]

America got its first look at President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup in a closely divided election in a contest between two of the most unpopular presidents in history.

Topics covered in the roughly 90-minute debate hit on all the main issues for most voters: the economy, immigration, the future of American democracy and several other issues like an increase in drug overdoses and the cost of childcare. It was also deeply personal for both men, who frequently attacked each other’s character and competency to be president.

Voters won't get another chance to see them together again until September when the next debate is scheduled.

Highlights from the first debate:

TRUMP AND BIDEN SPAR OVER HANDLING OF ECONOMY

The state of the economy and inflation are the leading issue for most voters preparing to cast a ballot in November and is often the biggest factor for independents to decide who to vote for.

Both men painted a vastly different picture of each other’s stewardship of the economy, with Biden saying he inherited an economy “on its back” and accusing Trump of rewarding the wealthy with his signature tax cuts. Trump charged Biden with causing inflation that at one point reached 9% before cooling off considerably over the last year and said he had oversaw the creation of the “greatest economy in the world.”

“We had the greatest economy in the history of our country. And we have never done so well. Every everybody was amazed by it. Other countries were copying us,” Trump said. “The only jobs he created are for illegal immigrants and bounceback jobs that bounced back from the COVID. He has not done a good job. He's done a poor job and inflation is killing our country. It is absolutely killing us.”

That was a vastly different interpretation than the one Biden gave, which was that he led America back from an economy left in shambles due to Trump’s mismanagement of the pandemic.

“We had an economy that was in freefall — the pandemic was so badly handled. Many people were dying. All he said was ‘it's not that serious, just inject a little bleach into your arm, you’ll be alright,” Biden said. “The economy collapsed, there were no jobs. Unemployment rate rose to 15%. It was terrible, and so what we had to do was try to put things back together again.”

President Joe Biden, right, and Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stand during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

IMMIGRATION AND THE SOUTHERN BORDER

Trump focused on Biden’s handling of immigration and the southern border throughout the debate, pivoting from questions about many different unrelated issues to the perceived failings of the Biden administration at the U.S.-Mexico border. He also tried to tie illegal border crossings to crime, a line of attack that he and other Republicans frequently make to argue against Biden’s immigration policies.

“He decided to open up our border, open up our country to people that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists,” Trump said without offering evidence.

Biden appeared to become frustrated with Trump’s frequent pivots and misleading statements about immigration, calling him a liar and blaming him for tanking a bipartisan Senate deal meant to address some of the issues at the border.

“Everything he says is a lie. Every single one,” Biden said.

ADDRESSING AGE CONCERNS

The 81-year-old Biden and 78-year-old Trump were both asked by moderators what they would say to voters who are concerned about their advanced age and ability to lead the country heading into November. Whoever wins the election will set the mark for the oldest president in American history.

Age is of particular concern for Biden’s campaign, as voters have regularly told pollsters they have concerns about his ability to lead the country through another four years. Trump has had his own troubles mixing up names and meandering during speeches but does not face the same skepticism from the public.

Biden deflected the question, referencing that he was one of the youngest people to be elected to the Senate before pivoting to talking about his achievements during his first term in office. Trump noted that he had passed a cognitive test and challenged Biden to take one.

The conversation then devolved into a debate over who is the better golfer and discussing their physical attributes.

Biden’s campaign had sought to put some of those concerns to rest with a strong debate performance with several months to go before Election Day, but Biden’s performance has done the opposite for even some of his strongest supporters.

This combination of photos shows Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, left, and President Joe Biden during a presidential debate hosted by CNN, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

BIDEN TARGETS TRUMP’S PERSONAL, LEGAL TROUBLES

Biden was sharply critical of Trump at numerous points throughout the debate, listing off his legal troubles and describing what he sees as flaws in his character that make him unfit to be the next president.

"How many billions of dollars do you owe on civil penalties for for molesting a woman in public, for doing a whole range of things — of having sex with a porn star on the night, while your wife is pregnant — What are you talking about?" he said after noting that Trump is now a convicted felon.

Trump baselessly accused Biden of being a criminal and also claimed the president is ordering the several prosecutions of him because he is a political opponent. Trump has frequently leaned on claims of a “weaponized” justice system being targeted against him for Biden’s benefit since making history as the first former president to be indicted on criminal charges.

“You have the morals of an alley cat,” Biden said.

“I didn’t have sex with a porn star,” Trump responded.

BIDEN GIVES UNEVEN PERFORMANCE

While the age concerns were directly addressed by the moderators, it was also being closely watched by millions of Americans who are hesitant to support Biden over the issue. His voice was scratchy during the debate and there were several moments where he appeared to lose his train of thought or struggle to clearly lay out a case on several of the issues.

He particularly struggled in the beginning of the debate when arguing about the economy and inflation with Trump.

Biden drifted from an answer on tax policy to health policy, at one point using the word “COVID,” and then saying, “excuse me, with, dealing with,” before trailing off again.

“Look, we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said while giving an answer on tax and health policies.

“That’s right, he did beat Medicaid, he beat it to death. And he’s destroying Medicare," Trump said.

Trump has frequently played up attacks on Biden’s mental fitness and age and continued to do so on stage.

[kfoxtv]

President Bola Tinubu has approved the National Construction and Household Support Programme during the National Economic Council meeting on Thursday in Abuja.

According to a statement issued by the presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, the programme is aimed at boosting agricultural productivity, strengthening the economy, and providing immediate economic relief for Nigerian households.

Ngelale added that the programme, which was supported by the NEC, includes financial allocations and infrastructure projects across all geo-political zones in the country.

He added that a key component of the programme is the approval of the N50,000 uplift grant to be distributed to 100,000 families per state for three months.

Ngelale revealed that another N155 billion was earmarked for the purchase and distribution of assorted foodstuff across the nation to address concerns about food security and affordability.

He disclosed that the programme will also cater to infrastructure projects, including the Sokoto-Badagry Highway, which will traverse seven states and is considered key for agricultural sustainability. He added  that the states along this axis form the food belt of the nation.

Other infrastructure initiatives include the ongoing Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Trans-Saharan Highway. Tinubu also approved full counterpart financing for the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri Railway and the Ibadan-Abuja segment of the Lagos-Kano Standard-Gauge Railway.

In addition to the projects, Ngelale said the NEC approved the allocation of N10 billion to each state and the Federal Capital Territory for the procurement of buses and implementation of the Compressed natural gas uplift programme.

According to the presidential spokesman, provisions were also made for labour unions and civil society organizations.

During the NEC meeting, Tinubu urged state governors to collaborate in meeting the needs of citizens and boosting food production in the country.

He said, “Our states must work together to deliver on the critical reforms required of us to meet the needs of our people. Time is humanity’s most precious asset. You can never have enough of it. It is getting late.

“We are ready and able to support you in the form of the mechanization of your agricultural processes and the provision of high-quality seedlings.

“We are prepared to provide solar-powered irrigation facilities to support our farmers across seasons, but we must now produce. We must produce the food our people eat, and it will require coordination and intentionality between members of the National Economic Council (NEC).

[Vanguard]

It took the conviction of Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, for me to conclude that the most significant thing that would happen to the United States of America is for Donald Trump to return to the White House.

When Hunter Biden was found guilty of lying about drug use while buying a gun, his father issued a statement saying he was disappointed at the outcome of the trial but that he still had confidence in the jury system. What kind of nonsense statement is that?

When Trump was found guilty of falsifying business records, he did what every sensible and responsible man would do. He attacked the prosecutors, judge, jury, and the city where the trial took place. He said if he had the power, he would have moved the trial to a city where he could get a fair trial and not New York City littered with sinners, Trump haters, and socialists.

I am already preparing for Trump’s second coming.

I have checked how many people a train from Chicago to Los Angeles can transport in one trip. It turns out that it will take 1000 people at once. I checked the Boston to Los Angeles route, too. I’m figuring out how long it will take Donald Trump to deport 14 million illegal immigrants in America back to Latin America.

Because I am compassionate, I thought about collateral damages. I calculated how many people real Americans would harass, attack, and kill in the process.

I used the figures of how many people died during the partition of India in 1947. I know it won’t be anything like that. But I didn’t want to use a conservative estimate on possible deaths and displacements. In India, over one million people died, and 10 – 20 million people were displaced.

Even though I do not expect a number like that, I am sure the United States can live with casualties of that magnitude. After all, during the US Civil War, over 620,000 died out of a population of about 32 million. With a population of 333 million today, the US can afford to lose 6 million people, which is today’s equivalent of the Civil War casualty. We can have another 30 million displaced without any problem.

The most important thing is that the collateral damages would be worth it. I saw empty houses that would open up in Boston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and other cities all over America. Home prices will drop, and our fellow MAGA, who now works at Wal-Mart, will have houses to buy. There would be ten million job openings. Companies will offer a minimum wage of $50 an hour to toilet cleaners, and school teachers will make six figures in Alabama.

For those worried about where replacement workers will come from, with abortion banned across America, saving 626,000 babies each year, real blue-blood American children would be born all over the country. I see the end of people from despicable countries coming to America to give birth so that their children would become US citizens.

For those nincompoops who still oppose the return of Donald Trump, let me remind you of one divine part that you have not considered.

Like Jesus Christ, Donald Trump left his father’s paradise in New York, where he shepherded his father’s business to greatness to come down to our level and serve us mere humans. You know how Jesus fed 5000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish; in 1975, Trump’s father gave him a loan of $60.7 million (about $600 million in today’s dollars). He turned that meager amount into the billions of dollars we now see at Trump universities, airlines, vodka, steaks, magazines, casinos, resorts, and hotels from New York to New Jersey, Florida, Scotland, and Moscow.

Like Jesus, Trump decided to put his life on the line to defeat the deep state and all its tributaries, including the original military-industrial complex, the woke gang, and the sneaky BLM. America must not miss this opportunity to reconcile with their founding fathers and the original saliva of their mouths, the living text of their constitution, and the patented pleasant smell of their farts.

As one of those wretched of this earth poisoning the blue blood of America, I have looked at this matter of Donald J. Trump critically. From all that I learned from the shithole country where I was born, I can say without any equivocation that Donald Trump is the man that America needs at this time.

Please don’t come for my head yet. I will explain in a moment.

You see, some people live in America, but they do not see America. They can correctly spell America but not see the letter k in it. The so-called decline of America has been nothing but the inability of its citizens to embrace the true American essence, which Trump epitomizes.

American essence is not just a perpetual performance of an experiment on the sustainability of the “government of the people for the people and by the people.” It is, more importantly, a constant renewal of the bold and brave DNA that inspired the founders of the United States to cross seven seas and seven rivers to arrive at God’s own country built on the shining mountain.

Who else embodies this divine invocation other than Donald Trump? Who else exhumes that childlike naivety that drives great explorers of yore? Who else spews the bombastic confidence of the dragon slayers who chart new paths along dreaded frontiers full of vicious natives? Who else massages his own ego in the worship of a thirsty Id? How else do you make a great leader? Where else in Western civilization can you find a leader willing to turn some of his people into expendable for the good of all?

To renew the American hope, you need to enslave some Americans to do the kind of work that enslaved Africans did for 400 years. There is just no other way. Don’t listen to what liberals and socialists say.

Our forefathers were right. When it is time for a dog to die, placing heaps of feces on its path will not stop it from proceeding at maximum speed to where a car will knock it down.

I am ready to welcome Donald J. Trump back to the White House on January 20, 2025. I will be a CNN analyst that day, helping Americans understand what Trump’s 2nd term in office will look like. I will tell them the kind of things liberals and socialists told Germans in the 1930s. These were things Germans did not listen to and later regretted.

After several false starts, America is finally getting it right. Things that killed other great empires before America are not finally going to kill her. Thanks to Trump. Only Trump is going to stop what was written from being fulfilled.

Please correct me if I am right.

Ogoo Okonkwo teaches Post-Colonial African History, Afrodiasporan Literature, and African Folktales at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He is also the host of the Dr. Damages Show. His books include “This American Life Sef” and “Children of a Retired God,” among others. His upcoming book is called “Why I’m Disappointed in Jesus.”

Only politicians and their supporters numbed by greed and insensitivity to human suffering, and (there are many in Africa), did not anticipate the “Youth Revolt” of 25 June 2024 in Kenya.

But this appears to be the beginning of a renewed “people power” revolution against bad governance, even though the death of more than 20 Kenyans was avoidable and unnecessary before President William Ruto could withdraw his government’s anti-people Finance Bill 2024 after the June 25 mayhem.

He was probably riding on the crest of 15 minutes of fame from his recent well-choreographed validation-seeking photo-opportunity visits to Washington DC and Asia.

The controversial bill was passed by 195 out of 304 members of Parliament and was then waiting for a presidential accent. But Kenyans, especially the youths said they have had enough.

Widespread protests were unleashed on the country under the slogans #RejectFinanceBill2024 and “Seven Days of Rage.”

A week earlier, the government in a typically condescending official response, had announced the scrapping of some of the many tax increases under the bill. A proposed 16% value-added tax on bread and taxes on motor vehicles, vegetable oil and mobile money transfers, were among the taxes axed, but angry Kenyans were unimpressed.

When demonstrators poured on the streets, the government responded by deploying military personnel to reinforce the overwhelmed police force.

In scenes reminiscent of the 6 January 2021 invasion of the American Congress by defeated President Donald Trump’s supporters, aggrieved Kenyans on Tuesday 25 June, marched on their country’s Parliament in Nairobi and set part of the building alight.

The ceremonial mace of the parliament was stolen, while the Nairobi City Hall, the Office of the Governor of Nairobi, was also set on fire.

Kenya was in a forced shut-down, but despite disruptions to the Internet, the protesters still mobilised in their thousands against the Ruto government bill.

Some of the protesters hurled stones at security forces, who responded by firing tear-gas and live bullets resulting in the deaths and dozens of the wounded. Former American President Barak Obama’s half-sister Auma Obama was among those tear-gassed.

Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga urged the government to “immediately stop the violence its agencies are meting out on citizens.”

President Ruto’s former boss-turned-political opponent, ex-President Uhuru Kenyatta, has also called for restraint.

The Embassies and High Commissions of Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States in Kenay, said in a joint statement that they “are especially shocked by the scenes witnessed outside the Kenyan Parliament.”

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres, through his spokesman Stephane Dujarric called on the police and security forces to “exercise restraint.”. At the same time, the African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat appealed to “national stakeholders to engage in constructive dialogue to address the contentious issues that led to the protests in the supreme interest of Kenya.”

Incidentally, there has been no report of any official reactions by regional organisations -Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), and the East African Community (EAC) to the Kenyan crisis.

In his initial response t, President Ruto said the security of families and property was his utmost priority. He said events marked a “critical turning point” in how the government responded, “to grave threats to our national security.”

According to him, Kenya was “infiltrated and hijacked by a group of organised criminals.”

“Today’s attack on Kenya’s constitutional order has resulted in the loss of lives… destruction of property and desecration of institutions and emblems of our sovereignty,” he said, adding that the government has mobilised all resources at the nation’s disposal to ensure that a situation of this nature will not recur again, at whatever cost.”

However, after reality dawned on the embattled President Ruto, he announced the withdrawal of the controversial Finance Bill 2024.

Like in many developing countries including in Africa, the Ruto government’s miscalculation is in trying to please external partners at the expense of their country and the well-being of their people.

But beyond greed, selfishness, incompetence, lack of vision and lust for political power, or a combination of these vices, is there any reason African leaders would be adamant in sheepishly following externally driven economic policies destined to failure?

Despite the well-documented and evidenced experiences that prescriptions by the two Bretton Woods Institutions - the World Bank and the IMF - have hardly lifted any countries from poverty, why are African leaders such as President Ruto, who should know better still falling victims?

More than half a century ago, Walter Rodney in his 1972 book "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa," argued that “centuries of slavery, exploitation and imperialism by Europeans led to the poor state of African political and economic development.”

He said the “colonial and imperial powers did not merely enrich their empires but reversed economic and social development in Africa.”

Rodney, therefore, concluded that a combination of power politics and economic exploitation of Africa by Europeans was responsible for the situation in the late 20th century, (and by extension today.)

If that was not enough, William Easterly, a former Economist with the World Bank in The White Man’s Burden: Why the West’s Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good" 2001 documented the pitfalls of international Development, foreign aid, and Western intervention, including by the World Bank and the IMF.

The findings build upon themes and topics, which the author explored in another 2001 book - "The Elusive Quest for Growth."

And what about the “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, a semi-autobiographical book by American economist and essayist John Perkins, first published in 2004 or the 1998 warning by Robert J. Barro a professor of economics at Harvard University and a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution?

Citing IMF’s interventions in Brazil, Mexico, Russia and the role of the United States, 98_1207_imf_bw.pdf (harvard.edu), Professor Barro in an Op-Ed entitled  The IMF Doesn’t Put Out Fires, It Starts Them, posits that “With help from the U.S., the fund encourages bad economic policy by rewarding failure with showers of money.”

He concluded: “Countries such as Brazil and Russia, would have had the appropriate incentives to implement good policies. instead of knowing that the IMF or the U.S. would respond to bad policies with showers of money.”

The tragedy of Africa is that it ignores/neglects or kills its heroes but goes to bed with any foreign.

When the World Bank and the IMF hoisted the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) on hapless so-called developing and least developed nations - many of which are in Africa – Nigeria’s late Professor Adebayo Adedeji and fellow pan-Africanist thinkers developed the African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Programme (AAF-SAP, 1989) followed by the African Charter for Popular Participation (ACPP, 1990), as legendary blueprints for the continent's home-grown development and governance paradigms.

Mentioned in a 2006 publication as one of the world's 50 influential thinkers on development, Adedeji after setting up the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) advanced his integration campaign to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Addis Ababa where he served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary for 16 years (1975-91).

His dynamism under the UNECA platform also resulted in the creation of two more Regional Economic Communities (RECs) - the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) in 1981 and 1983, respectively. He will also be remembered for his other ground-breaking initiatives, such as the Lagos Plan of Action (1980), and the Final Act of Lagos (1980).

These timeless economic documents are as relevant today as they were decades ago. Why are African leaders groping in darkness, and hiding their Biblical lamps under the bushel?

Ejime is an Author, Global Affairs Analyst, and Consultant on Peace & Security and Governance Communications

This week has been particularly raw in Africa. The continent continues to face severe economic challenges, spending more on debt servicing than on health and education. But nothing evoked more emotions than the horror of policemen shooting at rioters on the streets of Nairobi as they protested against what they considered a most draconian fiscal legislation in the country. Over two dozen Kenyans were killed after the protesters entered parliament, smashing windows and doors and setting part of the buildings on fire. They have been protesting against a piece of legislation known as the Finance Bill 2024, recently passed by parliament and set to be signed into law by President William Ruto. The enactment essentially imposed higher taxes on practically every item in the country, from bread to tire to TV to motor cars. In Kenya, a finance bill is usually presented to parliament before the beginning of the financial year that runs from July to June, detailing government’s fiscal agenda. For the 2024/2025 bill, the government planned to raise $2.7 billion in additional taxes to reduce budget deficit and state borrowing.

But Kenyans would have none of it. Protests erupted nationwide culminating in Tuesday’s total shutdown which quickly turned violent as police fired rubber bullets and live rounds. Initially, the government responded tepidly by scrapping the 16% VAT on bread along with taxes on motor vehicles, vegetable oil and mobile money transfers, but when it became apparent that the violence would not abate, President Ruto addressed the nation Tuesday night, describing the riots as threats to ‘’national security’’. He said the rioters were criminals and vowed a massive crack down. ‘’It is not in order to, or even conceivable, that criminals pretending to be peaceful protesters can reign terror against people, their elected representatives and institutions established under our constitution, and expect to go scot-free’’, the president said. But early the following day, President Ruto, made a sudden climb down. Surrounded by the same lawmakers who passed the bill, he announced that he would no longer sign it and that legislation would be withdrawn. He promised to consult with a cross section of Kenyans on the way forward. By end of the week, Kenyans were getting set to go on a one-million-person march to continue the protests, not only against the bill, but also against endemic corruption in government. At dawn Friday, policemen and soldiers had taken over the streets, firing tear gas at the people who were now shouting ‘’Ruto must go’’. There were stalemates and tension in the country. This is a recipe for disaster. Most violent revolutions in history were instigated by hunger.

Like most of the continent, Kenya is gripped by severe debt burden. Yet it is the continent’s fastest-growing economy. Its domestic and foreign debts stand at a staggering $80 billion, about 75% of GDP, according to a recent UN report. Kenya faces a spectre of a default, and it in a desperate bid to avoid this that the government proposed those draconian tax hikes. As I watched the rioters on TV, I recalled the SAP riots of 1989; the series of June 12 riots in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and the 2020 anti-police brutality riots in Nigeria. My mind also went to our own dire situations in Nigeria. Every year, Nigeria spends all of its revenues in servicing a total public debt of N121.67 debt (over $800 billion at today’s exchange rate); and this is the reason the country borrows to run the government, pay salaries and fund social services. In addition, rising inflation and unbearable cost of living crisis have rendered ordinary people poorer by over 35%. Food, medicines and basic necessities have become unaffordable to majority of the citizens, rendering a lot of our people hungry while children are facing severe malnutrition, especially in the northern region. We are sitting on a keg of gun poweder!

What irks Nigerians more is that in spite of the untold hardship and sufferings in the land, the political class continues to live in utmost lavishness and ostentations. The federal government had last year spent billions to purchase vehicles for the president and his wife; and renovate the vice president and the president’s official residences in Lagos and Abuja. Currently, there are plans to buy a brand-new plane for the president. Meantime, presidential travels, usually made up of bloated delegations, continue to sap the treasury of scarce of foreign exchange, while corruption goes on unabated within the bureaucracy. In the state capitals, the governors are living in unbelievable opulence at the expense of the public. The insensitivity of these people are simply jarring.

 Nigerians are keenly watching as Kenya boils. Public anger is rising in Africa’s most populous nation, but so far, it is not boiling over. Over Christmas, the federal government and states like Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Rivers and Lagos as well as companies like Dangote Industries Limited spent billions to buy and distribute food items to citizens. ‘’Through our massive food distribution programme across the nation, I was able to appreciate the scale of hunger and poverty in the country’’, said Anthony Chiejina, DIL’s chief branding & communications officer to this writer recently. But for how long will these palliatives assuage the simmering furore across the land? As boxing legend, Mike Tyson, put it, ‘’everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face’’.

A new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed that Nigeria and some other developing countries lack digital infrastructure for the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. 

This is despite the fact that Nigeria recently unveiled its AI strategy and also launched its first Multilingual Large Language Model (LLM) in April.  

IMF disclosed this in its new ‘AI Preparedness Index’ where it tracks 174 economies based on their digital infrastructure, human capital, labour policies, innovation, integration, and regulation. According to the report, most developing economies are lagging in the area of digital infrastructure for AI and are the least prepared for the technology. 

The interactive map for the Index shows that most African countries, except Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, have little preparedness and are marked yellow, while the countries with substantial preparedness are marked in blue.  

Global inequality 

While noting that wealthier economies tend to be better equipped for AI adoption than low-income countries, the IMF said AI may further worsen the inequality that already exists in the world.  

“Under most scenarios, AI will likely worsen overall inequality, a troubling trend that policymakers can work to prevent. To this end, the dashboard is a response to significant interest from our stakeholders in accessing the index.  

“It is a resource for policymakers, researchers, and the public to better assess the AI preparedness and, importantly, to identify the actions and design the policies needed to help ensure that the rapid gains of AI can benefit all,” the IMF said in the report. 

Highlighting the benefits of AI for economies, the IMF said AI could complement worker skills, enhance productivity and expand opportunities.  

“In advanced economies, for example, some 30% of jobs could benefit from AI integration. Workers who can harness the technology may see pay gains or greater productivity—while those who can’t, may fall behind. 

“Younger workers may find it easier to exploit opportunities, while older workers could struggle to adapt,” it added.  

Policy directions 

To be better prepared for AI, the IMF said the policy priority for emerging markets and developing economies should be to lay a strong foundation by investing in digital infrastructure and digital training for workers. 

It added that policymakers in advanced economies should expand social safety nets, invest in training workers, and prioritize AI innovation and integration.  

According to the IMF, countries globally would need to coordinate with one another to strengthen regulation to protect people from potential risks and abuses and build trust in AI.   

What you should know 

As part of its AI preparation initiatives, the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, recently organized a 4-day co-creation with over 120 ArtificiaI Intelligence experts. 

The workshop culminated in the country’s National AI Strategy. At the end of the workshop, the Communications Minister, Dr. Bosun Tijani, announced the launch of Nigeria’s first Multilingual Large Language Model (LLM). 

According to him, the AI tool was launched through a partnership between a Nigerian AI company, Awarritech, a global tech company, DataDotOrg, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the National Centre for AI and Robotics (NCAIR).   

[Nairametrics]