A Federal High Court in Abuja has reinstated Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

The court ruled that the Labour Party’s 2024 national convention, held in Nnewi where Abure was re-elected, was conducted in accordance with Nigerian laws.

This decision was announced on Tuesday in a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh.

Justice Emeka Nwite, who delivered the judgement, directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially recognize the Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party and accord it all necessary privileges.

Previously, INEC had refused to recognize Abure’s leadership, claiming that his re-election at the March 2024 convention violated both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.

Osun State is set to coordinate the food sufficiency program titled Food System Transformation Pathways in the South West.

According to a statement signed by the Osun
Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi on Tuesday, the Federal Government (FG) has appointed the state as the coordinating point for the implementation of the program.

Alimi further explained that the initiative is targeted at boosting nutritious and sufficient food production across Nigeria.

“The Food System Transformation Pathways was initiated by the United Nations (UN) to facilitate well-functioning food systems that will provide higher incomes for small holder farmers and small/medium scale food enterprises, empower women, increase youth employment and increase the amount of money circulating in the economy,” he said.

“The goals of the Food System Transformation Pathways by 2030 include reducing poverty, reducing unemployment, especially among youths, reducing hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition.

“The other goals are reducing food imports and promote sustainable food trade, increasing women’s empowerment in agriculture index score and increasing environmental performance index score.”

In the letter addressed to Governor Ademola Adeleke and copied his counterparts in Oyo and Ekiti States, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said the implementation for the Food System Transformation Pathways in Oyo and Ekiti will be coordinated from Osun state.

Bagudu noted that the decision is in line with the effort of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration step towards achieving nutritious and food security as well as meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) objectives in Nigeria.

“Your Excellency may wish to be informed that the coordination of the three states in the South West Zone is part of efforts to complement the steps towards achieving nutritious and food security as well as SDGs in Nigeria,” he said.

“This is also part of the steps being taken to deepen the achievements of Nigeria as presented at the Stock Taking Moment (STM) in Rome that was led by Vice President Kashim Shettima from 24-26 July, 2023,” the letter conveying the appointment of Osun State read in part.

“The coordination arrangement is to consolidate on the agreed recommendations at the retreat of the State Commissioners of Economic Planning, Agriculture and Health held in Abuja from March 7 to 8, 2024 that reiterated the need for a quarterly review of the implementation on geopolitical zonal basis.

“The Honourable Commissioners for Economic Planning, Agriculture and Health in all the 36 States plus the FCT will therefore be expected to work together for effective delivery of the implementation strategy and multisectoral plan of action for food and nutrition.”

French authorities have ordered Omar bin Laden, a son of slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, to leave the country over posts on social media, France’s interior minister announced on Tuesday.

Born in Saudi Arabia, where he spent his early years, Omar bin Laden, 43, has also lived in Sudan and Afghanistan. He left his father at the age of 19 and eventually settled in Normandy in northern France in 2016, taking up painting.

France’s new interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, said on X (former Twitter) that Omar bin Laden had lived in the department of Orne in Normandy as a spouse of a British national.

The minister said that the jihadist’s son “posted comments on his social networks in 2023 that advocated terrorism.”

“As a result, the prefect of Orne issued an order to leave French territory,” Retailleau said.

“The courts have confirmed the legality of this decision taken in the interests of national security,” he added.

The interior minister also said he had signed off on a ban preventing Omar bin Laden “to return to France for any reason whatsoever.”

He did not provide further details and it was not clear if Omar bin Laden had already left France.

Omar bin Laden’s marriage to British woman Jane Felix-Browne, a grandmother who had been divorced five times previously and over two decades his senior, had caused considerable media interest when it was confirmed in 2007.

After marriage she took on the Muslim name of Zaina Mohammed. Omar bin Laden sought to live in the UK, but his bid was rejected by the British authorities.

Osama bin Laden, himself the son of a hugely wealthy Saudi construction magnate, is believed to have had some two dozen children.

US special forces killed the Al-Qaeda founder in Pakistan in 2011.

Retailleau has vowed to bring “order” on immigration and crime, insisting that “the rule of law is neither intangible nor sacred.”

His appointment as France’s top cop is emblematic of the rightward shift of the government under new Prime Minister Michel Barnier following this summer’s legislative elections that resulted in a hung parliament.

Kenya’s parliament was set to vote on Tuesday on impeaching Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in a political drama that has exposed a rift in the governing party.

Lawmakers have accused the 59-year-old deputy to President William Ruto of corruption, undermining the government and practising ethnically divisive politics, among a host of other charges.

At a press conference on Monday, Gachagua denied the accusations as “outrageous” and “sheer propaganda”, saying it was a scheme to hound him out of office.

Gachagua is a businessman from Kenya’s biggest tribe, the Kikuyu. He weathered previous corruption scandals to become deputy leader as Ruto’s running mate in a closely fought election in August 2022.

But in recent weeks, he has complained of being sidelined by his boss and been accused of supporting youth-led anti-government protests that broke out in June.

Political tensions have been running high since the sometimes deadly demonstrations erupted over unpopular tax hikes, exposing divisions between Gachagua and Ruto — with the deputy leader admitting the motion cannot proceed without Ruto’s approval.

Several MPs allied with Gachagua were summoned by police last month, accused of funding the protests.

No formal charges have been lodged by prosecutors and no judicial inquiry has been opened against Gachagua.

But lawmakers have listed 11 grounds for impeachment, including accusations that he amassed assets worth 5.2 billion shillings ($40 million) since the last election, despite an annual salary of just $93,000.

Among the listed assets was Kenya’s renowned Treetops Hotel, where Britain’s then-Princess Elizabeth was staying when she became queen.

Gachagua says his wealth has come entirely through legitimate business deals and an inheritance from his late brother.

He has warned his removal would stir discontent among his supporters, and insisted on the eve of the vote he would not resign.

“I will fight to the end,” he said.

– ‘Lacks political patience’ –

Kenyan lawmakers initiated the impeachment process on October 1, with 291 members of parliament backing the motion, well beyond the 117 minimum required.

Gachagua will take to the floor of parliament to defend himself from 5:00 pm (1400 GMT), before the motion’s sponsor — an MP from the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition — is allowed a 30-minute rebuttal.

A long evening is expected, with lawmakers due to vote only after further debate in the lower house.

Two-thirds, or 233 MPs, must back the motion for it to pass. If passed, the motion will then move to the upper house, the Senate.

And if impeached, Gachagua would become the first deputy president to be removed in this way since the possibility was introduced in Kenya’s revised 2010 constitution.

Dismas Mokua, a Nairobi-based political risk analyst, told AFP that Gachagua had assumed he would co-lead with Ruto.

“He lacked the strategic political patience needed for the role, succumbing to the same fate as other deputies or vice presidents who sought quick, ‘instant coffee’ solutions,” he said.

While his potential impeachment was unlikely to cause organic protests, Mokua warned that “the probability of orchestrated unrest is very high”.

Nigeria is currently at a digital war following the exposure of abortion-related content in a Junior Secondary School (JSS3) science textbook, which has caused intense debate over the country’s educational system, moral values, and how financial hardship is influencing reproductive decisions.

The controversy started with a viral post on X (formerly Twitter) after user Alex Onyia shared excerpts from the Classic Basic Science and Technology for Junior Secondary School Three textbook.

The material in question explains the procedures and reasons for abortion and shows a detailed explanation of surgical abortion methods, including Dilation and Curettage (D&C) and Dilation and Evacuation (D&E), which immediately went viral.

Page 135 of the book partly reads, “There are two types of surgical abortion. Dilation and curettage (D & C): The cervix is dilated (opened and expanded) and a special instrument is used to scrape or scoop some linings and other materials in the uterus. D&C, also called vacuum aspiration, is used when the pregnancy is under 15 weeks.

“Dilation Evacuation (D & E): This involves dilating the cervix and using narrow forceps to evacuate the embryo that has formed bones. It is more difficult and requires more techniques than a simple D & C. It is used for 15-24 weeks old pregnancy.”

In his post, Onyia, however, accused the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) of exposing children to inappropriate and harmful content.

“This book is teaching JSS3 students in Nigerian schools how to do abortion with clear images. Parents, wake up and save your children. NERDC approved this!” he wrote. “Corruption is not just about stealing money, it destroys our coming generation!”

The post has now quickly gathered a nationwide debate, with netizens flooding social media platforms with opinions, both in support and opposition to the textbook content.

For some, the inclusion of such detailed abortion procedures in a textbook for teenagers was a shocking violation of moral and cultural values.

Critics like @Danosquare decried what they called the infiltration of Western ideologies into Nigeria’s education system.”This is real evil, many people in Nigeria are actually ignorant of these wickedness from the West. If you talk, they’ll tag it CONSPIRACY THEORIES. Thank you Alex for raising this alarm.”

Mary Ekemezie, tweeting under the handle @MaryEkemezie, expressed her concern that parents were not paying close enough attention to the content being taught to their children.

Ekemezie described the situation as “one of the fall out of copying blindly from the West and depending on donor funding, and staffing the NERDC and the Nigerian Education with men and women who cannot see how bad books and corrupt content destroy the heritage of our nation.”

She added that she cannot help but weep, stating that “while parents are laser-focused on food the real tragedy will be losing your child to abortion and your sons being sterile because they choose vasectomy, before they even understood what that really meant. Wake up, before it is too late.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the argument, some individuals defended the educational approach taken by the textbook.

Twitter users like @asquarebubble argued that teaching about abortion in a structured, academic environment does not encourage students to perform abortions but instead educates them about real-world issues they may encounter.

The user tweeted, “The illegality of illicit abortion doesn’t mean it can’t be taught in schools. Students aren’t being shown how to do it or participate in it, but learning the concept.It’s like lessons on sex, drug abuse, or crime—you don’t want them learning it outside a structured environment.”

While @LightskinMania views the situation as “the particular form of idiocy on the internet that infuriates me the most. Peddling rubbish narratives that affect human lives greatly because of a science textbook. The scale of anti-intellectualism in this country is probably why we’re not making it.”

The textbook, published by Thursmay Publishers and authored by M. Abdussalam, F.A Ibekwe, D.E Akintelure, and B.B Akintelure, is widely used in Nigerian schools and bears the approval stamp of the NERDC.

NERDC, among others, is responsible for overseeing the development and approval of educational materials, ensuring they align with national standards.

While some critics who side with Onyia call for a thorough review of the educational materials currently in use, with the argument that some content may be out of touch with Nigerian values and realities, others, like @Nwaulari, say, “Whoever is in charge of NERDC should be sacked immediately.”

Others even stated that the Nigerian education curriculum is borrowed; @Sir_Kings08 added “Our curriculum and everything is borrowed, so our school texts will naturally negate or contradict our values and heritage. Proprietors pride in adding “American”, “British” or “Canadian” to names of schs. Plus, a little bribe and no one has to waste time proofreading textbooks.”

Nigeria’s Criminal Code And Penal Code

Among other nations, like the United States, Nigeria has a strict legal framework around abortion. Abortion laws in Nigeria are highly restrictive, differing slightly between the northern and southern parts of the country.

The Penal Code, which mostly applies to northern states, allows abortion only to save the life of the mother and carries severe penalties for anyone found guilty of performing or procuring an illegal abortion. The maximum penalty for causing a miscarriage is 14 years in prison, while performing an abortion without the woman’s consent can result in life imprisonment.

In Section 232 of the Penal Code reads, “Whoever voluntarily causes a woman with child to miscarry shall, if such miscarriage be not caused in good faith for the purpose of saving the life of the woman, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years or with fine or with both.”

Section 235 says, “Whoever before the birth of any child does any act with the intention of thereby preventing that child from being born alive or causing it to die after its birth and does by such act prevent that child from being born alive or causes it to die after its birth, shall, if such act be not caused in good faith for the purpose of saving the life of the mother, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to fourteen years or with fine or with both.”

Section 236 also stated, “Whoever does any act in such circumstances that, if he thereby caused death he would be guilty of culpable homicide, and does by such act cause the death of a quick unborn child, shall be punished with imprisonment for life or for a less term and shall also be liable to fine.”

Meanwhile, in other Nigerian states, governed by the Criminal Code, similar penalties apply. A person attempting to procure a miscarriage could face up to 14 years in prison, and any woman attempting to abort her own pregnancy can face up to seven years. Supplying drugs or instruments for an illegal abortion is also punishable by up to three years in prison.

Despite these harsh legal penalties, unsafe abortions remain a serious issue in Nigeria, largely due to limited access to legal abortion services and inadequate family planning resources.

According to a study by Boniface A. Oye-Adeniran and co., as many as 53 million pregnancies are estimated to be terminated by induced abortion each year worldwide, while in Nigeria an estimated 610,000 abortions are performed annually.

While the National Library of Medicine, in a study conducted in 80% of politicians and policy-makers interviewed admitted that unsafe abortion is a major cause of maternal mortality but only 20% favoured the amendment of the existing law.

The intersection of abortion education and Nigeria’s economic crisis has intensified public discourse, with some arguing that the government’s inability to alleviate poverty is forcing people to consider desperate measures, including unsafe abortions.

Nigeria for years has been dealing with rising inflation, which has severely impacted living conditions and family planning decisions. In August 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the national average cost of a healthy diet had surged to N1,255 per adult per day, with Lagos, Ogun, and Rivers States recording the highest costs. Inflation reached 32.15% in August 2024, and food inflation spiked to 37.52%.

These economic difficulties have led some Nigerians to reassess their family planning choices, and abortion, though largely illegal, has become part of the conversation.

A Lagos resident, simply identified as Morenike, stated that she hardly sees on the street of Lagos now that the current financial hardship is influencing reproductive decisions.

“With the current high cost of living, people can barely afford to feed themselves, let alone bring a child into the world,” Morenike said. “I hardly see pregnant women on the streets these days; it’s so rare. The economic strain is just too much.”

Meanwhile, another Eko resident, identified as Itunu, stated that abortion is not hygienic and could create a mass practice that will not only shorten the lives of ignorant young ladies but will only increase the moral standard between the youths.

Itunu shared, “On abortion, I won’t support its encouragement; there are other ways to prevent having unwanted babies, such as family planning for those who are married, and abstinence which should be encouraged even more.

“Abortion is not hygienic and could create a mass practice which will not only shorten the lives of ignorant young ladies but will only increase the moral standard between the youths.”

As of the time of filing this report, neither the NERDC nor the Ministry of Education had responded to the situation.

Petroleum marketers have revealed plans to meet with the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday, October 9, 2024, to address concerns over the pricing and availability of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly referred to as petrol.

The President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) made this known in an interview with pressmen on Monday.

Though he did not provide specific details, he confirmed the meeting would focus on petrol pump prices and supply issues affecting oil marketers.

“I have a meeting with the DSS on Wednesday regarding petrol prices and ensuring availability for our members,” he said.

When asked for further details, the IPMAN president stated that more information would be available after the meeting.

This meeting comes as Nigerians are currently paying between N950 and N1,200 or more for petrol across the country.

In related news, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) recently ended its role as the sole off-taker of products from Dangote Refinery.

This followed the commencement of petrol distribution by Dangote Refinery in September, coinciding with an increase in petrol pump prices by NNPCL.