Tag: conference

UN Postpones Anti-Torture Conference In Cairo After Criticism

 

The United Nations has postponed a conference against torture due to be held in Cairo after fierce criticism of Egypt’s rights record, a UN spokesman said Tuesday.

The two-day event on “Defining and Criminalising Torture in Legislation in the Arab Region” was set to open in the Egyptian capital on September 4, in collaboration with the country’s National Council for Human Rights.

Local and international rights groups slammed the decision to hold the event in Cairo, citing alleged torture by Egypt’s security forces.

“We have decided to postpone the conference and reopen the process of consultation with all relevant actors… before making a final decision on when and where to hold the conference,” said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Colville said the decision followed “growing unease in some parts of the NGO community with the choice of location, and we understand and are sensitive to this.”

On Monday, EuroMed Rights said it declined an invitation to attend the conference citing “deep reservations about the decision to hold this conference in Egypt, a country where torture is systematically practised by the security forces.”

Egyptian authorities have repeatedly denied torture allegations in prisons and detention facilities.

Egypt has waged a severe crackdown on dissidents since the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, following mass protests against his rule.

Rights groups regularly accuse Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who took power after leading Morsi’s ouster, of human rights violations and repression.

AFP

Trump May Skip Davos Conference Over US Govt Shutdown

 

President Donald Trump said Thursday he will skip the annual international conference at Davos, Switzerland if a government shutdown caused by the row over his demand for a US-Mexico wall isn’t resolved.

Trump is planning to attend the Davos meeting in just under two weeks, but said “if the shutdown continues, I won’t go.”

Swaths of the US government have already been without funding for three weeks while Trump rows with opposition Democrats over his demand for them to authorize construction of hundreds of miles of wall along the Mexican border.

AFP

COAS 2018 Annual Conference Holds In Borno

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) 2018 annual conference was held on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The conference began after President Muhammadu Buhari declared it open on Wednesday.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Optimising Efficiency for the Efficiency of the Army in Nigeria’s Democracy’, the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Burati, reiterated the commitment of the nation’s troops in addressing the security challenges in the north-east.

See photos below:

Buhari Arrives In Borno For COAS Conference

Courtesy: @BuhariCentre

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived at Maiduguri, the Borno State capital for the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) conference, which begins today.

The President during his visit is expected to meet the troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole at the theatre command fighting insurgency in the north-east region to boost their morale.

The planned visit by the Commander-in-Chief comes about two weeks after the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram splinter group, killed dozens of soldiers in Metele, a remote village near the border with the Niger Republic.

READ ALSO: Buhari Meets With Service Chiefs In Abuja

Boko Haram Reportedly Kills Army Commander, Several Soldiers In Three Days

The conference which was earlier scheduled to hold in Benin City the Edo State capital was shifted to Borno purportedly over the Metele massacre

He has held two different meetings with intelligence service chiefs at the Villa twice this week following the recent security situation in the country.

President Buhari Attends Conference Of African Parliamentary Union

President Buhari Attends Conference Of African Parliamentary Union
President Muhammadu Buhari attends the 41st Conference of African Parliamentary Union (APU) in Abuja on November 8, 2018.

 

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday attended the 41st Conference of African Parliamentary Union (APU) in Abuja.

He also declared open the conference at the Secretariat of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in the nation’s capital.

In his address, the President praised the theme of the conference and challenged the parliamentarians to come up with workable solutions that would address terrorism, banditry and other organised crimes.

 

On the Girl Child education which formed part of the theme of the conference, he described education as a human right and social obligation.

President Buhari then charged the conference to take a closer look at the issue and come with recommendations.

The conference was also attended by the APU President and Nigeria’s Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, as well as the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of APU and Speaker of Guinea Bissau National Assembly, Cassama Cipriano, among others.

 

PHOTOS: Buhari Launches 2017 All Judges Conference

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday declared open, 2017 All Judges Conference in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

The event was attended by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, as well as serving and retired judges across the country.

See photos below:

NBA Conference Addresses Corruption, Economic Diversification

NBAThe Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has come together in an event for legal practitioners to discuss key issues, ranging from corruption to economic diversification and developing the Niger Delta.

The lawyers’ 56th event which was held in Port Harcourt Rivers State, brought together over 5,000 legal practitioners in Nigeria under the auspices of their umbrella union.

The on-going annual conference has now entered the second day and is perhaps the largest and most important gathering of lawyers in Nigeria.

With the focus on democracy and economic development, this year’s edition is meant to produce a blueprint for national development and the optimism shared by the host Governor.

Many of the attending lawyers said the conference could not have come at a better time than this, when the nation’s democracy has been tested by many contradictory court rulings.

 

 

Demand For OPEC Crude To Rise Substantially In 2016 – Kachikwu

petrolNigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and President of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Conference, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, says the demand for OPEC crude is expected to rise by 1.2 million barrels per day.

He said the rise would shore up demand to an average 30.8 million barrels per day for the year 2016 leading to a more balanced market.

Dr. Kachikwu, who is also head of Nigeria’s delegation to the 168th Ordinary OPEC Meeting, made this assertion while addressing the OPEC Ministers Conference in Austria, Vienna.

Enhancing Market Stability

He noted that a balanced and stable market would be of crucial importance in the years ahead to ensure continued investment in the industry, as it gears up to meet the world’s burgeoning energy needs.

The OPEC Conference President stated that the conference was centered on enhancing market stability, which would benefit all stakeholders and contribute to global economic growth.

He stressed that this could be achieved only through the concerted effort of all stakeholders.

“Dialogue and collaboration with consumers, non-OPEC producers, oil companies and investors are essential in reaching our common goal of a more orderly oil market. In 2015, we have seen positive examples between OPEC and Non-OPEC countries and the Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable held in Qatar in November. OPEC has also held bilateral dialogues with Russia and China this year, and later this month the OPEC-India Energy Dialogue would have its first meeting,” Dr. Kachikwu stated.

The President of OPEC Conference informed the gathering that world oil demand in 2015 grew by 1.5 million barrels per day, up from 1 million barrels per day in 2014.

“Next year, we foresee growth of 1.3 million barrels per day to average 94.1 million barrels per day, with most of this growth coming from non-OECD countries,” he noted.

According to him, as far as supply is concerned, non-OPEC countries would continue to see significant reduced production growth as compared to past years. In fact, in 2016, we anticipate a contraction in non-OPEC oil supply.

He said the downward trend stems mainly from the impact of investment cutbacks and the drop in US tight oil output, which has been declining since May 2015. He added that this is clearly illustrated by the drop in the number of newly drilled wells and the reduction by half of active drilling wells.

Dr. Kachikwu maintained that OPEC remained committed to doing its part in protecting the environment and supporting sustainable development.

OPEC and its member countries are taking part in the climate change negotiations in Paris with the goal of full, effective and sustained implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Dr Kachikwu stressed

The President of OPEC Conference also welcomed the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, His Excellency Sudirman Said, who is represented his country to reactivate its OPEC membership after a seven-year suspension.

PDP Confident Of Victory In March 28 Polls

PDPThe leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it is optimistic that the party would emerge victorious in Saturday’s presidential elections.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Olisa Metuh, told a news conference in Abuja that the PDP has mobilized enough grassroots support to guarantee the party’s victory at the weekend.

In what appeared to be a renewed optimism ahead of the Saturday polls, the National Publicity Secretary of the ruling PDP, Olisah Metuh told journalists that his party would win the polls.

Mr Metuh based his convictions on the support and feedback he says the party has received from supporters during their campaigns.

While responding to questions from journalists on the party’s stand on whether voters should wait to defend their votes after voting, the PDP Spokesman said that supporters of the party should abide by the electoral provisions.

Meanwhile, at a separate news conference, Spokesman for the party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, expressed concern over an alleged compromise in the security features of the card reader device to be used for the elections.

Although the optimism for victory was the same with Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, as he was also confident that the President would be reelected at the polls, he warned that the alleged compromise in the card readers could affect the elections if not addressed.

28 political parties are expected to participate in the general elections that will commence on Saturday March 28 with the Presidential, House of Representatives and the Senate.