These are the arguments that delayed PIA for over 20 years.
These are the same arguments that delayed subsidy removal for over 20 years.
Same arguments that delayed the passage of the electricity act.
These arguments against state police are as valid to the extent of our bias.
No bill is perfect. No bill answers all the questions or takes care of all the problems.
A bill must at the very least show progress and for me that is the only thing that matters.
Subsidy Removal, you are against it.
Students Loan, you attack it.
Coastal Road, you talk down on it.
Tax Reform, you say it’s anti-poor.
Local Government autonomy, you say it’s a scam.
State Police, you still don’t support it.
What exactly do you want?
IRANIAN PRESIDENT: “If we did not have our defensive missiles, Israel and America would have plowed through Iran the way Gaza was plowed through, showing no mercy to the old or the young. They speak of human rights. It is a great lie.”
It’s a hard truth to hear, but it’s true.
There is no developed country in the world that defines its policies or progress by the realities of the common man or regular guy. Economies are not built on the realities of the common man.
Go and look at history.
- Hyperaccelerated development of Dubai
- The pragmatic exchange in Singapore
- The industrial and Neo Liberal era in US
- The post WWII era in Japan
- Park Chung Hee era in South Korea
- The Stanilist Era in USSR
- The industrial revolution era in Britian
- Post WWII West Germany
- Post-WWII France and the ENA technocrats.
There is always a disconnect or a lag period. If Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum had formulated his 1970s policies based on the immediate, everyday needs of a common Dubai fisherman or pearl diver, the city would likely still be a minor, localized fishing village.
There is always the conflict between immediate survival and long-term vision. The local fishermen in Dubai were asking for cheaper fuel, better fish markets, and local housing around the fish industries.
Instead of investing oil revenues directly into keeping traditional fishermen comfortable, he took massive financial gambles borrowing heavily to build infrastructure before the wealth even arrived.
Should we ignore the plight of the common man? No. We have to continue to build systems around them. The common man in Britain wasn't comfortable when the London underground tube was built.
As Asiwaju said, the hallmark of a good leader is the ability to make critical decisions when necessary.
"The hardest decision we had to make in completing this report was.. not to name the Palestinian children, whose deaths, injuries & suffering we describe.. we didn't name them because we feared the consequences for their families"
He means Israel would go after them too.
Israeli authorities and security forces deliberately targeted Palestinian children, resulting in genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza, and war crimes in the occupied West Bank, an independent UN inquiry said https://t.co/61poVhRzmR
The Independent Int'l Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory presents new report to the UN Human Rights Council.
"The evidence shows that Palestinian children have been deliberately targeted & killed by the Israeli security forces."
https://t.co/vMARqOLxpC
This report is haunting even for someone who has documented the most horrific aspects of this genocide - which too many world leaders pretend not to see.
I commend the Commission of Inquiry for its effort to bring about accountability and make the truth accessible.
I have been reading the new UN report about how Israel has been targeting children in Gaza. There are no words to describe how awful it is. Here are some of the worst examples:
1) Hind Rajab and family, Tel al-Hawa, Gaza City, 29 Jan 2024. Named. A family of seven plus two paramedics killed. Hind Rajab, 5 to 6, stayed on the phone with rescuers for hours, trapped in a car among her dead relatives. Her cousin Layan Hamadeh, 15, was killed mid-call. The rescue ambulance, dispatched with COGAT clearance, was shelled.
2) The 15-year-old with the white flag, Khan Younis, 24 Jan 2024. Anonymous. Shot in the foot during an ordered evacuation while holding a white cloth, then shot twice more in the back and neck as he tried to rise. His 20-year-old brother killed running to him; their mother shot signaling for an ambulance. Assessed as DAN .338 sniper fire from about 200m.
3) The 10-day-old baby, Nuseirat camp, 12 Apr 2024. Anonymous. Shot in the head by a quadcopter-mounted rifle while being breastfed inside a tent. Survived with brain damage and seizures.
4) The 14-year-old killed with fragmenting pellets, Aug 2024. Anonymous. Cube-shaped pellets that fragmented internally like cluster munitions, destroying multiple organs. The report flags the munition itself as a possible war crime.
5) Jadallah "Jad" Jadallah, Al-Far'a camp, Tubas, 16 Nov 2025. Named. Jadallah Jihad Jouma Jadallah, 14, shot at close range and left bleeding for roughly 45 minutes while about 14 soldiers stood around him. One kicked his cap back when he threw it for attention, one filmed him, one placed a stone beside him to stage a stone-throwing pretext. Soldiers fired at his approaching mother and blocked two ambulances. Body withheld.
6) Layla al-Khatib, Muthallath al-Shuhada, 25 Jan 2025. Named. Layla (Laila) Muhammad Ayman al-Khatib, 2, shot in the back of the head during dinner at home, four bullets fired through the living room window. Youngest West Bank child killed in the reporting period. B'Tselem found the only man in the building was her grandfather, contradicting the "wanted terrorist" claim.
7) Saddam Rajab, Tulkarem, shot 28 Jan 2025, died 7 Feb 2025. Named. Saddam (Sadam) Rajab, 10, shot during an incursion. A soldier told the father, "I am the one who shot your son. God willing, he will die." Medical care obstructed; the boy died of his wounds days later.
8) Walid Ahmad, Megiddo Prison, died 22 Mar 2025. Named. Walid Khalid Abdullah Ahmad, 17, from Silwad. Healthy at arrest in Sept 2024; dead six months later of starvation, muscle wasting, untreated colitis and scabies. First Palestinian minor to die in Israeli custody since Oct 2023. Family learned of his death from a news article; body withheld.
9) The Sde Teiman 15-year-old, detention. Anonymous. Held among 70 adults, shackled until his hands bled, dogs released on prone detainees; described as "the worst days of my life." A separate 15-year-old reported being electrocuted via a needle in his shoulder over 54 days.
10) The four newborns at Al-Nasr Pediatric Hospital, Nov 2023. Anonymous. Found decomposing, still attached to defunct life-support machines, after staff were forced to evacuate without being able to move them. Independently verified by the Commission, Washington Post, and CNN.
11) Newborn hypothermia deaths, Dec 2024 to Feb 2025. Anonymous. At least 15 newborns, including a one-day-old girl, died of cold linked to lack of shelter, fuel, and incubators. UNICEF called the deaths preventable.
12) Sexual violence in detention. Anonymous. Forced public stripping and filming of boys during mass arrests; two cousins aged 7 and 13 stripped at gunpoint in Jenin; new reports of boys raped in custody, one on multiple occasions.
The Commission documents at least 20,179 Palestinian children killed and 44,143 wounded in two years, 30 percent of all the dead in Gaza, alongside 213 more killed in the West Bank. Thirteen times the Commission asked Israel to respond, and thirteen times it heard nothing back. Israel doesn't care enough to even respond. It kills children as a matter of policy.
"I WILL set you up." 🤪🫵
Lionel Messi has created more chances than any other player in the World Cup since Opta records began in 1966 (76)
The full top 5:
🇦🇷 76 - Lionel Messi
🇦🇷 71 - Diego Maradona
🇩🇪 62 - Wolfgang Overath
🇩🇪 54 - Lothar Matthaus
🇫🇷 51 - Alain Giresse
Another day, another Messi record.
#FIFAWorldCup
In 1993, this photo of Belgian soldiers roasting a Somali boy alive went viral.
The soldiers were in Mogadishu as part of a 5,000-strong UN-led "peacekeeping" mission codenamed Operation Restore Hope in Somalia.
The image shocked the world.
What happened in November 1997, was even more shocking — A Belgian court acquitted the two soldiers.
NDLEA UNCOVERS ANOTHER INDUSTRIAL-SCALE CLANDESTINE METH LABORATORY IN OYO FOREST
…Arrests Mexican, 4 others; recovers multi-billion-naira worth of illicit substances
….We’ll find you in the cities, track you into the forests, and dismantle your infrastructure of death, Marwa warns drug cartels
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have struck yet another decisive blow against transnational drug syndicates following the discovery and dismantling of a fortified, industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operated by a Nigerian-Mexican cartel deep within the forest of Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, Oyo State.
The breakthrough comes barely four weeks after the Agency dismantled a similar massive meth laboratory in a forest in Ijebu East, Ogun State, signaling a desperate attempt by drug barons to turn the Southwest axis into a synthetic drug manufacturing hub.
Speaking on the development at the NDLEA Headquarters in Abuja, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Agency, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) who was represented by the Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi at a press briefing on Wednesday 24th June 2026, commended the gallantry, dedication, and clinical professionalism of the officers involved in the operation.
According to him, “On Wednesday, 17th June 2026, tactical operatives of the NDLEA stormed a highly fortified, industrial-scale clandestine methamphetamine laboratory operating deep within the forest of Tapa Village, Ibarapa North Local Government Area, Oyo State.
“This was not a rudimentary setup; it was a sophisticated, highly organized transnational syndicate. During the raid, our operatives successfully arrested five key members of the cartel on-site. They include a 56-year-old Mexican Methamphetamine expert, Jose Villa Ochoa, brought in specifically to provide the technical expertise for large-scale synthesis and four Nigerian collaborators providing logistical support, cover, and local operations. They are: Maxwell Uche Nevoh, 30; Olatunji Yusuf, 37; Bankole Akeem Owolabi, 45; and Ganiu Monsiu, 43.
“The arrest of a foreign cartel specialist on Nigerian soil underscores the transnational nature of this threat, but more importantly, it underscores our Agency's world-class intelligence capability to track, intercept, and neutralize them. Following the successful raid, a specialized team from our Directorate of Forensic and Chemical Monitoring moved in on June 18th, 2026, to conduct a rigorous forensic examination of the facility. What they uncovered is a massive, factory-level production line of poison.
“The laboratory was fully stocked with a frightening array of precursor chemicals, industrial catalysts, and heavy-duty processing equipment. Chemicals and Materials recovered include: Phenyl-2-propanone (P2P), which is the the main, highly controlled precursor required for methamphetamine synthesis; 1800-litre drums containing Phenylacetic acid (the primary precursor used to synthesize P2P); Two 180L drums containing a staggering 300 litres of whitish crystalline substance; Four 180L drums containing dark liquid undergoing synthesis.
“Others include: 101 bags (25kg each) of Caustic Soda; 17 containers (25L each) of Sulphuric Acid; 19.5 containers (25kg each) of Tartaric Acid; 5 containers of Reniso Ultracool 68 (three 50L and two 25L capacity; 25 bottles (500ml each) of 80% Thioglycolic Acid; 2 containers (25L each) of Ethyl Phenylacetate, and 25 cartons of aluminum foil.
“The Industrial Processing Equipment discovered at the site include: One (1) Reactor Pot, which is the heart of the chemical synthesis; Two (2) mounted distillation units and three (3) fabricated mixers and condensers; as well as Two (2) vegetable dehydrator machines used for the rapid drying of the crystals.
This is not a normal statement from a normal cabinet member of a major nation.
This statement from Israeli National Security Minister Ben-Gvir is the statement of a war criminal.
The racist, extremist Israeli government does not deserve one nickel of U.S. support.
All the records broken by Lionel Messi today:
Most FIFA World Cup finals goals by a football (soccer) player - 18
Most FIFA World Cup matches played in by an individual - 28
Most matches won by a player at the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 18
Most minutes played in the football (soccer) FIFA World Cup - 2,489
We are witnessing history.
SAHEL INSURGENCY ESCALATES: 265 🇳🇪 NIGERIEN SECURITY PERSONNEL KILLED IN MULTIPLE ATTACKS BY TERRORISTS
At least 265 members of 🇳🇪 Niger’s Defence and Security Forces (FDS), including senior officers, have reportedly been killed in a series of coordinated attacks across the country between June 17 and June 19, marking one of the deadliest periods for the Nigerien military in recent years.
According to security source ZagaZola Makama, the deadliest attack occurred in Inates, where fighters linked to the Islamic State in the Sahel allegedly overran a military position, killing 101 soldiers. The sources disclosed that 52 of the victims have been buried in the Tillabéri Region, while 49 personnel initially declared missing are now presumed dead. An additional 20 soldiers were reportedly taken captive during the assault.
The attacks formed part of a broader wave of violence targeting military installations and security positions across Niger. In Banibangou, security sources reported that 107 soldiers were killed in another major attack. In the capital, Niamey, 24 security personnel reportedly lost their lives in a separate incident.
Further north, an attack on a military position in Madama reportedly claimed the lives of 33 security personnel, adding to the mounting casualty figures.
The cumulative death toll from the four attacks stands at 265 security personnel, highlighting the growing security challenges facing Niger and the wider Sahel region, where extremist groups affiliated with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda continue to expand their operations despite ongoing counterterrorism campaigns.
The attacks underscore the deteriorating security environment in Niger, which has experienced a sustained increase in insurgent violence targeting both military personnel and civilians in recent years.
As of the time of filing this report, Nigerien authorities had not issued an official statement confirming the casualty figures reported by security sources.
The latest attacks are likely to intensify concerns over regional security and the capacity of Sahelian states to contain increasingly sophisticated and coordinated insurgent operations.