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Worldnews

UK Threatens Further Action Against Israel If Gaza Ceasefire Proposal Fails

Top British diplomat David Lammy says the US-backed aid distribution mechanism in Gaza is ‘not doing a good job’. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has decried the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying that the United Kingdom could take further action against Israel if a ceasefire deal to end the war in the Palestinian territory does not materialise. Speaking to the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Lammy also criticised the new aid distribution mechanism in Gaza via a group backed by the United States and Israel, dubbed the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). “We’ve been very clear that we don’t support the aid foundation that has been set up,” Lammy said. “We it’s not doing a good job. Too many people are close to starvation. Too many people have lost their lives. We have led globally on our condemnation the system that has been set up.” Hundreds of Palestinians have been gunned down by Israeli fire while seeking GHF assistance over the past weeks. Asked by a legislator whether the British government will take measures against Israel if the “intolerable” situation in Gaza continues, Lammy said: “Yes, we will.” Last month, the UK joined Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway in sanctioning Israeli government ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank. Weeks earlier, the UK had also suspended talks for a free trade agreement with Israel over the blockade on Gaza, which has sparked a starvation crisis in the territory. And last year, London halted some arms exports to Israel. While welcoming the moves, some Palestinian rights supporters have criticised them as symbolic and failing to impose serious consequences on Israel for its apparent abuses of international humanitarian law. On Tuesday, Lammy condemned settler violence and the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying that they are “flouting international law”. Pressed on whether the UK’s pressure on Israel has led the Israeli government to alter its behaviour, Lammy acknowledged that the change is “not sufficient”. Still, he defended London’s record, including recent moves against Israel and support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). “I am very, very comfortable that you would be hard pressed to find another G7 partner or another ally across Europe that’s doing more than this government has done,” he said. Ultimately, Lammy played down the UK’s sway in the Middle East, saying that it is “but one actor”. The UK is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. It is also a major trade partner of Israel. And according to numerous media reports, the British Royal Air Force has conducted hundreds of surveillance flights over Gaza to help locate Israeli captives in the territory. The UK has also cracked down on Palestinian rights activists at home, recently banning the advocacy group Palestine Action and arresting dozens of its supporters. The Labour government in the UK has not recognised Palestine as a state – a move that several European countries have made over the past year. Lammy said London wants its recognition of Palestine to be part of a concrete push towards the two-state solution, not just a symbolic gesture. He added that the UK wants to recognise Palestine at a moment that helps shift “the dial against expansion, against violence, against the horrors that we’re seeing in Gaza, and towards the just cause that is the desire for Palestinian statehood”. But Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Emily Thornberry warned Lammy that with settlement expansion and annexation threats, if the UK continues to delay the decision to recognise Palestine, “there won’t be anything left to recognise”. “We should recognise a Palestinian state and then work towards ensuring that one happens practically,” Thornberry said. “But if we continue to hold back, it’ll slide through our fingers.” Follow Al Jazeera English:...

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News_Naija

Amazing Truths About Strong Marriages

It was an interactive moment among a friend, her mother, and me. While my friend was expressing her grievances against her husband, she lost her temper. But what fascinated me was how her mother calmed her down. The woman simply asked her, “Have you ever heard me speak to your father in this manner?” The daughter shook her head slightly and replied, “No.” Then the mother asked again, “Where did you learn this from?” Those questions seemed to do something to her mind because, when she began to speak again, she was calm. That same day, I learned it was her parents’ 40th wedding anniversary. I had barely finished saying “Wow” about such a long marriage when the woman dropped some bombshells about it. One of the things she told us was an incident that happened during her third pregnancy; she had six children for her husband, by the way. According to her, she was wearing a boubou one day when her husband looked at her from head to toe and said, “You look like a mad woman.” Then came another incident that took place on the day they went to shop for baby items. Instead of telling her that he didn’t have enough money to buy all they needed for the baby, he abandoned her at the market and disappeared. She’s a woman who embraced God early in life, and one of the things she tried to initiate early in her marriage was the practice of praying with her husband. She told us that when she brought it up, the husband said, “I am not interested in praying with you.” The woman told us so much that, by the time she finished talking, I told myself that marriage is one thing no sane person should either boast about or mock another person with. Marriage is a load that is not light on anyone carrying it, but how people cope with it depends on how they choose to carry theirs. It’s amazing that the marriages one thought were beds of roses are often the ones that harboured very hurtful scenarios. It’s just that someone made the decision to truly forgive. There’s a man whose relationship with his daughters I greatly admired. These ladies sponsor their parents’ annual vacation, and while abroad, their parents move from one daughter’s house to another until their stay is over. I was shocked to hear that the same man often abandoned his wife and their newborn baby at the hospital each time she gave birth, and only when the baby was a girl. I also heard how he conspired with his kinsmen to marry a younger woman who would bear him sons. Eventually, he settled for having an affair with a young lady, who also had a daughter for him, making him a father of five girls! My friend’s mother also told us another story that should serve as a lesson to couples. According to her, her friend didn’t know that the husband she lived in the same house with had died until several hours later, when the people he had an appointment with stopped by to find out why he wasn’t answering their calls. It turned out that both husband and wife were not on speaking terms. During their silent feud, her husband was sleeping in a bedroom upstairs, while she occupied the one downstairs. They kept out of each other’s way, which is why she didn’t know he had been dead for hours, probably since the night before. If couples learned to communicate a grievance as soon as it happens, there would be fewer accumulated resentments or urges to let bad feelings linger. Couples should never leave the house without speaking to each other. What if it’s the last time you’ll speak to or see your spouse alive? ‘ Life is full of uncertainties, and we just have to choose to shed our pride in order to embrace peace of mind every time. If you can’t hug or kiss your spouse when leaving the house, at least tell them, “Have a blessed day.” One of the reasons to forgive your spouse more is that the moment the reality becomes that they are no longer alive, whatever they have done to you immediately becomes insignificant. You may even start blaming yourself for getting angry with them. So, why not start letting go more and more now? One day will definitely become the last day for each of us, and it helps to stop living in denial of this reality about life.

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News_Naija

Tomato Scarcity: Tuta Absoluta Is Not Our Problem

Tomato is one of Nigeria’s most important short-duration crops. A highly versatile and economically valuable vegetable, it contributes to food security and the survival of the country’s agricultural economy. On the home front, it is a staple ingredient in every kitchen, which comes in different forms and packages – fresh, dried, pasted, natural or synthetic. Indeed, tomato’s indispensability has made it central to the nation’s food inflationary trend. When tomatoes are scarce, the cost of feeding goes up automatically. This was the major reason I penned an article on this column last month, entitled “Averting the looming tomato scarcity”. Considering the outbreak of the deadly tuta absoluta pests – also known as tomato leaf miner or tomato Ebola – in several large tomato farms across Kano, Katsina and Kaduna States, I was worried that the attack on major tomato producing hubs would definitely have a direct impact on the country’s food system. As a matter of fact, the infestation, which started in March and caused a loss of tens of billions of naira, had already led to a spike in tomato prices. As of May, the Chairman of Tomato Growers and Processors Association of Nigeria, Rabiu Zuntu, said that a 50kg basket of tomatoes (selling between N5,000 and N10,000 before the outbreak) then sold for around N30,000. However, after further research and inquiry, I discovered that the pest infestation is not the major threat to Nigeria’s tomato supply chain and food security. The more lethal hazards hide in plain view. For instance, there is a natural supply gap that actively contributes to tomato scarcity, which is that supplies of fresh tomatoes from the north drastically reduce during rainy seasons. Many tomato farms in the north rely on irrigation, as opposed to rain-fed agriculture, so when the rains come, the farms are not equipped to produce a large quantity, leading to a shortage. Poor road conditions in the rainy season and humid conditions contribute to post-harvest losses. Additionally, many farmers lack the facilities, such as a greenhouse, to continue production during the rainy season. The point is that there are several solvable challenges that cause tomato scarcity, which the Federal Government could tackle in a holistic and multi-stakeholder fashion. Meanwhile, the rainy season creates a favourable environment for certain diseases that can affect tomato crops, such as fungal infections or the Tuta absoluta pest. In other words, the Tomato Ebola is just a single problem in a basket of issues. This, too, is solvable. And, I am glad that the National Horticultural Research Institute, popularly known as NIHORT, has been on this for a long time now. The missing link is what we are about to see in the following paragraphs. After Tuta absoluta was officially reported in Nigeria in 2015, NIHORT, together with the then Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, carried out a diagnostic survey to identify the causative organisms and appropriate mitigative and preventive measures. In 2018, the institute developed Tuta trap tray – an environmentally friendly tool designed to eliminate adult Tuta absoluta (tomato leafminer) pest, as part of an integrated pest management solution. It also developed biopesticides: NIHORT-Lyptol and NIHORT-Raktin, innovated to target the eggs and larvae of Tuta absoluta. The reader, surely, may now be wondering if these government-sponsored solutions are available, why is Tomato Ebola still ravaging our farms? The answer is as shocking as it is revealing. After the mass production of the biopesticides and the Tuta Trap Tray from 2018 till date; conducting Hausa radio live phone-in programmes (from 2018 to 2023) in Kano (major hotspot); airing of sustainable Tuta control jingles in Hausa in various radio stations; production and awareness-creation dissemination of flyers; participating in press conferences and brainstorming sessions on Tuta absoluta menace; training farmers in major tomato-producing states such as Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa and Plateua States; distribution of 2,000 litres of Lyptol to farmers across the northern states in 2020 and recently production of 4,000 litres of the biopesticies and 500 trap trays for farmers’ use; sending 6,000 litres to Kano State; the needle did not move an inch because most farmers never showed any enthusiasm to adopt and use the pesticides and Tuta trap tray. On enquiry about why the efforts hit a brick wall, I was told by NIHORT staff, “The status of usage with respect to Tuta Trap Tray, as when we sent it to the Kano office, had not changed.  Not a single TTT was requested from our Kano office till now. There was no single request for the Integrated Pest Management solutions in our Kano office for 15 months while we waited to solve the problem. Having run almost 16 weeks’ jingles on solutions to Tuta in the local language on Kano and Kaduna (in two) radio stations. All this was done in NIHORT’s response to the claims of the Tuta absoluta outbreak in 2023. They didn’t comply, maybe because they needed to pay for our own, but that of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (which we supplied), I believe, was free as gratis/subsidy.” I, therefore, concluded that the major problem faced by the Nigerian agricultural sector is passing down research output to end-users – that is, the farmers. Frankly, if the Nigerian people do what is right, there would not be any substantial threat from the pests, as we already have the institutions and capacity to tackle them decisively. In fact, breeding work is currently ongoing at NIHORT by a team of research scientists to develop new tomato varieties that are resistant to Tuta absoluta.  Additionally, the Federal Government has supported the institute to develop two new varieties of tomatoes in April 2025 that are resistant to bacterial wilt (another globally recognised menace in the tomato value chain). The Executive Director of the National Horticultural Research Institute, Dr Mohammed Lawal Attanda, said, “Another challenge is the purchasing power of the farmers. With the outbreak of Tuta absoluta disease, we sprang into action. We have a breakthrough technology to cater for the outbreak. We produced a solution and took it to the field, but the farmers could not really pay for it. They need a subsidised rate for it. But we could not subsidise this bio-pesticide for them. It is organically made and environmentally friendly. It is 100 per cent locally made, certified, and we even have a patent on it. But the farmers cannot afford it. So, the ministry has to come in. We are in that process now to get it across to the farmers. I believe with all hands on deck, we can surmount all the challenges.” The question is, how long are we going to wait before the farmers get the required support to be able to afford the Tuta absoluta solution? This is why I said that the pest infestation is not the problem of tomato production in Nigeria. There is an urgent need to create the necessary linkage between industry and research. It is my view that the government must also set up a special food security fund, which is directed to intervention in critical food production sub-sectors, like tomato. Real farmers must be helped to produce organic food for the citizens, in a way that they are not encumbered with the activities of speculators and profiteers. They need access to quality and affordable tomato seeds. If the government cannot subsidise the seeds produced by NIHORT, at least it should do all in its power to drive down the cost of imported seeds. For instance, about 300g of tomato seeds is around N150,000. This is so because the horticultural seed market is largely dominated by seed importation from Europe and other countries. This does not augur well for our country’s food security.

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News_Naija

Finally, Rauf Aregbesola Moves On

In 2010, when he became governor of Osun State, the name Rauf Aregbesola didn’t sound familiar to many of us who’d been out of Nigeria for a while. From different sources, my ears were filled with both sweet and sour stories flying around town about the man when he was governor from 2010-2018. In 2013, I went to verify the stories before riding alongside others on the vilifying train, throttled by strangers on social media. What I saw in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State and surrounding towns in the spiralling asphalted roads, in the big bridges, the torn-down and towered-back-up high school buildings that stood in classic comparison with those in some US cities, made my heart throb in joy, after all, Osun is my state. In the aftermath of my fact-finding sojourn and by fortuitous arrangement, I met the governor one-on-one in the place he called home. Our friendship grew from there. When I read in the news that the former governor was dumping the ruling party for the coalition political assemblage, I was not surprised. I knew the relationship between him and his political mentor, President Bola Tinubu, was frosty. But I had to contact him to confirm the controversy in the news. That was when he told me that an announcement was coming regarding his next political move. And a few days ago, the buzz was across the media space that the former governor will be teaming up with other politicians from across the nation to position the African Democratic Congress in a contest that promises to be fierce and furious against the incumbent President Tinubu, in the 2027 presidential election. Now, we have the first stage of the revealing. Aregbesola was nominated as the interim secretary of the new opposition party. My friends, I am certain that there is much more to come in the near future. I got to know the former governor much more in 2014 during his reelection as the Osun governor. We never agreed on all issues, but his mindset on fairness, justice, man’s inhumanity to man, and nation-building caught my attention. During our many discussions, the former minister told me a bit about his relationship with Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is now the president of Nigeria. He spoke loftily about this president with much reverence and deference. “Fola, emi l’oga ooo.” (I have a boss), he said several times. What he meant was that whatever Asiwaju said to him to do was the final. This is often the thinking of a man who is loyal and committed to a cause and a friend. Unfortunately, that season of friendship may have come to an end, at least for now. Aregbesola is now a member of another political party, where he is pursuing his own political destiny after it became obvious that a détente between the two brothers was a mission impossible. But what happened between these two progressive personalities, whose close relationship dates back decades? Aregbesola will not deny the role that Tinubu has played in his political life. And I heard that the President believes that his friend has added value to his political life as well. The benefits, we heard, have been mutual. So, what happened? The swirling furore apparently began when Asiwaju backed Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, his blood relative, as successor to Aregbesola in Osun. The former governor cautioned against possible public perception of nepotism and highhandedness. Those warnings apparently didn’t carry too much weight. Tinubu rarely misses when he picks candidates for certain offices and assignments. The man has a nose for high-achieving people. It’s in his DNA.  Oyetola eventually became governor in 2018 in a controversial rerun. The fiery feud between Oyetola and Aregbesola originated from Bourdillon and spiralled down the Lagos-Ibadan expressway to Osogbo. The cause of their rift is politics and power play that got personal. Suddenly, Rauf, one of the few Godzilla of grassroots politics in the entire South-West, became a plague Oyetola didn’t want to touch with a 10 -foot pole. In 2022, Oyetola’s political train was derailed. He lost the election. And the feud was a great factor. Aregbesola ’s relationship with Tinubu immediately went south and sour afterwards. Serious efforts were made at a truce. Late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeyemi, was the arrowhead who tried to rebuild the battered bridge between the two brothers. But the cold hands of death snatched him at old age. I heard that there were other Yoruba elders who took a swing at resolving the misunderstanding. I heard that the former Osun governor stretched out his hands to Mr President to settle the rift. For almost two years, he has apologised publicly and privately for whatever human error may have triggered. But the party he helped build in the state expelled him. I also heard that Mr President misses his friend, too. I heard that in their close circles, he wondered what the former Minister was angry about at this time in history. The irony of this whole story is that Tinubu’s avowed enemies are now serving in his government. Men who told false stories about him, who made up tales about some illegal odysseys he allegedly engaged in, who said he never graduated from any school abroad and that he falsified his records, sleep and wake up with him every day because their sins have been forgiven. Those who called Mr President ugly names are in the same villa working for him. And these people never swallowed their words nor apologised for the foul words spewed against Mr President. If the sins of these fellas can be forgiven, what is dragging this feud on between Mr President and Aregbesola? And till today, the two have neither spoken nor seen face-to-face. My friends, when dealing with politicians anywhere, do so with a long spoon. Politicians are behind this feud, for whatever reason. Finally, Rauf Aregbesola has moved on. The former minister is the interim secretary of the political party ADC. He is tough, strong, energetic and vibrant and a custodian of brain and brawn. As for Tinubu, the sitting president may be ageing, but the neurotransmitter in his brain fires without fail. His unusual intelligence is his strength; his boldness to do what others have no guts to do as president has no presidential comparison. What a great combination of ideas and meshing of minds this would have been if the two who have worked together for decades and achieved so much in their individual political spaces had looked beyond the feud and animus and closed ranks pro bono publico. I hope that the strained fences between the former governor and the President could have been mended before now. But it was not. I am certain that someday it will be. I wish Aregbesola’s relationship with Tinubu had remained cordial. I wish Rauf didn’t have to bunch up with others to run against this president. These are just my wishes. But I understand Aregbesola’s thinking.  He is 68 years old! He still has a lot to offer.  Time may be running out. I wish both of them well. X-@Folaojotweet