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United Nations facing financial difficulty, says Guterres

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The United Nations is running out of cash,  Secretary-General Antonio Guterres  has warned, saying the cash crunch is  the worst in years.

The UN chief urged member states to pay their mandatory contributions on time and in full, so that the world intergovernmental body could continue to deliver on its key mandates. In a letter to UN staff, the secretary-general stated that he had “written to member states regarding the troubling financial situation facing the United Nations.’’

Guterres wrote: “Caused primarily by the delayed contributions of  member states to the regular budget, this new cash shortfall is unlike those we have experienced previously. “Our cash flow has never been this low so early in the calendar year, and the broader trend is also concerning: we are running out of cash sooner and staying in the red longer.’’

Nigeria had  paid its annual dues for 2018 in full, making it the 74th out of the 193 member states of the global intergovernmental organisation to fulfill its financial obligations.

Investigations revealed that Nigeria paid $5,080,178 on April 5, 2018 when 119 member states were yet to pay their regular budgets, making Nigeria the 10th country in Africa to pay its UN regular budgets in full. At the end of June 2018, the amount of money paid by member states for the 2018 assessment stood at around 1.49 billion dollars, while at the same time in 2017, the amount paid to the regular budget was just over 1.70 billion dollars.

The General Assembly in December approved a 5.4 billion dollars two-year budget for the United Nations  which was separate from the UN peacekeeping budget. A total of 112 out of the 193 countries have paid their dues in full as of July, although this list did not include the United States, the UN’s number one financial contributor.

The outstanding amount owed for 2018 remained  at nearly 810 million dollars, with 81 states yet to pay. The United States pays 22 percent of the UN budget, but the payment occurs later in the year, in line with its national budget cycle.

During the 2017 gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, President Donald Trump complained that the United States was shouldering too much of the cost of the world body. “I have appealed to member states to pay their assessments on time and in full, and highlighted the risk the current situation poses to the delivery of mandates and to the reputation of our organisation,” Guterres wrote in the letter.

In 2016, Nigeria had asked the UN to review the country’s assessed contributions to the global organisation in view of the economic recession in the country at the time. Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Ms Winifred Oyo-Ita, made the call at the UN Headquarters in New York when she visited the Chairman of the UN Fifth Committee, Kingston Rhodes.

The Fifth Committee is the committee of the General Assembly with responsibilities for administrative and budgetary matters. Nigeria was expected to pay outstanding contributions of 10.2 million dollars as at December 2016.

However, Oyo-Ita said: “Due to recession, we want something done to review our dues and we want the UN to reconsider our assessment due to the realities of the time. “What Nigeria is being asked to pay now is on the high side. Nigeria is committed to paying its contributions but we want some considerations. We want something to be done to re-adjust our scale.”

Nigeria’s scale of assessment for 2013 to 2015 was 0.119 before the re-basing of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2014. However, with the re-basing of the GDP from $270bn to over $500bn, the scale of assessment of Nigeria increased to 0.209 for the period 2016 to 2018. Nigeria has been pursuing the re-adjustment of the scale due to the economic reality of the country and the country’s scale is due for review this year.

Speaking to journalists, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric,  said that the UN fully understood that some member states operated on different fiscal timetables. She, however, said that  unlike in previous years, the cash flow had never been this low  so early in the calendar year.

Dujarric also said the UN did not have much financial flexibility and relies on member states to pay their dues on time and in full. The spokesperson added that the UN Secretariat would now be looking into ways of reducing expenses  with a focus on non-staff costs.

(Vanguard).

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PRCAN Mourns the Passing of NIPR Council Member, Bashir Chedi

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PRCAN

The Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) has received with deep shock and sadness the news of the passing of Mallam Bashir Chedi, a distinguished member of the Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), who died at the age of 65.

In a statement issued by PRCAN, the Association described the late Chedi as an accomplished professional, a consummate communicator, and a pillar of integrity whose contributions to the growth of public relations in Nigeria will remain indelible.

“Mallam Bashir Chedi was a respected voice in our profession, a mentor to many, and an advocate of ethical practice. His departure is not only a great loss to the NIPR family but also to the larger communication and public relations community in Nigeria,” PRCAN said.

The Association extended its condolences to Dr. Ike Neliaku, President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, the NIPR Council, the family of the deceased, and the entire PR community, praying that Almighty God grants them the strength to bear the loss.

“While we mourn his passing, we take solace in the impactful legacy he has left behind, one that will continue to inspire present and future generations of PR practitioners,” the statement added.

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Mbah to NBA: “Law, the Conscience of the Nation, Justice Sector Reform, a Cornerstone of Our Administration”

By ORJI ISRAEL

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Mbah to NBA

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has reminded lawyers that the law is more than a profession, as it serves as the conscience of the nation.

Mbah, who spoke during the opening of the 2025 Annual General Conference, AGC, of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, on Sunday, also restated the commitment of his administration to justice sector reform, saying that it remained the cornerstone of his government.

“Let me say this: the theme of this year’s conference, ‘Stand Out, Stand Tall,’ is a timely reminder of the responsibility we bear as lawyers and leaders. The law is not just a profession – it is the conscience of the nation. We are not only courtroom advocates; we are also defenders of truth, architects of peace, and champions of equity,” he said.

Listing some concrete steps by his administration towards justice sector reform, the governor said, “Since assuming office, we have made justice sector reform a cornerstone of our governance. Just a few examples will suffice.

“We were among the first states to fully implement financial autonomy for the judiciary in line with Section 121(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). This has enhanced the efficiency, independence, and dignity of our courts.

“We have carried out a comprehensive rehabilitation and digitization of our courtrooms across the three senatorial zones. The High Court Complex in Enugu is equipped with e-filing, virtual hearing facilities, and an integrated case management system.

“To decongest our courts and promote alternative dispute resolution, we have strengthened and expanded the Enugu Multi-Door Courthouse, making it a model in the region for commercial and family dispute settlement.

“Through partnership with civil society and the NBA, we have expanded access to pro bono legal services for indigent citizens and detainees, especially in our rural areas. No one should be too poor to afford justice.

“We have also carried out an extensive codification and review of obsolete state laws to reflect modern realities, ensure gender justice, and promote the ease of doing business in Enugu.

“Perhaps one of the reforms I am proudest of – we introduced real-time transcription for our courts. Attaining Verbatim Reporting for the courts has eliminated the strain of longhand recording on judges, cut down on delays and improved productivity,” he said.

He, however, asserted that none of the reforms was an end in itself, noting that they remained  part of a broader vision of his government towards making Enugu State the preferred destination for investment, innovation, and inclusive development.

“From smart schools, safe communities to accessible healthcare – our vision cannot be achieved without a justice system that is fair, functional, and trusted,” he added.

The opening ceremony was chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Dr. Sa’ad Abubakar III, while the keynote address was given by charismatic leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters of South Africa and a member of country’s national parliament, Julius Malema.

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70% of Christians killed in 2024 are African – Group

ORJI ISRAEL reports that the group accused ANC of maintaining silence on religious persecution, while deepening ties with ideological extremists in Tehran

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70% of Christians killed in 2024 are African gettyimages
Women crying during killings in Benue State, Nigeria

Recent reports indicate that over 4,400 Christians were murdered for their faith last year, while over the past decade, jihadist violence has driven 16 million Christians from their homes, millions of which are African citizens.

This is according to global Christian charity, Open Doors, which also confirms that for every five Christians, one will face persecution in Africa specifically.

Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List reveals the top 10 most dangerous countries for Christians are dominated by Islamic states in the Middle East and Africa, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, and Nigeria. A more detailed UK Parliament briefing recently noted that 70% of Christians killed in 2024 were indeed in Africa. 

Over the last six months, the brutality against Christians in Africa has escalated to alarming levels, with a series of devastating attacks across the continent. Just last month, ISIL-affiliated rebels stormed a Catholic church in Komanda, DRC, murdering close to 50 worshippers, including women and children. That same month in Mozambique, Islamic State fighters captured and beheaded six Christians from Natocua village, just across South Africa’s border. A month earlier, in June 2025, armed militants in Nigeria massacred nearly 200 Christian civilians in Yelwata village. 

“What we are witnessing is not random violence or isolated attacks. It is a deliberate, coordinated campaign by jihadist networks to wipe Christianity from vast regions of Africa and the Middle East,” says SAFI spokesperson, Bafana Modise. “These acts of terror are the early stages of a genocide against Christians, and history will record who spoke out and who shamefully looked away. Tragically, the ANC has chosen the latter.”

This silence is even more damning in light of last week’s news that South Africa’s military chief, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, met with Iranian Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami in Tehran to discuss deepening military and strategic ties, when Iran remains one of the world’s most notorious persecutors of Christians.

A recent report by the Middle East Africa Research Institute (MEARI) warned that Pretoria’s deepening ties with Tehran has compromised South Africa’s democratic foundations by defending Iran at the UN and IAEA, downplaying its human rights abuses, and potentially benefitting from covert support, including speculation around the ANC’s repayment of a multi-million-rand debt shortly after filing the ICJ case against Israel.

“These atrocities are not just crimes against individuals; they are part of a war against the freedom of religion itself,” Modise warns. “This is religious genocide, and it is gaining momentum as it edges closer to South Africa’s borders.”

Instead of defending religious freedom, the ANC government has remained silent. It has issued no meaningful condemnation or rallying call to protect persecuted Christians: “The ANC has done nothing to defend the rights of Christians,” says Modise. “Instead, it has squandered South Africa’s moral standing on discredited genocide charges against Israel – the one country in the Middle East where Christians live in safety and equality.”

This betrayal is even more unforgivable in a nation where 80% of South Africans identify as Christian. Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, but the ANC, once the global champion of human rights, has made its bed with regimes and groups that have used Islamic law to suppress and destroy those freedoms.

“The ANC’s alliances make it clear: they have abandoned South Africa’s Christians, choosing friendship with the very forces driving this campaign of genocide,” Modise concludes. “Silence in the face of such evil is complicity, and the ANC is guilty of both. They have aligned themselves with Jihadist Islamic ideology, without further thought.”

We call on every pastor, every congregation, and every believer to demand that the ANC account for its indifference and betrayal. The blood of persecuted Christians cries out from across the African continent. If South Africa will not stand with them now, the day may come when their fate becomes our own.

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