The items are part of thousands of artworks known as the Benin Bronzes stolen from the Benin Kingdom in 1897
The United States has returned 23 looted artefacts to Nigeria.
The Benin Bronzes were handed over to a Nigerian delegation at a ceremony on Tuesday in Washington.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, who received the artefacts, hailed the US and its institutions for the repatriation of the “highly cherished” cultural artworks.
“These artefacts are intrinsic to the culture that produced them. A people ought not be denied the works of their forebears. It is in the light of this that we are delighted with today’s repatriation,” he said.
The information ministry said the returned artefacts “comprise 21 from the Smithsonian and one each from the National Gallery of Arts and the Rhode Island School of Design”.
The repatriation is part of a bilateral cultural property agreement to prevent illegal imports into the US of some categories of Nigerian artefacts.
Lonnie G. Bunch III, the secretary of the Smithsonian, said the institution was “humbled and honoured to play a small role in transferring ownership of the art works to Nigeria”, based on ethical consideration.
The items were among thousands of artworks known as the Benin Bronzes stolen from the Benin Kingdom in present-day Nigeria by British colonialists in 1897.
The items were then distributed to various museums and institutions across Europe and the US.
Nigeria is set to receive more such artefacts from The Netherlands, the UK and Germany.
The West African country says it will soon launch an international traveling exhibition with the artefacts ”in a manner that will win more friends and promote greater goodwill for Nigeria and the ethnic groups that produced [them]”.
Climate envoy Kerry announces funding at Dakar meeting of African ministers; Financing will drive fulfilment of Global Methane Pledge targets
The United States government has announced it will provide a $5 million grant to the African Development Bank to support efforts to abate methane gas emission, across Africa. Methane accounts for about half of the net rise in global average temperature since the pre-industrial era.
The grant, subject to the completion of US domestic procedures and approvals, will go to the multi-donor Africa Climate Change Fund (https://bit.ly/3DtKhno), which is managed by the African Development Bank. The Fund supports a broad range of activities covering climate resilience and low-carbon growth.
US special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, made the announcement at a breakfast event held on the margins of the 18th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment taking place in Dakar.
He said: “More than 25 countries on the continent have joined the Global Methane Pledge, a resounding level of support for the importance of methane in keeping 1.5 degrees within reach.”
“I am very pleased that the African Development Bank is responding to the increased global attention on methane emissions and is planning to increase their own focus on methane abatement in coming years,” Kerry added.
Additional funding was also promised by the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) and the Global Methane Hub to tackle methane emissions in African countries. The Global Methane Hub will contribute $5 million dollars over the next three years. The Hub funds methane mitigation efforts. The Coalition, a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, and research institutions, will provide $1.2 million.
The Global Methane pledge, launched during COP26, targets reducing emissions of methane by at least 30 percent from 2020 levels over the next seven years.
Welcoming the contributions, African Development Bank Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth, Kevin Kariuki said (https://bit.ly/3R1C7G1) the Bank planned to create activities within the ACCF to support methane abatement.
“With the support of the U.S. government, and other donors and non-state actors, we intend to create a dedicated pillar of activities within our Africa Climate Change Fund to support methane abatement including working with countries to include methane in their Nationally Defined Contributions and develop pipelines of methane abatement projects for further investment,” Kariuki said.
The African Development Bank would be releasing a methane baseline reporting covering waste and energy sector methane emissions across Africa at the forthcoming COP 27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
“This will provide an excellent foundation for increased focus on methane emissions,” said Kariuki.
The African Development Bank’s 2022 Africa Economic Outlook projects that Africa will need as much as $1.6 trillion between 2020-2030 to implement its climate action commitments and NDCs.
The African Development Bank has committed to mobilizing $25 billion for climate finance by 2025; more than 50% of that funding will be allocated to adaptation projects.
The resumed five-day 18th Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (https://bit.ly/3SahAQb) in Dakar, ends on Friday 16th of September. Organized by the United Nations Environment Program, it provides African environment minsters a forum to offer policy guidance that will contribute to strengthening Africa’s voice at the COP27.
The court’s ruling is a rare reversal of long-settled law that will fracture the foundations of modern reproductive rights in the US. Photograph: Alex Brandon/AP
US supreme court overturns abortion rights, upending Roe v Wade
Ruling in pivotal case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization follows draft majority opinion leaked in May
The supreme court has ruled there is no constitutional right to abortion in the United States, upending a precedent set nearly 50 years ago in the landmark Roe v Wade case –a rare reversal of long-settled law that will fracture the foundations of modern reproductive rights in America.
The court’s ruling came in the pivotal case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, in which the last abortion clinic in Mississippi opposed the state’s efforts to ban abortion after 15 weeks and overturn Roe in the process.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” said the majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito. The case’s outcome was joined by the court’s five other conservative justices.
“The constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision,” it said.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented.
The reversal of the 1973 opinion will again allow individual US states to ban abortion. At least 26 states are expected to do so immediately or as soon as practicable.
The Dobbs decision is certain to be one of the most consequential in generations. It will have profound, immediate and enduring consequences for the lives of tens of millions of American women and other people who can become pregnant, and unpredictable ripple effects that could play out over decades.
“This is kind of unparalleled, and even if it’s not completely unprecedented it’s extremely rare,” said Mary Ziegler, a visiting professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School, professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law and a historian of abortion.
“It’s also extraordinary to do something like this so quickly, with no kind of advance notice,” said Ziegler.
The final ruling from the conservative-dominated court comes after a draft opinion was leaked in early May. In it, right-leaning associate justice Samuel Alito laid out a caustic argument for reversing Roe v Wade.
Experts believe the coming days and weeks will bring chaotic attempts by conservatives to ban the procedure as soon as possible, as a patchwork of some of the most severe abortion restrictions in the world go into effect.
Abortion deserts: America’s new geography of access to care – mapped
Read more
Large swaths of the US south and midwest are expected to ban abortion or impose severe restrictions, forcing patients who want the procedure to potentially travel hundreds of miles or self-manage abortions at home.
At least one economist has estimated such bans could result in an additional 60,000 births a year among women who want an abortion, but are unable to obtain one.Such bans are likely to affect 41% of women of reproductive age in the US, and hit the young, poor, Black and brown women and people who already have children the hardest.
In the run-up to the decision, Democratic-led states have enacted laws to aid patients who travel for abortions. Republican-led states have done the opposite. Many have worked to further restrict abortion and some have already debated prosecuting women who seek abortions under homicide statutes.
Although an estimated 85% of Americans support legal abortion under certain circumstances, extreme partisan manipulation of electoral districts, or gerrymandering, has insulated right-leaning Republican leaders from popular opinion.
Internationally, the decision will make the US one of only four countries since 1994 to restrict abortion, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights, the other countries being Poland, Nicaragua and El Salvador. This will further set America apart from peer countries as life expectancy falls. It could also damage the nation’s ability to advocate for the rights of women and girls globally.
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No more Permanent Residency for Nigerians in US as restriction begins
No more Permanent Residency for Nigerians in US as restriction begins
Nigerians seem to the target of the recent expansion of the United States travel ban. Of the six countries named on the list, Nigeria always has the highest number of emigrants to us.
Other countries are Eritrea, Sudan, Tanzania, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar. Each of this countries face different type of visa restriction.
For Nigeria, the visa restriction means that Nigerians can no longer be granted permanent residency in the US for the time being. Sudanese and Tanzanian nationals will no longer be allowed to apply for “diversity visas”, which are available by lottery for applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the US.
However, people from those countries will still be able to visit the US.
An official said the new measures were the result of failures by the six countries to meet US security and information-sharing standards.
“These countries, for the most part, want to be helpful but for a variety of different reasons simply failed to meet those minimum requirements that we laid out,” acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told reporters on Friday.
He said officials would work with the countries on bolstering their security requirements to help them get off the list.
US President Donald Trump first introduced a travel ban in 2017. It currently closes US borders to citizens from seven countries, most with Muslim majorities.
According to a BBC report, the US said it would suspend the issuance of visas that can lead to permanent residency for nationals of Nigeria, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Myanmar.
Mr Wolf said non-immigrant visas given to people for temporary stays – including visitors, those doing business or people seeking medical treatment – would not be impacted by the new rules.
Of the new nationalities facing visa restrictions, Nigerians account for the most immigration to the US.
The US State Department issued about 7,900 immigrant visas to Nigerians in fiscal year 2018, which began in October 2017.
Three of the countries facing restrictions – Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and Sudan – have majority Muslim populations, while Eritrea and Tanzania have sizable Muslim minorities.
Mr Trump signed a controversial travel ban just seven days after taking office in January 2017, arguing it was vital to protect Americans.
The ban initially excluded people from seven majority-Muslim countries but the list was modified following a series of court challenges.
It now restricts citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela and North Korea.
While the government has suspended most immigrant and non-immigrant visas to applicants from those countries, exceptions are available for students and those with “significant contacts” in the US.
Nigerians will pay additional charges on their visa applications to the United States of America, the U.S. government has announced.
U.S. imposes additional visa charges on Nigerians
Nigerians will pay additional charges on their visa applications to the United States of America, the U.S. government has announced.
US said that the additional charges are a ‘reciprocity fee’ payable by Nigerians whose visa request has been approved.
The announcement was made in a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
The new fee ranges from $80 to $110 (28,8000 to N39,600) depending on the type of visa being applied for.
“The reciprocity fee will be charged in addition to the non-immigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee, which all applicants pay at the time of application,” the embassy said.
The embassy added that the fee was being imposed to reciprocate a similar one by the Nigerian government on Americans seeking to travel to Nigeria.
“U.S. law requires U.S. visa fees and validity periods to be based on the treatment afforded to U.S. citizens by foreign governments, insofar as possible.”
The U.S. is a major destination for thousands of Nigerians who travel annually for various reasons including education, leisure, and work.
Revised Visa Reciprocity for Nigeria
Effective worldwide on 29 August, Nigerian citizens will be required to pay a visa issuance fee, or reciprocity fee, for all approved applications for nonimmigrant visas in B, F, H1B, I, L, and R visa classifications. The reciprocity fee will be charged in addition to the nonimmigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee, which all applicants pay at the time of application. Nigerian citizens whose applications for a nonimmigrant visa are denied will not be charged the new reciprocity fee. Both reciprocity and MRV fees are non-refundable, and their amounts vary based on visa classification.
U.S. law requires U.S. visa fees and validity periods to be based on the treatment afforded to U.S. citizens by foreign governments, insofar as possible. Visa issuance fees are implemented under the principle of reciprocity: when a foreign government imposes additional visa fees on U.S. citizens, the United States will impose reciprocal fees on citizens of that country for similar types of visas. Nationals of a number of countries worldwide are currently required to pay this type of fee after their nonimmigrant visa application is approved.
The total cost for a U.S. citizen to obtain a visa to Nigeria is currently higher than the total cost for a Nigerian to obtain a comparable visa to the United States. The new reciprocity fee for Nigerian citizens is meant to eliminate that cost difference.
Since early 2018, the U.S. government has engaged the Nigerian government to request that the Nigerian government change the fees charged to U.S. citizens for certain visa categories. After eighteen months of review and consultations, the government of Nigeria has not changed its fee structure for U.S. citizen visa applicants, requiring the U.S. Department of State to enact new reciprocity fees in accordance with our visa laws.
The reciprocity fee will be required for all Nigerian citizens worldwide, regardless of where they are applying for a nonimmigrant visa to the United States. The reciprocity fee is required for each visa that is issued, which means both adults and minors whose visa applications are approved will be charged the reciprocity fee. The fee can only be paid at the U.S. Embassy or the U.S. Consulate General. The reciprocity fee cannot be paid at banks or any other location.
The complete reciprocity fee schedule, organized by visa classification, can be found below.
Search:
Class
Reciprocity Fee
B1
110
B2
110
B1/B2
110
F1
110
F2
110
H1B
180
H4
180
I
210
L1
303
L2
303
R1
80
R2
80
Showing 1 to 16 of 16 entries
The reciprocity tables displayed on travel.state.gov will be updated to reflect the changes above.
Top Nigerians politicians may be affected by US visa ban
Top Nigerian politicians who played multi-level roles in the 2019 general election in the country may be affected by the recent announcement by the United States that individuals who participated in election rigging have been banned from entering the US.
Shortly before the election, the US declared that it will ban election riggers from Nigeria. This followed a statement by Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai that foreigners who interfered in Nigerian election would go back in body-bags.
The United States on Tuesday announced an urgent imposition of visa restrictions on Nigerians it accused of trying to undermine democracy at this year’s general elections.
The ban, which the State Department described as specifically targeted towards certain individuals, came about five months after Nigerians went to the polls in presidential, parliamentary and state elections.
“These individuals have operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights,” Morgan Ortagus, a spokesperson for the State Department, said in a statement.
The statement did not name the individuals or say how many were affected by the measure. President Muhammadu Buhari was declared winner of the February 23 election, which was marred by postponements, logistical challenges and violence.
The State Department did not comment on the election results, but said it had identified specific persons who employed sinister tactics to sabotage democratic principles and human rights.
The U.S. was amongst several countries that threatened to impose sanctions on any individual suspected of fomenting violence or any acts that did not conform with democratic norms.
US accuses China, Russia of underhand dealings in Africa
Government of the United States of America (USA) has accused China and Russia of using “opaque” and “corrupt” deals in their relations with African countries.
This is coming at the heels of fast China and Russia influence in Africa.
US National Security Adviser John Bolton said the two nations were “deliberately and aggressively” attempting to gain an economic advantage over the US on the continent.
He said the Trump administration’s new strategy for Africa would focus on trade and countering terrorism.
Shortly before embarking on his first official visit to Africa, former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the U.S. is committed to building on a “strong foundation of U.S.-Africa relations” and accused China of “encouraging dependency” in its approach to Africa.
Tillerson said the U.S. was “eager” to lower barriers to trade and investment in Africa, whose largest trading partner by far is China. He added that the U.S. approach of “incentivizing good governance” contrasts sharply to China’s, “which encourages dependency, using opaque contracts, predatory loan practices and corrupt deals that mire nations in debt and undercut their sovereignty.”
“Our country’s security and economic prosperity are linked with Africa’s like never before,” the top U.S. diplomat said before an audience at George Mason University just outside of Washington. The trip comes two months after President Donald Trump triggered a wave of controversy when he reportedly referred to African nations as “shithole countries” during an Oval Office meeting on immigration with a bipartisan group of senators.
Bolton warned the US would no longer fund “unproductive” peacekeeping efforts.
“Under our new approach, every decision we make, every policy we pursue, and every dollar of aid we spend will further US priorities in the region,” he said in a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.
He accused China of using “bribes, opaque agreements and the strategic use of debt to hold states in Africa captive to Beijing’s wishes and demands”.
He highlighted China’s influence in Djibouti, which he said was not only having a direct impact on the US’s military base there but could soon shift the balance of trading power in the region towards the east.
Russia, he said, was seeking to increase its influence in Africa by advancing “its political and economic relationships with little regard for the rule of law or accountable and transparent governance”.
He said Russia was continuing to “sell arms and energy in exchange for votes in the United Nations” and extracting “natural resources from the region for its own benefit”.
The BBC’s Anne Soy says Mr Bolton’s speech could cause disquiet among Africans already concerned that their continent is being used as a platform to advance the agenda of global players.
The US strategy may be viewed by some Africans through the same lens the Trump administration is using to assess China and Russia’s intentions in Africa, she notes (DAN with BBC reports)
Former Gambia President, Yahya Jammeh and his immediate family have been barred from entering the United States of America.
The US State Department said Jammeh was being barred because of his involvement in corruption.
Mr Jammeh went into exile in Equatorial Guinea after losing the 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow.
This is coming two years after Jammeh was forced to hand leave the country.
The BBC reported that a truth and reconciliation commission has been set up in The Gambia to investigate the well documented human rights abuses committed during his two decades in office.
Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs
US to hold bilateral talks with Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya as Nagy tour countries
The United States Department of State’s top diplomat on African Affairs will travel to Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Kenya, and later on to Germany from November 27 to December 8, Washington said.
Tibor Nagy, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs is expected to visit the Horn of Africa as part of US efforts to promote stronger trade and commercial ties with the region, the Department of State said in a statement.
In all stops, Assistant Secretary Nagy will hold bilateral meetings with government officials on peace and security, support for economic growth, development and strengthening of democratic institutions.
In Ethiopia, Tibor will take part in the United States – African Union High-Level Dialogue.
He will also hold a meeting with the Executive Secretariat of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Djibouti.
Throughout his visit, the Assistant Secretary will also engage with business leaders and alumni of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI).
The final stop on the trip will be Stuttgart, Germany, where Assistant Secretary Nagy will have meetings with the United States Africa Command.
In remarks delivered at his swearing-in ceremony on September 17 as the new US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, veteran diplomat Tibor Nagy hit all the right notes, stressing the challenges and opportunities inherent in Africa’s youthful demographics and emphasizing the enduring importance of governance in attracting trade and investment.
Ivanka, daughter of United States President, Donald Trump and her husband will attend the opening ceremony.
US Jerusalem embassy set for opening tomorrow, Palestinians plan bloody protest in Gaza
Senior White House advisers, Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, Sunday arrived in Israel ahead of the opening of the new US embassy in Jerusalem on Monday.
Ivanka, daughter of United States President, Donald Trump and her husband will attend the opening ceremony. But Mr Trump himself will not be there, the BBC has said.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan will be there in person, alongside Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.
A small interim embassy will open inside the existing US consulate building in Jerusalem on Monday, while a larger site will be found later when the rest of the embassy moves from Tel Aviv. President Trump is expected to address attendees at Monday’s event via video link.
Meanwhile Israel’s military will be bracing for thousands of Palestinian protesters to try to break through the Gaza border fence. But Israel’s security forces said that they are preparing for Palestinian protests against the embassy’s inauguration.
Trump’s decision to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem late last year angered Palestinians and polarized the world, but however brought to an end decades of US neutrality on the issue.
The plan was brought forward to coincide with the state of Israel’s 70th anniversary.
Israel regards Jerusalem as its “eternal and undivided” capital while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem – occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war – as the capital of a future state.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Christian community said the embassy move was a reason for celebration.
On the other hand, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has described it as the “slap of the century”.
The delegation met Israel’s prime minister on Sunday afternoon, according to the local press.
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