The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and appropriate anti-corruption agencies to promptly investigate allegations of systemic mismanagement of security votes by state governors since 1999.
The SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, says the organisation said anyone suspected to be responsible should face prosecution as appropriate.

The 11 electricity Distribution Companies in Nigeria have responded to allegations that they, manufacture figures in a bid to bill customers who are still operating on the estimated billing platform.
The Executive Director for Research and Advocacy, Sunday Oduntan, explained that contrary to misinformation concerning the nature and purpose of revenue targets Discos give their staff, such targets were usually set based on what customers consumed.
The Discos argued that the allegation that marketers were given revenue targets in their quest to meet targets that supposedly lead to extortion of customers, giving them bills that do not reflect their electricity consumption, was not correct.

The Presidency has denied reports suggesting that the executive and legislative arm of government might be at loggerheads following an episode on Friday at the State House during the signing of the 2022 Budget and Finance Bill by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The spokesman for the President, Garba Shehu, says the president and the parliament have not fallen out.
He says President Buhari frowned at a couple of things including “reduction in the provisions for many strategic capital projects to introduce ‘Empowerment Projects.
Mr Shehu says there is no rift between President Buhari and the National Assembly, adding that both arms of government are working amicably for the good of the nation.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator Ali Ndume has asked the Federal Government to name and arrest those that finance terrorism in the country.
Ndume says he was prosecuted by the Federal Government for sponsoring Boko Haram.
He noted that his offence was because the Department of State Services tracked a phone and uncovered a call made by the spokesman of the insurgents.
He also criticised security agencies for not doing a proper investigation before subjecting him to public ridicule.

The United States has cut Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea out of a duty-free trade programme over alleged human rights violations and recent coups.
The US Trade Representative says it terminated the three countries from the African Growth and Opportunity Act due to actions taken by each of their governments in violation of the AGOA Statute.
It says the US was deeply concerned by the gross violations of internationally recognised human rights being perpetrated by the government of Ethiopia and other parties amid the widening conflict in northern Ethiopia as well as by the unconstitutional change in governments in both Guinea and Mali.

Vietnam’s trade ministry has asked China’s Guangxi authorities to take urgent measures to ease congestion at border crossings after China stepped up its border controls with neighbours to follow zero COVID-19 policies.
State-run Vietnam News Agency says Anti-virus prevention measures that Guangxi is applying under the ‘zero COVID’ policies, including closing border gates or stopping fruit imports, are over necessary.
Guangxi trade officials said they would increase the duration of customs clearance and pass along other proposals to higher authorities.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has promised to use his last months in office to push for a diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea, despite Pyongyang’s silence on his efforts to secure a declaration of peace between the two countries.
Moon says the government will pursue normalisation of inter-Korean relations and an irreversible path to peace until the end and hope efforts for dialogue will continue in the next administration too.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un focussed on jump-starting the economy and improving people’s lives.

Twitter says it has permanently suspended the personal account of outspoken Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene for violating the platform’s Covid-19 misinformation policy.
Twitter says it was shutting down Greene’s personal account — @mtgreenee — for repeated violations of its Covid misinformation policy. She still has access to her official Twitter handle, which is @RepMTG.
Twitter in a statement says they have been clear that, per strike system for this policy, they will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy.

The White House in a statement says US President Joe Biden reassured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Washington and its allies will respond decisively if Russia moves to invade its pro-Western neighbour.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psakiin in a statement says President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.
Biden and Zelenskyy discussed preparations for a series of upcoming diplomatic meetings to address the crisis.
Zelenskyy tweeted afterwards that he appreciated the United States unwavering support and that the call proves the special nature of the two countries relationship.

South Africa says its latest coronavirus wave has peaked without a surge in deaths or hospitalisations, enabling the country to lift a nightly curfew for the first time in 21 months.
A minister in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office Mondli Gungubele, says according to experts, Omicron has reached the peak with clinical manifestations that have not caused any alarm in the hospital situation.
The minister cautioned that they will monitor the situation on an hour-by-hour basis and if need be reinstate curfew.
Gungubele says the government of Africa’s most advanced but battered economy took the action to try to balance between livelihoods and saving lives.