The Coalition of Northern Groups has opposed the zoning arrangement by political parties, describing it as unconstitutional and a plot to intimidate the north from contesting for the presidency in 2023.
CNG spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman says the group aligns with the position of the Northern Governors’ Forum, asking the political parties to jettison the idea of zoning the post to the southern region of Nigeria.
He says the north will not be obliged to any zoning arrangement for elective positions in the forthcoming general election.
The CNG resolved that zoning of elective positions is unconstitutional, undemocratic and must be jettisoned.

Governors of the South-South region of the country have agreed to set up a regional security outfit, which according to them will be launched soon.
Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum and Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, says the Council resolved that bearing in mind that most of the BRACED states have established their state security organs.
The governors also resolved that states in the region should join the suit filed by the Federal Inland Revenue Service challenging the collection of Value Added Tax by states.
He says governors equivocally support the decision for states to collect Value Added Tax and resolved to join the suit before the Supreme Court.

Lagos State Government has demanded a new revenue sharing formula that is fair, equitable and reflects the contribution of stakeholders to the common purse.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu says the state also wanted a revenue formula that enhances the capacity to deliver high-quality services and dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
He says Lagos is more than just another state in the Nigerian federation as there is no tribe in the country that has no significant stake in the state.
The governor also appealed to all stakeholders to approach the review process with open minds.

Qatar’s top diplomat says the Taliban’s moves on girls’ education in Afghanistan are very disappointing and called on the group’s leadership to look to Doha for how to run an Islamic system.
Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was referring to, among other things, the Taliban’s refusal to allow Afghan female secondary school students to resume their studies, weeks after the group took power.
Doha has become a key broker in Afghanistan following last month’s withdrawal of US forces, helping to evacuate thousands of foreigners and Afghans, engaging the new Taliban rulers and supporting operations at Kabul airport.

Malawi's telecoms regulator has fined the local business of India's Bharti Airtel over $2.5m for failing to give customers airtime they were owed as part of a loyalty scheme.
The Competition and Fair Trade Commission launched an investigation after receiving complaints from customers.
It found that Airtel Malawi had stopped automatically crediting customers' accounts with monthly bonuses - a move which enabled it to make a financial gain of about $2.5m.
Airtel Malawi managing director Charles Kamoto denied the charges levelled.

Ethiopia’s ministry of foreign says it has given seven senior UN officials 72 hours to leave the country for meddling in the internal affairs of the country.
The list includes the country head of the UN children's fund, Unicef, Adele Khodr, and Grant Leaity, the acting head of the office for humanitarian affairs, UNOCHA.
The UN has been very involved in trying to get aid into the war-torn region of Tigray. It estimates that more than five million people in the north need humanitarian assistance.
The UN's humanitarian chief blamed the Ethiopian government for what he called a de-facto blockade of aid in Tigray.

Somalia’s first large-scale factory producing much-needed medical oxygen has been opened in the capital, Mogadishu.
The plant will produce 1,000 cylinders of oxygen per week and is seen as a huge step forward in strengthening the country’s public health infrastructure.
Health Minister Fawzia Abikar Nur admitted that people had great difficulty in getting medical oxygen, vital in saving patients’ lives when the pandemic first hit.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced a new Covid-19 vaccination certificate, which he said would ease travel and access to events that require proof of vaccination.
He pressed Britain to relax travel restrictions imposed on his country after discussing the issue with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Mr Ramaphosa also eased pandemic restrictions, including reducing the hours of a nationwide curfew, now in place from midnight to 4 am.
He ended a ban on weekend alcohol sales and allowed larger public gatherings.
He says the government aims to administer 250,000 first dose vaccinations every single weekday until mid-December.

Algeria has recalled its ambassador from Paris, accusing France of unacceptable interference in its affairs.
Algeria says it was responding to comments attributed to President Emmanuel Macron by French newspaper Le Monde.
The diplomatic spat comes days after France cut the number of visas it issues for citizens of Algeria and other North African countries.

The French army says Algeria has banned French military planes from flying over its territory as the diplomatic row between the two countries intensifies.
The move comes a day after Algeria recalled its ambassador from Paris, accusing France of unacceptable interference in its affairs.
Algeria says it was responding to comments attributed to President Emmanuel Macron by a French newspaper.
Macron says the former French colony was ruled by a political-military system with an official history that was based not on truth, but on hatred of France.