Headlines
Osinbajo, Other World Leaders in Attendance As Queen Elizabeth II Goes Home
The remains of Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest today, as world leaders, royals and the entire UK bid her farewell at a grandeur funeral ceremony.
The longest resigning monarch died on September 8 at the age of 96 due to old age at the Balmoral Castle, Scotland. She was on the throne for 70 years.
Life will come to a standstill for millions on Monday as the UK says goodbye to Queen Elizabeth II. The state funeral for her will take place at Westminster Abbey in London at 11:0oBST, with 2,000 people in attendance, including about 500 heads of state.
According to the BBC, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to line the streets of the capital.
A holiday has been declared in the entire UK for millions to bid their late Queen farewell. Ahead of the funeral, King Charles said he had been “deeply touched” by public support for him and his family
Foreign royals and world leaders will join the Queen’s family for a service that will be watched by hundreds of millions globally.
By 6:30am, the window for the public to see Elizabeth II lying in state comes to an end, as the doors to Westminster Hall are closed. By 8:00am, doors of Westminster Abbey open for the 2,000 guests expected – from world leaders to charity workers and the Japanese emperor, while at 10.44am, the day’s first procession will set off, with King Charles and other senior royals walking behind the Queen’s coffin as it’s pulled by sailors on the State Gun Carriage from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.
The funeral service, which will begin by 11.00am will end at 12:15pm a second, larger procession brings her coffin to Wellington Arch.
at 13.00, her coffin is transferred to the state hearse and driven to Windsor along a route expected to be lined by crowds, while at 15:00, the day’s third procession begins, through the grounds of Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel.
At 16:00, Committal service takes place at St George’s Chapel while at 19:30, Royal Family returns to the chapel for a private burial service that will see Elizabeth II interred alongside her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
President Bola Tinubu has once again pleaded with Nigerians to to endure the hardship and pains his reforms and policies have inflicted on them, promising that his administration has its hands on the plough to quickly alleviate their sufferings.
Tinubu gave the assurance on Saturday, during the 48th convocation ceremony of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, emphasising that his government would ensure that every citizen benefits, by correcting the mistakes of past administrations, promising not to engage in blame games but commit to improving the country through his economic reforms.
The president, who was represented at the event by the Special Adviser on Economy, Office of the Vice President, Tope Fasua, acknowledged that he is aware of the harsh economic situation of the country, and begged Nigerians to endure what he described as unintentional hardship, adding that he does not take pleasure in inflicting pains on Nigerians but assured there was light at the end of the tunnel as his reform policies were aimed at making Nigeria works for everyone.
“Fellow Nigerians, I am not unaware of the harsh economic situation of our country neither do I take pleasure in inflicting pains and anguish on my compatriots,” the President said in his keynote address at the convocation.
“However, we were faced with the stark reality of the results of some policies hitherto executed by past administrations but which had no direct positive impact on the generality of our people.
“Our reform policies are aimed at making Nigeria work for everyone, but the pains that come with the reform must be endured in the meantime.
“We have gladly accepted the assets and liability of our heroes’ past without any intention of apportioning blame or pointing an accusing finger at any individual or group of people.
“As we are trying to fix, reconfigure, and correct past mistakes and errors, we implore all Nigerians to cooperate with us, to endure this unintentional hardship so that; like the graduates of today, we all can celebrate and be celebrated at the end of the day. I am certainly seeing the light at the end of our tunnel.”
The Swedish Prosecution Authority announced today that the inquiry into rape allegations against French footballer Kylian Mbappé has been closed due to a lack of sufficient evidence to proceed.
This is according to multiple reports on Thursday morning.
The allegations had drawn international attention, casting a shadow over the football star’s career.
Mbappé, who had consistently denied the allegations, has yet to make an official statement regarding the decision
His legal team had previously emphasised his commitment to due process.
Mbappe was “linked to rape investigation in Sweden” and that he intended to reserve any explanations for the Swedish justice system “if necessary,” according to his lawyer, Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard.
“He prioritises providing his explanations, if required, to the Swedish judiciary,” Canu-Bernard told AFP, while strongly condemning “media allegations suggesting that Kylian Mbappé had commented on the events of his trip to Stockholm.”
The case, which began earlier this year, involved accusations stemming from an alleged incident in Stockholm. The prosecutor’s decision not to press charges marks the end of months of scrutiny and speculation.
The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has lashed back at Vice President Kashim Shettima over the latter’s reaction to her comments about Nigeria.
Badenoch was born in the UK in 1980 to Nigerian Yoruba parents.
Badenoch, who attained age 16 in Nigeria before departing the country for the UK where she was elected Conservative Party’s leader, described Nigeria as a nation brimming with thieving politicians and insecurity.
However, Shettima, while speaking at the 10th Annual Migration Dialogue at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Monday, December 9, 2024, accused Badenoch of “denigrating her country of origin” with her remarks.
The vice-president listed influential people whose families had migrated to other countries, commending former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a “brilliant young man who never denigrated his nation of ancestry.”
Reacting on Wednesday, Badenoch lashed back at Shettima, saying she doesn’t do “PR for Nigeria”.
Her spokesperson, as the Tory leader, according to UK Express, said: “Kemi is not interested in doing Nigeria’s PR; she is the Leader of the Opposition in the UK.
“She tells the truth; she tells it like it is; she isn’t going to couch her words. She stands by what she said.”
