President Joe Biden has for the first time authorised Ukraine’s use of US-supplied long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The decision is a major US policy shift and comes as Biden is about to leave office and President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to limit American support for Ukraine and end the war as soon as possible.

The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea‘s decision to send thousands of troops to Russia in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin‘s invasion of Ukraine, according to one of the sources.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

The first deep strikes are reportedly likely to be carried out using ATACMS rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles.

While some US officials have expressed skepticism that allowing long-range strikes will change the war’s overall trajectory, the decision could help Ukraine at a moment when Russian forces are making gains and possibly put Kyiv in a better negotiating position when and if ceasefire talks happen.

It is not clear if Trump will reverse Biden’s decision when he takes office. Trump has long criticized the scale of US financial and military aid to Ukraine and has vowed to end the war quickly, without explaining how.

Still, some congressional Republicans have urged Biden to loosen the rules on how Ukraine can use US-provided weapons.

Russia has warned that it would see a move to loosen the limits on Ukraine’s use of US weapons as a major escalation.

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Obasanjo Demands Removal of INEC Chair Mahmood Yakubu and Other Officials Amid Calls for Electoral Reform…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the dismissal of Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other commission officials at all levels, as part of a broader effort to reform Nigeria’s electoral system.

Obasanjo made the remarks during a presentation at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University, where he delivered a pre-recorded address titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria.” The event, which honors the late Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe, featured a discussion on leadership and governance in Africa.

In his speech, Obasanjo described the 2023 general elections as a “travesty” and emphasized the need for urgent reforms in Nigeria’s electoral process. He called for a thorough vetting of INEC leadership to ensure the appointment of impartial and credible individuals. He also advocated for shorter tenures for INEC officials to prevent political interference and corruption.

“We must ensure that the INEC Chairperson and their staff are thoroughly vetted,” Obasanjo said. “The selection process should prioritize dispassionate, non-partisan individuals with unblemished reputations. Furthermore, the appointment of new, credible leadership at the federal, state, local government, and municipal levels is crucial to restoring public trust in the electoral system.”

Obasanjo stressed that the INEC Chairman must not only be above reproach but also demonstrably independent and incorruptible. He also criticized INEC for failing to utilize critical technological tools like the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), which had been touted as innovations to ensure election integrity.

“These tools were promoted as solutions to election rigging and transparency issues,” Obasanjo pointed out. “However, INEC willfully failed to use them, result

The above question on the title of this short essay has become a recurring decimal deployed by the very fragmented, depleted and remaining few members of the new wannabe opposition in the state.

They ask these questions whenever the news of the #PeoplesGovernor of Imo State, His Excellency Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma appears in his numerous federal government state functions either in Aso Rock’s Abuja or elsewhere just to taunt the workaholic governor of Imo state.

These days, the defeated opposition members in the state do no longer criticise the God sent governor of Imo state on account of performance because they know that the governor has performed creditably well in various areas of governance concern hence their newly adopted methods of taunting the governor for always seen in national functions either in Abuja or elsewhere in the country and even outside the country.

They know that the governor is performing because they can no longer criticise him on account of not paying workers or pensioners as the workers and pensioners are not only paid promptly by the end of every month but also have one of the best welfare packages never seen before in the entire country, Nwaogwugwu stands to be proven wrong because the #SharedProsperity government of the #PeoplesGovernor Hope Uzodimma was the first governor for more than three years now who have consistently provided free transportation services for Imo workers. The Governor is also the first state governor to enroll the entire state civil servants into a health insurance scheme where the workers access free healthcare. He also hold the record of being the only and first governor in this current regime who has consistently for more than three years now paid the state workers what we now know as the 13th month salary. 13th month salary is a reward bonus for all the state workers which are paid to them as Christmas bonus where 100% of their salary are paid as a Christmas bonus. This 13th month salary has been consistently paid for three years now and running.

The confused and depleted opposition members know that they can no longer fault the governor on account of performance regarding to the construction of roads in the state because the governor has done wonders in this regard. Even the #PeoplesGovernor’s worst critic or political enemy knows that the governor has performed wonders when it comes to road construction, hence they can not criticise the governor using that because if they do, Imo people who are using Owerri-Orlu road, or Okigwe-Owerri road or Owerri-Mbaise-Umuahia road or Mc-Toronto-Umunahu-Road Safety road or Aba-Owerri road or more than 50 different internal roads will counter them.

The misguided opposition elements know that they can no longer hold the #PeoplesGovernor to account on youths empowerment because they know that the governor has performed and still performing creditably well. Should the fragmented opposition elements dare raise any issue on this: the over 30,000 Imo youths who have not only been trained with hands on practice digital skills but equipped with gadgets to enable them to establish themselves after the training will come out en mass to counter them.

Of course, they will not dare call out the #PeoplesGovernor for non-performance in quality healthcare provision in the state. Over 100,000 Imolites are beneficiaries of free healthcare insurance services, with over 1,200 childbirths recorded for free, without the mothers paying a shishi. These beneficiaries would counter any such claims. The villagers, where one primary healthcare center is established in each of the 305 electoral wards in the state, receive primary healthcare for free and would also counter such claims. When it comes to quality healthcare, the Governor has set a new high standard for healthcare development in Imo State.

Within a four-year span, the state has witnessed a remarkable upgrade in its healthcare infrastructure, with three brand new General Hospitals and a new Teaching Hospital added.

In the healthcare value chain, the administration’s deliberate revitalization program through investments in nursing and midwifery education, renovation of over 2,000 Primary Health Centers, and the graduation of medical students for the first time in over ten years, has contributed to a more robust and accessible healthcare system in Imo State.

The renewed cries about the governor staying in Abuja are born out of having nothing else to criticize him for.

But come to think of it, the FCT is the center of the federal government of Nigeria, and all the federating units, i.e., the state governments, by convention, have a duty to stay abreast of what is happening at the federal level. That is why every state government has a mini government house in Abuja, as it is expected to always be in the loop of federal dealings.

Aside from the conventional structure of the federating units having a lot to do at the federal government headquarters, the #PeoplesGovernor has many federal appointments under his leadership.

He is presently the Chairman of the ruling party’s Governor’s Forum, the Chairman of the South East Governor’s Forum, and holds other technical positions in the federal government that always require his commitment and attention. The majority of these meetings are in Abuja, and being in Abuja means saving a lot of resources for Imo people that would have otherwise been used in funding the Governor’s frequent movements in and out of the state.

As a practical businessman who came from the private sector, the Governor understands the art of making and saving for Imo. No true businessman worth the name will cite a manufacturing plant outside the source of raw materials.

The persistent claims by the opposition that Imo State is being governed from Abuja are unfounded and merely a tactic to undermine the achievements of Governor Hope Uzodimma. Despite their attempts to criticize his frequent presence at federal functions, the governor’s impressive track record in areas such as worker welfare, road construction, youth empowerment, and healthcare provision speaks for itself. The opposition’s inability to fault his performance in these critical sectors only highlights the governor’s dedication and effectiveness in transforming Imo State, whether from Douglas House or Abuja House.

Ambrose Nwaogwugwu,
Senior Special Assistant to Imo State Governor.
(Electronic and Creative Media).