Politics
Taliban officials to attend UN climate summit for first time since Afghanistan takeover
The Taliban is sending officials to attend the UN climate summit in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku starting on Monday, in what will be the group’s first appearance at the forum since its forceful takeover of Afghanistan.
The Taliban-controlled foreign ministry’s spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi said officials from the country’s National Environmental Protection Agency have arrived in Azerbaijan to attend the Cop29 conference. The Taliban’s leaders have controlled the environmental agency for more than three years now, after they took power in Kabul in August 2021.
The group’s government is not formally recognised by the UN and the international community owing to its restrictions on the basic rights of citizens, particularly women, who are banned from education and the workplace. The UN has stopped the Taliban from taking control of Afghanistan’s seat at the General Assembly and continues to back the appointed representatives from the previous Ashraf Ghani administration to represent the country on the global stage.
Azerbaijan has invited the Afghan environment agency officials to Cop29 as observers, allowing the former insurgent group to “potentially participate in periphery discussion and potentially hold bilateral meetings”, according to a diplomatic source.
But the Taliban will not be allowed to take part in the proceedings of full member states as the Taliban is not recognised within the UN system as Afghanistan’s legitimate leaders, instead as de facto authorities, the source said.
So far the UN has only invited the Taliban to talks specifically on Afghanistan’s future in Doha. China and Russia have expressed willingness to foster ties with the de facto administration and have invited its ministers to attend forums in China and central Asia in the past two years.
Afghanistan has been badly affected by a succession of climate emergencies, including flash floods, torrential rains and droughts, in the past year.
Flash floods have killed hundreds this year, sweeping away villages and people in remote parts of Afghanistan. The war-ravaged country is heavily dependent on agriculture, but successive floods and droughts have wiped away fields and produce.
International isolation has compounded the country’s economic struggles, making its population one of the poorest on the planet.
“Afghanistan is one of the countries that is really left behind on the needs that it has. It is a double price that they are paying,” said Habib Mayar, deputy general secretary of the g7+, an intergovernmental organisation of countries affected by conflict.
“There is lack of attention, lack of connection with the international community, and then there are increasing humanitarian needs.”
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President Bola Tinubu felicitates Senator Ifeanyi Godwin Ararume, astute politician and accomplished businessman, on his birthday, December 16.
Senator Ararume’s odyssey in politics began in the late 1980s, when he served as the State Treasurer of the Liberal Convention in old Imo State. He later joined the National Finance Committee of the defunct National Republican Convention.
He represented Imo North in the 9th National Assembly. He was first elected in May 1999 and re-elected in April 2003. He also served on several committees and held other official roles.
President Tinubu commends the former senator for his years of service to the nation and contributions to its peace, unity, and progress.
The President describes Senator Ararume as a resolute and shrewd politician, highlighting his courageous and remarkable political journey through the years.
President Tinubu wishes Senator Ararume a happy 67th birthday and prays that God Almighty will grant him more years of good health and strength.
Politics
Ndigbo are no longer spectators in the Nigerian project- Minister Dave Umahi dismisses calls for Biafra under Tinubu’s administration
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, says the all-inclusive style of governance being practiced by President Bola Tinubu has made the agitation for Biafra an unnecessary clamour.
While speaking at the inspection of the Enugu-Anambra road last Saturday, December 13, Umahi said the Tinubu administration had given Ndigbo what they had sought for decades, not through secession, but through what he described as unprecedented inclusion in national governance and development.
He explained that the agitation for Biafra was historically driven by neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation at the federal level, but insisted that the situation had changed under the current administration.
“When a people are fully integrated, respected and empowered within the structure of the nation, the dream they once chased through agitation has already been achieved through cooperation.
The push for Biafran secession over the years was borne out of neglect, exclusion and underrepresentation but today the narrative has changed dramatically under President Bola Tinubu.
The President has deliberately opened the doors of national development to the South-East. Appointments, policy inputs and infrastructure priorities now reflect true federal balance.
Every sector now bears visible Igbo footprints. The emergence of Igbo sons and daughters in strategic positions is a testament to this inclusion.
Biafra was never about breaking Nigeria; it was about being counted in Nigeria. Through inclusion, equity and concrete development, Ndigbo are no longer spectators in the Nigerian project; they are co-authors of its future. When justice finds a people, agitation loses its voice.”he said
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has announced a 90-day nationwide membership mobilisation, revalidation, and registration exercise as part of preparations for its internal party activities ahead of 2026.
The party also approved provisional dates for its congresses and the election of delegates at the polling unit, ward, and local government levels across the country.
In circulars issued by its national secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, the ADC said the congresses are expected to hold between January 20 and January 27, 2026.
The process, the party said, will lead to the emergence of delegates who will participate in its non-elective national convention scheduled for February 2026 in Abuja.
A statement by Bolaji Abdullahi, national publicity secretary of the party, said the decisions were reached at a meeting of the national working committee (NWC) held on November 27, 2025.
Abdullahi said the timetable and activities were approved in line with the resolutions of the NWC and in accordance with relevant provisions of the party’s constitution.
The ADC said further details on the membership exercise, congresses, and convention will be communicated to party members and stakeholders in due course.
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