Foreign News
Nigerians in New York Organise Debate for Mayoral Candidates
The Nigerian community in New York City, United States, on Sunday organised a debate for the mayoral candidates to learn about their views on critical issues impacting on the Nigerian community.
The debate was convened by The Nigerian Forum, a coalition of the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN) and the Nigerian-Americans Public Affairs Committee (NAPAC), a political action committee.
The New York City mayoral election is very competitive and strategic due to the city’s diverse nature and an annual budget of about US$ 100 billion, the largest municipal budget in the U.
S.No fewer than 13 Democratic and two Republican candidates have qualified for the city’s 2021 mayoral election following the Democratic and Republican primaries on June 22, 2021, and a general election on November 2, 2021.
no fewer than three Nigerians are contesting in the city council’s elections.
They are Prof. Ranti Ogunleye, contesting for Staten Island City 49; Dr George Onuorah, contesting for Queens district 21; and Chris Durosinmi, contesting for Brooklyn District 37.
The Nigerian community is therefore positioning itself as an organised and important voting bloc that has enough weight to pull support for a candidate whose agenda resonates with the community.
Chairman of NAPAC New York, Mr Gbenga Omotayo, said that the debate aimed to discover the agenda of each candidate so as help make an informed choice about whose agenda would best support the Nigerian community.
Omotayo said a lot of issues affects Nigerians in the city, adding the candidate whose agenda best addresses the issues would secure the Nigerian community’s support.
“We have a vision to make sure that our children get to wherever and whatever level they deserve and desire.
“We are going to use some criteria to determine who we should work with and whoever we go with it, by the grace of God, is going to be the next New York Mayor.
“When he is there, we are going to make demands of him; gone are the days when Nigerians were pushed aside. We don’t want that to happen any longer,’’ he said.
Omotayo also canvassed support for Nigerians contesting for New York City Council positions, saying, “we have our brothers contesting, we will support them”.
Similarly, Dr Nelson Aluya, President of NAPAC, canvassed support for Nigerians contesting for elective positions.
Aluya said: “New York has a role to play, not only for us as Africans or for us as Nigerians but also for us black people.
“We must begin to put our differences aside and come together to achieve result.”
Also speaking, Dr Bola Omotosho, who moderated the forum, said the goal was for Nigerians to hear first-hand from the candidates as a voting bloc in New York.
Omotosho, a former Democratic candidate for New York City Council, said “New York is a melting point of the world and the city is very important to the Nigerian community.”
He added that the forum would afford Nigerians the opportunity to ask questions, noting that “New York is a very diverse community and whoever becomes its next mayor will inherit a lot of responsibilities.”
Eric Adams, a leading mayoral candidate in the polls, pledged “to deliver the prosperity of New York to the Nigerian Community in the city”.
Adams, current borough president of Brooklyn, said education, security and wealth creation as well as health would be top on his agenda, noting that he had supported the health sector in Nigeria by establishing a clinic in Lagos.
The Democratic candidate also pledged to connect Africa with New York through cultural, educational and youth exchange programmes. (NAN)
The United States says it will begin revoking visas of Chinese students and tighten screening for future applicants from China and Hong Kong, the US State Department said on Thursday.
“The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on social media platform X.
In a press release, the State Department stated that it would also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.
It was not immediately clear how many students currently in the United States would be affected or whether any exemptions would apply.
According to the Institute of International Education (IIE), about 277,000 Chinese students were enrolled at U.S. universities during the 2023-2024 academic years, making them the second-largest group of international students after those from India.
The U.S. already applies strict visa rules for Chinese nationals in certain academic disciplines, particularly in science and technology.
China’s Foreign Office said it filed a complaint against the unjustified step.
Washington’s discriminatory actions expose the lie of freedom and openness that the U.S. has always boasted about, said spokeswoman Mao Ning in Beijing.
The new measures come amid reports that the State Department has halted new visa interviews for international students and exchange visitors while it reviews screening procedures, including expanded checks on social media activity.
The pause reportedly affects F, M and J visa categories, including those for students, interns and au pairs, with further instructions expected in the coming days.
However, relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated further since U.S President Donald Trump took office in January.
The two economic powers are engaged in a deepening trade dispute and competing for global influence across multiple fronts.(dpa/NAN)
A South Korean Navy patrol plane with four people on board crashed on a mountain in Pohang, a city in the south-eastern part of the country.
The Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing authorities.
The crash happened at 1:50 pm (0450 GMT).
According to the report, witnesses said smoke was seen rising from the mountain.
The bodies of all four people aboard the plane have since been recovered, Yonhap reported.
The navy, in a short statement to reporters, said the crash occurred after the aircraft took off for a training exercise, but crashed due to unidentified reasons.
The navy said that it is investigating further details.
Fire workers were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze.(dpa/NAN)
The Israeli Government has rejected the latest proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, local media reported on Monday.
“The proposal received by Israel cannot be accepted by any responsible government,’’ the Times of Israel quoted an unnamed senior official as saying, who didn’t give any further details.
According to the ynet news website, the proposal was made by a Palestinian-American businessman who has reportedly been involved in direct negotiations with Palestinian extremist group Hamas for some time.
According to Hezbollah-affiliated Arab broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, the proposal involves a 70-day ceasefire to allow both sides to conduct negotiations on an end to the war.
With Hamas is to release five living hostages and the bodies of a further five from Gaza.
The draft is far removed from the proposal drawn up by U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, ynet quoted an Israeli official as saying.
Witkoff’s recently submitted draft provides for the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for 45 to 60 days of ceasefire.
According to Israeli sources, at least 20 hostages are still being held alive in the Gaza Strip, with the fate of three further abductees unclear.
In addition, the Islamists are still holding the bodies of 35 hostages abducted from Israel during the attacks it launched on Oct. 7, 2023. (dpa/NAN)
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