Leke Alder, a strategist, claims that intelligent voters are the only ones who can support democracy.
“Democracy only succeeds when voters are educated,” says the statement. There is no such thing as a game of numbers. Alder said on Wednesday at the event held by Covenant Nation in Iganmu, Lagos, that true democracy is a game of smart numbers.
The lawyer, who spoke at the event, presented a session on electronic voting and celebrated Nigeria’s Independence Day.
He claimed that adopting e-voting was neither difficult nor impossible for Nigeria.
It is not particularly sophisticated, and almost 80% of Nigerians are intelligent. That is very high praise for our nation, he claimed.
INCLUDES: [Independence Day:] Joe Abah’s 1966 Military Coup Was Nigeria’s Worst National Tragedy
He criticized the current voting process, arguing that the real issue is with elected officials’ ability to respond to the electorate.
They are on their own once you cast your ballot. They are stealing money. You are not entirely familiar with them. How well-known are their representatives? he inquired.
The people are given no more power. By spending eight hours at the polling station, he continued, “you are discouraged from voting.”
Why Is It Possible To Vote on Phone?
A ballot box
Alder claimed that Nigerians could vote on sensitive matters using both mobile and electronic means. He also urged young people to demand changes.
It is doable, they say. Why can’t we vote on our phones and still be able to do everything, even make payments to God with our phones? he inquired.
“EndSARS was organized by the youths. Why won’t they pass this legislation? My generation, who are primarily in their 60s and 70s, will continue in this manner if they don’t, which is not working. How many people are satisfied?
He questioned Nigeria’s contradictions, asking, “Why can Nigerians do so well anywhere but Nigeria”?
Ending Money Politics
Leke Alder
Alder urged urgent changes to end election rigging and vote-buying.
There must be electoral reforms in order to correct these anomalies. It must be avoided from spending a lot of money at the polling booth.
It’s not productive, they say. Why can’t we use a phone to poll voters? He inquired.
Alder urged a shift to true representative governance and argued that the government cannot solve the issue of unemployment alone.
The government is unable to employ every person on the job market. That number can only be significantly reduced by the private sector.
Every time Lauren Bell plays for England, she always sports two bracelets.
They are made at home; one word says “focus,” the other says “reset,” and they represent a small portion of Bell’s rapid progression from promising youngster to attacking leader in three years.
The 24-year-old is gearing up for her first 50-over World Cup, which will be played in Sri Lanka and India, and is a top-notch seamer.
With 24 wickets in 16 one-day internationals and an economy rate of just over five runs per over, she has been England’s most consistent pace bowler since the start of 2024. With 19 wickets won in nine matches, she also took the top spot in The Hundred.
Bell is incredibly clear about what makes her tick and has an infectious optimism about her career.
I quickly discovered in cricket that I must concentrate to get the most out of myself because I can be distracted and drift away quickly, Bell said.
A bad ball can suddenly make a bad over, and a bad over can turn into a bad spell as a bowler.
England vs. South Africa: Women’s World Cup
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Before Bell had made her international debut, Bell had won the previous 50-over World Cup in New Zealand in 2022, but after England A and England A met for the winter in Australia, she was chosen as a traveling reserve.
When the rest of the squad had returned home after contracting Covid-19, Bell became bored and alone in quarantine. She wants to make her mark on the most recent edition when England play South Africa on Friday, which is of little surprise.
When Bell was asked how her career had changed since that tournament, Bell responded, “It’s crazy.
Even as a reserve, “Looking back]to 2022” was way beyond my expectations.
Bell’s ability to swing the ball so intently into the right-handed batter was her main selling point when she first started playing international cricket, but she spent the majority of her 2024 refining her swings to add more weight to her bow.
Bell is England’s strike powerplay bowler, and her confidence when bowling during that phase, which is frequently thought to be one of the most difficult, demonstrates her faith and determination in her mental attitude. She now swings the ball both ways and with clever variations in pace.
You’re obviously hitting the best batters, Bell said, but I take it another way: I get to swing the ball, so you know it’s a big chance for wickets.
It’s the ideal time to bowl, in my opinion. I believe that this is a chance for me to start playing.
Instead of worrying that it will make it easy for them to score boundaries, I enjoy opening the bowling.
With Em Arlott and Lauren Filer serving as the other frontline seamers and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt playing all-rounder, head coach Charlotte Edwards removed veteran seamer Kate Cross from England’s squad, giving Bell additional responsibility.
As all teams experienced at the T20 World Cup last year in the United Arab Emirates, the conditions in Guwahati have been extremely humid and challenging.
This has been a factor for Bell, who might have had little time to rest because he could start the bowling with spinners.
Nobody would have seen what we did behind the scenes, she said.
Nobody will notice that we ran these long-running and top-up sessions after games during The Hundred.
I want to ensure that I can bowl as quickly as I can in the final over of the tournament as I can in the first one, especially for me as a seamer.”
Bell may be playing in Bell’s first World Cup, but she might be one of England’s most significant players.
After Congress failed to pass a new spending bill, forcing operations that were deemed inescapable to close, the United States federal government shut down at 12:01 am East Coast time (4:01 GMT).
President Trump has threatened to use the impasse to force widespread federal employee layoffs.
Republicans and Democrats continue to disagree on spending priorities as they push for cuts to social programs, foreign aid, and healthcare.
Washington has not experienced this level of hostility before. Every US government shutdown since 1976, including how long they have existed, and which administration was in place, is depicted in the graphic below.
(Al Jazeera)
A government shutdown is what?
Parts of the federal government must close until a spending plan is approved in the event that Congress does not pass a budget agreement.
Because the government’s fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30, shutdowns typically occur in October.
How frequently has the government been in office?
1976 was the start of the current budget process. The government has since experienced 20 funding gaps, which have caused 10 government shutdowns.
When Congress does not pass a budget or stopgap spending bill (also known as a continuing resolution), leaving the government without the authority to spend money, funding occurs.
If temporary funding measures expire before a long-term agreement is reached, a single shutdown may result in multiple funding gaps.
Only if the government’s operations actually cease as a result of this funding gap.
Prior to the 1980s, funding gaps did not typically result in shutdowns, and organizations continued to operate assuming funding would be restored soon.
Attorney General Benjamin Civiletti issued legal opinions after 1980 stating that agencies are required to spend money without the approval of Congress. Only essential services, such as law enforcement, air traffic control, and national security, could continue.
Since 1982, funding gaps have more frequently resulted in complete or partial government shutdowns until the standoff is resolved by Congress.
The last government shutdown occurred when?
After President Donald Trump, who was in his first term, and Democratic politicians reached a deadlock over the president’s request for $5 billion in funding for a wall along the US-Mexico border, a demand that Democrats opposed, the government shutdown occurred in December 2018 and January 2019.
What shutdown lasted the longest?
Trump announced he had reached a tentative agreement with congressional leaders to reopen the government for three weeks while border wall negotiations continued, making the shutdown 35 days long, the longest in US history.
What transpires during a shutdown?
Nonessential federal services are suspended or reduced while a government shutdown occurs, and many government employees are furloughed or given unpaid leave.
While essential personnel, such as those in the military, law enforcement, and air traffic controllers, are required to continue working, frequently without pay, until funding is restored.
How are government shutdowns ended?
When Congress passes a continuing resolution that provides short-term funding while continuing negotiations for a longer-term budget, shutdowns are typically resolved.
Every shutdown has come to an end with the passage of a continuing resolution since 1990.
What services are being discontinued?
Nonessential federal employees, as well as people and businesses that rely on government services, are the main victims of a shutdown.
The nation’s top employer is the federal government. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released by the Pew Research Center, it had a little more than 3 million workers as of November, or 1.9 percent of the civilian workforce.
About 750, 000 federal employees could be furloughed each day, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and their lost pay would add up to about $400 million per day if funding runs out in fiscal year 2026. Because some organizations may increase layoffs as the shutdown drags on longer while others may re-establish some employees, the exact number of furloughed workers may change over time.
Numerous services and organizations have been impacted by previous shutdowns, including:
Monuments and national parks
Federal museums
Federal projects for research
Processing of a number of government benefits
IRS Taxpayer Services
What services are still in use?
Numerous essential government functions are still in operation even during a shutdown. Some continue because they are deemed necessary for public safety and welfare, while others are funded through self-sustaining or mandatory programs. Examples include:
After 19 years of marriage, Nicole Kidman and country singer Keith Urban split, but their relationship has endured struggles, from Keith’s drinking to a brutal blow.
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Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman (Image: Getty Images)
The actress Nicole Kidman and country music duo Keith Urban are divorcing after 19 years of marriage, the showbiz industry learned earlier this week. When it came to their PDA moments, the couple looked flawless, but they also experienced some turbulent times away from the red carpet.
After three months of living apart, Nicole, 58, and her husband, 57, filed for divorce on Tuesday (September 30). However, Keith, who has two daughters, Faith, 13, and Sunday, 15, allegedly initiated their separation and reportedly eluded their Nashville home.
Insiders claim the split was “inevitable” and initially it appeared that things would move forward smoothly and amicably. However, fresh revelations have since surfaced, claiming that Nicole was ‘blindsided’. Here, The Mirror takes a look at what went wrong for one of Hollywood’s most devoted couples…
READ MORE: Keith Urban changes lyrics of Nicole Kidman song to include female guitarist amid divorceREAD MORE: Telling signs Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s split is turning ugly – girlfriend to custody
battles involving alcohol and drugs
Their relationship was shattered by Keith’s struggle with drug and alcohol abuse just four months after they tied the knot in 2006. He admitted during his speech at Nicole’s AFI Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony that “we got married in 2006, and we barely four months into our marriage, the addictions that I had done nothing about blew our marriage to pieces.
I’m in rehab for three months after we got married, and I have no idea what would happen. Nic chose love, he continued, going beyond any unfavorable voices, and I’m sure even some of her own.
His newlywed wife, who was employed in Rome at the time, was forced to intervene to encourage him to become sober. Keith claimed in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone that he would have understood if Nicole had left him.
He admitted, “It was very, very fortunate for Nic to intervene on me.” He continued, “My new marriage exploded because of my behavior.”
He acknowledged that “she really should have just walked” in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. He continued, “She made a decision to turn around and initiate this intervention in the end, and I’m just so glad she didn’t.”
He later wrote in a statement about how hurt Nicole and those who love and support me have been caused by this. I’m afraid that I have let my guard down when it comes to recovery.
Keith recently made an intriguing comparison to “audible heroin” when listening to Ariana Grande’s new song, “We Can’t Be Friends.” Although it was widely regarded as a lighthearted statement, it allegedly struck a chord with his wife Nicole because it brought their “very dark time back” when they almost split up.
An insider told Woman’s Day magazine that Nicole never wanted to ask him to remove a post, but she was disappointed. The couple “went through hell because of Keith’s addictions,” according to the source.
Cocaine “clause”
According to reports, the couple put in place a “cocaine” clause that would allow Keith to make around £444,000 ($600,000) for every year he married if he stayed sober. Since the clause alone, he is thought to have been sober since 2006, which would increase his earnings by more than £8 million ($11 million) to $11.
In front of pals, “Called out”
According to reports, Keith allegedly called out to their friend about their relationship after feeling “unhappy.” They are simply going through the motions of being married, they say. “The intimacy isn’t there. It would be wonderful if Keith and Keith got back together after this separation, according to a source close to the Daily Mail.
Another source claimed to the Times that this was “allegedly in the presence of friends.” She was “blinded,” they continued, “but we will see how things turn during the holiday season and his upcoming birthday] next month.” They still need some work.
Rumors about new romances
Keith has already found love elsewhere, according to US insiders. One person stated, “Kie is with another woman, and all the signs point to that.” Let’s just say that Nicole is shocked by it even though she doesn’t dispute that.
Continue reading the article.
According to a source, Nicole’s new girlfriend is “younger” than Nicole, and “everyone is talking about it.” According to rumors, he is working with a younger woman in the company. Everyone is talking about it all at once. Everyone wants to know who, but so far, it’s a mystery.
altered the lyrics
In response to rumors about a new love interest, Keith has updated the lyrics to a romantic song about Nicole with Maggie Baugh as the name of her. Keith changed the lyrics to “Baby I’ll be your fighter” from “Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player,” according to a clip that was released online shortly after he performed “The Fighter” at a recent performance.
The vast and rugged Nuba Mountains in Sudan, which extend southward in the region’s South Kordofan region, are characterized by rocky hills and dispersed huts.
After the rebel group in charge, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), the government in charge, fought for autonomy in the mountains for decades, the region’s Nuba people have been subject to constant pressure from the government in Khartoum, who have been starving and bombarding them for decades.
The local population has been stung even more by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) ethnic cleansing campaigns in recent years.
The SPLM-N then allied with the RSF, a group accused of genocide, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing, to take control of the nation from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) since 2023, at the start of this year.
Residents of the Nuba Mountains expressed mixed emotions and deep resentment about the pact.
Some residents are suspicious of the decision, while others are afraid to speak out loud and rely on their leaders’ convictions to restore peace in the area.
Many people believe the alliance will lead to stability and peace, something that was desperately needed after decades of persistent wars.
The Nuba Mountains have experienced hunger before, and now that the new alliance may have caused more fighting, its spectre is growing.
Famine broke out in some of the mountains in 2024 as a result of aid blockades by the warring parties, failed harvests, and locust swarms.
Since the war started in the region in 2023, the local communities and the more than one million internally displaced people who have moved in have survived on leaves and scraps and are still unprepared for food.
Doctors in the area issue warnings about a siloed mental health crisis affecting the displaced and report a rise in malnutrition, particularly in children and pregnant women.
Yet despite this destruction, a strong spirit of solidarity pervades. Communities support one another across all boundaries of their religious convictions and geographical boundaries.
