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The investigation of the Nord Stream explosions is a high global priority
Jeffrey D. Sachs
On February 21, the UN Security Council held a public meeting on the Nord Stream Pipeline Destruction and its follow-up investigation. I made a video speech at the meeting. The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines on September 26, 2022 constitutes an act of international terrorism and represents a threat to the peace. It is the responsibility of the UN Security Council to take up the question of who might have carried out the act, in order to bring the perpetrator to international justice, to pursue compensation for the damaged parties, and to prevent future such actions.
The consequences of the destruction of Nord Stream 2 are enormous. They include not only the vast economic losses related to the pipelines themselves , but also the heightened threat to transboundary infrastructure of all kinds: submarine internet cables, international pipelines for gas and hydrogen, transboundary power transmission, offshore wind farms, and more. The global transformation to green energy will require considerable transboundary infrastructure, including in international waters. Countries need to have full confidence that their infrastructure will not be destroyed by third parties. Some European countries have recently expressed concern over the safety of their offshore infrastructure. For all of these reasons, the investigation by the UN Security Council of the Nord Stream explosions is a high global priority.
The destruction of the Nord Stream pipelines required a very high degree of planning, expertise, and technological capacity. The Nord Stream 2 pipelines are a marvel of engineering. Each section of pipe is rolled steel of over 4cm thickness, and with a pipeline internal diameter of 1.15 meters. The pipe is encased in concrete of 10.9 cm thickness. The weight of each section of concrete-encased pipe is 24 metric tons. The Nord Stream pipelines contain around 200,000 pipes. The pipelines sit on the sea floor. Destroying a pipeline of heavy rolled steel, encased in concrete, at the depth of 70-90 meters, requires highly advanced technologies for transportation of the explosives, diving to install the explosives, and detonation. To do so undetected, in the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden, adds greatly to the complexity of the operation. As a number of senior officials have confirmed, an action of this sort must have been carried out by a state-level actor.
Only a handful of state-level actors have both the technical capacity and access to the Baltic Sea to have carried out this action. A recent report by the Washington Post revealed that the intelligence agencies of the NATO countries have privately concluded that there is no evidence whatsoever that Russia carried out this action. This also comports with the fact that Russia had no obvious motive to carry out this act of terrorism on its own critical infrastructure. Indeed, Russia is likely to bear considerable expenses to repair the pipelines.
Three countries have reportedly carried out investigations of the Nord Stream terrorism: Denmark, Germany, and Sweden. These countries presumably know much about the circumstances of the terrorist attack. Sweden, in particular, which its divers investigated the crime scene. Yet Sweden has kept the results of its investigation secret from the rest of the world. Sweden has refused to share its findings with Russia, and turned down a joint investigation with Denmark and Germany. In the interest of global peace, the UN Security Council should require these countries to immediately turn over the results of their investigations to the UN Security Council.
There is only one detailed account to date of the Nord Stream destruction, the one recently put forward by investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, ostensibly based on information leaked to Hersh by an unnamed source. Hersh attributes the Nord Stream destruction to a decision ordered by US President Joe Biden and carried out by US agents in a covert operation that Hersh describes in detail. The White House has described Hersh’s account as “completely and utterly false,” but did not offer any information contradicting Hersh’s account and did not offer any alternative explanation.
Senior US officials made statements before and after the Nord Stream destruction that showed the US animus towards the pipelines. In January 2022, Under-Secretary of State Victoria Nuland tweeted, “If Russia invades Ukraine, one way or another, Nord Stream 2 will not move forward.” On February 7, President Biden said, “If Russia invades… again, then there will be longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it.” When asked by the reporter how he would do that, he responded, “I promise you we will be able to do it.” On September 30, 2022 immediately following the terrorist attack on the pipeline, Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared that the destruction of the pipeline is “also a tremendous opportunity. It’s a tremendous opportunity to once and for all remove the dependence on Russian energy ”. In January 2023, Under-Secretary Nuland declared to Senator Ted Cruz, “I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea.”
Such language is not at all appropriate in the face of international terrorism. I hope that the US together with all other Security Council members will condemn this heinous act of international terrorism and join together in an urgent UNSC-led investigation of this international crime in order to determine the truth. The truth is not yet known by the world, but it is knowable.
More than ever, the world depends on the UN Security Council to do its work to stop war. The world will be safe only when the permanent members work together diplomatically to solve global crises. The UN Security Council provides the unique global venue for that peace-affirming work. More than ever, we need a healthy, functioning UN Security Council carrying out the mission assigned to it by the UN Charter.
A UN Security Council objective investigation of the Nord Stream terrorism, in which all countries contribute what they know, is important for the global confidence in this body and most importantly, for global peace and sustainable development.
By Fabian Apechihin
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has warned that petrol prices could rise to ₦5,000 per litre under President Bola Tinubu’s administration if the government fails to address concerns surrounding oil revenues and public spending.
Atiku raised the alarm through his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, following the latest petrol price increase.
He questioned why Nigerians were paying as much as ₦1,470 per litre when crude oil was trading at approximately $102.52 per barrel.
“With crude oil around $102.52 per barrel, Nigerians are paying as much as N1,470 per litre. In 2008, when crude oil reached about $147 per barrel, petrol sold at N65 per litre under the Yar’Adua administration,” Atiku said.
The former vice president called for a reconciliation of oil revenues and deductions from 2023 to date, arguing that Nigerians should be able to establish how much revenue was generated, what deductions were made before distribution and where the funds eventually went.
“Nigerians deserve accounts they can interrogate, not accounting labels designed to discourage questions,” he said.
Atiku also questioned the use of funds saved following the removal of the petrol subsidy, recalling the government’s earlier assurances that the savings would create room for increased investment in education, healthcare and infrastructure.
“After all the pain imposed on Nigerians, they have a right to ask: where are the subsidy savings and where is the money?” he asked.
He further called for scrutiny of financial transactions involving the Renewed Hope Infrastructure Development Fund, OML 143, oil production revenues and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s international liquefied natural gas trading operations.
“These allegations are too serious to be answered with press statements and political insults. Every barrel can be measured, every cargo identified and every legitimate payment traced,” Atiku said.
The former vice president’s remarks come amid continuing public debate over petrol pricing, oil revenue management and the economic impact of subsidy removal on Nigerians.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday hosted the former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, in Abuja, in a meeting that has attracted attention amid growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Neither Atiku nor Aisha publicly disclosed details of their discussions or indicated whether the meeting centred on political matters.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of renewed interest in the Buhari family’s political influence, particularly in Katsina State.
In May, Yusuf Buhari, son of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, won the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for the Sandamu/Daura/Mai’adua Federal Constituency seat in Katsina State. He secured 6,386 votes, defeating Auwal Daura, who polled 322 votes.
The outcome generated considerable interest within political circles in the Daura axis, where the Buhari family has maintained a strong political presence.
Aisha Buhari has also remained active in promoting the legacy of her late husband, who died in London on July 13, 2025.
In July, she described education and human capital development as among Muhammadu Buhari’s most important legacies while speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for a Computer Science Complex at Al-Qalam University, Katsina.
The project is being financed with proceeds from the book From Soldier to Statesman: The Legacy of Muhammadu Buhari, which chronicles the former president’s life and public service.
Aisha said the initiative was aimed at preserving Buhari’s legacy through investment in education, knowledge and innovation rather than through the construction of monuments.
Although the purpose and outcome of Wednesday’s meeting between Atiku and Aisha were not publicly disclosed, the encounter has drawn attention as political actors and groups continue to position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections.
- As Gov AbdulRazaq Is Turbaned As Sadauna Of Ilorin Emirate
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Vice President Kashim Shettima has stressed the need for politicians to embrace one another, play politics without bitterness and according to the rules in order to ensure an astronomical growth and development for the country.
Shettima made the appeal on Wednesday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, at the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the Sardauna of Ilorin Emirate by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, while admonishing
Nigerians to serve with humility, do good to one another and have forgiving spirit, as they, according to him, would spend more time after office.
He added: “Power is given by God to the people He so wishes and not because we are better than others. I, therefore, call on all politicians to unite themselves as one family despite their political differences.
“Take a cue from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that I serve as his assistant. He is a good and decent man who has the love and interest of Nigerians at heart.”
Shettima explained that when they assumed office in 2023, the economy of the country was at the brink of collapse, but President Tinubu refused to pass blame; with courage he accepted both the assets and liabilities and moved on.
He further disclosed that during the 2023 electioneering campaign, only six out of the 19 northern governors supported Tinubu’s presidential aspiration, based on the erroneous belief that Baba (Buhari) didn’t like him, adding: “But today the President has embraced everybody as his own and things are going on well”.
He added: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a good man by all standard; he believes in the people that work with him.”
Shettima also thanked the Emir of Ilorin for the honour done to Governor AbdulRazaq, which , he noted, was based on his contributions to the development of the Ilorin Emirate and the State at large, adding that “the father of the Governor had planted a solid footprint in the Ilorin Emirate and by extension Nigeria as a whole”.
Shettima, who expressed optimism that this new chapter would create a stronger bond between the Emirate and the family of Governor AbdulRazaq, urged the people to continue to pray for the progress and development of the Emirate and the State as a whole.
He commended Governor AbdulRazaq for his efforts in the massive improvement on infrastructure to assist the people of the State, as well as for his
contributions to the actualisation of policies and programmes of government at the federal level towards providing succour to average Nigerians.
In his remarks, the Matawaliof Ilorin Emirate, Dr.Alimi AbdulRazaq, said the title of Sardauna bestowed on the Governor was well deserved, thanking the Emir of Ilorin for finding the Governor worthy of the noble recognition by the Emirate.
Dr,Alimi urged the Governor to see the tittle as a clarion call to provide more dividends of democracy to the nooks and crannies of the State.
The turbaning ceremony witnessed large turnout of dignitaries, including the Governor of Niger state, Umar Bago, Governor of Kaduna state, Senator Uba Sani, Governor of Imo State ,Hope Uzodinma, and Governors of Kebbi ,Katsina States.
Others are the Emir of Zazzau Emirate, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, the Deputy Governors of Sokoto, Anambra, Nasarawa, Delta, Ondo, and Oyo States.
Fuel Price May Hit ₦5,000 Per Litre Under Tinubu — Atiku Warns
2027: Atiku Hosts Aisha Buhari in Abuja Amid Political Realignment
2027: VP Shettima Urges Politicians To Play Politics without Bitterness
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