News

U.S. counterproductive practices are making troubles for political settlement of Ukraine crisis

Published

4 years ago

March 31, 2022

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
NATO recently convened an summit as the Ukraine crisis entered its second month. Promoting peace and talks for an early ceasefire should have been a priority for the U.S.-led alliance. However, the messages sent by the summit were disappointing.
As the initiator of the crisis, the U.S. did not introspect about its responsibilities or try to prevent the war from further escalating. On the contrary, it was passing the buck and claimed that it would provide massive weapons for Ukraine and impose further sanctions against Russia.
This is merely pouring oil on the flames. It will erect greater obstacles to resolving the crisis through political means and bring bigger consequences for world and regional peace and prosperity. What the U.S. has done bears little resemblance to the responsibilities that a major country should shoulder. It was purely motivated by the habitual practice of a hegemonic country to reach its hegemonic goals through making crises.
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once said that to be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal, which has been proven right repeatedly by the crises the country started and escalated around the world.
The following thread clearly illustrates the development of the Ukraine crisis – the U.S. made a cheap promise of NATO membership to Ukraine to trap the latter into confrontations with Russia, and then funded Ukraine hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid while shouting to be preserving peace. Such practice only exemplified the hypocrisy of the U.S.
The direction in which the Ukraine crisis developed is highly dependent on what the U.S. does. Former U.S. congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said that the war between Russia and Ukraine could have been avoided had the U.S. promised to not allow Ukraine to join the NATO.
However, this is not what the U.S. did. The U.S.-led military alliance expanded eastward five times, moving its strategic border to Russia’s gateway. This indicated that the U.S. has no intention of deescalating the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but rather wishes to exacerbate it. The U.S. is taking Ukraine as a pawn on its geopolitical chess board, so as to contain Russia, suffocate Europe’s strategic independence, and shore up its collapsing hegemony in Europe.
For the European allies of the U.S., they are paying a tangible price for the war, such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict at their doorsteps, inflows of refugees, and energy shortage. However, the U.S. that boasts rich gas and petroleum resources and sits on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, is profiting handsomely from the upheaval. After the World War II, the U.S. has always purported to be a guardian of world peace, but as a matter of fact, it’s more of a guardian of its private interests as a country that worships “America first.”
Putting the blame on other countries to safeguard its own hegemony is a usual practice of the U.S. From the onset of the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. accused China of not preventing the war knowing it was inevitable, made nonsense that Russia requested military assistance from China, and hypocritically called on all countries including China to safeguard international order.
On the Ukraine issue, China speaks for justice and works for peace with a long-term vision. It is always playing a constructive role. It supports all efforts that are conducive to easing the situation and seeking political settlement and opposes any act that is counterproductive to reaching diplomatic resolution or even leads to escalation.
By smearing and defaming China, the U.S. just aims to pass the duck and contain China. The U.S. practices reflect that the country, driven by Cold War mentality, is acting like a hegemon, a bully and boss of the world. The U.S. should understand that to resolve the Ukraine crisis, talks and negotiations are necessary. Defining “rule-based international order” with unilateral standards and forcing other countries to pick a side will never work.
The U.S. never cares about the general interests of the world as it pursues its own hegemony. At present, countries around the world are already having a hard time coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring economic development and livelihood. However, the U.S. is ignoring global stability and the work and life of billions of people around the world, arbitrarily imposing all-round and undifferentiated sanctions against Russia. It even claimed that if other countries do not cooperate with it on the sanctions, it may implement retaliatory measures.
Such an abuse of sanctions is a common practice of the U.S. Just in the past 20 years, the number of U.S. sanctions has increased tenfold. However, the world is not getting any better because of these sanctions.
A recent Newsweek article pointed out that sanctions on Russia would fail without diplomacy. The White House knows the point, too, but it is still imposing sanctions, not to ease the situation, but to economically contain Russia in the long run.
Both history and reality have proved that sanctions will not result in peace and security, but only lose-lose or no-win situations. They will only aggravate the sluggish world economy and further exacerbate separation and confrontation.
To create space for peace and political settlement should be an obligation of all responsible countries, especially the major ones. If the U.S. really wants to alleviate tensions in Ukraine, it should refrain from pouring oil on the flames, stop wielding the big stick of sanctions, stop slandering other countries, and stand with justice and peace.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

News

‘Ombugadu Is a Brand, Not a Title’ — PDP Chieftain

Published

1 day ago

September 15, 2026

Our Reporter

By Emmanuel Kuza

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State, Abuga Ovie, has described the name Ombugadu as a political brand, saying the popularity and wide acceptance of the name have made David Emmanuel Ombugadu a major force in the state’s political landscape.

Ovie, who stated this in an interview on Tuesday, said what started as opposition from some of Ombugadu’s biological brothers and people he described as fathers and uncles who betrayed him for personal political interests had now assumed a wider dimension, with political parties allegedly joining the battle against him.

According to him, the latest development was an attempt to undermine the political value of the Ombugadu name by presenting another person with the same surname, describing it as an indication of how far some political actors were prepared to go to weaken the PDP governorship candidate.

“Ombugadu is a brand, not a title. The people are not fools. They know their own. You cannot simply bring another person bearing the same name and expect the people to forget the political identity that Ombugadu has built over the years,” he said.

He further alleged that a former governor was working to introduce a political associate who had served as Accountant-General of Nasarawa State into the political equation, with the alleged objective of destabilising the PDP and weakening its chances by ensuring that the party fields a less competitive candidate in 2027.

“The plan, as we understand it, is to destabilise the PDP and make sure the party presents a weak candidate, thereby creating an advantage for the former governor’s preferred candidate. But all those efforts have proved abortive because the national leadership of the PDP stood its ground and refused to lose its best bet for the 2027 governorship election,” Ovie said.

The PDP chieftain said the resolve of the national leadership to retain Ombugadu had demonstrated the confidence the party had in his capacity to win the governorship election, despite what he described as attempts by some political actors to frustrate his ambition.

Ovie urged political parties and their leaders to resolve their internal differences instead of concentrating their efforts on Ombugadu, whom he compared to David in the Bible, saying he remained focused despite betrayal and opposition from those close to him.

“Ombugadu is like David in the Bible. Even when his brothers forsook him, he remained focused. Today, despite the people who have betrayed him, he remains focused and has a blueprint that can rescue Nasarawa State,” he said.

He said political parties should concentrate on presenting their programmes and convincing voters about how they intend to address the challenges confronting the state rather than expending their energy on attempts to stop Ombugadu.

“Political parties should fix their problems instead of wasting their strength fighting Ombugadu. Let everybody bring their blueprint before the people and explain what they intend to do for Nasarawa State,” he said.

Ovie maintained that the 2027 election should be about ideas, competence and the future of Nasarawa State, rather than attempts to manipulate political structures or undermine individuals perceived to enjoy strong grassroots support.

He urged the people of the state, particularly the Eggon community, to remain politically vigilant and resist what he described as efforts to make them settle for less, insisting that voters would ultimately determine who enjoys their confidence at the polls.
Reduce repeated references to Ombugadu

News

200 widows benefit from empowerment outreach in Plateau

Published

2 days ago

September 15, 2026

milcah

By Israel Adamu, Jos

Two hundred widows from communities across Langtang North Central State Constituency of Plateau State have benefited from an empowerment outreach organised by Gimbiya Gani Nandir Lar under the Jagoran Talakawa movement.

The outreach, held at Pilgani in Langtang North Local Government Area, was aimed at supporting vulnerable women and drawing attention to the challenges faced by widows, particularly those struggling to provide food, pay school fees and meet other basic needs for their families.

The organiser, Nandir Lar, who is the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate for Langtang North Central State Constituency, said the gesture was motivated by compassion and concern for vulnerable members of the society.

She stressed that the outreach was not a political programme but an expression of love and support for humanity.

Nandir Lar said: “The plight of widows may not always make headlines, but their struggles are real, painful and deserving of our collective attention.

“This is simply an expression of compassion and love for humanity. It is not a political programme.

“Our constituency is home to people with diverse needs, including mothers, widows and young people who are seeking opportunities to improve their lives.”

Former Provost of the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, Amos Chirfat, commended the initiative, saying it had brought smiles to the faces of vulnerable women in the constituency.

Minority Leader of the Langtang North Legislative Council, Dirya Sheni, also commended Nandir Lar for supporting widows and other vulnerable members of the community.

At the end of the outreach, each of the 200 beneficiaries received a 10-kilogramme bag of corn flour, seasoning and N10,000 cash

News

SCUML, REDAN Strengthen Collaboration on Anti -Money Laundering Compliance

Published

2 days ago

September 15, 2026

milcah

By Francis Wilfred

The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) have expressed commitment to ensure a full compliance with the Anti Money Laundering/Counter Finance on Terrorism/Counter Proliferation Financing, (AML/CFT/CPF) laws within the Nigeria’s real estate sector.

They made the resolve during a stakeholders’ engagement held on Thursday, September 10, 2026

The engagement focused on Mutual Evaluation readiness, risk-based supervision, beneficial ownership transparency, customer due diligence, internal controls and stronger collaboration between SCUML and the real estate sector.

Assistant Commander of the EFCC, ACE 1 Ibinabo Amachree, speaking on behalf of SCUML highlighted the strategic role of real estate operators in protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system, particularly given the sector’s vulnerability to money laundering and other financial crime risks.

Amachree encouraged REDAN members to move beyond registration to ensure that compliance is embedded in their day-to-day operations. He mentioned the areas to include: understanding institutional risks, knowing customers and beneficial owners, identifying politically exposed persons, conducting appropriate sanctions screening, maintaining effective internal controls and meeting applicable reporting obligations

He, therefore, reaffirmed readiness to working closely with REDAN and other stakeholders to improve compliance, build capacity and promote a stronger culture of accountability across the real estate sector

“The message is clear: effective compliance is not just about meeting regulatory requirements; it is about protecting businesses, strengthening the real estate sector and safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s financial system”, she said.

In his remarks, the Chairman of REDAN, Lagos state, Mr Tony Kolawole pledged readiness to partner with SCUML in ensuring compliance with AML/CFT/CPF in the real estate sector to uphold financial integrity.

The engagement also provided an opportunity for REDAN members to share practical regulatory and operational challenges affecting the sector, reinforcing the importance of continuous dialogue between regulators and industry stakeholders.