News
With hegemonic thinking, the U.S. can’t vindicate itself of its bio-military activities
By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily
The U.S.-controlled biological laboratories in Ukraine have recently become a focal point of the international society as the fallout of the news continues.
Russia accused the U.S. of violating the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in Ukraine, while the U.S. denied it and claimed it was based on fabricated evidence given by the Kremlin..
It is no secret that the U.S. hosts the most bio-military activities in the world, and is the only country that opposes the establishment of a verification mechanism for the BWC.
The activities of U.S. biological laboratories matter to the security of global biological safety. However, the White House’s response to this grave worry has been denial.. It has never offered any valuable or convincing information. Such perfunctory and arrogant response has further exacerbated worldwide society’s concerns about the safety of U.S. bio-military actions..
Overseas bio-military activities are a tradition of the U.S. After the end of the Cold War, the country initiated the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program promoted by Richard Lugar and other U.S. senators. The White House claimed that the Soviet Union would be the first to “benefit” from the program, and then the benefits would expand to other parts of the world. Later, hundreds of laboratories were established under the CTR program.
The program, a gigantic bio-military empire, never ceased to cause scandals. Some of the labs reported leakage of highly dangerous pathogens that led to outbreaks of strange diseases, and some collected biological samples of local residents and transferred the samples to the U.S. and its allies for “studies.” Many of these labs were poorly managed. Personnel sent by the U.S. Department of Defense had extraterritoriality and diplomatic immunity, so they could always get away with crimes at these labs.
After the U.S.-controlled bio-labs in Ukraine were exposed, the White House tried to vindicate itself with some materials. However, the U.S. doesn’t have an innocent history of the development and employment of biological weapons at all.
The U.S. once covered up Shiro Ishii, director of the notorious Japanese Army Unit 731, and other war criminals, so as to make them develop biological weapons for itself. In the Korean War, the U.S. military launched undifferentiated germ warfare against Chinese and Korean forces and even civilians. In Vietnam, the U.S. military used the highly toxic Agent Orange on the battleground, killing and disabling millions of Vietnamese. The U.S. even forced thousands of soldiers into biological medicine tests. These are all evidence of the U.S. poisoning the world.
Former Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari of Indonesia once shut down the lab of the U.S. Naval Medical Research Unit-2 during her term. She said the lab didn’t make any contribution to Indonesia’s capability in coping with biological threats and the studies were not submitted to the Indonesian government. She remarked that establishing laboratories on the territory of an independent country is a kind of colonialism.
The U.S. always takes “cooperating to reduce biological safety risks” as an excuse. However, only the U.S. itself knows whether it is really cooperating and whether it is reducing or increasing the risks.
Recently, a large demonstration was staged in South Korea, requesting the shutdown of U.S. military biological labs established in the country and calling for immediate investigations into these labs. The outrage of the South Koreans came from the United States Forces Korea, which has ignored South Korean laws and regulations and sent poisonous substances to South Korea, including Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis. These labs have caused frequent safety accidents, posing huge threats to the lives of South Koreans. Some South Koreans said that the U.S. bio-labs were built for American interests, and are a misfortune for the countries where they are built.
The international society has every reason to know what the U.S. has done. In recent years, the United States has arbitrarily requested that biological weapons verifications be launched in other countries, wielding the big stick of sanctions and even launching military invasions. However, it is ironic that the U.S. is always tolerant of itself and strict with others. It’s either arrogantly requesting other countries to stay out of its biological weapon business, or passing the buck to other countries, or just showing its colors and unjustly blaming other countries for “disseminating fake information.”
Faced with the accusation from Russia this time, the White House is even acting as a “victim.” Such typical American double standard once again exposed the hegemonic thinking of the U.S. It is a huge insult to the countries and people that have been poisoned by U.S. bio-military activities, and is irresponsible to the whole world.
As a response to the Russian accusation and the concerns of the international society, the U.S. should take its responsibility, vindicate itself and stop opposing the establishment of a verification mechanism for the BWC. .The country can never prove itself innocent of hegemony. Only by following international rules and accepting investigations can it give a clear explanation to the world, and that’s what is supposed to be done by a major country.
(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)
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
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
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.
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