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Military takes over in Bangladesh after Prime Minister fled country due to protests

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Agency reports and APF

 

Bangladesh Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman, has announced the formation of interim government after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed resigned and fled the country following weeks of unrest.

General Waker-uz-Zaman, said he would seek the president’s guidance on forming an interim government and promised an investigation into the deadly crackdown on student-led protests that fuelled anger against the government.

“Keep faith in the military, we will investigate all the killings and punish the responsible,” he said. “I have ordered that no army and police will indulge in any kind of firing.”

The 76-year-old fled in a helicopter on Monday to India, reports said, as thousands of protesters stormed her official residence in the capital Dhaka which brought an unexpected end to the reign of Bangladesh’s longest-serving PM, who has been in power since 2009 and ruled the country for more than 20 years in total.
Credited with overseeing the South Asian country’s economic progress in recent years, Ms Hasina began her political career as a pro-democracy icon.
However, in recent years she has been accused of turning autocratic and clamping down on any opposition to her rule. Politically-motivated arrests, disappearances, extra-judicial killings and other abuses have all risen under Ms Hasina.
In January she won an unprecedented fourth term as PM in an election widely decried by critics as being a sham and boycotted by the main opposition.

Born to a Muslim family in East Bengal in 1947, Ms Hasina had politics in her blood.
Her father was the nationalist leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s “Father of the Nation” who led the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 and became its first president.
At that time, Ms Hasina had already established a reputation as a student leader at Dhaka University.
Her father was assassinated with most of his family members in a military coup in 1975. Only Ms Hasina and her younger sister survived as they were travelling abroad at the time.
After living in exile in India, Ms Hasina returned to Bangladesh in 1981 and became the leader of the political party her father belonged to, the Awami League.
She joined hands with other political parties to hold pro-democracy street protests during the military rule of General Hussain Muhammed Ershad. Propelled by the popular uprising, Ms Hasina quickly became a national icon.

She was first elected to power in 1996. She earned credit for signing a water-sharing deal with India and a peace deal with tribal insurgents in the south-east of the country.
But at the same time, her government was criticised for numerous allegedly corrupt business deals and for being too subservient to India.
She later lost to her former ally-turned-nemesis, Begum Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in 2001.
As heirs to political dynasties, both women dominated Bangladesh politics for more than three decades and used to be known as the “battling begums”. Begum refers to a Muslim woman of high rank.
Observers say their bitter rivalry has resulted in bus bombs, disappearances and extrajudicial killings becoming regular occurrences.
Ms Hasina eventually came back to power in 2009 in polls held under a caretaker government.
A true political survivor, she endured numerous arrests while in opposition as well as several assassination attempts, including one in 2004 that damaged her hearing. She has also survived efforts to force her into exile and numerous court cases in which she has been accused of corruption.

 

 

 

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NiMet DG Anosike urges service providers to move beyond institutional compliance to measurable impacts on citizens

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The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has called on public institutions to move beyond regulatory compliance and certifications to delivering measurable results that create lasting value for citizens.

 

The DG/CEO of NiMet, who was represented by the Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Engr. Hamid Olayinka Abdulkareem, made the call during his keynote address at the 3rd National Quality Improvement Summit and Awards, organised by the Quality Improvement Institute of Nigeria (QIIN) in Abuja on Thursday 12 November 2026. Speaking on the theme, “Quality: Powering Performance – Moving Beyond Compliance to Measurable Results,” Professor Anosike emphasised that institutional credibility must be earned through consistent service delivery, accountability, innovation and continuous improvement.

 

Highlighting NiMet’s commitment to international quality standards, the DG/CEO disclosed that the Agency secured ISO 9001:2015 certification for aeronautical meteorological services at Yola, Osubi and Owerri airports in July 2026, alongside the successful recertification of five other airports, bringing its total number of QMS-certified airport stations to eight. He stressed that quality assurance in meteorological services is critical to aviation safety, agricultural productivity, disaster preparedness and national economic development.

 

Professor Anosike further highlighted the integration of the Balanced Scorecard Performance Management System into NiMet’s 2026–2030 Strategic Plan as a significant step towards strengthening institutional accountability. He explained that the framework connects strategic objectives with measurable performance indicators, ensuring that organisational success is assessed not merely by activities undertaken but by results achieved and value delivered.

 

He urged institutions to invest in people, technology and stakeholder partnerships while embedding quality management into their organisational culture. According to him, sustainable institutional excellence requires leadership commitment, continuous evaluation and a deliberate shift from procedural compliance to measurable public impact.

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Joint Aviation Unions Appoint Keyamo Grand Patron of Renewed Hope Support Group, Present ITF Position Paper Ahead of ICAO Conference 

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The Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, today received a high-powered delegation of aviation labour unions under the Joint Aviation Trade Union Forum (JATUF), led by its Chairman, Comrade Ben Nnabue, in Abuja.

 

The delegation comprised top executives of the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and other aviation unions, including the Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), and Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP). The unions are affiliates of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF).

 

Other members of the delegation included Comrade John Ogbe, Vice Chairman; Comrade Alale Adedayo, Vice Chairman; Group Captain Bunmi Gandeh, Vice Chairman; and Comrade Hector Nnadi, Secretary of the Forum.

 

The visit was primarily to formally present the position paper of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) to the Minister, seeking Nigeria’s support for a motion advocating the integration of social sustainability, decent work and meaningful workers’ engagement into the global civil aviation framework at the forthcoming Seventh Worldwide Air Transport Conference (ATConf7) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), scheduled to hold in Montreal, Canada, from November 16 to 20, 2026.

According to Tunde Moshood, Special Adviser to the Hon. Minister on Media and Communications, the proposed motion, which has received Nigeria’s nod, underscores the need for the international aviation community to recognise that the sustainability and long-term success of civil aviation go beyond infrastructure development, technological advancement and economic growth to include the welfare, rights and professional development of the workforce that sustains the industry.

 

The unions stressed that the future of international civil aviation must be built on a framework that balances economic competitiveness with social responsibility, recognising aviation workers as indispensable stakeholders in the growth, safety and efficiency of the industry.

 

The Minister’s reception of the position paper further demonstrates Nigeria’s commitment to constructive engagement with organised labour and the promotion of policies that strengthen the aviation sector while protecting the interests of its workforce.

 

In a related development, the delegation also formally presented the Minister with an invitation to serve as Grand Patron of the Renewed Hope Aviation Support Group (RHASG), under the umbrella of the Strategic Collaboration for the Re-Election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

 

The nomination, made on behalf of the Board of Trustees, National Executive Council and entire membership of the organisation, recognises the Minister’s leadership, professional competence and capacity for strategic coordination.

 

The group congratulated Keyamo on his recent appointment as Director of the Directorate of Air Transport Mobilisation for the All Progressives Congress (APC) re-election campaign, describing the appointment as a testament to the confidence reposed in his leadership abilities, organisational experience and commitment to effective mobilisation.

 

According to the group, the Minister’s wealth of experience in managing complex responsibilities, coupled with his strategic understanding of the aviation industry, makes him well-positioned to provide political leadership, guidance and direction to the organisation.

 

The appointment as Grand Patron is intended to strengthen the group’s strategic direction and consolidate support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and his anticipated re-election bid.

 

The development marks another demonstration of the growing intersection between organised aviation labour, industry stakeholders and broader national development objectives, with the Minister continuing to engage stakeholders on issues that affect the growth, sustainability and future of Nigeria’s aviation industry.

 

 

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Gwarzo appoints Shehu Wada Sagagi as campaign DG

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The Kano State governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, has appointed a former Kano State Chief of Staff, Gwani Alhaji Shehu Wada Sagagi, as Director-General of his 2027 governorship campaign.

The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Wednesday by Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu, spokesperson to the NDC governorship candidate.

According to the statement, Gwarzo also named Alhaji Adamu Ali Ibrahim Kibiya as Secretary of the Campaign Directorate and Engr. Sunusi Usman Dambatta as Deputy Director-General.

Sagagi, a former Commissioner for Investment, Commerce and Industry and ex-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kano State, is expected to lead the campaign’s activities ahead of the 2027 election.

The appointments take immediate effect, while the full membership of the campaign council will be announced later.

 

 

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