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Kenyan President William Ruto has declared that the African Union, AU, in its current form, is “not fit for purpose,” stating that it lacks the capacity to provide the leadership Africa needs as it heads into a future marked by rapid demographic growth, complex security threats, geopolitical shifts, and economic ambitions.

President Ruto made this known in his closing remarks at the end of the Mashariki Cooperation Conference III, hosted by Kenya’s National Intelligence Service, NIS, on Sunday, calling for an overhaul of the African Union.

The gathering brought together intelligence and security chiefs from across Africa, along with high-level delegates from nearly 100 countries, to deliberate on “Intelligence for Peace,” with a sharp focus on leveraging emerging technologies like artificial intelligence for regional stability and security.

“I can tell you without an iota of doubt that the African Union as it is today is not fit for purpose. It is not fit to provide the leadership that this continent needs going into the future. And therefore, there is a need for the reform of the African Union,” Ruto stated.

The president revealed that his fellow African heads of state have entrusted him with spearheading the reform process, tasking him with reviewing and restructuring the AU’s institutions and organs to make them more efficient, accountable, and responsive to contemporary challenges.

He specifically urged intelligence leaders present at the conference to play a central role in shaping this new framework, emphasising that security architecture must underpin any meaningful continental progress.

Ruto’s remarks come against the backdrop of ongoing AU institutional reform discussions, in which he has previously served as champion.

Recall that in 2025 and February 2026, the Kenyan leader presented progress reports on restructuring AU organs, improving the division of labour between the AU, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and member states, and enhancing peace and security mechanisms.

His latest intervention signals a push to accelerate these efforts amid concerns over the AU’s ability to address issues like coups, terrorism, climate-induced conflicts, and the opportunities presented by Africa’s youthful population, projected to make up about a quarter of the global total in coming decades.

This year’s edition of the conference featured strategic reflections on harnessing AI for resilient, inclusive, and innovative security solutions, lessons from past intelligence failures (including references to the Rwandan genocide), and the need for stronger synergy between regional mechanisms and the AU.

AU not fit, lacks capacity provide leadership Africa needs – Kenya President, Ruto

United States President, Donald Trump, has said oil and gasoline prices may remain high through the November midterm elections, in a rare admission of the possible political consequences of his decision to attack Iran six weeks ago. “It could be, or the same, or maybe a little ‌bit higher, but it should be around the […]

Former Super Eagles captain, Sunday Oliseh, has tipped Bayern Munich to win the UEFA Champions League this season.

Oliseh spoke in a recent episode of his Global Football Insights Podcast.

According to him, the Bundesliga giants are way stronger than Real Madrid because of the way they play.

“For personal reasons, and for once, I am going to be very selfish. It’s in our all interests that Bayern Munich do win the Champions League this year,” Oliseh said.

“I really want Bayern Munich to win the Champions League this year. It’s a statement that we need at the moment, and the team, the way it plays.

“I think they are way stronger than Real Madrid and better than Real Madrid with the way they play. Real Madrid itself is not the Real Madrid I feel can win the title, but this team has proven in the past that if you write them off, that is the time they win the title,” he said.

This is coming ahead of this week’s Champions League quarter-final second leg fixtures.

UCL: Sunday Oliseh names team to win trophy this year

Eighteen-year-old Australian sprint sensation Gout Gout delivered a stunning performance on Sunday, winning the national 200m title in a time faster than what Usain Bolt achieved at the same age.

The teenager clocked an impressive 19.67 seconds in Sydney, setting a new world under-20 record and marking the fastest time globally this year. It was also the first time Gout had legally broken the 20-second barrier, following a wind-assisted 19.84 run last season.

His latest feat surpasses Bolt’s 19.93 recorded in 2004, when the Jamaican legend was 17 and set what was then a world junior record. Bolt never improved on that mark as a teenager before going on to dominate the sport and set multiple senior world records.

Before this, Gout already held the fastest-ever time by a 16-year-old after running 20.06 in 2024, a performance that announced his arrival on the global stage.

American sprinter Erriyon Knighton still holds the fastest ever under-20 time of 19.49 seconds, set in 2022, although it was not ratified as an official world U20 record. Knighton’s recognised record of 19.69, also set in June 2022, stood until Gout’s breakthrough run.

Fellow Australian Aidan Murphy also impressed, finishing second in 19.88 to make it two Australians running sub-20 seconds in the same race.

“This is what I’ve been waiting for,” Gout said after the race.

“We have such incredible athletes in Australia and me being able to race these athletes, we push each other to the limits. Two Australians sub-20. I mean, this is amazing.

“There’s a big weight off my shoulders knowing I ran it legally, and I have the speed and my body to run times like that. So, it definitely feels great, and ready for more.”

Despite his rising profile, Gout has indicated he will skip the upcoming Commonwealth Games, which begins on July 23, to focus instead on the World Under-20 Championships in Oregon in early August.

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The Federal Government has opened applications for the second cohort of its flagship Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Programme, as part of ongoing efforts to equip Nigerian youth with practical skills for job creation, entrepreneurship, and national development. The announcement was made in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja by the Director […]

The Taraba State Government on Monday said it has concluded all arrangements to host international leaders at its annual traditional Nwonyo Fishing Festival. Barr. Danjuma Adamu, Chairman of the Publicity Sub-Committee, disclosed that the event, which is scheduled to start on Friday, April 17, 2026, will have the presence of the Prime Minister of Grenada, […]

By Haruna Aliyu, Birnin Kebbi

The former attorney general and minister of justice, Abubakar Chika Malami, has said that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is a formidable coalition formed to rescue Nigeria and unseat the ruling All progressive congresses at all levels of governance in Nigeria.

The erstwhile minister, in a statement signed by his media aide Bello Doka in an emotion-laden appreciation message to his Kebbi supporters, stated that he remains resolute, unshaken and dogged in his quest to reposition Kebbi State through the ballot box, having witnessed unprecedented support when he returned home after almost ceaseless political persecution from the APC central government.

He reaffirms his absolute loyalty to his party supporters and the leadership of the African Democratic Congress in Kebbi State, on whose back he will ride to the Kebbi State seat of government.

“My homecoming is not ordinary but a clear message of an uncompromising quest for truth and rescue. In ADC we have a formidable coalition capable of rescuing Nigeria and our state; I will remain undeterred and strong in the face of political persecution.”

He added that the quest for fair and just governance is a fearless one as it seeks to change the narratives that Nigeria is beyond repairs.

“We believe in our country; we have confidence in our massive support. Therefore, together we can rescue our people with no retreat, no surrender: ‘Babu Kudu Babu Ja Baya’.”

Malami thanks groups and top political echelons for their massive support and encouragement during his homecoming.

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Former Governor of Benue State and ex-Senator representing the Benue North-East Senatorial District, Gabriel Suswam, has declared his intention to return to the upper legislative chamber via the 2027 general elections.

The two-term former governor made the declaration during a public event over the weekend.

Suswam, who recently decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said the state, since he “started politics in 1998, is a place where the people believe in one party.”

According to him, Benue State was “completely a PDP state for its first 16 years. And then subsequently after that, they moved to the APC.”

“As a Benue son, I won’t be an exception to what my people want and what my people believe. They now believe in the principles and philosophy of the APC.”

Suswam added that “as a politician, if you are still strong enough to contest an election, you always want to contest elections.

“The only election that I can contest now is the Senate. Of course, I can’t go back to run for governor even if I want to; the constitution forbids me from running for governor again. So, of course, I’ll be running for Senate.”

Benue North-East: I will be running for Senate in 2027 – Suswam

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 and now risks hanging more in the the wake of the war against the US and Israel, two NGOs said Monday, urging the West to put capital punishment “at the heart” of any negotiations with Tehran.

The number of executions represented an increase of 68 percent on the 975 people Iran put to death in 2024, and also included 48 women, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Paris-based Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM) said in their joint annual report.

If the Islamic republic “survives the current crisis, there is a serious risk that executions will be used even more extensively as a tool of oppression and repression”, the report said.

IHR — which requires two sources to confirm an execution, the majority of which are not reported in Iranian official media — said the figure represented an “absolute minimum” for the number of hangings in 2025.

The report said the number of executions was by far the highest since IHR began tracking it in 2008, and was the most reported since 1989, in the earlier years of the Islamic revolution.

Raphael Chenuil-Hazan, executive director of ECPM, said the question of abolition of the death penalty needed to be “at the heart” of any talks between Iran and the West on ending the conflict that is currently on hold with a ceasefire.

“Be strong, put the death penalty in all the deals,” he told reporters at a news conference in Paris, adding that the “reality is the same” even after more than five weeks of war that saw the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam lamented that after US-Iran talks in Islamabad at the weekend that failed to agree a breakthrough there was “no mention of the Iranian people’s rights in any of those negotiations”.

A moratorium on use of the death penalty and the release of all political prisoners must be “demand number one” in talks, he said.

– World’s top executioner? –

The report also warned that “hundreds of detained protesters remain at risk of death sentences and execution” after being charged with capital crimes over January 2026 protests against the authorities — quashed by a crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead and tens of thousands arrested.

Even during the war, Iran hanged seven people in connection with the January protests, another six men convicted of membership in the banned opposition group People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK), and one dual Iranian-Swedish citizen charged with spying for Israel.

Amiry-Moghaddam said that death sentences have been issued against at least 26 other people arrested over the January protests, “but several hundred more” are facing charges that could see them executed.

“The message they send by executing people every day is to say ‘we have the power to kill’,” he added.

In 2025, at least 48 women were executed, the highest number recorded in more than 20 years and a 55 percent increase from 2024 when 31 women were hanged, according to the NGOs.

Of these, 21 were executed for murdering their husbands or fiances, the report said.

Almost all hangings were carried out inside prisons, but public hangings more than tripled to 11 in 2025, the report said.

Almost half of those executed were convicted of drugs-related offences, the report said.

Rights groups including Amnesty International say Iran carries out the most executions of any nation worldwide per capita, and the most of any country other than China, for which no reliable data is available.

Amiry-Moghaddam said there were more than 500 other possible cases of executions in 2025 that were not included in the report as they could not be conclusively sourced. Compiling the figures has also been complicated by the internet blackout imposed by the authorities during the January protests and the war, he added.

Chenuil-Hazan added that this could mean Iran has “perhaps” now even overtaken China as the world’s top executioner.

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Political groups within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Kwara South Senatorial District of Kwara State have endorsed the governorship aspiration of a former chairman of the party, Hon. Bashir Omolaja Bolarinwa, ahead of the 2027 general elections. At separate events organised by the groups in Offa, Offa Local Government Area, and Iloffa in […]