Foreign

Will ‘War Profiteer’ Norway Come To Ukraine’s Financial Rescue?

Published

5 days ago

November 7, 2025

Norway has grown vastly richer after overtaking Russia as Europe’s main gas supplier following the invasion of Ukraine, sparking calls in Oslo for the Scandinavian nation to use its colossal sovereign wealth fund to help Kyiv.

With some in Norway saying their country’s windfall makes it a “war profiteer”, several Norwegian political parties, including allies of the Labour government, are pushing for Oslo to help lift a main obstacle blocking Europe from using frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine financially.

Western nations have frozen billions in Russian assets over Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, including approximately 210 billion euros ($243 billion) held in Europe.

Ukraine’s European allies have been using interest from those funds to support Kyiv but are keen to go further by tapping the funds themselves — a proposal some warn carries huge risks, including spooking other foreign nations into pulling their money from the European Union.

That is where Norway comes in. “It is absolutely essential for Europe’s security that Russia does not win its illegal war of aggression,” the head of Norway’s small opposition Liberal Party, Guri Melby, told AFP.

“Norway has the financial means to guarantee a loan that would enable Ukraine to better defend itself against Russia, and I think we should do it,” she said.

The plan goes like this. At a time when many EU member states have strained public finances, the European Commission plans to use part of the frozen Russian assets to give Ukraine a 140-billion-euro loan, interest free, to finance its budgetary and military support over the next two years.

But Belgium, home to the international deposit organization Euroclear, which holds the bulk of the frozen assets, has demanded strict guarantees from other EU countries in order to share the risks in the event, for example, that Russia were to regain possession of its assets.

Some heavily indebted countries, such as France, would have a hard time agreeing to such a demand.

Arguing that Norway, Western Europe’s biggest oil and gas producer, made an extra 109 billion euros from soaring gas prices after Russia’s invasion, two Norwegian economists have suggested their country should step up even though it is not an EU member.

“By hoarding these profits, Norway’s government turned the country into a war profiteer,” the duo, Havard Halland and Knut Anton Mork, wrote in an op-ed last month.

Thanks to its AAA credit rating — the highest awarded by rating agencies — and its sovereign wealth fund, the world’s biggest, valued at around $2.1 trillion, Norway “could singlehandedly take on the contingent liability associated with fresh Ukrainian debt, and without a dent to its credit rating”, they said.

The idea resonated with some European political leaders.

“That would be great,” said Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during an EU summit in Copenhagen last month.

Norway’s government, which has already earmarked civil and military aid of more than 275 billion kroner ($27.4 billion) to Kyiv over the 2023-2030 period, is proceeding cautiously.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and continuing our dialogue with the European Union,” said finance ministry state secretary Ellen Reitan.

According to AFP’s sources, Norway is in talks with Brussels but has no current plans to provide a single-handed safety net to Kyiv.

Norway’s Greens Party is considering making the issue one of its demands in upcoming budget negotiations with the government, which needs the Greens’ support, among others, to pass its 2026 budget bill.

“Norway is the only country in Europe that has so much money set aside and can allocate such a sum without needing to take on debt or raise taxes,” Greens leader Arild Hermstad told AFP. “And besides, we have made so much money as a result of this war that it is simply a moral obligation.”

Foreign

Prisoner Exchange: Tinubu Sends Delegation To UK Over Ekweremadu’s 9-Year Jail Term

Published

1 day ago

November 11, 2025

Uthman Abdulganiyu

The Federal Government has opened discussions with the United Kingdom (UK) over the possible transfer of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently serving a nine-year sentence in a UK prison for organ harvesting.

The Daily Voice understands that a high-powered Nigerian delegation arrived in London on Monday to engage British authorities on the matter.

The delegation included the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.

Both officials held a closed-door meeting with senior representatives of the UK Ministry of Justice.

After the meeting, the officials were received by Ambassador Mohammed Maidugu, Acting High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, at the Nigerian High Commission in London.

Diplomatic sources told Daily Trust that the visit is part of President Bola Tinubu’s effort to secure either an early release or a lawful review of Ekweremadu’s sentence based on humanitarian considerations.

Officials familiar with the negotiation confirmed that the Nigerian government is exploring different legal avenues under UK law, including prisoner-transfer agreements, compassionate parole, or more lenient relief options.

We are working on an appeal for a prisoner exchange for him to serve the remainder of his term in Nigeria,” a top Ministry of Foreign Affairs official disclosed.

“Consultations are still ongoing with the UK authorities.”

The Daily Voice reports that Ekweremadu, a long-serving legislator and three-time Deputy President of the Senate, was convicted at the Old Bailey in March 2023 alongside his wife, Beatrice, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta.

They were found guilty of conspiring to exploit a young Nigerian, David Nwamini, for the removal of his kidney to treat Ekweremadu’s daughter, Sonia.

The former senator was sentenced to nine years and eight months in a UK correctional facility — the longest sentence ever handed down in the UK for an organ-harvesting-related offence.

The latest diplomatic push signals renewed efforts by the Nigerian government to renegotiate the terms of Ekweremadu’s imprisonment, even as officials tread carefully to respect UK judicial processes.

The Federal Government is expected to update the public as consultations with UK authorities continue.

Foreign

Revoked US Visa: Shehu Sani Tells Nigerians What To Do

Published

2 days ago

November 10, 2025

Uthman Abdulganiyu

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has urged Nigerians and other Africans affected by the recent mass visa revocation in the United States to return home before facing possible arrest by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In a post on his X (Twitter) handle on Monday, Sani said no matter how long one stays abroad, they’ll be reminded it’s not their home.

He wrote, “Nigerians and other thousands of Africans whose visas were recently revoked by President Trump should hasten and leave the country and return home before they get arrested by ICE.

“No matter how long you live in the comfort of your adopted home, you will someday be reminded that it’s not your father’s house.”

The advisory comes in the wake of reports that the US State Department has revoked at least 80,000 visas since January 2025 under President Donald Trump’s administration, more than twice the number recorded in the previous year.

According to a report released last Thursday, the US Department said the revoked visas include 16,000 linked to driving under the influence, 12,000 for assault, and 8,000 student visas.

It also listed other reasons for the revocations, including terrorist support, criminal activity, public safety threats, overstays, and actual terrorism.

According to a report released last Thursday, the US Department said the revoked visas include 16,000 linked to driving under the influence, 12,000 for assault, and 8,000 student visas.

It also listed other reasons for the revocations, including terrorist support, criminal activity, public safety threats, overstays, and actual terrorism.

While the nationalities of the affected visa holders were not disclosed, the department had earlier stated in August that over 6,000 student visas were withdrawn for overstays and legal violations, including a small number connected to “support for terrorism.”

The US has also tightened its visa regulations in recent months.

In July, the US Embassy directed all applicants for F, M, and J non-immigrant visas to set their social media accounts to public as part of enhanced background checks.

That same month, it also announced a major policy change affecting Nigerian applicants, which included a reduction in the validity period for several categories of visas.

Foreign

Alleged Genocide: Act With “Responsibility” And Strictly Within The Boundaries Of International Law- Russian Government

Published

5 days ago

November 7, 2025

Uthman Abdulganiyu

The Russian Government has said it is keeping a close watch on developments in Nigeria following a recent statement by United States President Donald Trump hinting at possible American military action in the country.

At a press briefing in Moscow on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Russia was monitoring the situation and urged all sides to avoid actions that violate global norms.

“We are closely monitoring this issue and call on all parties involved to strictly comply with international legal norms,” Zakharova said in response to a question from Anadolu News Agency.

Naija News reports that Zakharova’s comments come one week after Trump announced that he had instructed the Pentagon to draw up “options for possible military measures” against terrorist groups operating in Nigeria, claiming the move was intended to protect Christian communities.

In his November 1 post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that Christianity in Nigeria faced an “existential threat,” alleging that “thousands of Christians are being killed.”

“Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby designating Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’” the U.S. President wrote.

Trump added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening,” insisting that his administration would be “ready, willing, and able to protect our great Christian population around the world.”

He also directed members of Congress, including Congressman Barry Moore, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole and other Republican allies—to investigate the situation in Nigeria and report back to him.

Naija News reports that the Federal Government had swiftly dismissed Trump’s statements, stressing that Nigeria remains committed to protecting the rights and freedoms of all religious groups.

President Bola Tinubu insisted that Nigeria does not discriminate against any faith and rejected the CPC designation as misleading and politically motivated.

Officials noted that insecurity in the country affects citizens of all religions, and accused foreign commentators of pushing narratives that do not reflect the complex realities on the ground.

Russia’s statement is the latest in a string of global reactions following Trump’s controversial comments and reports that U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) was reviewing contingency plans in line with the directive.

Zakharova urged Washington and its allies to act with “responsibility” and strictly within the boundaries of international law, warning that erratic foreign interventions often worsen tensions rather than resolve them.