‘EMPTY BARRELS’ – OTTI DISMISSES UZOR KALU, ORJI, IKPEAZU OPPOSITION GANG-UP. (PHOTO)

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 ‘Empty barrels’ – Otti dismisses Uzor Kalu, Orji, Ikpeazu opposition gang-up Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has urged Abians to disregard recent remarks by some leaders of the opposition in the state. Governor Otti who was speaking on Saturday at Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Umuoriehi, Umuahia North LGA, during the dedication of the church building, said that those who are gathering against him were the same people that failed to develop the state in the past. Otti was reacting to an alliance formed against his re-election by former Abia governors Orji Uzor Kalu, Theodore Orji and Okezie Ikpeazu. The governor slammed the opposition members for pursuing personal interest above the collective development of Abia, declaring that every gathering they are making against him would collapse. He said, “Pastor Uguru made reference to the noise that you may have been hearing in the last few days. “I want us to just dismiss it as noise, you know, and it’s always the empty barrel that makes...

MALI REQUIRES $10,000 VISA BOND FROM US NATIONALS. (PHOTO).


 Mali requires $10,000 visa bond from US nationals


Mali will require a reciprocal visa bond on US nationals seeking business or tourist visas, its Foreign Ministry said.


The news comes in the runup to October 23, when Washington is set to start implementing a pilot visa bond programme requiring Malian nationals applying for B-1/B-2 business or tourist visas to pay bonds of $5,000 or $10,000.


“In application of reciprocity, Mali decided to establish an identical visa programme, imposing on American nationals the same conditions and requirements as those applied to Malian citizens,” the ministry said in a statement.


The ministry decried the unilateral move by the US, saying it undermines the 2005 long-term multiple-entry visa agreement between the two countries.


It cited the West African nation’s history of cooperation with the US against irregular immigration, emphasising respect for law and human dignity, and reaffirmed its commitment to fostering “fruitful” relations based on dialogue and mutual respect.


The US State Department has designated nationals from Mali, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, and Tanzania for a pilot visa bond program taking effect October 23, with similar measures set for The Gambia on October 11, and for Malawi and Zambia on August 20, requiring eligible travellers to post bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 at their visa interviews.

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