Residents of the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh expressed their disappointment over the resignation of the governor Najim Al Jabouri, weeks before the provincial elections.
Mr Al Jabouri submitted his resignation on Sunday after being excluded from running in the elections due to historical links to Saddam Hussein’s now-outlawed Baath party.
“He was the best governor to see and the province was better during his term in terms of the reconstruction and services,” entrepreneur Omar Sinan, 22, told The National.
Several governors had been removed from the province over charges of corruption and mismanagement between 2017, when Nineveh was recovered from ISIS control in a war that left much of it in ruins, and 2019 when Mr Al Jabouri was appointed.
Over the past four years, Mr Al Jabouri, a former military officer, was often seen roaming the city, following up with projects and talking to residents.
“Things had been smooth over the past years in the province,” Aseel Nawar, 32, said. “There no political wrangling or any tensions as everything was focused on how to get the city back on its feet,” Ms Nawar added.
In September, Iraq’s Commission for Accountability and Justice put Mr Al Jabouri on a list of 100 candidates barred from running in the elections due to previous affiliations with the Baath party.
Mr Al Jabouri served as a commander of a military division and a member of the military intelligence during the rule of Saddam Hussein. He took part in the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran War and the 1991 Gulf War and continued in service until the 2003 US-led invasion.
He appealed the decision barring him from standing in October at the Federal Court of Cassation, but it was rejected,
The Cabinet asked the Parliament to vote on excluding Mr Al Jabouri from the commission’s procedures but it failed to do so.
“Given the failure to complete the procedures of my de-Baathification, due to the failure to vote on that in the parliament, I am requesting your excellency to accept my resignation from my position as governor of Nineveh,” he wrote in his resignation letter addressed to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani this week.
Abdul Kadir Al Dakheel appointed governor
Mr Al Sudani accepted the resignation and appointed Abdul Kadir Al Dakheel as the new governor of Nineveh, provincial spokesman Ali Mahmoud told The National on Thursday.
Mr Al Dakheel is a member of the Executive Office of the Committee of Nineveh Reconstruction and the Service and Engineering Team which are affiliated to the Prime Minster's office. He was also an adviser to Mr Al Jabouri.
“This is a great responsibility, and bearing it is essential to make Nineveh bright and prosperous,” Mr Al Dakheel said on Tuesday.
“This is a sensitive period ahead of the [provincial] elections so we have to continue working to serve the people away from any political agenda,” he added.
“Given the special status of the province which has ethnic and religious diversity, the PM picked up a governor with no political affiliations to better serve its residents,” a government official told The National.
'A true patriot'
Mr Al Jabouri took office in 2019 after retiring as a lieutenant general who commanded Iraqi forces during the battle against ISIS for the city of Mosul. He was seen as a US-backed official since the war against ISIS.
The US Ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski hailed Mr Al Jabouri on X, formerly known as Twitter, as a “true patriot, he helped Iraq defeat ISIS and supported reconstruction work”.
Some Sunnis in Iraq see the antiterrorism and de-Baathification laws as a means to target them by Shiite factions backed by Iran, who came to power in Iraq after Saddam's fall.
“All honourable and loyal people have become victims of those whom you allowed to take responsibilities without any right,” Jamal Al Halbousi, a former military officer, wrote in a reply to the US ambassador's statement.
“Has your government realised that those loyal to their country are victims?” he added. “Change will be inevitable whether America likes it or not, Iraq doesn't deserve all these setbacks,” he said.
Mosul is Iraq's second-largest city and the capital of Nineveh province.
It was captured by ISIS in mid-2014, which brought large parts of northern and western Iraq under its influence.
In October 2016 Iraqi security forces backed by a US-led international coalition launched what was then considered one of the world’s biggest urban battles since the Second World War.
They announced the end of combat operations in mid-2017. It took six more months to claim back Mosul and the surrounding areas. In doing so, tens of thousands died, millions were displaced and entire towns and neighbourhoods were destroyed.
Although the scars of war are still in every corner of the city, life has returned to normal in the province and reconstruction is under way.
Iraq's government has set December 18 as the date for the country’s next provincial elections.
Provincial councils play a vital role as the subnational legislative authority, as well as devising localised development plans.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
