NEWS & ANALYSIS
Can Cameroon survive two civil wars?
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The United Republic of Cameroon seems everything but united at this very moment. If you’re conversant with what is going on in this part of the world, you would notice that this supposedly bilingual Central African country has been enmeshed in a civil war initiated by some elements in the Anglophone south-western part of the country, while the Boko Haram group has also ramped up its armed violence against the country in its north-western region.
For any government, this would be a very difficult situation to contain. That has not been helped by the fact that political opposition in the country is united against the continuation of the government of President Paul Barthélemy Biya'a bi Mvondo, who has been in power for 36 years, having assumed office on November 6, 1982. They feel that his rule has deeply polarised the country and could be justified in this by Cameroon’s descent into civil war.
The current Cameroonian structure was a product of armed conflict. A former German colony known as Kamerun, the British, using Nigerian soldiers, liberated the western part of the country from Germans during the 2nd World War and promptly annexed those parts to Nigeria, all the way to what is known in Cameroon today as South West Province (Littoral). Those areas in present day Nigeria include the entire north-eastern Nigeria, comprising the States of Borno, Yobe, Bauchi and Adamawa. The French liberated the other parts of the country and went ahead to establish their own colonial dominance over those regions, including the capital Yaounde and the port city of Douala, the nation’s commercial capital.
With the justified protest of first Cameroonian President, Ahmadu Ahidjo, that half his country had been illegally annexed to Nigeria by the British, the United Nations would conduct a plebiscite in 1961 for those people in Nigeria to decide if they wanted to remain in Nigeria or re-join Cameroon. The latter promised to respect the use of the English language in order for these areas to rejoin them. Only what is known as South West Province in today’s Cameroon voted to exit Nigeria and it is that region that has now taken up arms against the regime of President Biya on grounds that his administration did not respect those terms that were offered by the Late President Ahidjo, who, with the benefit of hindsight, did try to fulfil the promise he made.
This on-going insurrection has become a significant military engagement against the State, with most parts of the South-West Province of Cameroon in lockdown, especially as the last elections approached. Expectedly, those elections returned President Biya to power and not a few observers today wonder if his continued stay in office will not worsen the security situation and eventually lead to the end of Cameroon as we know it.
To be continued…
Boko Haram: Has al-Barnawi lost control?
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Boko Haram: Has al-Barnawi lost control?
“A group that broke away from its mother sect because it allegedly abhorred the killing of civilians has now turned to doing exactly the same thing!”
The killing of Saifura Hussaini Khorsa and Hauwa Liman,two humanitarian workers, by Boko Haram, has necessitated a re-assessment of the group’s orientation and doctrine. It is a fact that the Abu Musab al-Barnawi faction had broken off from the main Boko Haram sect led by Abubakar Shekau over its abhorrence for the killing of civilians and targeting civilian infrastructure, which it vehemently disagreed with.
Barnawi is the son of Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of the Boko Haram sect and reportedly felt strongly that civilians should not be attacked, under any circumstances. He thus left and from the conduct of his fighters, it appeared that that approach of sparing civilians will be strictly followed.
The routing of the Shekau-faction (which was the biggest of both groups) by the Nigerian military, recapture of territory it had taken, and the reported fatal wounding of Shekau seemingly combined to decapitate Boko Haram as a fighting force. That gave space for the hitherto militarily and demographically insignificant al-Barnawi group to start flourishing.
Some analysts actually saw the end of the group in sight, believing that Barnawi’s group, given its seemingly more focused approach to its aims, would be easier to negotiate with in order to end the insurgency. This would seem to have informed the intensity of the aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force of the locations of the group, largely along the fringes of the Lake Chad, resulting in significant destruction to the capacity of Barnami to sustain any serious campaign ostensibly to force him to give up the fight and negotiate. Not a few therefore expected him to open negotiations with the Nigerians, especially since he had also lost many of his commanders who were either killed or captured.
Rather than seek negotiations to end the fighting, Barnawi apparently changed tactics. His followers abducted three humanitarian workers, two working for the ICRC and one for UNICEF, and demanded that Nigerian authorities release its top commanders in exchange for the humanitarians. Nigeria however declined, perhaps on the strength of the unpopularity of previously acceding to a similar request (which had reportedly led to the exchange of some insurgent commanders for some of the Chibok girls).
The resultant action on the part of the Barnawi faction seemed a contradiction, as it proceeded to executing the innocent health workers at the expiration of the deadline it had set. A group that broke away from its mother sect because it allegedly abhorred the killing of civilians has now turned to doing exactly the same thing! This ignoble action by Boko Hara thus informs reasonable speculation that either al-Barnawi has been radicalised to the point where he now sees nothing wrong in attacking unarmed civilians, or a hardline faction within his own group has displaced him and taken over.
Clearly, both Boko Haram factions have lost militarily and do not pose a threat to Nigeria. The option left for them has been to focus on soft targets and unleash mayhem so as to remain relevant. That al-Barnawi will go this way, suggests as well that he has core commanders in captivity and he desperately needs them back to use their experience to re-build his fighting force. The tide is however turning fast against him and he knows this, as Nigeria might ramp up pressure even further once more air assets are inducted into its air force (the Super Tucano turbo-prop counter-insurgency platforms are expected from the US, and the more strategic JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter aircraft which will give the Nigerian Air Force the capacity to go well beyond its border to disrupt Boko Haram supply lines either eastwards from Libya, or north-westwards from Mali or Mauritania, are being expected from Pakistan).
The likely consequence of this reality for al-Barnawi could see his group resort to more kidnappings in order to deepen pressure on the Nigerian authorities to negotiate in ways which favour him. International aid agencies would therefore be the likely target of such renewed abductions, while, should they close down some of their offices in the kidnap-prone areas of the north-east to ensure the security of their staff, the humanitarian crisis triggered by the very Boko Haram insurgency could worsen.
In March 2018, Boko Haram raided Rann, in north-eastern Nigeria and abducted three aid workers: Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khurso, Hauwa Liman, and Alice Loksha, staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UNICEF respectively. The first two of these aid workers have been unlawfully executed by the insurgents.
©Gaskiya.net
“A group that broke away from its mother sect because it allegedly abhorred the killing of civilians has now turned to doing exactly the same thing!”
The killing of Saifura Hussaini Khorsa and Hauwa Liman,two humanitarian workers, by Boko Haram, has necessitated a re-assessment of the group’s orientation and doctrine. It is a fact that the Abu Musab al-Barnawi faction had broken off from the main Boko Haram sect led by Abubakar Shekau over its abhorrence for the killing of civilians and targeting civilian infrastructure, which it vehemently disagreed with.
Barnawi is the son of Mohammed Yusuf, the founder of the Boko Haram sect and reportedly felt strongly that civilians should not be attacked, under any circumstances. He thus left and from the conduct of his fighters, it appeared that that approach of sparing civilians will be strictly followed.
The routing of the Shekau-faction (which was the biggest of both groups) by the Nigerian military, recapture of territory it had taken, and the reported fatal wounding of Shekau seemingly combined to decapitate Boko Haram as a fighting force. That gave space for the hitherto militarily and demographically insignificant al-Barnawi group to start flourishing.
Some analysts actually saw the end of the group in sight, believing that Barnawi’s group, given its seemingly more focused approach to its aims, would be easier to negotiate with in order to end the insurgency. This would seem to have informed the intensity of the aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Air Force of the locations of the group, largely along the fringes of the Lake Chad, resulting in significant destruction to the capacity of Barnami to sustain any serious campaign ostensibly to force him to give up the fight and negotiate. Not a few therefore expected him to open negotiations with the Nigerians, especially since he had also lost many of his commanders who were either killed or captured.
Rather than seek negotiations to end the fighting, Barnawi apparently changed tactics. His followers abducted three humanitarian workers, two working for the ICRC and one for UNICEF, and demanded that Nigerian authorities release its top commanders in exchange for the humanitarians. Nigeria however declined, perhaps on the strength of the unpopularity of previously acceding to a similar request (which had reportedly led to the exchange of some insurgent commanders for some of the Chibok girls).
The resultant action on the part of the Barnawi faction seemed a contradiction, as it proceeded to executing the innocent health workers at the expiration of the deadline it had set. A group that broke away from its mother sect because it allegedly abhorred the killing of civilians has now turned to doing exactly the same thing! This ignoble action by Boko Hara thus informs reasonable speculation that either al-Barnawi has been radicalised to the point where he now sees nothing wrong in attacking unarmed civilians, or a hardline faction within his own group has displaced him and taken over.
Clearly, both Boko Haram factions have lost militarily and do not pose a threat to Nigeria. The option left for them has been to focus on soft targets and unleash mayhem so as to remain relevant. That al-Barnawi will go this way, suggests as well that he has core commanders in captivity and he desperately needs them back to use their experience to re-build his fighting force. The tide is however turning fast against him and he knows this, as Nigeria might ramp up pressure even further once more air assets are inducted into its air force (the Super Tucano turbo-prop counter-insurgency platforms are expected from the US, and the more strategic JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter aircraft which will give the Nigerian Air Force the capacity to go well beyond its border to disrupt Boko Haram supply lines either eastwards from Libya, or north-westwards from Mali or Mauritania, are being expected from Pakistan).
The likely consequence of this reality for al-Barnawi could see his group resort to more kidnappings in order to deepen pressure on the Nigerian authorities to negotiate in ways which favour him. International aid agencies would therefore be the likely target of such renewed abductions, while, should they close down some of their offices in the kidnap-prone areas of the north-east to ensure the security of their staff, the humanitarian crisis triggered by the very Boko Haram insurgency could worsen.
In March 2018, Boko Haram raided Rann, in north-eastern Nigeria and abducted three aid workers: Saifura Hussaini Ahmed Khurso, Hauwa Liman, and Alice Loksha, staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UNICEF respectively. The first two of these aid workers have been unlawfully executed by the insurgents.
©Gaskiya.net
State of The Nation Address.
President Uhuru Kenyatta Apologises to Kenyans
President Uhuru Kenyatta Apologises to Kenyans
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By John Ngirachu and Samuel Owino
Daily Nation
Forgive me.” Those were the two words that marked the climax of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s State of the Nation address on Wednesday as he used the annual event to make a call for Kenyans to unite in the wake of a divisive and fraught electioneering period last year.
“If there was anything I said last year that hurt or wounded you, if I damaged the unity of this country in any way, I ask you to forgive me, and to join me in repairing that harm,” asked the President, who was sworn in for a second term in January this year after months of bruising political campaigns and two elections.
His one-hour-and-22-minute speech was met with an eruption of handshakes in the joint sitting of Parliament, and used words and expressions that advanced the spirit of the conciliatory tone that has characterised his speeches since March 9, when he made a peace pact with opposition leader Raila Odinga at Harambee House in Nairobi.
Daily Nation
Forgive me.” Those were the two words that marked the climax of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s State of the Nation address on Wednesday as he used the annual event to make a call for Kenyans to unite in the wake of a divisive and fraught electioneering period last year.
“If there was anything I said last year that hurt or wounded you, if I damaged the unity of this country in any way, I ask you to forgive me, and to join me in repairing that harm,” asked the President, who was sworn in for a second term in January this year after months of bruising political campaigns and two elections.
His one-hour-and-22-minute speech was met with an eruption of handshakes in the joint sitting of Parliament, and used words and expressions that advanced the spirit of the conciliatory tone that has characterised his speeches since March 9, when he made a peace pact with opposition leader Raila Odinga at Harambee House in Nairobi.
Adieu Mama Africa. Winnie Mandela Dies At 81
Ghanaians Protest US-Ghana Military Agreement
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Thousands of people protested in Ghana’s capital Accra on Wednesday against the expansion of its defence cooperation with the United States, in a rare public display of opposition to the growing foreign military presence in West Africa.
Demonstrators blowing vuvuzelas and beating drums filled Accra’s business district, holding placards criticising a new deal with Washington that they say threatens Ghana’s sovereignty.
“As a right-thinking citizen, I am here to fight for my country. I am against selling our peace and security for $20 million,” said Gifty Yankson, a 49-year-old trader.
They (the American military) become a curse everywhere they are, and I am not ready to mortgage my security.
“They (the American military) become a curse everywhere they are, and I am not ready to mortgage my security,” Yankson said.
Police estimated the crowd size at about 3,500 protesters. While officers in riot gear were present, no violence was reported.
International powers including the United States and France are looking to extend their presence in the remote Sahel region in particular, where al Qaeda and Islamic State militants have gained a strong foothold in recent years.
But Washington is struggling to mend its image in Africa, which was damaged by reports President Donald Trump described African nations as “shithole countries” in a discussion on immigration. The White House later denied he used that language.
Under the deal approved by Ghana’s parliament last week, the United States will invest around $20 million in training and equipment for the Ghanaian military this year. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the parliamentary vote.
In return, the U.S. military will be allowed to deploy troops and import military equipment tax-free, use an airport runway that meets U.S. standards, and have free access to Ghana’s radio spectrum.
Ghana has had a long-standing military and trade ties with the United States, but many say the latest agreement was a step too far.
Responding to local press reports concerning the deal, the U.S. Embassy in Accra underscored in a statement last week that it had no plans to establish a military base in Ghana.
It said the existing 20-year-old cooperation agreement “does not cover the current range and volume of bilateral exercises and assistance.”
Four elite U.S. soldiers were killed in Niger alongside local troops in an Islamist ambush in October, sparking a fierce debate back home about covert U.S. actions in West Africa.
The United States has about 7,200 U.S. Defense Department personnel, including soldiers, stationed in Africa. Over half of those are stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, with the remaining personnel scattered across 32 other smaller locations.
REUTERS
Demonstrators blowing vuvuzelas and beating drums filled Accra’s business district, holding placards criticising a new deal with Washington that they say threatens Ghana’s sovereignty.
“As a right-thinking citizen, I am here to fight for my country. I am against selling our peace and security for $20 million,” said Gifty Yankson, a 49-year-old trader.
They (the American military) become a curse everywhere they are, and I am not ready to mortgage my security.
“They (the American military) become a curse everywhere they are, and I am not ready to mortgage my security,” Yankson said.
Police estimated the crowd size at about 3,500 protesters. While officers in riot gear were present, no violence was reported.
International powers including the United States and France are looking to extend their presence in the remote Sahel region in particular, where al Qaeda and Islamic State militants have gained a strong foothold in recent years.
But Washington is struggling to mend its image in Africa, which was damaged by reports President Donald Trump described African nations as “shithole countries” in a discussion on immigration. The White House later denied he used that language.
Under the deal approved by Ghana’s parliament last week, the United States will invest around $20 million in training and equipment for the Ghanaian military this year. Opposition lawmakers boycotted the parliamentary vote.
In return, the U.S. military will be allowed to deploy troops and import military equipment tax-free, use an airport runway that meets U.S. standards, and have free access to Ghana’s radio spectrum.
Ghana has had a long-standing military and trade ties with the United States, but many say the latest agreement was a step too far.
Responding to local press reports concerning the deal, the U.S. Embassy in Accra underscored in a statement last week that it had no plans to establish a military base in Ghana.
It said the existing 20-year-old cooperation agreement “does not cover the current range and volume of bilateral exercises and assistance.”
Four elite U.S. soldiers were killed in Niger alongside local troops in an Islamist ambush in October, sparking a fierce debate back home about covert U.S. actions in West Africa.
The United States has about 7,200 U.S. Defense Department personnel, including soldiers, stationed in Africa. Over half of those are stationed at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, with the remaining personnel scattered across 32 other smaller locations.
REUTERS
Ethiopia To Remain East Africa's Fastest Growing Economy - 2018 World Bank Forecast
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Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban
Africa News.
The Ethiopian economy will maintain its growth lead for the East African region according to the latest World Bank report.
The economy, however, dropped a step in growth forecast in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, falling behind Ghana. In June 2017, the WB forecast Ethiopia as the most expansive in SSA pegging growth at 8.3%.
The latest forecast puts Ethiopia at a percentage point behind Ghana. The West African nation is forecast to grow at 8.3% as against Ethiopia’s 8.2%.
Click here to read full story
Nigeria Summons US Embassy Official Over Trump's 'Shithole' Comment.
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REUTERS
Nigeria’s government on Monday summoned a representative of the the U.S. ambassador to explain reported remarks by President Donald Trump that immigrants from Africa and Haiti come from “shithole countries”, the foreign ministry said.
Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama “sought clarification on the veracity or otherwise of the substance of the remarks, stressing that if they were true, they were deeply hurtful, offensive and unacceptable”, the ministry said in a statement.
Trump reportedly made the remarks at a private meeting with lawmakers on immigration on Thursday. A U.S. senator who attended the gathering said the president used “vile, vulgar” language, including repeatedly using the word “shithole” when speaking about African countries.
The Nigerian foreign ministry statement noted the “very warm and cordial relations that presently exist” between Nigeria and the U.S.
The United States, represented by Deputy Chief of Mission David J. Young as the ambassador was not in Nigeria, said there were contradictory accounts as to whether the remarks were made, the statement said.
In a separate statement, a U.S. embassy spokesman said Young “reiterated the excellent relations that exist between the United States and Nigeria and they discussed future cooperation between the two countries”.
The U.S. president on Friday denied using such derogatory language. But he has been widely condemned in many African countries and by international rights organisations. African Union countries demanded an apology on Friday.
REUTERS
Nigeria’s government on Monday summoned a representative of the the U.S. ambassador to explain reported remarks by President Donald Trump that immigrants from Africa and Haiti come from “shithole countries”, the foreign ministry said.
Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama “sought clarification on the veracity or otherwise of the substance of the remarks, stressing that if they were true, they were deeply hurtful, offensive and unacceptable”, the ministry said in a statement.
Trump reportedly made the remarks at a private meeting with lawmakers on immigration on Thursday. A U.S. senator who attended the gathering said the president used “vile, vulgar” language, including repeatedly using the word “shithole” when speaking about African countries.
The Nigerian foreign ministry statement noted the “very warm and cordial relations that presently exist” between Nigeria and the U.S.
The United States, represented by Deputy Chief of Mission David J. Young as the ambassador was not in Nigeria, said there were contradictory accounts as to whether the remarks were made, the statement said.
In a separate statement, a U.S. embassy spokesman said Young “reiterated the excellent relations that exist between the United States and Nigeria and they discussed future cooperation between the two countries”.
The U.S. president on Friday denied using such derogatory language. But he has been widely condemned in many African countries and by international rights organisations. African Union countries demanded an apology on Friday.
REUTERS
Gaskiya.net Special Analysis - Africa in 2017 and the Reality of 2018
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Gaskiya.net
The year 2017 saw President Robert Mugabe toppled from power; President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya winning re-election by the skin of his teeth; President Yayyah Jammeh booted out by a robust ECOMOG force for Adama Barrow to commence his own Presidency in The Gambia; President Buhari overcoming a difficult health challenge to continue in office; President Zuma all but forced out of office in South Africa; Al Shabbab killing 350 people in Mogadishu in the deadliest attack in Somalia in recent time…and Cameroon winning the 2017 African Cup of Nations!
Across the globe, President Trump was sworn in as President of the United States; Britain triggered Article 50 to exit the European Union; Rohyngas are chased out of Myanmar in what was described by some experts as one of the worst cases of ethnic cleansing ever witnessed; IS lost its Mosul stronghold in Iraq, effectively triggering its collapse as a viable fighting force; North Korea stood its ground in an even more robust missile diplomacy; China consolidated its regional and global power ambitions; while Global Warming continued apace and dangerously too.
Let’s focus on Africa, where perhaps the most significant event was the fall of Comrade Bob Mugabe from power in Zimbabwe after 37 years in power. Before his tenure was terminated, ECOWAS had once again led by example by ousting former President Yayyah Jammeh through the ECOMIG (ECOWAS Military Intervention in The Gambia) force to pave the way for the ascension to power of President Adama Barrow. In Zimbabwe, thousands bid President Mugabe goodbye in November 2017 on the streets of Harare, emboldened by the realisation that the country’s military was no longer behind Comrade Bob. Does the fall of Mr. Mugabe offer a new strategy for removing dictators in Africa? That question would form the basis of another discourse at a later time.
On the economic front, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that African economies grew at 2.6% of GDP in 2017. This year, they’re expected to grow at 3.4%, driven largely by the economies of Nigeria and South Africa. Agriculture continues to gain more prominence in strategies to re-energise the economy of most African countries. In 2017, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) strengthened the bank’s focus on the development of agriculture, affirming the mantra that agriculture as business. Adesina is said by some watchers to favour a mix of planned and market economies (as China has done)to lift Africa up. The likely impact of this approach is left to be seen as the year unfolds.
Continuing our discourse on our continent, Africa developed goose pimples over the tensions that engulfed the Kenyan elections. Yet 2018 will see elections hold in Sierra Leone in March, Egypt in May, in South Sudan in July, in Zimbabwe and Mali both in August, in Cameroon in October, in Madagascar in December and in DRC on a date yet to be decided. What do these portend for the democratic experience of Africa?
For Nigerians, it was a big sigh of relief as President Muhammadu Buhari survived a health challenge that had kept him away from the country for a few months. He has since laboured to keep the economy going, made strenuous efforts to douse security threats and had to contend with the slow return of the economy to recovery. The icing on the cake for him would seem to be the growing capacity of Nigeria to increase domestic food production, with Lagos State and others leading the way. The year 2018 should be quite interesting for not just the President, but other politicians hoping to gain the tickets of their various parties in readiness for the 2019 elections.
Indeed as Africa looks forward to several elections, it also looks forward to the possible emergence of Cyril Ramaphosa as the next President of South Africa. Many in that country are already expecting a lot from Comrade Ramaphosa and we all look forward to what should be interesting times in the Union Building in Pretoria. Will it finally be freedom for South Africans held captive by a lack-lustre ANC leadership under President Zuma? Who knows?
The year 2017 also saw certain books making the headlines of best sellers. These include Fred Khumalo’s “Dancing the Death Drill,” Olumide Popoola’s “When we Speak of Nothing,” JJ Bola’s “No Place to Call Home,” and the action-adventure thriller, “Combat Zulu” by Debayo Adelaja-Olowo-Ake.
The Nigerian movie industry remained number one in Africa and number two in the world, after Bollywood, estimated at USD5.1 billion. In 2017, a first was recorded when the production titled “The Wedding Party” grossed USD1.3 million (about N400 million)-the first domestic production to cross that mark. Many more successes are expected in 2018, and the quality of artistic and technical production and commercial penetration are expected to further improve.
While the continent’s economy seem set to further improve (given the IMF figures), not a few agree that real progress in 2018—and not the make-believe world of movies shot in Nollywood—will be activated by what actually happens in Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Sudan, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We doubt that you disagree!
The year 2017 saw President Robert Mugabe toppled from power; President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya winning re-election by the skin of his teeth; President Yayyah Jammeh booted out by a robust ECOMOG force for Adama Barrow to commence his own Presidency in The Gambia; President Buhari overcoming a difficult health challenge to continue in office; President Zuma all but forced out of office in South Africa; Al Shabbab killing 350 people in Mogadishu in the deadliest attack in Somalia in recent time…and Cameroon winning the 2017 African Cup of Nations!
Across the globe, President Trump was sworn in as President of the United States; Britain triggered Article 50 to exit the European Union; Rohyngas are chased out of Myanmar in what was described by some experts as one of the worst cases of ethnic cleansing ever witnessed; IS lost its Mosul stronghold in Iraq, effectively triggering its collapse as a viable fighting force; North Korea stood its ground in an even more robust missile diplomacy; China consolidated its regional and global power ambitions; while Global Warming continued apace and dangerously too.
Let’s focus on Africa, where perhaps the most significant event was the fall of Comrade Bob Mugabe from power in Zimbabwe after 37 years in power. Before his tenure was terminated, ECOWAS had once again led by example by ousting former President Yayyah Jammeh through the ECOMIG (ECOWAS Military Intervention in The Gambia) force to pave the way for the ascension to power of President Adama Barrow. In Zimbabwe, thousands bid President Mugabe goodbye in November 2017 on the streets of Harare, emboldened by the realisation that the country’s military was no longer behind Comrade Bob. Does the fall of Mr. Mugabe offer a new strategy for removing dictators in Africa? That question would form the basis of another discourse at a later time.
On the economic front, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported that African economies grew at 2.6% of GDP in 2017. This year, they’re expected to grow at 3.4%, driven largely by the economies of Nigeria and South Africa. Agriculture continues to gain more prominence in strategies to re-energise the economy of most African countries. In 2017, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) strengthened the bank’s focus on the development of agriculture, affirming the mantra that agriculture as business. Adesina is said by some watchers to favour a mix of planned and market economies (as China has done)to lift Africa up. The likely impact of this approach is left to be seen as the year unfolds.
Continuing our discourse on our continent, Africa developed goose pimples over the tensions that engulfed the Kenyan elections. Yet 2018 will see elections hold in Sierra Leone in March, Egypt in May, in South Sudan in July, in Zimbabwe and Mali both in August, in Cameroon in October, in Madagascar in December and in DRC on a date yet to be decided. What do these portend for the democratic experience of Africa?
For Nigerians, it was a big sigh of relief as President Muhammadu Buhari survived a health challenge that had kept him away from the country for a few months. He has since laboured to keep the economy going, made strenuous efforts to douse security threats and had to contend with the slow return of the economy to recovery. The icing on the cake for him would seem to be the growing capacity of Nigeria to increase domestic food production, with Lagos State and others leading the way. The year 2018 should be quite interesting for not just the President, but other politicians hoping to gain the tickets of their various parties in readiness for the 2019 elections.
Indeed as Africa looks forward to several elections, it also looks forward to the possible emergence of Cyril Ramaphosa as the next President of South Africa. Many in that country are already expecting a lot from Comrade Ramaphosa and we all look forward to what should be interesting times in the Union Building in Pretoria. Will it finally be freedom for South Africans held captive by a lack-lustre ANC leadership under President Zuma? Who knows?
The year 2017 also saw certain books making the headlines of best sellers. These include Fred Khumalo’s “Dancing the Death Drill,” Olumide Popoola’s “When we Speak of Nothing,” JJ Bola’s “No Place to Call Home,” and the action-adventure thriller, “Combat Zulu” by Debayo Adelaja-Olowo-Ake.
The Nigerian movie industry remained number one in Africa and number two in the world, after Bollywood, estimated at USD5.1 billion. In 2017, a first was recorded when the production titled “The Wedding Party” grossed USD1.3 million (about N400 million)-the first domestic production to cross that mark. Many more successes are expected in 2018, and the quality of artistic and technical production and commercial penetration are expected to further improve.
While the continent’s economy seem set to further improve (given the IMF figures), not a few agree that real progress in 2018—and not the make-believe world of movies shot in Nollywood—will be activated by what actually happens in Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Sudan, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo. We doubt that you disagree!
President-elect Weah says Liberia 'open for business', vows to fight corruption
Edward McAllister
MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberian President-elect George Weah on Saturday declared the country open to investment and pledged to tackle entrenched corruption, in his first speech to the nation since decisively winning an election this week.
Click here for full story
Liberia will hold its presidential election on December 26.
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By Brooks Marmon
The Washington Post
After a delay of over a month, Liberia will move ahead and hold a runoff presidential election on Dec. 26. The contest pits George Weah, a retired soccer star and junior senator, against Joseph Boakai, septuagenarian vice president. Boakai was outpolled in the first round in October and appears to be the underdog.
Originally slated for Nov. 7, the second round of balloting was delayedfollowing an unsuccessful judicial challenge by the Liberty Party, whose candidate, Charles Brumskine, alleged fraud, and finished a distant third with less than 10 percent of the vote.
An elected president has not transferred power to another in Liberia since 1944.
This is an important milestone in Liberia’s democratic transformation since the end of civil war in 2003. The great challenge, as Liberian politician and academic Amos Sawyer noted in 2005, is shifting the country’s political mind-set from “zero-sum politics to one that embraces tolerance, accommodation and coalition-building.”
Neither candidate matches the gravitas of Liberia’s outgoing leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Africa’s first elected female president. Some wonder if Weah is under the sway of disgraced former president and rebel leader Charles Taylor after Weah selected Taylor’s ex-wife, Sen. Jewel Howard Taylor, as his running mate. To a lesser degree, Boakai has been tarnished by Sirleaf’s reluctance to campaign actively on his behalf.
Read full story here
The Washington Post
After a delay of over a month, Liberia will move ahead and hold a runoff presidential election on Dec. 26. The contest pits George Weah, a retired soccer star and junior senator, against Joseph Boakai, septuagenarian vice president. Boakai was outpolled in the first round in October and appears to be the underdog.
Originally slated for Nov. 7, the second round of balloting was delayedfollowing an unsuccessful judicial challenge by the Liberty Party, whose candidate, Charles Brumskine, alleged fraud, and finished a distant third with less than 10 percent of the vote.
An elected president has not transferred power to another in Liberia since 1944.
This is an important milestone in Liberia’s democratic transformation since the end of civil war in 2003. The great challenge, as Liberian politician and academic Amos Sawyer noted in 2005, is shifting the country’s political mind-set from “zero-sum politics to one that embraces tolerance, accommodation and coalition-building.”
Neither candidate matches the gravitas of Liberia’s outgoing leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Africa’s first elected female president. Some wonder if Weah is under the sway of disgraced former president and rebel leader Charles Taylor after Weah selected Taylor’s ex-wife, Sen. Jewel Howard Taylor, as his running mate. To a lesser degree, Boakai has been tarnished by Sirleaf’s reluctance to campaign actively on his behalf.
Read full story here
Cyril Ramaphosa Wins ANC Leadership Election. Click here
Nigeria's Wedding Industry Worth Millions - CNN
By Torera Idowu, CNN
Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) As the year draws to a close, wedding season in Nigeria begins.
Getting married in Africa's most populous country is big business and said to be worth millions of dollars, according to market research group, TNS Global.Nigerian wedding can cost up to $9,460-$13,515 with guest lists matching the super-sized budgets.
Some weddings in the country cater for an average of 1000 guests.
Click here to read the full story
Kenya. US Praises Raila Odinga For Calling Off "Swearing In"
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Daily Nation
The United States has praised Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga for shelving plans to swear him in as the ‘People’s President’, terming the move a positive step towards national dialogue.
US ambassador Robert Godec said on Monday Mr Odinga’s decision to put on hold his controversial swearing-in that was planned for December 12, was welcome.
The National Super Alliance (Nasa) announced the postponement of Mr Odinga’s swearing-in on Sunday, citing internal, national and international interventions as the reasons for the decision.
Nasa co-principal Musalia Mudavadi, who made the announcement, said the coalition would announce the new date for swearing in Mr Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka as president and deputy president.
Dialogue
On Monday, Mr Godec called on political leaders to lead the nation into open and transparent dialogue.
The United States has praised Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga for shelving plans to swear him in as the ‘People’s President’, terming the move a positive step towards national dialogue.
US ambassador Robert Godec said on Monday Mr Odinga’s decision to put on hold his controversial swearing-in that was planned for December 12, was welcome.
The National Super Alliance (Nasa) announced the postponement of Mr Odinga’s swearing-in on Sunday, citing internal, national and international interventions as the reasons for the decision.
Nasa co-principal Musalia Mudavadi, who made the announcement, said the coalition would announce the new date for swearing in Mr Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka as president and deputy president.
Dialogue
On Monday, Mr Godec called on political leaders to lead the nation into open and transparent dialogue.
Senegal opens new $600m airport built over 10 years
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban
Senegal has a new airport as the west African country seeks to underline its status as an airline hub in the subregion.
The Blaise Diagne International Airport was officially opened on Thursday (December 7) by President Macky Sall. He called it a “source of satisfaction and legitimate pride” for the country.
Whiles expected to increase air traffic to the country, the authorities are also hoping it will translate in increased tourism and by that an economic boost.
Senegal has a new airport as the west African country seeks to underline its status as an airline hub in the subregion.
The Blaise Diagne International Airport was officially opened on Thursday (December 7) by President Macky Sall. He called it a “source of satisfaction and legitimate pride” for the country.
Whiles expected to increase air traffic to the country, the authorities are also hoping it will translate in increased tourism and by that an economic boost.
PwC: “African countries will be among The world’s most powerful economies”
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Culled from Air France/KLM Club Africa
Emerging markets such as Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa are expected to grow twice as fast as many advanced economies by 2050. Professional services firm Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) has ranked these three African countries among the 32 future power economies by 2050.
PwC ranks Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa 14th, 15th, and 27th respectively among world economies by 2050. PwC’s report - “The Long View: How Will The Global Economic Order Change By 2050”, ranks the country according to what is referred to as ‘purchasing power parity’. This is a measure used by macroeconomists to determine the economic productivity and standards of living between countries across a certain time period.
BusinessInsider reports that PwC expects that South Africa, alongside Nigeria, will be one of the few countries to see a marked acceleration of annual average growth over the next few decades.
Click here to read more
Emerging markets such as Nigeria, Egypt, and South Africa are expected to grow twice as fast as many advanced economies by 2050. Professional services firm Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) has ranked these three African countries among the 32 future power economies by 2050.
PwC ranks Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa 14th, 15th, and 27th respectively among world economies by 2050. PwC’s report - “The Long View: How Will The Global Economic Order Change By 2050”, ranks the country according to what is referred to as ‘purchasing power parity’. This is a measure used by macroeconomists to determine the economic productivity and standards of living between countries across a certain time period.
BusinessInsider reports that PwC expects that South Africa, alongside Nigeria, will be one of the few countries to see a marked acceleration of annual average growth over the next few decades.
Click here to read more
Kenya. Opposition Calls For Boycott of President's Inauguration
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By Patrick Lang'at DAILY NATION
Nasa has asked its lawmakers not to participate in vetting Cabinet appointees as the coalition intensifies its protest against President Uhuru Kenyatta's election win.
Their five-point resolution reached after a meeting at Maanzoni Lodge, Machakos County, chaired by leader Raila Odinga on Saturday, indicates that they do not recognise the election of Mr Kenyatta.
"We have not individually and collectively delegated our sovereignty to Uhuru Kenyatta," the report read.
POLICE BRUTALITY
Further, co-principal Musalia Mudavadi said they will use legally available options to protest the October 26 victory, regardless of being upheld by the Supreme Court.
Mr Mudavadi also urged Kenyans not to attend the swearing-in of Mr Kenyatta at Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday; and instead attend the memorial service of victims of police brutality to be held at Jacaranda Grounds in Embakasi on the same day.
POLICE
Earlier in a press conference, Nairobi police commander Japhet Koome said that the coalition has not informed the police about the event.
"We are not aware about it. We have not been notified. So, whoever thinks he has intentions to do that [and] he does not involve police, why don't you tell that person that the law will deal with such a situation firmly?" Mr Koome said.
Nasa has asked its lawmakers not to participate in vetting Cabinet appointees as the coalition intensifies its protest against President Uhuru Kenyatta's election win.
Their five-point resolution reached after a meeting at Maanzoni Lodge, Machakos County, chaired by leader Raila Odinga on Saturday, indicates that they do not recognise the election of Mr Kenyatta.
"We have not individually and collectively delegated our sovereignty to Uhuru Kenyatta," the report read.
POLICE BRUTALITY
Further, co-principal Musalia Mudavadi said they will use legally available options to protest the October 26 victory, regardless of being upheld by the Supreme Court.
Mr Mudavadi also urged Kenyans not to attend the swearing-in of Mr Kenyatta at Kasarani Stadium on Tuesday; and instead attend the memorial service of victims of police brutality to be held at Jacaranda Grounds in Embakasi on the same day.
POLICE
Earlier in a press conference, Nairobi police commander Japhet Koome said that the coalition has not informed the police about the event.
"We are not aware about it. We have not been notified. So, whoever thinks he has intentions to do that [and] he does not involve police, why don't you tell that person that the law will deal with such a situation firmly?" Mr Koome said.
A new Dawn In Zimbabwe
As President Mnangagwa Takes Over From Robert Mugabe.
As President Mnangagwa Takes Over From Robert Mugabe.
Exclusive Pictures. Anti Mugabe Protests In London.
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Anti Mugabe Protests Planned....could be out of office by Sunday
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Culled from The Guardian
Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Harare on Saturday to call for the resignation of Robert Mugabe, as moves to force the Zimbabwean president to stand down gather pace.
The army seized power four days ago but Mugabe has refused its demands to leave office. The military and senior officials within the ruling Zanu-PF party now appear set on forcing Mugabe out within 48 hours.
Few options are open to the 93-year-old autocrat, who has ruled Zimbabwethrough a mixture of coercion, bribery and revolutionary rhetoric for nearly four decades. Support in some branches of the security establishment – such as the police – has evaporated and many political supporters have been detained.
By late Friday afternoon, all 10 of the country’s provincial Zanu-PF branches had passed motions of no confidence in the president. These could lead to Mugabe being stripped of his office of president of the party by Sunday, one official told the Guardian.
Click here to read more
Tens of thousands of people are expected to take to the streets of Harare on Saturday to call for the resignation of Robert Mugabe, as moves to force the Zimbabwean president to stand down gather pace.
The army seized power four days ago but Mugabe has refused its demands to leave office. The military and senior officials within the ruling Zanu-PF party now appear set on forcing Mugabe out within 48 hours.
Few options are open to the 93-year-old autocrat, who has ruled Zimbabwethrough a mixture of coercion, bribery and revolutionary rhetoric for nearly four decades. Support in some branches of the security establishment – such as the police – has evaporated and many political supporters have been detained.
By late Friday afternoon, all 10 of the country’s provincial Zanu-PF branches had passed motions of no confidence in the president. These could lead to Mugabe being stripped of his office of president of the party by Sunday, one official told the Guardian.
Click here to read more
Gaskiya Special Analysis.
Zimbabwe - Second Political Party Takes Power.
Zimbabwe - Second Political Party Takes Power.
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Zimbabwe-Second political party takes power!
Zimbabwe, freed from an oppressive apartheid regime on April 18 1980 had only had two functional political parties-the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) Patriotic Front (PF), and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF).
It had not always been so however. In the early days of independence, there was at least one very powerful party as well, the Zimbabwe African Peoples’ Union (ZAPU) led by the late Joshua Nkomo. He was a better known nationalist across the African continent and was in fact instrumental to introducing President Robert Mugabe to the anti-apartheid coalition leadership headed by Nigeria. Nkomo would later collapse his party into Mugabe’s ZANU to form ZANU-PF.
However, no sooner than Zimbabwe became free than Mugabe moved to neutralize the other liberation heroes. General Joshua Togongara died mysteriously, Joshua Nkomo was rendered redundant and Canaan Banana, erstwhile Vice President, was removed as well. It was not surprising that the country would later end up as a one-party State.
The political landscape of Zimbabwe would seemingly be changed with the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which, given the acquiescence of the politicians in the country, had to be formed by former labour union members to create a viable opposition to ZANU-PF!
However, despite Mugabe’s total control of the party and country, Zimbabweans loved him and the party and were largely loyal and faithful to both. The economic crisis which hit the country from 2007 to 2009 and the resultant political logjam arising from a rigged election largely believed to have been won by the MDC brought Zimbabwe to her knees.
Despite the internationally-brokered power sharing arrangement between ZANU-PF and the MDC, Zimbabwe would only exit from her political and economic problems momentarily. Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister and Tendai Biti (Finance Minister) gave some stability but the MDC would later lose the next election and its legitimacy as a viable opposition-condemning Zimbabwe to being dominated by the ZANU-PF.
Needless to say that the rot that followed the power drunkenness of ZANU-PF elites eventually saw Zimbabweans openly challenging the party from 2016, the ruling party fracturing into two, and an accelerated decline in both political and economic stability. The sacking of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa on November 6 2017 seemed to have been the final straw, as it followed a public demand for his sacking by Mrs. Grace Mugabe, wife of the President amidst fears that she was scheming to replace her husband.
That was enough to prompt the second political party to finally make its move for power. How the ZDF sets about correcting the problems of Zimbabwe without truncating constitutional order might become a model for countries facing similar sit-tight rule exhibited by erstwhile President Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
Zimbabwe, freed from an oppressive apartheid regime on April 18 1980 had only had two functional political parties-the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) Patriotic Front (PF), and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF).
It had not always been so however. In the early days of independence, there was at least one very powerful party as well, the Zimbabwe African Peoples’ Union (ZAPU) led by the late Joshua Nkomo. He was a better known nationalist across the African continent and was in fact instrumental to introducing President Robert Mugabe to the anti-apartheid coalition leadership headed by Nigeria. Nkomo would later collapse his party into Mugabe’s ZANU to form ZANU-PF.
However, no sooner than Zimbabwe became free than Mugabe moved to neutralize the other liberation heroes. General Joshua Togongara died mysteriously, Joshua Nkomo was rendered redundant and Canaan Banana, erstwhile Vice President, was removed as well. It was not surprising that the country would later end up as a one-party State.
The political landscape of Zimbabwe would seemingly be changed with the formation of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), which, given the acquiescence of the politicians in the country, had to be formed by former labour union members to create a viable opposition to ZANU-PF!
However, despite Mugabe’s total control of the party and country, Zimbabweans loved him and the party and were largely loyal and faithful to both. The economic crisis which hit the country from 2007 to 2009 and the resultant political logjam arising from a rigged election largely believed to have been won by the MDC brought Zimbabwe to her knees.
Despite the internationally-brokered power sharing arrangement between ZANU-PF and the MDC, Zimbabwe would only exit from her political and economic problems momentarily. Morgan Tsvangirai as Prime Minister and Tendai Biti (Finance Minister) gave some stability but the MDC would later lose the next election and its legitimacy as a viable opposition-condemning Zimbabwe to being dominated by the ZANU-PF.
Needless to say that the rot that followed the power drunkenness of ZANU-PF elites eventually saw Zimbabweans openly challenging the party from 2016, the ruling party fracturing into two, and an accelerated decline in both political and economic stability. The sacking of Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa on November 6 2017 seemed to have been the final straw, as it followed a public demand for his sacking by Mrs. Grace Mugabe, wife of the President amidst fears that she was scheming to replace her husband.
That was enough to prompt the second political party to finally make its move for power. How the ZDF sets about correcting the problems of Zimbabwe without truncating constitutional order might become a model for countries facing similar sit-tight rule exhibited by erstwhile President Robert Gabriel Mugabe.
Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe In Detention As Army Takes Over
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Culled from The Guardian
Robert Mugabe remains in detention at his home in Zimbabwe more than 12 hours after the military declared on national television that it had temporarily taken control of the country to “target criminals” around the head of state.
The move by the armed forces appears to have resolved a bitter battle to succeed the 93-year-old president, which had pitted his former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, against Mugabe’s wife, Grac
First lady Grace Mugabe reportedly out of country as military says in statement that it is ‘targeting criminals’ around 93-year-old presidentMnangagwa was reported to have returned to Zimbabwe on Tuesday evening from South Africa, where he fled last week after being stripped of his office by Mugabe in an apparent attempt to clear Grace Mugabe’s path to power.There were unconfirmed reports that Grace was in Namibia on Wednesday on business.
Read full story here
Robert Mugabe remains in detention at his home in Zimbabwe more than 12 hours after the military declared on national television that it had temporarily taken control of the country to “target criminals” around the head of state.
The move by the armed forces appears to have resolved a bitter battle to succeed the 93-year-old president, which had pitted his former vice-president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, against Mugabe’s wife, Grac
First lady Grace Mugabe reportedly out of country as military says in statement that it is ‘targeting criminals’ around 93-year-old presidentMnangagwa was reported to have returned to Zimbabwe on Tuesday evening from South Africa, where he fled last week after being stripped of his office by Mugabe in an apparent attempt to clear Grace Mugabe’s path to power.There were unconfirmed reports that Grace was in Namibia on Wednesday on business.
Read full story here
Thousands Petition Rwanda Government To Release Kagame's Critics
Culled from Africanews.com
Presidential hopeful and critic of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has been in prison together with her sister and mother since September 22 over charges they describe as politically motivated.35-year-old Diane Rwigara who was disqualified from running against Kagame in the August presidential election is charged with forgery and inciting insurrection during her bid to run for president.
She is also charged with evading taxes of nearly Rwf5 billion ($6 million) together with her sister Anne Rwigara and mother Adeline Rwigara who are also accused of inciting insurrection and promoting sectarianism.
They pleaded not guilty and said their arrest and detention are politically motivated. The three were refused bail pending trial on the tax evasion allegations related to the family’s tobacco company.
Click here to read more
Presidential hopeful and critic of Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has been in prison together with her sister and mother since September 22 over charges they describe as politically motivated.35-year-old Diane Rwigara who was disqualified from running against Kagame in the August presidential election is charged with forgery and inciting insurrection during her bid to run for president.
She is also charged with evading taxes of nearly Rwf5 billion ($6 million) together with her sister Anne Rwigara and mother Adeline Rwigara who are also accused of inciting insurrection and promoting sectarianism.
They pleaded not guilty and said their arrest and detention are politically motivated. The three were refused bail pending trial on the tax evasion allegations related to the family’s tobacco company.
Click here to read more
Zimbabwe's Ousted Vice President Flees After Death Threats
By Desmond Kumbuka, Godfrey Marawanyika and Brian Latham
www.bloomberg.com
Former Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa fled the southern African nation because of “incessant threats” against him and his family two days after he was fired by President Robert Mugabe.
Mnangagwa, 75, said Wednesday in a statement that he never planned to harm Mugabe, who he’s been supporting for more than four decades, and pledged to work to establish a “new and progressive leadership” in the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. “You and your cohorts will instead leave Zanu-PF by the will of the people and this we will do in the coming few weeks,” he told Mugabe.
Click here to read more
As ZANU-PF members call for Grace Mugabe to take over as V-P
Courtesy Bulawayo News 24
The Zanu-PF youth league has thrown its weight behind First Lady Grace Mugabe's bid to succeed fired Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was relieved of his government duties yesterday by President Robert Mugabe.
Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF youth league secretary Kudzanai Chipanga said they had started lobbying other party structures to dump Mnangagwa and replace him with Grace.
"The Zanu-PF youth league is fully behind the secretary for women's affairs, Dr Amai Grace Mugabe, in calling for the urgent removal of Cde Mnangagwa from the position of Vice-President both in the party and government. That position is a straitjacket and must be handed back to the women's league," Chipanga said earlier in the day before Mnangagwa was fired.
He claimed that Grace had already proved to be nationally acceptable as the ruling party prepares for the 2018 general elections.
"It has ignited us to take interest and position in the selection of a woman Vice-President candidate. It has to be one who is acceptable and with unquestionable loyalty to the party and its principal, the President, Cde RG Mugabe, and more importantly, one without ambitions to work against the President. The only person possessing such qualities is the leader of the women's league, none other than Her Excellency the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Amai Dr Grace Mugabe," he said.
Chipanga apologised to the First Family for the public humiliation and booing they endured in Bulawayo on Saturday at the hands of Mnangagwa's suspected allies.
"We apologise to the President for the unruly behaviour by some Zanu-PF supporters and we are going to make sure that they are dealt with effectively for embarrassing our President," he said.
"We are in charge of those interface rallies and when we host them our intention is not to embarrass the President."
The Press conference was held before Mugabe fired Mnangagwa from his government position.
www.bloomberg.com
Former Zimbabwean Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa fled the southern African nation because of “incessant threats” against him and his family two days after he was fired by President Robert Mugabe.
Mnangagwa, 75, said Wednesday in a statement that he never planned to harm Mugabe, who he’s been supporting for more than four decades, and pledged to work to establish a “new and progressive leadership” in the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front. “You and your cohorts will instead leave Zanu-PF by the will of the people and this we will do in the coming few weeks,” he told Mugabe.
Click here to read more
As ZANU-PF members call for Grace Mugabe to take over as V-P
Courtesy Bulawayo News 24
The Zanu-PF youth league has thrown its weight behind First Lady Grace Mugabe's bid to succeed fired Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was relieved of his government duties yesterday by President Robert Mugabe.
Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF youth league secretary Kudzanai Chipanga said they had started lobbying other party structures to dump Mnangagwa and replace him with Grace.
"The Zanu-PF youth league is fully behind the secretary for women's affairs, Dr Amai Grace Mugabe, in calling for the urgent removal of Cde Mnangagwa from the position of Vice-President both in the party and government. That position is a straitjacket and must be handed back to the women's league," Chipanga said earlier in the day before Mnangagwa was fired.
He claimed that Grace had already proved to be nationally acceptable as the ruling party prepares for the 2018 general elections.
"It has ignited us to take interest and position in the selection of a woman Vice-President candidate. It has to be one who is acceptable and with unquestionable loyalty to the party and its principal, the President, Cde RG Mugabe, and more importantly, one without ambitions to work against the President. The only person possessing such qualities is the leader of the women's league, none other than Her Excellency the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Amai Dr Grace Mugabe," he said.
Chipanga apologised to the First Family for the public humiliation and booing they endured in Bulawayo on Saturday at the hands of Mnangagwa's suspected allies.
"We apologise to the President for the unruly behaviour by some Zanu-PF supporters and we are going to make sure that they are dealt with effectively for embarrassing our President," he said.
"We are in charge of those interface rallies and when we host them our intention is not to embarrass the President."
The Press conference was held before Mugabe fired Mnangagwa from his government position.
Liberian Election. Court Halts Presidential Runoff
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Culled From The Guardian
Liberia’s supreme court has ordered a halt to preparations for next week’s runoff election amid allegations of fraud in the first round.
The former footballer George Weah had been set to go head to head with Joseph Boakai, the country’s current deputy president, next Wednesday, vying to take over from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as her 12 years in power come to an end.
But after the first round, one of the losing parties lodged a complaint with the national elections commission, saying that there had been late opening of polls and lack of queue control as well as outright fraud. The supreme court has issued a temporary injunction to delay the runoff while it looks into these allegations.
Officials of the national elections commission (NEC) were ordered to appear at the court on Thursday morning to respond to the complaint.
“The high court of the land has spoken and we will act accordingly in keeping with the laws of the country,” said the NEC spokesman, Henry Flomo.
Click here to read more
Liberia’s supreme court has ordered a halt to preparations for next week’s runoff election amid allegations of fraud in the first round.
The former footballer George Weah had been set to go head to head with Joseph Boakai, the country’s current deputy president, next Wednesday, vying to take over from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as her 12 years in power come to an end.
But after the first round, one of the losing parties lodged a complaint with the national elections commission, saying that there had been late opening of polls and lack of queue control as well as outright fraud. The supreme court has issued a temporary injunction to delay the runoff while it looks into these allegations.
Officials of the national elections commission (NEC) were ordered to appear at the court on Thursday morning to respond to the complaint.
“The high court of the land has spoken and we will act accordingly in keeping with the laws of the country,” said the NEC spokesman, Henry Flomo.
Click here to read more
Ghana Hosts African Air Show 2017
Culled from Modern Ghana
The first ever African Air Show 2017, hosted by Ghana's Ministry of Aviation and the Ghana Airports Company Limited has begun in Accra with a call on stakeholders in African aviation to innovate and collaborate to move the industry forward.
Ms. Iyabo Sosina, Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), said there was room for further improvement in the air transport value chain that African countries could take advantage of through innovation and collaboration among all stakeholders.
This, she said, would ensure a safe, secure, reliable and economically efficient air transport in Africa.
Speaking at a ceremony to open the conference on Tuesday ahead of the official opening of the Air Show by President Akuffo Addo on Wednesday, Ms Sosina said given that aviation was recognised as a very powerful tool for economic development, and that average annual passenger growth rate in Africa was estimated at 5.7 percent, there was the need for increased investment in the sector.
'These investments should be in the areas of infrastructure development, human capital development, funding for aircrafts and equipment among others, for improved and reliable interconnectivity, especially in light of the challenges in moving from one city to another within Africa.
'A close analysis of the civil aviation problems in Africa reveals commonalities in almost all the states and thus I'm of the view that overcoming these challenges will require commitment, collaboration, cooperation and synergy of efforts among states, organisations, donors and all stakeholders,' she stated.
Ms Iyabo commended Ghana and the GACL for the organisation of the Air Show, saying the exhibition and conference was the first of its kind in West Africa and most recent in Africa, and will engage major players within the African and global aviation space with a view of positioning the African aviation industry at the forefront of regional and global interest.
It is also expected to provide a forum for stakeholders to interact with prospective investors in the development of Ghana and Africa's aviation infrastructure and services and bring them up to speed with the dynamics of the industry through the sharing of experiences.
Mr Raphael Kuuchi, Vice President for Africa, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the timing of the event was commendable as the African air transport market was forecast by IATA to be the fastest growing of all the world's regions, over the next 20 years.
'Passenger traffic in Africa will grow at seven percent per annum over the next 20 years. In other words, some 257 million more passengers will be added to the current 130 million passengers flying in Africa,' he said, adding that the industry, last year, contributed to 6.8 million jobs and $72.5 billion to the GDP od Africa economies.
The first ever African Air Show 2017, hosted by Ghana's Ministry of Aviation and the Ghana Airports Company Limited has begun in Accra with a call on stakeholders in African aviation to innovate and collaborate to move the industry forward.
Ms. Iyabo Sosina, Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), said there was room for further improvement in the air transport value chain that African countries could take advantage of through innovation and collaboration among all stakeholders.
This, she said, would ensure a safe, secure, reliable and economically efficient air transport in Africa.
Speaking at a ceremony to open the conference on Tuesday ahead of the official opening of the Air Show by President Akuffo Addo on Wednesday, Ms Sosina said given that aviation was recognised as a very powerful tool for economic development, and that average annual passenger growth rate in Africa was estimated at 5.7 percent, there was the need for increased investment in the sector.
'These investments should be in the areas of infrastructure development, human capital development, funding for aircrafts and equipment among others, for improved and reliable interconnectivity, especially in light of the challenges in moving from one city to another within Africa.
'A close analysis of the civil aviation problems in Africa reveals commonalities in almost all the states and thus I'm of the view that overcoming these challenges will require commitment, collaboration, cooperation and synergy of efforts among states, organisations, donors and all stakeholders,' she stated.
Ms Iyabo commended Ghana and the GACL for the organisation of the Air Show, saying the exhibition and conference was the first of its kind in West Africa and most recent in Africa, and will engage major players within the African and global aviation space with a view of positioning the African aviation industry at the forefront of regional and global interest.
It is also expected to provide a forum for stakeholders to interact with prospective investors in the development of Ghana and Africa's aviation infrastructure and services and bring them up to speed with the dynamics of the industry through the sharing of experiences.
Mr Raphael Kuuchi, Vice President for Africa, International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the timing of the event was commendable as the African air transport market was forecast by IATA to be the fastest growing of all the world's regions, over the next 20 years.
'Passenger traffic in Africa will grow at seven percent per annum over the next 20 years. In other words, some 257 million more passengers will be added to the current 130 million passengers flying in Africa,' he said, adding that the industry, last year, contributed to 6.8 million jobs and $72.5 billion to the GDP od Africa economies.
Mozambique Fights Corruption. ...arrests 22 over $6.4m ghost payments
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Courtesy Africa News
Mozambican authorities have arrested twenty-two government workers – mainly traffic police officers for their involvement in a ghost payment scandal that has cost the country over $6.4m.
According to the anti-graft body, the Mozambican Central Office for the Fight Against Corruption, the fraud took place over a three months period – from July to September 2017.
The BBC reports that the body’s spokesman Cristovao Mondlane confirmed that 18 of the 22 detainees were caught in the act.
“These state workers retrieve the money claiming to be paying for services provided by ghost companies – set up by them or relatives.
“These relatives do not even meet the prerequisites to be awarded bids. And even without providing any service to the state they are paid. Sometimes, the money is stolen through over-invoicing.”
The southern African country has placed low in corruption reports whiles its laws on anti-corruption are also not fully enforced. The judiciary, police and public services are seen as places where corruption is very rife.
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Ghana. Train Derails.....many Injured
Picture courtesy of Modern Ghana.
A train derailed this morning at Alajo, in Ghana’s capital, Accra. Initial report says there are a number of injuries but no deaths have been reported.
A train derailed this morning at Alajo, in Ghana’s capital, Accra. Initial report says there are a number of injuries but no deaths have been reported.
Liberian Elections 2017. Run Off Set For November 7
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Africa News.
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban with NEC LIBERIA
Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) on Thursday released full results of the October 10 general elections. The body further confirmed a run-off vote between the two top candidates for the presidency.
Ex-football star, George Weah of the Congress For Democratic Change (CDC) will face current vice-president, Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party (UP) in a race to succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Sirleaf won elections in 2006 to become the continent’s first democratically elected female leader. She won a second term in 2011. She will handover to winner of the run-off – the second president after the end of the 2003 civil war.
The NEC beat the official deadline for the announcement of final results by six clear days. It had till October 25 to announce full results as per electoral laws.
After collating results from the 5390 polling places across the country, the following results and facts were ascertained:
Weah, George Manneh of CDC polled 596,037 votes (38.4%)
Boakai, Joseph Nyuma of UP polled 446,716 votes (28.8%)
Brumskine, Cahles Walker of LP polled 149,495 votes (9.6%)
Johnson, Prince Y. of MDR polled 127,666 votes (8.2%)
Cummings, Alexander B. of ANC polled 112,067 votes (7.2%)
Urey, Benoni Wilfred of ALP polled 24,246 votes (1.6%)
The 14 other contenders each got less than one percent of the total valid votes cast. NECgave the voter turn out as 1,641,922 voters representing 75.2%.
The need for a second round is because none of the candidates got 50%+1 required. It is the third staraight third round scenario. It is Weah’s second run-off from a winning position.
He won the 2005 vote but lost the run-off to incumbent Johnson Sirleaf. Already merger talks have been established by both camps as they move to consolidate efforts towards November 7.
The polls roundly received good reviews from observer bodies from the ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union and United Nations.
Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban with NEC LIBERIA
Liberia’s National Elections Commission (NEC) on Thursday released full results of the October 10 general elections. The body further confirmed a run-off vote between the two top candidates for the presidency.
Ex-football star, George Weah of the Congress For Democratic Change (CDC) will face current vice-president, Joseph Boakai of the ruling Unity Party (UP) in a race to succeed Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Sirleaf won elections in 2006 to become the continent’s first democratically elected female leader. She won a second term in 2011. She will handover to winner of the run-off – the second president after the end of the 2003 civil war.
The NEC beat the official deadline for the announcement of final results by six clear days. It had till October 25 to announce full results as per electoral laws.
After collating results from the 5390 polling places across the country, the following results and facts were ascertained:
Weah, George Manneh of CDC polled 596,037 votes (38.4%)
Boakai, Joseph Nyuma of UP polled 446,716 votes (28.8%)
Brumskine, Cahles Walker of LP polled 149,495 votes (9.6%)
Johnson, Prince Y. of MDR polled 127,666 votes (8.2%)
Cummings, Alexander B. of ANC polled 112,067 votes (7.2%)
Urey, Benoni Wilfred of ALP polled 24,246 votes (1.6%)
The 14 other contenders each got less than one percent of the total valid votes cast. NECgave the voter turn out as 1,641,922 voters representing 75.2%.
The need for a second round is because none of the candidates got 50%+1 required. It is the third staraight third round scenario. It is Weah’s second run-off from a winning position.
He won the 2005 vote but lost the run-off to incumbent Johnson Sirleaf. Already merger talks have been established by both camps as they move to consolidate efforts towards November 7.
The polls roundly received good reviews from observer bodies from the ECOWAS, the African Union, the European Union and United Nations.
Kenyan Election Official Flees. Claims Presidential Vote Will Not Be Free
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Culled From The Guardian
A senior Kenyan electoral official has resigned and fled the country, in a new blow to the country’s presidential vote due to be held in eight days’ time.
Roselyn Akombe quit as a commissioner of Kenya’s electoral board by issuing a statement from New York saying the rerun of the presidential election scheduled for 26 October cannot be free and fair.
“I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity,” Akombe said in a statement.
The flight of such a high-profile electoral official underlines the growing crisis in the east Africa state, long seen as a bastion of relative political stability in a volatile region.
The US-educated former United Nations official told the BBC she had fled from Kenya to New York after receiving numerous threats but did not identify who was threatening her.
“This election as planned cannot meet the basic expectations of a credible election,” said Akombe, who was one of seven election board commissioners.
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A senior Kenyan electoral official has resigned and fled the country, in a new blow to the country’s presidential vote due to be held in eight days’ time.
Roselyn Akombe quit as a commissioner of Kenya’s electoral board by issuing a statement from New York saying the rerun of the presidential election scheduled for 26 October cannot be free and fair.
“I do not want to be party to such a mockery to electoral integrity,” Akombe said in a statement.
The flight of such a high-profile electoral official underlines the growing crisis in the east Africa state, long seen as a bastion of relative political stability in a volatile region.
The US-educated former United Nations official told the BBC she had fled from Kenya to New York after receiving numerous threats but did not identify who was threatening her.
“This election as planned cannot meet the basic expectations of a credible election,” said Akombe, who was one of seven election board commissioners.
Click here to read more
Ghana Launches Digital Property Addressing System
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Culled from CitiFMonline, Accra.
The National Digital Property Addressing System, also known as the Ghana Post GPS, has been launched with President Nana Akufo-Addo urging Ghanaians from various sectors to take advantage of it.
Speaking at the launch, President Akufo-Addo expressed the hope that this new address database will create an avenue for new businesses, and aid systematic revenue collection by the likes the Ghana Water Company and local government.
The President said he expected the relevant institutions to “liaise with the Ministry of Communication and Ghana Post, who are the custodians and administrators of the system, to leverage on this technology to enhance their operations.”
The system, which was designed by Ghanaian information technology firm, Vokacom, will provide every Ghanaian with an effective means of addressing every location and place in the country, using an information technology application.
The lack of an efficient addressing system forces Ghanaians to develop a culture of relying on directions from people navigating areas via basic landmarks like shops, drains or electricity poles in some cases.
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South Africa. Why Zuma Reshuffled Cabinet Again
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Culled from News 24
By Adriaan Basson
Desperation to push through the R1-trillion nuclear deal and gatvolness with SACP leader Blade Nzimande’s criticism of his leadership ahead of the ANC’s elective conference are probably the main reasons behind President Jacob Zuma’s most recent Cabinet reshuffle.
The reshuffle, that saw Nzimande chopped from the Cabinet, four ministers changing portfolios and the introduction of loudmouth ANC MP Bongani Bongo as minister of intelligence, is part of Zuma’s fightback campaign to reclaim authority over a deeply fractured governing party.
The axing brings an end to a decade-long bromance between Zuma and the communists, who were at the forefront of lobbying for the corruption charges against Zuma to be dropped and for president Thabo Mbeki to be recalled.
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By Adriaan Basson
Desperation to push through the R1-trillion nuclear deal and gatvolness with SACP leader Blade Nzimande’s criticism of his leadership ahead of the ANC’s elective conference are probably the main reasons behind President Jacob Zuma’s most recent Cabinet reshuffle.
The reshuffle, that saw Nzimande chopped from the Cabinet, four ministers changing portfolios and the introduction of loudmouth ANC MP Bongani Bongo as minister of intelligence, is part of Zuma’s fightback campaign to reclaim authority over a deeply fractured governing party.
The axing brings an end to a decade-long bromance between Zuma and the communists, who were at the forefront of lobbying for the corruption charges against Zuma to be dropped and for president Thabo Mbeki to be recalled.
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Special Analysis. Burundi, East Africa And the ECOWAS EXAMPLE
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Burundi, East Africa and the ECOWAS example
The world looked the other way when President Pierre Nkurunziza altered his country’s Constitution to pave the way for him to run for another term in office in Burundi. That act of his was backed by the country’s Constitutional Court in May 2015, resulting in the breakdown of law and order from which the East African country has not recovered ever since.
It is unthinkable that the African Union (AU) would turn its face away from such brazen rape on the Burundian Constitution and even more bizarre that the United Nations (UN) would do the same. The elders (former Presidents such as Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki to mention a few), seem not to have risen to the occasion as well, at least publicly. The seeming silence of these organisations and eminent persons portends grave danger for the region and continent because we have since seen President Paul Kagame toe the same line, while President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has remained in office in spite of the fact that his tenure has since ended.
While Rwanda’s Kagame won what was referred to by observers as a free and fair election, the clock of democracy on the African continent is gradually being turned back by the barefaced tampering with sacred constitutional provisions by suspicious judicial processes which leave no one in doubt that those processes were anything but transparent, nor were they representative of the will of the population.
East African countries can borrow a leaf from those countries in West Africa where coups or other unconstitutional methods of changing power have been outlawed. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has severally reversed such unacceptable ways of changing power, including in Sierra Leone (even during its armed conflict), Togo (when President Faure Gnassingbe Eyadema was foistered on the country by the military after the passing away of his father), Cote d’Ivoire (outing of President Laurent Gbagbo for Alasan Ouattara), Guinea-Bissau (illegal removal of President Kumba Yallah) and as recently as a few months back in The Gambia, when President Yayyah Jammeh refused to respect the electoral verdict that had thrown him out. He was forced out by the regional military force, ECOMIG, to ensure the subsequent installation of the rightful winner of the poll, President Adama Barrow. Even Sao Tome & Principe, a non-ECOWAS member, got the support of ECOWAS to reinstate its President (Menezes) after the island nation’s army had ousted him while he was attending a meeting in Nigeria in the mid-2000.
Why the AU has not endorsed the ECOWAS approach for other regional blocs to emulate beats the imagination. While it is true that some extra-regional powers are interested in the continued retention in power of certain dictators, the AU has a moral obligation to side with the people of those countries that have become captive to big power political intrigues and sit-tight despots.
The situation in Burundi is worrisome and will not disappear unless addressed holistically by competent regional and international organisations in ways which satisfy the generality of the people of that country. Ignoring the worsening violence and attendant mayhem that Nkurunziza’s unconstitutional act has generated and failing to confront him is akin to fiddling while the East African region is gradually being set alight.
The world looked the other way when President Pierre Nkurunziza altered his country’s Constitution to pave the way for him to run for another term in office in Burundi. That act of his was backed by the country’s Constitutional Court in May 2015, resulting in the breakdown of law and order from which the East African country has not recovered ever since.
It is unthinkable that the African Union (AU) would turn its face away from such brazen rape on the Burundian Constitution and even more bizarre that the United Nations (UN) would do the same. The elders (former Presidents such as Olusegun Obasanjo and Thabo Mbeki to mention a few), seem not to have risen to the occasion as well, at least publicly. The seeming silence of these organisations and eminent persons portends grave danger for the region and continent because we have since seen President Paul Kagame toe the same line, while President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has remained in office in spite of the fact that his tenure has since ended.
While Rwanda’s Kagame won what was referred to by observers as a free and fair election, the clock of democracy on the African continent is gradually being turned back by the barefaced tampering with sacred constitutional provisions by suspicious judicial processes which leave no one in doubt that those processes were anything but transparent, nor were they representative of the will of the population.
East African countries can borrow a leaf from those countries in West Africa where coups or other unconstitutional methods of changing power have been outlawed. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has severally reversed such unacceptable ways of changing power, including in Sierra Leone (even during its armed conflict), Togo (when President Faure Gnassingbe Eyadema was foistered on the country by the military after the passing away of his father), Cote d’Ivoire (outing of President Laurent Gbagbo for Alasan Ouattara), Guinea-Bissau (illegal removal of President Kumba Yallah) and as recently as a few months back in The Gambia, when President Yayyah Jammeh refused to respect the electoral verdict that had thrown him out. He was forced out by the regional military force, ECOMIG, to ensure the subsequent installation of the rightful winner of the poll, President Adama Barrow. Even Sao Tome & Principe, a non-ECOWAS member, got the support of ECOWAS to reinstate its President (Menezes) after the island nation’s army had ousted him while he was attending a meeting in Nigeria in the mid-2000.
Why the AU has not endorsed the ECOWAS approach for other regional blocs to emulate beats the imagination. While it is true that some extra-regional powers are interested in the continued retention in power of certain dictators, the AU has a moral obligation to side with the people of those countries that have become captive to big power political intrigues and sit-tight despots.
The situation in Burundi is worrisome and will not disappear unless addressed holistically by competent regional and international organisations in ways which satisfy the generality of the people of that country. Ignoring the worsening violence and attendant mayhem that Nkurunziza’s unconstitutional act has generated and failing to confront him is akin to fiddling while the East African region is gradually being set alight.
Football. Nigeria's Super Eagles Becomes First African Team To Qualify for 2018 World Cup Finals.
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Daily Post NG
Nigeria became the first African country to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, after they beat Zambia 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.
The first half of the encounter ended goalless, with the Chipolopolo the better side, troubling the Super Eagles with their pace in attack.
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Nigeria became the first African country to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, after they beat Zambia 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom state capital.
The first half of the encounter ended goalless, with the Chipolopolo the better side, troubling the Super Eagles with their pace in attack.
Click here to read more
Supermarkets Are Creating Obesity Crisis In African Countries
The Guardian
Changing dietary habits are creating an obesity crisis in African countries as middle-class people buy their food from supermarkets rather than eating food they grow, a group of international food security experts has warned.
A report by the Malabo Montpellier Panel, a group of agriculture and food experts, claims obesity is becoming a significant challenge for governments, agencies and the private sector in African countries, many of which are already dealing with malnutrition and stunting. Diabetes is also on the rise, said the panel.
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Kenya's University of Nairobi Shut Down.
By DAILY NATION
The University of Nairobi has been closed indefinitely following recent student unrest.
The students were ordered to vacate halls of residence by Tuesday 9am.
The university's Senate resolved to close the institution citing security concerns, the university's director of Corporate Affairs John Orindi said.
About 27 students were last Thursday injured during fracas in which police were captured on camera assaulting students in their hostels, lecture halls and within the university.
The police had stormed the institution to stop students from protesting the arrest of Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili popularly known as Babu Owino.
The former student leader, Babu Owino, is facing various charges including subversion and uttering abusive words against President Uhuru Kenyatta.
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The University of Nairobi has been closed indefinitely following recent student unrest.
The students were ordered to vacate halls of residence by Tuesday 9am.
The university's Senate resolved to close the institution citing security concerns, the university's director of Corporate Affairs John Orindi said.
About 27 students were last Thursday injured during fracas in which police were captured on camera assaulting students in their hostels, lecture halls and within the university.
The police had stormed the institution to stop students from protesting the arrest of Embakasi East MP Paul Ongili popularly known as Babu Owino.
The former student leader, Babu Owino, is facing various charges including subversion and uttering abusive words against President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Click here to read more
CAMEROON. PRESIDENT DEPLOYS SOLDIERS AGAINST SECESSIONISTS
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Culled from African News
Cameroonian President Paul Biya has dispatched the military to the South West and North West Regions of the country ahead of independence day on October 1 to face off secessionists.
The military deployment was officially announced by the Governor of the South West Region Bernard Okalia Bilai on Thursday after restricting movement of people and vehicles, closing all public places and banning meetings.
“Following repeated threats propagated by secessionists through the social media, their Southern Cameroon Broadcasting Corporation and tracts to mislead public opinion and destabilize our country;
“The Head of State has ordered and mobilized the Army to protect the territorial integrity of the Nation as well as guarantee the security of all law-abiding persons and their property in conformity with the provisions of our Constitution,” he said in a statement.
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Cameroonian President Paul Biya has dispatched the military to the South West and North West Regions of the country ahead of independence day on October 1 to face off secessionists.
The military deployment was officially announced by the Governor of the South West Region Bernard Okalia Bilai on Thursday after restricting movement of people and vehicles, closing all public places and banning meetings.
“Following repeated threats propagated by secessionists through the social media, their Southern Cameroon Broadcasting Corporation and tracts to mislead public opinion and destabilize our country;
“The Head of State has ordered and mobilized the Army to protect the territorial integrity of the Nation as well as guarantee the security of all law-abiding persons and their property in conformity with the provisions of our Constitution,” he said in a statement.
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SOUTH AFRICA. MORE TROUBLE FOR PRESIDENT ZUMA AS PROTESTS MOUNT
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Culled from The Citizen
Striking workers in Cape Town delivered what they called “a present” to President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday — calling on the State to stop dragging its feet in establishing a judicial inquiry into state capture.Some of the city centre’s busiest streets were turned into a sea of red as members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) protested against state capture and corruption.
The most prominent placard on display read: “Zuma must go”.
“We didn’t fight apartheid to replace a white devil with a black devil,” Cosatu Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich said while addressing the crowd at Parliament where a memorandum was handed over to representatives of the national legislature and big business in the Western Cape.
In the memorandum, Cosatu demanded, among others, that Zuma immediately set a date to establish a judicial inquiry into state capture.
“The state and state institutions must refuse to deal with the predatory elite, and in particular cancel all commercial dealings with the Gupta family with immediately effect,” the memorandum said.
In addition, the Asset Forfeiture Unit should seize all the assets of the Guptas because Cosatu did not believe the “enormous” resources accumulated by the family — who are close allies of Zuma — were legitimately secured.
Deputy Public Works Minister, who relinquished his position as South African Communist Party (SACP) first deputy general secretary, Jeremy Cronin joined protesters.
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Striking workers in Cape Town delivered what they called “a present” to President Jacob Zuma on Wednesday — calling on the State to stop dragging its feet in establishing a judicial inquiry into state capture.Some of the city centre’s busiest streets were turned into a sea of red as members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) protested against state capture and corruption.
The most prominent placard on display read: “Zuma must go”.
“We didn’t fight apartheid to replace a white devil with a black devil,” Cosatu Western Cape secretary Tony Ehrenreich said while addressing the crowd at Parliament where a memorandum was handed over to representatives of the national legislature and big business in the Western Cape.
In the memorandum, Cosatu demanded, among others, that Zuma immediately set a date to establish a judicial inquiry into state capture.
“The state and state institutions must refuse to deal with the predatory elite, and in particular cancel all commercial dealings with the Gupta family with immediately effect,” the memorandum said.
In addition, the Asset Forfeiture Unit should seize all the assets of the Guptas because Cosatu did not believe the “enormous” resources accumulated by the family — who are close allies of Zuma — were legitimately secured.
Deputy Public Works Minister, who relinquished his position as South African Communist Party (SACP) first deputy general secretary, Jeremy Cronin joined protesters.
Click here to read more
NIGERIA'S 57th INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
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Nigeria’s reluctance to celebrate what unites its people
It is incredible how successive political administrations in Nigeria have diminished the power that significant watershed events have to unite their people. For example and in particular, the celebration of that country’s Independence Day has often been downgraded in recent years for various reasons. It happened under the Late President Umaru Yar’Aradu, as it did under President Jonathan, and lately, under President Muhammadu Buhari . Some government watchers we spoke to suggest that the non-celebration of the country’s national day for some years under these three Presidents could be for three main reasons: the ill-health of Yar’Aradua, the security threats under Jonathan and the astronomical budget proposed for it (and later, ill-health as well of the President) under Buhari. In the three cases, the public reason given for non-celebration of the watershed was the poor economic situation in the country.
In taking a holistic look at this issue, we spoke to some experts on nation-building and state formation in the developing south. In their responses to our question, they expressed worry that Nigeria, by refusing to celebrate its national day, is actually eroding the power of such event to unite the nation and demonstrate the will and capacity of the state to neutralise all threats to its health. They cite developed and developing countries that have consistently celebrated their own national watershed events regardless of the economic situation their countries may have been in at that material time to buttress their point.
Furthermore, some military experts in Lagos told Gaskiya.net that it should not cost a fortune to celebrate these events because the air force and army (the only two out of the country’s three armed services required for such events in landlocked Abuja) normally fly and drive their tanks in peace time, during training exercises and other routine military activities. They therefore wonder why it should cost anything extra to display their platforms during national day celebrations.
Not a few observers criticised the citing of security threats as reasons for not marking the national day (even though this reason was never officially listed), suggesting that if the security forces cannot secure a small area and its adjoining access ways within Nigeria’s compact federal capital, how would they assure citizens that they can secure the whole country?
Indeed Gaskiya.net shares the sentiments of our respondents. We believe too that aspects of Nigeria’s national day celebrations ought to be reviewed. For example, the President should not be required to stand for hours on end while the military parades. Once he gives permission to the parade commander to commence the parade, he should take his seat and watch like anyone else. Furthermore, people should be barred from the parade ground itself and only participating formations, reasonable number of accredited security personnel providing VIP protection and the media legitimately covering the celebrations should be allowed on the grounds. Security and good TV coverage in past celebrations, when they took place, had been undermined by large unruly crowds thronging the periphery of the Eagle Square venue of the event.
There is no reason why Nigeria, the largest black nation in the world, biggest economy in Africa and major military power should shy away from celebrating national watershed events which serve as a platform for re-affirming the nation’s unity, inspiring its youth, assuring the old and sending clear and unambiguous messages to enemies within and without that it is still in business and will neutralise threats to its well-being and greatness.
It is incredible how successive political administrations in Nigeria have diminished the power that significant watershed events have to unite their people. For example and in particular, the celebration of that country’s Independence Day has often been downgraded in recent years for various reasons. It happened under the Late President Umaru Yar’Aradu, as it did under President Jonathan, and lately, under President Muhammadu Buhari . Some government watchers we spoke to suggest that the non-celebration of the country’s national day for some years under these three Presidents could be for three main reasons: the ill-health of Yar’Aradua, the security threats under Jonathan and the astronomical budget proposed for it (and later, ill-health as well of the President) under Buhari. In the three cases, the public reason given for non-celebration of the watershed was the poor economic situation in the country.
In taking a holistic look at this issue, we spoke to some experts on nation-building and state formation in the developing south. In their responses to our question, they expressed worry that Nigeria, by refusing to celebrate its national day, is actually eroding the power of such event to unite the nation and demonstrate the will and capacity of the state to neutralise all threats to its health. They cite developed and developing countries that have consistently celebrated their own national watershed events regardless of the economic situation their countries may have been in at that material time to buttress their point.
Furthermore, some military experts in Lagos told Gaskiya.net that it should not cost a fortune to celebrate these events because the air force and army (the only two out of the country’s three armed services required for such events in landlocked Abuja) normally fly and drive their tanks in peace time, during training exercises and other routine military activities. They therefore wonder why it should cost anything extra to display their platforms during national day celebrations.
Not a few observers criticised the citing of security threats as reasons for not marking the national day (even though this reason was never officially listed), suggesting that if the security forces cannot secure a small area and its adjoining access ways within Nigeria’s compact federal capital, how would they assure citizens that they can secure the whole country?
Indeed Gaskiya.net shares the sentiments of our respondents. We believe too that aspects of Nigeria’s national day celebrations ought to be reviewed. For example, the President should not be required to stand for hours on end while the military parades. Once he gives permission to the parade commander to commence the parade, he should take his seat and watch like anyone else. Furthermore, people should be barred from the parade ground itself and only participating formations, reasonable number of accredited security personnel providing VIP protection and the media legitimately covering the celebrations should be allowed on the grounds. Security and good TV coverage in past celebrations, when they took place, had been undermined by large unruly crowds thronging the periphery of the Eagle Square venue of the event.
There is no reason why Nigeria, the largest black nation in the world, biggest economy in Africa and major military power should shy away from celebrating national watershed events which serve as a platform for re-affirming the nation’s unity, inspiring its youth, assuring the old and sending clear and unambiguous messages to enemies within and without that it is still in business and will neutralise threats to its well-being and greatness.
NIGERIA TURN ON CLASS TO THRASH CAMEROON 4-0
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Drone Delivery. East Africa Leads The World.
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Paul Kagame. Rwandans Understand The Greater Goal
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How Nigeria Captured Boko Haram Stronghold - President Buhari
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World News. How Fidel Castro Helped Africa-Cuito Cuanavale Revisited.
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Culled from The Nation Nigeria.
Nigerians yesterday received one of the most soul-lifting messages yet from President Mohammadu Buhari: the routing of the terror sect Boko Haram from its stronghold of Sambisa Forest in Borno State. The entire 1300 square kilometre forest fell into the hands of the soldiers at about 1.35pm on Thursday, according to Buhari in what he himself called “the long-awaited and most gratifying news.” He said he was delighted at the news and “most proud of the gallant troops,” which made it all possible. He particularly acknowledged “the determination, courage and resilience of troops of Operation Lafiya Dole at finally entering and crushing the remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents at ‘Camp Zero’, which is located deep within the heart of Sambisa Forest.” Read the full story here |
By Piero Gleijeses
Culled from the Mail & Guardian . South Africa This year marks the 20th anniversary of the opening of the battle of Cuito Cuanavale, in south-eastern Angola, which pitted the armed forces of apartheid South Africa against the Cuban army and Angolan forces. General Magnus Malan writes in his memoirs that this campaign marked a great victory for the South African Defence Force (SADF). But Nelson Mandela could not disagree more: Cuito Cuanavale, he asserted, “was the turning point for the liberation of our continent—and of my people—from the scourge of apartheid”. Debate over the significance of Cuito Cuanavale has been intense, partly because the relevant South African documents remain classified. Read the full story at www.mg.co.za |
Fidel Castro Africa's Friend Goes Home
Fidel Castro—Africa’s friend goes home!
The world stands still for a man who came out of a hitherto geographically and demographically ‘insignificant’ country to constantly challenge the status quo in international power politics and transform his country, generation and continent into incontestable reckoning.
At the head of a famous uprising from the inner recesses of the Sierra Maestra Mountains onto the boulevards of Havana to remove DictatorFulgencio Batista on January 1 1959, he would become a well-respected revolutionary, a motivational leader, and the global icon of the resistance to imperialism.
Comandante Fidel, or, as he would rather be addressed-Camarada Fidel, turned the island nation of Cuba into a powerhouse for the universal anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movement. He, together with the purist, Ernesto Che Guevara, would galvanise nations and inspire resistance against colonial regimes worldwide. Castro gave all of the little that Cuba had to support such movements in Africa and it was in that continent that his impact would be felt by the imperialist alliance.
Fidel sent Cuban troops to fight against colonial and racist armies in Angola and in southern Africa. With Nigerian funds, Russian equipment and Cuban troops, he marshaled a telling defeat of apartheid South Africa in the now famous battle of Cuito Canavalein 1987-88, which dented the so-called invincibility of the South African Defence Forces (SADF), disgracing apartheid South Africa and its UNITA allies into abandoning their positions after suffering massive losses.
That victory resulted into South African also abandoning Namibia, where the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) had consistently put them under intense military pressure. Western propaganda had claimed that South Africa did not lose in Cuito and that its aim of ensuring that UNITA forces were not mauled by a combined Soviet and Cuban offensive was achieved. Were this to have been true, why then did it have to take the United States, through Chester Crocker (its Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs) to negotiate an ‘honourable’ exit for the South Africans. Why did they pull out after the army division they sent into that war had been routed? Why did they withdraw from Namibia (that they had illegally occupied after the Trusteeship mandate of the UN given to South Africa over that country had been withdrawn?) if they achieved their military objective in Cuito?
Indeed, the crushing of the South Africans in Angola also significantly eroded the confidence of the racists, to the point where they could no longer continue to bomb Zambia and Mozambique at will. It was Fidel who personified the resistance and provided the motivation for not only African States fighting racist and Portuguese imperialism, but also seeking to have their voices heard in the diplomatic discourses taking place at the time (where the United Kingdom and the United States often shut the door against them, labeling them as “terrorists”).
The death of Fidel rekindles the call by many in Africa for the comprehensive history of the anti-colonial struggles of the 1970’s and 80’s to be written, especially on the liberation wars of Angola, Mozambique Zimbabwe and Namibia. Some at the head of the political wings of the liberation movements, such as Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe wrote their own accounts, but sadly, many of those who led the fighting have not written anything. Indeed, many have actually since passed on, such as Zimbabwe’s famed field commander, General Joshua Togongara, taking with them what would have constituted a rich source of Africa’s history. The passing of Fidel is a good opportunity for those who have not written their own accounts to promptly do so. Nigeria’s former President, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo, is a key dramatis personae who was a key player in the whole anti-imperialist campaign (and also participated in clandestine moves to free Mandela and ensure majority rule in South Africa). He would do well to write on the role Nigeria played in the military operations in Angola in particular, as well as in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Beyond helping Africa win its anti-imperialist battles, Fidel would send Cuban doctors to many African States to assist in stabilising the fragile health systems that many inherited from the colonial powers. He was a good friend of Africa, a dependable ally whose word was his bond. Cuba, a developing country with similar challenges as African States, also inspired the latter by the strides it made in development. The elimination of illiteracy and provision of free, comprehensive and effective health care for all Cubans by Castro’s regime influenced African countries into believing that they could surmount problems they faced and achieve the same results as Fidel gave to his country.
As the world stands still for Castro, so does Africa stand in dignified salute to the man who was as solid as a rock in his commitment to the well-being of its peoples. Fare thee well Fidel. Goodbye Comandante. Adios Camarada! Victoria acerta
The world stands still for a man who came out of a hitherto geographically and demographically ‘insignificant’ country to constantly challenge the status quo in international power politics and transform his country, generation and continent into incontestable reckoning.
At the head of a famous uprising from the inner recesses of the Sierra Maestra Mountains onto the boulevards of Havana to remove DictatorFulgencio Batista on January 1 1959, he would become a well-respected revolutionary, a motivational leader, and the global icon of the resistance to imperialism.
Comandante Fidel, or, as he would rather be addressed-Camarada Fidel, turned the island nation of Cuba into a powerhouse for the universal anti-imperialist and anti-colonial movement. He, together with the purist, Ernesto Che Guevara, would galvanise nations and inspire resistance against colonial regimes worldwide. Castro gave all of the little that Cuba had to support such movements in Africa and it was in that continent that his impact would be felt by the imperialist alliance.
Fidel sent Cuban troops to fight against colonial and racist armies in Angola and in southern Africa. With Nigerian funds, Russian equipment and Cuban troops, he marshaled a telling defeat of apartheid South Africa in the now famous battle of Cuito Canavalein 1987-88, which dented the so-called invincibility of the South African Defence Forces (SADF), disgracing apartheid South Africa and its UNITA allies into abandoning their positions after suffering massive losses.
That victory resulted into South African also abandoning Namibia, where the South West African People’s Organisation (SWAPO) had consistently put them under intense military pressure. Western propaganda had claimed that South Africa did not lose in Cuito and that its aim of ensuring that UNITA forces were not mauled by a combined Soviet and Cuban offensive was achieved. Were this to have been true, why then did it have to take the United States, through Chester Crocker (its Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs) to negotiate an ‘honourable’ exit for the South Africans. Why did they pull out after the army division they sent into that war had been routed? Why did they withdraw from Namibia (that they had illegally occupied after the Trusteeship mandate of the UN given to South Africa over that country had been withdrawn?) if they achieved their military objective in Cuito?
Indeed, the crushing of the South Africans in Angola also significantly eroded the confidence of the racists, to the point where they could no longer continue to bomb Zambia and Mozambique at will. It was Fidel who personified the resistance and provided the motivation for not only African States fighting racist and Portuguese imperialism, but also seeking to have their voices heard in the diplomatic discourses taking place at the time (where the United Kingdom and the United States often shut the door against them, labeling them as “terrorists”).
The death of Fidel rekindles the call by many in Africa for the comprehensive history of the anti-colonial struggles of the 1970’s and 80’s to be written, especially on the liberation wars of Angola, Mozambique Zimbabwe and Namibia. Some at the head of the political wings of the liberation movements, such as Nelson Mandela and Robert Mugabe wrote their own accounts, but sadly, many of those who led the fighting have not written anything. Indeed, many have actually since passed on, such as Zimbabwe’s famed field commander, General Joshua Togongara, taking with them what would have constituted a rich source of Africa’s history. The passing of Fidel is a good opportunity for those who have not written their own accounts to promptly do so. Nigeria’s former President, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo, is a key dramatis personae who was a key player in the whole anti-imperialist campaign (and also participated in clandestine moves to free Mandela and ensure majority rule in South Africa). He would do well to write on the role Nigeria played in the military operations in Angola in particular, as well as in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Beyond helping Africa win its anti-imperialist battles, Fidel would send Cuban doctors to many African States to assist in stabilising the fragile health systems that many inherited from the colonial powers. He was a good friend of Africa, a dependable ally whose word was his bond. Cuba, a developing country with similar challenges as African States, also inspired the latter by the strides it made in development. The elimination of illiteracy and provision of free, comprehensive and effective health care for all Cubans by Castro’s regime influenced African countries into believing that they could surmount problems they faced and achieve the same results as Fidel gave to his country.
As the world stands still for Castro, so does Africa stand in dignified salute to the man who was as solid as a rock in his commitment to the well-being of its peoples. Fare thee well Fidel. Goodbye Comandante. Adios Camarada! Victoria acerta
Ghana Decides. Violence Spreads As Election Draws Near
NDC, NPP supporters clash at Asokore; scores injured
Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Supporters of the two main political parties, incumbent NDC and opposition NPP, have been involved another violent attack at Asokore in the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern Region.
Joy News sources say the supporters clashed when their paths crossed during a health walk led by the Parliamentary candidates of the two parties.
Scores of supporters are said to be injured in the wake of the attack that also resulted in the destruction of vehicles and other properties. Reports indicate that the supporters pelted stones at each other at some point.
Sunday’s clash comes exactly a week after a similar incident at the residence of the opposition leader, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. In that incident the security of the NPP leader fired warning shots allegedly to ward off the NDC supporters said to be pelting stones and bottles.
The New Juaben Municipality, along with four other constituencies in the Eastern Region, (Nkawkaw, Akwatia, Suhum, New Juaben South and Akwapim South) are among the violence flashpoints ahead of the 2016 Elections.
Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Supporters of the two main political parties, incumbent NDC and opposition NPP, have been involved another violent attack at Asokore in the New Juaben Municipality of the Eastern Region.
Joy News sources say the supporters clashed when their paths crossed during a health walk led by the Parliamentary candidates of the two parties.
Scores of supporters are said to be injured in the wake of the attack that also resulted in the destruction of vehicles and other properties. Reports indicate that the supporters pelted stones at each other at some point.
Sunday’s clash comes exactly a week after a similar incident at the residence of the opposition leader, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. In that incident the security of the NPP leader fired warning shots allegedly to ward off the NDC supporters said to be pelting stones and bottles.
The New Juaben Municipality, along with four other constituencies in the Eastern Region, (Nkawkaw, Akwatia, Suhum, New Juaben South and Akwapim South) are among the violence flashpoints ahead of the 2016 Elections.
BREAKING NEWS. Canadian Immigration website crashes as Americans plan on fleeing the US following Trump victory.
Canada's immigration website has crashed as Americans watched Donald Trump take the lead and then win the US election.Searches for "move to Canada" and "immigrate to Canada" spiked on Tuesday night as election returns started favouring the Republican nominee.The website for Citizenship and Immigration Canada was down at the same time, and has suffered several outages since.
Click here for full story
Canada's immigration website has crashed as Americans watched Donald Trump take the lead and then win the US election.Searches for "move to Canada" and "immigrate to Canada" spiked on Tuesday night as election returns started favouring the Republican nominee.The website for Citizenship and Immigration Canada was down at the same time, and has suffered several outages since.
Click here for full story
Ghana 2016. Danger Ahead. Ghana's Electoral Commission facing numerous lawsuits
Courting controversies: Ghana’s Electoral Commission under fire ahead of close elections
Nana Yaa Mensah New Statesman
With the political temperature in Ghana rising ahead of its finely balanced 7 December elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) is coming under intense scrutiny. The body has been a cause of running complaints since the reintroduction of multi-party politics in 1992. This transition followed nearly 20 years of military rule by Jerry Rawlings; the EC oversaw Rawlings’ electoral victories in 1992 and 1996.
The Electoral Commissioner who oversaw the return to formally civilian government was Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, a political scientist appointed by Rawlings. Afari-Gyan remained in his position until 2015, having conducted six elections. The last of these, in December 2012, was hotly contested between Ghana’s two largest parties: the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) under President John Mahama, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
In these closely fought elections, Mahama – who had risen to Head of State less than five months previously, after President John Atta Mills’ death – was pronounced the outright winner. The EC declared that he had won 51% of the vote to Akufo-Addo’s 48% in the first round.
However, the NPP launched a Supreme Court challenge to the result that kept Ghana on tenterhooks for much of 2013. Live broadcasts of the proceedings allowed Ghanaians to pore over the mechanics of conducting national elections. And as lawyers ran through voodoo arithmetic and piles of incomplete results sheets, it became harder for some Ghanaians already inclined to see their public institutions as corrupt to accept the EC’s procedures as capable of delivering elections that reflect the will of the people.
Results declarations hadn’t been signed by more than one opposition party in some constituencies, signalling that their polling agents disagreed with the results or hadn’t been present. There were persistent murmurs about under-declaration of opposition tallies everywhere from the Greater Accra Region on the coast to the Upper East on the border with Burkina Faso. The figures in some results were transposed. Multiple voting seemed rife in some areas. Worse still, the chief witness for the defence, Afari-Gyan, often appeared uncertain how the election had been organised at ground level.
What were the basic procedures? What was the law on acceptable proof of results from a polling station? Did a declaration sheet have to be signed by representatives of all the parties standing in that area? If one party agent hadn’t signed the sheet for their polling station, did this invalidate the result? How many voters were there on the electoral roll? How do you define “over-voting”? Did every voter have to prove their identity using the biometric identification system introduced for the 2012 election? What sort of identification did you have to present in order to register to vote?
For days, the Supreme Court was surrounded by pro-NDC protesters, armed with bamboo canes and vowing to protect the declared result. They would not be disenfranchised, they said.
After eight months of evidence, with over 30,000 members of the security forces standing by, the Supreme Court passed a 5-4 verdict dismissing the challenge. The petitioners, including Akufo-Addo, accepted the decision and urged disappointed NPP supporters to do the same. However, the judges made it clear in their detailed judgments that reform was vital and that the next election could not be conducted the same way. The changes they set out included recommendations on redesigning results forms, retraining of EC staff, a review of the voters’ register, and consensus-building with all the political parties.
Vigour and rigour
In the wake of the judgment, the EC embarked on a charm offensive, repeatedly assuring Parliament that it was making changes to its way of working. And in June 2015, the government took a bold step: as Afari-Gyan retired, it named Charlotte Osei, the 46-year-old head of the National Commission for Civic Education, as his replacement. With her background in the law and relative youth, it was hoped she would inject vigour, rigour and fresh ideas into the EC.
Nevertheless, sensing stasis, pro-opposition groups under the banner of the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), soon launched street protests to put pressure on the Commission to compile a fresh voters’ register. This, activists said, was the only way of ensuring a fair election in 2016. But when, on 16 September 2015, they marched on the EC’s headquarters in Accra, they met with riot police armed with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon, batons and bamboo canes rather like those brandished by the NDC supporters outside the Supreme Court in 2013. Police said the demonstrators had veered off the agreed route. Several protesters were beaten; one was hit in the face by a rubber bullet and lost an eye.
Osei quickly retreated to the bunker, refusing to meet LMVCA and even suspending cross-party talks. Everyone had a complaint, from the Convention People’s Party (heirs to the mantle of Kwame Nkrumah) to the breakaway Progressive People’s Party under Paa Kwesi Nduom and the comedic Ghana Freedom Party under Akua Donkor.
After insisting for months that the 2016 election would be held in November to allow adequate time before the year end for a possible presidential run-off, the EC was obliged to accept it would not be able to marshal resources in time. It reset the date for 7 December.
Blossoming legal challenges
The charm offensive had quickly gone adrift and the first newsworthy action by the Commission under Osei was to redesign its logo at an undisclosed cost, a move that provoked widespread derision. Meanwhile, various spats resumed, such as the one over signatures on declaration forms.
In May this year, for example, the Supreme Court found in favour of a civil suit brought by supporters of two opposition parties. One of the main points of contention revolved around whether a National Health Insurance Scheme card – which is not proof of nationality – was acceptable ID when registering to vote. The NDC backed the EC in arguing the cards should be valid, while the NPP disagreed. The Supreme Court, upholding its original recommendations, instructed the EC to remove NHIS cardholders’ names from the voters’ register. The EC came back with a list of names that looked distinctly underwhelming.
On 11 October, the Commission was at the centre of another dispute when it disqualified 13 of the 17 candidates hoping to run for president, including the former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. It cited reasons ranging from certain parties’ failure to provide evidence that they had a national structure, to individuals signing registration papers for more than one candidate.
The ensuing uproar unleashed a slew of cases in the civil courts, the Progressive People’s Party’s Nduom sounding the most determined to have the decision against him overturned. The Chief Justice pledged to resolve the disputes quickly so as not to create further delay, and their claims are being heard at the High Court. Konadu-Rawlings lost her first suit at this court on 27 October but, like Nduom, is threatening to go all the way to the Supreme Court. The NDC argues that the disqualified candidates should stop sulking and accuses NPP and LMVCA of fomenting violence against an EC that’s doing good work.
And the EC’s travails go on. In late October, yet another lawsuit was filed that may further prolong the wrangling over electoral paperwork. There were repeated stops and starts over when the voters’ register and final list of polling stations would be released to the political parties. The Commission kept changing its mind over whether it could afford to put the contract for electronic transmission of results out to tender; the NPP objected to the idea, arguing it would be unconstitutional and a waste of money, while the NDC and its allies accused NPP of deception and causing confusion.
And on 26 October, the paramount chief of the Asante was moved to chide the EC for allowing the “sham” political party phenomenon to spread whereby there has been a proliferation of political parties that critics believe are simply proxies for the NDC or NPP.
Though officially independent and free from state control, opposition activists see the EC as a political football, kicked about by the party in power. Its conflict resolution mechanisms appear not to work, hence the repeated recourse to the law courts. That the bulk of its budget comes from the government does not help. The Commission announced last year that it would need 1.3 billion cedis ($330 million) to mount the elections; Parliament agreed provision for just under 900 million cedis ($230 million), leaving Osei and her team to make up the shortfall.
Whether the EC will be able to assert its independence, gain public trust, get its house in order and conduct a smooth election on 7 December remains to be seen. The blossoming of legal challenges doesn’t augur well.
Nana Yaa Mensah New Statesman
With the political temperature in Ghana rising ahead of its finely balanced 7 December elections, the Electoral Commission (EC) is coming under intense scrutiny. The body has been a cause of running complaints since the reintroduction of multi-party politics in 1992. This transition followed nearly 20 years of military rule by Jerry Rawlings; the EC oversaw Rawlings’ electoral victories in 1992 and 1996.
The Electoral Commissioner who oversaw the return to formally civilian government was Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, a political scientist appointed by Rawlings. Afari-Gyan remained in his position until 2015, having conducted six elections. The last of these, in December 2012, was hotly contested between Ghana’s two largest parties: the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) under President John Mahama, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
In these closely fought elections, Mahama – who had risen to Head of State less than five months previously, after President John Atta Mills’ death – was pronounced the outright winner. The EC declared that he had won 51% of the vote to Akufo-Addo’s 48% in the first round.
However, the NPP launched a Supreme Court challenge to the result that kept Ghana on tenterhooks for much of 2013. Live broadcasts of the proceedings allowed Ghanaians to pore over the mechanics of conducting national elections. And as lawyers ran through voodoo arithmetic and piles of incomplete results sheets, it became harder for some Ghanaians already inclined to see their public institutions as corrupt to accept the EC’s procedures as capable of delivering elections that reflect the will of the people.
Results declarations hadn’t been signed by more than one opposition party in some constituencies, signalling that their polling agents disagreed with the results or hadn’t been present. There were persistent murmurs about under-declaration of opposition tallies everywhere from the Greater Accra Region on the coast to the Upper East on the border with Burkina Faso. The figures in some results were transposed. Multiple voting seemed rife in some areas. Worse still, the chief witness for the defence, Afari-Gyan, often appeared uncertain how the election had been organised at ground level.
What were the basic procedures? What was the law on acceptable proof of results from a polling station? Did a declaration sheet have to be signed by representatives of all the parties standing in that area? If one party agent hadn’t signed the sheet for their polling station, did this invalidate the result? How many voters were there on the electoral roll? How do you define “over-voting”? Did every voter have to prove their identity using the biometric identification system introduced for the 2012 election? What sort of identification did you have to present in order to register to vote?
For days, the Supreme Court was surrounded by pro-NDC protesters, armed with bamboo canes and vowing to protect the declared result. They would not be disenfranchised, they said.
After eight months of evidence, with over 30,000 members of the security forces standing by, the Supreme Court passed a 5-4 verdict dismissing the challenge. The petitioners, including Akufo-Addo, accepted the decision and urged disappointed NPP supporters to do the same. However, the judges made it clear in their detailed judgments that reform was vital and that the next election could not be conducted the same way. The changes they set out included recommendations on redesigning results forms, retraining of EC staff, a review of the voters’ register, and consensus-building with all the political parties.
Vigour and rigour
In the wake of the judgment, the EC embarked on a charm offensive, repeatedly assuring Parliament that it was making changes to its way of working. And in June 2015, the government took a bold step: as Afari-Gyan retired, it named Charlotte Osei, the 46-year-old head of the National Commission for Civic Education, as his replacement. With her background in the law and relative youth, it was hoped she would inject vigour, rigour and fresh ideas into the EC.
Nevertheless, sensing stasis, pro-opposition groups under the banner of the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), soon launched street protests to put pressure on the Commission to compile a fresh voters’ register. This, activists said, was the only way of ensuring a fair election in 2016. But when, on 16 September 2015, they marched on the EC’s headquarters in Accra, they met with riot police armed with tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannon, batons and bamboo canes rather like those brandished by the NDC supporters outside the Supreme Court in 2013. Police said the demonstrators had veered off the agreed route. Several protesters were beaten; one was hit in the face by a rubber bullet and lost an eye.
Osei quickly retreated to the bunker, refusing to meet LMVCA and even suspending cross-party talks. Everyone had a complaint, from the Convention People’s Party (heirs to the mantle of Kwame Nkrumah) to the breakaway Progressive People’s Party under Paa Kwesi Nduom and the comedic Ghana Freedom Party under Akua Donkor.
After insisting for months that the 2016 election would be held in November to allow adequate time before the year end for a possible presidential run-off, the EC was obliged to accept it would not be able to marshal resources in time. It reset the date for 7 December.
Blossoming legal challenges
The charm offensive had quickly gone adrift and the first newsworthy action by the Commission under Osei was to redesign its logo at an undisclosed cost, a move that provoked widespread derision. Meanwhile, various spats resumed, such as the one over signatures on declaration forms.
In May this year, for example, the Supreme Court found in favour of a civil suit brought by supporters of two opposition parties. One of the main points of contention revolved around whether a National Health Insurance Scheme card – which is not proof of nationality – was acceptable ID when registering to vote. The NDC backed the EC in arguing the cards should be valid, while the NPP disagreed. The Supreme Court, upholding its original recommendations, instructed the EC to remove NHIS cardholders’ names from the voters’ register. The EC came back with a list of names that looked distinctly underwhelming.
On 11 October, the Commission was at the centre of another dispute when it disqualified 13 of the 17 candidates hoping to run for president, including the former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings. It cited reasons ranging from certain parties’ failure to provide evidence that they had a national structure, to individuals signing registration papers for more than one candidate.
The ensuing uproar unleashed a slew of cases in the civil courts, the Progressive People’s Party’s Nduom sounding the most determined to have the decision against him overturned. The Chief Justice pledged to resolve the disputes quickly so as not to create further delay, and their claims are being heard at the High Court. Konadu-Rawlings lost her first suit at this court on 27 October but, like Nduom, is threatening to go all the way to the Supreme Court. The NDC argues that the disqualified candidates should stop sulking and accuses NPP and LMVCA of fomenting violence against an EC that’s doing good work.
And the EC’s travails go on. In late October, yet another lawsuit was filed that may further prolong the wrangling over electoral paperwork. There were repeated stops and starts over when the voters’ register and final list of polling stations would be released to the political parties. The Commission kept changing its mind over whether it could afford to put the contract for electronic transmission of results out to tender; the NPP objected to the idea, arguing it would be unconstitutional and a waste of money, while the NDC and its allies accused NPP of deception and causing confusion.
And on 26 October, the paramount chief of the Asante was moved to chide the EC for allowing the “sham” political party phenomenon to spread whereby there has been a proliferation of political parties that critics believe are simply proxies for the NDC or NPP.
Though officially independent and free from state control, opposition activists see the EC as a political football, kicked about by the party in power. Its conflict resolution mechanisms appear not to work, hence the repeated recourse to the law courts. That the bulk of its budget comes from the government does not help. The Commission announced last year that it would need 1.3 billion cedis ($330 million) to mount the elections; Parliament agreed provision for just under 900 million cedis ($230 million), leaving Osei and her team to make up the shortfall.
Whether the EC will be able to assert its independence, gain public trust, get its house in order and conduct a smooth election on 7 December remains to be seen. The blossoming of legal challenges doesn’t augur well.
Liberia 2017. The Woman Who Wants To Be President
By William Q. Harmon Daily Observer
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's constitutionally dictated absence at the upcoming 2017 presidential election will not be missed, gender-wise, as the first female aspirant has emerged saying that she has the requisite credentials and is prepared to lead the country
MacDella Cooper said she has not just come to ensure gender balance at the polls next year, but to lead Liberia from where President Sirleaf leaves it.
At a well-organized program held at a resort in Monrovia yesterday, Ms. Cooper broke her silence, indicating that she will be a contestant in the 2017 presidential elections, because there is a lot to do in a country where the masses still live in abject poverty amid abundance of resources, adding that she is prepared to lead a charge that will emancipate Liberians from their current impoverished state. Cooper is the assumed political leader of the Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD), recognized and certificated by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's constitutionally dictated absence at the upcoming 2017 presidential election will not be missed, gender-wise, as the first female aspirant has emerged saying that she has the requisite credentials and is prepared to lead the country
MacDella Cooper said she has not just come to ensure gender balance at the polls next year, but to lead Liberia from where President Sirleaf leaves it.
At a well-organized program held at a resort in Monrovia yesterday, Ms. Cooper broke her silence, indicating that she will be a contestant in the 2017 presidential elections, because there is a lot to do in a country where the masses still live in abject poverty amid abundance of resources, adding that she is prepared to lead a charge that will emancipate Liberians from their current impoverished state. Cooper is the assumed political leader of the Union of Liberian Democrats (ULD), recognized and certificated by the National Elections Commission (NEC).
Entertainment in Nigeria- Rastafarians return big time to the market place
Rastafarians return big time to the market place!
By Bayo Olowo-Ake
In the 1980’s, reggae music dominated Nigerian airwaves and overwhelmed the nightclubs. You had the trio of Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono and Orits Williki calling the shots in a triumviratical control of all that this genre of music offered. From Lagos to Onitsha, Sapele to Sabon Gari, Kano to Calabar, it was reggae all the way.Indeed, while reggae is typified by drum, bass and percussions, its lyrics often express injustice, political, economic or social. Reggae’s depth is its religious foundation, deriving life from ecclesiastical sources, especially the didactic Books of the Psalms and Proverbs.
Reggae calls the authorities to change the order of things if suffering begins to bite the population harder, challenges the international political and economic order to free political prisoners (Mandela being the most visible expression of that campaign), and stands in the gap for those being denied justice and equity. It is therefore a universal music genre, pricking the soul and conscience of the world.
Fashek, Williki and Kimono churned out hits after hits, with songs like ‘Send Down the Rain,’ ‘Fight the fire,’ ‘What’s Gwan,’ etc. perpetually being aired across the length and breadth of Nigeria. They were supported by such acts as the enigmatic Sonny Okosuns and other acts likeKing Waleman, Jah Sticks, Peterside Ottong, Lt. Shotgun, Too Low for Zero, Alex Zitto, Sweatetc. From beyond Nigeria’s borders came Alpha Blondy and Lucky Dube who livened things up with Ivorian and South African flavours respectively, while from outside Africa, you had Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Third World, Mighty Diamonds, U-Roy, I-Roy, UB-40, Yellowman etc. Indeed, reggae music sold in the millions and kept the Nigerian music industry alive and virile.
The height of the ascendancy of reggae music in Nigeria came in the form of the runaway success called Lekki Sunsplash. Packaged by Lagos businessman, Dapo Adelegan, it was West Africa’s response to Jamaica’s Reggae Sunsplash and its first edition pulled a crowd estimated at over 350,000 on the pristine Maiyegun Beach on Lekki Peninsula, Lagos, right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The domestic security apparatus had never seen anything like it, in terms of the security challenges it threw up—crowd management, traffic and access control, etc. It was majestic and confirmed that Nigeria could stage and manage such a stupendous music jam. It is doubtful if anything of that magnitude has been attempted again in the annals of Nigerian music. Yet it was sold on the strength of reggae’s appeal, with wholly Nigerian artistes.
There are those who however assert that reggae music thrives in an environment enmeshed in economic or political inequality. This would explain why this music genre seemingly ‘disappeared’ when the economy of Nigeria began booming again in the early 2000’s.There are also those who challenge this assertion however, contending that Bob Marley and other global reggae acts, though writing lyrics in contexts dominated by various types of deprivations, still sold continuously and handsomely in countries where the economy was booming and where there were no serious issues relating to political repression. What is not in doubt though is that every society has some form of injustice or another, and that because of this reality, reggae music finds traction and acceptance everywhere.
This is why the school of thought which considers this music genre to be the watchdog of those oppressed by various deprivations is quick to point to its return to Nigeria in full measure these days as a consequence of the challenging economic environment in the country. Indeed, the African continent is witnessing a slowdown economically and Nigeria has had more than its fair share of this, on account of profligate spending, lack of prudence in the management of national resources and outright impunity.
Re-enter Majek Fashek, Orits Williki and Ras Kimono! The fire is kindled once again, (a la Orits Williki’s ‘Fight the Fire?’) in the Nigerian music scene as these trio begin a renaissance of immense proportions. They have had to pay big time to face up to rejuvenating reggae and raising hope and confidence among their army of fans. Kimono gave up a lucrative and sustained circuitry in the US to return home, including, possibly, his role as UN brand ambassador for climate change (his posters dotted the whole of Addis Ababa for a spell while he creditably served in that capacity). Majek Fashek has had to give up his stay in the US, where he had grown to become a very big act and was to suffer depression and other emotional challenges. He has been treated in Nigeria by Nigerian doctors and is doing well and forms a critical leg of the trio. Although Orits Williki never left Nigeria like Kimono and Majek, he however had to put a thriving music recording business and headship of a musical copyright society in the background to fully head back to the stage.
For the past three years, reggae music has continued its ascendancy in the domestic music industryon account of the influence and presence of Kimono, Majek and Orits. The live band performances that characterise their shows have also helped further the popularity of the music, as many of the new and younger non-reggae acts in the country perform with DJ’s and not with live bands. Various live shows specifically dedicated to reggae music are thus being regularly held in Nigeria, such as Afropolitan, Calabar and Port Harcourt Carnivals (with their reggae components), monthly reggae shows at the Freedom Park (Lagos), ‘Industry’ Night etc. All these typify the growth and resurging popularity of reggae. This genre has also grown tremendously over this period in the northern cities of Jos, Kano and Kaduna. Indeed, Plateau Radio and Television Services (PRTV) now have reggae shows everyday of the week, while in Lagos, every of the over 30 FM stations now has a reggae programme, unlike previously when it was only two stations (EKO FM and Star FM) which had such shows.
Today, reggae music is challenging and complementing the established music genre denominated in the likes of P-Square, Tuface, D-Banj, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Banky-W, Don Jazzy, etc. The beauty of this revival is in the respect that the masters enjoy from the younger generation, whose careers were themselves fuelled by the brand of reggae espoused by Orits, Majek and Kimono. Thus a synergy has been forged between old and new, seeing collabos between Majek and Tuface for instance, on the strength of such previous successful experimentbetween Orits and Eedris Abdulakrim some years back.
It is thus no longer a whisper that reggae is back –the Nigerian version—and growing larger and larger. The triumvirate has reclaimed the throne and is manifesting its musical authority from the marketplace to the corridors of power. How long it stays at the top this time will depend to a large extent on how many new acts the masters are able to inspire to continue the elongation of the genre given that most of them are well past their mid-50’s.
Welcome back Rastas. Y’all run tings mon…tings no run ya!
Bayo Olowo-Ake contributed this piece from New Delhi, India.
By Bayo Olowo-Ake
In the 1980’s, reggae music dominated Nigerian airwaves and overwhelmed the nightclubs. You had the trio of Majek Fashek, Ras Kimono and Orits Williki calling the shots in a triumviratical control of all that this genre of music offered. From Lagos to Onitsha, Sapele to Sabon Gari, Kano to Calabar, it was reggae all the way.Indeed, while reggae is typified by drum, bass and percussions, its lyrics often express injustice, political, economic or social. Reggae’s depth is its religious foundation, deriving life from ecclesiastical sources, especially the didactic Books of the Psalms and Proverbs.
Reggae calls the authorities to change the order of things if suffering begins to bite the population harder, challenges the international political and economic order to free political prisoners (Mandela being the most visible expression of that campaign), and stands in the gap for those being denied justice and equity. It is therefore a universal music genre, pricking the soul and conscience of the world.
Fashek, Williki and Kimono churned out hits after hits, with songs like ‘Send Down the Rain,’ ‘Fight the fire,’ ‘What’s Gwan,’ etc. perpetually being aired across the length and breadth of Nigeria. They were supported by such acts as the enigmatic Sonny Okosuns and other acts likeKing Waleman, Jah Sticks, Peterside Ottong, Lt. Shotgun, Too Low for Zero, Alex Zitto, Sweatetc. From beyond Nigeria’s borders came Alpha Blondy and Lucky Dube who livened things up with Ivorian and South African flavours respectively, while from outside Africa, you had Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Third World, Mighty Diamonds, U-Roy, I-Roy, UB-40, Yellowman etc. Indeed, reggae music sold in the millions and kept the Nigerian music industry alive and virile.
The height of the ascendancy of reggae music in Nigeria came in the form of the runaway success called Lekki Sunsplash. Packaged by Lagos businessman, Dapo Adelegan, it was West Africa’s response to Jamaica’s Reggae Sunsplash and its first edition pulled a crowd estimated at over 350,000 on the pristine Maiyegun Beach on Lekki Peninsula, Lagos, right on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The domestic security apparatus had never seen anything like it, in terms of the security challenges it threw up—crowd management, traffic and access control, etc. It was majestic and confirmed that Nigeria could stage and manage such a stupendous music jam. It is doubtful if anything of that magnitude has been attempted again in the annals of Nigerian music. Yet it was sold on the strength of reggae’s appeal, with wholly Nigerian artistes.
There are those who however assert that reggae music thrives in an environment enmeshed in economic or political inequality. This would explain why this music genre seemingly ‘disappeared’ when the economy of Nigeria began booming again in the early 2000’s.There are also those who challenge this assertion however, contending that Bob Marley and other global reggae acts, though writing lyrics in contexts dominated by various types of deprivations, still sold continuously and handsomely in countries where the economy was booming and where there were no serious issues relating to political repression. What is not in doubt though is that every society has some form of injustice or another, and that because of this reality, reggae music finds traction and acceptance everywhere.
This is why the school of thought which considers this music genre to be the watchdog of those oppressed by various deprivations is quick to point to its return to Nigeria in full measure these days as a consequence of the challenging economic environment in the country. Indeed, the African continent is witnessing a slowdown economically and Nigeria has had more than its fair share of this, on account of profligate spending, lack of prudence in the management of national resources and outright impunity.
Re-enter Majek Fashek, Orits Williki and Ras Kimono! The fire is kindled once again, (a la Orits Williki’s ‘Fight the Fire?’) in the Nigerian music scene as these trio begin a renaissance of immense proportions. They have had to pay big time to face up to rejuvenating reggae and raising hope and confidence among their army of fans. Kimono gave up a lucrative and sustained circuitry in the US to return home, including, possibly, his role as UN brand ambassador for climate change (his posters dotted the whole of Addis Ababa for a spell while he creditably served in that capacity). Majek Fashek has had to give up his stay in the US, where he had grown to become a very big act and was to suffer depression and other emotional challenges. He has been treated in Nigeria by Nigerian doctors and is doing well and forms a critical leg of the trio. Although Orits Williki never left Nigeria like Kimono and Majek, he however had to put a thriving music recording business and headship of a musical copyright society in the background to fully head back to the stage.
For the past three years, reggae music has continued its ascendancy in the domestic music industryon account of the influence and presence of Kimono, Majek and Orits. The live band performances that characterise their shows have also helped further the popularity of the music, as many of the new and younger non-reggae acts in the country perform with DJ’s and not with live bands. Various live shows specifically dedicated to reggae music are thus being regularly held in Nigeria, such as Afropolitan, Calabar and Port Harcourt Carnivals (with their reggae components), monthly reggae shows at the Freedom Park (Lagos), ‘Industry’ Night etc. All these typify the growth and resurging popularity of reggae. This genre has also grown tremendously over this period in the northern cities of Jos, Kano and Kaduna. Indeed, Plateau Radio and Television Services (PRTV) now have reggae shows everyday of the week, while in Lagos, every of the over 30 FM stations now has a reggae programme, unlike previously when it was only two stations (EKO FM and Star FM) which had such shows.
Today, reggae music is challenging and complementing the established music genre denominated in the likes of P-Square, Tuface, D-Banj, Davido, Tiwa Savage, Banky-W, Don Jazzy, etc. The beauty of this revival is in the respect that the masters enjoy from the younger generation, whose careers were themselves fuelled by the brand of reggae espoused by Orits, Majek and Kimono. Thus a synergy has been forged between old and new, seeing collabos between Majek and Tuface for instance, on the strength of such previous successful experimentbetween Orits and Eedris Abdulakrim some years back.
It is thus no longer a whisper that reggae is back –the Nigerian version—and growing larger and larger. The triumvirate has reclaimed the throne and is manifesting its musical authority from the marketplace to the corridors of power. How long it stays at the top this time will depend to a large extent on how many new acts the masters are able to inspire to continue the elongation of the genre given that most of them are well past their mid-50’s.
Welcome back Rastas. Y’all run tings mon…tings no run ya!
Bayo Olowo-Ake contributed this piece from New Delhi, India.
Ghanaian Elections 2016 Bombshell. Electoral Commission Disqualifies Former First Lady, 11 others.
Courtesy www.thepulse.com.gh
The Electoral Commission has disqualified twelve presidential nominees after filing of nominations closed today (October 10, 2016).The presidential nominees include All Peoples Congress’s Hassan Ayariga; Dr Edward Mahama of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Dr Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP), Kofi Akpaloo of the Independent People’s Party (IPP), Kwabena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP)
The others include: Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidate Popular Party (GCPP), Richard Nixon Tetteh (United Development Systems Party), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Ward Brew of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate, and Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP). Akwesi Adae Odike of the United Progressive Party’s nomination is on hold pending a court case.
For the full story click here
The Electoral Commission has disqualified twelve presidential nominees after filing of nominations closed today (October 10, 2016).The presidential nominees include All Peoples Congress’s Hassan Ayariga; Dr Edward Mahama of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Dr Agyenim Boateng of the United Front Party (UFP), Kofi Akpaloo of the Independent People’s Party (IPP), Kwabena Adjei of the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP)
The others include: Dr Henry Herbert Lartey of the Great Consolidate Popular Party (GCPP), Richard Nixon Tetteh (United Development Systems Party), Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings of the National Democratic Party (NDP), Ward Brew of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Alfred Kwame Asiedu Walker, an independent candidate, and Akua Donkor of the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP). Akwesi Adae Odike of the United Progressive Party’s nomination is on hold pending a court case.
For the full story click here
NIGERIA. HAPPY 56TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY
STOP PRESS. Bob Marley's wife Rita suffers stroke.
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BREAKING NEWS. ENGLAND MANAGER STEPS DOWN SAM ALLARDYCE has left his post as England manager after exactly 67 days. Click here for more
Civic Education Boosts Participation in African Politics By Women - Waithera Chege
The increase in the number of women participating in politics in Africa has been attributed to the introduction of civic education and the provision of skills that have equipped them to survive on the political terrain.
This was disclosed to Gaskiya.net by Waithera Chege, head of the Kenyan based charity Pick Me Up and also founder of another initiative New Dawn Arica in an exclusive chat recently. She further explained that the enactment of constitutional provisions which reserve a certain number of seats for women in some African countries has also boosted the number of those taking part.
Citing the example of such women politicians as Mrs. Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Mrs. Banda of Malawi, Waithera explained further that women are showing the world that they are in the vanguard of the new breed politicians who offer Africa the opportunity to deepen democracy.
Ms. Waithera Chege’s interview with Gaskiya.net is produced in full below. Readers’ reactions are welcome.
Please send them to editor@gaskiya.net
Gaskiya.net. What do you think is responsible for the recent participation in elections by women across Africa?
Waithera Chege A number of factors have worked together in raising women's participation in politics in Africa...
A) Leadership capabilities of female leaders.
B) Introduction of civic education, skills and experience needed to survive in politics.
C) Constitutional provisions reserving a certain number of seats for women. For example Kenya has special seats for women representatives in parliament while political parties in South Africa and Mozambique have adopted internal rules to ensure a certain percentage of women can vie for office.
D) Women are key to the new breed of politicians who offer Africa the opportunity for democracy. It is interesting that three female African leaders assumed office during crises or transitions. Ms. Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia was elected after 13-yr devastating civil war, Ms. Joyce Banda who had been vice president of Malawi took over after president Bingu died in office and Catherine Samba-Panza was sworn in amid rebellion and sectarian violence in the Central African Republic and Ms. Ruth Perry headed the interim government following cease fire negotiations that ended almost two decades of war in Liberia.
E) Women's political participation has also been enhanced by the growing drive from the civil society in fostering women's participation in leadership. The civil society has been instrumental in creating awareness of women's rights.
F) Education has empowered many women to join and form political parties thereby enabling them to participate in political activities
G) The promulgation of women's movement groups in Africa have led to an increase of the number of women involved in politics. The groups have been of much importance as they have lobbied for women's political leadership.
Gaskiya.net. There is a very touching story on the formation of your charity group....NEW DAWN AFRICA...How did it start?
Waithera Chege I am a philanthropist. I love improving the well being of human kind by preventing and solving social problems.
New Dawn Africa has been in existence for sometime now. I had a bad experience with the street boys some years back. They stole my handbag. Rather than running to the police station I engaged them and got an insight into the challenges that plagued them. This led us to start a reform process through education and the birth of PICK ME UP organisation that I founded to empower and give teenage mothers a second chance for education. Today through PMU we are educating girls and catering for their school fees, supporting them in other ways too. Helping build stronger communities Offering time and services to a needy group.
It may sound contradictory but one important aspect of building wealth is philanthropy. While government play a role in providing support to people who need assistance, government funding lacks the precision needed to support all who need help.
The act of giving leads to happiness and satisfaction Matthew 25;40 states " I say unto you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me". Providing education to teenage mothers from poor background is my new project. Mothers who live in abject poverty are now back to school thanks to "Pick Me Up" (PMU) organisation that I chair. The results of philanthropy are always beyond calculation
Gaskiya.net What are the prevalent problems in your community and how do you intend to solve them ?
Waithera Chege. My community consists of a slum that's desperately crowded. The slum is home to more than 60% of the total population. One of the biggest challenge is that the slum is not formally recognised by the government and thus lack basic services such as water, sanitation and health services. Uninsulated electricity cables hang precariously in people's homes. The residents know the dangers but they have no choice. You find a water vending kiosk standing beside two dirty, poorly constructed pit latrines.
Providing basics remain a big challenge in Marigu-ini, Fuata Nyayo, Kisii, Kabirira, Kaiyaba and Mukuru slums within Nairobi south ward. The crisis of poor infrastructure, overcrowding, limited resources and poor sanitation facilities is exacerbated further by a high disease rate, characterised by high levels of malnutrition amoung children and the aged. High rate of communicable diseases like typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis with most families unable to afford medical care. The few health facilities available are understaffed and lack basic equipments.
Lack of jobs for many of the young inhabitants means turning to crime to make ends meet. The government has really tried by providing funds to start small businesses but again you find young people are not showing interest because they lack creativity. Organised gangs and criminal elements within slums have rendered many homeless for fear of attack. The social networks, the business, the employment opportunities and the low cost of living attracts new residents despite the harsh circumstances.
How we are solving the problem
1. Taking advantage of government youth and women funds to create more
opportunities and initiatives.
2. Lobby for review of laws that hinder quick access to credit facilities
3. Discourage further rural to urban migration by urging the government to
provide services to rural set ups. To stop overcrowding.
4. Slum upgrading is a government initiative that will help improve the
life of slum dwellers
5. Lobby Nairobi County to improve the existing informal sanitation
facilities
Gaskiya.net Should the electorate vote for you as a women's rights activist?
Waithera Chege. Yes because I practice positive activism. They say when you educate a woman...you have educated the whole community. It is through the fight for women's rights that teenage mothers are back to school. Thanks to PICK ME UP ( PMU) an organisation i founded. Modelling them to be the next Hillary Clinton.
Through civic education women are able to participate in elections, speak in public and demand for their rights. Am also leading women empowerment initiatives in my country. I am the chair of one of the biggest merry go rounding investing in millions of shillings in the Sunlife group. Men and youth have not been left behind we have equipped them with skills like mechanics, carpenters, matatu drivers through New Dawn Africa. We only need a back up to double the effort.
Gaskiya.net A shot at Kenyan presidency in future?
Waithera Chege. Anything is possible. I believe in me. The question isn't who is going to let me...it's who is going to stop me.
Thank you.
This was disclosed to Gaskiya.net by Waithera Chege, head of the Kenyan based charity Pick Me Up and also founder of another initiative New Dawn Arica in an exclusive chat recently. She further explained that the enactment of constitutional provisions which reserve a certain number of seats for women in some African countries has also boosted the number of those taking part.
Citing the example of such women politicians as Mrs. Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia and Mrs. Banda of Malawi, Waithera explained further that women are showing the world that they are in the vanguard of the new breed politicians who offer Africa the opportunity to deepen democracy.
Ms. Waithera Chege’s interview with Gaskiya.net is produced in full below. Readers’ reactions are welcome.
Please send them to editor@gaskiya.net
Gaskiya.net. What do you think is responsible for the recent participation in elections by women across Africa?
Waithera Chege A number of factors have worked together in raising women's participation in politics in Africa...
A) Leadership capabilities of female leaders.
B) Introduction of civic education, skills and experience needed to survive in politics.
C) Constitutional provisions reserving a certain number of seats for women. For example Kenya has special seats for women representatives in parliament while political parties in South Africa and Mozambique have adopted internal rules to ensure a certain percentage of women can vie for office.
D) Women are key to the new breed of politicians who offer Africa the opportunity for democracy. It is interesting that three female African leaders assumed office during crises or transitions. Ms. Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia was elected after 13-yr devastating civil war, Ms. Joyce Banda who had been vice president of Malawi took over after president Bingu died in office and Catherine Samba-Panza was sworn in amid rebellion and sectarian violence in the Central African Republic and Ms. Ruth Perry headed the interim government following cease fire negotiations that ended almost two decades of war in Liberia.
E) Women's political participation has also been enhanced by the growing drive from the civil society in fostering women's participation in leadership. The civil society has been instrumental in creating awareness of women's rights.
F) Education has empowered many women to join and form political parties thereby enabling them to participate in political activities
G) The promulgation of women's movement groups in Africa have led to an increase of the number of women involved in politics. The groups have been of much importance as they have lobbied for women's political leadership.
Gaskiya.net. There is a very touching story on the formation of your charity group....NEW DAWN AFRICA...How did it start?
Waithera Chege I am a philanthropist. I love improving the well being of human kind by preventing and solving social problems.
New Dawn Africa has been in existence for sometime now. I had a bad experience with the street boys some years back. They stole my handbag. Rather than running to the police station I engaged them and got an insight into the challenges that plagued them. This led us to start a reform process through education and the birth of PICK ME UP organisation that I founded to empower and give teenage mothers a second chance for education. Today through PMU we are educating girls and catering for their school fees, supporting them in other ways too. Helping build stronger communities Offering time and services to a needy group.
It may sound contradictory but one important aspect of building wealth is philanthropy. While government play a role in providing support to people who need assistance, government funding lacks the precision needed to support all who need help.
The act of giving leads to happiness and satisfaction Matthew 25;40 states " I say unto you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me". Providing education to teenage mothers from poor background is my new project. Mothers who live in abject poverty are now back to school thanks to "Pick Me Up" (PMU) organisation that I chair. The results of philanthropy are always beyond calculation
Gaskiya.net What are the prevalent problems in your community and how do you intend to solve them ?
Waithera Chege. My community consists of a slum that's desperately crowded. The slum is home to more than 60% of the total population. One of the biggest challenge is that the slum is not formally recognised by the government and thus lack basic services such as water, sanitation and health services. Uninsulated electricity cables hang precariously in people's homes. The residents know the dangers but they have no choice. You find a water vending kiosk standing beside two dirty, poorly constructed pit latrines.
Providing basics remain a big challenge in Marigu-ini, Fuata Nyayo, Kisii, Kabirira, Kaiyaba and Mukuru slums within Nairobi south ward. The crisis of poor infrastructure, overcrowding, limited resources and poor sanitation facilities is exacerbated further by a high disease rate, characterised by high levels of malnutrition amoung children and the aged. High rate of communicable diseases like typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis with most families unable to afford medical care. The few health facilities available are understaffed and lack basic equipments.
Lack of jobs for many of the young inhabitants means turning to crime to make ends meet. The government has really tried by providing funds to start small businesses but again you find young people are not showing interest because they lack creativity. Organised gangs and criminal elements within slums have rendered many homeless for fear of attack. The social networks, the business, the employment opportunities and the low cost of living attracts new residents despite the harsh circumstances.
How we are solving the problem
1. Taking advantage of government youth and women funds to create more
opportunities and initiatives.
2. Lobby for review of laws that hinder quick access to credit facilities
3. Discourage further rural to urban migration by urging the government to
provide services to rural set ups. To stop overcrowding.
4. Slum upgrading is a government initiative that will help improve the
life of slum dwellers
5. Lobby Nairobi County to improve the existing informal sanitation
facilities
Gaskiya.net Should the electorate vote for you as a women's rights activist?
Waithera Chege. Yes because I practice positive activism. They say when you educate a woman...you have educated the whole community. It is through the fight for women's rights that teenage mothers are back to school. Thanks to PICK ME UP ( PMU) an organisation i founded. Modelling them to be the next Hillary Clinton.
Through civic education women are able to participate in elections, speak in public and demand for their rights. Am also leading women empowerment initiatives in my country. I am the chair of one of the biggest merry go rounding investing in millions of shillings in the Sunlife group. Men and youth have not been left behind we have equipped them with skills like mechanics, carpenters, matatu drivers through New Dawn Africa. We only need a back up to double the effort.
Gaskiya.net A shot at Kenyan presidency in future?
Waithera Chege. Anything is possible. I believe in me. The question isn't who is going to let me...it's who is going to stop me.
Thank you.
GASKIYA WEEKENDER... stories from all over Africa
KENYA. Firm to assemble VW cars in Thika By Victor Juma The Nation Motor dealer DT Dobie is set to start assembling Volkswagen vehicles, including light trucks, at the Thika-based Kenya Vehicle Manufacturers plant in which it has a 32.5 per cent stake. The company, which took over the VW franchise from CMC Holdings, has been importing the German vehicles fully built from markets such as South Africa. Volkswagen South Africa CEO Thomas Schafer said the German multinational will later this year start assembling some of its models in Thika, having stopped local assembly in the 1970s. |
NIGERIA. AFRIMA - Jury releases full nominee list
Vanguard The African Union Commission, AUC, and the 13-man Jury of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, have released the highly anticipated 2016 nominees list for the Continental Categories of Africa's leading awards project. The 2016 AFRIMA continental nominees list was released to the public via the media and on the AFRIMA website during the week. It was released about two weeks after the nominees list for the Regional Categories of the awards were unveiled on Monday, August 22, in Lagos. The 22 continental nomination categories include different music genres, as well as coveted categories of "Artiste of the Year in Africa", "Best Video in Africa", "Best Producer in Africa", "Best Songwriter in Africa" and "Revelation of the Year in Africa". Full story here |
RIO Paralympics Opening Ceremony - Agege Bread Makes Global Appearance...
A loaf of bread popular with Nigerians and Ghanaians and commonly referred to as "Agege bread" seemed to have been part of the opening ceremony at the Rio Paralympics which opened on September 7 . From the commentaries monitored on several networks, this particular loaf which is similar to the west Indian hard dough bread, is common with the inhabitants of the Rio Favelas.
Entertainment. Reggae music - alive and kicking in Africa.
The period from the late 1970’s into the 80’s and mid 90’s witnessed an onslaught against the wicked apartheid system which held a number of countries in southern Africa hostage. While some advocates campaigned for sanctions to be imposed on the offending governments, others called for military options.
In the middle of all these stood a group who advocated for neither sanctions nor military attacks – they opted to wage war against apartheid through music-reggae music. Reggae artistes particularly those of Jamaican descent took the war against apartheid to heart releasing song after song attacking the evil system. It must be noted these reggae songs were quite popular in these parts of Africa and perhaps explain the rationale behind the love Jamaican artistes receive today all over Africa.
While the war against apartheid may have been won, the relationship between Africa and Jamaican reggae artistes continues to blossom. Today Africa boasts of countless reggae artistes who trace their musical influence to Jamaican artistes like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Buju Banton, Capelton, Sizzla Kalonji, Morgan Heritage. Jamaican artistes not only visit Africa on a regular basis, some have even gone step further by actually moving to Africa. The reggae band Morgan Heritage are now reportedly living in Kenya. Just a few years ago, Sizzla Kalonji moved to Zimbabwe for a considerable period of time. Out of Africa, Ghana’s Blakk Rasta (real name Abubakar Ahmed) continues to fly the flag for Africa on the reggae scene especially in Europe and other parts of the world. Blakk Rasta is a very respected artiste with a strong following particularly amongst the youths in his native Ghana. Africa’s number one reggae D J on radio who has been on air for 25 years Ayodele Olowo-Ake aka Daddy Faizer spins reggae tunes on two radio stations in Lagos and his weekly shows sometimes include live interviews with reggae artistes from Jamaica and the United kingdom.
Today reggae music is stronger in Africa than ever before. It can even be said that reggae has found its home in Africa. After all reggae’s queen and number one ambassador Rita Marley now lives in Ghana. This evidently shows the music will forever live in Africa.
In the middle of all these stood a group who advocated for neither sanctions nor military attacks – they opted to wage war against apartheid through music-reggae music. Reggae artistes particularly those of Jamaican descent took the war against apartheid to heart releasing song after song attacking the evil system. It must be noted these reggae songs were quite popular in these parts of Africa and perhaps explain the rationale behind the love Jamaican artistes receive today all over Africa.
While the war against apartheid may have been won, the relationship between Africa and Jamaican reggae artistes continues to blossom. Today Africa boasts of countless reggae artistes who trace their musical influence to Jamaican artistes like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Buju Banton, Capelton, Sizzla Kalonji, Morgan Heritage. Jamaican artistes not only visit Africa on a regular basis, some have even gone step further by actually moving to Africa. The reggae band Morgan Heritage are now reportedly living in Kenya. Just a few years ago, Sizzla Kalonji moved to Zimbabwe for a considerable period of time. Out of Africa, Ghana’s Blakk Rasta (real name Abubakar Ahmed) continues to fly the flag for Africa on the reggae scene especially in Europe and other parts of the world. Blakk Rasta is a very respected artiste with a strong following particularly amongst the youths in his native Ghana. Africa’s number one reggae D J on radio who has been on air for 25 years Ayodele Olowo-Ake aka Daddy Faizer spins reggae tunes on two radio stations in Lagos and his weekly shows sometimes include live interviews with reggae artistes from Jamaica and the United kingdom.
Today reggae music is stronger in Africa than ever before. It can even be said that reggae has found its home in Africa. After all reggae’s queen and number one ambassador Rita Marley now lives in Ghana. This evidently shows the music will forever live in Africa.
Nigeria's laudable school feeding programme
“On a larger economic scale, the policy—whose success will greatly rest on farmers and communities who would prepare the food—is likely to boost aggregate food production, as feeding 30 million children in Nigeria’s primary and secondary school system would naturally provide a captive market for farmers and those communities. The impact of this on the country’s GDP cannot be over-emphasised, further boosting efforts to diversify the economy by boost food production.”
The new policy of the Nigerian Federal Government to provide feeding for school children across the country, estimated to cost a princely sum is a welcome development. It is a continuation of what had begun in 2005, when the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidency and other partners had initiated what was then known as the Home Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) and is a good commentary on the continuation of responsible policy—something that is rare to find in Nigeria, as successive administration seemingly often sought to ‘re-invent the wheel.’
While ordinarily such a policy would have been good for the country as it would, at the very least, marginally reduce the daily expenses parents incur keeping their child in school, given the economic challenges confronting the nation today, it forms part of a larger socio-economic strategy of confronting malnutrition and poverty. The way the present administration in that country seeks to proceed with the policy is indicative of a determination to concurrently boost the attention span of children in school.
The poor state of the economy, insecurity in some parts of the nation and lack of employment opportunities have combined to reduce the number of children in school. Some parents who lost their jobs cannot keep their wards in school, those whose areas of abode are frequently targeted by terrorists and violent criminals have relocated and with it, taken their children out of school, while the lack of employment has become de-motivating and discouraged many from continuing their education, not being sure there will be a job waiting for them.
The policy of the Federal Government of Nigeria therefore to re-start the school feeding programme is seen by many as laudable. This is particularly so as well because 42% of children in primary and junior secondary school are said to suffer from malnutrition and by providing them with a balanced diet, at least once a day, the authorities may be executing what amounts to a sound preventive health policy.
On a larger economic scale, the policy—whose success will greatly rest on farmers and communities who would prepare the food—is likely to boost aggregate food production, as feeding 30 million children in Nigeria’s primary and secondary school system would naturally provide a captive market for farmers and those communities. The impact of this on the country’s GDP cannot be over-emphasised, further boosting efforts to diversify the economy by boost food production.
It is hoped that those who will execute this programme will be faithful and diligent and that they will be fully apprised of the reasoning behind it so that they could ensure that it does not fail. If approached with this mindset, it is likely to become more successful than was intended. Government must also expect that the policy could lure many out-of-school children back there, and therefore prepare for an increase in the enrolment figure thereafter. This will could ultimately require the provision of more classrooms, supporting infrastructure and logistics.
Ultimately, the success of the programme will greatly depend on the level of cooperation accorded it by Nigeria’s 36 State Governments. Those States administered by opposition parties must not allow politics to interfere with the laudable goals of the scheme. The interest of the Nigerian child should be paramount and should not only be pursued, but must be protected as well.
Nigeria. Destroying the Niger Delta, by its people for its people
Picture www.blogs.premiumtimesng.com
“The current targeted vandalisation of oil installations by groups alleged to favour certain political interests is not in the interest of Nigeria, but more significantly, it damages the collective interest of the people of the Niger Delta more. It is simply no longer an attractive option and if it is true that indeed the resurgent violence is inspired by some political forces, it would rank as nothing but a lamentable tragedy…”
The Niger Delta region of Nigeria, known for producing most of the country’s 2.5 million barrels of crude oil per day, comprises roughly of about 9 States, and is blessed with two vegetation belts—the swamp and rain forests. It also has coastal barrier islands and freshwater swamps making its features not only pristine, but a potential ecotourism destination. Furthermore, its 20,000 square kilometres of wetlands makes up about 8% of the Nigeria’s total land area.
The wetlands in question are the largest in Nigeria and are reckoned to be the third largest of such natural drainage basins on the African continent. Without any doubt, the region possesses an intrinsic biodiversity that is as varied in in its biodiversity, as it is in the types of fauna and flora that it flaunts.
Rather unfortunately, the Delta has come to be synonymous with oil spills, oil theft, vandalism, piracy and sheer brigandage. The lack of respect for environmental integrity that the oil companies exhibited before sanity prevailed in recent times, has been seemingly revived by the activity of indigenes of the area themselves, who now destroy pipelines to make a point in their alleged support for certain political interests.
While it is unfortunate that the people of the area, the State Governments and the Federal administration have over the years focussed only on leveraging crude oil to further their various group, economic and political interests, the immense tourism potentials of the region have been emasculated by this single-minded focus on crude oil alone. The opportunity that the low demand for crude oil presents today in being able to force a re-think of Nigeria’s economic options is still being overlooked, while the usual suspects continue to extract the last drop of black gold from depleting oil wells.
The current targeted vandalisation of oil installations by groups alleged to favour certain political interests is not in the interest of Nigeria, but more significantly, it damages the collective interest of the people of the Niger Delta more. It is simply no longer an attractive option and if it is true that indeed the resurgent violence is inspired by some political forces, it would rank as nothing but a lamentable tragedy—that Niger Deltans themselves are willing to destroy their own environment and perhaps have a few of their own people killed, simply to satiate the ego of some expired warlords and protect those who, consistent with the allegations of grand theft and larceny against them, never considered it important to invest such hefty sums to develop the area in the first place.
“The current targeted vandalisation of oil installations by groups alleged to favour certain political interests is not in the interest of Nigeria, but more significantly, it damages the collective interest of the people of the Niger Delta more. It is simply no longer an attractive option and if it is true that indeed the resurgent violence is inspired by some political forces, it would rank as nothing but a lamentable tragedy…”
The Niger Delta region of Nigeria, known for producing most of the country’s 2.5 million barrels of crude oil per day, comprises roughly of about 9 States, and is blessed with two vegetation belts—the swamp and rain forests. It also has coastal barrier islands and freshwater swamps making its features not only pristine, but a potential ecotourism destination. Furthermore, its 20,000 square kilometres of wetlands makes up about 8% of the Nigeria’s total land area.
The wetlands in question are the largest in Nigeria and are reckoned to be the third largest of such natural drainage basins on the African continent. Without any doubt, the region possesses an intrinsic biodiversity that is as varied in in its biodiversity, as it is in the types of fauna and flora that it flaunts.
Rather unfortunately, the Delta has come to be synonymous with oil spills, oil theft, vandalism, piracy and sheer brigandage. The lack of respect for environmental integrity that the oil companies exhibited before sanity prevailed in recent times, has been seemingly revived by the activity of indigenes of the area themselves, who now destroy pipelines to make a point in their alleged support for certain political interests.
While it is unfortunate that the people of the area, the State Governments and the Federal administration have over the years focussed only on leveraging crude oil to further their various group, economic and political interests, the immense tourism potentials of the region have been emasculated by this single-minded focus on crude oil alone. The opportunity that the low demand for crude oil presents today in being able to force a re-think of Nigeria’s economic options is still being overlooked, while the usual suspects continue to extract the last drop of black gold from depleting oil wells.
The current targeted vandalisation of oil installations by groups alleged to favour certain political interests is not in the interest of Nigeria, but more significantly, it damages the collective interest of the people of the Niger Delta more. It is simply no longer an attractive option and if it is true that indeed the resurgent violence is inspired by some political forces, it would rank as nothing but a lamentable tragedy—that Niger Deltans themselves are willing to destroy their own environment and perhaps have a few of their own people killed, simply to satiate the ego of some expired warlords and protect those who, consistent with the allegations of grand theft and larceny against them, never considered it important to invest such hefty sums to develop the area in the first place.
Nigeria. Health Facilities And Delivery System In Sorry State. Minister Needs To Wake Up
Prof Isaac Folorunso Adewole has to wake up!
One of the sectors badly hit by everything wrong in Nigeria today is the country’s health delivery system. Despite the global commendation that greeted the country’s commendable response to the unfortunate Ebola epidemic that hit the nation in October 2014, the Nigerian health sector can very well rank as the poster sector for the decayed system the country is trying to fix now.
The problems are numerous, but certain anomalies are glaring and difficult to ignore. They include lack of modern teaching and instructional methods / tools in the medical colleges, wrong diagnosis by medical practitioners, non-functioning medical equipment and the continued use of uncalibrated devices and machines to perform tests, compromised ethical standards and lack of respect for professional ethics, as well as ineffectual response to malpractices by medical professionals (and so on and so forth).
As a result of some or all of the above, Nigerians scurry abroad for medical treatment, expending anything between USD 1 billion to USD2.5 billion annually in this regard, leading to a deep strain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Indeed, President Muhammadu Buhari has not tired of publicly announcing that he is determined to reverse this unfortunate trend that has seen not only the country’s citizens suffer, but posed a threat to the health of the nation’s economy as well.
Indeed, the lack of confidence expressed by Nigerians in the health delivery system is so pronounced that even politicians in power go abroad for the minutest of medical interventions. This trend has to stop forthwith, while the country takes urgent steps to confront the problems. While the resolution of some of these problems are short term, others would only be solved between the medium to long term.
Yet it was not always like this! Nigeria once boasted of having some of the best medical doctors in the world. Indeed, time it was when the country provided the bulk of the doctors manning key medical establishments in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States (in the 1980s). It is most likely that the current Minister of Health was himself one of those practitioners. Indeed, even today, there are over 3,000 Nigerian doctors in the United Kingdom, not to count those practising in the United States of America. In those climes, they’re considered as belonging to the top league of medical professionals.
Back home in Nigeria however, there is nothing in the public domain today to indicate that the Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole is doing anything to confront any of those issues that have brought the country to this sorry pass. To cite one minor example, a recent celebrated case of alleged malpractice by health practitioners at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital was left in the hand of the hospital management (the accused) to investigate. No conscious and publicly visible plan has been announced or proposed to stem the increasing problem of wrong diagnosis. Medical equipment in various hospitals that are suspected to have either outlived their usefulness or that have not been calibrated are alleged to remain in use in many facilities, leading to medical doctors issuing wrong prescriptions, etc.
In short, several months into his appointment as Minister of Health, Professor Adewole is yet to show that he is the right man for this job. If indeed the morning determines the day (as a proverb common to many Nigerian cultures prescribe), then there is cause for worry about the ability of the Minister to deliver.Yet, he has the pedigree to make his mark, just as the late Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti left his footprints in the Nigerian health delivery system. Adewole is a well-respected medical doctor and rose to the enviable Vice-Chancellorship of the University of Ibadan—the country’s premier university, which also has its premier medical college. The Honourable Minister has to wake up, hire competent aides, engage with all stakeholders, and begin to devise and implement strategies to turn the country’s health system around. If there is any sector that has to be revived urgently (like yesterday), with absolutely no doubt, it is Nigeria’s health sector. The citizens of that country cannot tolerate excuses any longer for lack of performance.
One of the sectors badly hit by everything wrong in Nigeria today is the country’s health delivery system. Despite the global commendation that greeted the country’s commendable response to the unfortunate Ebola epidemic that hit the nation in October 2014, the Nigerian health sector can very well rank as the poster sector for the decayed system the country is trying to fix now.
The problems are numerous, but certain anomalies are glaring and difficult to ignore. They include lack of modern teaching and instructional methods / tools in the medical colleges, wrong diagnosis by medical practitioners, non-functioning medical equipment and the continued use of uncalibrated devices and machines to perform tests, compromised ethical standards and lack of respect for professional ethics, as well as ineffectual response to malpractices by medical professionals (and so on and so forth).
As a result of some or all of the above, Nigerians scurry abroad for medical treatment, expending anything between USD 1 billion to USD2.5 billion annually in this regard, leading to a deep strain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Indeed, President Muhammadu Buhari has not tired of publicly announcing that he is determined to reverse this unfortunate trend that has seen not only the country’s citizens suffer, but posed a threat to the health of the nation’s economy as well.
Indeed, the lack of confidence expressed by Nigerians in the health delivery system is so pronounced that even politicians in power go abroad for the minutest of medical interventions. This trend has to stop forthwith, while the country takes urgent steps to confront the problems. While the resolution of some of these problems are short term, others would only be solved between the medium to long term.
Yet it was not always like this! Nigeria once boasted of having some of the best medical doctors in the world. Indeed, time it was when the country provided the bulk of the doctors manning key medical establishments in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States (in the 1980s). It is most likely that the current Minister of Health was himself one of those practitioners. Indeed, even today, there are over 3,000 Nigerian doctors in the United Kingdom, not to count those practising in the United States of America. In those climes, they’re considered as belonging to the top league of medical professionals.
Back home in Nigeria however, there is nothing in the public domain today to indicate that the Honourable Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole is doing anything to confront any of those issues that have brought the country to this sorry pass. To cite one minor example, a recent celebrated case of alleged malpractice by health practitioners at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital was left in the hand of the hospital management (the accused) to investigate. No conscious and publicly visible plan has been announced or proposed to stem the increasing problem of wrong diagnosis. Medical equipment in various hospitals that are suspected to have either outlived their usefulness or that have not been calibrated are alleged to remain in use in many facilities, leading to medical doctors issuing wrong prescriptions, etc.
In short, several months into his appointment as Minister of Health, Professor Adewole is yet to show that he is the right man for this job. If indeed the morning determines the day (as a proverb common to many Nigerian cultures prescribe), then there is cause for worry about the ability of the Minister to deliver.Yet, he has the pedigree to make his mark, just as the late Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti left his footprints in the Nigerian health delivery system. Adewole is a well-respected medical doctor and rose to the enviable Vice-Chancellorship of the University of Ibadan—the country’s premier university, which also has its premier medical college. The Honourable Minister has to wake up, hire competent aides, engage with all stakeholders, and begin to devise and implement strategies to turn the country’s health system around. If there is any sector that has to be revived urgently (like yesterday), with absolutely no doubt, it is Nigeria’s health sector. The citizens of that country cannot tolerate excuses any longer for lack of performance.
Gashaka Gumti as the face of Nigeria’s new tourism ambitions
Gashaka Gumti as the face of Nigeria’s new Tourism ambitions
It is crystal clear that Nigeria is struggling to reposition her economy at this point in time, battling to put in place something that ought to have been done decades ago. Without doubt, the sole reliance on crude oil as the country’s net foreign exchange earner over the past four decades has now become an albatross, with dwindling demand and the perfecting of other alternative sources to the product.
One major area in which Nigeria can quickly effect a turnaround is clearly in agriculture, given the rising output in the growing of certain crops such as Cassava and Cocoa. Indeed, despite the dim picture in this sector, Nigeria is today the world’s largest producer of Cassava, but needs to transform this by exporting finished goods and not raw produce.
Not far behind agriculture is tourism. Why the country has not been able to do anything tangible in this sector could be attributed to the type of policy in place and certain allied challenges, including a dearth of infrastructure. For example, there are those who argue that Nigeria does not need Federal intervention in tourism and that this sector should be left entirely in the hands of State Governments. They cite as example the commendable effort of the Cross River State Government, (beginning with the administration of ex-Governor Donald Duke), that has successfully transformed the economy of the State and loosened its dependence on crude oil. Today, Cross River State is Nigeria’s number one tourism destination (displacing Plateau State) and boasts of impressive tourism sites with the Obudu Cattle Ranch as its flagship.
The Duke administration re-invested earnings from crude oil into agriculture (massive pineapple plantations), business park (Tinapa), annual Calabar International Carnival, and upgraded the Obudu Cattle Ranch by building more chalets and installing what is todayAfrica’s longest cable car facility. While it was not always smooth sailing and while not all the projects have met initial projections (e.g. Tinapa), the fact remains that Cross River State is the best example anywhere in Africa of how a Government successfully shifted dependence on any single product, to diversifying its source of income. This strongly lends credence to the argument that the Federal Government has no business in tourism!
As the Federal administration continues with efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy, tourism should be developed and promoted. Many Nigerians do not know that the most diversified nature park on the continent of Africa lies within the borders of their country. Of Nigeria’s several nature reserves (Obudu Cattle Ranch, Old Oyo National Park, Yankari Games Reserve, Kamuku National Park, Kainji National Park, Chad Basin National Park, Sambisa National Park, etc.,) it is the Gashaka Gumpti National Park that should deservedly serve as the icon of her tourism ambitions.
At 6,700 square kilometres, it is the country’s largest park, dotted by rolling hills, savanah, forests, rivers, springs, and mountains. It boasts of virtually all forms of wildlife (lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, leopards, crocodiles, golden cat, buffaloes, olive baboon and giant forest hog, monkeys, etc.) and flora. Described as “a bio-diversity hotspot,” it also has Nigeria’s highest mountain peak—the Chappal Waddi! Gashaka is surely the poster park for Nigeria’s revived tourism ambitions and should rightly be leveraged by the relevant government agencies to push for a vibrant alternative to crude oil.
Getting to becoming a preferred tourism destination for Nigeria will not be easy. To however smoothen that journey, the Federal and State Governments need to hasten access to identified tourism spots by building or resurfacing roads, airports and encouraging the private sector to invest in hotels and other ancillary services. Again, Cross River State can serve as a benchmark.
Nigeria’s tourism planners should take consolation in the fact that the country has more vegetation belts (Swamp Forest, Rain Forest, Guinea Savanah, Sudan Savanah and Sahel Savanah), thereby offering a wider fauna and flora than the East African States that are currently preferred tourist destinations. However, the Federal Government in particular must guarantee security nationwide, re-orientate Immigration, Police and Customs officials and enhance the safety of air navigation. State Governments on whose territory these tourism sites are should undertake better management of the parks (including exploring public-private partnerships) by bringing in the best personnel from anywhere in the world to manage them. The wildlife in these parks should be protected and strenuous efforts be made to ensure that their population is progressively increased. This will entail promulgating harsh penalties for forest encroachment, poaching, and indiscriminate bush burning.
According to the World Tourism Organisation, Kenya earned USD1.8billion from tourism in 2014, while Nigeria, with her rather poor infrastructural facilities in the same sector (by comparison), earned an encouraging USD600m in the same period. You can therefore imagine how much the country can make from tourism if it ups its game, as they say these days…and the good thing is that income from this sector benefits everyone down the value chain and not just the State. This is why a vigorous tourism development approach has become imperative and must be backed by revised policy to be executed by competent persons.
Pictures courtesy of jay Johnson
It is crystal clear that Nigeria is struggling to reposition her economy at this point in time, battling to put in place something that ought to have been done decades ago. Without doubt, the sole reliance on crude oil as the country’s net foreign exchange earner over the past four decades has now become an albatross, with dwindling demand and the perfecting of other alternative sources to the product.
One major area in which Nigeria can quickly effect a turnaround is clearly in agriculture, given the rising output in the growing of certain crops such as Cassava and Cocoa. Indeed, despite the dim picture in this sector, Nigeria is today the world’s largest producer of Cassava, but needs to transform this by exporting finished goods and not raw produce.
Not far behind agriculture is tourism. Why the country has not been able to do anything tangible in this sector could be attributed to the type of policy in place and certain allied challenges, including a dearth of infrastructure. For example, there are those who argue that Nigeria does not need Federal intervention in tourism and that this sector should be left entirely in the hands of State Governments. They cite as example the commendable effort of the Cross River State Government, (beginning with the administration of ex-Governor Donald Duke), that has successfully transformed the economy of the State and loosened its dependence on crude oil. Today, Cross River State is Nigeria’s number one tourism destination (displacing Plateau State) and boasts of impressive tourism sites with the Obudu Cattle Ranch as its flagship.
The Duke administration re-invested earnings from crude oil into agriculture (massive pineapple plantations), business park (Tinapa), annual Calabar International Carnival, and upgraded the Obudu Cattle Ranch by building more chalets and installing what is todayAfrica’s longest cable car facility. While it was not always smooth sailing and while not all the projects have met initial projections (e.g. Tinapa), the fact remains that Cross River State is the best example anywhere in Africa of how a Government successfully shifted dependence on any single product, to diversifying its source of income. This strongly lends credence to the argument that the Federal Government has no business in tourism!
As the Federal administration continues with efforts to diversify Nigeria’s economy, tourism should be developed and promoted. Many Nigerians do not know that the most diversified nature park on the continent of Africa lies within the borders of their country. Of Nigeria’s several nature reserves (Obudu Cattle Ranch, Old Oyo National Park, Yankari Games Reserve, Kamuku National Park, Kainji National Park, Chad Basin National Park, Sambisa National Park, etc.,) it is the Gashaka Gumpti National Park that should deservedly serve as the icon of her tourism ambitions.
At 6,700 square kilometres, it is the country’s largest park, dotted by rolling hills, savanah, forests, rivers, springs, and mountains. It boasts of virtually all forms of wildlife (lions, elephants, hippos, giraffes, leopards, crocodiles, golden cat, buffaloes, olive baboon and giant forest hog, monkeys, etc.) and flora. Described as “a bio-diversity hotspot,” it also has Nigeria’s highest mountain peak—the Chappal Waddi! Gashaka is surely the poster park for Nigeria’s revived tourism ambitions and should rightly be leveraged by the relevant government agencies to push for a vibrant alternative to crude oil.
Getting to becoming a preferred tourism destination for Nigeria will not be easy. To however smoothen that journey, the Federal and State Governments need to hasten access to identified tourism spots by building or resurfacing roads, airports and encouraging the private sector to invest in hotels and other ancillary services. Again, Cross River State can serve as a benchmark.
Nigeria’s tourism planners should take consolation in the fact that the country has more vegetation belts (Swamp Forest, Rain Forest, Guinea Savanah, Sudan Savanah and Sahel Savanah), thereby offering a wider fauna and flora than the East African States that are currently preferred tourist destinations. However, the Federal Government in particular must guarantee security nationwide, re-orientate Immigration, Police and Customs officials and enhance the safety of air navigation. State Governments on whose territory these tourism sites are should undertake better management of the parks (including exploring public-private partnerships) by bringing in the best personnel from anywhere in the world to manage them. The wildlife in these parks should be protected and strenuous efforts be made to ensure that their population is progressively increased. This will entail promulgating harsh penalties for forest encroachment, poaching, and indiscriminate bush burning.
According to the World Tourism Organisation, Kenya earned USD1.8billion from tourism in 2014, while Nigeria, with her rather poor infrastructural facilities in the same sector (by comparison), earned an encouraging USD600m in the same period. You can therefore imagine how much the country can make from tourism if it ups its game, as they say these days…and the good thing is that income from this sector benefits everyone down the value chain and not just the State. This is why a vigorous tourism development approach has become imperative and must be backed by revised policy to be executed by competent persons.
Pictures courtesy of jay Johnson
Nigeria. The Need To Plough Back Recovered Funds Into Defence Procurement.
Over the past few months, a huge amount of money allegedly embezzled by public functionaries who served in the past Federal administration in Nigeria have been recovered through the anti-corruption efforts of the Muhammadu Buhari regime. These public officials include civilian and military officers, some of who are currently being tried in the courts of law.
A sizeable chunk of these funds were said to have been illegally taken out of the budgeted amount meant for purchasing weapons, platforms and necessary devices for the use of the Nigerian Armed Forces. As the recovery of the said looted funds continues, one question on the lips of strategic experts is whether the government would use these monies for re-equipping the military as was originally intended.
That question arises when one considers the growing threats before Nigeria. While the danger posed by the terrorists operating in the country’s north east have been significantly diminished and the capacity of that group to hold territory destroyed, the porous borders along Nigeria’s north eastern frontier continues to pose a grave threat, as weapons could still be illegally imported into that part of the country from as far away as Libya. When the activities of freelancing fundamentalist organisations operating in Mali and Mauritania to the north west of Nigeria are factored in, the need for the country’s military, especially her air force, to have the capacity and capability to engage those threats far beyond Nigeria’s borders easily comes into perspective.
Down south, in the Niger Delta and in the adjoining Gulf of Guinea, several maritime threats exist—ranging from the actions of economic saboteurs, to the determined, albeit illegal enterprise of pirates and crude oil thieves. Nigeria’s neighbours to the west—the Republics of Benin and Togo—have equally come under threats from pirates who have hijacked ships within their territorial waters. The Republics of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea have not been spared as well, having suffered similar fate at various times. These threats require a robust naval presence, enhanced by the availability of various platforms, ranging from small, fast boats, to frigates and landing platform docks equipped with appropriate weapons and systems.
The likelihood of international connivance in favour of the illegal activities going on in these waters makes it imperative that the Nigerian Navy possesses extensive over-the-horizon surveillance systems and long-range missile capabilityto deter rogue states from messing in Nigeria’s territorial or adjoining waters.On land, the proliferation of small arms and the activity of ethnic irredentists and religious bigots suggest that the Nigerian Army continues to not only train appropriately to respond to such threats in support of civil authority, but also update its own fighting vehicles and other platforms.
Sadly, the economy of the country is presently facing significant liquidity challenges, but these threats, if not adequately confronted, would make any effort at economic recovery ineffective and exacerbate the suffering of the citizenry. This is why it has become important for the administration of President Buhari to ensure that if not all, at least a sizeable chunk of what has been recovered from the stolen defence funds is actually ploughed into defence procurement to enhance the capability and professionalism of the Nigerian Armed Forces as earlier intended. The Nigerian Air Force in particular is in need of airframes with strategic capability to ensure protection of not just Nigeria, but close neighbouring states who lack the economic and military resources with which to secure their own borders and people. Not taking this step urgently would only embolden purveyors of these threats to Nigeria and her neighbours, and undermine the integrity of their individual and collective sovereignty.
A sizeable chunk of these funds were said to have been illegally taken out of the budgeted amount meant for purchasing weapons, platforms and necessary devices for the use of the Nigerian Armed Forces. As the recovery of the said looted funds continues, one question on the lips of strategic experts is whether the government would use these monies for re-equipping the military as was originally intended.
That question arises when one considers the growing threats before Nigeria. While the danger posed by the terrorists operating in the country’s north east have been significantly diminished and the capacity of that group to hold territory destroyed, the porous borders along Nigeria’s north eastern frontier continues to pose a grave threat, as weapons could still be illegally imported into that part of the country from as far away as Libya. When the activities of freelancing fundamentalist organisations operating in Mali and Mauritania to the north west of Nigeria are factored in, the need for the country’s military, especially her air force, to have the capacity and capability to engage those threats far beyond Nigeria’s borders easily comes into perspective.
Down south, in the Niger Delta and in the adjoining Gulf of Guinea, several maritime threats exist—ranging from the actions of economic saboteurs, to the determined, albeit illegal enterprise of pirates and crude oil thieves. Nigeria’s neighbours to the west—the Republics of Benin and Togo—have equally come under threats from pirates who have hijacked ships within their territorial waters. The Republics of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea have not been spared as well, having suffered similar fate at various times. These threats require a robust naval presence, enhanced by the availability of various platforms, ranging from small, fast boats, to frigates and landing platform docks equipped with appropriate weapons and systems.
The likelihood of international connivance in favour of the illegal activities going on in these waters makes it imperative that the Nigerian Navy possesses extensive over-the-horizon surveillance systems and long-range missile capabilityto deter rogue states from messing in Nigeria’s territorial or adjoining waters.On land, the proliferation of small arms and the activity of ethnic irredentists and religious bigots suggest that the Nigerian Army continues to not only train appropriately to respond to such threats in support of civil authority, but also update its own fighting vehicles and other platforms.
Sadly, the economy of the country is presently facing significant liquidity challenges, but these threats, if not adequately confronted, would make any effort at economic recovery ineffective and exacerbate the suffering of the citizenry. This is why it has become important for the administration of President Buhari to ensure that if not all, at least a sizeable chunk of what has been recovered from the stolen defence funds is actually ploughed into defence procurement to enhance the capability and professionalism of the Nigerian Armed Forces as earlier intended. The Nigerian Air Force in particular is in need of airframes with strategic capability to ensure protection of not just Nigeria, but close neighbouring states who lack the economic and military resources with which to secure their own borders and people. Not taking this step urgently would only embolden purveyors of these threats to Nigeria and her neighbours, and undermine the integrity of their individual and collective sovereignty.
Nigeria. President Buhari Must Demand A Change Of Attitude From Governors
As Nigerians have come to discover (as if they didn’t know this), the inability of the country to save part of the profit from crude oil sales—its primary export item—in the time of relative boom has plunged the country into difficult times.
The administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo—who some love to hate—actually left a handsome amount in the kitty on its departure from office in 2007. It is reported the government in question left USD50 billion in foreign reserves and USD20 billion in excess crude oil account (savings on earnings from crude oil). In effect, Nigeria was USD70 billion richer just some nine years ago, but has today been struggling to make ends meet!
At the time Obasanjo made those excess crude oil savings, Governors of Nigeria’s 36 semi-autonomous States dragged the Federal Government (over which he presided) to court, on the grounds that it had no Constitutionally-vested powers to effect deductions from their statutory allocations. That administration ignored them and during the time of late President UmaruYar’Adua, when there was a slump in oil prices, those excess crude oil savings were to rescue Nigeria.
Since the exit of that administration, the succeeding Federal governments, in the words of a former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, lacked the “political will” to save for the rainy day. This is a sad commentary on the political leadership of the country and it is doubtful if today, any lessons have been learnt by the country’s State Governors, who have been variously described by some commentators as spending public funds liked a drunken sailor.
As the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has often warned, not saving for the rainy day has consequences—and adverse ones at that—and it behoves those in power at this time across the country’s federating units to imbibe the culture of saving, no matter how meagre their earnings may be at the moment. It is needless for Gaskiya.net to admonish that a complete turnaround is imperative if Nigeria is to surmount its present economic challenges and continue on a steady path of actualising her potentials.
President Buhari owes it to the future generation of Nigerians to demand a change of attitude on the part of those who superintend over local and State Government administrations across the land.If Nigeria’s all-powerful and high spending Governors however prefer doing things the same way, it would be extremely foolhardy on their part to expect a different result.
The administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo—who some love to hate—actually left a handsome amount in the kitty on its departure from office in 2007. It is reported the government in question left USD50 billion in foreign reserves and USD20 billion in excess crude oil account (savings on earnings from crude oil). In effect, Nigeria was USD70 billion richer just some nine years ago, but has today been struggling to make ends meet!
At the time Obasanjo made those excess crude oil savings, Governors of Nigeria’s 36 semi-autonomous States dragged the Federal Government (over which he presided) to court, on the grounds that it had no Constitutionally-vested powers to effect deductions from their statutory allocations. That administration ignored them and during the time of late President UmaruYar’Adua, when there was a slump in oil prices, those excess crude oil savings were to rescue Nigeria.
Since the exit of that administration, the succeeding Federal governments, in the words of a former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, lacked the “political will” to save for the rainy day. This is a sad commentary on the political leadership of the country and it is doubtful if today, any lessons have been learnt by the country’s State Governors, who have been variously described by some commentators as spending public funds liked a drunken sailor.
As the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has often warned, not saving for the rainy day has consequences—and adverse ones at that—and it behoves those in power at this time across the country’s federating units to imbibe the culture of saving, no matter how meagre their earnings may be at the moment. It is needless for Gaskiya.net to admonish that a complete turnaround is imperative if Nigeria is to surmount its present economic challenges and continue on a steady path of actualising her potentials.
President Buhari owes it to the future generation of Nigerians to demand a change of attitude on the part of those who superintend over local and State Government administrations across the land.If Nigeria’s all-powerful and high spending Governors however prefer doing things the same way, it would be extremely foolhardy on their part to expect a different result.
NIgeria: Troops Kills Boko Haram Kingpin
By Ujunwa Ochulo The Guardian
A wanted Boko Haram kingpin has been killed by the troops of 7 Multinational Joint Task Force Brigade Quick Response Group stationed in Baga.
The Nigerian Army spokesman, Sani Usman, in a statement said the wanted terrorist, who is number 95 on the first Nigerian Army wanted list of 100 Boko Haram leaders, was fatally wounded during an exchange of fire on Thursday.
The Army spokesman did not give the terrorist's name but said he was travelling with some members of the terror group when they were ambushed by the troops along Daban Masara axis, a route used by Boko Haram terrorists to convey logistics.
"Other members of his team escaped with gunshot wounds," Usman said.
The troops recovered 7 Jerrycans of 30 litres containing 210 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), motorcycles and food stuff in addition to arms and ammunitions.
A wanted Boko Haram kingpin has been killed by the troops of 7 Multinational Joint Task Force Brigade Quick Response Group stationed in Baga.
The Nigerian Army spokesman, Sani Usman, in a statement said the wanted terrorist, who is number 95 on the first Nigerian Army wanted list of 100 Boko Haram leaders, was fatally wounded during an exchange of fire on Thursday.
The Army spokesman did not give the terrorist's name but said he was travelling with some members of the terror group when they were ambushed by the troops along Daban Masara axis, a route used by Boko Haram terrorists to convey logistics.
"Other members of his team escaped with gunshot wounds," Usman said.
The troops recovered 7 Jerrycans of 30 litres containing 210 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), motorcycles and food stuff in addition to arms and ammunitions.
DAILY MAIL UK EXCLUSIVE. Buhari's meeting with Tony Blair...the story behind the visit.
Excerpts from the Daily Mail article.
" At the Nigerian embassy, Blair was keen to discover more about the threat posed by Boko Haram, the Islamic terror group murdering hundreds of civilians in the north of the country.
Then, armed with the classified information, he sped in a motor cavalcade to the president’s office. It was their first meeting. Blair introduced himself grandly as ‘Britain’s most successful Prime Minister’ and then launched into his practised sales pitch.
‘I pioneered the skills to make government work effectively,’ he told the president. ‘The Delivery Unit is the leader’s weapon to make his government effective across the civil service and country.’
He offered to establish a delivery unit within Buhari’s government, with paid staff. But the president — a former army general and military dictator famous for imprisoning his opponents without trial — looked bored.So did Lebedev, who had only come along because he was interested in Blair’s charity work fighting the Ebola virus.
‘Could you all leave us alone now?’ Blair announced suddenly. ‘I have a personal message for the president from David Cameron.’
But it was nothing of the kind.
Twenty minutes later, Buhari emerged looking noticeably disgruntled. Blair, he told an aide, had used his access to tout for business on behalf of his private company, Tony Blair Associates.Without so much as a blush, he had offered to sell the president Israeli drones and other military equipment to help defeat the Boko Haram uprising. ‘Blair is just after business,’ muttered Buhari."
To read more click here www,dailymail.co.uk
" At the Nigerian embassy, Blair was keen to discover more about the threat posed by Boko Haram, the Islamic terror group murdering hundreds of civilians in the north of the country.
Then, armed with the classified information, he sped in a motor cavalcade to the president’s office. It was their first meeting. Blair introduced himself grandly as ‘Britain’s most successful Prime Minister’ and then launched into his practised sales pitch.
‘I pioneered the skills to make government work effectively,’ he told the president. ‘The Delivery Unit is the leader’s weapon to make his government effective across the civil service and country.’
He offered to establish a delivery unit within Buhari’s government, with paid staff. But the president — a former army general and military dictator famous for imprisoning his opponents without trial — looked bored.So did Lebedev, who had only come along because he was interested in Blair’s charity work fighting the Ebola virus.
‘Could you all leave us alone now?’ Blair announced suddenly. ‘I have a personal message for the president from David Cameron.’
But it was nothing of the kind.
Twenty minutes later, Buhari emerged looking noticeably disgruntled. Blair, he told an aide, had used his access to tout for business on behalf of his private company, Tony Blair Associates.Without so much as a blush, he had offered to sell the president Israeli drones and other military equipment to help defeat the Boko Haram uprising. ‘Blair is just after business,’ muttered Buhari."
To read more click here www,dailymail.co.uk
The African Transformation Forum To Hold In Rwanda
The African Transformation Forum (ATF), to be held in Kigali, Rwanda, from March 14 to 15, will create a standing continental event—Africa’s only forum devoted solely to transformation strategies and implementation challenges.
ACET will convene friends and partners in government, business, civil society, and the donor community in a peer-to-peer exchange of ideas on transformation pathways and on the actions to secure them.
Additionally, the forum will help advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals that are most related to economic transformation, including inclusive growth, sustainable agriculture, and industrialization.
The Forum will also launch the Coalition for Transformation, a diverse network of experts and practitioners who will work together long after the conference comes to a close to develop policy and program ideas, share best practices, and drive policy implementation across the continent.
ACET will convene friends and partners in government, business, civil society, and the donor community in a peer-to-peer exchange of ideas on transformation pathways and on the actions to secure them.
Additionally, the forum will help advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals that are most related to economic transformation, including inclusive growth, sustainable agriculture, and industrialization.
The Forum will also launch the Coalition for Transformation, a diverse network of experts and practitioners who will work together long after the conference comes to a close to develop policy and program ideas, share best practices, and drive policy implementation across the continent.
Uganda. Museveni maintains lead....
By Stephen Kafeero The Monitor. Kampala
President Museveni, the NRM presidential candidate, maintains a lead in the 2016 presidential race, according to findings of a new opinion poll.
The poll that was conducted between December 19, 2015, and January 10, gives President Museveni 51 per cent ahead of his closest rival Dr Kizza Besigye at 32 per cent.
A candidate requires 50 per cent plus one vote of the valid votes cast to be declared president, and results of an opinion poll released yesterday showed Mr Museveni would have obtained 51 per cent, with only 28 days left to the February 18, presidential election.
With a margin of error of +/-5, it statistically means the President could have obtained 56 per cent or 46 per cent of the votes, posing a likelihood of him losing the first round and forcing a re-run.
Research World International, a Kampala-based research firm, conducted the survey in partnership with NTV Uganda and Uganda Governance Monitoring platform.It shows that the FDC presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, with 32 per cent, and Independent candidate Amama Mbabazi at 12 per cent, have made substantial gains since the campaigns began and are closing in on Mr Museveni.
President Museveni, the NRM presidential candidate, maintains a lead in the 2016 presidential race, according to findings of a new opinion poll.
The poll that was conducted between December 19, 2015, and January 10, gives President Museveni 51 per cent ahead of his closest rival Dr Kizza Besigye at 32 per cent.
A candidate requires 50 per cent plus one vote of the valid votes cast to be declared president, and results of an opinion poll released yesterday showed Mr Museveni would have obtained 51 per cent, with only 28 days left to the February 18, presidential election.
With a margin of error of +/-5, it statistically means the President could have obtained 56 per cent or 46 per cent of the votes, posing a likelihood of him losing the first round and forcing a re-run.
Research World International, a Kampala-based research firm, conducted the survey in partnership with NTV Uganda and Uganda Governance Monitoring platform.It shows that the FDC presidential candidate, Dr Kizza Besigye, with 32 per cent, and Independent candidate Amama Mbabazi at 12 per cent, have made substantial gains since the campaigns began and are closing in on Mr Museveni.
CHAN 2016 kicks off...Nigeria confident.
Burkina Faso attacks - Ghana to support anti terror fight.
CHAN 2016. NIGERIA V. NIGER. Nigerian Coach Confident.....
Culled from Premium Times
Sunday Oliseh is confident the group of players chosen from the Nigeria Professional Football League, are strong enough to make an impression at the fourth Africa Nations championship that starts for the Eagles on Monday evening.
The former Super Eagles captain, who took over the team from Stephen Keshi, is banking on the camp atmosphere and the way the players have responded to their training camp in south Africa.
“The camp mood is very good, right from the beginning the boys have been focused and cohesion among them is great,” Oliseh told Goal Nigeria.
“We are building a team, our objective is not just about winning the championship, but for the team to get better and also build a solid team.
The team, led by Sharks defender, Chima Akas, will play Niger on Monday at the Stade Régional de Nyamirambo in Kigali.
Oliseh continued: “If you notice the team, the players are very young and we plan to integrate some of them to the main team for the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.”Although players like Akas, Paul Onobi and goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, have all played for the main team.
Click here to read the full story
Burkina Faso Attacks - Ghana Issues Statement
Read the full statement below issued by the government of Ghana.
Government of Ghana condemns Terrorist Attacks in Burkina Faso
The Government of Ghana strongly condemns the terrorist attacks that took place over the last two days in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
The attacks which started on Friday at the Splendid Hotel, the Cappuccino Cafe and also the Yibi Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso have since ended. Over twenty-eight persons lost their lives as a result of this tragedy.
We offer our heartfelt condolences to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, the relatives of the deceased victims, and the Government and people of Burkina Faso. We stand with our sister country of Burkina Faso in this difficult time and are ready to enhance our cooperation and work together to see an end to this terrorist threat.
We commit ourselves to work with the countries within our ECOWAS region to ensure that our citizens can live in peace and security.
Signed:
Hanna S. Tetteh
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration
Culled from Premium Times
Sunday Oliseh is confident the group of players chosen from the Nigeria Professional Football League, are strong enough to make an impression at the fourth Africa Nations championship that starts for the Eagles on Monday evening.
The former Super Eagles captain, who took over the team from Stephen Keshi, is banking on the camp atmosphere and the way the players have responded to their training camp in south Africa.
“The camp mood is very good, right from the beginning the boys have been focused and cohesion among them is great,” Oliseh told Goal Nigeria.
“We are building a team, our objective is not just about winning the championship, but for the team to get better and also build a solid team.
The team, led by Sharks defender, Chima Akas, will play Niger on Monday at the Stade Régional de Nyamirambo in Kigali.
Oliseh continued: “If you notice the team, the players are very young and we plan to integrate some of them to the main team for the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.”Although players like Akas, Paul Onobi and goalkeeper, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, have all played for the main team.
Click here to read the full story
Burkina Faso Attacks - Ghana Issues Statement
Read the full statement below issued by the government of Ghana.
Government of Ghana condemns Terrorist Attacks in Burkina Faso
The Government of Ghana strongly condemns the terrorist attacks that took place over the last two days in Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.
The attacks which started on Friday at the Splendid Hotel, the Cappuccino Cafe and also the Yibi Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso have since ended. Over twenty-eight persons lost their lives as a result of this tragedy.
We offer our heartfelt condolences to President Roch Marc Christian Kabore, the relatives of the deceased victims, and the Government and people of Burkina Faso. We stand with our sister country of Burkina Faso in this difficult time and are ready to enhance our cooperation and work together to see an end to this terrorist threat.
We commit ourselves to work with the countries within our ECOWAS region to ensure that our citizens can live in peace and security.
Signed:
Hanna S. Tetteh
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration
Ghana goes gaga over crime fighting taxi driver
The Ghanaian president John Mahama is promising a reward of a house to the hero taxi driver who botched a planned and well executed robbery attack in Cantonments, Accra Saturday. In the same vein, the former president JJ Rawlings has said that the driver should be given a national award. The driver whose name and identity have been withheld for security reasons chased and knocked down the two robbers on a motorbike after which an armed military man came in to arrest the duo.
The two suspects Abaliku Sannie, 35, and Oko Quaicoo, 30, shot a Koala employee, a sales girl, and made away with what was reported to be cash from the sale of products from the Shopping centre.
But just when they thought the deal was done, the taxi-driver in a rare show of bravery mounted a hot chase and knocked the suspects into a ditch.The robbers were said to have shot at the taxi driver in a bid to stop him from chasing them but that did not deter him.
The rewards for the brave taxi driver have been overwhelming. The driver has been promised a new vehicle by the management of Koala the retail company that was targeted by the robbers. He was also given a presidential treat Monday afternoon at the Flagstaff House after which the president promised to give him a house in Cantonments.
The two suspects Abaliku Sannie, 35, and Oko Quaicoo, 30, shot a Koala employee, a sales girl, and made away with what was reported to be cash from the sale of products from the Shopping centre.
But just when they thought the deal was done, the taxi-driver in a rare show of bravery mounted a hot chase and knocked the suspects into a ditch.The robbers were said to have shot at the taxi driver in a bid to stop him from chasing them but that did not deter him.
The rewards for the brave taxi driver have been overwhelming. The driver has been promised a new vehicle by the management of Koala the retail company that was targeted by the robbers. He was also given a presidential treat Monday afternoon at the Flagstaff House after which the president promised to give him a house in Cantonments.
Preserving Family Business Wealth In Africa Requires Planning
Image by W8 Advisory. Culled from www.your-bizbook.com Air France/KLM Club Africa.
Over half of global GDP is created by family businesses. “The Rothschilds and Rockefellers of this world have successfully transferred their wealth across the ages, thanks to carefully devised strategies. In Africa, we have yet to see the very few family businesses out there survive more than three generations.” An interview with Bimpe Nkontchou, Managing Principal at W8 Advisory, a London-based wealth management and succession planning advisory firm that focuses on wealth amongst African families.
Whereas Africa is known for its struggles against poverty, a growing number of African entrepreneurs is successfully creating and acquiring wealth through enterprise and hard work. According to a recent New World Wealth report, the number of people in Africa with assets worth US$ 1 million or more has grown by 145 per cent since 2000. An approximate 161,000 High Net Worth Individuals were living in Africa at the end of 2014, with combined wealth holdings of US$ 660 billion.
How can wealth transfer go wrong?“The creator of wealth, the first-generation entrepreneur, often has a hands-on approach and is in full control of the business. A pitfall for a person of such stature may be to communicate insufficiently about the family’s wealth, about how much or how little is earned. If an unaware second generation is not brought up in the same values that created the business in the first place, chances are they will spend more than they create and dilute the wealth. By the time the third generation steps up and if no formal structures have been put in place, conflict, envy, and a wide range of opinions may scatter the wealth.”
What can be done to prevent wealth from being diluted?“At W8 Advisory we are passionate about conflict-free intergenerational wealth transfer. Most of Africa’s economies are relatively young and compared to the US or European economies, have seen few family businesses that stretch across centuries. Family businesses in Africa need clear planning and structured thinking in order to preserve their wealth. It requires a family governance structure with rules and limits clarified – and sanctions imposed on family members who violate agreements. The entrepreneur and his family need a clear, fixed, purposeful strategy that determines how the legacy is passed on. Who can work in the business or join the management, and why? What are family members’ roles and parameters? If you are careless about anything, chances are you lose it.”
Click here to read more
Burkina Faso.
Ex-President Blaise Compaore wanted for Sankara's murder.
Ousted Burkina leader Compaore charged in Sankara killing - Ouagadougou (AFP) - Burkina Faso has issued an international warrant for ousted leader Blaise Compaore for his suspected role in the 1987 killing of his former comrade, ex-president Thomas Sankara, a judicial source said Monday. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Compaore, who is living in exile in the Ivory Coast, had been charged with an attack and assassination .
Sankara and 12 of his supporters were killed during a 1987 bloody coup that brought Compaore to power. An investigation into Sankara's death was reopened after a popular uprising forced Compaore from office in October 2014 after a 27-year rule. Compaore has denied involvement in Sankara's killing and now lives in exile in neighboring Ivory Coast.
Remains believed to be those of Sankara were exhumed earlier this year from a cemetery on the edge of the capital, Ouagadougou, and are being examined.
Sankara's family's lawyer, Stanislas Benewende Sankara, who isn't related, said Monday "The state of the remains didn't allow the laboratory to certify any DNA results."
Military tribunal director Col. Sita Sangare confirmed the arrest warrant for Compaore on charges of assassination, body concealment and assault.
Compaore's ally, Gen. Gilbert Diendere, had been charged early in December for complicity in Sankara's killing. Diendere is already in jail, arrested after taking power for a week during a short-lived coup by the presidential guard in September that overthrew the country's transitional government.
The presidential guard, loyal to Compaore, has been disbanded. Several members have also been arrested for Sankara's killing. "I am glad with the step forward made in the case," said Mousbila Sankara, a cousin of the late leader. "(But) I know it will be difficult to have the Ivorians agree to arrest Compaore and send him back home."Ivory Coast's government didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.Burkina Faso held delayed national elections Nov. 29 that saw Roch Marc Christian Kabore become the country's second elected civilian president since independence from France in 1960
Sankara and 12 of his supporters were killed during a 1987 bloody coup that brought Compaore to power. An investigation into Sankara's death was reopened after a popular uprising forced Compaore from office in October 2014 after a 27-year rule. Compaore has denied involvement in Sankara's killing and now lives in exile in neighboring Ivory Coast.
Remains believed to be those of Sankara were exhumed earlier this year from a cemetery on the edge of the capital, Ouagadougou, and are being examined.
Sankara's family's lawyer, Stanislas Benewende Sankara, who isn't related, said Monday "The state of the remains didn't allow the laboratory to certify any DNA results."
Military tribunal director Col. Sita Sangare confirmed the arrest warrant for Compaore on charges of assassination, body concealment and assault.
Compaore's ally, Gen. Gilbert Diendere, had been charged early in December for complicity in Sankara's killing. Diendere is already in jail, arrested after taking power for a week during a short-lived coup by the presidential guard in September that overthrew the country's transitional government.
The presidential guard, loyal to Compaore, has been disbanded. Several members have also been arrested for Sankara's killing. "I am glad with the step forward made in the case," said Mousbila Sankara, a cousin of the late leader. "(But) I know it will be difficult to have the Ivorians agree to arrest Compaore and send him back home."Ivory Coast's government didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.Burkina Faso held delayed national elections Nov. 29 that saw Roch Marc Christian Kabore become the country's second elected civilian president since independence from France in 1960
Music. - The Revolution Called Don Jazzy
By Esse Ogene
Don Jazzy is household name; his music style and beat arrangement are easily recognisable. To some he's slightly over rated, to others a revolutionary in the music industry; but the fact remains, Don Jazzy is a jack-of-all-trade and a master of all. One might ask how so? Well, here's how:
By being a producer, businessman and a performer, he has managed to maintain all three, while remaining relevant and inspired more producers to do same.
The producer: Don Jazzy's experience with music producing emerged during his time in the UK, working with various artistes such as JJC and the 419 Squad, Kaz and D'banj. In 2004 Don Jazzy partnered with D'banj and created Mo'Hits label. In 2005 he had produced D'banj's debut album No long thing; the following year he produced the same artistes sophomore album Rundown Funk You Up containing the hit track Why me.
Between 2007 - 2008 Don Jazzy produced the Mo' Hits All Stars album, and Recording Artist Wande Coal's debut album Mushin 2 Mo'Hits. At this point Don Jazzy was already a brand in the music industry and many had already taken notice of this outside Nigeria.
In 2010 Don Jazzy produced the hit single Mr Endowed (Remix) by D'banj feat Snoop Dogg, the subsequent year Don Jazzy was signed to Kanye West's Label G.O.O.D MUSIC as a producer; he went on to work with Jay-Z and Kanye on the production of the song Lift off featuring Beyonce from album Watch the Throne.
By 2012, Don Jazzy produced the hit song Oliver Twist that cut across borders placing him on the international scene.
The Performer: Although not the conventional performer, He has worked with numerous artistes in the industry. He has also sold out tickets at venues around the world. Tracks such as Eminado, Dorobucci, Adaobi and Godwin are catchy songs that anyone could groove to.
The business man: The Industry is not just about the music but it's also a corporate environment, Don Jazzy taps into the fact that one must not limit himself to creating music, but also harnessing it as a commodity. As corny as it might sound, the producer is bankable and whatever he touches turns to gold. He is also the CEO and founder of Mavin Records and have some of the biggest artistes currently signed to the label; his music is his trademark making him marketable. Various brand both local and International has sought to make him their ambassador such as telecommunications giant MTN, Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey and Samsung to name a few.
Don jazzy has been compared to American producers such as Dr Dre and Timberland. He was one of the very few who tapped into the benefits of social media and used it to his advantage. He uses this to promote his work and the artistes who are signed under the Mavin label.
Culled from Leadership Newspaper
Don Jazzy is household name; his music style and beat arrangement are easily recognisable. To some he's slightly over rated, to others a revolutionary in the music industry; but the fact remains, Don Jazzy is a jack-of-all-trade and a master of all. One might ask how so? Well, here's how:
By being a producer, businessman and a performer, he has managed to maintain all three, while remaining relevant and inspired more producers to do same.
The producer: Don Jazzy's experience with music producing emerged during his time in the UK, working with various artistes such as JJC and the 419 Squad, Kaz and D'banj. In 2004 Don Jazzy partnered with D'banj and created Mo'Hits label. In 2005 he had produced D'banj's debut album No long thing; the following year he produced the same artistes sophomore album Rundown Funk You Up containing the hit track Why me.
Between 2007 - 2008 Don Jazzy produced the Mo' Hits All Stars album, and Recording Artist Wande Coal's debut album Mushin 2 Mo'Hits. At this point Don Jazzy was already a brand in the music industry and many had already taken notice of this outside Nigeria.
In 2010 Don Jazzy produced the hit single Mr Endowed (Remix) by D'banj feat Snoop Dogg, the subsequent year Don Jazzy was signed to Kanye West's Label G.O.O.D MUSIC as a producer; he went on to work with Jay-Z and Kanye on the production of the song Lift off featuring Beyonce from album Watch the Throne.
By 2012, Don Jazzy produced the hit song Oliver Twist that cut across borders placing him on the international scene.
The Performer: Although not the conventional performer, He has worked with numerous artistes in the industry. He has also sold out tickets at venues around the world. Tracks such as Eminado, Dorobucci, Adaobi and Godwin are catchy songs that anyone could groove to.
The business man: The Industry is not just about the music but it's also a corporate environment, Don Jazzy taps into the fact that one must not limit himself to creating music, but also harnessing it as a commodity. As corny as it might sound, the producer is bankable and whatever he touches turns to gold. He is also the CEO and founder of Mavin Records and have some of the biggest artistes currently signed to the label; his music is his trademark making him marketable. Various brand both local and International has sought to make him their ambassador such as telecommunications giant MTN, Johnnie Walker Scotch Whiskey and Samsung to name a few.
Don jazzy has been compared to American producers such as Dr Dre and Timberland. He was one of the very few who tapped into the benefits of social media and used it to his advantage. He uses this to promote his work and the artistes who are signed under the Mavin label.
Culled from Leadership Newspaper
Grammy Award. Ghana's Rocky Dawuni nominated.
A Ghanaian reggae musician, Rocky Dawuni has been nominated for 2016 Grammy Awards, alongside Jamaican stars Jah Cure, Barrington Levy, Luciano and Morgan Heritage.
His charts topping album, "Branches of the Same Tree" was nominated for the "Best Reggae Album" award.
Rocky Dawuni is the first Ghanaian to be nominated for the prestigious award.
Dawuni got acquainted with reggae in Ghana when he heard a military band performing one of Bob Marley's compositions in Michel Camp, a military barracks.
Dawuni started the annual "Independence Splash" festival, which is held in Ghana on Ghanaian Independence Day, March 6.
The event will be held on Monday February 15, 2016 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, United States of America.
Courtesy Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
His charts topping album, "Branches of the Same Tree" was nominated for the "Best Reggae Album" award.
Rocky Dawuni is the first Ghanaian to be nominated for the prestigious award.
Dawuni got acquainted with reggae in Ghana when he heard a military band performing one of Bob Marley's compositions in Michel Camp, a military barracks.
Dawuni started the annual "Independence Splash" festival, which is held in Ghana on Ghanaian Independence Day, March 6.
The event will be held on Monday February 15, 2016 at the Staples Centre in Los Angeles, United States of America.
Courtesy Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
The World's Optimists Live In Nigeria, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.
Africans are the most optimistic people in the world. According to a Pew Research Centre survey, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso are the countries with the brightest prospects in the next year.
According to a report by New Africa Business News, 92 per cent of Nigerian respondents expect their economy to improve in the next 12 months. Residents in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia were similarly upbeat, with more than 80% of people in each country projecting economic progress.
Nigeria and Ethiopia also ranked high on Pew’s survey of longer-term prospects. Each of those two had 84% of respondents judging that when their children grow up, they’ll be better off financially than their parents. There was widespread pessimism in richer countries like France, Japan and Italy.
The Pew data is based on 45,435 in-person and telephone interviews in 40 countries with adults 18 and older.
Further reading newafricabusinessnews.com
According to a report by New Africa Business News, 92 per cent of Nigerian respondents expect their economy to improve in the next 12 months. Residents in Burkina Faso and Ethiopia were similarly upbeat, with more than 80% of people in each country projecting economic progress.
Nigeria and Ethiopia also ranked high on Pew’s survey of longer-term prospects. Each of those two had 84% of respondents judging that when their children grow up, they’ll be better off financially than their parents. There was widespread pessimism in richer countries like France, Japan and Italy.
The Pew data is based on 45,435 in-person and telephone interviews in 40 countries with adults 18 and older.
Further reading newafricabusinessnews.com
DANGER AHEAD. Is Burundi On The Verge Of Returning To Ethnic Conflict?
Bujumbura — From the hills at Kiriri, to the east of Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, there is a clear view of Lake Tanganyika. The Itombwe Mountains across the water in the DR Congo are harder to see as low hanging clouds always get in the way. It is a picture of tranquillity.
Traffic is light, people are on the streets, but peer closer and you will see cracks in the serenity.
Residents of the city say since "Le Crise" - or the crisis - began in April, more razor wire barriers line certain streets and soldiers are constantly on patrol throughout the city.
The United Nations is concerned, beginning plans to send in a rapid reaction force if needed.
African Union military observers are already on the ground assessing the situation.
"We can observe today in Burundi a clear manipulation of ethnicity by both the government and opposition," the UN's special adviser on genocide, Adama Dieng, told the BBC.
"We know that ethnicity can be used to divide populations, and spreading hatred among them, which can have tragic consequences."
After sunset, the city becomes eerily quiet, unless it is pierced by gunfire such as which a BBC reporter heard on Tuesday night. The following morning revealed just how bloody the night was.
Police sources say eight people were killed, including a policeman.
Both opposition and governing factions accuse each other of violence.
Traffic is light, people are on the streets, but peer closer and you will see cracks in the serenity.
Residents of the city say since "Le Crise" - or the crisis - began in April, more razor wire barriers line certain streets and soldiers are constantly on patrol throughout the city.
The United Nations is concerned, beginning plans to send in a rapid reaction force if needed.
African Union military observers are already on the ground assessing the situation.
"We can observe today in Burundi a clear manipulation of ethnicity by both the government and opposition," the UN's special adviser on genocide, Adama Dieng, told the BBC.
"We know that ethnicity can be used to divide populations, and spreading hatred among them, which can have tragic consequences."
After sunset, the city becomes eerily quiet, unless it is pierced by gunfire such as which a BBC reporter heard on Tuesday night. The following morning revealed just how bloody the night was.
Police sources say eight people were killed, including a policeman.
Both opposition and governing factions accuse each other of violence.
Why Nigerians Dominated The List of 100 Most Influential Africans.
Culled from Ventures Africa
This week, the New African Magazine released its annual list presenting the 100 Most Influential Africans from eight different fields. The list shows the continent’s definitive power list and profiles the top game changers from eight different spheres of influence, including Politics, Art, Business and Civil Society in 30 countries and personalities from these areas dominated the list. It is not surprising that Nigerians and South Africans dominated the list as Nigerians had 20 notable names on the list and South Africans had 16 while Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda featured six, six and eight distinguished people respectively.
Ventures Africa decided to find out why some of these Nigerians made the list and this is why.The richest man in Africa has constantly made the list of Africa’s most influential over the years. He is an industrialist who has contributed greatly to the development of Africa. In 2015 alone, he has expanded his cement company into about four different African countries, creating jobs for many within the continent. He is one of the largest employers of labour in Nigeria and is on his way to being the largest in Africa.
Read More here
This week, the New African Magazine released its annual list presenting the 100 Most Influential Africans from eight different fields. The list shows the continent’s definitive power list and profiles the top game changers from eight different spheres of influence, including Politics, Art, Business and Civil Society in 30 countries and personalities from these areas dominated the list. It is not surprising that Nigerians and South Africans dominated the list as Nigerians had 20 notable names on the list and South Africans had 16 while Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda featured six, six and eight distinguished people respectively.
Ventures Africa decided to find out why some of these Nigerians made the list and this is why.The richest man in Africa has constantly made the list of Africa’s most influential over the years. He is an industrialist who has contributed greatly to the development of Africa. In 2015 alone, he has expanded his cement company into about four different African countries, creating jobs for many within the continent. He is one of the largest employers of labour in Nigeria and is on his way to being the largest in Africa.
Read More here
Is Mali Paying The Price For Being Too Close To France ?
By Oreoluwa Runsewe
Culled from venturesafrica.com
The whole world is now abuzz with news of gunmen who have taken about 170 people hostage in the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali this morning. At least eighty hostages have reportedly been set free while three people have been confirmed dead. This attack occurs barely a week after terror attacks in Paris killed 129 people and two days after terrorists bombed two Nigerian cities.
Like many other former French colonies, Mali still maintains close ties with France. French troops arrived Mali in January, 2013, to aid the Malian government in its fight against terrorism. Within six weeks, the French soldiers succeeded in recapturing seized towns and driving the terrorists into hiding. French troops have remained in the West African country since, on a mission to stabilise the region.The attacks in France last week cast a big light on terror organizations all over the world and there were suspicions that other similar organizations might replicate those attacks. The current hostage situation in Mali bears close resemblance to the Bataclan music hall attack. There are reports that a number of French nationals are among the hostages. While Mali certainly has had its own problem with terrorists operating in its northern region, this attack raises the question of possible coordinated strikes on allies of the west which present softer targets because of less extensive security and surveillance abilities. Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria, Libya are all examples of countries attacked by terror organizations because of their relationships with western countries. Other francophone countries within Africa that have close ties with France may also be hit soon.
There are indications that terror group Ansar Dine are responsible for these attacks. Ansar Dine is a militant group in Mali that is reported to have close ties with al-Qaeda. It was primarily responsible for the Northern Malian conflict of 2012 and 2013. This attack could also indicate a battle for prominent public position between Ansar Dine and the Islamic State, to capture attention and popularity as competition for notoriety and the recruits that come with it heats up between Islamic terror franchise.
Click here to read more
Culled from venturesafrica.com
The whole world is now abuzz with news of gunmen who have taken about 170 people hostage in the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali this morning. At least eighty hostages have reportedly been set free while three people have been confirmed dead. This attack occurs barely a week after terror attacks in Paris killed 129 people and two days after terrorists bombed two Nigerian cities.
Like many other former French colonies, Mali still maintains close ties with France. French troops arrived Mali in January, 2013, to aid the Malian government in its fight against terrorism. Within six weeks, the French soldiers succeeded in recapturing seized towns and driving the terrorists into hiding. French troops have remained in the West African country since, on a mission to stabilise the region.The attacks in France last week cast a big light on terror organizations all over the world and there were suspicions that other similar organizations might replicate those attacks. The current hostage situation in Mali bears close resemblance to the Bataclan music hall attack. There are reports that a number of French nationals are among the hostages. While Mali certainly has had its own problem with terrorists operating in its northern region, this attack raises the question of possible coordinated strikes on allies of the west which present softer targets because of less extensive security and surveillance abilities. Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Nigeria, Libya are all examples of countries attacked by terror organizations because of their relationships with western countries. Other francophone countries within Africa that have close ties with France may also be hit soon.
There are indications that terror group Ansar Dine are responsible for these attacks. Ansar Dine is a militant group in Mali that is reported to have close ties with al-Qaeda. It was primarily responsible for the Northern Malian conflict of 2012 and 2013. This attack could also indicate a battle for prominent public position between Ansar Dine and the Islamic State, to capture attention and popularity as competition for notoriety and the recruits that come with it heats up between Islamic terror franchise.
Click here to read more
How Will Long The African Union Remain Silent On The African Migrant Crisis
By Omotola Omolayo
Culled from Ventures Africa
To address the pertinent issue of migration overwhelming the European borders, leaders from the European and African Union countries met in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. While the stakes for EU are admittedly higher with series of boating mishaps on Mediterranean waters, the African Union with is yet to come up with a proactive way of addressing the global migrant crisis so far.
Following a meeting with the EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on migration and human trafficking in April, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the head of the African Union reportedly commented that “If people don’t have livelihoods at all, they are not going to sit and die of hunger, they are going to look for greener pastures,” and that quick solutions to these crisis do not exist. While there might not be an instant solution to this global problem in sight, this does not exclude the African Union from taking responsibility for its citizens.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 350,000 people have journeyed across the Mediterranean, out of which 3,075 have died or disappeared this year. Furthermore, some records indicate that six out of the ten largest countries of origin of refugees were African. Eritrea which heads this list is closely followed by Somalia, South Sudan, Gambia, Nigeria and Central African Republic. With the population of Africans that risk their lives to end up on the shores of Europe, no matter how dangerous, one would expect some form of commentary or concern from the AU. However, the Union so far has only made a promise to ‘work on it’ at an EU meeting in April.
While the EU has come up with steps of stemming this global problem which ranges from having a rescue operations on the sea to allegedly shutting its boarders, African leaders whose citizens constitute the bulk of migrants are yet to take any proactive measures, although they have met on several occasions to ‘discuss’ the crisis and ways of tackling it. The AU could have organized an emergency summit on its own continent, why did they have to wait for the EU’s Valletta summit? Does this suggest that African leaders feel entitled to EU’s help with its migrants?
Read more click here
Culled from Ventures Africa
To address the pertinent issue of migration overwhelming the European borders, leaders from the European and African Union countries met in Valletta, the capital city of Malta. While the stakes for EU are admittedly higher with series of boating mishaps on Mediterranean waters, the African Union with is yet to come up with a proactive way of addressing the global migrant crisis so far.
Following a meeting with the EU commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on migration and human trafficking in April, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the head of the African Union reportedly commented that “If people don’t have livelihoods at all, they are not going to sit and die of hunger, they are going to look for greener pastures,” and that quick solutions to these crisis do not exist. While there might not be an instant solution to this global problem in sight, this does not exclude the African Union from taking responsibility for its citizens.
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), over 350,000 people have journeyed across the Mediterranean, out of which 3,075 have died or disappeared this year. Furthermore, some records indicate that six out of the ten largest countries of origin of refugees were African. Eritrea which heads this list is closely followed by Somalia, South Sudan, Gambia, Nigeria and Central African Republic. With the population of Africans that risk their lives to end up on the shores of Europe, no matter how dangerous, one would expect some form of commentary or concern from the AU. However, the Union so far has only made a promise to ‘work on it’ at an EU meeting in April.
While the EU has come up with steps of stemming this global problem which ranges from having a rescue operations on the sea to allegedly shutting its boarders, African leaders whose citizens constitute the bulk of migrants are yet to take any proactive measures, although they have met on several occasions to ‘discuss’ the crisis and ways of tackling it. The AU could have organized an emergency summit on its own continent, why did they have to wait for the EU’s Valletta summit? Does this suggest that African leaders feel entitled to EU’s help with its migrants?
Read more click here
Gaskiya.Net Exclusive - Nigerian Universities Rankings 2015/16
University of Ibadan Comes Out On Top
Gaskiya.net Ranking of Nigerian Universities 2015
Why Ranking of Universities based on Webometrics contradicts reality…
The Webometrics University Ranking system has gained popularity, and perhaps, some notoriety too due to the interest it generates whenever those rankings are published, as well as the debate the listings elicit. Those debates often range from the most compelling to the absolute ridiculous. We do not think the system is realistic or appropriate, especially for African, nay Nigerian universities and are at a loss as to why the intellectual community has not mounted a vigorous challenge against this system. As Nigerian Universities commence the 2015/2016 Academic Year, Gaskiya.net is poised to release its own ranking, but not before it has explained the reasons against the continued reliance on the Webometrics system.
Wikipedia best provides the most basic but perfectly unambiguous explanation of what this Webometrics University Ranking is all about. It explains that it “is a ranking system based on university web presence, visibility and web access…It measures how strongly a university is present in the web by its own web domain, sub-pages, rich files, scholarly articles etc.” In the opinion of the developers of this method and still relying on Wikipedia, their belief is that “…web presence is a reliable indicator of the global performance and prestige of the universities and as such, is an indirect way to measure all the university missions (teaching, research, transfer)….” The strength of this ranking procedure is boosted by the argument that “…Top universities are publishing millions of pages produced by dozens of departments and services, hundreds of research teams and thousands of scholars. Strong web presence informs of a wide variety of factors that are clearly correlated with the global quality of the institution: widespread availability of computer resources available, global internet literacy, policies promoting democracy and freedom of speech, competition for international visibility or support of open access initiatives, among others.”
Our deviation from the Webometrics philosophy
Gaskiya.net significantly deviates from the above posture for several reasons, starting from one key argument acknowledged by proponents of the Webometrics system themselves. They admit inter alia, that “…Although the Web is universally recognized as one of the most relevant tools for scholarly communication, it is still very rare these indicators are used for the evaluation of the scientific research and the academic performance of universities. Webometric indicators are provided to show the commitment of the institutions to Web publication.” If academic performance and the scientific research output of these institutions cannot be measured by the index, why is so much attention still being given to the rankings?
Indeed, from the foregoing and in Africa, as in Nigeria, merely assessing the quality of an academic institution on the basis of the volume “ of web contents and the visibility and impact of these web publications…” based on the volume of external citations they obtained constitute a series of evaluatory indices that Gaskiya.net considers dead on arrival.
University education in Africa comes with its own peculiar features and challenges, as it does elsewhere. For example, given the provision of instruction in English, French or Portuguese, lecturer-student interaction in most of our countries, where these languages are second to the mother tongue is of extremely high relevance. Other evaluatory factors only complement this fact.
Why Ranking of Universities based on Webometrics contradicts reality
To reinforce our dissenting position, we draw inspiration from something that occurred in the global film industry some years ago. Faced with the problem of how to rate the Nigerian movie industry in the face of the high volume of movies it was producing, the global film-making community had been reluctant to assign the Nigerians a rightful position on the classification ranking on the strength of their argument that the Nigerians were not producing movies on celluloid but in video format. The Nigerians countered that they were producing movies on a format preferred by their target market and cared less about what the critics thought. The Africans stuck to their guns but today what do we have? The international cultural and intellectual property community has not only accepted the Nollywood position (and subsequently ranked it second to Bollywood globally), but the technological component of that industry has developed more advanced video format for movie production.
On the basis of this logic, we submit that Webometrics University Ranking can only be a small part of a broader range of classificatory or ranking system of African, nay Nigerian universities, (or any other university anywhere in the world for that matter), rather than the main one as being done today.
Why are universities established?
To progress further in our debunking the Webometrics University Ranking system, we ask a basic question. Why are universities established? To which we also provide a basic answer: To solve societal problems in whichever forms they manifest. This is why they’re called ‘ivory towers’ from where they can look at societal challenges and proffer solutions. This presupposes that universities, by their orientation, would be focused on solving local problems. If they eventually become adept at doing so, they gain national, regional and ultimately, global recognition. Thus, while universities focus on local problems, they must also find a way of becoming globally relevant.
In support of this, we proceed to argue a hypothesis. If Kogi State, blessed with so much iron ore at Itakpe and Ajaokuta, and where the Ajaokuta Steel Industry is located in Nigeria, were to establish a University of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, to simply produce manpower to feed the steel industry, it could grow in scientific research and academic instruction to gain expertise and eventually, national and international renown as a result of that specialisation. A Webometrics University Ranking system that is decidedly oblivious of the reasons for which the institution was established and what its orientation is, as well as that does not have the capacity to evaluate the strength of the university to undertake scientific enquiry nor the quality of its academic instruction, would be totally off tangent in its classification of such an institution!
Growing improvement in quality of tertiary education in Nigeria
The Nigerian university system had to contend with a serious problem of training candidates that passed through the centralised matriculation examination system in the country. For some years, the higher education structure could do nothing about this low quality of candidates passing out of the secondary school system but eventually, some first generation universities jettisoned the assurance system that the University Matriculation Board offered in favour of running an additional evaluative system to further sift ‘good’ candidates from the ‘bad.’
While Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) complained about that development, and initially did everything in its power to resist it, it had no choice but to eventually admit that there were significant foundational and preparatory challenges that caused the universities, desperate to shore up what was left of their academic reputation and to retain a modicum of integrity in their certification, to institute this alternative quality control measure. JAMB itself had a problem defending situations where candidates it had adjudged to have passed brilliantly in certain subjects ended up failing the same subjects woefully when tested by the alternative system the universities introduced.
The universities and JAMB have since moved on from there. Though the alternative testing system has been retained by the universities, the quality of JAMB testing and certification has dramatically improved, with decreased malpractices and enhanced testing methods. It must be mentioned that this improvement is itself a direct consequence of the alternative testing instituted by the universities. If JAMB had not sat up, its reputation would simply have gone to the dogs!
Gaskiya.net’s DRA ranking system
Today, there are over 140 Federal, State and Private universities in Nigeria, offering a variety of courses and with various academic profiles. There is hardly any specialised university in the country, as virtually all the institutions offer courses largely across the liberal arts and sciences. The advent of private universities had been touted as a solution to the perceived falling standards in existing Government institutions at the time, often exacerbated by prolonged industrial action bythe Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Non- Academic Staff Union (NASU). While such long strike actions have largely decreased, private universities, from the survey Gaskiya.net conducted to determine its ranking of Nigerian universities, do not enjoy the same level of confidence that employers still have in especially Federal universities. Indeed, private universities, at best, only offer a guarantee of completion of degree programmes within the stipulated time frame and no more.
To arrive at our ranking, Gaskiya.net adopted a system it created known as the Domestic Relevance Approach (DRA). This system assesses the quality of a university based on a combination of criteria as follows:
In Economics and even in the performing arts (given Nigeria’s dominance of Africa’s entertainment industry and position as the second largest movie industry in the world), employers say they would go for graduates form first generation universities (Federal institutions). When we asked them how they would hire based on their actual knowledge of the capacity of the universities, the position of most of the employers surveyed did not change markedly from what is presented above. Some (oil producing companies who headhunt Petroleum Engineering graduates) say they hire mainly from the Federal universities but send the newly-hired staff abroad for further training immediately in order to cover for lapses noticed in the quality of the products from these universities.
When we asked how they would hire medical doctors, pharmacists and para-medical staff, almost all the employers surveyed said they would give preference almost entirely to graduates of Federal universities.
Our questions to potential undergraduates, their parents and employers of new graduates were:
*If you had to choose a university of study as a candidate based solely on perception, which one would you choose? (For Liberal Arts. For International Relations. For Pure Sciences. For Agricultural Sciences. For Computer Sciences. For Mechanical Engineering. For Petroleum Engineering. For Medicine. For Postgraduate Studies).
*If you had to choose a university for your child or ward based solely on perception, which one would you choose? (For Liberal Arts. For International Relations. For Pure Sciences. For Agricultural Sciences. For Computer Sciences. For Mechanical Engineering. For Petroleum Engineering. For Medicine. For Postgraduate Studies).
*If you had to employ a new staff based on your perception of the universities, which would be your preference? (For Liberal Arts. For International Relations. For Pure Sciences. For Agricultural Sciences. For Computer Sciences. For Mechanical Engineering. For Petroleum Engineering. For Medicine. For Postgraduate Studies).
Our verdict on Nigeria’s best academic institutions
The Webometrics component of our assessment clearly showed why Nigerian and indeed African universities fare badly in rankings which use only this index. Our key indices in this regard were:
Universities to watch out for in 2016
The Gaskiya.net ranking of Nigerian universities for 2015 limits itself to identifying the 10 best universities in the country. Our assessment and perception survey suggested that many of the over 140 institutions of higher learning were unworthy of any credible listing. Furthermore, the cost of our enquiry was huge and we felt that it would be unprofitable to invest time, energy and other resources evaluating academic institutions which, for all intents and purposes, should be affiliates of older and more established institutions for mentorship and guidance. Many, to put it mildly, should be University Colleges, rather than fully fledged institutions standing on their own! Before we announce our rankings, given the fact that they do not exceed ten, we have elected to first announce those institutions who did not make it into our ranking but with whom our assessors were impressed and thus consider to be worthy of commendation. These universities are:
University of Benin www.uniben.edu.ng
University of Port Harcourt www.uniport.edu.ng
Abia State University www.absu.edu.ng
Covenant University www.covenantuniversity.edu.ng
Afe Babalola University www.abuad.edu.ng
American University of Nigeria www.aun.edu.ng
Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta www.unaab.edu.ng
Babcock University www.babcock.edu.ng
University of Abuja www.uniabuja.edu.ng
Bowen University www.bowenuniversity.edu.ng
Gaskiya.netranking of Nigeria’s best 10 universities for 2015
The top 10 universities in Nigeria for the year 2015 based on criteria listed in the preceding analysis are:
The University of Ibadan www.ui.edu.ng 1st
University of Lagos www.unilag.edu.ng Joint 2nd
Obafemi Awolowo University www.oauife.edu.ng Joint 2nd
University of Nigeria, Nsukka www.unn.edu.ng 4th
Ahmadu Bello University www.abu.edu.ng 5th
University of Maiduguri www.unimaid.edu.ng 6th
University of Ilorin www.uniloring.edu.ng 7th
Redeemer’s University www.run.edu.ng 8th
Lagos State University www.lasucom.edu.ng 9th
Cross River University of Technology www.crutech.edu.ng 10th
Gaskiya.net Ranking of Nigerian Universities 2015
Why Ranking of Universities based on Webometrics contradicts reality…
The Webometrics University Ranking system has gained popularity, and perhaps, some notoriety too due to the interest it generates whenever those rankings are published, as well as the debate the listings elicit. Those debates often range from the most compelling to the absolute ridiculous. We do not think the system is realistic or appropriate, especially for African, nay Nigerian universities and are at a loss as to why the intellectual community has not mounted a vigorous challenge against this system. As Nigerian Universities commence the 2015/2016 Academic Year, Gaskiya.net is poised to release its own ranking, but not before it has explained the reasons against the continued reliance on the Webometrics system.
Wikipedia best provides the most basic but perfectly unambiguous explanation of what this Webometrics University Ranking is all about. It explains that it “is a ranking system based on university web presence, visibility and web access…It measures how strongly a university is present in the web by its own web domain, sub-pages, rich files, scholarly articles etc.” In the opinion of the developers of this method and still relying on Wikipedia, their belief is that “…web presence is a reliable indicator of the global performance and prestige of the universities and as such, is an indirect way to measure all the university missions (teaching, research, transfer)….” The strength of this ranking procedure is boosted by the argument that “…Top universities are publishing millions of pages produced by dozens of departments and services, hundreds of research teams and thousands of scholars. Strong web presence informs of a wide variety of factors that are clearly correlated with the global quality of the institution: widespread availability of computer resources available, global internet literacy, policies promoting democracy and freedom of speech, competition for international visibility or support of open access initiatives, among others.”
Our deviation from the Webometrics philosophy
Gaskiya.net significantly deviates from the above posture for several reasons, starting from one key argument acknowledged by proponents of the Webometrics system themselves. They admit inter alia, that “…Although the Web is universally recognized as one of the most relevant tools for scholarly communication, it is still very rare these indicators are used for the evaluation of the scientific research and the academic performance of universities. Webometric indicators are provided to show the commitment of the institutions to Web publication.” If academic performance and the scientific research output of these institutions cannot be measured by the index, why is so much attention still being given to the rankings?
Indeed, from the foregoing and in Africa, as in Nigeria, merely assessing the quality of an academic institution on the basis of the volume “ of web contents and the visibility and impact of these web publications…” based on the volume of external citations they obtained constitute a series of evaluatory indices that Gaskiya.net considers dead on arrival.
University education in Africa comes with its own peculiar features and challenges, as it does elsewhere. For example, given the provision of instruction in English, French or Portuguese, lecturer-student interaction in most of our countries, where these languages are second to the mother tongue is of extremely high relevance. Other evaluatory factors only complement this fact.
Why Ranking of Universities based on Webometrics contradicts reality
To reinforce our dissenting position, we draw inspiration from something that occurred in the global film industry some years ago. Faced with the problem of how to rate the Nigerian movie industry in the face of the high volume of movies it was producing, the global film-making community had been reluctant to assign the Nigerians a rightful position on the classification ranking on the strength of their argument that the Nigerians were not producing movies on celluloid but in video format. The Nigerians countered that they were producing movies on a format preferred by their target market and cared less about what the critics thought. The Africans stuck to their guns but today what do we have? The international cultural and intellectual property community has not only accepted the Nollywood position (and subsequently ranked it second to Bollywood globally), but the technological component of that industry has developed more advanced video format for movie production.
On the basis of this logic, we submit that Webometrics University Ranking can only be a small part of a broader range of classificatory or ranking system of African, nay Nigerian universities, (or any other university anywhere in the world for that matter), rather than the main one as being done today.
Why are universities established?
To progress further in our debunking the Webometrics University Ranking system, we ask a basic question. Why are universities established? To which we also provide a basic answer: To solve societal problems in whichever forms they manifest. This is why they’re called ‘ivory towers’ from where they can look at societal challenges and proffer solutions. This presupposes that universities, by their orientation, would be focused on solving local problems. If they eventually become adept at doing so, they gain national, regional and ultimately, global recognition. Thus, while universities focus on local problems, they must also find a way of becoming globally relevant.
In support of this, we proceed to argue a hypothesis. If Kogi State, blessed with so much iron ore at Itakpe and Ajaokuta, and where the Ajaokuta Steel Industry is located in Nigeria, were to establish a University of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, to simply produce manpower to feed the steel industry, it could grow in scientific research and academic instruction to gain expertise and eventually, national and international renown as a result of that specialisation. A Webometrics University Ranking system that is decidedly oblivious of the reasons for which the institution was established and what its orientation is, as well as that does not have the capacity to evaluate the strength of the university to undertake scientific enquiry nor the quality of its academic instruction, would be totally off tangent in its classification of such an institution!
Growing improvement in quality of tertiary education in Nigeria
The Nigerian university system had to contend with a serious problem of training candidates that passed through the centralised matriculation examination system in the country. For some years, the higher education structure could do nothing about this low quality of candidates passing out of the secondary school system but eventually, some first generation universities jettisoned the assurance system that the University Matriculation Board offered in favour of running an additional evaluative system to further sift ‘good’ candidates from the ‘bad.’
While Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) complained about that development, and initially did everything in its power to resist it, it had no choice but to eventually admit that there were significant foundational and preparatory challenges that caused the universities, desperate to shore up what was left of their academic reputation and to retain a modicum of integrity in their certification, to institute this alternative quality control measure. JAMB itself had a problem defending situations where candidates it had adjudged to have passed brilliantly in certain subjects ended up failing the same subjects woefully when tested by the alternative system the universities introduced.
The universities and JAMB have since moved on from there. Though the alternative testing system has been retained by the universities, the quality of JAMB testing and certification has dramatically improved, with decreased malpractices and enhanced testing methods. It must be mentioned that this improvement is itself a direct consequence of the alternative testing instituted by the universities. If JAMB had not sat up, its reputation would simply have gone to the dogs!
Gaskiya.net’s DRA ranking system
Today, there are over 140 Federal, State and Private universities in Nigeria, offering a variety of courses and with various academic profiles. There is hardly any specialised university in the country, as virtually all the institutions offer courses largely across the liberal arts and sciences. The advent of private universities had been touted as a solution to the perceived falling standards in existing Government institutions at the time, often exacerbated by prolonged industrial action bythe Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Non- Academic Staff Union (NASU). While such long strike actions have largely decreased, private universities, from the survey Gaskiya.net conducted to determine its ranking of Nigerian universities, do not enjoy the same level of confidence that employers still have in especially Federal universities. Indeed, private universities, at best, only offer a guarantee of completion of degree programmes within the stipulated time frame and no more.
To arrive at our ranking, Gaskiya.net adopted a system it created known as the Domestic Relevance Approach (DRA). This system assesses the quality of a university based on a combination of criteria as follows:
- Courses offered and their relevance
- Quality of Faculty (academic staff)
- Teaching facilities and aids
- Research capability / output
- Impact of products (graduates) on the society
- Webometrics
- Extra-curricular / recreation and social facilities
- Perception by potential students (at the point of applying for admission)
- Perception by parents of intending students (at the point of applying for admission)
- Perception (at the point of hiring new graduates) by employers
In Economics and even in the performing arts (given Nigeria’s dominance of Africa’s entertainment industry and position as the second largest movie industry in the world), employers say they would go for graduates form first generation universities (Federal institutions). When we asked them how they would hire based on their actual knowledge of the capacity of the universities, the position of most of the employers surveyed did not change markedly from what is presented above. Some (oil producing companies who headhunt Petroleum Engineering graduates) say they hire mainly from the Federal universities but send the newly-hired staff abroad for further training immediately in order to cover for lapses noticed in the quality of the products from these universities.
When we asked how they would hire medical doctors, pharmacists and para-medical staff, almost all the employers surveyed said they would give preference almost entirely to graduates of Federal universities.
Our questions to potential undergraduates, their parents and employers of new graduates were:
*If you had to choose a university of study as a candidate based solely on perception, which one would you choose? (For Liberal Arts. For International Relations. For Pure Sciences. For Agricultural Sciences. For Computer Sciences. For Mechanical Engineering. For Petroleum Engineering. For Medicine. For Postgraduate Studies).
*If you had to choose a university for your child or ward based solely on perception, which one would you choose? (For Liberal Arts. For International Relations. For Pure Sciences. For Agricultural Sciences. For Computer Sciences. For Mechanical Engineering. For Petroleum Engineering. For Medicine. For Postgraduate Studies).
*If you had to employ a new staff based on your perception of the universities, which would be your preference? (For Liberal Arts. For International Relations. For Pure Sciences. For Agricultural Sciences. For Computer Sciences. For Mechanical Engineering. For Petroleum Engineering. For Medicine. For Postgraduate Studies).
Our verdict on Nigeria’s best academic institutions
The Webometrics component of our assessment clearly showed why Nigerian and indeed African universities fare badly in rankings which use only this index. Our key indices in this regard were:
- Accessibility (ease of identification / location of domain name, etc.)
- Content utility (if a visitor found the contents relevant to his enquiries etc.)
- Interaction (the capacity of the site to engage a visitor in realtime conversation, etc.)
- Online instructional facility (distance learning, etc.)
- Publishing / warehousing the output of scientific and other investigative enquiry
- Online application / admission facility
- Aesthetics
Universities to watch out for in 2016
The Gaskiya.net ranking of Nigerian universities for 2015 limits itself to identifying the 10 best universities in the country. Our assessment and perception survey suggested that many of the over 140 institutions of higher learning were unworthy of any credible listing. Furthermore, the cost of our enquiry was huge and we felt that it would be unprofitable to invest time, energy and other resources evaluating academic institutions which, for all intents and purposes, should be affiliates of older and more established institutions for mentorship and guidance. Many, to put it mildly, should be University Colleges, rather than fully fledged institutions standing on their own! Before we announce our rankings, given the fact that they do not exceed ten, we have elected to first announce those institutions who did not make it into our ranking but with whom our assessors were impressed and thus consider to be worthy of commendation. These universities are:
University of Benin www.uniben.edu.ng
University of Port Harcourt www.uniport.edu.ng
Abia State University www.absu.edu.ng
Covenant University www.covenantuniversity.edu.ng
Afe Babalola University www.abuad.edu.ng
American University of Nigeria www.aun.edu.ng
Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta www.unaab.edu.ng
Babcock University www.babcock.edu.ng
University of Abuja www.uniabuja.edu.ng
Bowen University www.bowenuniversity.edu.ng
Gaskiya.netranking of Nigeria’s best 10 universities for 2015
The top 10 universities in Nigeria for the year 2015 based on criteria listed in the preceding analysis are:
The University of Ibadan www.ui.edu.ng 1st
University of Lagos www.unilag.edu.ng Joint 2nd
Obafemi Awolowo University www.oauife.edu.ng Joint 2nd
University of Nigeria, Nsukka www.unn.edu.ng 4th
Ahmadu Bello University www.abu.edu.ng 5th
University of Maiduguri www.unimaid.edu.ng 6th
University of Ilorin www.uniloring.edu.ng 7th
Redeemer’s University www.run.edu.ng 8th
Lagos State University www.lasucom.edu.ng 9th
Cross River University of Technology www.crutech.edu.ng 10th
The Tragedy of African Protests. Why Africa Needs To Recognise Civilian Casualties.
Culled from Ventures Africa
There have been more than a hundred deaths from civil protests in Africa this year and more than ten times that number in the last five years. But these casualties are hardly ever spoken of; at most they make cameo appearances as astronomical figures in media headlines and help increase page views. And then they are forgotten, sometimes even before the protest streets are cleared of burnt tires and barricades. Last week, at least four people died protesting the controversial referendum to remove the term limits of Congo-Brazzaville’s three decade ruler Sassou Nguesso. 12 were killed a week before that while protesting the controversial election of Guinea’s President Alpha Condé to a second term. Like the 77 people before them—who died in the protests to stop Burundi’s President Nkurunziza from seeking a third term earlier this year—they would all be buried with no inquisitions into their deaths or justice for their families.
Click here to read more
There have been more than a hundred deaths from civil protests in Africa this year and more than ten times that number in the last five years. But these casualties are hardly ever spoken of; at most they make cameo appearances as astronomical figures in media headlines and help increase page views. And then they are forgotten, sometimes even before the protest streets are cleared of burnt tires and barricades. Last week, at least four people died protesting the controversial referendum to remove the term limits of Congo-Brazzaville’s three decade ruler Sassou Nguesso. 12 were killed a week before that while protesting the controversial election of Guinea’s President Alpha Condé to a second term. Like the 77 people before them—who died in the protests to stop Burundi’s President Nkurunziza from seeking a third term earlier this year—they would all be buried with no inquisitions into their deaths or justice for their families.
Click here to read more
Nigeria: Challenges Abound But People Want Results - Babatunde Fashola former Lagos State Governor
Culled from All Africa.com
The International Crisis Group, a global, Brussels-based NGO dedicated to preventing and resolving conflict, selected seven individuals to receive six awards in marking its 20th anniversary. Africa-engaged honorees include Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group and co-founder of The Elders, as well as Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi and Nahda party leader Rachid Ghannouchi who are jointly honored for efforts, together with the National Dialogue Quartet - this year's Nobel Peace Prize winners – to reach "consensus on a peaceful and inclusive transition." Recipient of this year's Stephen J. Solarz award – named for the late ICG co-founder and former New York Congress member – is Babatunde Fashola. A former governor of Lagos, Nigeria's most populous state, and current ministerial nominee by President Muhammadu Buhari, Fashola is cited for "his commitment to building a just and vibrant society." Interviewed by telephone from Abuja before his departure to New York for the October 26 ceremony, Fashola spoke to AllAfrica about his eight years in office (2007 – 2015) and how his country can move forward. Excerpts:
What do you regard as your major accomplishments as governor?
First, I want to say it was a team effort. We had an outstanding team of public servants and political office holders, and we worked together to strengthen law enforcement, build infrastructure and encourage inclusion. The most defining thing was to invest the people of Lagos with a sense of ownership and pride in their own state. We had challenges of urban crime, and we turned those challenges into opportunities. We also expanded opportunities for young people in education and in agriculture. We were able provide people with more opportunities to work – to make income with dignity.
How did you tackle the transformation of broken neighborhoods like Oshodi and is what you did sustainable?
I knew Oshodi as a child and it was a very pleasant community, but it fell into disrepute. People traded in unapproved places so they obstructed traffic. Crime was increasing because of the disorderly nature of activities there. It was dysfunctional. We went in to clean it up. We relocated the traders and we built a new market - that took some time, but it was finally done. The results were outstanding. Traffic moved. Crime dropped. Property values soared. The entire stretch of road in Oshodi is about 10 km. We put patrol vehicles and law enforcement agents on alternate sides of every kilometer of the road to insure that people obeyed rules and regulations. If that continues, I don't see why it wouldn't be sustainable. This created work for people to be law enforcement agents, and they went with pride to their work because they were earning a living.
Read more click here
The International Crisis Group, a global, Brussels-based NGO dedicated to preventing and resolving conflict, selected seven individuals to receive six awards in marking its 20th anniversary. Africa-engaged honorees include Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group and co-founder of The Elders, as well as Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi and Nahda party leader Rachid Ghannouchi who are jointly honored for efforts, together with the National Dialogue Quartet - this year's Nobel Peace Prize winners – to reach "consensus on a peaceful and inclusive transition." Recipient of this year's Stephen J. Solarz award – named for the late ICG co-founder and former New York Congress member – is Babatunde Fashola. A former governor of Lagos, Nigeria's most populous state, and current ministerial nominee by President Muhammadu Buhari, Fashola is cited for "his commitment to building a just and vibrant society." Interviewed by telephone from Abuja before his departure to New York for the October 26 ceremony, Fashola spoke to AllAfrica about his eight years in office (2007 – 2015) and how his country can move forward. Excerpts:
What do you regard as your major accomplishments as governor?
First, I want to say it was a team effort. We had an outstanding team of public servants and political office holders, and we worked together to strengthen law enforcement, build infrastructure and encourage inclusion. The most defining thing was to invest the people of Lagos with a sense of ownership and pride in their own state. We had challenges of urban crime, and we turned those challenges into opportunities. We also expanded opportunities for young people in education and in agriculture. We were able provide people with more opportunities to work – to make income with dignity.
How did you tackle the transformation of broken neighborhoods like Oshodi and is what you did sustainable?
I knew Oshodi as a child and it was a very pleasant community, but it fell into disrepute. People traded in unapproved places so they obstructed traffic. Crime was increasing because of the disorderly nature of activities there. It was dysfunctional. We went in to clean it up. We relocated the traders and we built a new market - that took some time, but it was finally done. The results were outstanding. Traffic moved. Crime dropped. Property values soared. The entire stretch of road in Oshodi is about 10 km. We put patrol vehicles and law enforcement agents on alternate sides of every kilometer of the road to insure that people obeyed rules and regulations. If that continues, I don't see why it wouldn't be sustainable. This created work for people to be law enforcement agents, and they went with pride to their work because they were earning a living.
Read more click here
ENTERTAINMENT .
Zimbabwe. Harare International Carnival Rocks City...
By Bornwise Mtonzi. THE HERALD
Top Brazilian Samba group Momo King proved that they are the best in what they do as they left fans calling for more after a stunning performance at the Samba Night at the Private Lounge on Wednesday. The group's Samba queens, dressed in their skimpy sexy attires, showed that they were not only beauties but can also dance in style. The Samba night was part of the ongoing Harare International Carnival that is expected to reach its peak with a Street Party set for the city centre tomorrow afternoon. The Samba dancers' Brazilian styles and some local borrowdale dance style left fans mesmerised. A lot of fans were seen jostling to get a chance to have pictures taken with the Samba queens when they went off the stage.
In separate interviews at the show fans expressed their excitement from the performance of the Samba girls. "I could not believe that these girls can dance like this, their performance was outstanding and I will not miss their show if they come back again," said a fan only identified as Farai "This is the best performance I tell you. These ladies are good. I hope to see them in the street party tomorrow," another fan.The event was also spiced up by some of local artists who included Bev and Zoey who gave their best in showing that they can also excite the crowd just like the Brazilians.
The coming in of dancehall musician Killer T to the stage lit up the event as the crowd sang along to tracks from his famous album "Ngoma Ndaimba". The event attracted a huge crowd and took the carnival spirit to a higher level.Earlier in the afternoon, Karikoga Kaseke, the chief executive officer of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority, thanked the Brazilians and some other groups from Democratic Republic of Congo for coming to share this year's carnival with Zimbabwe.The major highlight of the carnival will be the Street Party that takes place tomorrow. Kaseke said there is going to be junior and senior groups on the street march and the public and artists will have fun on the city roads.
The "junior carnival" will start at Town House and go along Julius Nyerere Street and turn into Robert Mugabe, Angwa Street, Nelson Mandela Avenue and end at Africa Unity Square.
The "senior carnival" begins at the corner of Rotten Row Street and Robert Mugabe Road. It will go along Robert Mugabe, Angwa Street, Nelson Mandela Avenue and end at Africa Unity Square where there will be main activities
Tourism Deputy Minister Anastancia Ndlovu said that their desire as a ministry is to see the growth and development of domestic tourism in Zimbabwe and that it can only be achieved through carnival. She also encouraged the tourism industry to revise their pricing structures and create affordable packages for local Zimbabweans modelled around the carnival to enable visitors from outside the city to also attend the event.
CHANGE IN AFRICA
Meet One of The Young People Driving Change on The Continent
Alaeddine Kandil - Change is Not Magic
Recently Gaskiya.net sat down with Alaeddine Kandil a young social activist from Tunisia to look at the Arab Spring and it's aftermath. Here are excerpts from the interview
I strongly believe that injustice, poverty and the violation of human rights are the real reasons that push people to say NO to dictatorship. - Alaeddine Kandil
Gaskiya.net : The Arab spring brought the world's attention on Tunisia - Looking back do you think this in itself was good or bad?
Alaeddine Kandil: In fact it's both sides, many people now know about Tunisia, this small country in Africa... The most important thing for me is that this revolution inspired lot of other countries.. And this spark that started from Tunisia moved to the Arab countries to become a fire against dictatorship.. It's true that the revolution brought us freedom but it also expelled tourists who were afraid of the situation in Tunisia.
Gaskiya.net: What were people against in the old order? Has anything changed?
Alaeddine Kandil: The slogan that was raised during the revolution was "Job, Freedom, and Dignity". Now after three years or so.. Tunisians can speak about any subject they want to, Media can discuss any issue without being afraid . Now we can practice our right to vote and choose our president and the members of parliament and are proud that we are the only democracy out of all the Arab countries ! About unemployment, the percentage of unemployed still high , about 16% .In my personal opinion ,this problem can’t be solved in one or two years especially in our situation ! So , I hope now , after the elections with more stable situation , the new government will find solutions to decrease this percentage of unemployment.
Gaskiya.net : What is the general feeling today amongst Tunisian youths?
Alaeddine Kandil: Three years ago, the youths were very hopeful about a better future, a future with more opportunities, future without bribery or favouritism . But not a lot has really changed, I believe that this change is not magic .. We should fight against those negative phenomenons to provide a better life for next generations. Youths have to create the change they want !
Gaskiya.net Last October the youths in Burkina Faso helped in overthrowing the corrupt regime of Blaise Compaore. Would you attribute this directly to the Arab spring?
Alaeddine Kandil; Maybe other revolutions can inspire and encourage people to fight against a dictator regime but I strongly believe that injustice, poverty and the violation of human rights are the real reasons that push people to say NO to dictatorship.
Gaskiya.net; How can young people in other parts of Africa participate in leadership?
Alaeddine Kandil; Youths can participate in community work ,it a good way to know more about their country in order to solve problems even in their own communities and improve their own skills at the same time . NGO's are sometimes more effective than political parties. Unfortunately , schools cannot improve your communication skills, cannot make you more confident so young people must see out of the box , they have to participate in the building of their countries .Besides, many programs are provided now to improve leadership skills in Africa , EU or USA , they can participate in such opportunities in order to be active in their communities .
Gaskiya.net; It is often said that Africa's problem is that of leadership. Are you involved in developing leaders in Tunisia?
Alaeddine Kandil. In fact, I organize trainings and youth exchanges between Arab and European countries in order to highlight the notions of open-mindedness, tolerance, and the acceptance of others and to build a cultural bridge between Tunisian youth and Euro-Mediterranean youth for exchange of knowledge, experiences and access to other cultures.Besides I'm a debate trainer within Young Arab Voices Program, It aims at developing skills and opportunities for youth-led debate across the Arab region. So I'm trying my best to put my own print in my community especially now that my country needs me in this situation.
Alaeddine Kandil is a trainer | Socio-Political Activist and Program Manager . He is also a member of Association Euro-Méditerranéenne des Echanges.
I strongly believe that injustice, poverty and the violation of human rights are the real reasons that push people to say NO to dictatorship. - Alaeddine Kandil
Gaskiya.net : The Arab spring brought the world's attention on Tunisia - Looking back do you think this in itself was good or bad?
Alaeddine Kandil: In fact it's both sides, many people now know about Tunisia, this small country in Africa... The most important thing for me is that this revolution inspired lot of other countries.. And this spark that started from Tunisia moved to the Arab countries to become a fire against dictatorship.. It's true that the revolution brought us freedom but it also expelled tourists who were afraid of the situation in Tunisia.
Gaskiya.net: What were people against in the old order? Has anything changed?
Alaeddine Kandil: The slogan that was raised during the revolution was "Job, Freedom, and Dignity". Now after three years or so.. Tunisians can speak about any subject they want to, Media can discuss any issue without being afraid . Now we can practice our right to vote and choose our president and the members of parliament and are proud that we are the only democracy out of all the Arab countries ! About unemployment, the percentage of unemployed still high , about 16% .In my personal opinion ,this problem can’t be solved in one or two years especially in our situation ! So , I hope now , after the elections with more stable situation , the new government will find solutions to decrease this percentage of unemployment.
Gaskiya.net : What is the general feeling today amongst Tunisian youths?
Alaeddine Kandil: Three years ago, the youths were very hopeful about a better future, a future with more opportunities, future without bribery or favouritism . But not a lot has really changed, I believe that this change is not magic .. We should fight against those negative phenomenons to provide a better life for next generations. Youths have to create the change they want !
Gaskiya.net Last October the youths in Burkina Faso helped in overthrowing the corrupt regime of Blaise Compaore. Would you attribute this directly to the Arab spring?
Alaeddine Kandil; Maybe other revolutions can inspire and encourage people to fight against a dictator regime but I strongly believe that injustice, poverty and the violation of human rights are the real reasons that push people to say NO to dictatorship.
Gaskiya.net; How can young people in other parts of Africa participate in leadership?
Alaeddine Kandil; Youths can participate in community work ,it a good way to know more about their country in order to solve problems even in their own communities and improve their own skills at the same time . NGO's are sometimes more effective than political parties. Unfortunately , schools cannot improve your communication skills, cannot make you more confident so young people must see out of the box , they have to participate in the building of their countries .Besides, many programs are provided now to improve leadership skills in Africa , EU or USA , they can participate in such opportunities in order to be active in their communities .
Gaskiya.net; It is often said that Africa's problem is that of leadership. Are you involved in developing leaders in Tunisia?
Alaeddine Kandil. In fact, I organize trainings and youth exchanges between Arab and European countries in order to highlight the notions of open-mindedness, tolerance, and the acceptance of others and to build a cultural bridge between Tunisian youth and Euro-Mediterranean youth for exchange of knowledge, experiences and access to other cultures.Besides I'm a debate trainer within Young Arab Voices Program, It aims at developing skills and opportunities for youth-led debate across the Arab region. So I'm trying my best to put my own print in my community especially now that my country needs me in this situation.
Alaeddine Kandil is a trainer | Socio-Political Activist and Program Manager . He is also a member of Association Euro-Méditerranéenne des Echanges.
ENTERTAINMENT
Ethiopians Celebrate Meskel Festival
By Eden Sahle
Unique to Ethiopia, Meskel (which literary means True Cross) is the magnificent carnival celebrated for two subsequent days beginning September 27th. It is one of the most colourful festivals celebrated by Christians of the Orthodox denomination for more than 1600 years. It marks the bright warm weather at the end of the rainy season. It involves singing songs, feasting and lighting a massive bonfire to commemorate the finding of the "True Cross" on which Jesus Christ had been crucified. Religious historic records has it that the marking of the holiday dates back to 330 AD, when Queen Helena (known in Ethiopia as Nigist Eleni) mother of Rome's first emperor, Constantine found the lost cross, on which Jesus had been crucified. In accordance with a revelation she had in a dream, Helena burned a giant pile of wood and frankincense. The smoke rose into the sky and then arced back down to earth, showing her the spot where the cross had been buried. Fragments of the cross were distributed to churches around the world, and one found its way to Ethiopia, where it is now said to be buried at Gishen Mariam, about 70 kilometers northwest of Dessie town.
On the eve, thousands of people gather at Meskel Square named after the event, to watch the ceremonial lighting of fire and worship. Ethiopians from across the country and visitors from around the world carry yellow daisies, wooden crosses and wax candles as the bonfire, pile of wood, burn down to ashes. The national festival marks the end of the rainy season and the ushering in of the daylong shining sun which is represented by daisies, bright yellow blossoms, that flourish across the country. The day is also celebrated with special traditional dishes and drinks. The breathtaking admirable ceremony kicks off with constructing Demera (bonfires) topped by daisies and cross. The Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church orchestrates the bonfire igniting ceremony. After the bonfire is lit up, singing songs circling the bonfire continues till the entire fire turns into ashes. Believers mark their foreheads with the sign of the cross using ashes from the fire to symbolize the day. Priests, deacons and youngsters from Sunday schools or the worship team and the public in ritual clothing sing around the bonfire for hours. Smaller bonfires will also be lit up at sundown throughout the country in backyards and on street corners. Villagers keep on celebrating throughout the night.
Picture Addis Zefen.
All correspondence to editor@gaskiya.net
