Category: Africa

Liberia: Charles Taylor’s ex-wife named as VP candidate

Liberia’s international soccer star turned presidential candidate has named the ex-wife of former President Charles Taylor as his running mate. In a statement broadcast by Liberian radio stations Monday morning, George Weah said he and Jewel Howard-Taylor would head a coalition of three parties for the October election.

Osinbajo’s visit to Warri: INYC flays Gbagi

APEX Itsekiri youth body, Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, has flayed Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, saying the statement credited to the one-time Minister of State for Education, on the visit of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, was “typical of a man driven by ethnic bigotry against Itsekiri and a clear example of crass ignorance on the state of Nigeria’s economy.” Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo ; Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and His Majesty Ogiame Ikenwoli the Olu of Warri, during the Vice President one day working visit to Delta State.

Indices will get better in 2017 financial year – Puchercos, CEO of Lafarge Africa

M ichel Puchercos, is the Managing Director, Lafarge Africa Plc, one of the largest cement groups in Africa, a member of the French global cement giant, LafargeHolcim Group, with a huge presence in Nigeria. With decades of experience in cement industry across the world through South Korea, Kenya and Uganda, Tanzania, and France, Puchercos’ career span extensive operational and strategic experience both at Junior and Senior levels with small and medium organizations, cooperatives and multinationals organisations.

African troops prepare for Gambian president’s return

West African troops approached the Gambian capital on Sunday to secure President Adama Barrow’s arrival from neighbouring Senegal, as controversy erupted over the assurances offered to Yahya Jammeh to guarantee his departure. Jammeh flew out of The Gambia on Saturday, ending 22 years at the helm of the tiny west African nation, and headed for Equatorial Guinea where he is expected to settle with his family.

Power generation drops to 2662 megawatts on Sunday – TCN

The Transmission Company of Nigeria said that the nation’s power generation capacity dropped from 3,959 megawatts on Jan. 4 to 2,662 megawatts on Jan. 22. The Nigerian Electricity System Operator website, a sub agency of TCN, disclosed the figure in its daily forecast on power generation data in Lagos on Sunday. TCN attributed the drop to low water levels at the hydro power stations and dearth of gas to the power generating companies.

Troops enter The Gambia to secure Barrow’s return

West African troops entered The Gambia Sunday to secure President Adama Barrow’s arrival from neighbouring Senegal, as controversy erupted over the assurances offered to Yahya Jammeh to guarantee his exit. Jammeh flew out of The Gambia on Saturday, ending 22 years at the helm of the tiny west African nation, and landed in Equatorial Guinea a few hours later where he is expected to settle with his family.

No immunity deal for Jammeh: Senegal

West African leaders did not agree to grant Yahya Jammeh any immunity during negotiations that convinced Gambia’s longtime ruler to flee into exile, Senegal’s foreign minister said on Sunday. Jammeh, who is accused of serious rights violations, led his country for 22 years but refused to accept defeat in a December election.

Buhari transforming Nigeria – Tambuwal

Tambuwal spoke in Sokoto on Saturday night at a reception organised by the state government in honour of his predecessor, Sen. Aliyu Wamakko . Wamakko was also among the 12 recipients of the 2016 prestigious Sheikh Abdullahi Fodio Merit Award conferred on them by the Gwandu Emirate Council of Kebbi State on Saturday.

Tanga UWASA Receives ISO 9001:2015 Certification from SGS

Tanga UWASA’s managing director, Eng. Joshua Mgeyekewa, recently told the media that the authority’s ISO accreditation status falls in line with its vision of becoming a world-class customer focused water and sanitation utility, and demonstrates its determination to continually improve and stand out from the competition.

Love Zone: Searching for a partner?

Networking/ Sponsorship a Titilayo, needs kind hearted Nigerians to sponsor her father’s treatment of prostrate cancer, acct 0033545061, Diamond Bank, Titilayo Joseph.09033117631 a Omoregba, 28, resides in Benin, needs someone to sponsor his music career. 09098714819 a Abiodun, needs a matured Yoruba business lady for serious partnership.08031901055 a Friday, 37, needs kind hearted responsible Nigerians for sponsorship to start and fulfil his Agric business crop production.08089674473 a Lanre, 26, a photographer and a graphic designer, needs a kind hearted person to support him financially to start up his photography job.

Gambia’s Jammeh flies out of country after stepping down

Yahya Jammeh, The Gambia’s leader for 22 years, flew out of the country Saturday after declaring he would step down and hand power to President Adama Barrow, ending a political crisis. An AFP journalist at the scene saw Jammeh take off in an unmarked plane heading for an unspecified destination, seen off by a delegation of dignitaries and soldiers.

Hackers in Russia claim to shut down African Cup website

A group of Russian hackers claimed Saturday to have shut down the website of the African Cup of Nations soccer tournament in a protest at organizers holding it in Gabon, where President Ali Bongo Ondimba retained power in disputed and violent elections last year. A person sent an email to The Associated Press claiming the group New World Hackers had “taken down” the Confederation of African Football’s official website, the website of Africa’s top soccer body and the site for the continent’s main soccer tournament.

21 states spend N37.4b on pension for 47 ex-govs

Former governors are exerting pressure on the finances of state governments with pension payments and other entitlements draining billions of naira every year from developmental funds for the states. Over N37.367 billion was, according to Vanguard findings, expended on servicing 47 former governors from 21 sates in pension payments and provision of houses, staff and vehicles replaceable between three and four years.

Gambiaa s defense chief wona t fight, supports Barrow

Gambia’s chief of defense forces pledged his allegiance to the country’s new president Friday, a major shift as mediation continued to persuade the defeated Yahya Jammeh to cede power. Ousmane Badjie told The Associated Press the country’s security services all support the newly inaugurated Adama Barrow and said they would not fight a regional force that was poised to push out Jammeh if talks failed.

The Latest: Barrow, still in Senegal, prays for Gambia peace

The Latest on Gambia’s political crisis, sparked by defeated leader Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to leave office : Red carpets have been laid out at the airport in Gambia’s capital in what appears to be preparations for a speech and a departure. West African leaders have been meeting with defeated leader Yahya Jammeh in an effort to persuade him to cede power to newly inaugurated leader Adama Barrow.

West African troops threaten to ‘take action’ at midnight in Gambia

A military commander with West Africa’s regional bloc says its forces will “take action” at midnight unless a solution is found to Gambia’s political crisis before then. Speaking on Senegalese radio station RFM, Seydou Maiga Mboro of Niger declared that “all the troops are already in place” awaiting the deadline for President Yahya Jammeh to step down.

Holiday chiefs ‘didn’t want to scare Tunisia tourists with army of police’

The Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in Sousse, Tunisia, where 30 Britons were killed in an attack by extremist Seifeddine Rezgui in June 2015 Tour operators wanted to increase security in Sousse before 38 people were killed in a terrorist attack, but did not want holidaymakers to be “scared by seeing an army of police”, an inquest has heard. The hearing into the deaths of 30 Britons in the Tunisian resort in June 2015 was told that in a meeting a month before the attack there was a discussion about police security and how it could make tourists feel “uncomfortable”.

South Africa Scrambles as $10.3 Billion in Welfare Threatened

South Africa’s government, set to miss a deadline to appoint a new distributor of welfare grants worth about $10.3 billion a year to more than 17 million people, asked aspirant bidders to an information session as the end of a contract with Net 1 UEPS Technologies Inc. looms. The South African Social Security Agency, which oversees the monthly payment system, took the first step toward appointing a new distributor at the session in Pretoria on Jan. 13. It’s likely to take several more months to choose a winner, which will then have to put the necessary payment systems in place.

In Africa, Obamaa s presidency couldna t help but be personal

Africa was electrified by the rise of Barack Obama, the first U.S. president of African descent. It was in Africa that he signaled a historic opening toward Cuba, took aim at the twin scourges of corruption and dictatorship and sent thousands of troops to fight one of the most terrifying disease outbreaks in decades.

Boko Haram claims Nigeria university attack

BAUCHI/MAIDUGURI – Islamist militant group Boko Haram has said it was behind Monday’s twin suicide bombing at a university in north eastern Nigeria which killed two people. A video featuring an audio recording purporting to be leader Abubakar Shekau was posted on social media late on Monday.

Government loses court bid to block foreign couple’s rendition damages claims

The claimants say UK authorities were involved in their unlawful detention and mistreatment when they were arrested as suspected insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq A Government attempt to block a damages claim by a Libyan dissident and his wife who allege the UK participated in their abduction and rendition to Tripoli more than a decade ago has failed at the Supreme Court. Abdel Hakim Belhaj and his Moroccan wife Fatima Boudchar, who say they were tortured after their kidnap during the days of Colonel Gaddafi’s regime, are claiming against former foreign secretary Jack Straw.

UN report says numerous abuses have occurred in South Sudan

South Sudanese government and opposition soldiers “blatantly ignored” international law during clashes in July that killed hundreds of people, according to a United Nations human rights investigation. The South Sudanese military swarmed throughout the capital with house-to-house searches and used language tests to identify civilians from different tribes, at times executing them on the spot, said the investigation by the U.N. Human Rights Office and the U.N. mission in South Sudan.

At least two dozen dead in ethnic clashes in southeastern Congo

At least two dozen people, most of them women, have been killed over the past week in ethnic violence between Bantus and Pygmies in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a U.N. human rights official said on Monday. The Luba, a Bantu ethnic group, and the Twa, a Pygmy people who inhabit Central Africa’s Great Lakes region, have been in conflict since May 2013 in Congo’s Katanga region, known for its rich deposits of copper and other metals.

.com | Congolese M23 rebels cross over from Uganda, ‘clash with army’

Armed Congolese rebels crossed back overnight into the country from their longtime refuge in Uganda, prompting fears that a guerilla conflict put to rest in 2013 could be rekindled. At least 200 former members of M23, an ethnic Tutsi group defeated by the Congolese army three years ago, arrived from Uganda and took over a village in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo government spokesperson Lambert Mende told AFP.

2017 poses challenges for Zim scribes

As with any other campaign year, 2017 will be a difficult year for Zimbabwean journalists who will face the prospects of being victimised by political activists and security agencies, national director of MISA-Zimbabwe Nhlanhla Ngwenya told the Daily News recently. Ngwenya said last year’s protests saw 31 journalists being victimised mostly by state security agencies and with the 2018 elections looming in which Zanu PF wants to retain power at all costs while the opposition wants to gain power, the political campaigns will be tension filled and the journalists covering the events will be victims.

Some FCT residents express concern over fraud on Instagram

Some residents of the Federal Capital Territory on Saturday expressed concern over the rise in use of Instagram, a social media platform to defraud unsuspecting users. The platform, which is popularly used to connect friends and family by sharing personal photos and videos on the internet has gradually become an for business activities.

Stop harassing Mrs. Jonathan, N-Delta youths warn EFCC, police

By Davies Iheamnachor PORT HARCOURT: Coalition of Civil Rights Organizations has warned Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC and the Nigerian Police Force to stop the harassment on the former Nigerian first lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan. The youths of Ijaw Nation Worldwide who protested yesterday in Port Harcourt described ongoing probe of Mrs. Jonathan as political witch-hunt.

If our military do not rise to occasion every time we face threats,…

A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc News A If our military do not rise to occasion every time we face threats, aggression where would have been – Saraki By Henry Umoru ABUJA- SENATE President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki yesterday hailed officers and men of the Nigeria armed forces for their tremendous contributions to the survival and development of the country. Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senate President representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the Jummat prayers commemorating the 2017 Armed Forces Rememberance Day.

Ooni wants inclusive agriculture to end poverty, unemployment

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has called on Nigerians to aggressively engage in agriculture to end poverty and reduce unemployment in the country. Adeyeye made the call at the 2017 Mike Omotosho Annual Lecture with theme, `Increased Agricultural Productivity for Sustainable Economic Growth’, in Abuja on Saturday.