ARIWO !

Flooding caused by heavy rain kills 43 in Benin

Monday, October 18, 2010 at 5:34 a.m.

COTONOU, Benin — The U.N.'s humanitarian agency says flooding in the West African nation of Benin has killed 43 people in the last two weeks.

A statement released Saturday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says flood waters now cover two-thirds of the country's territory. Unseasonably heavy rains have caused the Oueme and Mono rivers to overflow, leaving nearly 100,000 people homeless.

More than 800 cases of cholera have been reported so far. Aid workers fear the spread of a cholera epidemic in the wake of the floods…

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The Flood In Lagos And Ogun States

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE agony of flooding that millions of Nigerians living in or around the downstream of Oyan Dam in Lagos and Ogun States are currently being subjected to is pathetic. Their experience in the last two weeks has been that of misery and despair following the release of excess water from the dam into the Ogun River by the Ogun-Osun River Basin  Development Authority.  More pathetic is the total failure of government to prevent or manage the crisis. In this regard, the Federal Government, and the governments of Lagos and Ogun States are blameworthy.

The three governments know or should know that the river in question would overflow its banks. None did anything to prevent the looming danger. When the catastrophe finally occurred, they competed not in managing the crisis, but in lamenting, and being anxious to pass the buck.

President Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have, in a message posted on his Facebook page, commiserated with the victims, assuring them that government would come to their aid “in a timely manner”. Even if the assistance he promised had come at the time he spoke, it was no longer timely.  Governments in more serious countries would not have waited for the flooding crisis to occur before acting. It is no consolation to the victims that the President expressed concern about their plight, based on his experience when he visited flood victims in Sokoto and Kebbi States recently.

Even more worrisome is the allegation by Lagos Governor Raji Fashola that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) failed to respond to the state government’s request, made three years earlier, for ecological funds to address the matter decisively.  We agree with the governor that the relief materials subsequently provided by NEMA came too late.  But the state government knew the flood would occur, at least four months ago. The commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Muiz Banire at the time warned people living in the state’s wetlands to relocate before the imminent flood.

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Copyright, Blaise APLOGAN, 2010,© Bienvenu sur Babilown

Toute reprise de cet article sur un autre site doit en mentionner et l’origine et l’auteur sous peine d’infraction

Bawku MP tenders documents on renouncing British citizenship

Personal commentary: the type of case which set Ivory Coast in war is being settled peacefully in court in Ghana.

Accra, Oct. 8, GNA -- Adamu Daramani, Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, who being held for triple nationality, on Friday tendered a number of documents indicating that he had renounced his British citizenship.
Among the documents tendered were correspondence between him and his United Kingdom-based lawyer, the correspondence between his lawyers in Ghana and United Kingdom, British Overseas Territory Citizenship. The rest are full text on alleged Burkinabe Passport and Identity Card from the United Kingdom (North Ireland).
He said as at October 15, 2008, he did not hold British and Burkinabe passports.
Continuing with his defence at the Fast Track High Court, he recounted that the declarations made before the electoral officer in Bawku were true.
Led in evidence by his lawyer, Mr Yonni Kulendi, Daramani said knowing the requirement over dual citizenship in Ghana, he sought the advice of his lawyer, Mr Stanley Opoku, in the UK.
He said his UK-based lawyer's advice was documented. This he tendered it in evidence.
Prosecution, however, objected to the letter saying it was a photocopy, did not bear a letterhead and had two different dates. Mr Kulendi was of the opinion that the letter had been duly signed, bore a website address and telephone numbers that the prosecution could verify.
However, after the MP had told the court that he was unable to secure the original because they were missing, the court overruled prosecution=E2=80=99s objection and admitted same in evidence. The MP said after his UK-based lawyer's advice, he asked him to hold on because he needed to put the necessary steps in place to relocate his family as well as weigh the necessary options that went into the elections.
He said on his return to Ghana he was nominated after the primaries on August 17, 2007.
According to him in September 2008, he agreed with the terms and conditions spelt out in the letter from Mr Opoku.
As a result, the MP said, he received letters from UK Home office as well as the correspondence between his lawyers in Ghana and UK. The MP, who is being held for triple nationality, had had six out of the nine charges preferred against him dropped by an Accra Fast Track High Court (FTHC).
This was after the court, in its ruling on a submission of 'no case', discharged him on charges of prohibited immigrant, forgery of passports, registration offences and two counts of unauthorised voting.
Adamu Daramani, aka Adamu Daramani-Sakande, aka Adamou Sakande, a Security Management Specialist, has pleaded not guilty and is on GH=C2¢10,000 bail with surety.
The prosecution's case is that in 2008, after the presidential and parliamentary elections, information reached the complainant, Sumaila Beibil, that the accused, who won the Bawku Central seat on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party, had multiple nationalities.
He, therefore, reported the case to the authorities and investigations revealed that Daramani had multiple nationalities. The prosecution said investigations revealed that Daramani had a Burkinabe passport number C10098625, which was issued in November 1999 and expired in September 2009.
It said Daramani, as a Burkinabe, travelled on the said passport to Ghana on March 19, 2004 and departed on March 30, 2004.
The prosecution said Daramani also possessed and owned a United Kingdom passport number 094442650 on which he travelled to Ghana. He arrived in the country in December 2005, sought and obtained a Ghanaian entry visa with the Ghana High Commission in London.

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Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan Rejects Calls to Step Down

Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan has rejected calls by prominent northern politicians to resign within a few days or face impeachment. The politicians include former military ruler Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and Kwara State governor Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who issued a joint statement saying Mr. Jonathan mishandled the Independence Day bombings in Abuja, which killed 12 people. They also accused him of failing to provide security around the country.

The criticism is not justified, says Sully Abu, the head of the media and publicity section of Mr. Jonathan’s campaign.

Those calling for the resignation of the president need to be educated on what it takes for an elected leader to be removed, says Mr. Abu.

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Ghana : African Brand Is Sweet on Obama

By WILL CONNORS

Jane Hahn for The Wall Street Journal

Obama biscuits are wrapped at the United Biscuit factory in Ghana.

ACCRA, Ghana—The expansion of a small cookie factory on this city's outskirts offers a glimpse of how Obamamania in Africa is developing from a fad into a lasting brand for local companies across the continent, even as the U.S. president's popularity takes a hit at home.

Marc Skaf, a portly man of Lebanese-French stock, is the managing director of United Biscuit Ltd., maker of the "Obama biscuit." Mr. Skaf is overseeing the expansion of the company's main factory, which during peak production churns out 2.8 million biscuits a day. The Obama biscuit accounts for about 60% of current production. The round cookie stamped with the company's logo comes in regular, ginger flavor and the latest, ChocObama. Its package bears an image of Mr. Obama, and can be found in small roadside shops across Ghana.

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EU expresses confidence in Ghana’s economy

By: Stephen Odoi-Larbi

The European Union (EU) has expressed the confidence that Ghana will take up her responsibilities, and put in place appropriate policies to cope with her budget deficits, and also ensure that the deficits do not go beyond a certain threshold.

Mr. Koos Richelle, a co-chair of the Working Party on aid effectiveness, currently meeting in Ghana, disclosed this on Friday September 24, in response to a question on his views on reports that the government was running the economy on deficits, at a joint press conference in Accra, prior to his departure.

He said the EU had no indication that Ghana was acting in an irresponsible way, stressing that in the face of world economic downturn, and the difficult times faced by all countries, including those in Europe and Africa, the government of Ghana cannot be blamed for running on a deficit.  “Being a global issue, it is necessary to see how government is reacting to the shocks.”

Mr. Richelle, who is also the Director-General .

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Opinion: Ghana must ensure oil benefits country

By Stephanie Hanson — Special to GlobalPost

Fishing is an important industry in Ghana and environmentalists worry that the deepwater oil drilling will harm the fishing waters. Here is a bustling fishing port in Sekondi, Ghana. (Stephanie Hanson/GlobalPost)

TAKORADI, Ghana — A digital sign in the lobby of Tullow Oil’s office here reads 61 days — a countdown to the country's first first oil.

In November, Ghana will begin producing from its estimated 1.6 billion barrels of oil reserves.

As oil workers prepare pipes for deepwater installation at the port of Takoradi, and the Ghanaian government passes legislation regulating the oil, Ghanaians are wondering whether the oil will benefit them.

To manage its oil industry responsibly, the Ghanaian government needs to slow down and make sure it has a strong regulatory framework in place. As Ghana comes close to becoming one of Africa's oil producers with the offshore Jubilee Field, what progress has been made to see that the petroleum is a boost to Ghanaians and not a curse? What steps are being taken to protect Ghana's environment?

Many of Ghana’s coastal communities are dependent on fishing. Regardless of any revenue-sharing agreement that is developed by the government, these communities need the ocean to remain clean and safe for their livelihoods.

With the recent Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the world is all too aware of the dangers of deepwater oil extraction. Ghana has made progress on legislation to regulate the petroleum industry and manage oil revenues (though this legislation has not yet been passed by parliament). However, environmental regulation still lags behind, and Ghana's Environmental Protection Agency lacks the technical expertise to adequately monitor the oil and gas sector…

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Scramble for PDP delegates continues

By Clifford Ndujihe
DESPITE the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s move to push the 2011 elections to April next year instead of January announced two weeks ago, leading presidential aspirants are upping their campaigns.

They are fighting on all fronts, using all tactics available to get the much-sought advantage and leverage.  They are waging the war in the media, deploying age and ethnic-cum regional sentiments, embarking on mudslinging as well as intense consultations and horse-trading.

Obviously, the presidential contest is panning out as President Goodluck Jonathan versus Northern aspirants affair.
The political atmosphere will be further electrified next week with a fresh flurry of activities, Saturday Vanguard gathered.

Aspirants woo Ndigbo
For a start, some of the aspirants, it was learnt will send emissaries on Monday to Owerri, the Imo State Capital. Their mission: To convince the Igbo to back their aspiration.

It will be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar sent their representatives to the United States recently to woo the Igbo during the World Igbo Congress, WIC

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Ife Sculpture : Ancient West African Treasures on a Journey round America

AFTER acclaim in Spain and Britain, “Dynasty and Divinity”, the first big exhibition devoted to sculpture from the Kingdom of Ife (in present-day Nigeria), begins an 18-month tour of America in Houston on September 19th. The show, which consists of works in stone, terracotta and metal made between the 9th and 15th centuries, is a revelation and a treat. Art from dramatically different cultures is often hard to connect with, but these sculptures are naturalistic and remarkably accessible. Whether the subject is an animal, a person or a mythical creature, each image is well observed and has tremendous presence.

More than 100 works are on view. All are loans from Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments. Some have left Africa for the first time. Text and photo murals on the walls instruct visitors about the kingdom, an unbroken monarchy for more than 800 years. Today Ife is a city of 600,000 people. Its present ruler or Ooni is Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II; now aged 80, he studied in Britain, became a businessman and is enjoyably wealthy…

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Only internal democracy in parties will ensure credible polls, says Shata

Wednesday, 22 September 2010 00:00 Editor Features - Policy & Politics

 

FORMER Minister of Internal Affairs Dr. Mohammed Shata and senatorial aspirant in Taraba State told Charles AkpejI in Jalingo on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that only internal democracy in parties will guarantee credible elections.

AS former Minister of Internal Affairs, what would you say about ongoing prison reforms?

The current reform is a continuation of what we started in the areas of welfare of the prisoners and manpower training. It is a continuous issue and it is being improved upon from time to time. I understand that there would be injection of funds from outside to assist the ministry of Justice because of criminal justice system operation.

What are you bringing to the politics in Taraba after your years as an in administrator?

I have been in politics since 1979. Although I was a civil servant then, I have been part of political activities. I was in the National Republican Convention (NRC) in 1991 in then Gongola State. In 1991, I was the gubernatorial candidate for NRC in Taraba. I was in think tanks for the presidential ambition of Bamanga Tukur in 1992, Bashir Tofa in 1993.

Why are aspiring for the Taraba North Senate seat?

I want to now use my cumulative experience in legislative matters for the nation. I want to use my influence and network to bring development to Taraba. And I want to combat the unemployment among youths in Taraba. As a minister, I employed many of them; I want to get them employed again.

You left the PDP because of some contradictions at one time. What has made you return?

We left PDP because we were forced to live by the garrison approach to PDP activities then. Our names were removed from the register. We were de-registered by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo that time. We were selected all over the nation and de-registered. Now that there is this Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s report, where they are appealed to us to return.  We feel that it is good for us to come back to the house we built. That was why we returned

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