BéninReference

Ebola : Governor Fashola Babatunde Reassures Lagosians

Dear Lagosians, As you must now be aware, we are facing perhaps our biggest challenge to public health and the safety of human lives at this moment with the discovery of the Ebola virus in our state. This poses a threat to the primary purpose of our Government which is to save lives. This address has become necessary to respond to a series of text messages, e-mails and telephone calls that I have received in order to reiterate some of what you may already know, to share information about what you may not know, and to keep everybody safe. This has become, moreso, in the light of allegations that are making the rounds, either that victims are being neglected, or that a useful drug or vaccine is being rejected or that there is a shortage of funds. I wish to state very categorically that none of these is true. What is true is that we should perhaps never have been in this situation, but we are now in it. What is true is that the Ebola virus did not break out from within Nigeria, it was imported into Nigeria. What is true is that we have followed all the contacts that we know who have had primary and secondary contacts with the patient who imported the virus into our state, or with people who had contact with him.

Nigeria : L'Épidémie du virus Ebola - une Approche Pastorale

Dans l’ambiance de la crainte grandissante d’une propagation du virus Ebola à travers le Nigeria, les prêtres catholiques ont reçu ordre d’ignorer le rite traditionnel de la paix pendant la messe. Le rite de la paix, aussi connu comme signe de la paix, consiste à serrer la main des voisins ou collègues membres de la congrégation. Selon le site Catholique en ligne, le signe de la paix est destiné à la communion religieuse et à la charité mutuelle entre les membres. Dans un communiqué publié par l'archevêque catholique de Lagos, Adewale Martins, "intitulé: L'épidémie de virus Ebola - une approche pastorale, M. Martins a déclaré que le rite était facultatif. « Prenant en considération le fait que ce rite est facultatif, nous allons désormais l’ignorer, c’est-à-dire ne pas inviter les gens à offrir le signe de la paix. Lorsque vous arrivez à ce rite, ignorez-le. A noter également, que la récente circulaire de la Congrégation pour le Culte Divin et la Discipline des Sacrements va dans le même sens quand il a déclaré: "Il est tout à fait légitime d'affirmer que ce n'est pas nécessaire d'inviter "mécaniquement " à échanger le signe de paix » a-t-il dit . L'archevêque a invité les prêtres à maintenir la méthode de la main à la bouche lors de la distribution de la Sainte communion jusqu'à nouvel ordre. Il leur a cependant conseillé d'être attentifs et de ne pas laisser leurs mains toucher la langue des communiants. Mgr. Martins a déclaré que les écuelles d’eau bénite habituellement placées à l'entrée des églises doivent être enlevées afin de ne pas donner prise à la propagation du virus. De même a-t-il invité les prêtres à maintenir des précautions supplémentaires lors des visites aux malades à domicile et à l'hôpital, notamment veiller à laver leurs mains avec des antiseptiques et des désinfectants après le rite de l’extrême onction aux malades. L’archevêque Martins a également demandé aux prêtres d’exhorter les responsables de l’aumône à porter des gants. Binason Avèkes

Ghana in state of anger — JJ

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has observed that the nation is in a state of anger as a result of corrupt practices engulfing the country. That, he noted, had come about because of the curtailment of the principles and ideals of the June 4, 1979 uprising that instilled integrity, probity and accountability in the body politic of the country by successive governments. “I wish we continued the programme of June 4, since there is a rage of anger, but that is not where we are now,’’ the former President lamented. Former President Rawlings made the observation at a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Revolution Square to mark the 35th anniversary of the June 4 Uprising, continued

Akufo-Addo won election 2012 – Alan Kyerematen

Presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has stated posterity will show that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the party won the 8-month long Presidential Election Petition, which challenged the results of the election as declared by Dr. Afari Gyan, and should have been declared winners of the 2012 elections. In an exclusive interview with the ‘Africa Watch’ Magazine, Mr. Alan Kyerematen, in an answer to a question posed by the magazine, explained that it was a good starting point for the party to go to court to challenge the 2012 election results, rather than resorting to other means to register their protest at the results. According to him, “It was a test of our party’s commitment to the core principles of democratic governance, our belief in the rule of law, our belief in the sanctity of the Constitution of Ghana and the basic tenants of our jurisprudence in protecting the rights of individuals, ensuring accountability of the institutions of state, as well as checking the abuse of political power by the government.” “Although the Supreme Court did not rule in our favour, there is absolutely no doubt that we made a strong and compelling case, and I believe that posterity will be the final arbiter of the validity or otherwise of our judicial claims. Indeed, the fact that the Supreme Court was split almost right down the middle in its ruling, clearly attests to the fact that we did not embark on a frivolous and vexatious exercise either on substance of law or evidence. In this regard, the combined efforts of the NPP legal team and the lead witness, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, must be highly commended,” Alan Kyeremanten told the Africawatch Magazine. Alan Kyerematen, went on further, to commend Nana Akufo-Addo for accepting the verdict of the Supreme Court Case and not seeking a review of the verdict…. continued

Experts warn over Nigerian 'viagra' drinks

Lagos - Nike Ajibade and three of her colleagues sit on a Lagos pavement with small plastic bottles of liquids tucked inside weather-beaten plastic buckets. The hidden bottles of so-called 'viagra' drinks sell for about $2 and are much sought-after for their supposed aphrodisiac qualities. But medical professionals warn that rather than enhancing sexual prowess, regular users could be putting their long-term health at risk. "Sales are high because of good patronage," Ajibade, 27, told AFP. "Most of my customers are manual labourers who need to boost their energy in bed after a hard day's job under mostly inclement weather." Hundreds of hawkers ply the bustling streets of Lagos and other Nigerian towns and cities selling such "viagra" drinks, despite their unknown and untested effects on the male sex drive. "They are creating health problems for themselves," warned the dean of the University of Lagos' faculty of pharmacy, Olukemi Odukoya. "Unknown to them, some of these liquids have chemical substances which can cause liver or kidney problems, which are very expensive and difficult to manage." A promise of sexual potency Viagra, taken to treat erectile dysfunction, costs between $5 and $11 per little blue pill in Nigeria - way beyond the means of most people who live on just $2 a day. As a result, that creates a ready market for cheaper, apparent alternatives. Besides the locally produced $2 bottles, others are imported, including so-called Alomo bitters which come from Ghana. The Ghanian liquid is a blend of rich medicinal herbs and roots that are believed to cure back pains and piles but are considered an aphrodisiac in Nigeria. Bootleg versions of the drink - with 42% alcoholic content - are available in the local market for about $4 for a 750 millilitre bottle. Such drinks - all with names promising a nirvana of sexual potency -- flood the Nigerian market every day, mostly via the country's porous borders and seaports or past officials who turn a blind eye. "I feel high and alright each time I have sex after consuming 'koboko' [horse whip] or 'kondo' [baton] drinks and my partner gives me a feeling of satisfaction," said one young motor mechanic after buying a bottle. Similar "aphrodisiac" drinks are found in other West African countries such as Togo and Benin under names such "XXL", "Rox" and "Atomic", finding a ready market of young male consumers. There is no official control and medical warnings against their consumption are regularly ignored. Unknown health risks A senior lecturer in clinical pharmacy studies at the University of Lagos, Aderemi Williams, said no known scientific studies have been carried out on the drinks. continued

Pollution detector designed to protect heritage sites

A simple detector could help conservators at World Heritage sites in the developing world understand and protect against atmospheric pollutants that can damage valuable artefacts. The pollutant-measuring device has been prototyped by Henoc Agbota, an engineer at University College London, United Kingdom, and presented last week (30 October) at a conference marking the end of a five-year funding programme for heritage science run from the university. Agbota’s work was prompted by last year's decision by UNESCO (the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) that its World Heritage Committee would begin asking their certified sites to provide yearly figures for atmospheric pollutant levels. In response, Agbota surveyed 25 correct developing world sites and found that few had the capacity to do this. At the Royal Palaces of Abomey, the historical seat of the rulers of the Kingdom of Dahomey in modern-day Benin, conservators care for artefacts such as stone bas-reliefs, wooden thrones and metal weapons. Urbain Hadonou, one of the conservators, tells SciDev.Net that he runs a project called museum school through which local cultural researchers come to study the artefacts. But such projects could be at risk unless artefacts are protected from harmful pollution.

Almost three-quarters of the respondents to Agbota’s survey reported observing damage to objects that they attributed to pollution. This took the form of particle deposits, corrosion and the formation of ‘black crusts’ on artefacts. Agbota hopes his device will help to avoid this damage. His instrument consists of a series of so called piezoelectric quartz crystals — which generate electric currents as they expand or contact by minute amounts — coated with varying thicknesses of copper, iron, nickel or tin. As pollutants absorb to these metallic surfaces, they change the crystals’ mass, altering the electrical output and allowing pollution levels to be calculated.  continued

Authority Stealing: Anti-corruption War in Nigeria

Authority Stealing: Anti-corruption War and Democratic Politics in Post-military Nigeria

 

Although Adebanwi’s book ranges broadly across recent Nigerian history, its central purpose is to assess postcolonial Nigeria’s most serious campaign to eradicate large-scale corruption. In 2003, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Nuhu Ribadu as chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, a position he would retain until 2008, when Obasanjo’s successor, Umaru Yar’Adua, removed him. During his tenure, Ribadu became a hero to many Nigerians for transforming the commission into a relatively effective anticorruption vehicle, indicting hundreds of prominent Nigerians for various economic crimes. In 2009, following several attempts on his life amid fierce counterattacks by many of the powerful people he had taken on, Ribadu left the country. Although the book meanders a bit and could have been improved by some aggressive editing, it tells an engaging story, full of striking details about the numerous cases that marked Ribadu’s tenure. Readers will be rewarded with a thorough education in the personalities, practices, and political culture that allow billions of dollars of Nigerian state revenues to disappear every year. continued

Cités du Golfe du Bénin 2 : Accra

Centre-ville d'Accra, quartier des affaires Vue d'Accra Central L'Arc d'Indépendance Accra est la capitale du Ghana. Il s'agit de la ville la plus peuplée du pays (1 658 937 habitants en 2000 1, 2 263 785 en 2009 2) dont elle constitue le centre politique, administratif, économique et financier. Le site d'Accra se trouve en territoire Ga, une ethnie encore aujourd'hui dominante dans la Région du Grand Accra. Le site s'est développé à partir des forts qui ont été bâtis par les Européens pour la traite négrière (Britanniques, Néerlandais et Danois) au XVIIe siècle. Le premier fut Fort Christiansborg, ou Fort Osu, construit par le marchand néerlandais Henry Caerlof en 1652 avec la permission du roi d'Accra, son partenaire en affaires. En 1660, le contrôle est passé à la Compagnie néerlandaise des Indes occidentales puis au Danemark, au service duquel, en 1657, Henry Caerlof s'était placé. En 1877, Accra remplace Cape Coast comme capitale de la colonie britannique de Côte-de-l'Or. Elle devient un centre économique avec la construction d'une voie ferrée vers l'arrière-pays minier et agricole. Elle demeure la capitale lorsque le Ghana accède à l'indépendance, le 6 mars 1957. En 1958, la Conférence panafricaine des Peuples, réunissant l'Afrique subsaharienne ainsi que le Maghreb et l'Égypte, se réunit à Accra et décida de soutenir les mouvements d'indépendance en Afrique. La commission de la Défense de l'Organisation de l'unité africaine est basée à Accra depuis. source

Aflao Police begin investigation into seized fake dollars

The Aflao Police is investigating a 26-year-old Ghanaian driver who was caught with fake 100 dollar notes. Emmanuel Daizey was apprehended by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority at the Dabala check point last Friday with the fake dollars concealed in a bag. The Aflao Divisional Police Commander; Chief Superintendant Emmanuel Odonkor tells Citi News the suspect will be arraigned before the court after forensic analysis on the dollar bills. “He is being interrogated and we will pass on the alleged fake currency to the CIA headquarters for forensic analysis. At the end of the forensic analysis, we will then be able to say whether we are prosecuting him or otherwise,” he stated. “When we counted it, it was $487,200 all of which were in 100 dollar bills,” he added. The Aflao Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the GRA Mr Ben Berkley, stated that the Nigerian-registered BMW saloon car,

AGL 178 AZ, at around 0840 hours, pulled up at the checkpoint and during normal routine checks personnel found three parcels in a bag. According to him, when the parcels were opened, they discovered the currency notes, when the authenticity of the dollar was checked at the Aflao branch of ECOBANK they were found to be fake. According to the driver, the bag in which the currency notes were found was given to him by someone in continued

Nigeria: Ondo State Governor Determined to Turn Tide on Maternal Health

Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko started the Abiye Initiative, a revolutionary program that offers free healthcare to pregnant women and children under five. Washington, DC — One in five Nigerian children will die before reaching his or her fifth birthday, according to Save the Children. Their mothers are also suffering - the country accounted for 14 percent of maternal deaths worldwide in 2010, according to the United Nations. But one governor says he is determined to reverse the tide on maternal and infant mortality with a new program that offers free health care to mothers and children under five. Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko launched the Abiye (safe motherhood) initiative in 2009. Its success - through the deployment of roving paramedics, opening new hospitals and slashing medical costs - has garnered acclaim from international organizations such as the World Bank. At a media roundtable in Washington DC on Thursday, AllAfrica's Kyle Pienaar and Lauren Everitt caught up with Mimiko to learn why

the governor chose to focus on maternal health, the challenges he faced along the way and his plans to meet Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5. You said that Nigeria accounts for an estimated 14 percent of maternal deaths worldwide. Why are conditions so bad for pregnant women in Nigeria? It's a combination of many factors. It's lack of planning, lack of emphasis on the right priorities. The population is also a factor - we're 160 million. Where I come from, Ondo State, there are four million people. But leadership is also part of it. It's an issue of priorities, mainstreaming the right things continued

Ghana Christian Council Appeals for Calm

The Christian Council of Ghana has called on supporters of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to remain calm as the party prepares to legally challenge the outcome of last Friday’s presidential vote. “The court clearly provides for procedure for settling disputes during the election, so we don’t see the point in anybody getting agitated, when the courts are clearly prepared to hear their case,” said Reverend Fred Deegbe, general secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana. He said supporters of both the ruling National Democratic

Congress (NDC) and the NPP should eschew acts or rhetoric that could create tension and possible violence. Partisans of the NPP demonstrated in Accra to protest their displeasure of the final result of the presidential vote. The protests, some eye witnesses say, sometimes turned violent. continued

JUNE 12: An albatross in Nigeria's democracy

By Charles   Adingupu IN less than three days, pro-democracy activists and apostles of June 12 will again march to the streets of Lagos and Nigeria at large. For them, this show of solidarity for June 12 annulled election has become a ritual. Almost nineteen years after, the ghost of June 12 still haunts Nigerians. This institutionalised festival has become  an option for the activists and their allies to ventilate their ideals on what democracy should be. However, the immediate cause of June 12 centred on the then military government of General Ibrahim Babangida, who braved the consequence of his  action to stop and annul an election widely believed to have been won by Chief Moshood Abiola of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) without satisfactory explanations.

However, subsequent interim national government (ING) of Chief Earnest Shonekan who played the messianic role of delivering Nigeria from the catastrophic effects of the annulment failed as the late General Sani Abacha took over the reign of government. Admittedly, the constitutional conference by Abacha’s government equally failed in its quest for solution to the political imbroglio  that Nigeria was enmeshed in... continued

‘Benin Customs extort Nigerian importers, agents’

 

TEN of the Benin Republic Customs are extorting Nigerian businessmen and agents at Seme border and also subjecting them to multiple duty payments, which violates the Economic Community of West African States (EECOWAS) treaty. Some importers, who don’t want their names mentioned, told our correspondent that cargoes billed for Nigeria from Benin Republic are now being subjected to multiple duty payment by the Beninoise Customs. “Besides, they collect extra charges of between N80, 000 and N100, 000, which are not receipted just to get our cargoes and trucks to the Nigerian side of the border,” the businessmen said. But under ECOWAS treaty, trucks conveying goods from Benin Republic to Nigeria are designated as transit goods, which ordinarily should attract minimal duty having satisfied the import regulation law of Benin Republic but the customs ignore this.

The importers said the problem arose as a result of the ECOWAS joint development project sponsored by the European Union (EU), which has forced the Nigeria Customs Service, Seme command and other security agencies around the border to relocate their offices to the Nigeria end of the border. The relocation was necessitated by the plan to demolish the ECOWAS building, which hitherto accommodated the security agencies, such as the Immigration, Customs, Port Health, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other security agencies. continued

Reporters Sans Frontières Relève les Violations des Libertés au Bénin

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The Strike that has paralyzed health delivery in Ghana

Tomorrow will be exactly 21 days since doctors in state hospitals across the country downed their stethoscopes. It would be three solid weeks without medical care in all state hospitals across the country.  In any society, it would be a crisis of epic proportions. In Ghana, it is business as usual.

Yesterday, President John Evans Atta Mills was on the streets of Accra, inspecting flooded areas in the company of the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashitey, and the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Dr. Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, whose distinctive beard is one of the political landmarks in the Mills Administration.

While the Head of State was on the walk-about on the chaotic streets of Accra, officials of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) were locked up in a compulsory arbitration with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) at the offices of the Ghana Labour Commission, near ‘Boom’ junction in the national capital.

Yesterday’s meeting, according to The Chronicle sources, was brief. I am told the Labour Commission read out what was contained in a compulsory arbitration, which required that an organisation submitting itself to arbitration ought to ensure that its officials were at work. In effect, people on compulsory arbitration could not be on strike. The Ghana Medical Association could not have its members abandoning health care, while the association had availed itself of compulsory arbitration.

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Nigeria plans tougher sanctions against piracy

NIGERIA may soon roll out laws that would prohibit piracy and armed robbery within its territorial waters, going by indications from President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday, in Port Harcourt.

The President, who gave the hint of the impending legislation, said it was necessary to guarantee the stability and development of shipping business in the country, in view of the upsurge in piracy and armed robbery on the Nigerian waters.

Jonathan, who spoke through his Senior Special Adviser on Maritime Services, Leke Olugbenga Oyeleke, at the World Maritime Day celebration in the oil rich city, also gave a hint that vessels operating within Nigeria would henceforth be compelled to carry on them a special security device for protection against the scourge.

According to him, piracy and terrorism would be treated the same way, with severe punishment, after the law had been signed.

He said that combating terrorism and piracy on the nation’s inland waterway, was not top on his administration agenda in order to protect marine business and lives in the country.

Reaffirming government commitment to peace and stability of the country, he said government agencies in the nation’s maritime sector would be empowered to effectively man the country’s territorial waters.

As part of efforts to kick-start the war against pirates, Jonathan said the Nigerian Maritime Administration Safety Agency (NIMASA) would soon be directed to install tracking devices on all Nigerian flagged ships in addition to the Automatic Identification System (AIS). AIS is a special security device recommended globally for easy location of vessels, especially at distress time for search, rescue and other security opertations. The installation, was to ensure the safety and security of Nigerian vessels.

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Eko Rail's Trains Begin Journey to Lagos

First of Toronto's Former Fleet Set for Refurbishment, Delivery

LAGOS, Nigeria, Sept. 27, 2011 /CNW/ -- The first of hundreds of Toronto subway cars that will furnish a new surface rail line in Lagos, Nigeria, has left Canada for the last time, and is now en route to Africa's largest city.

A Nigerian company, Eko Rail, has agreed to purchase 255 of the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) best-equipped subway cars for use in a much-needed Lagos Blue Line mass transit system. The TTC is in the process of purchasing larger "Rocket" trains to increase passenger capacity on their lines.

As the electric-powered cars become surplus and are pulled offline in Toronto, they will be individually trucked to the United States for a rebuilding by a team of world-class rail engineers. The cars will also undergo track-width (or "gauge") conversion and interior refurbishment before being shipped to Lagos.

The trains have been inspected by the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, who endorsed the plan to purchase them following his official visit to Toronto in May 2011.

"The shipment of the first car is an important step in Eko Rail's efforts to support the Governor's transformation agenda for the city," said David Potter, Eko Rail's Chief Engineer. "Ultimately, the Blue Line, with this modernized fleet, will bring massive benefits to Lagos' economic development and improve Lagosians' quality of life."

Each of the TTC cars come equipped with air conditioning, automatic sliding doors, solid-state traction control, energy saving regenerative braking, and a wide range of modern safety features and amenities. Once equipped with a state-of-the-art, GPS-based train control system made by General Electric, Eko Rail's trains will provide faster, safer, cheaper and more reliable transportation for Lagosians.

Eko Rail is entering into an innovative public-private partnership with the government of Lagos State to equip, operate and maintain the Blue Line for 25 years. Negotiations are being finalized and a concession agreement is expected to be signed in the near future. Lagos State has already started to make significant progress with building the rail tracks and stations. Eko Rail is utilizing URS Scott Wilson, one of the world's leading railway infrastructure consultancies, to ensure that the infrastructure is built to global standards….

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Nigerian President and UN chief discuss maternal health, piracy and security issues

President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria

23 September 2011 –

Maternal health, piracy and security across West Africa have topped the agenda during talks between Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

Mr. Ban encouraged Mr. Jonathan, who is the current chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to remain engaged in helping countries in the region facing security challenges, such as Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.

The two officials – who met yesterday on the sidelines of the General Assembly’s annual general debate – also exchanged views about the fight against piracy in the Gulf of Guinea as well as global efforts to improve the state of maternal health, according to information released by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson….

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Again rain, pains in Lagos

Rain and ensuing flood hamper activities, cause gridlock and commuters, transporters moan

IT started in the wee hours of yesterday and went on and on. By about 10.30 a.m. when it had not stopped, many Lagosians remembered Sunday, July 10, when the rain had also started in the early hours and fell non-stop throughout the day and far into the night.

Though yesterday’s rain had stopped by noon in most parts of the Lagos metropolis, the sun remained hidden behind dark brooding clouds, suggesting that it might not yet have been over.

For Lagosians who had enjoyed a dry spell these past few weeks, yesterday’s rain and an earlier downpour at the weekend, seemed to have indicated an end to the lull and the return of hard times.

As in the past, the rain caused flooding in many parts of the state, forced commuter buses off the roads and brought hardship to commuters.

Families were displaced, roads became impassable and some business activities in the metropolis were almost crippled.

Speaking to The Guardian, Mr. Uche Okoli, a resident of Okota in Isolo Local Council lamented the effect of the rain to roads in their area.

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Jos fighting: Nigeria gunmen kill father and children

Nine people, including seven children, have been killed in the latest violence in central Nigeria's Plateau state.

Gunmen attacked a home in a village outside the state capital, Jos, killing the children, their father and a neighbour, an official said.

More than 100 people have been killed in the past two weeks in the state in conflict between Muslims and Christians from rival ethnic groups.

The conflict has continued despite a strong security force presence.

Nigeria has a long history of religious and ethnic conflict.

Midnight attack

In Plateau, Hausa-speaking Muslims are seen as supporters of the opposition, while ethnic Beroms, who are mostly Christian, are perceived to favour the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The BBC's Jonah Fisher in the capital, Abuja, says the latest killings took place in a mainly Christian village, Barkin Ladi, at midnight on Thursday.

A spokesman for the state governor said a father and seven of his children were shot dead, along with a neighbour…

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ECOWAS tasks immigration officials on free movement

As the citizens of West Africa are being prepared for the introduction of the Shengen-type visa for the sub-region, top officials of the Nigerian Immigration Service were yesterday told to implement the protocol of free movement of persons and goods.

The inability of national governments and joint initiatives of the community to stamp out harassment and intimidation of citizens at the trade corridors of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is largely seen as the main impediment to economic integration as well as the desire to have an ECOWAS of peoples and not of states.

At a train-the-trainers workshop which started yesterday in Abuja, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Amb. Victor Gbeho, admitted lapses in the existing efforts.

“I am well informed of the hardship and intimidation of community citizens in the hands of security operatives in our common borders,” he stated.

But the commission president also stressed the need to “activate public participation” in the protocol implementation (Free Movement A/P1/5/79) and other relevant texts in seeking to accelerate the attainment of a borderless community.

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Escape of Boko Haram Suspects: Army General docked

By Taye Obateru, Kingsley Omonobi & NDAHI MARAMA
Jos: The Nigerian Army yesterday arraigned one of its generals, Brigadier-General Muraina Raji, former Commander, 33 Artillery Brigade, Bauchi before a Special Court Martial over the escape of two suspected members of Islamic sect, Boko Haram from the Brigade’s detention facilities.

It was gathered that the detainees were arrested last year following an onslaught in Bauchi which led to loss of several lives and property.

Special Court Martial

Inaugurating the six-member Special Court Martial at the Maxwell Khobe Cantonment yesterday, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Three Armoured Division of the army, Major-General Sunday Idoko said General Raji was indicted for complicity by a military investigation report, noting that the arraignment was in line with service regulations.

Lt General OA Ihejirika, Chief of Army Staff.

He said the constitutional role of the military requires the highest standard of discipline and professionalism which no officer wishing to succeed as a professional could afford to...

 

 

 

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Ghana to support Ivorian refugees to return home

 Accra, Aug. 9, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday assured Ivorian refugees in Ghana of his continued support of his Ivorian counterpart to bring peace in Ivory Coast and ensure their safe return home.. He said he was in touch, and talking with Ivorian President Allasane Ouatara, to provide an atmosphere that would guarantee their safe return without any fear of harassment.
"My greatest wish is to ensure that each one of you will return home and pursue your areas of livelihood," President Mills said on Tuesday at the Castle, Osu, when a six-member delegation of the executive of the Ivorian Diasporian Refugees in Ghana, paid a courtesy call on him. The delegation, led by its President, Benott Kamena Brown, appealed to President Mills to, among other things, facilitate their return home and guarantee their security in Ghana....

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In Sierra Leone, New Hope for Children and Pregnant Women

Clinics like this one in Tumbu have been jammed since Sierra Leone ended some fees in 2010. More Photos »

WATERLOO, Sierra Leone — The paramedic’s eyes were bloodshot, his features drawn. Pregnant women jammed into the darkened concrete bunker, just as they had yesterday and would tomorrow. The increase in patients had been fivefold, or tenfold. The exhausted paramedic had lost count in a blur of uninterrupted examinations and deliveries.

he word was out: it was no longer necessary to give birth at home and risk losing a baby or dying in childbirth. Hadiatou Kamara, 18, waited in the crowd. She had already lost a baby boy and girl. “They both died,” she said quietly.

Now, for her third pregnancy, she was at this rural health clinic outside Freetown, the capital. The Sierra Leone government has eliminated fees for pregnant women and children, and Ms. Kamara, like thousands of women in a country where surgery has been performed by the light of cellphones and flashlights, could afford trained medical staff to oversee her pregnancy for the first time. …

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Nigeria : Boko Haram Harasse Beaucoup

Boko Haram: Ekiti, Edo, Akwa Ibom indigenes arrive home from Borno

On July 17, 2011 · In News

Some of the 43 Ekiti State students evacuated from Maiduguri, departing the Government House, Ado Ekiti, to their respective homes, Friday.

AS non-indigenes continue to leave Borno State following the spate of attacks unleashed on the state by the Boko Haram fundamentalist sect, many indigenes of Ekiti, Edo and Akwa Ibom states who fled the embattled state have arrived home.

43 arrived Ekiti on Friday.  Over 150 were also received in Edo and 65 in Akwa Ibom.

The Ekiti evacuees, who are students of tertiary institutions in Borno State, arrived the Government House, Ado-Ekiti at about 3.30 a.m. in three buses.

The students, who narrated their ordeal to reporters, hailed Governor Kayode Fayemi for coming to their rescue by sending  buses  to convey them from Maiduguri.

Officials of the Government House were on hand to attend to the needs of the evacuees.

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Ghana : Government to ban used electronics

 

Government is in the final stages of enacting a law that will control the importation of used electronic gadgets into the country in an effort to stem the menace of e-waste that has engulfed the country recently, the Environment Minister has said.
Official data released by the Ghana Shippers Authority indicates that the country imported 31,400 metric tonnes of used electrical appliances last year, 75 percent more than what was imported into the country in 2009.
According to the data, the United Kingdom is by far the largest exporter of used electronics to Ghana accounting for more than half the quantum of imports to Ghana last year.
The Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Sherry Ayittey, said the ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Communication and the Attorney General’s Department to finalise the draft legislation on how the country will halt the dumping of electronics into the country at a time of increasing concerns over the effects of climate change on the survival of nations.
“Those of us in Ghana are witnesses to the rising sea levels that threaten to displace rural dwellers along our coasts from Aflao to Axim .... We know electronic waste contributes to climate change and we will soon put before cabinet a draft bill that will control the importation of used electronics into Ghana,” she said.
The announcement of the imminent ban of used electronics coincided with Ghana’s hosting of the 6th ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change in Accra last week.
The Minister of Communication, Haruna Iddrisu, who has given full support to the law to ban used electronic imports wants other Africa countries to emulate Ghana’s step and fight e-waste.
“Africa has become a dumping ground for used electronics. It is about time we sent a strong message to the rest of the world that Africa cannot continue to be used for the dumping of used and redundant technologies.
“I am happy the Ministry of Environment, the Communication Ministry and Attorney General’s Department are finalising a draft bill on the regulation of electronic waste in Ghana,” he said.

continued…

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29 die in Nigerian floods, authorities say

LAGOS, NIGERIA—Nigerian emergency authorities say at least 29 people have died in weekend floods in two cities of Africa’s most populous nation.

A spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency said Tuesday that at least 20 people died in the commercial capital of Lagos during unusually heavy rains Sunday.

Yushau Shuaib said nine more people died in Katsina, which saw heavy rains Friday evening.

He said the floods displaced more than 100 people in Katsina. Lagos shut down its public schools Monday.

The agency has warned that rains will be heavier this year than last year. Last year’s rains displaced about 500,000 people nationwide

continued…

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Ghana to receive 95 million dollar agric equipment from Brazil

gona Abodom, (C/R), July 8, GNA - Ghana is to receive a 95 million dollar Agricultural equipment, including tractors and combine harvester’s from Brazil, to boost rice production and other Agricultural sectors.

The items would come under a soft loan from the Brazilian government to the Ghana.

Mr Louis Fernando Sierra, Brazilian Ambassador to Ghana, made this known, when the Chiefs and People of Agona Abodom in the Central Region conferred on him honorary Citizenship and Development Chief of the town at Abodom.

Ambassador Sierra said the first consignment of the equipment would arrive in the country in September, 2011, while the rest is expected in the country in January 2012.

He hoped that the equipment would help in increasing food production in the country.

The Ambassador said through his instrumentality, a 40 million dollar sickle cell and blood centre has been constructed in Kumasi, in the Ashanti Region, to facilitate quality health delivery services for the people in the region.

Mr Sierra said the Kumasi centre would be linked up with the Agona Abodom clinic to provide health service delivery to the people in the area.

The Ambassador expressed appreciation to the chiefs and people of Abodom for the honour done him and declared that he “would never forget it in his life”.

He said he was not surprised, because Brazil has a long standing relationship with Ghana and expressed the hope that it would grow from strength to strength, to promote bilateral and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Nana Kojo Asomaning, Tufuhene of Abodom performed the necessary traditional rites and conferred the title on the Ambassador, who was given a stool name of Nana Kweku Sierra I and later made him a member of the Asona family.

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8 die in another Lagos building collapse

On July 6, 2011 · In News

…35 persons rescued, several others trapped

By Evelyn Usman, Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

LAGOS – A four-storey building collapsed at the early hours of Wednesday  at Idumota/Ebute Ero area of Lagos, killing at least eight persons.

Report said over 35 persons were rescued from the debris while an unspecified number  were, at press time, still trapped under the debris.

Among  the casualties were persons from two different families, including children and women. The building, located at  4, Mogaji Lane, comprising several apartments and shops was reportedly constructed 10 years ago.

The collapsed building

Trouble started at about midnight, following a deafening sound which left the occupants in the dark. Some of them, particularly those on the ground floor, managed to escape. Among them were a man, his wife and their two-month-old baby.

Youths in the area were said to have started rescue work where some of the trapped persons were rescued.

The building...

Officials of the Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA, State Mobile Ambulance personnel who later arrived the scene  reportedly rescued about 30 persons including Secretary of Community Development Association (CDA), Mr. Tajudeen Adeyemi and his wife.

National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and policemen also joined in the rescue work.

Another view of the building.

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News from and on Ghana

1. Ghana Health Service issues Cholera alert

The Ghana Health Service has warned of the possibility of another cholera outbreak due to the lack of refuse dumping sites in the Accra metropolis.
The Service says it is worried about the health implications of the improper disposal of waste generated by the estimated four million inhabitants of the capital.
Early this week, Citi News broke news of the piling of refuse in front of several residences in the capital following reports of lack of a permanent and reliable dumping site.
The Waste Service Management companies have expressed worry about the situation saying they are forced to abandon the refuse at various homes.
The Head of Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Joseph Amankwa told Citi News a rapid solution is required to rectify the problem.
He says if care is not taken, there could be a major health disaster.
“For us in the health sector, we will point out health issues associated with sanitation and what should be done. And we expect that those who are in charge of protecting the environment also do their bit, and bye-laws must be enforced as far sanitation issues are concerned”.
Inasmuch as Dr. Amankwa wants bye-laws to be enforced, he expects the city authorities to make alternative places available for residents to dump their refuse so they do not litter indiscriminately.
"The problem is that, if you tell me not to use this place or that place, you need to provide an alternative place for me. These are the real issues that affect us. And that brought the cholera outbreak not long ago. The rains have just begun and the likelihood of another outbreak is very high because usually, when there is an outbreak of cholera, a number of people still carry germs and these same people will contaminate our source of water and that’s not very good for us as individuals and as a nation” he noted.
Meanwhile, private waste management firm Zoomlion is resorting to compositing a chunk of waste collected in the capital to mitigate the severe effects that could result from the worsening garbage situation in the country

continued

2. Ghana is on the verge of eradicating guinea worm

Tamale, June 17, GNA - Ghana is on the verge of interrupting the transmission of the guinea worm disease in the country. The Northern Region, which is the most endemic guinea worm area in the country has, for the past 13 consecutive months from May last year to June this year, not reported any cases of the disease since the last eight cases were recorded in January to May 2010.
Mr Gilbert Dery, the Northern Regional Coordinator of the Guinea Worm Eradication Programme, said this at a press briefing in Tamale on Thursday to throw light on the progress the country has so far made in the fight against the disease.
He said the current status of the disease in the region, which was the epic-centre of guinea worm in the country, reflected the same for the whole country adding, 93Technically Ghana has broken free from the guinea worm transmission but this is yet to be officially declared". Mr Dery said although a cash award of GHc 50, instituted to reward people who report cases of suspected guinea worm in their communities, had been increased to GHc 100 no new cases have been reported. He said as a result of the impressive success chalked in the fight against the disease, the Cater Centre would this year wean itself from the guinea worm programme in the country.

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Ghanaian Cotton Farmers Face Scarcity of Tractors

The shortage of tractors needed for ploughing cotton fields in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions of Ghana has been severely condemned by the General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of the Trades Union Congress.
This has rendered a majority of the farmers uncertain regarding their current year’s productivity. The Union demanded that the Government should either provide tractor facilities to cotton growers or mediate with the cotton firms to arrive at a solution to the issue, so that the production targets can be met.
At a one-day capacity building workshop held in Tamale, for cotton farmers of the three regions, Karim Saagbul, Programme Officer of GAWU, voiced his concern regarding the issue. The objective of the workshop was to develop various skills of cotton growers including understanding of Government’s policy, and organizing farmers in groups for better networking and to boost their productivity.
Mr. Saagbul disclosed that the Government had purchased some tractors for cotton cultivators, but added that they are not enough. Also, these tractors were mostly available at the agricultural mechanisation centres, where it was not possible for many farmers to take advantage of the services.
He further revealed that under the Government’s new policy aimed at increasing cotton production, the entire North zone has been divided into three sub-zones and three different companies - namely Olam, Wienco and Armajaro - have each been asked to take care of different zones….

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EFCC boss vows to resign if found wanting

CHAIRMAN of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has said she would not hesitate to resign her position if found to have derailed in the cause of carrying out her duties.

The EFCC boss who spoke while responding to questions at an interactive session for members of the National Assembly in Abuja yesterday, said there was no iota of truth in the widely held view that the agency was being influenced by the Presidency and other government officials.

“I am not being teleguided by any person, and if you discover that my credibility is in doubt, I won’t mind resigning if it is found that I am doing something wrong to the Nigerian people and I am going against my mandate,” she said.

Mrs. Waziri who spoke on other issues explained that there was no conflict between the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies in the country.

She also kicked against the suggested merger of the agency with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), saying instead, more similar agencies should be set up to combat the menace of corruption.

“We can cooperate with other agencies like the ICPC and the Code of Conduct Bureau. There is no need for a merger”, she said.

On prosecution of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), the EFCC boss assured that the agency would not adopt what she called “gestapo method” in dealing with those found to have defaulted.

“I will not employ gestapo method in the cause of me duty. We want to build institutions that will stand the test of time anywhere in the world,” she said.

While calling on the Seventh  National Assembly and other Nigerians to collaborate with the EFCC in the fight against corruption in all its ramifications, Waziri also urged members of the country’s  legislature to always provide basic amenities of life for members of their constituencies…

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Ijegun Agog As Akinremi Marks Coronation

THE First Year Coronation Anniversary of Oba Nureni Alani Akinremi (Ilufemiloye) Kubeyibu 1 the Onijegun of Ijegun Land kicked off with fanfair two weeks ago. The palace has been playing host to drummers  and praise singers  from far and near to celebrate with Oba Akinremi. Dignitaries from all walks of life have been pouring into the place to felicitate with the Oba Akinremi who is the first to ascend to the throne of his father from the Kudeyibu Family.  Moslem and Christian faithfuls also joined in the celebration as they joined hands in praying for long life and a prosperous reign for Oba Akinremi… a man of the people.

Close to the palace is also a football pitch where matches have been ongoing between the 28 clubs from Ijegun and its environs who are participating in the ‘Oba Nureni Alani Akinremi Soccer Championship’. The winner will go home with a trophy. The first runner-up will be given 30,000 and second runner-up 20,000 on June 4. On Thursday, there was the conferment of chieftaincy titles on indigenes while others bagged honorary titles.

Today Juju maestro, King Waheed Osupa will play to entertain guests for the occasion at Ijegun Muslim Praying Ground from 10.am.

According to Oba Akinremi, like most ancient Yoruba towns, the original early history of Ijegun Town is  carefully recorded in oral history and handed down by the surviving great sons of the founders of Ijegun Town.

“The Kudeyibu family history is dates back to  well over 350years ago. Ijegun Town was founded by Ajagun, Kudeyibu, and Oshoboja,” the Kabiyesi disclosed.

What is known as Ijegun today, he said, is the combination of three separate settlements by three different settlers known as Ajagun, Kudoru and Adeosu.

“These three settlers were the ancestral fathers of Ajagun, Omo Obeku and Oshoboja. Ajagun later begat Rawa, Omo Obeku begat Kudeyibu, Adeosun begat Oshoboja.

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Gbaramatu: A King without Palace

On May 28, 2011 · In Just Human

SIMON EBEGBULEM, Benin city
Aftermath of attack on Gbaramatu: A King without Palace

Two years ago, the Joint Task Force, JTF in the Niger Delta invaded the oil rich Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South West Local Government Council of Delta state, hometown of repentant militant leader, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, a.k.a Tompolo, after a fracas between members of JTF and some of the then militants in the area, leaving a scare that lives in the minds of the inhabitants.

The entire community was razed down including the palace of the King, HRM Ogeh-Gbaraun 111, Aketekpe, Agadagba of Gbaramatu Kingdom.

The Gbaramatu invasion by the JTF was similar to the Operation Desert Storm of 1999, when the American forces launched an attack against Iraq for invading Kuwait. There were aerial bombardments of the Kingdom and the effects were massive. Two years after the incident, it was a case of a King without a palace while other inhabitants of the community still suffer the devastation.

However, a frontline Niger Delta activist and former Secretary General of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, narrated their ordeal to Saturday Vanguard in Benin City and appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aid by rebuilding the Kingdom including the palace of their King.

Comrade Bebenimibo said, “Since after the fracas with some youths in the kingdom, people are still passing through hell due to the destruction in the land. Imagine Okerenkoko community that was destroyed completely, there was no single building standing after the invasion. The Governor of Delta state promised to rebuild the community. But as we are talking now, nothing has been done to rebuild the community.”

He painted a sordid picture of how the people are living in a make shift structures.   “They live in a make shift structures in the riverine communities and each time there is storm, it will destroy the structures because they are not solid enough and that is what we have been passing through in the past two years, ” he said.

“Our people were left with nothing, their source of livelihood were destroyed and nothing has been done to cushion the effects of the damage done to us. It is sad that this is happening to us because Gbaramatu Kingdom is contributing immensely to the unity and development of this country through its oil revenue.”

On how the King has been operating without a palace, Comrade Bebenimibo said: “He has been staying in a two bedroom apartment in the Kingdom. How can a King be without a palace after his magnificent multi billion naira palace that was built by the toil of the community, was destroyed by the JTF. What JTF did was a sacrilege; can they destroy the house of an Emir in the North like that?

continued

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How My Only Sister Was Slaughtered In The Post-Election Violence , By A Victim

IT is still tales of agony, pain and monumental loss for victims of post-election violence in Kaduna State. The violence which claimed thousands of lives and caused the destruction of properties worth billions of naira is still having its negative impact on the victims who are either in refugee camps or hospital beds.

Several families in the metropolis who fled their homes and found solace in refugee camps have continued to relate their ugly experiences in the violence.

Over 26,000 people are presently at the refugee camps located at Artillery Barracks, Hajj camp, One Mechanized Nigerian Army Barrack, Mando and Maraba Jos.

In fact, those affected in the cross fire of the violence either have their homes razed by fire or flee from their homes for fear of further attack.

Besides, hundreds of the victims are also receiving treatment in various hospitals in Kaduna. Most of them narrated their bitter experiences which has brought perpetual fear to them on their safety in the State.

Very pathetic was the experience of one of the victims, Mr. Ilisha Zakari, a 24 year- old boy from Adamawa State currently receiving treatment at Saint Gerrald Catholic hospital, Kakuri. He narrated to The Guardian how he lost his only sister at Trikania, a suburb of Kaduna town. He said; ‘I was sleeping with my sister in the corridor of house on the unfortunate Monday night when suddenly we heard gunshots close to our compound. My only sister suddenly woke up without knowing what was going on. I called her to come back, but being confused on what the problem was really, she unluckily ran into the hands of the rioter with guns and cutlasses at the back of our compound and they slaughtered her like goat….

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Soyinka decries post-presidential polls violence

NOBEL laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, yesterday condemned the post-presidential election violence in some northern states, describing the destruction that trailed the declaration of the results as a premeditated act.

Soyinka endorsed the results of the April 16 presidential election, which returned incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan for a fresh term. While congratulating the winner, Soyinka explained that citizens’ reports as collated by ReclaimNaija, a grassroots political forum with a mission to promote electoral transparency, seemed to tally with the figures released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a number of polling booths.

“Having made comparisons with those reports, which we received directly from polling booths, which forms the data for ReclaimNaija, my view, quiet frankly, is that the presidential elections were won by Goodluck Jonathan. It is not my business to say what methods were used in influencing voters; it is not within ReclaimNaija’s competence to comment on things like that. We are dealing strictly with figures collated at ReclaimNaija, and sent directly from announcements at polling booths, and sent by citizens who are present…”

He continued: “Judging from the results and figures that were announced, in terms of voters tally, I think you will find that ReclaimNaija’s figures do not differ substantially from the ultimate voter returns announced by INEC.”

While condemning the loss of lives that trailed the declaration of President Jonathan as winner of the polls in some states in the North, Soyinka said that life was snuffed out of the victims for no justifiable reason. He expressed shock at what he described as the gleeful manner in which the “decimation of humanity” was carried out…

Continued

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Nigerians Elect State Governors amid Bombings

Counting is underway after the final round of Nigeria's lengthy election process, which was marred by the deaths of an estimated 500 people.

Elections for Nigeria's 36 powerful governors were delayed in two of the states hit by the worst violence.

More bombs exploded in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri. No-one was hurt in the city, where at least three people have been killed since Sunday.

The governorship elections have been relatively peaceful with low turnout.

Counting began in public at polling stations around the country after voting officially ended at 1600 local time (1500 GMT).

'Bomb in a pothole'

Governors enjoy wide powers in Nigeria and some, especially in oil-producing areas, control bigger budgets than those of national governments in some neighbouring West African countries.

The BBC's Mansur Liman in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, says turnout was generally low in the northern states, where the region's saw its presidential candidate defeated last week.

Turnout also appears low in the biggest city, Lagos, possibly because of voter fatigue in what is now a fourth week of elections, the BBC's Tomi Oladipo reports.

In Rivers State, in the volatile oil-producing Niger Delta, the BBC's Fidelis Mbah says the election was largely peaceful, contrary to expectations.

However, there are some unconfirmed reports of intimidation elsewhere in the Niger Delta…

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Nigeria : One killed, churches, shops razed as youths protest in Yobe, Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno Kano, Kaduna

BY NDAHI MARAMA AND BALA AJIYA
FEW hours to announce the results of the presidential elections that took place last Saturday all over the 36 states of the federation, there were massive protests in some parts of the Northern states of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno Kano, Kaduna and Yobe state alleging that the ruling Peoples Democratic party (PDP) had connived with INEC and other security agencies to rig, manipulate and influence the outcome of the results at the detriment of the Congress for ProgressAive Change and other opposition parties.

In Damaturu, the Yobe state capital, our correspondent reports that, there was a heavy protest by some aggrieved youth believed to be pro-Buhari who was the presidential Candidate of the CPC….

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Nigerians out in force for vote, Jonathan ahead

ABUJA (Reuters) - Tens of millions of Nigerians voted on Saturday in the most credible presidential election for decades, with very early results from a handful of polling stations showing President Goodluck Jonathan ahead.
From the tin-roofed shacks of the Niger Delta, where Jonathan cast his vote, to the dusty alleyways of Daura, the northern home village of his main rival, ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, voters came out en masse.
In the sprawling commercial hub of Lagos, where many polling stations finished early, voters stayed on to watch the count, shouting out the total as polling agents tallied the ballots.
"The politicians should know if they don't perform they are going to be voted out," said businessman Ahibuogwu Brian among the populous lagoon-side shanties of Makoko. "The electorate now know we have the power to chose our leaders."
The polls pit Jonathan, the first head of state from the oil-producing Niger Delta, against Buhari, a northern Muslim with a reputation as a disciplinarian.
Results from around a dozen polling units gave Jonathan a comfortable lead in Lagos, where his ruling party performed weakly in parliamentary elections last week. It was a similar story in the Niger Delta and parts of the southeast….

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Benin journalists protest attacks

A march against the beating of Journalists covering events. (Benoit Koffi)

Six associations of media professionals in Benin rallied Tuesday in Cotonou, the capital, in a protest march against what they called "the barbarity of security forces" against journalists.

This West African country is considered a showcase of democracy, but developments in recent weeks have tarnished a tradition of tolerance and respect for human rights, especially freedom of the press. President Thomas Yayi Boni was sworn in for a second five-year term last week in a ceremony boycotted by his challenger Adrien Houngbedji who has refused to recognize him on the grounds that the results of last month's contested presidential elections were rigged.

"In recent political protests, journalists were chased, beaten, injured, and treated just like protesters," said Jérôme Carlos, director of private station Capp FM and one of the leaders of the march Tuesday. "Security forces demonstrated incomprehensible zeal. We must protest against all these abuses." 

Carlos was referring to the March 24 police beating of reporter Séïdou Choubadé of the daily Le Nokoué. Choubadé was caught up in a demonstration as the opposition protested results of the presidential elections declaring Yayi the winner. Despite showing his press card to police, Choubadé was attacked. He was left with his face puffed-up, his upper lip cut, his hands injured,  and his motorbike taken by officers.

An estimated 400 members of the press marched. (M. Polycarpe Toviho)

Brice Houssou, the chairman of the Benin Union of Media Professionals, known as UPMB, denounced "the indiscriminate and gratuitous violence" against Moustapha Sèmiou Bashola, editorial secretary of the daily Les Scoops du Jour by security guards of the speaker of the National Assembly on February 18. "Security guards of the speaker and those of other politicians chased, beat up and roughed him up, as if he were a criminal," Houssou said. Bashola was covering a public meeting of the ruling majority in the Assembly. UPMB reported that two of the speaker's security guards later admitted to attacking the journalist after allegedly overhearing Bashola criticize the speaker outside the meeting.   

Journalists also denounced the continuing "violence and battery" against journalists of state-run national media at public events they are supposed to cover, as well as the "bullying and discrimination of reporters by security officers and the central administration."  For instance, local media reported a March 11 assault on journalist Claude Adigbli of state news agency Agence Bénin-presse by a plainclothes member of the presidential guard after he approached the man to ask questions. The attack occurred on the last day of campaigning at a rally in support of Yayi….

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Gbagbo Loyalists Regain Ground in Ivory Coast

PARIS — As the wily Ivory Coast strongman Laurent Gbagbo remained cornered in the basement of the presidential residence in Abidjan on Saturday, his forces retook the offensive in a series of military actions, belying recent predictions of his imminent downfall.

 

Since Friday, forces loyal to Mr. Gbagbo have recaptured territory in Abidjan, the economic capital, repelled a French military operation, attacked his rival’s headquarters and recaptured state television and radio, which resumed broadcasting messages of defiance.

Mr. Gbagbo was still surrounded by forces loyal to his rival, Alassane Ouattara, the country’s internationally recognized president, which were backed by troops from France and the United Nations.

But on Saturday evening, his forces attacked the Golf Hôtel, where Mr. Ouattara has maintained his headquarters since winning the presidential election in November. A United Nations official said it was the first time Mr. Gbagbo’s forces had attacked the hotel.

The hotel came under fire from small arms and mortars, witnesses said, while hotel employees, guests and Mr. Ouattara’s government took cover in the basement.

“Gbagbo’s mercenaries lost men,” said a hotel employee reached by telephone, who declined to give his name, fearing for his safety.

A spokesman for the United Nations mission in Ivory Coast, Amadoun Touré, however, said no ground forces were involved in the raid, and that United Nations forces had returned artillery fire.

The state-run RTI television and radio station, which Mr. Ouattara’s troops had captured 10 days earlier, came back on the air on Friday, returning to its role as a mouthpiece for the Gbagbo government.

The network broadcast statements claiming French forces had attacked Mr. Gbagbo’s residence and airlifted “rebels” into the neighborhood in order to surround the redoubt, claims French officials deny.

“The regime of President Laurent Gbagbo is still in place,” read another statement, scrawling across the bottom of the screen. “We ask for the strong mobilization of all Ivorians.”

Late Friday night, his forces thwarted a French military rescue operation. Responding to a request for aid from another country, which French officials did not identify, French helicopters had mounted an effort to rescue foreign personnel from a diplomatic residence in the Cocody neighborhood, not far from Mr. Gbagbo’s residence.

But the aircraft encountered a heavier presence of Gbagbo loyalists than anticipated, taking fire from small arms and at least one armored vehicle, which the French military said its forces destroyed; the rescue operation was aborted.

Continued…

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Opposition candidates appeal presidential election results in Benin

March 26, 2011

COTONOU, March 26, 2011 (AFP) – The main challengers in Benin’s disputed presidential vote have filed appeals over results showing incumbent Boni Yayi won with 53 percent, the constitutional court said Saturday. Tension has risen in the small west African country since the vote, with police firing tear gas to disperse opposition protesters in the economic capital Cotonou on Thursday. ”We have received a total of eight appeals, including three from citizens and five from candidates who competed in the presidential elections,” Sylvain Nouwatin, secretary general of the constitutional court, told AFP. The deadline to file appeals expired late Friday. The five candidates to appeal include Yayi — arguing that his victory margin was greater — as well as his main challenger Adrien Houngbedji, who has dismissed the results showing he had 36 percent and claimed victory for himself.

Abdoulaye Bio Tchane, who had been seen as a third major candidate but finished far behind with six percent, also filed an appeal. Both Houngbedji and Bio Tchane allege that Yayi benefited from illegal voting stations. They have already alleged fraud in the March 13 ballot, which had previously been postponed twice because preparations were not complete. ”More than 140,000 votes were credited to candidate Boni Yayi through these fraudulent practices,” Houngbedji told AFP on Saturday of the alleged illegal voting stations. Bio Tchane’s campaign has made similar allegations in its appeal, his spokesman Raymond Dossa said. He cited dozens of alleged examples from the country’s north, where Yayi is from. The court now has 10 days to rule on the appeals. A new president is due to be sworn in on April 6. UN chief Ban Ki-moon’s special representative for west Africa, Said Djinnit, expressed concern over the post-electoral situation on Friday….

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Benin police end protest with teargas

March 25 2011 at 12:21am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cotonou - Benin authorities on Thursday fired teargas to disperse youths protesting against the re-election of President Boni Yayi in recent polls after they refused to clear roadways, police said.

“We could not accept that their presence in the roads obstruct others' freedom,” national police chief Anki Dosso Maiga told reporters.

“After having asked them in vain to leave the area, we fired teargas to disperse them.”

Several hundred youths gathered at two locations in the economic capital Cotonou in support of opposition candidate Adrien Houngbedji, who has claimed he won the March 13 election and alleged fraud in the ballot.

Tyres were burnt in the roadway and protesters held signs labelling Yayi a “thief”. Teargas was fired at both locations, police said.

Benin's constitutional court announced early on Monday that it had approved results showing Yayi had won the vote in the first round with 53 percent, compared to Houngbedji's 36 percent.

Houngbedji immediately rejected the results, claimed victory for himself and alleged widespread fraud in the ballot.

Candidates were given five days to file appeals with the court over the results. Sylvain Nouwatin, the court's secretary-general, said Thursday that four appeals had been filed, though not in the name of any of the candidates.

Voting day passed calmly despite chaotic preparations that had caused two earlier postponements of the ballot.

The first-time use of an electronic voter register had led to opposition allegations that more than a million people had been left off it - a figure others said was exaggerated.

A mop-up voter registration was to be held on Wednesday and Thursday before the election, but was extended into Saturday when crowds mobbed sign-up centres and equipment broke down.

Other issues had also led to the two earlier poll delays, including failure to distribute electoral cards on time and designate and train polling station agents.

A string of protests involving several hundred people took place over the electoral roll controversy in the run-up to the vote, and authorities fired teargas to break up another demonstration last month.

Houngbedji, 69, and running in his fifth presidential election, had pushed for a third postponement of the ballot, arguing that voter registration should continue.

Yayi, a 58-year-old economist, was seen as a symbol of change when he took office in 2006 in the country, which is dependent on cotton cultivation and its port, but has since been weighed down by corruption scandals.

Houngbedji was supported by many of the country's traditional political elites.

Sapa-AFP

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Ex-dictator calls for calm in upcoming presidential elections in Benin

COTONOU, March 9, 2011 (AFP) – Benin’s former dictator Mathieu Kerekou has urged candidates in Sunday’s presidential ballot to ensure a calm vote after controversy over the electoral list led to two postponements. Kerekou, who came to power after a 1972 coup, was later elected president and led the country for a total of some three decades, issued the appeal in a rare public statement late Tuesday. ”I would like to humbly invite the candidates for the highest public office in our country to show restraint so that presidential elections are held peacefully and with respect for republican values,” he said in the televised statement. He said all political parties should adhere to a consensus reached to resolve problems with the electoral list. President Boni Yayi will be seeking a second term in Sunday’s vote, which has been postponed twice.

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Benin opposition candidates demand another poll delay

- A group of candidates vying in Benin's presidential poll due this weekend, demanded on Thursday that the poll be delayed for another week so that more voters omitted from the voters roll may be registered.
If accepted, it would be the third delay in the election initially planned for February 27.
The country's top legal body last Friday authorized a one-week delay so that complaints over voter cards and election lists could be resolved.
"The law that had allowed the second postponement was not properly applied since the same problems remain to this day," the group made up of 11 of the 13 presidential candidates said in a statement.
The group said an international audit of voters registers should be carried out and voters roll be published in all polling stations before any election is held.
"We demand a postponement of at least a week so as to include all those who are not in the electoral register," Victor Tokpanou, a candidate and spokesman for the group said.
Marcel de Souza, spokesman for incumbent President Boni Yayi had said on Tuesday that no further postponement was possible.

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Regard Acerbe de Jerry Rawlings, sur son Pays, l’Afrique, l’Emprise Néo-coloniale en Général et les Horreurs Incestueuses de la FrançAfrique en Particulier

  Dans une  Interview au Magazine ROOT: l'ancien président du Ghana a parlé sans langue de bois.
Jerry Rawlings se dit déçu de nombreux dirigeants africains et de l'incapacité des pays africains à travailler ensemble plus étroitement. Quand le magazine ROOT a interrogé l'ancien président, il a été très direct à propos de l'évolution des pays africains depuis l'indépendance, de sa déception avec ses pairs frères africains, et de leurs anciennes puissances coloniales.
ROOT est un magazine quotidien en ligne qui fournit des commentaires et réflexions sur l’actualité à partir d'une variété de perspectives ayant trait au continent africain. Lire l'interview ci-dessous.

Jerry John Rawlings est accro à la politique. Fils d'un Ecossais et d’une Ghanéenne, par deux fois, il a fait un coup d’Etat contre ce qu'il considérait comme des gouvernements corrompus, et il reconnaît que son régime a commis "un peu de punitions ici et là," au cours de ses 19 ans à la tête de l'Etat du Ghana. Pourtant, il a cédé le pouvoir en 2001, après avoir perdu les élections en 2000, et fait place à la démocratie multipartite. Maintenant, à 62 ans, l'ancien capitaine de l’Armée de l’Air du Ghana, qui n'est plus aux affaires depuis neuf ans, a encore beaucoup à dire sur son pays, qui a célébré sa 53e année d'indépendance le 6 Mars dernier 
NB Root = (TR), Jerry Rawlings = (JR):
ROOT : De nombreux pays africains célèbrent leur 50e anniversaire d'indépendance en 2010. Comment évaluez-vous cette évolution?
Jerry Rawlings: Eh bien, j'aurais souhaité que nous ayons fait beaucoup plus de progrès - sociaux, économiques et politiques dans le sens de notre objectif - en ligne avec les aspirations de nos Père fondateurs, ce pour quoi ils se battaient. Mais il semble que la bataille coloniale n'était pas aussi atroce que la nouvelle bataille coloniale. Celle-ci s’est avérée beaucoup plus difficile, et de plus en plus nous perdons la propriété des ressources de notre continent. Et les dirigeants africains qui ont un esprit décolonisé ne sont pas légion 
TR: Le lien entre la France et ses anciennes colonies africaines est très fort. Pensez-vous que le lien entre l'Angleterre et ses anciennes colonies africaines est tout aussi fort ?
JR: Je ne sais pas. Certains pays anglophones d’Afrique peuvent être proches de ma Grande Bretagne dans certains aspects et plus distants dans d'autres, tandis que d'autres liens peuvent être lâches à certains égards  et étroits à d’autres égards. Mais n'oubliez pas que la Grande-Bretagne n’est pas seule : Elle vient avec les pays anglo-saxons - les États-Unis, l'Allemagne, et d’autres. En ce qui concerne la  France, je pense qu’elle a tenté de maintenir une forte emprise, ou  monopole sur les ressources de ses colonies. Je peux me tromper, mais c'est le sentiment que nous avons. Et il semble qu'il y ait beaucoup plus d'assimilation entre les Africains francophones et la France. D'une part, vous pouvez facilement avoir l'impression qu'ils jouissent d'une meilleure qualité de relation que les Africains avec les Britanniques. Mais quand on regarde de plus près, et quand on essaie d’aller plus loin dans l'histoire, on se rend à l’évidence d’expériences très atroces et d'histoires sordides qui vous met vraiment hors de vous.
TR: Est-il trop tôt pour mettre en œuvre les «États-Unis d'Afrique" fortement proposés par Kwame Nkrumah, le premier président du Ghana?
JR: Ce n'est pas trop tôt. Cela aurait du être fait depuis longtemps, mais l'Afrique a été tellement mal désintégrée en dépit des regroupements régionaux, que nous avons créés pour mettre des marchés à disposition de nos propres produits. Nos rapports coloniaux ont été si puissants qu’il ont porté atteinte  à nos tentatives d'unification.
TR: Certains disent que la forme occidentale de la démocratie est un poison pour l'Afrique. Qu’en pensez-vous?
JR: Cette forme n'aurait pas été un poison pour l'Afrique si nous pouvions l'adapter à nos formes endogènes de démocratie. Notre forme de démocratie portée à  l'écoute de toutes les parties,  permet de distiller ce qui est meilleur pour  tous. La démocratie occidentale en revanche est basée sur le principe du "le vainqueur prend tout", ... qui n'est pas sain. Ils finissent par faire taire les opposants, traités comme des ennemis, tout est pour eux, et ils nient tout à l'opposition. Et c'est ce qui rend les choses difficiles pour nous.
TR: Que pensez-vous du discours du Président Barack Obama à l'Afrique à Accra le 11 Juillet 2009?
JR: Il a juste dit ce que n'importe qui d'autre aurait dit.
TR: Rien de nouveau?
JR: Ce n'est pas juste de dire rien de nouveau, mais même si son discours n’a rien de nouveau, en revanche il a le mérite de provenir de la bonne personne. C'est un homme avec un sens de la dignité, un homme qui a restauré la morale internationale en politique, il a restauré la morale internationale que Tony Blair et Bush ont détruite. Il a réussi à ramener tout cela en vertu de sa stature, ... ses convictions, son sens de l'éthique et des choses de ce genre. Il croyait en la force du droit, tandis que les autres croyaient au droit du plus fort.
TR: Vous êtes venu au pouvoir à deux reprises par des coups. Aujourd'hui, auriez-vous fait les choses différemment?
JR: Oui, j'aurais fait les choses exactement comme je l’ai fait.
TR: Vous pensez donc que, parfois, les coups sont nécessaires quand il n'y a pas d'autres moyens pour obtenir un changement?
JR: Ainsi semblait-il à l'époque. Quant à savoir si cette règle s’applique de nos jours, c'est ce que je ne peux pas dire. Mais en ces jours-là, je sais que c'était une nécessité.
TR: Cela-vous manque-t-il de ne plus être président?
JR: Ce fut un travail très fatigant pour moi.
TR: Et pourtant vous l’avez embrassé par deux fois...
JR: Oui, j'ai dû revenir parce que si je n'étais pas revenu, il y aurait eu une autre explosion. Je me suis levé pour les élections parce que quand j'ai entendu les messages de ces acteurs du multipartisme [ils m’avait tout l’air] de vouloir nous ramener en arrière. Donc pour moi c'était un travail très fatigant, vraiment. Certaines personnes en raffole, ce n’est pas mon cas.
TR: Certes, mais, mais vous ne semblez pas vraiment avoir pris votre retraite ...
JR: Comment puis-je prendre ma retraite? En Afrique, il est difficile de prendre sa retraite! Parce que ce contre quoi je me suis battu n'a pas changé. Voyons, Jésus-Christ nous a enseigné une leçon il y a 2000 ans, et  la même chose s’enseigne toujours. C'est la même chose avec la politique en Afrique, je suppose. Tant que le non-sens continuera, je vais continuer à parler.
TR: Vous n'avez pas peur d'interférer avec l'action de votre ancien vice-président et actuel président du Ghana John Atta-Mills? N’en arriverait-on pas à se demander qui est le vrai chef de l'Etat?
JR: Peut-être bien que oui, peut-être que non. Mais je vais parler parce que ce n’est pas au nom de mon parti ou de mon président que je parle, mais je parle au nom d’un principe. Et tant que je suis  neutre ou que  je suis ce principe, vous m'entendrez. Je vais parler.
TR: On parle parfois de quelques tensions entre [actuel président du Ghana] John Atta-Mills et vous.
JR: Oui. Dans une certaine mesure, c'est vrai parce que je ne cesse de lui dire  qu'il est lui-même entouré de gens qui ne devraient pas être là. Il s'est entouré de gens qui n’arrêtent pas de poignarder le parti et certains d'entre nous dans le dos. Je continue de l'avertir que s'il ne change pas, s'il ne s'améliore pas, il sera le président d'un seul mandat. Il n'écoute pas maintenant, et au moment où il va commencer à écouter, je pense qu'il serait presque trop tard. Les gens sont déçus par lui et son entourage

traduit par Binason  Avèkes

 

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Ghana President Says Government Not Taking Sides in Ivory Coast Crisis

 
John Evans Atta Mills was sworn-in as Ghana's president in Ghana

Ghana president says not taking sides in Ivory Coast crisis .
Friday, 07 January 2011 17:46
ACCRA- Ghana President John Atta Mills said Friday his country was not taking sides in Ivory Coast's crisis and opposed the use of force in the neighbouring country to remove strongman Laurent Gbagbo.
"Ghana is not taking sides in the crisis in Ivory Coast nor exporting arms to Ivory Coast as being alleged by a cross-section of the international media, but will support any government in Ivory Coast," he told reporters.
He also said he had "been in touch with the two personalities involved to find ways to solving the problem peacefully. Some of us believe in diplomacy in solving problems rather than military intervention."
West African bloc ECOWAS has demanded Gbagbo step down following disputed November elections in favour of his internationally recognised rival Alassane Ouattara and threatened the use of force if he does not. Ghana is a member of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)….

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Benin : Presidential elections set for February 27

President Yayi Boni - ©AFP Pius Utomi Ekpei

COTONOU (AFP) – Presidential elections in the west African nation of Benin will take place on February 27, the presidency said on Tuesday. ”The first round of presidential elections will be held on February 27,” it said in a statement. If need arises for a second round of balloting, it will be staged two weeks later. Legislative polls to elect a new parliament have been scheduled for April 17. This will be the fifth presidential battle since Benin introduced multi party politics in 1991….

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Nigeria : A Season of Bomb Blasts

A NEW dimension was brought into the lingering bloodbath in Jos, Plateau State, when on December 24, as people were busy with last minute shopping for Christmas celebrations, some unknown persons detonated a series of bombs that ripped through an evening market close to the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in the Kada-Biu and Angwan Rukuba areas of Jos North Local Government killing over 80 people with scores maimed or badly injured. The casualty figure is far more than the initial seven people reported. The injured were rushed to various hospitals in town for treatment.
The unprovoked attack, which occurred around 7.30 p.m. was clearly targeted at innocent people with the sole aim of causing mayhem and disrupting the Christmas celebrations in the state. Scores of residential houses and vehicles were damaged in the vicinity of the explosions. The ensuing pandemonium caused people to scamper for safety. Men, women and children were caught in the maze. Eyewitnesses said the blasts occurred simultaneously in three different parts of the area, indicating this was a well-planned and coordinated vicious attack

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GHANA : PRESIDENT MILLS CANCELS 375 DIPLOMATIC PASSPORTS

By Emmanuel Akli

President Mills

Barely a week after the Wikileaks website exposed both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its predecessor, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) governments on the way they handled the fight against narcotic drugs in the country, information filtering in indicates that the Atta Mills government has revoked as many as 375 diplomatic passports.

Among those who have been affected are Pastors, Imams, businessmen and chiefs, who by virtue of the diplomatic passport use the Very Very Important People (VVIP) Lounge at the Kotoka International Airport anytime they travel outside the country.

So far, there has not been any official comment as to whether these passports were revoked because their holders were suspected to be dealing in drugs.

But Deputy Minister of information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa told The Chronicle in a telephone interview at the weekend that the revocation had nothing to do with the Wikileaks report, and that the decision was taken in 2009 as part of efforts by the Atta Mills government to fight against the drug menace in the country.

In the Wikileaks publication, President Mills was quoted as having told the American Ambassador in Ghana, during a private conversation that elements of his government had already been compromised, and that officials at the airport tipped off drug traffickers about operations there.

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