BABILOWN~Mawolè

Nigeria : la Pauvreté, ça Carbure ! !

Senegal to Nigeria superhighway still stuck in a rut

It has been so many decades in the planning that the original proposals are written by typewriter, and two of the countries involved had different names. But when the trans-west African highway network was envisaged in 1967, it was seen as an essential way of stimulating growth and promoting tourism in west African countries. More than 40 years later, the project – intended to link the Senegalese capital Dakar on Africa's western coast with Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos in central-west Africa – has still not been completed. But governments in west Africa and international organisations insist that the vision still exists. I'm driving along part of the route in Ghana. The country's first six-lane road, the George Walker Bush motorway (pdf) opened last year and was named after the former American president as a gesture of friendship between the two countries. Street lights along the route – still rare on Ghana's main roads – are decorated with American and Ghanaian flags. The "George W Bush", as it's popularly known in Ghana, begins at the labyrinthine Tetteh Quarshie interchange just north of the capital Accra, beside its first modern shopping complex, the Accra mall. It carries an estimated 36,000 vehicles per day, and – despite frequent traffic lights and pedestrian crossings – has reduced peak travel time between Tetteh Quarshie and Accra's western suburbs from one hour to 20 minutes.

But the motorway is only 14km (eight miles) long. The trunk road continues for around another 20km, then I spend more than an hour sitting in stationary traffic, first at a toll booth, then at a police roadblock in the suburban town of Kasua. The road then shrinks to a two-lane road of varying quality west through Cape Coast and oil hub Takoradi, before becoming increasingly potholed as it continues on to the border with Ivory Coast. Independent west Africa's founding fathers envisaged a high-speed road more than 4,000km long that would facilitate links between Ghana, Ivory Coast and other countries, with a reliable road and harmonised customs procedures. continued

Nigeria: Group Condemns Mend's Threat to Attack Mosques

An Islamic organisation, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), on Tuesday said the threat by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, to attack mosques and some Islamic institutions was unjustified. MURIC's Director, Professor Is-haq Akintola, said in a statement issued in Ibadan that the timing of MEND's threat was wrong, uncoordinated and illogical. Mr. Akintola said the organisation's position was based on the fact that the Federal Government had been working vigorously to stem the Boko Haram menace. The statement said: "The fact that MEND's threat is coming just when light starts to appear at the end of the dark tunnel is quite interesting; it raises more questions than answers. "The Federal Government has been working round the clock to find a solution to the Boko Haram menace. Why not allow the FG to conclude its plans? "

It urged Muslims and Christians to disown the threat as a mere cover up of MEND's agenda; which was not in the interest of brokering peace as portrayed. "Christian and Muslim groups in the country have been consistent in our condemnation of the attacks carried out by the Boko Haram group. "We have long disowned Boko Haram and washed our hands off their atrocities. continued

Nigeria reporters face criminal charges for story

By JON GAMBRELL Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria -- Prosecutors filed criminal charges Tuesday against two journalists at a Nigerian newspaper over a story they published on alleged plans by the nation's presidency to disrupt opposition parties. The charges are a sign of growing government pressure on the media. Tony Amokeodo and Chibuzo Ukaibe face 10 counts of forgery after the daily Abuja-based newspaper Leadership reported on a memo it claimed came from officials working for President Goodluck Jonathan. Amokeodo and Ukaibe appeared briefly in court Tuesday before being released on bail, said Azubuike Ishiekwene, the group managing director of the newspaper. Though the presidency later denied the authenticity of the memo, It is unclear why authorities are charging the two journalists criminally as libel is handled typically as a civil matter in Nigerian courts. Federal police spokesman Frank Mba did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. In the story, the newspaper said the memo called for officials to disrupt the business interest of opposition party leaders. The

newspaper said the memo also included a mention of influencing the country's Independent National Electoral Commission, as well as potentially raising the price of the oil-rich nation's subsidized gasoline - an issue that sparked a nationwide strike last year. Officials with Nigeria's presidency later described the purported memo as a forgery and "cheap blackmail." Yet, police officials earlier detained four journalists from the newspaper over it, including Amokeodo and Ukaibe. Those two journalists were released after their colleagues only on condition they reported regularly to police investigators. Officers arrested the two when they reported to police headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria's capital, on Monday. continued related source

Ghana : Election Petition to be Broadcast Live

There would be a live television and radio broadcast of the landmark electoral petition case which hearing of the substantive matter will begin on Tuesday April 16. The National broadcaster, GTV and Radio Ghana would be allowed to survey a set up on Tuesday April 16, 2013. Our court correspondent, Mabel Aku Banaseh reports that it is however not clear whether the live broadcast would commence Tuesday on the first day of hearing of the substantive matter, but the subsequent hearing days would be live on television and radio. Hearing of the landmark electoral petition contesting the declaration of President John Dramani Mahama as the winner of the December 2012 presidential polls begins at the Supreme Court in Accra on Tuesday. The petitioners are expected to call their first witness/and or witnesses on Tuesday, depending on how long the witness/witnesses would testify and how long cross-examination would take and if need be,

how long the re-examination lasts. The case, which promises to be a significant historical event in Ghana’s legal and political culture, has the petitioners urging the court to annul 4,670,504 valid votes and subsequently declare the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as the one who won the December 2012 elections. According to them, Nana Akufo-Addo won the elections by 59.69 per cent while President Mahama polled 39.1 per cent. continued

Nigeria's Film Industry - A Potential Gold Mine?

As an entrepreneur, 32-year-old chemistry graduate Jason Njoku achieved success in a most unlikely way: he is Africa's largest distributor of Nigerian movies, and has raked in over $8 million since 2010, when he founded the company Iroko Partners. In December 2012 he captivated an audience at a conference in Texas, United States, as he narrated the story of his success after failures in some other business ventures. Mr. Njoku currently has 71 employees in Lagos, London and New York, and often boasts that "these people are working for us in a country with 50% unemployment." He was recently listed by Forbes, an American business magazine, as one of the top 10 young African millionaires to watch. The Nigerian film industry is undoubtedly helping create jobs in a country with an economy that relies mainly on oil and agriculture. Over a million people are currently employed in the industry, making it the country's largest employer after agriculture. Although Nigeria's economy will grow by 7% this year, according to the African Development Bank, insufficient jobs for a growing youth population continue to be a huge concern.

One million new jobs The Nigerian film industry, also known as Nollywood, produces about 50 movies per week, second only to India's Bollywood—more than Hollywood in the United States. Although its revenues are not on par with Bollywood's and Hollywood's, Nollywood still generates an impressive $590 million annually. Believing that if the industry is properly managed, a million more jobs could be created in the sector, the World Bank is currently assisting the Nigerian government to create a Growth and Employment in States project to support the entertainment industry, along with other industries continued

Reborn Nigeria train trip tells nation's history

ABOARD THE OONI OF IFE TO NORTHERN NIGERIA — The whistle sounds across the arid plains of scrub brush and exposed rocky cliffs. It blares through the narrow, crowded corridors of city market stalls, piles of clothes and hot red peppers lying a mere arm's length away from the vibrating metal track. Its rattling coaches draw stares as children run toward it, waving, as it leaves Lagos, Nigeria's massive southwestern city, on the long trip north to Kano. But in the north, boys wearing tattered soccer jerseys herding cattle watch impassively, with machetes and long-barreled guns over their shoulders.

The train is back in Nigeria, and the 35-hour trip along its 700-mile (1,125-kilometer) route offers a glimpse of the nation's history and landscapes, while also allowing travelers to see its ethnic and religious diversity firsthand ciontinued

Boko Haram Rejects Nigeria Peace Effort

LAGOS, Nigeria: The leader of the Islamic extremist network Boko Haram apparently has refused to take part in any possible amnesty deal offered by Nigeria's government to stop the guerrilla campaign of bombings and shootings now plaguing the country. An audio recording obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday features a man who sounds like Abubakar Shekau strongly objecting to any possible deal with Nigerian officials. The comments come after Nigeria's government has floated the idea of possibly setting up a government committee to examine offering some sort of deal to stop the violence that's killed hundreds over the last year. The recording, first passed by intermediaries of Boko Haram to journalists in northern Nigeria, features the man talking about the

possibility of an amnesty deal, first discussed last week. The man in the recording, speaking in the Hausa language of Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north, calls the amnesty deal "surprising." "We are the one to grant them pardon. Have you forgotten their atrocities against us?" he says. Boko Haram, which sends messages through spokesmen and communiques at times of its choosing, could not be reached for comment Thursday.   continued

Nigeria Commission to Meet Former Presidents

President Goodluck Jonathan’s special commission to help Nigeria move forward plans to meet Thursday with the nation’s former heads of state. Alhaji Maitama Sule, chairman of the commission, says his group will seek the counsel of the former leaders as part of an effort to resolve the country’s growing political, economic and internal security problems. “These former heads of state had their experience, they therefore know the problems of this country more than most people, and therefore if they can bring their experience, it will help a great deal,” Sule said. “We need their wisdom and above all, we need them to come together…because we expect a lot from them.” “We believe that if we can get together and get ourselves united, we will be able to offer solutions to the problems confronting us, and that is why we want to have this meeting,” Sule said. “If we can bring them [former leaders] together, I’m sure that we will be able to be strong enough to offer solutions to the problems facing the country, and the north in particular.” President Jonathan called on the commission to draw up measures

that would include granting amnesty to members of the militant group, Boko Haram. The group has been accused of carrying out violent attacks in an attempt to force the country to adopt strict Islamic law. Human Rights Watch says Boko Haram-related violence has killed an estimated 3,000 people since 2009, a toll that includes killings by security forces.           Sule, a former Nigerian diplomat, says members of the commission are encouraged by the support they received from Jonathan following the group’s first meeting. continued

Professor advocates compulsory Ghanaian languages policy

Languages, University of Education – Winneba, has suggested to government to put in place a new compulsory policy for the study of Ghanaian languages. He said if the present language policy is reshaped it would help to protect and keep the local languages from sinking. Prof Baidoo gave the suggestion when he read a keynote address at a four-day workshop of Association of Teachers of Ghanaian Languages at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region. The programme was attended by members of the Association from the 38 training colleges. The Association aims at working harder to promote Ghanaian languages help teachers to acquire new skills in terminology development, construction and administration of text, teaching of literature and processing of book writing. Prof Baidoo emphasised the need for policy makers to add value to Ghanaian languages to arrest their decline. Prof Kofi Agyekum, Lecturer at the Department Linguistics, Legon and Resource Person who spoke on Terminological Development in

Ghanaian languages, said children should be taught to learn to love and respect their linguistic heritage. According to him, neglect of usage of the mother tongue involves the danger of crippling and destroying the productive powers of people by forcing them to express themselves in foreign languages and undermining the genius of their race. Prof Agyekum said the survival of every language depends on whether it is appropriate to be used for all context of communication identified by the society. continued

Nigeria : Des Journalistes Détenus pour avoir Accusé Jonathan

Nigeria : Des Journalistes Détenus pour avoir Accusé Jonathan de Procédés Illicites

ABUJA - La police nigériane a arrêté un certain nombre de journalistes une semaine après que leur journal a rapporté que le président Goodluck Jonathan avait donné des ordres pour pour contrecarrer par tous les moyens y compris par la surveillance, la récente montée en puissance de l’opposition. Le Nigeria dispose d'une presse relativement libre, et vocale selon les normes africaines et même la critique au vitriol du président y est généralement tolérée. Toutefois, la suggestion qu'il aurait eu recours à des tactiques politiques illicites a mis le feu aux poudres. "Oui, nous avons des journalistes en garde à vue en rapport avec des enquêtes en cours," a dit M. Frank Mba, porte arole de la police qui s’est refusé à donner plus de détails. Le porte-parole de la Présidence Reuben Abati la semaine dernière, a décrit les informations publiées par le journal Leadership dans son édition du 2 avril, comme des « élucubrations mensongères » . Il n'était toutefois pas disponible pour réagir à la nouvelle de l’arrestation des journalistes. Le journal a indiqué lundi que quatre de ses journalistes avaient été arrêtés et ont fait l’objet d’une demande de révélation de leurs sources. Selon l'article, M. Jonathan aurait émis la directive de «tout faire pour contrecarrer les partis de l'opposition qui ont fusionné», y compris en surveillant les gouverneurs de l'opposition. L'histoire ne précise pas si l'ordre avait été adressé au gouvernement

ou au PDP, le parti de M. Jonathan ou à son équipe de campagne. Il faut rappeler qu’au Nigeria les quatre principaux mouvements d'opposition ont annoncé leur fusion en Février, ce qui constitue une menace sérieuse aux ambitions de réélection de M. Jonathan et du PDP dans la perspective des élections de 2015. M. Azubuike Ishiekwene, directeur général de Leadership Group, a qualifié les arrestations d’« affront éhonté et calculé à la liberté de la presse ». «Nous sommes ahuri de voir qu'un gouvernement soi-disant démocratiquement élu en vienne à descendre si bas», a t-il dit dans un communiqué. «Nous restons fidèles à notre histoire et ne seront ni impressionnés ni intimidés par les tactiques musclées du président Jonathan. » Amené et Trad. par Binason Avèkes

All Aboard Nigeria Railways

The restoration of railway services between Lagos and Kano, Nigeria’s two largest cities, is a highly positive development. This is a hopeful step toward restoring Nigeria’s entire, once nation-wide, railway system. The British colonial administration constructed the first railway line, between Lagos and Ibadan, in 1898-1902. The government of a newly independent Nigeria completed the system with the line between Kano and Maiduguri, which is now ground zero for the Islamist insurrection called Boko Haram. The railways played a crucial role in transporting not only passengers, but also Nigeria’s then important agricultural, coal, and mineral exports to world markets. Like so much of Nigeria’s infrastructure, the railways suffered from under investment and corruption, and agricultural and mining exports declined during the era of the oil boom. Expansion of civil aviation provided a much faster alternative means of travel for the well-to-do. Modernization of the rail system was further delayed by debate over whether the narrow-gauge system should be replaced with standard gauge.

The current restoration of the Lagos to Kano line has been carried out by Chinese and other companies, retaining the narrow-gauge, which is cheaper to build and operate yet slower and less functional in capacity. The railways will make use of engines manufactured by General Electric, and the Nigerian Railway Corporation anticipates refurbishing six hundred coaches and two hundred wagons. The restored passenger service is popular, according to media reports. The service is slow, thirty hours to cover the seven hundred miles between Lagos and Kano. Track conditions limit speeds to about twenty miles per hour. … continued

Nigerian Troops Seek Gunmen Who Killed 15 Police in Delta

Nigerian troops are hunting for militants who said they killed at least 15 policemen in the oil- rich Niger River delta, a military official said. “The security forces are working to ensure the perpetrators” are tracked down, Ibrahim Attahiru, an army spokesman in Abuja, the capital, said today by phone. The attack on April 6 was claimed by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, the main rebel group in the the area. Two insurgents also died in the gunfight, which lasted for more than 40 minutes at a river in the Azuzama area in Southern Ijaw local government region, MEND spokesman Jomo Gbomo said in an e-mailed statement yesterday. Hague-based Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), Chevron Corp. (CVX) of San Ramon, California, Total SA (FP) and Eni SpA (ENI) run joint ventures with state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. that pump most of the country’s oil. Nigeria depends on crude exports for more than 95 percent of foreign income and 80 percent of government revenue, according to the Petroleum Ministry. The attack comes after MEND said on April 3 it would resume attacks in Africa’s largest oil producing-country after their suspected leader, Henry Okah, was sentenced to 24 years in prison in South Africa on terrorism charges. Okah denies being a leader of the group. “All oil companies and the public are advised to ignore the false sense of security,” portrayed by the government, Gbomo said yesterday. “We remain resolute in our resumption of hostilities.”

Bonny Light crude, the nation’s main export grade, was little changed today, trading at $107.94 per barrel as of 1:20 p.m. in London, after falling 4.9 percent last week, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. “Most former MEND militants remain committed to the government’s amnesty program,” Roddy Barclay, an analyst at Control Risks, a London-based business consulting group, said today in an e-mailed report. Though some of them have turned to violent or organized crime, such as oil theft, they lack leadership and weapons, Barclay said. “As such, a return to regional militancy remains unlikely in the medium term.” The Nigerian Joint Task Force is on “red alert” in the region following the threat, Defense Ministry spokesman Chris Olukolade said yesterday in a text message in response to questions. “Maritime and air assets have also been mobilized and patrols intensified both on land and waterways.” continued

Liste des 100 Meilleures Universités Africaines

Tout sauf le Bénin, un Pays Émergent Putatif…

Why I Won't Seek A Second Term – Sanusi

The governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has said that he does not plan to vie for a second term as governor of the CBN because the job he set out to do is already largely done. Sanusi said that he had intimated President Goodluck Jonathan way back in 2011 that he would not be interested in seeking second term in office on the expiration of the present tenure in June 2014. “I informed the president going back to 2011 that I would not be interested in serving for two terms,” Sanusi told Bloomberg adding that  ``the job has been done, largely’’. The apex bank governor who re-echoed his stance on second term in a chat with Bloomberg on March 24, 2013 in Lagos, stated categorically that he would not seek renewal of tenure as he considers a single term enough to make a lasting positive impact in the financial system and the economy in general.

Sanusi also said that he supported keeping monetary policy rate (MPR) which serves as the benchmark interest rate on hold at 12 per cent to contain inflation in Africa’s top-oil producing nation as policy makers increasingly opt for a cut. “My own inclination is to just hold and just continue doing what we’re doing, because it has worked very well. But I’m only one vote in the monetary policy committee. The votes to ease are beginning to increase,” Sanusi said. continued

Nigeria : Recherche Pétrolière dans le Nord

Récemment, le Sommet économique des Etats du Nord du Nigeria (NES) a annoncé que le gouvernement fédéral a débloqué la somme de 100 millions de dollars en 2013 pour l'exploration d'hydrocarbures dans le bassin du lac Tchad et dans d'autres bassins éventuels d'hydrocarbures du Nord. Le groupe, qui comprend tous les 19 États du Nord ainsi que le Territoire de la capitale fédérale, Abuja, a également déclaré que le gouvernement avait versé une somme totale de 140 millions de dollars pour 2011 et 2012, dans le même but. Le groupe a également déclaré que, en 2011, la Compagnie Nationale Nigériane du Pétrole (NNPC) avait, grâce à ses conseillers techniques, mené à terme la recherche, l'évaluation et l'identification des entreprises capables d’effectuer des observations géophysiques aériennes pour l'exploration des hydrocarbures du bassin intérieur du pays. Nous sommes encouragés par cette évolution. La mise à disposition des fonds substantiels pour faciliter les activités d'exploration pétrolière et gazière dans le bassin du Tchad, le fossé de la Bénoué, les bassins du Bida et de Sokoto-Rima, entre autres, une fois terminée, donnera un coup de fouet à l'économie du pays. Les éventuels nouveaux États producteurs de pétrole pourront également profiter de la ristourne fédérale de 13 pour cent en vigueur actuellement. Les chefs de la NES doivent faire preuve d’abnégation dans cette lourde tâche que le groupe s’est assigné. Ils inscriront leur nom en lettres d’or s'ils atteignaient cet objectif important pour le Nord. Cependant, qu’il nous soit permis de lancer un avertissement sur le fait que leur position de timoniers ne leur confère pas le droit de créer des sociétés écrans en vue de s’accaparer de contrats qu’ils ne seraient pas en mesure d'exécuter. Ils devraient plutôt insister sur le suivi des fonds et s'assurer que les entrepreneurs respectent les délais. Nous implorons la NES pour qu’elle donne l'alerte lorsque surgiront des défaillances dans l'exécution des projets. L'économie du Nord du Nigeria est dans une situation désespérée et les bouleversements socio-économiques actuels en témoignent.

L'exploration de pétrole au Nord va certainement ouvrir une écluse de possibilités pour les millions de chômeurs dans la région. Bien entendu, elle contribuerait à réduire l'inégalité entre le Nord et le Sud. Bien que le projet de recherche de pétrole soit en cours, la NES est également mis au défi de garder un œil sur la mise en œuvre rapide des projets d'énergie hydro-électrique de Zungeru et de Mambilla. Une fois terminés, ces deux projets non seulement stimuleront l'économie de la région, mais serviront de catalyseur aux retombées éventuelles du pétrole. Le défi de l'élite du Nord, toutes tendances politiques confondues, est d'éviter les erreurs qui ont été commises dans les communautés productrices de pétrole du Sud. Tout d'abord, il doit y avoir un cahier de charge pour les futures sociétés pétrolières. Deuxièmement, le mode de compensation des communautés d’accueil , y compris les quota d'embauche, doit être bien pensé. Il s'agit de s'assurer que les gens qui sont les véritables propriétaires des ressources ne soient pas délibérément flouées par les compagnies pétrolières. Amené et Trad. par Binason Avèkes

Nigeria moots amnesty for Boko Haram Islamist rebels

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has set up a panel to look into the possibility of granting an amnesty to the Islamist militant group Boko Haram. The move came after religious and political leaders said the military approach did not solve the violence. Mr Jonathan previously rejected any amnesty offer, saying the rebels were "ghosts" whose demands were not known. Hundreds of people have been killed since Boko Haram fighters stepped up their campaign in recent years. The new panel will include senior military representatives and has two weeks to come up with its recommendations, according to unnamed presidential sources. The board is tasked with considering the feasibility of granting an amnesty to Boko Haram members, and recommending modalities for implementing such a step. Appeasement?

President Jonathan made the announcement after reportedly holding talks with religious and political leaders from the country's north, considered Boko Haram's stronghold. This is an apparent about-turn for the leader, the BBC's Will Ross, in the Nigerian city of Lagos, reports. It is not yet clear if he is genuinely considering an amnesty or whether he is simply trying to appease his detractors in the north, he adds. continued

C. I. : Rapport de HRW sur la Violation des Droits de l’Homme

Transformer les discours en réalité L’heure de réclamer des comptes pour les crimes internationaux graves perpétrés en Côte d’Ivoire 4 avril 2013 Ce rapport de 82 pages analyse les efforts inégaux déployés par la Côte d’Ivoire pour réclamer des comptes aux responsables des crimes internationaux graves commis dans la foulée du scrutin présidentiel de novembre 2010. Depuis son investiture en mai 2011, le Président Alassane Ouattara a déclaré à plusieurs reprises qu’il s’engageait à traduire en justice tous les responsables, indépendamment de leur affiliation politique ou de leur grade militaire. Or, même si les procureurs ont inculpé plus de 150 personnes pour des crimes perpétrés au cours des violences post-électorales, aucun des inculpés ne provient des forces pro-Ouattara. Lire le rapport

Nigeria: 7 Feared Dead, As Anambra, Kogi Fight Over Oil Wells

Nigeria: Seven Feared Dead, 52 Houses Torched As Anambra, Kogi Communities Fight Over Oil Wells

Awka — NO fewer than seven persons were feared dead and 52 houses burnt when the people of Enugu-Otu Aguleri in Anambra East Local Government Area of Anambra State and Ashonwo/Odeke in Ibaji Local Government Council of Kogi State engaged in a bloody clash over disputed land on their oil -rich borders. Kogi people have been laying claims to the oil wells in Aguleri -Otu in Anambra State shortly after President Goodluck Jonathan commissioned the Orient Ptetroleum Refinery in Anambra State last year. A community leader in Enugu-Otu Aguleri, Chief Anekwe Arinze told reporters Monday that the people of Ashonwo/Odeke allegedly invaded their community at about 1:30am when they had all gone to bed. He said: "We were sleeping when suddenly we started hearing gunshots everywhere and when some of us came out to know what was happening, we saw our houses on fire.

"Our children and women who tried to escape were shot and many were wounded. We heard them saying the land belongs to them and that we cannot take it. That was when we knew it was Kogi people. "Some of our men who summoned the courage to pursue them could not get them because when they noticed our prompt response, they ran away. Already we have counted seven corpses. They also kidnapped three men. continued

Lagos Gagné par l’Esprit du Carnaval

Impunity, not corruption is Nigeria`s biggest problem – Sanusi

British Rulers Spark ‘Golden Stool’ War With Ashanti People

British Rulers Spark ‘Golden Stool’ War With Ashanti People On This Day In 1900

On the coast of West Africa in the country of Ghana, the Ashanti (or Asante) people ruled the land with a warrior’s mind-set. A proud and fierce people, they would encounter British forces who sought to colonize the former Gold Coast for themselves. Although conflicting reports state that the Ashanti once did business with the Brits, it was the outsiders’ brash attempt to undermine the native dwellers that sparked off the infamous “War Of The Golden Stool” (also known as the Yaa Asantewaa War). SEE ALSO: Enslaved Human Zoo Captive Ota Benga Ended Life On This Day In 1916 The Golden Stool (pictured above, bottom) is the royal throne of the Ashanti, and it is also a spiritual symbol as the tribe believed it held the souls of the people. For years during the end of the 19th

century, the Ashanti people clashed with British forces. In an attempt of peace, British Governor Sir Frederick Hodgson called for a meeting with the Ashanti and boldly asked to sit upon the golden throne. Having already exiled the tribe’s King Prempeh in 1896, Governor Hodgson made the foolish demand not understanding the offense he made. … continued

Makoko exhibition opens a window on a Nigerian world

Photographers love Lagos's floating slum for its colour, canoes and poverty. But local teenagers are displaying a different side

In an exhibition on American photography in 1978, MoMA curator John Szarkowski made a distinction between photographs that offer a window to the world and photographs that reflect (mirror) the intention of its maker. An exhibition of photographs by teenagers from Makoko, a poor neighbourhood in Lagos, adds their windows to the houses built on water. Makoko is extremely photogenic thanks to two of its features – that it is partially built on water and, that most of its residents are poor. Think women wearing colourful clothes on canoes. Think naked children floating around in plastic tubs, smiling at the camera. Last year, Makoko made world news when local authorities gave orders to clear part of the waters occupied by houses on stilts. Most photographers visit Makoko once or twice. They take their pictures and publish them for an audience elsewhere for viewers to see this exotic place. Living conditions look so poor that it is not strange to be glad not to be there yourself. At the same time it is beautiful enough to want to see it. The people photographed usually do not see the photos taken, let alone the publications that feature them. The exhibition can be seen from boats around Makoko. Photograph: Andrea Stultiens The Silent Majority project works very differently. Started in 2010 by Adolphus Opara and Olusola Otori, the project gives children the opportunity to express themselves and develop their creative skills. The pair are both Lagosians. Otori trained as a painter and Opara is a documentary photographer. For the exhibition, Otori and Opara ran workshops for teenagers in Makoko twice a week for six-months, teaching an awareness of formal aspects of image making and the basics of photography. From the initial 15 students, five made it to the end. Works by four of them – Anthony Monday, Afose Suleiman, Mary Awajinumi, and Peter Onge – are now on show in their own neighborhood. The Silent Majority project is not novel, it is not the only initiative where children were given cameras and asked to capture images of their lives. It has happened, for example, in Nairobi when American photographer Lana Wong did 'The Shootback Project', in Calcutta where British artist Zana Briski carried out the 'Kids with Cameras' initiative, and in Brazil where British photographer Julien Germain worked with street children. I am from the Netherlands and have worked with children in the Netherlands and Uganda and arranged an exchange with photographs between them. It seems both sides get something out of this. continued

The Essence of Achebe

News of Chinua Achebe’s passing struck me with a deep sadness; a sense that an era of Nigerian history is closing and that the guiding lights in the night sky of our national odyssey are dimming. The imagery is of a boat being set adrift from its trusty anchors. Achebe was one of those anchors. Achebe did not stumble upon his craft by accident. He was initially admitted into the University of Ibadan on a scholarship to read medicine before electing to study English Literature, History and Religion instead. His decision cost him the scholarship but gained him his true vocation. He once declared that his calling as a novelist was “to help my society regain belief in itself and put away the complexes of the years of denigration and self-abasement.” Interestingly, the author most acclaimed as his natural successor, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, trod a similar path, leaving the University of Nigeria, Nsukka after a year and a half of studying medicine, to pursue her calling in writing. Finding one’s true place in the world often requires us to sacrifice the certainty of the popular paths to prestige and worldly wealth. Christopher Okigbo the poet, Wole Soyinka the dramatist and Chinua Achebe the novelist constituted the literary trinity of their generation, all maestros in their chosen domains of artistic expression. Their travails at the hands of the state typified the perpetual battle between the realm of power and that of ideas. Okigbo took up arms for Biafra and was killed during the civil war, a death which deeply wounded Achebe. Soyinka, who had embarked upon a personal peace mission to the separatist regime in Biafra in 1967 in a bid to avert the war, was arrested by the Gowon regime and spent most of the war period in jail. In later years, he would flee into exile to escape the death squads of the Abacha junta. Achebe narrowly escaped assassination in the 1960s by forces who believed that his novel A Man of the People, which predicted the overthrow of the First Republic, indicated his complicity in treasonable activities. He was a Biafran functionary during the war. In 1990, a car accident in Lagos left him paralyzed from the waist down. Subsequently, he relocated to the United States where he held a teaching appointment until his passing last week. Oddly enough, my first encounter of Achebe was not Things Fall Apart, the iconic novel and his best known work which earned him international repute and has been translated into dozens of languages. It was The Trouble with Nigeria, a stirring 1983 polemic brimming with righteous indignation at what his country had become. It was a searing indictment of his generation and his forebears and, as a work of social criticism, is startlingly relevant to our current struggles even though it was written thirty years ago. “We have lost the twentieth century,” he fumed; “Are we bent on seeing that our children also lose the twenty-first?” Soyinka would echo Achebe’s words in a 1984 essay in which he famously described his generation as a “wasted generation.” continued

Nigeria : Pourquoi Goodluck Jonathan Doit être Destitué

President Jonathan should be impeached

LA Times Columnist, Joel Brinkley (pictured above) wrote that Nigeria is the most corrupt country in the world and feels president Goodluck Jonathan should be impeached. He wrote an article titled  Nigeria’s Squandered Opportunity on Friday March 22nd. See it below...     Just outside President Goodluck Jonathan’s office sat 17 ambulances, just in case he or one of his aides fell ill. They were seldom if ever used.     No actual health-care facility nationwide had as many, and in fact a few still have none at all. But as soon as a Nigerian newspaper took a photo of the ambulances and published a story about them, they suddenly disappeared — probably to an underground garage.     Jonathan is president of Nigeria, which should be among the world’s most prosperous nations. After all, it produces an estimated 2.4 million barrels of oil each and every day. With oil now selling at $93.61 a barrel, that’s $224 million in income daily. And yet many hospitals can’t afford to buy an ambulance. The reason, in my view: Nigeria is the most corrupt nation on earth. It gets more interesting. Continue... Sure, Transparency International lists almost three dozen states as more corrupt — Chad, Haiti, Laos, Yemen, Cambodia and the like. But are any of those nations as wealthy as Nigeria — taking in $81 billion annually, just from the sale of oil? No, not even one of them. So Nigeria steals and squanders more money than any other nation, making it the world’s most corrupt, by that measure. Nigerian journalist Musikilu Mojeed finds all this so discouraging. “With its geopolitical power, economic resources and middle class,” he laments, “no country (with the possible exception of Saudi Arabia and Egypt) has the power to change the course of black/African civilization like Nigeria.” After all, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous state — and large, twice the size of California. So Nigerians are living an opportunity squandered — particularly now. Egypt is in turmoil. In just the last few days, in fact, many Egyptians have been calling for a military coup — anything to rid the state of its widely despised Muslim Brotherhood government. And a new report by the World Economic Forum ranked Egypt the least safe and secure tourist destination among 140 tourist nations evaluated. Egypt has lost its place as the Arab/African worlds’ leader, and Saudi Arabia never had it. So for Nigeria, the time is ripe. But its leaders seem interested only in stealing the state’s money to make themselves rich beyond imaging. Think about it: $81 billion a year just from the oil, while most every local government official still tells his people the nation just doesn’t have enough money to fix the roads, schools or hospitals. (Roads are in such terrible shape that government officials generally travel any distance by helicopter.) And Nigeria’s people — well, they are as mistreated as any on earth. In only nine nations — among them Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia — do more mothers die during childbirth. And in only 10 states, including Chad, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, is the average life expectancy lower. Right now the average Nigerian’s average life span ends at 52. That may be why the median age of Nigerians is just 18…. continued or continued

Nigeria: Chinua Achebe 1930-2013

By Kole Omotosho, Avuncular is the easiest word that comes to mind for me in describing China Achebe who passed on last night and joined the ancestors. Ours was not an easy relationship but it was based on great respect from my side and a side ways flance of possibility as far as he thought of me at all. He was a pioneer in more than one area of thought and writing. He was a builder of institutions and founder of organisations. While a number of Africans north and south of the Sahara had published fiction in English before Achebe published Things Fall Apart in 1957,

took Achebe's novel to kick-start what today is known around the world as african literature.  The book became the first title in what Heinemann started as the African Writers Series. Chinua Achebe became its founding editor. it My first two novels were published in the series and the second novel did not sit well with him. It is a mockery of the motives of those who fought the civil war. Finally he gave his imprimatur conceding that it was good write! continued

Tributes Pour in for Literary Giant Achebe

An Evening With Chinua Achebe

Hommage à Chinua Achebe

De Nadine Gordimer à O. Bhêly-Quenum, l'Éloge est Unanime

Chinua Achebe, celebrated Nigerian novelist, dies

NEW YORK (AP) -- The opening sentence was as simple, declarative and revolutionary as a line out of Hemingway: "Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond," Chinua Achebe wrote in "Things Fall Apart." Africans, the Nigerian author announced more than 50 years ago, had their own history, their own celebrities and reputations. Centuries of being defined by the West were about to end, a transformation led by Achebe, who continued for decades to rewrite and reclaim the history of his native country. Achebe, the internationally celebrated Nigerian author, statesman and dissident, died at age 82 in Boston on Thursday after a brief illness. He lived through and helped define traumatic change in Nigeria, from independence to dictatorship to the disastrous war between Nigeria and the breakaway country of Biafra in the late 1960s. He knew both the prestige of serving on government commissions and the fear of being declared an enemy of the state. He spent much of his adult life in the United States but never stopped calling for democracy in Nigeria or resisting literary honors from a government he refused to accept. In traffic today in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, hawkers sell pirated copies of his recent memoir about the Biafra war, "There Was a Country." "What has consistently escaped most Nigerians in this entire travesty is the fact that mediocrity destroys the very fabric of a country as surely as a war -- ushering in all sorts of banality, ineptitude, corruption and debauchery," wrote Achebe, whose death was confirmed by Brown University, where he taught. His eminence worldwide was rivaled only by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Toni Morrison and a handful of others. Achebe was a moral and literary model for countless Africans and a profound influence on such American-based writers as Ha Jin, Junot Diaz and Morrison, who once called Achebe's work an "education" for her and "liberating in a way nothing had been before." His public life began in his mid-20s, when Nigeria was still under British rule. He was a resident of London when he completed his handwritten manuscript for "Things Fall Apart," a short novel about a Nigerian tribesman's downfall at the hands of British colonialists. continued

Ghana : Hope City, le Bâtiment le Plus Haut d’Afrique…

Ghana : Hope City, le Bâtiment le Plus Haut d’Afrique, à 10 Milliards de Dollars

 

Plus tôt ce mois-ci, le président ghanéen John Mahama a lancé Hope City, une cité de haute technologie d’une valeur de 10 milliards de dollars visant à favoriser la croissance technologique et à attirer des acteurs majeurs de l'industrie mondiale des NTIC dans le pays. Cet ambitieux projet est l’idée de l’homme d'affaires ghanéen Roland Agambire, Président de RLG Communication, une société de technologie. Intelligentes et futuristes, les installations de la nouvelle Cité comprendront une usine d'assemblage de divers produits de haute technologie, des bureaux, une université de technologie de l’information, et un hôpital, ainsi que des espaces de logement et de loisirs, y compris des restaurants, des théâtres et les centres sportifs. La construction devrait commencer en Juin 2013 et une fois achevée - dans un délai de trois ans, si tout se passe comme prévu - le parc technologique pourrait accueillir 25.000 habitants et créer des emplois pour 50.000 personnes La Tour la Plus Haute d’Afrique Hope City, Cité de l’Espoir, comme son noml’indique, sera développé dans une zone d'environ 1,5 millions de mètres carrés, situé à environ 30 minutes à l'ouest du centre-ville d'Accra. Conçu par l'architecte italien OBR cabinet, la technopole sera composée de six tours de différentes dimensions, y compris un bâtiment de 75 niveaux sur 270 mètres de haut qui devrait être le plus élevé en Afrique. Un système de passerelles à différentes hauteurs reliera les tours entre elle, créant un lien circulaire entre les fonctions des immeubles et des équipements publics Pour Roland Agambire, il s'agit d'un projet qui permettra de positionner le Ghana à la pointe de la technologie en Afrique. Hope City est un projet ambitieux de technologie qui vise à faire du Ghana un pôle majeur des NTIC en Afrique de l'Ouest. La construction débutera en Juin 2013 et devrait durertrois ans

 

Le Parti de Gauche Prend Position sur l’Injustice en Côte d’Ivoire

Amnesty International constate dans son rapport de février 2013 intitulé « la loi des vainqueurs » une généralisation de la « logique de vengeance et la perpétuation de l’impunité » en Côte d’Ivoire. Aux exactions des FRCI (Forces Républicaines de Côte d’Ivoire) et des milices supplétives, s’ajoutent dorénavant celles de la Police Militaire qui s’arroge le droit de détenir des militaires certes, mais aussi des civils. Tout au long de l’année 2012, une répression aveugle et sans pitié s’est abattue sur les ivoiriens : les humiliations, les familles rançonnées et la torture sont d’usage courant. Les « crimes de guerre et crimes contre l’humanité » commis dans l’Ouest ivoirien en particulier à Duékoué pendant l’offensive des rebelles alliés d’Alassane Dramane Ouattara en mars-avril 2011, mais aussi lors de la destruction du camp de Nahibly en juillet 2012, se perpétuent à travers les exécutions sommaires et destructions de biens, le plus souvent basées sur des considérations ethniques. Ces faits restent totalement impunis, ignorés par les autorités ivoiriennes et par la Cour pénale internationale qui juge Laurent Gbagbo. Amnesty International conclut : « aucun des auteurs des violations et atteintes très graves aux droits humains n’a été traduit en justice ni même relevé de ses fonctions ». Une commission Dialogue,

Vérité et Réconciliation « inerte » un appareil judiciaire « affaibli et manquant d’indépendance » ignorant superbement les crimes que sont le viol et les disparitions, une telle impunité et l’incapacité à tenir les auteurs de ces crimes atroces responsables créent un risque grave de violence continue. La France ne peut, comme elle fait toujours sous la présidence de François Hollande, soutenir le régime en place en Côte d’Ivoire, installé avec l’appui déterminant du gouvernement de Nicolas Sarkozy. Le Parti de gauche exige que soit reconsidérée l’aide au développement de ce pays en la mettant sous conditions de critères tangibles de cessation des violences faites au peuple ivoirien, de démocratisation de la vie politique et de réconciliation de la société suite

Japan to Support Energy Sector With $16m Grant

The Japanese Cabinet has approved a $16 million grant to support the power sector in Ghana, the President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Dr Akihiko Tanaka, has said. During a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House, Kanda in Accra Thursday, the JICA President said the agreement for the release of the $16 million grant which was approved by the Japanese Cabinet three days ago would be signed between Ghana and Japan by April this year. The disbursement of the grant would begin by the end of the year. Mr Tanaka was at the Flagstaff House to discuss issues of cooperation with the President. Before the courtesy call, Mr Tanaka had signed a $37 million agreement with government representatives on agriculture and health. Mr Tanaka said Japan had observed that power was a critical sector in Ghana's economy, for which reason it wanted to help Ghana address the challenges in the energy sector. "The Cabinet of Japan decided to extend grant aid to Ghana to improve the capacity of distribution in Ghana," he said.

He said the agreement signed for the agricultural sector was to support small-holder farmers to increase food production and ensure food security in the country. Mr Tanaka affirmed JICA's commitment for continuous support for and cooperation with Ghana. Responding, President Mahama thanked the Japanese government for approving the $16 million grant to support Ghana's power sector. He said the country had power deficit, leading to the ongoing power management. continued

La Chine des Rapports et des Grands Nombres

Quand la presse occidentale veut se montrer tendancieuse à propos de la Chine – entre péril jaune et préjugés idéologiques tenaces – sur tel ou tel sujet de stigmatisation récurrente, elle préfère et profère des chiffres bruts au pourcentage qui pourtant, en raison du grand nombre des Chinois,  est plus significatif. Voici  un spécimen du genre tiré d’un grand journal du soir français : Et quand on utilise le pourcentage ou la proportion c’est pour intensifier la critique, comme lorsqu’on précise que le chiffre réel des “rééduqués” serait 3 fois plus grand que le chiffre officiel… Mais pour rien au monde on ne tentera  de nous dire par exemple quel est le rapport entre le nombre (officiel ou occidental) des “rééduqués” et le chiffre de la population carcérale chinoise ; le pourcentage de la population carcérale chinoise par rapport à la population chinoise dans sa totalité. Ces silences, ces évitements, ne font qu’entretenir les préjugés et la défiguration de l’image d’une nation, la Chine, contre laquelle instinctivement la presse occidentale, à l’instar de l’Occident lui-même, est conditionnée à instruire un procès d’arrière garde idéologique, qui fait partie de l’inévitable combat des civilisations cher à l’Occident chrétien -- ou crétin ? -- , qui a du mal à accepter l’inexorable processus historique de sa décentration  … Adenifuja Bolaji

Nigeria : Jonathan ne Pardonne pas les Tweets Américains…

Affaire Pardon du “Boss ” : les USA Twittent, le Nigeria crie à l’Ingérence

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - Le ministère des Affaires étrangères du Nigeria a convoqué un haut diplomate américain vendredi soir sur une question d'importance nationale - sur Twitter. Sont en cause deux messages envoyés vendredi par le compte Twitter de l'Ambassade américaine et qui critiquent le pardon inconditionnel donné à un ancien gouverneur condamné pour corruption, un homme que le président Goodluck Jonathan, quelques semaines seulement auparavant, qualifiait de «mon patron." La prise de bec diplomatique a commencé vendredi matin avec deux courts tweets publiés par l'ambassade américaine dans la capitale du Nigeria, Abuja. Le premier dit que les États-Unis sont "profondément déçu" par le pardon accordé cette semaine à l'ancien gouverneur de l'Etat de Bayelsa, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Alamieyeseigha a été mis en accusation et par la suite a plaidé coupable des accusations de corruption au Nigeria. Selon les enquêteurs, il a utilisé l'argent du gouvernement pour acquérir des biens en Grande-Bretagne et au Nigeria d’une valeur de plus de $ 10 millions. Le deuxième tweet de l'Ambassade Américaine a simplement dit: « Nous voyons cela comme un échec dans la lutte contre la corruption. » Le vendredi soir, le ministère nigérian des Affaires étrangères a publié une déclaration disant qu'il était urgent d'appeler James P. McAnulty, le chef de mission adjoint américain, pour une réunion. Le communiqué qualifie les remarques des Tweets d’"ingérence indue et d’indiscrétion malveillante dans la mesure où le président avait suivi la disposition de la Constitution nigériane qui lui donne le pouvoir d'accorder des pardons. « Le ministère a enfin exprimé l'espoir que l'ambassade des Etats-Unis d'Amérique d’abstienne dorénavant de faire des commentaires injustifiés sur les affaires intérieures du Nigeria, qui sont de nature à compromettre les relations amicales qui existent entre les deux pays, indique le communiqué. » A Washington, le porte-parole du département d'Etat Victoria Nuland a dit plus tôt vendredi que les récents pardons par le gouvernement nigérian de responsables corrompus « sont un revers pour le soutien américain au renforcement de l'état de droit au Nigeria, ce qui est très important pour l'avenir du pays ». Elle a laissé entendre que les pardons pourraient avoir des répercussions sur les programmes d'aide américains. « Nous avons dit clairement aux autorités nigérianes que cela met un point d'interrogation sur le genre de travail que nous avons essayé de faire avec eux», dit-elle. Pas de sanctions ou de mesures punitives pour l’instant, a-t-elle dit, mais nous continuons à considérer ce qui serait approprié. » Depuis la réunion à huis clos mardi, où Jonathan a décidé du pardon, les Nigérians ont réagi avec colère sur Twitter et ailleurs sur la décision. Un éditorial vendredi dans le journal Punch de Lagos a simplement dit: "La situation devient désespérée." Et d’ajouter : «Notre gouvernement est aux mains d’esprits étroits et sans cœur. » Amené et Trad.  par Binason Avèkes

L’Ambassadeur de France anime une conférence

L’Ambassadeur de France anime une conférence-débat sur la place des femmes dans la société béninoise

À l’occasion de la journée internationale des droits des femmes, l’Ambassade de France au Bénin, en partenariat avec l’Union Européenne, ses Etats membres et la Suisse, a organisé, vendredi 8 mars, une conférence-débat à l’Institut Français du Bénin, avec pour thème « Femmes du Bénin, au cœur de la dynamique du changement social ? ». Marie-Gisèle Zinkpè, représentante de la Direction des Droits de l’Homme au Ministère de la Justice, de la Législation et des Droits de l’Homme, Adélaïde Fassinou, écrivaine et professeur de lettres, Blandine Yaya, membre de l’Association des Femmes Juristes du Bénin, Léontine Idohou, présidente du bureau Rifonga, et Léon Bio Bigou, enseignant-chercheur, ont dressé un état des lieux quant à la condition des femmes dans la société béninoise. S. Exc. M. Jean-Paul Monchau, Ambassadeur de France au Bénin, a

affirmé que l’égalité entre l’homme et la femme était une condition sine qua non au développement d’un pays. Bien que des progrès aient été réalisés en ce sens, a-t-il noté, il restait encore beaucoup de chemin à parcourir, en veut notamment pour preuve le récent report « aux calendes grecques » de la proposition de loi portant égalité d’accès aux fonctions électives entre l’homme et la femme. suite

La première bénédiction du pape François en intégralité

La premiere Bénédiction du pape François par lemondefr

Nigeria : un Pardon Impardonnable

Le Nigeria Pardonne à l’ex-Patron de Jonathan Condamné pour Vol de Plusieurs Millions de Dollars

Ghana Economic Forum Opens Tomorrow

Captains of industry and policymakers will tomorrow converge in Accra for the second edition of the Ghana Economic Forum (GEF) to deliberate on key issues affecting the country’s economic fortunes. This year’s edition, which is organised by the Business and Financial Times (B&FT), is under the theme “The Role of Leadership in Driving National Economic Prosperity”. Panellists at this year’s forum will discuss the topic “What Kind of Leadership Does Ghana Need to Maximise Her True Economic Potential”. Speakers expected at the forum include: Professor Kwaku Atuahene-Gima, CEIBS Africa Programme; Mr. Kofi Amoabeng, CEO of UT Bank; Mr. Edward Boateng, Executive Chairman, Global Media Alliance; and Ms. Esther Cobbah, CEO Stratcomm Africa Speaking to the Business and Financial Times ahead of this year’s edition of the GEF, Mr. Dolapo Ogundimu, Managing Director of Access Bank, lead sponsors of the event said: “we believe in creating value for the local communities in which our bank operates. Our underlying philosophy of sustainable business practices means, we give back to the society; and what better way than to invest in generating ideas for the advancement of the economy, and society at large, than through partnerships like this one.

“The concept of the Ghana Economic Forum resonates with Access bank’s core value of leadership and setting standards for sustainable business practices. Quality leadership is key to the successful management of any form of human resource.” Mr. Ogundimu, who is also a keynote speaker at the event, said Access Bank is committed to delivering long-term benefits to the Ghanaian economy -- explaining that the bank invested in big ticket transactions in both the private and public sectors of the economy in 2012 and is poised to do even more this year. continued

Boko Haram: un Complot Visant à Abattre l’Avion de Jonathan Déjoué

Pendant que le Bénin bruit de complots imaginaires et ubuesques, à visées anticonstitutionnelles,  son voisin, le Nigeria lui est aux prises à de vrais complots fomentés par de vrais agresseurs déterminés à mettre le pays à feu et à sang !

 

Des armes lourdes, y compris des canons anti-aériens, des lance-grenades ont été récupérées après la visite de Borno ... Le Nigéria aurait été au bord de l’explosion si le complot avait réussi. Mais, selon les sources du renseignement, les agences de sécurité ont sauvé la situation. Les insurgés auraient planifié d'attaquer l'avion du président Goodluck Jonathan dans le ciel de Maiduguri, capitale de l'Etat de Borno, le jeudi, lors de sa visite de deux jours. Borno est le berceau du groupe islamiste Boko Haram. La saisie présumée de trois canons anti-aériens, de deux véhicules techniques montés avec des armes anti-aériens et de10 grenades propulsées par fusée, dans une cache d'armes, à Maiduguri, le vendredi, a crédibilisé la thèse du complot visant à attaquer l'avion présidentiel. Outre les canons anti-aériens et des grenades propulsées par fusée, les armes lourdes découvertes par les Forces Opérationnelle Interarmées (JTF) à Maiduguri, le jour où le président quittait la capitale de l'Etat à l’issue de sa visite comprenaient : 17 fusils AK, des mitrailleuses, trois fusils à usage G3, 20 bombes RPG, 12

chargeurs RPG, 1 x 36, des grenades portatifs, un fusil de gaz lacrymogènes, 33 magasins AK 47, 11 magasins FN, 3 magasins G3 et 11.068 munitions assorties. Le clou de l'histoire, cependant, est la revendication par certaines sources de sécurité que le groupe islamiste avait espéré que le système de sécurité de Borno serait détourné de la visite du président, pour lui permettre de déployer les bras massifs et aussi attaquer les installations où ses membres sont détenus dans l'Etat en vue de les libérer ! Quoi qu’il en soit, grâce à la vigilance des agences de sécurité, ce complot diabolique a été déjoué. source

Cardinal Peter Turkson: le Meilleur Espoir Papal de l'Afrique

Letter from Africa: Faking your fufu?

I have been following the horse meat for beef scandals in Europe with very keen interest. At first I thought it was most unlikely that the scandal would have reached Ghana. We are not in the processed food business here; we start the preparation of every meal from scratch and therefore there is a lot of grinding and pounding in the kitchen. Last week I took a closer look at the frozen foods section in my local supermarket and saw quite a number of frozen beef burgers on display. The countries of origin of the food packets in my supermarket seemed to be the same as the ones making news around Europe.

So I decided that there was the real likelihood that horse meat has been sold here masqueraded as beef. Having accepted this I began thinking of the cavalier attitude we have in these parts towards the labelling of products and the implacable resistance to food processing. As far as labelling goes, the position seems to be, you put on the product whatever label the would-be customer wants - and we are not talking only about food. continued

Ghana Marks 56th Independence Anniversary

Nigeria Set to Overtake SA as Africa's Biggest Economy

Délestage : Le Ghana Décline la Demande de Fourniture du Bénin

Lagos Razes Homes as Poor Left Behind

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) - The bulldozers came at dawn to this neighborhood of shanty homes and concrete buildings in Nigeria's largest city, followed by riot police carrying Kalashnikov assault rifles. The police banged on doors, corralling the thousands who live in Ijora-Badia off to the side as the bulldozers' blades tore through scrap-lumber walls, their tracks grinding the possessions inside into the black murk of swamp underneath. Days later, children picked through the field of debris, their small hands dodging rusty nails to pull away anything of value left behind. The demolition of this slum neighborhood follows others in Lagos, a city of some 17.5 million inhabitants where a dozen can sleep in a single room and more flock to every day from the countryside. While the city continues to grow, the government has started programs to improve roads and railways, but target poor neighborhoods for demolition and street traders for arrest. Activists say Lagos' government continues to lay sod for parks to beautify a city long thought of as a nightmare of urban planning, but the facelifts often come at the expense of the poor without a thought about what will become of them. "A megacity is not about its physical size or its beauty, but its people," said Felix Morka, executive director of the Social and Economic Rights Action Center, which is contesting the demolitions in court. "The poor also live here."

Poverty is difficult to escape from in Lagos, even on its islands, home to its political and business elite. Those missing limbs or with facial injuries approach cars idling at intersections to beg. People bathe naked alongside highways or use ditches for toilets. Even those considered as being in the middle class live in crowded tenements or in informal settlements that spring up in the corners of abandoned properties and even on stilts over the Lagos Lagoon. Ijora-Badia, alongside a road leading to Lagos' main port and across from its major brewery, sits on marshy soil. The first settlers were moved here when the government started constructing the nearby National Theatre in the 1970s. In the time since, Ijora-Badia grew along the railroad tracks and is now home to thousands of people continued

Ghana's celebrity preachers clash over prophecy of president's death

Rival pastors in unholy row over prediction of imminent disaster

They prefer to be known for preaching about peace and loving thy neighbour, but Ghana's celebrity pastors are becoming embroiled by a rather ungodly row. A well-known pastor has sparked outrage amongst his colleagues by making what Ghanaians are describing as an "earth-shattering" prophecy, that the president John Dramani Mahama, will die this year. The reverend Isaac Owusu Bempah, founder of one of Ghana's burgeoning new charismatic churches, the Glorious Word Ministry International, says that the message came to him directly from God. Owusu Bempah, who first announced the prophecy on New Year's Eve and has repeated it several times on local radio, has also cautioned that the president's refusal to meet him might hamper attempts to avert the disaster. "I have not been able to meet the president and inform him. A similar thing happened when I prophesied about the late President John Atta Mills (who died last year), but they turned me away," he said. But senior figures from other churches have hit back at the prediction, claiming it was unethical, and did not meet the criteria of a genuine prophecy. "According to the new testament, if you give prophecy, it should edify, exalt or confirm," said Bishop Dr Charles Agyin Asare, founder of the Word Miracle Church International and former vice ."

president of the Ghana Pentecostal and Chariasmatic Council. "The scripture says we should judge prophecies to see whether they be of God, not that we should swallow them hook like and sinker. If I were to judge this prophecy, I would judge it incorrectly," Agyin Asare added. Dramatic prophecies are not uncommon in Ghana, where churches are big business and celebrity pastors compete to fill conference centres, theatres and arena for special weekend long services and prayer gatherings. Agyin Asare, one of Owusu Bempah's main critics, says he himself was called to ministry after hearing the audible voice of God in 1983 calling him to "heal the sick, raise the dead, preach the kingdom continued

International courts: justice vs politics

The tribunals judging crimes in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia were intended to deliver justice for victims of genocide. But several recent impossible to forget. The same goes for those in the states of former Yugoslavia who, also in the 1990s, suffered the loss of their relatives in genocidal crimes. A degree of forgetting may be understandable if not welcome. But far more disturbing is the possibility that political influences or judicial agendas are interfering with the application of justice over the violations of those years. cases suggest that politics may be getting in the way, says Andrew Wallis in Kigali.

Andrew Wallis 27 February 2013

Power Crisis Will End Soon – Mahama Assures Ghanaians

President John Mahama has asked Ghanaians to exercise patience as government works to end the current power crises. The President said this at the commissioning of the T3 plant in Takoradi on Monday, President Mahama expressed satisfaction at the progress of work at the plant in Takoradi saying “I am impressed with the quality of work and the rate of work. As we said, this plant is already supplying power into the grid.” The T3 plant would be on schedule by close of this month. It would contribute 130 megawatts of power to the current energy stock. According to President Mahama, the government is committed to ensuring that the timelines given in his State of the Nation address is met.

“Like I said during the State of the Nation, we have not been sleeping, we have been trying to bring as much generation as possible into the system and T3 is one example of it. We started in 2010 and it is largely complete… its just 2% of work left to have it fully operational” he stated. Meanwhile, the Director of Project Development of the Ghana Gas Company, Victor Sunu Attah, has indicated that all is set to ensure that Gas from the Jubilee Field would be made available by the close of the year. continued