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Nigeria: Al-Qaeda - FG Moves to Extradite Nigerian Suspect to U.S.

The Federal Government has initiated extradition proceedings against a Nigerian, Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi, suspected to be member of the terrorist organisation, Al-Qaeda. 32-year-old Babafemi, also known as "Abdullah" and "Ayatollah Mustapher," is wanted by the American government for his alleged involvement in terrorism related activities. Consequently, the federal government, through the ministry of foreign affairs, has applied to a Federal High Court in Abuja for the extradition of the suspect to the United States. The application for extradition filed by the government before the court, exhibited a four-count charge marked: 13CR-109-JG, against Babafemi before the United States District Court of the Eastern District of New York and a bench warrant issued for his arrest by a US magistrate. He is charged with "conspiracy to provide support to a foreign terrorist organisation, provision and attempted provision of material support to a foreign terrorist organisation, unlawful use of firearms and conspiracy to unlawfully use firearms."

The offences, on conviction, attract a minimum sentence of 10 years and maximum of life imprisonment. Babafemi, who until now, was based in the US, fled to Nigeria upon realising that he was to be arrested by men of the United States' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He had since been arrested and is being held by the Department of State Services (DSS). Documents filed by the government before the Abuja court revealed that the US authorities are of the view that Babafemi belongs to the "al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP)" an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. continued

Welcome to Ghana, where the funerals are gigantic parties

ACCRA, Ghana — Benjamin Aidoo has brought his dancing pallbearers to more than 200 funerals in Ghana, easing loved ones to their final resting places to the strains of anything from reggae to gospel music. "Customers say, 'Papa loved dancing when he was alive, let him dance more one time'," said Aidoo, 27, who charges as much as 800 cedis ($387) a ceremony. "This is a new business where we dance the coffin to the grave instead of marching solemnly." Aidoo founded his business in 2010 and is now having to turn customers away. Funerals, among Ghana's most important social events, are placing growing financial demands on the country's expanding middle class as a fashion for extravagant ceremonies leads to calls for restraint An oil production-led boom boosted economic growth to 15.9 percent in 2011 from 3.1 percent in 2007 and increased gross national income per capita almost fivefold to $1,550 over the last decade. In addition to entrepreneurs like Aidoo, the country's biggest insurers including Enterprise Life and SIC Insurance Co. are benefiting, said Anastacia Arko, an analyst at Accra-based Databank Financial Services. Stretching over days, funeral ceremonies, typically called celebrations in Ghana, involve church services, receptions and

burials. Families spend thousands of cedis on food and drink, shaded seating, a disc jockey or band, traditional drummers, brochures, posters, photographers and often, a videographer capturing mourners filing by the casket. "Our funerals have become a big drain on families," said Vicky Wireko, who writes the 'Reality Zone' column for the biggest selling Daily Graphic newspaper, which has classified pages filled every day with full-color obituaries that list "chief mourners" and far-flung relatives. "No wonder families are turning to the banks to seek funds." While traditionally relatives have contributed to meet funeral costs, those donations are no longer enough and insurance companies are stepping in to cover the gap. "When the burden to finance funerals became so high that people be continued

Ghana To Have Another Capital City

s part of a number of recommendations presented to the Presidency by Constitutional Review Implementation Committee (CRIC), Ghana would soon have two separate capitals. One will be the economic capital and another, the political capitals, as is the case in some neighboring countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast. The capital of Ghana was transferred from Cape Coast to Accra more than 130 years ago. Since then land of the Gas has doubled as capital city and the seat of government. With disclosure of the CRIC, speculations are rife that Kumasi would be the economic capital while Accra would assume the status of political capital. Additional recommendations presented to the president were for a seamless flow of information between the offices of the President and Vice President to ensure that the Vice President could step into the shoes of the President whenever necessary or required by law.

Another was for the appointment if the chairperson of the Council of State, who is expected to be elected by members of the council without nomination from the president, as, is currently the case. The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. E. V. O. Dankwa, said a system has been set up to coordinate the schedules of the President and Vice President for a smooth working relationship. “The Vice President holds regular meetings with key officials of the presidency. He also attends regular security briefings to keep him abreast with security issues,” he added. continued

Nigeria : Corps à Corps autour de la Réélection de Jonhatan

Quand les Députés en Viennent au Gourdin

Port Harcourt - La crise politique de longue durée dans l'Etat de Rivers a dégénéré en chaos mardi après que cinq membres de l'Assemblée ont convoqué une session pour destituer le président. Les cinq législateurs ont engagé d’autres qui ont essayé de les arrêter en un combat physique. Les analystes locaux disent que la crise de la législature de l'État a ses racines dans les intrigues d’arrière-scène fomentées par le président Goodluck Jonathan pour destituer le gouverneur Rotimi Amaechi qui est censé s'opposer aux ambitions présidentielles de briguer un second mandat…

 

As APC Chieftains Visit Minna: APC’s Emergence A Good Devt – IBB -

Ghana: Mahama's Colleges of Education Shot Down

The proposed establishment of ten new colleges of education by the Government of Ghana has been shot down by the Forum for Education Reform (FFER), arguing that such an idea was good but would not help the country to address the numerous challenges confronting its educational sector. The Forum considers that a more cost effective and efficient way for government to achieve its laudable objective of improving teacher education lies in the expansion and improvement of current facilities within the existing 38 colleges. "This would expand capacity and improve quality with less public expenditure," noted the Forum which is made up of eminent Ghanaians, educationists, leaders of industry, business people and researchers. The position of the fourteen-member Forum under the Chairmanship of Sir Sam Jonah was circulated in a statement they signed and released in Accra yesterday by their sponsoring institution, IMANI Center for Policy and Education. In the opinion of the group, despite the upgrading of existing colleges to tertiary status, there still exist pertinent issues that borders on quality. According to the Sam Jonah-led Forum, there was the need for the Government of Ghana to improve on the quality of output of the Colleges before thinking of establishing new ones.

The Forum was of the strong belief that quality could be achieved by improving on the existing facilities, updating the quality of instruction, infusing technology, updating the teaching methods and models, among many others. "These developments would result in better output from the teacher training institutions," the Forum argued. While the Forum acknowledged the numerous contributions the Ghanaian Government had put in place to address the problems confronting teacher training colleges in the West African country, it was quick to discourage the government from pursuing its current goal of establishing ten new tertiary institutions but rather focus on expanding existing infrastructure. continued

Ghana to host World Cashew Festival

Ghana shall in September host the African Cashew Alliance’s (ACA) World Cashew Festival and Expo to help players in the industry develop the value-chain process. The four-day programme to begin on the 16th September, is expected to provide a platform for cashew farmers, processors, traders, exporters, service providers, retailers, equipment manufacturers, bankers and other stakeholders to fashion out innovative ways to improve and sustain the industry. A statement signed by Xénia Défontaine, Public Relations Manager of the African Cashew Alliance and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday, said the Festival would provide the platform for participants to interact and exchange ideas on international best practices. The festival is on the theme: “Value Chain and Gains-Focusing on the Potential to Leverage Profit in Each Sector of the Cashew Industry and in New Markets.” The statement said there were innovative ways of exploring business prospects in the cashew industry stressing that farmers

could discover new markets by adding beekeeping or producing cashew-apple juice. “Processors can repurpose the raw cashew shell by selling it to producers of cashew nut shell liquid or husk for dying clothes,” it said. The statement said even cashew breakages which has been described as a major challenge in the industry could be used to produce gluten free milk as well as vegetarian bean and nut burgers. “Both farmers and processors can increase their sales by meeting internationally recognized quality, food safety, and social and labour standards,” it said.   continued

INEC Registers APC

As predicted by LEADERSHIP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, approved the application by three political parties – the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) – to merge into one, to be known as the All Progressives Congress. According to a statement issued by the secretary to the commission, Abdullahi A. Kaugama, on considering the application, the INEC found that the applicant-parties have met all statutory requirements for the merger, and has accordingly granted their request.

The statement noted that the commission had approved the withdrawal of the individual certificates of the applicant-parties, and the issuance of a… continued

A Word For Yarima And The Paedophiles In Power

INEC Bound To Register APC - SANs

Three renowned constitutional lawyers, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN) and Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN) have told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the merging political parties seeking to be registered as All Progressives Congress (APC) have crossed the constitutional hurdles. There has been anxiety that INEC has been put under intense pressure from politicians to deny the APC registration. This is even as security may be beefed up in the nation’s capital, Abuja, following the threat by the leadership of the yet-to-be-registered APC to storm the city if INEC refused to announce its registration. But the electoral body has since denied that it was under any form of pressure to stop the merging parties from being registered. The chief press secretary to the INEC chairman Prof Attahiru Jega, Mr Kayode Idowu, has denied the report of any plan to frustrate the merger, stating that there was no basis for the parties to exercise any fear as the Electoral Act was clear on merging processes. He also noted that there is no court injunction compelling INEC to stop the merger even as he said the electoral body will decide on the APC’s request tomorrow (Thursday).

“The stipulated 30 days after application for registration has not lapsed; so the commission has not broken any law,” Idowu said.  Regarding the issue of registration merging parties to form a political party, Section 84 (4) of the Electoral Act 2010 says: “On receipt of the request for merger of political parties, the Commission shall consider the request and, if the parties have fulfilled the requirements of the Constitution and this Act, approve the proposed merger and communicate its decision to the parties concerned before the expiration of 30 days from the date of the receipt of the formal request- “Provided that if the Commission fails to communicate its decision within 30 days the merger shall be deemed to be effective.” continued

NUJ To FG: Stop Case Against LEADERSHIP Journalists Now

The Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on the Federal Government to permanently drop the charges against LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group and two of its staff members. The NUJ made this call in a statement by its national secretary, Shuaibu Usman Leman in Abuja yesterday. The apex body of all journalists in Nigeria also described the ongoing trial of LEADERSHIP’s Group News Editor, Mr. Tony Amokeodo and senior correspondent, Chibuzo Ukaibe, as dastardly action which has become a dent to Nigeria’s image and the quest for a free press. The NUJ said: “While we concede to the fact that the media like any section of the Nigerian society have not been insulated from the corrupt tendencies of the Nigerian society, but we dare say that if it were not for the dynamism and vibrant nature of the Nigerian media, Nigeria would have imploded by now.

“The biggest beneficiaries of the tenacity of the media in Nigeria are President Goodluck Jonathan and his fellow politicians who now hold sway in the corridors of power.” The NUJ further stated that it was regrettable that the media is today being persecuted by the same government it assisted in nurturing, describing the situation as mischievous, a deliberate attempt to malign the press and to distort history continued

Ghana to honour Nana Rita Marley

RITA Marley, widow of pop icon Bob Marley, will be made an honorary citizen of Ghana on August 3, that country's celebration of Emancipation Day. A statement from the Marley Foundation says Marley will also receive a Ghanaian passport from the Government. continued

Présidentielle Malienne : Un 2ème Tour Anti-Béninois

source

Patience Jonathan Says Soyinka Is An Embarrassment

Nigerian president to visit China next week

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan will visit China next week in a trip aimed at signing infrastructure deals and boosting trade between the Asian power and Africa's biggest oil producer, officials said Wednesday.Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, has borrowed money from China to finance infrastructure projects, and Beijing has shown increasing interest in Nigeria's oil industry. Jonathan will during the state visit, which will run from July 9 to 12, meet President Xi Jinping, premier Li Keqiang, some Chinese leaders and businessmen, a statement from his Abuja office said. "We want to build trade and economic relationships and we want to have a good exchange of knowledge," Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told reporters. She said that the visit aims to "increase trade, get them to increase investment in Nigeria and get a strategic long-term relationship". "We want to up our trade volume with China of non-oil goods. This is our objective because we want to diversify our economy," she said. Oil accounts for some 80 percent of government revenue in Nigeria. Trade and Investment Minister Olusegun Aganga put trade volume between the two countries at $13 billion dollars (10 billion euros) in 2012, up from about $2 billion in 2005.

Jonathan and Chinese investors will participate in Nigeria/China investment forum. He will also hold meetings with executives of Chinese conglomerates such as Huawei, Sinopec and ZTE, the statement said. Deals involving loans amounting to some $1.3 billion for areas including electricity and airport construction are expected to be signed during the visit. The airport projects would be carried out by Chinese firm CCECC, Aviation Minister Stella Oduah said. China has invested heavily in African nations in recent years in its search for natural resources and markets for its goods. full story

Insight - Nigeria seeks farming revival to break oil curse

SAULAWA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Down a winding dirt track in this sleepy village in northern Nigeria lies a corn farm which looks much like the dozens that surround it. The difference is, this one is turning a profit. "I can barely lift my 8-year-old. He's the fattest in the village," said Ibrahim Mustapha, 50, drawing laughter from his fellow farmers as he pretends to lift up his chubby son. The Babban Gona or "Great Farm" project, in northern Kaduna state, is one of a handful where private investment is helping former subsistence farmers like Mustapha make profits for themselves and the companies backing them. When President Goodluck Jonathan was elected two years ago, he pledged reforms that would transform the lives of tens of millions of farmers who live on less than $2 a day despite occupying some of Africa's most fertile land. Oil remains the main source of foreign currency and state revenues, but agriculture is by far the biggest contributor to GDP, making up 40 percent of Africa's second largest economy. With 170 million mouths to feed and a growing food import bill thanks to the disarray in the farming sector, agriculture ministry officials say there's no time to lose. If productivity does not improve Nigeria could face a food crisis within a decade, its current account surplus would be wiped out and the credit worthiness of Africa's second biggest debt issuer would be under threat. "If we did nothing, it would be a disaster," Agriculture Minister Akinwumi Adesina told Reuters in the capital. "We don't eat oil, we don't drink it ... We cannot sustain the amount of money we use to import food," Adesina said, a Nigerian flag hanging behind his office chair.

In some cases, the imports substitute for things Nigerians are growing but can't get to market or lack the means to process. The country is the second largest grower of citrus fruit in the world after China and yet it spends $200 million (131 million pounds) a year on imported fruit juice while its own produce rots, Adesina said. It also produces 1.5 million tonnes of tomatoes annually of which 45 percent perish, while consumers spend $360 million on tomato paste imported from countries such as Italy and China. CURING DUTCH DISEASE To succeed, Adesina's reforms will need to reverse the inadvertent damage done to the sector by Africa's earliest and biggest oil and gas boom, which crowded out other commodities. In the 1960s, Nigeria was the biggest exporter of peanuts in the world and had 27 percent of the palm oil trade. It remains one of the world's top cocoa growers, b full story

Peuple et démocratie

La démocratie n’est pas le gouvernement du peuple par le peuple, mais un processus permanent de conquête de nouveaux droits. C’est ce que l’ouvrage de C. Colliot-Thélène souligne, montrant la tension qui traverse l’histoire de la démocratie, entre l’émancipation de l’individu et l’appartenance à un corps politique. Il n’est pas de grand livre de philosophie et notamment de philosophie politique qui ne s’accompagne d’une entreprise de désillusion. Ce livre salutaire de Catherine Colliot-Thélène souhaite nous déprendre de deux définitions consacrées de la démocratie : celle qui l’identifie au gouvernement du peuple et celle qui la fait reposer sur un peuple à l’identité définie et stable. Pour l’auteur, ces deux illusions ne possèdent pas le même statut philosophique ni historique. L’intérêt de cette critique est de nous « libérer de l’utopie d’un démos unitaire » (p. 196) et de proposer une détermination de la citoyenneté correspondant à la mondialisation, qui a pour effet de multiplier les pouvoirs avec lesquels les citoyens entrent en relation.

The crimes of Buhari – By Wole Soyinka

The grounds on which General Buhari is being promoted as the alternative choice are not only shaky, but pitifully naive. History matters. Records are not kept simply to assist the weakness of memory, but to operate as guides to the future. Of course, we know that human beings change. What the claims of personality change or transformation impose on us is a rigorous inspection of the evidence, not wishful speculation or behind-the-scenes assurances. Public offence, crimes against a polity, must be answered in the public space, not in caucuses of bargaining. In Buhari, we have been offered no evidence of the sheerest prospect of change. On the contrary, all evident suggests that this is one individual who remains convinced that this is one ex-ruler that the nation cannot call to order. Buhari needs one remind anyone – was one of the generals who treated a Commission of Enquiry, the Oputa Panel, with unconcealed disdain. Like Babangida and Abdusalami, he refused to put appearance even though complaints that were tabled against him involved a career of gross abuses of power and blatant assault on the fundamental human rights of the Nigerian citizenry. Prominent against these charges was an act that amounted to nothing less than judicial murder, the execution of a citizen under a retroactive decree. Does Decree 20 ring a bell? If not, then, perhaps the names of three youths – Lawal Ojuolape (30), Bernard Ogedengbe (29) and Bartholomew Owoh (26) do. To put it quite plainly, one of those three Ogedengbe – was executed for a crime that did not carry a capital forfeit at the time it was committed. This was an unconscionable crime, carried out in defiance of the pleas and protests of nearly every sector of the Nigerian and international community religious, civil rights, political, trade unions etc. Buhari and his sidekick and his partner-in-crime, Tunde Idiagbon persisted in this inhuman act for one reason and one reason only: to place Nigerians on notice that they were now under an iron, inflexible rule, under governance by fear.

Nigeria is due for revolution – Tambuwal

The Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, has said a revolution is due in Nigeria because of endemic corruption in the country, coupled with the general disaffection of the people  with the ruling elite. He said the kind of conditions that must subsist in order for any talk of revolution to be taken seriously were widely evident. Tambuwal stated these in Lagos on Tuesday at the 2013 Distinguished Management Lecture of the Nigerian Institute of Management (Chartered). The occasion had the theme, ‘The role of the legislature on the economic, infrastructural and ethical revolution in Nigeria’, where he was invited as a guest speaker. He said, “The most compelling reasons for revolution throughout the ages were injustice, crushing poverty, marginalisation, rampant corruption, lawlessness, joblessness, and general disaffection with the ruling elite. You will agree with me that these describe conditions in our nation now, to a very large degree.”

Tambuwal, who was represented by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, said over the years, successive governments made efforts to deal with this menace, but to no avail. “That these conditions exist is well known to all persons in authority but the results of these successive efforts have failed to yield the desired results. This therefore is the justification for the radical change from the present approach to a revolutionary one,” he stressed. continued

Déclaration d'Edward Snowden à Moscou

Lundi 1er Juillet, 21:40 UTC Il y a une semaine j'ai quitté Hong Kong après qu’il est devenu clair que ma liberté et ma sécurité étaient menacées pour avoir révélé la vérité. Ma liberté continue grâce aux efforts des amis anciens et nouveaux, de la famille, et d'autres que je n'ai jamais rencontrés ou que je ne rencontrerais probablement jamais. Je leur ai fait confiance avec ma vie et ils m’ont rendu cette confiance avec une foi en moi à laquelle je serai toujours reconnaissant. Le jeudi, le président Obama a déclaré devant le monde qu'il ne ferait pas de mon cas une « affaire diplomatique. » Mais maintenant il apparaît que, en dépit de cette promesse, le président a ordonné à son vice-président de faire pression sur les dirigeants des nations dont j'ai demandé la protection de refuser mes demandes d'asile. Ce genre de tromperie d'un leader mondial n'est pas de la justice, comme ne l’est pas non plus l’exil extrajudiciaire qui m’est imposé. Ils relèvent des vieilles pratiques sinistres d'agression politique. Leur but est de faire peur, non pas tant à moi qu’à ceux qui pourraient être tentés de suivre le même exemple que moi. Pendant des décennies, les Etats-Unis d'Amérique ont été l'un des plus ardents défenseurs du droit d’asile. Malheureusement, ce droit, énoncé et voté par les Etats-Unis à l'article 14 de la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme, est rejeté par le gouvernement actuel de mon pays. L'administration Obama a

adopté la stratégie consistant à utiliser la citoyenneté comme une arme. Bien que je ne sois reconnu coupable de rien, il a unilatéralement révoqué mon passeport, faisant de moi un apatride. Sans aucune ordonnance judiciaire, l'administration cherche maintenant à interrompre l’exercice de mon droit fondamental. Un droit qui appartient à tout le monde : le droit de demander l'asile. En vérité, l'administration Obama n'a pas peur des lanceurs d’alerte comme moi, Bradley Manning ou Thomas Drake. Nous sommes faits apatrides, emprisonnés, ou impuissants. Non, l'administration Obama a peur de vous. Elle a peur d'un public informé et en colère, exigeant le gouvernement constitutionnel qui lui a été promis - et qui devrait advenir. Je suis inflexible dans mes convictions et impressionné par les efforts déployés par tant de gens. Edward Joseph Snowden Lundi 1er Juillet 2013, source

Pourquoi la NSA espionne aussi votre papa (#oupas)

Les révélations d'Edward Snowden, le "lanceur d'alerte" américain, sur l'ampleur des opérations d'espionnage et de surveillance des télécommunications de la National Security Agency (NSA), ont incité de nombreux journalistes à me demander si cela pouvait aussi concerner des Français. En l'espèce, votre papa, votre maman, vos grands-parents, vos enfants, collègues, amis, tous ceux avec qui vous êtes en contact peuvent effectivement être espionnés, ou l'ont peut-être même déjà été. L'explication figure noir sur blanc dans un rapport top secret de l'inspecteur général de la NSA révélé par le Guardian. Contrairement aux écoutes téléphoniques classiques, ce qui intéresse la NSA, ce n'est pas tant le contenu des télécommunications que leur contenant, ce que l'on appelle des méta-données : qui communique avec qui, quand, d'où, au sujet de quoi, en utilisant quels logiciels, passerelles, fournisseurs d'accès, adresses IP, etc (voir à ce sujet l'excellent et très pédago guide du Guardian, ou encore comment les méta-données d'une photographie a permis de géolocaliser puis d'arrêter John McAfee). L'objectif est en effet de constituer un "graphe social" des personnes et organisations ciblées ("targeted") par la NSA, la CIA et le FBI, en demandant à ses analystes d'effectuer ce qu'elle qualifie de "contact chaining" : « En général, ils analysent les réseaux situés à deux degrés de séparation de la cible. » Autrement dit, la NSA espionne aussi ceux qui communiquent avec ceux qui communiquent avec ceux qui sont espionnés (exemple). La seule limite imposée aux analystes de la NSA est d'"estimer sûr à 51% que l’individu qu’il suit est étranger"... Sont donc espionnables une bonne partie des Américains, et la totalité des non-Américains (cf Qui la NSA peut-elle traquer ? A peu près tout le monde !). Ce qui, en ces temps de Big Data, de fouille sociale de données et (donc) de police prédictive, n'est pas sans inquiéter (voir, à ce sujet, la traduction française du texte de Bruce Schneier : "Ce que nous ne savons pas sur l’espionnage des citoyens est plus effrayant que ce que nous savons" - See more at: http://bugbrother.blog.lemonde.fr/2013/06/30/pourquoi-la-nsa-espionne-aussi-votre-papa-oupas/#sthash.7jH80Blj.dpuf suite

Dixit SNOWDENGATE : EU, “Now, Your Are Talking”

Les Etats-Unis d'Amérique espionnent l'Union européenne. Or, le mandat de négociation de la Commission européenne en vue d'un marché unique avec les Etats-Unis est resté caché pour les citoyens et les parlementaires, au motif du secret des pourparlers. Je demande [...] la publication du mandat européen (…) Je demande que la France accorde l'asile politique à M. Snowden, bienfaiteur de l'Europe qui a permis de démasquer ce complot … Dixit Jean-Luc Mélenchon

Nigeria cattle feud: Villagers killed in Plateau state

Gunmen in central Nigeria have attacked three villages killing at least 28 residents in a feud over cattle, a military spokesman has told the BBC. Capt Salisu Mustapha said the security forces responded, killing 20 gunmen. He said Fulani herdsmen were thought to be behind the attack on the Taroh community in Plateau state after hundreds of their cattle were stolen. Two villages in a nearby Fulani and Hausa community were subsequently burnt and the residents had fled, he said. The BBC's Ishaq Khalid in Jos, the capital of Plateau state, says disputes over cattle and pasture often raise ethnic tensions.

But an attack of such ferocity is unusual in the remote area, which is about 240km (150 miles) south of Jos, he says. A Fulani spokesman in the area denied the military's allegations that the mainly Muslim community was involved in the attack. Sanihu Jauro said that about 1,000 head of cattle had been stolen earlier this week from Fulani herdsmen and repeated complaints to the authorities had failed to elicit help. continued

Nigeria re-files charges against Leadership journalists

Abuja, Nigeria, June 27, 2013--Nigerian authorities should stop the legal harassment of journalists in connection with a critical story about President Goodluck Jonathan's political plans, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. A reporter and editor for the Nigerian daily Leadership, and a representative of the Leadership parent company, were arraigned in court today and charged anew with forgery along with new counts that could put them in prison for life. "These excessive criminal charges are intended to deter critical coverage of the president as elections draw nearer," said Peter Nkanga, CPJ's West Africa consultant. "Authorities should drop these charges immediately." Tony Amokeodo, political editor, and Chibuzor Ukaibe, political reporter, and Omofuma Juliane, a secretary representing Leadership Group Ltd., were charged at the Abuja High Court with forging a presidential memo that described plans to increase gas prices and to sabotage a merger of opposition parties ahead of the 2015 general elections, according to the newspaper. The president's office has denied that the document is authentic and said it was designed to mislead the public and discredit the president, news reports said. Journalists with Leadership have said they believe the document is genuine and are standing by the April 3 story.

Amokeodo and Ukaibe and Leadership Group Ltd. were charged on 11 counts, including forgery, conspiracy to commit a felony, inciting feelings of disaffection against the president, and inducement to commit an offense against public peace, Ugo Udoji, the journalists' lawyer told CPJ. They were granted bail of 500,000 naira (about US$3,165). A court date has been set for July 16, Azubuike Ishiekwene, the managing director of the Leadership group, told CPJ. The journalists could face up to life in prison, according to CPJ's review of the Nigerian penal code. Initial charges that included forgery had been filed against the journalists and Leadership Group Ltd. at the Federal High Court in April, but were dismissed in May after Leadership challenged the court's jurisdiction to hear the case. continued

Oil discovered in Lagos

Nigeria leads the world in number of children contracting HIV

Health experts say government must do more to stop the trend. By Tobore Ovuorie Nigeria has the highest number of children contracting the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV, in the world, the latest report by the United Nations has shown. The report says nearly 60,000 Nigerian children were infected with the virus in 2012, a figure higher than that of any other country in the world, and is a source of worry for experts with one describing it as “alarming.” The report titled “2013 PROGRESS REPORT ON THE GLOBAL PLAN: towards the elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive” is the most recent on the global plan which seeks an elimination of new HIV infections among children by 2015, as well as keep their mothers alive. The programme was launched in July 2011 at the UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). Also, despite the efforts of the federal and state governments to check the spread of HIV, the report shows that the prevalence rate of HIV among Nigerian children has remained relatively stagnant with no significant improvement; while that of several other countries was improving with fewer prevalence rates than before. “In several countries, the pace of decline in the numbers of children newly infected has been slow and the numbers have actually risen in Angola. Nigeria has the largest number of children acquiring HIV infection- nearly 60, 000 in 2012, a number that has remained largely unchanged since 2009,” the report stated. Nigeria affects the world The UN said it is worried about the prevalence rate of HIV among Nigerian children.

The global body warned that if Nigeria doesn’t sit up in curbing HIV in children, the global target, part of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, will not be realised by 2015. “Without urgent action in Nigeria, the global target for 2015 is unlikely to be reached,” the report stated. Also, while Nigeria witnessed stagnancy, since 2009, in the prevalence of HIV among children, several other Sub Saharan African countries, witnessed a massive reduction in the prevalence rate of the condition. Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia all witnessed a 50 per cent decline in new HIV infections in children, while two more countries- the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe- are very close to achieving this target; prompting the UN to warn Nigeria to sit up in the fight against HIV in children. Nigeria’s comparatively poor performance in combating HIV transmission to children also reflected among the 21 countries under the Global Plan watch of the UN. continued

Nigeria Ten Gas-Fired Powered Plants to be Sold

New York, NY, June 26, 2013 - The Nigerian Government confirmed its intention to privatise ten power stations across the country as part of its effort to guarantee an effective and sustainable power supply for the people of Nigeria.  This unique investment opportunity was announced at an Investor Relations Event held at The Sofitel Hotel, New York City. The power stations are located in Abia State (450MW), Edo State (451MW), Cross River State (562MW), Imo State (338MW), Bayelsa State (225MW), Kogi State (434MW), Delta State (451MW), Ogun State (676MW), Rivers State (225MW) and Ondo State (451MW). James Abiodun Olutu, Managing Director and CEO of Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), said: "Eighty per cent of shares in the ten power plants are to be sold to investors providing an opportunity for growth as demand far outstrips current supply." Speaking at the Event, the Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo, said: "This New York event is the last stage of the international investment drive for the divestment of government stakes in the generation assets of the NDPHC. "To provide you some background as to how we got here, two important tools that led to the reforms of the sector, the Nigerian Electric Power Policy (2001) and the subsequent Electric Power

Sector Reform Act 2005 were products of about five years' work by sterling experts in the field of electricity and utility reforms. The Act was a necessary foundation for charting a new course for a sector that had delivered far below the most liberal expectations of Nigerians. "Privatization of all public generation and distribution companies is one of the pillars of the efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) to reform the power sector. The recent privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria successor electricity distribution and generation companies is a testament to the commitment of the FGN to the reform process." He added that this privatisation offered international investors an opportunity to be a part of a great economic revolution comparable to that of the telecommunications sector in Nigeria. continued

Address By H.E. Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings,

Nigerian forces capture Boko-Haram leaders

he captured Boko Haram leaders were not named. The Federal Government troops deployed to Yobe and Borno have captured some notorious leaders of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, and recovered various weapons. Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, Director of Defence Information, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday. In the statement, Mr. Olukolade gave the report of a nine-member Defence Headquarters Operational Assessment Team, sent by the Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Ola Ibrahim, to the two states. Mr. Olukolade said the team visited troop locations in various parts of Borno and Yobe.

“The commanding officer narrated the conduct of the operation to rid the (Sambisa) forest of the insurgents who had made the location their sanctuary,” he said. The spokesman quoted the commanding officer as saying that some notorious leaders of the terrorists had been captured while some materials recovered in their camp had provided useful intelligence for subsequent operations. He did not name the captured Boko Haram leaders. continued

Ghana recorded 9,542 cholera cases with 100 deaths

The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Akwasi Oppong-Ofosu says Ghana recorded a total of 9,542 cholera cases with 100 deaths in the year 2012 due to improper waste management. He was speaking at the launch of the Environmental Sanitation Campaign using the Ghana Student Industrial Attachment Programme under the theme ‘Improved Sanitation: the role of the Students, Media and Stakeholders”. According to the minister, several districts in eight regions including the Greater Accra, Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Western, Volta, Ashanti, Northern and the Uppers East Regions were affected due to bad sanitation. Mr. Oppong-Ofosu says further reports then indicated that most of the affected districts have had regular re-occurring cholera outbreaks due to factors such as poor supplies of potable water, poor household and environmental sanitation and floods leading to contamination of water sources with the associated poor hygiene practices by the population.

He said cholera has become endemic in many parts of the country especially due to lack of basic sanitary practices and lack of public awareness among the populace. The Minister said his Ministry and the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies are doing their outmost best to solve the sanitation problems but the poor attitude of the people towards the environment is seriously militating against all their efforts. continued

Ghana : NPP Woman Shot Dead

INFORMATION REACHING DAILY GUIDE from Drobo in the Jaman South District of the Brong Ahafo Region indicates that a leading figure of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has been shot dead by two unidentified men. Auntie Badu, popularly called ‘Mankind’, a polling station organiser of the NPP at Katakyiekrom, near Drobo, was shot in her breast last Friday night by  yet-to-be identified gangsters. Residents told DAILY GUIDE that the deceased, a drinking bar operator at the outskirt of the town, was murdered in  cold blood when the two unidentified men came to the bar to apparently buy some drinks.

According to reports, the husband, who was then taking his bath, heard some noise at the bar and only came to see his wife lying in a pool of blood. The husband rushed her to the St Mary’s Hospital at Drobo but was quickly referred to the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital in Sunyani.  Unfortunately, she gave up the ghost midway into the journey continued

West Africa: Ministers Finalise Maritime Security Documents

ECCAS, ECOWAS Foreign Ministers and Gulf of Guinea Commission met in Yaounde on Saturday. It took over five hours of intense brainstorming to come up with a reference document on maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea for discussion by Heads of State and Governments of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Yaounde from today June 24 to 25, 2013. The event is the first-ever ECCAS, ECOWAS and Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) summit. Foreign Ministers of the two regions met at the Ministry of External Relations in Yaounde on Saturday June, 22, 2013 under the Chair of Cameroon's Minister of External Relations, Prof. Pierre Moukoko Mbonjo. In his preliminary statement to the press ahead of the in-camera session, Prof. Moukoko Mbonjo said they were going to discuss

what was agreed on March 19, 2013 in Cotonou, Benin in preparation for the current summit. "We just have to go through the documents again before submitting them for approval by Heads of State," he assured. He hinted that work on the documents was smooth and void of any stumbling blocks. On the content of the documents, the Minister said it was not time for details, promising that once adopted, they will be made known. continued

Nigeria: The New Belt of Death

At least 48 people were killed and scores of others were injured when gunmen attacked Kizara village in Tsafe local government area of Zamfara State last Tuesday. Among those killed in the attack were the district head, the chief imam and the leader of the local vigilante group. In what must rank as one of the most atrocious deeds in the annals of Nigerian crime, the gunmen laid siege to the village for a full five hours. Survivors said the gunmen arrived at the village on several dozen motorcycles at about 4am and proceeded to sack it for the next five hours. They fired at the villagers at random, while some groups of the gunmen went from house-to-house looking for vigilante group members that they said had been threatening them for a long time. Some of the gunmen also climbed atop a hill behind the village and shot at people trying to escape the attack. They also repelled a vigilante relief squad that tried to come in to help from neighbouring villages. Eleven of these helpers were killed. The gunmen also set fire to many houses and shops before they fled the village. The attack at Kizara was the deadliest but it was by no means the only one in the series of bandit attacks on villages in Zamfara State over the past two years. In November last year, 20 people were shot dead in a similar attack in Kabaro town. A month earlier, 27 people were killed at Dangulbi, while 15 people died in a similar

attack at Birnin Magaji in February 2012. These were preceded by the August 2011 attack in which 19 died at Lingyado town. In all these episodes the motive appeared to be the same: the gunmen were out to exact revenge from vigilantes that had previously arrested armed robbers terrorizing local traders. The vigilante groups themselves had sprung up in response to the activities of the armed bandits who in recent years have almost grounded rural economies by attacking traders going to or returning from village markets as well as by rustling cattle herds. The inability of the authorities to do much by way of protecting them drove the locals to organise and help themselves, which in turn led to these deadly revenge attacks. continued

APC as Nigeria’s New Dawn

Why I hate Nollywood – Tayo Elesin, British actress

Tayo Elesin is a British-Nigerian actress. She also prefers to be referred to as a “storyteller.”  Famous for her roles in some BBC TV productions including Casualty, Law and Order, Doctor, among others, Tayo has also acted in the critically acclaimed play by late Ola Rotimi ‘Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again’ produced last year by Lookman Sanusi. While in the country recently, she paid a courtesy visit to the Vanguard corporate office, where she spoke passionately about playing the role of younger Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala whenever a biographical film is done about her. She also disclosed  why she hate the name ‘Nollywood’; and how to reposition the Nigerian film industry, among other issues. Enjoy!

Tell  us how you came about the coinage, Brigerian? It’s simple, I’m British and I’m Nigerian. I merged the two words and came up with “Brigerian.” I identify with the two countries. Do you have any intention to work with Nollywood stars? I don’t like the word, Nollywood. I really don’t like it. Why? There are several reasons. One of which is, when I think of the word, Nollywood, quite frankly, it reminds me of a mimicry, if you will, of Hollywood. Now, Hollywood is the home of the  American film industry. It’s actually a location in Los Angeles. I have found nowhere in Lagos or in Nigeria called Nollywood. Except if you are telling me it’s located in the Mushin or Ikorodu area of Lagos.  But I’m yet to see  such a place in Nigeria. continued

Ghana’s active population drops

The proportion of economically-active persons in Ghana has been declining since 1984, a new report by Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has said. From 82.5 percent in 1984, the number of economically-active persons reduced to 74.7 percent in 2000 and 71.1 in 2010. About 70 percent of Ghana’s population, aged 15 and above, were economically-active whereas 28.9 percent were economically-inactive. The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) said about 51.2 percent of the economically-active population were found in the urban areas which meant that in 2010 there were more people living in urban areas than in rural areas. “In all the regions except Greater Accra and Ashanti, the proportion of economically active population in rural areas was higher than the proportion in urban areas,” it said. The report further noted that the high urban proportions of economically active populations were in Greater Accra and Ashanti since the two prime cities were relatively more attractive in terms of economic opportunities.

The proportion of the economically-active population in rural areas in the Northern, Upper West and Upper East regions was lower than those in the urban areas which reflected the rural character of the three regions. Furthermore, it said the proportion of economically active males were slightly higher than those of females in 2010. However, the status of inactive population such as home makers decreased from 68.3 percent in 1960 to 21.6 percent in 2010, adding that the proportion of female home makers decreased from 84.6 percent in 1960 to 28.8 percent in 2010. continued

Pour Rawlings, les Politiciens Corrompus Doivent Rendre Gorge

ABUJA - L'ancien président du Ghana, le Lt. d’aviation Jerry Rawlings, a déclaré lundi que si le Nigeria et d'autres Etats d'Afrique suivaient le droit chemin en renforçant la démocratie, les politiciens corrompus ne se la couleraient pas douce. Selon Rawlings, le Nigeria ne doit pas continuer à promettre du bout des lèvres l’éradication de la corruption, sachant que les pauvres et les petits délinquants sont emprisonnés, là où les hommes d'affaires fraudent le fisc en millions de dollars, et les politiciens détournent les deniers publics en toute impunité. S'exprimant hier lors d'une conférence sur le thème : « Démocraties naissantes en Afrique  : Défis et perspectives », organisée par l'Institut national d'études législatives à Abuja, Rawlings a déclaré: « Nous ne pouvons pas continuer à promettre du bout des lèvres la consolidation, la gestion autonome et l’indépendance de nos multiples institutions anticorruption ». «Nous vivons dans des pays pauvres où depuis toujours les petits voleurs écopent de peines d’emprisonnement, tandis que les hommes d'affaires qui soustraient des millions de dollars au fisc ou un homme politique qui détourne le denier public sont impunis. «Ces inégalités sont parmi les causes de la régression de nos démocraties, et nous ne pouvons nous permettre de laisser ces travers perdurer. Une démocratie qui ne peut pas rendre justice sur le plan socio-économique ne peut pas être une démocratie saine et restera vulnérable et fragile ». L’ancien Président ghanéen a souligné que le principal défi pour les démocraties naissantes en Afrique est l'échec de la démocratie occidentale à reconnaître ses défauts intrinsèques et à encourager un système de démocratie dynamique autochtone et imprégné des traits socioculturels des États africains.

Notant qu’une pratique inapte à créer un climat susceptible de corriger les maux économiques et enrayer la corruption, ne saurait se prévaloir d’être démocratique, M. Rawlings a ajouté qu'une démocratie incapable de sanctuariser son processus électoral se livre de fait à un coup d'État électoral frauduleux. Selon lui, tout aussi dommageable est la malheureuse pratique d’achat de conscience des électeurs. « Les institutions démocratiques à travers le continent sont mal outillées pour offrir le meilleur soutien aux gouvernements. En tant qu'institution de renforcement des capacités consacrée aux recherches, au conseil,  à la formation et à la sensibilisation des élus, votre organisation est dans une position unique pour conduire l'autonomisation de nos sénateurs et parlementaires vers un meilleur service des intérêts de leurs électeurs, a dit Rawlings. amené et traduit par Binason Avèkes from

Corrupt politicians must pay for their sins – Rawlings

Être citoyen du monde : horizon ou abîme du politique ?

Nigeria: An Airplane On the Road!

Again, the nation's aviation ministry is in the news for the wrong reasons. A disused plane with registration number N972TF formerly owned by the late Apostle Gabriel Oduyemi of Bethel Ministries, Ajah, Lagos, was on Thursday last week abandoned at a filling station located in Igando, a suburb of Lagos. Reports said that the plane was being towed from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) to Badagry before it had a burst tyre, which forced those towing it to abandon it. Not surprisingly, this incident caused panic among the residents who thought that the plane had crash- landed. It is not out of place to ask: why was that scrap plane towed at that unholy hour? Is it the practice within the aviation industry for scrap planes to share the same road with cars? Why was the disused plane not dismembered before it was taken to its new abode? With the size of that aircraft, would it not have caused traffic logjam, given the nature of traffic on Lagos roads, irrespective of the time of night it was being towed? Did those who were towing the disused aircraft obtain clearance from the appropriate authorities before embarking on the trip? There is an urgent need for the Lagos State government to investigate this development and prosecute any person or group of persons who might have violated the law. Law enforcement agents should no longer continue to fold their hands and watch a few

individuals and organisations flout laid-down rules and procedures with impunity. The nation is being ridiculed in the eyes of the civilised world. The explanation by the authorities of the Nigerian Airspace Management Authority (NAMA) that the scrap plane was until last Wednesday within its facility is not tenable. Both NAMA and the person or persons the scrap plane was released to ought to have known the best practices the world over. Nigeria cannot be an exception. NAMA cannot claim ignorance of what the rule books stipulate on an issue like this. Not long ago, its officials had cause to ground planes conveying state governors on the excuse that the pilots of those aircraft failed to meet operational guidelines. Why did the same NAMA authorise the towing of a disused plane from its facility even when it was aware of the associated hazards? continued

Ghana to get first Saint

Ghana is on the way to getting its first Saint in the Catholic Church. The Church, with the endorsement of the Vatican, has started processes for the beatification of Ghanaian Cardinal Peter Porekuu Dery, who died 15 years ago. The beatification will then pave the way for his canonisation into Sainthood, thus eventually becoming Ghana’s first Catholic Saint. Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name. It is the third of the four steps in the canonisation process. A person who is beatified is given the title "Blessed". Cardinal Peter Porekuu Dery will thus be referred to as the "Blessed Dery" after his beatification.

The beatification process was announced by Ghana’s Vice President, Mr. Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, who was the Guest of honour at the launch of the Cardinal Dery Foundation in Tamale on Saturday June 15, 2013. The Foundation aims to promote the legacy of the second Catholic Cardinal of Ghana who was also the first and only Cardinal from the Northern part of Ghana continued

Rawlings à Abuja pour une conférence sur les démocraties émergentes

L’Ex-président du Ghana, le lieutenant d’aviation John Rawlings, a quitté Accra dimanche pour Abuja, au Nigeria, répondant à l’invitation à une conférence internationale sur les démocraties émergentes en Afrique, qui aura lieu les 17 Jet 18 juin Le Président Rawlings prononcera le discours d'ouverture de la conférence au Transcorp Hilton, à Abuja lundi sur le sujet : les démocraties naissantes en Afrique : Défis et opportunités. La conférence, qui est organisée par l'Institut national d’études législatives du Nigéria et l'Association des parlementaires européens pour l'Afrique (AWEPA), réunira des hommes d'Etat, des parlementaires, la société civile, les universitaires, les partenaires au développement et des acteurs essentiels pour explorer les différentes dimensions, les menaces et les défis ainsi que les opportunités qui confrontent les démocraties émergentes. La conférence explorera le contexte environnemental, socio-économique et politique des démocraties émergentes et identifiera les défis et opportunités pour le renforcement des institutions et des pratiques démocratiques. Elle permettra également d'évaluer le rôle et les faiblesses des institutions et des acteurs dans le processus démocratique des démocraties émergentes et comment ces faiblesses peuvent être

abordées. L'Institut national d'études législatives est un organe de l'Assemblée nationale du Nigéria créé par une loi du Parlement promulguée par le président Goodluck Jonathan en 2011 pour assurer la prestation de qualité dans la recherche académique et professionnelle, l'analyse des politiques, la formation, la documentation et l’action pour une gouvernance, des pratiques législatives et les procédures démocratiques pour les membres du Parlement. L'Association des parlementaires européens pour l'Afrique (AWEPA) est une organisation internationale non gouvernementale fondée par les parlementaires européens et qui vise à réduire la pauvreté et à protéger les droits humains en soutenant le bon fonctionnement des parlements en Afrique et assurant une visibilité politique à l’Afrique en Europe. amené et Trad. par Binason Avèkes

Nigeria’s Growth Tied To Moral Re-birth

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, and the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor Friday decried the erosion of moral values in the society and called for moral transformation to restore the country on the path of development. They spoke at the flag-off of the National Christian Campaign on Social Transformation in Abuja, with the theme, “I Be the Change You Want to See.” Jonathan noted that the entire society had failed, adding that the result could be seen in incidences of kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism and ritual killing among others. Urging Nigerians to return to God, the president said: “It would appear we have the society we deserve. In deed, we have lost moral values and principles; we have lost the values of hard work, respect for elders, truthfulness and contentment. So much has gone wrong in our family life, schools, churches and the society in general. Our priorities are misplaced.” Represented by the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amma Pepple, the president said that a great responsibility is placed on the church to lead the campaign to

restore our values and morals in order to bring about the much-needed transformation in the society. He described the campaign as the spiritual arm of government’s Transformation Agenda. In his sermon, CAN President, Oritsejafor called for a new Nigeria where people are no longer judged by their tribe or religion and a Nigeria where mediocrity is exposed and hard work is rewarded. He stated that the amalgamation of Nigeria in 1914 was not by mistake, adding that God is behind the idea of the country called Nigeria. continued

Nigeria: Is Goodluck Still Sitting Comfortably?

analysis After heavily disputed elections at the Nigeria Governors' Forum in May, divisions are growing within President Jonathan's party. On Friday 24 May, governors from 35 of Nigeria's 36 states met in Abuja to elect the new chairman of the Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF). Incumbent chairman and governor of oil-rich Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, defeated the president's preferred candidate, Jonah Jang, by 19 votes to 16. The result has left the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) in disarray: Amaechi has subsequently been suspended by the party, some have belatedly declared Jang the rightful winner. Both men presently claim to be chairman of the forum. Hudu Abdullahi, a senior lecturer in political science at Ahmadu Bello University, told Think Africa Press: "The political situation that is following the NGF elections is rooted in the ambition of Jonathan to stand again in 2015." With PDP fractures visibly deepening, many have argued that this is the clearest sign yet that Goodluck Jonathan's ability to unite the party is fading. With the 2015 election looming ever closer, is Jonathan losing his grip on power? Preventing Democratic Pressures Ever since its establishment in 1999, the National Governors' Forum has been a PDP stronghold. It has been chaired by five different men, all from the ruling PDP: Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa Sate (1999-2004), Victor Attah, the former governor of Akwa Ibom State(2004-2006), Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State (2006-2007), Bukola Saraki of Kwara state (2007-2011) and most recently Amaechi from 2011-2013.

Although it is not formally enshrined in the Constitution, the forum has played an influential role in Nigerian politics - most recently in the removal and partial reinstatement of the fuel subsidy in January 2012. And the author Michael Nnebe last week warned against underestimating the NGF: "To think that the NGF is not powerful would be a costly mistake. As powerful as Obasanjo appeared to be while in office, he had to get the approval of governors forum before he could successfully present Yar'Adua's name at the PDP primaries in 2007." However, under the stewardship of Amaechi things have changed. A move towards a more independent stance has not been well received. The presidency and pro-government political observers have accused the NGF of strong-arming the political centre on various national issues and transforming itself in a pressure group, whose authority rivals the executive. continued

Ghana : Supreme Court Justices Must Remain Fair And Firm

The Coalition of Ghanaian Voters wishes to urge the Justices of the Supreme Court to remain fair and firm in dispensing their duty to mother Ghana. We believe that the Justices are mindful of the fact that justice emanates from the people and shall be administered in the name of the Republic by the Judiciary which shall be independent and subject only to the Constitution. Our call is in response to the overt and covert efforts being made by supporters and sympathizers of petitioners to impugn the integrity of the court. Clearly, surrogates of the petitioners including the Let My Vote Count Coalition have again confirmed our suspicion of a plot to pressure the court to act in a certain way. We find it rather pretentious that a group which is in support of an unjustified effort to annul the votes of 4.6 million Ghanaian citizens, who have done no wrong, will purport to reflect the interest of those same citizens.

It is becoming obvious that an effort is in place to discredit the court and to promote a violent rejection of a verdict that goes against the petitioners. We are therefore not surprised that Let My Vote Count is invoking the Kenyan conflict after that country’s 2007 election as part of its effort to intimidate the Justices of the Court. The trend is clear and most Ghanaians remember the inciting statements made at events arranged by Let My Vote Count. Unlike Let My Vote Count, we believe that Ghana will remain peaceful, stable and united regardless of the outcome of the petition hearing.  … continued

Group Wants Speedy Trail Of Election Petition

Leadership of the Let My Vote Count Alliance (LMVCA), a group of young men from various political parties in country have expressed grave concern about the continuous delay in the ongoing election petition before the Supreme Court. They claimed lawyers for the respondents in the case were deliberately pushing for what they referred to as ‘technicalities card’ to delay the entire process. “Our genuine fear that the new strategy chosen by the respondents in the full glare of the public stands a very strong evil chance of sacrificing justice and therefore the pillars upon which our peace has been delicately built,” spokesman for the group David Asante, stated at a press conference in Accra yesterday. This strategy, according to him, was intended to “reduce this important election petition to be determined not by the substance of the thousands of evidence which the petitioners (Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey) have brought for adjudication but the form by which those exhibits of evidence were filed and or served on the respondents”. “And this is what we believe is a dangerous precedent to be insisting on in this crucial case of our lifetime,” he emphasized.

Frustration Apart from that, the leadership of the LMVCA said “what even worries us most is the appearance of the blessing of the court even as the respondents pursue this agenda of theirs” insisting that “the court has given the respondents too much room with which they are beginning to stifle the entire process.” In view of this, they said “it is very frustrating even for those of us watching the proceedings on TV as the respondents hold the judges of the highest court and 25million Ghanaians to ransom as they insist on not disclosing the quantity of pink sheets served them by bailiffs from the registry and yet will not allow their witnesses to answer questions on pink sheets they claim have not been served.”    … continued

Le Vent du FMI a Soufflé et Nous Avons Vu l’Anus du Poulet Bénin

PERSPECTIVES ÉCONOMIQUES RÉGIONALES : AFRIQUE SUBSAHARIENNE

Bénin

Nigeria: UNIUYO Shut as Four Students Die in Protest

Uyo — THE University of Uyo in Akwa Ibom State was, Wednesday, closed down indefinitely as four students were reportedly killed during violent encounter with the Police. The students it was revealed had embarked on peaceful protest on the campus over the introduction of a new fare regime for the engineering and science students from the town campus to permanent site when the police arrived and allegedly opened fire that claimed lives of the students.. Following the killing of the students, some buildings on the town campus were burnt down last night. These included the office of the Vice Chancellor and that of the Registrar. The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Comfort Ekpo, was said to have travelled to Abuja on official engagement when the incident occurred. Some Principal Officers of the University were reported to have .

been rescued from their hideouts through the use of ambulance escorted by the Peace on Campus Initiative of the University. When Vanguard visited the university, students were seen rushing out from the campus with their bags and valuable items as they were ordered to vacate their hostels immediately. Sources said trouble escalated when the students broke the rule to move their protest outside the school premises. They reportedly met a stiff resistance from security operatives at the Ikot Ekpene-Ikpa road round about continued

There Will Be a Country: Introducing Nigerians For Change

For several years, I have pondered on the reasons for inability of Nigeria to actualise its great potential and join the community of developed nations. About four years ago the idea of Nigerians for Change first occurred to me as I continued to watch the insidious effect of corruption, ineffectual leadership, religious intolerance, toxic ethnic nationalism and prejudice and the general attitude of Nigerians to the rule of law, impunity and criminality. I came to the conclusion that what Nigerian needs to survive as a viable country, is for its enlightened, honest and tolerant minds to come together in a none ethnic and none religious political organisation, with the single purpose to fashion out a new strategy to enable civil and democratic values take root in the country by transforming the quality of governance through good leadership and promoting enlightenment. The challenge now, is how to transform this theoretical solution to the Nigerian quagmire, into reality by finding effective strategies to deal with the usual monsters on the road to progress. In the intervening period, I have taken time to research the various problems of Nigeria, and pondered on several solutions. I have also talked to different Nigerians, debated the causes of the problems and solutions and formed an independent view of what Nigerians need to do to begin the recovery the country desperately needs, break the hold corruption ethnicity and religion have on the minds of the people and enable them embrace reason and knowledge; in the way and manner they are embraced in developed countries which has helped their progress. I have also realised that there are many types of Nigerians, those who are benefiting from the status quo, those who are waiting for their opportunity to loot, those who would like change but not prepared to risk anything because they are comfortable in their exiled countries, they will pledge everything but their time and commitment and a small patriotic, honest and committed Nigerians who will work for change if they are convinced that the strategy is credible and would be effective. It is for this last group of Nigerians that I write. On December 21 2011, I sent the mail below to a number of Nigerians who at that time left me with the impression that they are as concerned as I am, about the state of Nigeria. A few of them responded and made useful comments which I have followed up.