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Jacob Zuma hails Burkina Faso as “hope for Africa’s liberation

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Arrests, Assaults, and Fear Mark Cameroon’s Post-Election Crisis

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Soyinka’s U.S. Visa Cancelled After Calling Trump “White Idi Amin”

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Streets Reject Biya’s “Victory” Amid Western Media Whitewash

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“I Am the Legitimate President,” Tchiroma Tells the Nation, Rejects PM Offer

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As part of cost cutting measures in government spending, Nigeria has banned the procurement and distribution of bags, T-shirts and other souvenirs at events such as conferences and seminars funded by the federal government.

President Buhari is reported to have approved the ban following recommendations from the Efficiency Unit, the state run News Agency of Nigeria reports.

“The directive which is a recognition of the fact that in a period of lean financial resources unnecessary expenditure on overheads such as souvenirs are luxuries that the government must eliminate,’‘ a statement from the government read.

The statement was released on Sunday in the administrative capital Abuja by Director of Information of the Federal Ministry of Finance, Salisu Dambatta. The decision has subsequently been forwarded by the Chief of Staff to the relevant quarters for subsequent implementation.

President Buhari set up the Efficiency Unit to review all federal government expenditures to reduce wastage, promote efficiency and ensure savings for Africa’s most populous country.

The directive issued guidelines in relation to printing of invitation cards, programme of events, brochures, folders and note pads. Among others, they should be in black and white and limited to a page and the printing of materials with short shelf life which have no real value to the concerned public institutions or the citizens have also been banned, the directive added.

African News

Details: Rita Akana; 01.Aug.2016; Hits: 1537

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Amadou Vamoulke, the former General Manager of the state media house-Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV has joined Mendo Ze at the Yaounde Kondengui Prison . He was arrested last Friday July 29th by a special security force (GSO) from his residence and whisked off to Kondengui Amadou Vamoulke before being sacked has been a constant visitor at the Special Criminal Tribunal where he has often been quizzed on the management of funds allocated to that media outfit.

He was barred from traveling to China and reportedly his papers were seized. Allegations are rife at that he will surely meet Gervais Mendo Ze currently in detention over management errors. Amadou Vamoulke, it should be noted has been at the helm of Cameroon Radio Television for over ten years now.

Details: Rita Akana; 01.Aug.2016; Hits: 1908

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The chairman of Cameroon's main opposition party, John Fru Ndi, said Saturday youths calling for his replacement as a potential SDF presidential candidate for the 2018 poll are "irresponsible."

Fru Ndi told supporters at a national conventional in the opposition stronghold of Bamenda that youths keep chanting "Youths Must Grow," in a bid to see him steer clear of his party's much-needed leadership, according to Bamenda-based journalists who covered the event.

Journalist, Kiven Brenda, reports that SDF Vice Chairman, Joshua Osih, "refuted claims that he has been endorsed by SDF as a presidential candidate."

In recent months, tensions have been brewing within the party as youths repeatedly called on the endorsement of Osih who is perceived in some media reports as the most favorite candidate who could replace an "aging" Fru Ndi.

Although Fru Ndi, 75, still wields support especially at grassroots level, his nationwide support has been weakening ever since the charismatic leader was cheated at the October 1992 presidential poll, citing media reports.

Observers have criticized Fru Ndi for his 26-year grip as party chairman. "How can he accuse Paul Biya of his 34-year rule meanwhile he practices the same thing in his party," Kum Gerald asked.

According to the SDF party rules, only a national convention of delegates can elect a presidential candidate. So far, it is unclear who will run for president, although it is inkling that Fru Ndi will hang on for the 2018 poll.

*** I am only a freethinker and a solution-oriented critic.

Details: Tapang Ivo; 01.Aug.2016; Hits: 2141

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Gabonese-American protesters marched from the White House to the US State Department calling for an end to corruption and autocratic rule in Gabon and for increased US support to make sure that the West African country’s upcoming presidential elections are transparent, free, and fair. The protesters join the recent call by a bi-partisan group of concerned Congressional leaders – including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman and Ranking Member, Reps. Edward R. Royce, (R-CA) and Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights & International Organizations, Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) – who introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives “[u]rging the Government of Gabon to respect democratic principles during the August 2016 presidential elections.”

In their resolution, the Congressional leaders warned that “there is concern for misconduct in the upcoming elections, including the mishandling of voter registration, creating barriers to election day polling, and the integrity of the election results,” and called on the Ali Bongo Ondimba Government to “hold orderly, peaceful, free, and fair presidential elections in August 2016 in order to ensure stability and long-term growth of Gabon.

For the full text of the resolution, click here

There is great cause for concern that without public US scrutiny of the upcoming elections, many of the irregularities and stifling of the opposition from the 2009 presidential elections will be repeated. According to the Resolution, the “hastily organized” 2009 elections, following the death of President Ondimba’s father who had ruled Gabon for more than 40 years, “were plagued with instances of destructive demonstrations, human rights abuses, irregularities of voter registration lists, improperly guarded polls, unfair censorship of news coverage, and post-election violence.” To ensure that the August 27, 2016 presidential elections are conducted fairly, the Congressmen called on the “United States and other international partners, especially electoral focused nongovernmental organizations, to help create an environment which facilitates open communication, guarantees free and fair elections, encourages voter participation, and fosters a robust civil society.”

“What is asked of us for the 2016 elections isn’t simply to choose one president over another, but to create a new Gabon – a country that is stable and shared, a Gabon for All,” said Dr. Jean Ping, a former Gabonese diplomat, President of the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly, and Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, who will challenge current President Ali Bongo Ondimba in the upcoming elections.

According to the US State Department, Gabon “is a key player in conflict resolution in the Central African region” and the US “share[s] a commitment to diversify and strengthen Gabon's economy, expand bilateral trade, ensure security in the Gulf of Guinea, and combat trafficking.” While Gabon’s constitution calls for a multiparty system, it was amended in 2003 to remove presidential term limits, potentially allowing President Ondimba to continue his family’s more than half century rule over the country.

Details: Calvin Dark; 01.Aug.2016; Hits: 1639

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The United Nations says it is suspending humanitarian assistance missions to Nigeria's Borno state pending a security review, after an aid convoy was ambushed by unidentified attackers Thursday in northern Nigeria.

The U.N. children's agency, UNICEF, says an employee and a contractor were injured in the attack and are being treated at a local hospital. It did not elaborate.

The convoy was in Borno state, carrying humanitarian aid from the town of Bama to Maiduguri, in the heart of the area where the militant group Boko Haram operates. In a statement, UNICEF says the assistance was "desperately needed."

"This was not only an attack on humanitarian workers. It is an attack on people who most need the assistance and aid that these workers were bringing," the statement continued.

The charity Doctors Without Borders warned this week that more than 500,000 people in Borno state urgently need emergency assistance.

It said 15,000 people in the town of Banki have been isolated by Boko Haram violence and depend entirely on humanitarian aid. A Doctors Without Borders representative said most Banki residents have been in hiding for more than a year because of Boko Haram violence.

Months of food shortages have resulted in a catastrophic health situation, with very high levels of malnutrition, particularly among small children.

VOA

Details: Rita Akana; 29.Jul.2016; Hits: 1683

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A Nigerian journalist in the north east reports that schools that were closed as a result of the incessant attacks by insurgent group Boko Haram have reopened.

Femi Owolabi who is currently in Chibok, in Borno state, posted pictures of children heading to school, an ongoing class session and other pictures showing pupils and students on a school compound.

But one striking picture shows a stringent search conducted on pupils as they filed into the school premises.

He reserved praise for the Nigerian Army Command in Chibok who he said had continually assured them of ‘‘maximum protection and security for our children.’‘

He however bemoaned the fallen standards that have resulted over the years that some pupils had to stay without any education. “Some of them cannot even write their names correctly again,” one of the teachers told me.

“They’ve been out of school for years, and most of them have been on the farm with their parents,” he added.

African News

Details: Rita Akana; 29.Jul.2016; Hits: 1251

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