The Nigerian Senate has confirmed the appointment of Abike Dabiri-Erewa as the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian citizens in Diaspora Commission. The letter seeking confirmation of her appointment was sent to the Senate in November 2018. Ms Dabiri-Erewa, currently the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, has now become the first head of the Commission. …
Read More »German rides motorbike from Hannover to Accra
A 50-year-old German, Robert Mionskowski, has done what many would hold for a crazy adventure. He rode his BMW motorbike from the German city of Hannover to Accra – a daredevil mission that took him three weeks. Mionskowski undertook the unusual trip to visit his son who is volunteering in Volta Region’s Vakpo. “Riding a motorbike gives me a sense …
Read More »Communiqué of the 2nd Nigerian Global Diaspora Conference April 2019, Almere, Netherlands
Introduction The 2nd Nigerian Global Diaspora Conference held at the Royal Event Centre, Almere, Netherlands, from Thursday 24 to Saturday 27 April 2019 under the theme “Mobilizing Diaspora Human Capital & Providing Policy Framework for a United Homeland Engagement-Post Diaspora Commission”. The event, a follow-up to the Nigerian Diaspora Global Development Conference held in London in July 2018, sought to …
Read More »AU to unveil African Passport for continental free movement
The African Union (AU) will unveil a unique African passport in February, lifting travel barriers and fulfilling an important part of the organization’s cherished pan-African ambitions – free movement of its peoples. AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat is confident that the African passport move will succeed. He said that details about implementation will be announced at the 32nd summit …
Read More »Gambia begins probe of Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year era
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in Gambia started hearing testimonies from witnesses on Monday, as it set about investigating rights violations committed by the regime of Yahya Jammeh. Modelled on South Africa’s investigation into its apartheid era, the commission will hold hearings into Jammeh’s 22-year era of oppression which ended in 2016 after he was forced from power. …
Read More »Rwanda enforces ban on skin lightening products countrywide
The Rwandan government has begun enforcing a ban on cosmetics products used for lightening or “bleaching” skin. The creams are being removed from shelves across the country as the government cracks down on the sale of the harmful cosmetic product. Many observers however fear that the ban in Rwanda may encourage women to buy unregulated products which could put their …
Read More »Nigeria’s 2019 Presidential Election: 5 Things You Should Know
Nigeria will vote on 16 February in the country’s fifth presidential election since the restoration of democracy in 1999. Olalekan Waheed Adigun, the author of the fast-selling book Witnessing The Change, analyses the factors that will decide the crucial election, mainly a battle between incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling APC and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of the main …
Read More »Coup against President Ali Bongo of Gabon fails
Gabon’s government has announced that a group of soldiers who seized the national radio station in an apparent coup attempt early on Monday have been arrested. The “situation is under control”, government spokesman Guy-Bertrand Mapangou told Radio France Internationale (RFI), just hours after the soldiers announced they were “restoring democracy” in a message on state radio. Four of the five …
Read More »Pan-Africanists gathered in Accra demand continental unity
Participants from different African countries and the diaspora gathered in Accra between 8-13 December to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first All-African People’s Conference (AAPC). The event marks the 1958 congress, which also took place in Accra and that brought together freedom fighters from all over Africa, including independent and colonised states, to strategise on how to free the …
Read More »Nigeria 2019: Vice-Presidential Candidates to Debate Today
The electioneering campaign for Nigeria’s next general polls hots up as the vice-presidential candidates of the leading five parties square up in a televised debate today (Friday, 14 December) at 7 pm. Those to participate at the debate, organized by the Nigeria Elections Debate Group and the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, are Prof Yemi Osinbajo of the ruling APC, Peter Obi …
Read More »Switzerland lifts targeted sanctions against Eritrea
Following a recent United Nations Security Council resolution, the Swiss government has decided to lift targeted sanctions against Eritrea. The sanctions – that include an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes – were repealed on Friday, said a government statement. The UN Security Council had imposed the sanctions in December 2009 after Eritrea was suspected of supporting armed groups …
Read More »46 opposition parties adopt common candidate for Nigeria’s presidential election
Less than three months to Nigeria’s next presidential election, a coalition of opposition parties have adopted a common candidate for what analysts say will be a tough poll. The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has announced its selection of the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as its candidate in the 2019 presidential election. By this decision, the CUPP …
Read More »Pan-Africanists gather in Accra to discuss strategies for continental unity
Pan-Africanists from all over the world will gather in Accra, the capital city of Ghana, from 8-13 December to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first All-African People’s Conference (AAPC). The event marks the 1958 congress, which also took place in Accra and that brought together freedom fighters from all over Africa, including independent and colonised states, to strategise on …
Read More »“I am real, not a clone,” President Buhari tells Nigerians in Poland
President Muhammadu Buhari has finally reacted to reports that he had been cloned. While addressing Nigerians in the Polish city of Krakow on Saturday, the Nigerian leader said some people had wished him dead when he was sick for many months. Responding to a question from a Nigerian resident in the country who wanted to know if he was real …
Read More »Buhari, Atiku unveil plans for Nigeria as election campaign season begins
Nigeria’s campaign season was officially flagged off on Sunday by the country’s election commission and the two leading candidates for the presidential polls wasted no time to present their plans to the electorate. President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday asked Nigerians to re-elect him in 2019, primarily to keep fighting the corruption war his administration started in 2015. He also stated …
Read More »New report shows use of modern contraception on the rise in Nigeria
Over 2 million Unintended Pregnancies & 735,000 Unsafe Abortions Prevented Since July 2017 A groundbreaking international report released today (12 November) shows over 1.7 million additional users of modern contraception in Nigeria since 2012, as the government works to expand family planning services. The report shows modern methods of contraception have prevented over 2 million unintended pregnancies and 735,000 unsafe …
Read More »Nigeria: Dabiri-Erewa appointed first head of National Diaspora Commission
President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Abike Dabiri-Erewa as the first chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). Ms Dabiri-Erewa, who is currently the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, was a member of the House of Representatives representing Ikorodu Federal Constituency in Lagos from 2003-2015. Nigeria Senate president, Bukola Saraki, …
Read More »Ibrahim Index names Africa’s best and worst governed countries
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation has released its annual assessment of the quality of governance in African countries. The 2018 Ibrahim Index names Mauritius as the best-governed and Somalia the worst-governed among the 54 countries in the continent. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) ), which was launched in 2007, is generated by measuring Safety & Rule of Law, Participation …
Read More »Nigeria 2019: UK-based Prince Sylvester Dugbo goes for Delta House of Assembly
Nigerians in the Diaspora are very concerned with the situation of their home country which is why it’s always the main topic whenever they gather. The time of talking seems to be nearing its end as some are now venturing into the political terrain at home to make their impact felt. One of the Diaspora Nigerians contesting at the country’s …
Read More »Organisation calls for regulation of second-hand tyres in Africa to reduce road accidents
A newly launched advocacy organisation Part Worn Africa is calling for governments and regulatory bodies across the African continent to develop and enforce stronger regulations governing the sale of part-worn and second-hand tyres. Part Worn Africa will advocate that part-worn and second tyres be universally and stringently regulated according to rigorous standards and specifications in the same vein as those …
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