News

Ghanaians are expected to turn out in their millions to elect a new president, or retain the incumbent, and vote for the country’s parliament on Monday, 7 December.  President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), who is seeking another four year term in office, will face former president John Dramani Mahama, candidate of the main opposition …

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has been unveiled as the recipient of its 2020 African of the Year Award.  The former Nigerian finance minister was ceremoniously awarded during a special broadcast on CNBC Africa on Monday night. This year marks the 3rd annual instalment of the African of the Year Award, an honorary category of the …

Austrian professional footballer David Olatokunbo Alaba has been appointed by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari as a Clean Nigeria Campaign Ambassador. Alaba, who plays for German club Bayern Munich and the Austria national team, was appointed to support the country’s efforts towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Number 6, aimed at providing clean water and sanitation …

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim as the new Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), a statement signed by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), announced on Tuesday. She succeeds Mrs Julie Okah-Donli, who was obviously sacked as her tenure had not yet expired.   Sulaiman-Ibrahim, a …

Johannesburg, South Africa. 30 November 2020 — On the backdrop of increased fighting across Mozambique’s North between government forces and ISIL-linked terrorist groups, coupled with continued insurgency throughout Lake Chad and West Africa’s Sahel, a recent multinational study indicates that Africa’s youth sees terrorism as one of the biggest threats facing the future of the continent. Over seven in ten …

US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday formally appointed Nigerian-born Adewale ‘Wally’ Adeyemo as the Deputy Treasury Secretary, which is the description of the country’s deputy finance minister. The appointment came as part of Biden’s unveiling of his economic team, where he highlighted the historic nature of some of his nominations. Adeyemo (39), who served the US government under President Barack …

From next year, unemployed people and families are to benefit from newly approved social laws by the Bundesrat.  —– The Bundesrat, Germany’s upper house of parliament, approved a series of Social Laws on Friday which will see an increase in benefits for unemployed people and families as from next year. The Bundestag, the lower house, had already passed the laws …

On 24 November 2020, the European Court of Human Rights published a Chamber judgement in the case Unuane v. the United Kingdom (no. 80343/17) concerning the applicant’s deportation to Nigeria, following a criminal conviction, forcing him to leave his partner and three children in the United Kingdom. The Chamber held that there had been a violation of Article 8 (right to respect for private …

The Argentine football legend, Diego Armando Maradona, died aged 60 on Wednesday, after a life that showcased the good, the bad and the ugly of the human condition. But he will mostly be remembered for his footballing exploits which transcended the sport. Our Contributing Editor, Michael Nnaji, looks back on his life. My first recollections of Diego Maradona were during …

Roch Kabore the incumbent President of Burkina Faso, has  won the election with 57.87 per cent of votes, according to the election body Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday. Having won more than 50 per cent of the total ballots cast, Kabore has secured enough votes to avoid a second round. In a message posted on his social media platforms …

Argentine football legend Diego Maradona has passed away at the age of 60 after suffering a cardiac arrest, according to multiple reports. He had a heart attack at his home just two weeks after leaving hospital where he underwent brain surgery. Days after celebrating his 60th birthday, the Gimnasia coach had been hospitalised after complaining of low spirits and fatigue …

The European Commission is seeking to better integrate migrants and Europeans with migrant backgrounds into larger society. The Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, unveiled its action plan on Integration and Inclusion for the period 2021-2027 on Tuesday (24 November). The plan aims to promote inclusion for all, “recognising the important contribution of migrants to the EU and …

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. It is the day set aside annually by the United Nations to raise global awareness of the fact that women around the world are subject to rape, domestic violence and other forms of violence and to highlight that the scale and true nature of the issue is often …

The Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, NIDO, on Monday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to include its representatives on the board of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, in accordance with the act establishing the commission. The Chairman of NIDO Europe, Dr Bashir Olalekan Obasekola, made the call during a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria from his base …

Confederation of African Football (CAF) president, Ahmad Ahmad, has been banned for five years by FIFA for breaching various codes of ethics, according to a statement released by the global football body’s ethics committee on Monday. The 60-year-old, who is also a vice-president of FIFA, was found guilty of breaching four separate articles of the organization’s ethics code, including abuse …

After several months of flight suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic, German Lufthansa, Air France and the Royal KLM will be offering flights to Lagos and Abuja again starting on 7 December.  Since the beginning of the global health crisis, no airline has operated direct flights between Nigeria and the European Union, as the Nigerian government had imposed a reciprocal …

The Nigeria government has threatened to sanction CNN over its recent report on the shooting of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers in Lagos on 20 October. The country’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, described the report as “irresponsible journalism”  at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday. The press briefing, which according to him, was convened to address lingering …

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has expressed optimism that the Nigerians in Diaspora Investment Summit (NDIS), which began on Friday, would be a platform for diaspora investors, partners, collaborators to interact with government agencies, in a direct round table, for mutual benefit. NiDCOM’s CEO/Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said this at the opening ceremony of the third edition of NDIS, holding …

Nigerians in diaspora have praised the appointment of the immediate past Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Europe (NIDOE), Hon Kenneth Chibuogwu Gbandi, as the Deputy National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), one of Nigerian opposition parties. With the appointment, announced in a letter jointly signed by the National Chairman and National Secretary of the party, Chief …

The Embassy of Nigeria in Germany has issued a public notice calling on people dealing with the Embassy to report any officials or other persons who demand bribes or any other illegitimate gratifications from them. The Notice, dated 17 November 2020, reads: “The general public is hereby informed to report cases of persons soliciting for money or any form of …