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The Nigerian government has called on the United States of America to consider the long-standing relationship between the two countries and reverse its visa restrictions on Nigeria. The Federal Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the call on Wednesday when he received the American Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard, and her team at his office in Abuja. According to a …

The European Union has warned that it could impose restrictive visa implementation rules on Nigeria, if it failed to co-operate in the readmission of its nationals deported from EU member countries. A restrictive visa regime would make obtaining visas to EU countries more difficult for Nigerian applicants. The EU Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Ms Virginie Battu-Henriksson, said …

The mass murder in Hanau, a small town near Frankfurt, where on Wednesday a 43-year-old German man gunned down nine people at shisha bars, is the latest albeit most shocking incident in the increasing racist violence in the country. The murderer, identified as Tobias R, also shot his mother before killing himself. “On the suspected perpetrator’s home page, he had …

A one-day Workshop christened Diaspora Voting Initiative held in Abuja on Monday, 17 February. Organised by the UK-based Nigeria Diaspora Voting Council, the event was attended by Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President who represented Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Rt. Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, the Speaker of the House of Representatives: Hon. Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman/CEO …

The EU is rolling out a new naval operation in the Mediterranean to crack down on arms-smuggling into Libya, the latest effort to reduce the influx of weapons into the country and bring the civil war to an end. EU foreign ministers on Monday agreed to launch a new military mission off the Libyan coast to enforce a UN arms …

“Why is the world silent over Anglophone Cameroon while men, women and children are killed in the most gruesome manner – shot, hacked, sometimes burnt alive in their homes just because they seek equality?” former President John Jerry Rawlings of Ghana wrote on his Facebook page and Twitter handle on Tuesday (18 February). “Why will Facebook, Twitter and other social …

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, have thrown their weight behind the enfranchisement of Nigerians living in the diaspora. At a sensitisation workshop on diaspora voting, held in Abuja on Monday, Prof Osinbajo, who delivered a keynote speech at the event, said: “The issue of diaspora voting is a significant one, considering …

Alarmed by a rapid spread of Lassa fever, the Nigerian Academy of Science is calling on government to declare a national health emergency. Dr Doyin Odubanjo, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Academy of Science, explains the background to the current outbreak of the disease and what needs to be done to contain it. ———- How serious is the current Lassa fever outbreak …

The power-sharing deal signed in 2018 between President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar has already been extended twice – in May 2019 and November 2019 – delaying the formal end to a war that has killed nearly 400,000 people, displaced millions, and pushed tens of thousands to the brink of starvation. The new deadline is 22 February. Unresolved …

Agitation for Nigerians living outside their homeland to be allowed to participate at the country’s elections has suffered a setback. Nigerian legislators on Friday (14 February) dismissed the agitation because the country is not ready for diaspora voting. The Senate, during a debate on the issue, said certain conditions had to be met before Nigeria could allow its citizens living …

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent visit to Angola and South Africa seeks to boost trade and political relations with the continent in continuation of the government’s policy to increase German engagement in Africa. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accompanied by top government officials and senior business executives, paid a state visit to South Africa and Angola from 5 – 8 February. Her …

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, Ghana and Zambia have licensed an Ebola vaccine, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Registration of the vaccine is expected in additional countries in the coming weeks. The licensing of the vaccine means that the manufacturer can stockpile and widely distribute this vaccine to African countries at risk of Ebola virus …

The death toll from the epidemic virus, which WHO has named COVID-19, has neared 1,400 cases, almost exclusively in China where it was first identified.

Sudan has promised to hand over ex-President Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to face genocide and war crimes charges, BBC has reported. The new transitional government was reported to have agreed to hand over all actors in the war wanted by the ICC during peace talks with Darfur groups. “Justice cannot be achieved if …

Tuesday, 11 February 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison after 27 years of incarceration by the then South African apartheid regime. Liberian peace activist Leymah Roberta Gbowee delivered a lecture at an event organised by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to commemorate the historic day in Cape Town’s City Hall. Ms Gbowee, who was awarded the …

30th Anniversary Of Nelson Mandela’s Release From Prison To Be Marked With The Launch Of Mandela Freedom Project JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, February 11th, 2020,-/African Media Agency (AMA)/- The House of Mandela is set to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison by launching the Mandela Freedom Project. The Freedom Project is a unifying global initiative to advance …

The 33rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union ended in Addis Ababa on Monday with the organisation expressing its commitment to tackling the continent’s challenges. The Summit, which took place from 9-10 February under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”, agreed to undertake actions, including mediation …

African leaders converge in Addis Ababa for the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government Summit of the African Union on 9-10 February. Amongst many issues on the agenda, the 2020 Assembly under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development”, will take stock of the challenges to peace, stability and sustainable development on …

As African leaders converge at the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Heads of State and Government Summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 9-10 February, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former Finance Minister of Nigeria and Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, explains in this opinion piece why an African leadership role on climate action is …

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s arrived in Pretoria on Wednesday in the first leg of her 4-day trip to South Africa and Angola. Top on her agenda on the visit is increased economic co-operation with both countries, say analysts. South Africa is Germany’s biggest trading partner in Africa and Angola, with its mineral riches, promises more opportunities for German companies. South …