The President of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, has threatened to fight African Union (AU) peacekeepers if they were deployed in the country to halt violence that has claimed hundreds of lives. Earlier this month, the AU said it was ready to send a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force to protect civilians caught up in months of unrest, triggered by Nkurunziza’s announcement in April that he would seek a controversial third term. In his first public response to the AU plan, broadcast on state radio on Wednesday, Nkurunziza said that “everyone has to respect” Burundi’s borders, according to a Reuters news agency report. “In…
Author: Kunle Atiba
Top African police officials met in Algiers this month to ratify legal documents related to the creation of Afripol, the pan-African law enforcement agency expected to begin operations next year. Algeria has played a leading role in the establishment of Afripol, which provides a mechanism for cooperation and coordination among African police services. The agency’s headquarters will be based in the Algiers neighbourhood of Ben Aknoun. According to Algeria’s national security chief, Major-General Abdelghani Hamel, this marks the start of a new phase in the country’s battle against “terrorism”. “Afripol can provide an added value to the regional and international…
Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State yesterday, presented an Appropriation Bill of N75 billion for the 2016 fiscal year. He presented the bill, christened: “Budget of Consolidation” to the state assembly in Lokoja for consideration and approval. Only 10 members, including the Speaker, Alhaji Momoh-Jimoh Lawal, out of 25 members, were present during the exercise. The governor said the budget was 15.3% or N13.6 billion lower than that of 2015. He said it was his belief that the proposed 2016 budget was clearly indicative of his fair, sincere and frank assessment of resources accruing to the state. “The total budget package for year…
A statement signed by the Head of Media Relations and Strategy at Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Mr Bisi Kazeem, indicated that FRSC has promoted 442 Marshal Inspectors, He said this is in line with the commitment of the commission to reward efficiency and punish indiscipline in the service. According to Kazeem, the commission promoted 442 personnel within the ranks of Deputy Chief Inspector and Marshal Inspector III. “At the end of the last promotion exercise, 38 Deputy Chief Inspectors were promoted to the rank of Chief Inspector, while 80 Assistant Chief Inspectors got promoted to the rank of Deputy Chief Inspector. Also,…
The minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has tasked media over reportage on terrorism. Yesterday, he urged the media not to glamourise attacks of the Boko Haram sect. Mohammed spoke during a courtesy visit to the headquarters of the Punch Nigeria Limited in Magboro, Ogun State. He appealed to the media in the country to exercise restraint in their reportage of Boko Haram attacks. “When we glamourise the attacks, it gives the terrorists more life, and in a time of insurgency like this, the media also has a role to play, which is not to glamorise the attacks. Publicity is…
The capital of Central African Republic (CAR), Bangui is quite different to the first time I was here. Then, the main road leading away from the airport was often deserted, heads peeked around the edges of houses, people scurried across the road. Several times during that month last February I saw the dismembered bodies of Muslims lying on the ground – people watched from the shadows, nobody talked. But this time the road is busy and noisy as sellers shout out their specials. Even so, what was once a mixed neighbourhood is now mostly Christian. The street sums up what…
Governor Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa State, yesterday began a 10-day Annual Leave for 2015. This was contained in a statement issued yesterday in Dutse by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Bello Zaki. The statement said during the governor’s absence, his deputy, Alhaji Ibrahim Hassan, would serve as acting governor. It said the governor thanked the people of the state for the support and cooperation they gave him since the inception of his administration. He also assured the people of his administration’s commitment to their welfare and security. He pledged to continue to introduce policies and programmes that have…
The National Coordinator of Corporate Affairs at Basic Registry and Information System in Nigeria (BRISIN), Mr Tony Okorocha, said the pilot stage of the project will begin in FCT by first quarter of 2016. He made this known in an interview with newsmen in Abuja yesterday. He said that the Federal Government had approved the implementation of the project which would be carried out by Dermo Impex, an Italian based Information and Communication Technology (ICT) company. The coordinator said that BRISIN, an integrated system for the collection, storage and distribution of information to support the management of the economy had a lot…
West African nation of Guinea has been declared Ebola free after more than 2,500 people died from the virus, leaving Liberia the only country still counting down for an end to the ruinous epidemic. People in the capital, Conakry, on Tuesday greeted the declaration by authorities and the UN World Health Organization with mixed emotions given the huge number of deaths, and the damage the virus did to the economy and the country’s health and education sectors. On Wednesday, the government, together with representatives of donor nations and NGOs, will hold an official ceremony to mark the declaration. They will…
The last batch of the self-sponsored pilgrims has arrived in Nigeria on Sunday night via Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. This was disclosed by the Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC). The Assistant Director of Human Resources in the commission, Mrs Charlotte Ajuya, while disclosing this to newsmen in Abuja, said the commission had a successful pilgrimage through 2015. She said that the last batch had 350 self-sponsored Christian pilgrims from different states, mostly from the northern part of the country, observing that none of the pilgrims absconded. I want to encourage them that pilgrimage is a spiritual fulfilment that when you…