Author: Guest Contributor

Opinion: The Vindication of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Biafra Question – P. Omonua
Biafra, Elections, News, Nigeria

Opinion: The Vindication of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the Biafra Question – P. Omonua

"The trio of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) and Professor Banji Akintoye, all of whom have advocated for the creation of separate independent Nations are not eccentric nor delusional." Someone forwarded an audio recording to me few days ago which must have been preserved for more than 57 years. It was the voice of Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola (SLA), the last Premier of the Western Region and the 13th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland The voice was unmistakable, in his distinctive Ogbomosho accent. The summary of what he said, which I have transcribed from Yoruba to English as best as I could was: “…. Let us the Yorubas come together. Let the Ibos not ‘disorganize’ us with this election. We must not allow them to use this election to destroy our land, take over ...
Opinion: Questions to Pastor Paul Adefarasin – Ike Chi-ukwu Eluigwe
Nigeria

Opinion: Questions to Pastor Paul Adefarasin – Ike Chi-ukwu Eluigwe

1) What makes Tinubu Saul? In what is he the first such as that we may liken him to Saul? 2) If Tinubu is Saul, who is Buhari, Jonathan, Yar'Adua, Obasanjo and all the others before? 3) If Tinubu is Saul and Obi David, is Pastor Paul saying that Obi's presidency is coming immediately after that of Tinubu? Does he really think the north would allow a situation where a southerner replaces a southerner? 4) If between Tinubu and Obi there is another fellow, who is this fellow in Biblical terms? 5) If between Tinubu and Obi there is another fellow, is Paul not telling us that Nigeria will remain in the woods until Obi the David emerges? The description of Obi being a David, a saviour, would be misplaced if Tinubu and the person following him fixes Nigeria. 6) With 4 and 5, Pasto...
Opinion: Southern Nigeria and the Delusion of 2023 Presidency
News, Nigeria

Opinion: Southern Nigeria and the Delusion of 2023 Presidency

Sometime in early 2021, news filtered out that Bola Ahmed Tinubu had assured the northern APC leaders that he would sell a Muslim/Muslim ticket to the Southwest and they would buy it. Report has it that at the meeting where the commitment was made, they asked him how he was going to convince the South-east to vote for same ticket. He was alleged to have responded that the Southeast did not really matter in the calculation, that as long as he could convince his people in Yoruba land and they (northerners) could get the northern support, they would cruise to victory (without the votes of the southeast). We later got to know that the original idea behind the Muslim/Muslim ticket was an attempt to frustrate his presidential ambition. Their thought was that he would object to a Muslim/Musli...
12 Soldiers Killed as Jihadists Attack a Military Base in Burkina Faso
Armed Forces, Burkina Faso, News, Religion, Security, Terrorism, Violence

12 Soldiers Killed as Jihadists Attack a Military Base in Burkina Faso

Suspected jihadists have attacked a military base in Burkina Faso, killing at least 12 soldiers and four volunteers in the process. The military on Friday said 21 troops were also injured in the attack on the Namissiguima military detachment in the north. The assailants are reported to have first attacked the camp with shells. Then shooting followed. The military added that reinforcements have been deployed to secure the area. The attack comes at a time when the armed forces have launched an operation to "de-pollute" localities in the region. Islamist militants started carrying out raids in Burkina Faso from bases in neighbouring Mali in 2015. Since then 1.8 million people have been displaced by the violence. A military government seized power in January and ousted P...
‘Sole Legal Tender is Cedi’ Ghana Bans Spending in Foreign Currencies
African Development, Economy, Ghana, News, Trade

‘Sole Legal Tender is Cedi’ Ghana Bans Spending in Foreign Currencies

The Ghanaian government has banned spending and transaction of businesses in foreign currencies in the country. The Central Bank of Ghana, which disclosed this in a statement Thursday, warned citizens and companies to stop transacting business, pricing goods and services and advertising in foreign currencies. According to the country’s apex bank, it is illegal for individuals, companies, institutions, and others to engage in foreign exchange business without an appropriate licence from the regulator. Dr. Ernest Addison Governor Bank of Ghana “Engaging in foreign exchange business without a licence issued by Bank of Ghana; or pricing, advertising, receipting or making payments for goods and services in foreign currency in Ghana, without written authorisation from Bank of G...
Zimbabwean Killed as Protest Rocks South Africa
African Development, Human Rights, Law Enforcement, News, Safety, Security, South Africa, Violence, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean Killed as Protest Rocks South Africa

A Zimbabwean man has been killed as irate protesters took to the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa to clamour for an end to violence and crime. This was contained in a statement issued by South African police on Thursday. According to the public channel SABC and another media, the victim is a Zimbabwean immigrant. The murder comes amid growing popular anger over high crime rates, sometimes directed at immigrants accused of fuelling them. Protests began Wednesday in the township of Diepsloot, after it was announced that seven people had been killed there last weekend. Protesters in South Africa Residents angry at the police for allegedly refusing to attend to one crime scene marched through the streets with chants and placards, burning tires and camping outside the local...
Court Sentences Ex-Burkina Faso President to Life Imprisonment
Burkina Faso, Judiciary, Justice, News

Court Sentences Ex-Burkina Faso President to Life Imprisonment

A military court in Burkina Faso on Wednesday sentenced former president Blaise Campare to life imprisonment for the murder of his predecessor Thomas Sankara in a coup. The long-awaited verdict brought to close, a six-month trial about the murder of Mr Sankara, who was assassinated during a coup led by his friend and comrade-in-arms, Mr Compaoré, on October 15, 1987. Thomas Sankara Military prosecutors in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, had requested a 30-year sentence for Mr Compaoré, who was being tried alongside 13 others. Two other main suspects were also handed life imprisonment sentences. They are Gilbert Diendéré, one of the leaders of the 1987 putsch and leader of the 2015 coup, as well as Hyacinthe Kafando, leader of Mr Compaoré’s guards at the time. Mr Compao...
25 Nigerien Migrants Dumped in the Desert by Smugglers
Human Rights, News, Niger, Safety, Security, United Nations, Youths

25 Nigerien Migrants Dumped in the Desert by Smugglers

At least twenty-five Niger migrants consisting of women and children have been rescued in the northern Niger desert after they were dumped by their driver. This was disclosed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in a statement issued on Tuesday. The migrants were rescued "last weekend in the Sahara desert by (teams of) IOM and the Directorate of Civil Protection of Niger," said the UN agency in a Facebook post. Nigerien Migrants Left in the Desert The survivors, whose destination was not specified, "remained without food and water for three days" before being found, said the IOM. Rescue operations for migrants are frequent in the hostile Nigerien desert, mainly in areas close to Libya. Many West African migrants try to cross through Libya to reach the Me...
Seven Die as Train Derails in DR Congo
Congo, Infrastructure, News, Safety, Transportation

Seven Die as Train Derails in DR Congo

At least seven people have been confirmed dead when a cargo train derailed in the South-East Democratic Republic of Congo, the second accident in the area in a fortnight. Confirming the incident, a local official from the National Railway Company said that the accident occurred in the village of Buyofwe, Lualaba province on Saturday. The freight train which was made up of eight wagons was leaving Tenke in Lualaba province for Kananga in the Kasai region. See Also: Terrorists Bomb Abuja-Kaduna Rail Track, Attack Train Passengers “Seven people died and 14 were seriously injured” in the latest accident, Lualaba Interior Minister, Deoda Kapenda, told newsmen on Monday. “The toll could rise because a large number of clandestine passengers were trapped under the upturned wagons,...
Opinion: Attrition of Southern Nigeria Professionals and the Aftermath by P Omonua
African Development, Justice, News, Nigeria

Opinion: Attrition of Southern Nigeria Professionals and the Aftermath by P Omonua

It is no longer news that there is an unprecedented upsurge in the migration of southern Nigeria professionals over the last 5 years. The best brains in the Southern Nigeria are leaving in droves. Many of those that have not left are making all necessary arrangements; they are making enquiries about the process involved from those that have succeeded in leaving. Some people may argue this is not uniquely Nigerian, that universally, people have always migrated around the world. A friend of mine once compared our experience to the Biblical era. He said even Moses led the children of Israel during their migration from Egypt to the promise land, which is incontrovertible. The difference, (which I did not bother to tell him due to his obstinacy) is that the children of Israel were migra...