…Tinubu Bows Out with Call for Unity and Democracy West African leaders have chosen President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone as the new Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, bringing Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s two-term tenure to a close. The announcement was made during the 67th Ordinary Session of ECOWAS held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where the symbolic handover of the community’s emblem marked the transition of...
Libya’s Education Minister, Moussa al-Megarief, has been handed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence due to a textbook shortage dating back to 2021, according to the attorney general’s office on Sunday. The Tripoli court of appeal also imposed a fine of 1,000 dinars (approximately ₦320,000) and stripped him of his civil rights for the duration of his sentence and an additional year thereafter. Megarief, a member of the national unity government, faced accusations of favouritism in managing...
Two days after the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group entered a second city in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo, the African Union, AU, has warned against the break-up of the country. M23 seized the provincial capital, Goma, at the end of January before pushing south in an escalation of violence in the eastern region, which has already endured decades of clashes. Bankole Adeoye, AU’s Peace and Security Commissioner, in a statement issued on Sunday,...
…Expresses Confidence Mahama’s Govt Will Work With Nigeria To Strengthen Bond President Bola Tinubu has said that his government and that of John Mahama, newly inaugurated president of Ghana will join hands to lift Nigeria and Ghana out of poverty. Tinubu also expressed confidence that the new government under the leadership of President John Mahama, will work with Nigeria to strengthen a powerful bond, leading to greater shared prosperity for both nations. The President made...
A Zambian police officer reportedly freed 13 detainees from custody on New Year’s Eve so they could celebrate the holiday. Detective Inspector Titus Phiri, described as being “in a state of intoxication,” allegedly seized the cell keys from Constable Serah Banda at Leonard Cheelo Police Station in Lusaka. According to police spokesperson Rae Hamoonga, Phiri unlocked the male and female cells and instructed the suspects to leave and “cross over into the new year.” Of...
The French Defence Ministry said on Friday that it has begun the withdrawal of its soldiers from Chad after N’djamena last month abruptly ended military cooperation with its former colonial power. The ministry said in a statement on Facebook that a contingent of 120 soldiers had already left the African country and returned to France, which marked 10 days after French fighter aircraft left the Sahel country. “At midday, 120 French soldiers took off from...
According to the final FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday, the Super Eagles concluded 2024 ranked 44th globally, their lowest position in six years. This drop marks a sharp decline from the 28th place Nigeria held at the start of the year, following their strong performance at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where they emerged as runners-up to host Cote D’Ivoire in February. Throughout 2024, the Eagles played 15 matches, recording nine wins—including an...
For the first time in 19 years, Nigeria has fully met its financial obligations to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by paying 100 per cent of its community levy. The payment, totalling ₦84 billion and $54 million, covers Nigeria’s contributions for 2023 and extends through July 2024. The announcement was made by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Touray, during the 66th Ordinary Summit of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads...
Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea’s coup leader has promoted himself to the rank of Army General as the country marked the creation of its armed forces. Doumbouya, 43, seized power in September 2021 from former president Alpha Conde through coup d’état had placed the then-colonel in charge of an elite force tasked with protecting him. Doumbouya is one of several officers who have seized power in West Africa since 2020, along with fellow military leaders in Mali,...
After death rumours last week, the 91-year-old President Paul Biya of Cameroon on Monday arrived at Yaounde’s international airport, the Cameroonian capital. The appeared on state broadcaster CRTV after the presidential plane landed, shaking hands with officials next to his wife Chantal, as a jubilant crowd waited to greet him. Following the disappearance of Biya from public view a few weeks ago, after attending the China-Africa summit in Beijing at the beginning of September, concerns...
