Lagos, Nigeria| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS| Last week, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, issued a stern warning to soldiers to stay out of politics, raising alarm of a potential coup plot. His statement claimed that individuals had been approaching army officers for political reasons, and cautioned: “Any officer or soldier …
Read More »KCCA seek first points against dreaded Africain
Home form gives Nigerian club hope as KCCA seek first group stage points Johannesburg, South Africa | Impressive home form in Africa gives Nigerian club Rivers United and Uganda’s KCCA FC hope of getting back on track this week in the CAF Confederation Cup. The Port Harcourt outfit host Group …
Read More »Joy as Chibok girls reunited with parents
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | There were emotional scenes Saturday as 82 kidnapped Chibok girls released by Boko Haram Islamists earlier this month were reunited with their parents. At the reunion held in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja, fathers gripped their daughters in tight hugs, while mothers shrieked with joy, wiping …
Read More »Nigeria: After Buhari…?
With president Buhari on medical leave again, ambitious figures are positioning themselves favourably for what might happen next. Lagos, Nigeria| AFRICAN ARGUMENTS| Secrecy creates suspicion. In the cutthroat arena of Nigerian politics, it can also reveal ambition. The ongoing silence around of the health of Nigeria’s president has done just …
Read More »US court battle gives clues to Nigerian arms scandal
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | The claims read like the plot of a best-selling thriller, with secretive arms dealers and a corruption-riddled government fighting jihadists. The weapons deal collapses in acrimony but instead of a shoot-out, the embittered parties fight it out in court. In this real life saga, Ara …
Read More »MTN Rwanda fined $8.5million over breach of contract
Rwanda’s telecom regulator has slapped a 7 billion francs ($8.5million, Shs30bn) fine on MTN Rwanda, a subsidiary of the South African-based MTN Group, over breach of contract. The Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority (RURA) spokesperson Anthony Kulamba said the telecom firm provided services in contravention of Enforcement Notice and Directives …
Read More »With Buhari away, Nigeria army chief warns troops about ‘politicking’
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian troops have been told not to get involved in politics, the army said Tuesday, in a warning likely to resonate given the country’s history of coups and with the president currently abroad and ailing. Army spokesman Sani Usman said the Chief of Army Staff, …
Read More »Nigeria says vigilant after DR Congo Ebola deaths
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria on Monday said it had stepped up health surveillance and vigilance was high at entry ports after an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed at least three people. “The minister has directed the director of health services at the ports to …
Read More »Buhari health waning but Nigeria economy recovering
Nigerian economy glimpses dim light at end of tunnel Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Suffering from rampant inflation, stalled investment and mass layoffs, Nigeria is still gripped by one of the worst economic crises in its history. But for the first time in months, the West African economic giant …
Read More »Boko Haram releases video of purported Chibok girl
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram late on Friday released a video claiming to show the Chibok schoolgirls who refused to be rescued as part of a recent swap deal with the Nigerian government. In the three-minute video, a woman who claims to be Maida Yakubu, one of the …
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