The Voice magazine

Pastor Roel & Ida Van Rooij

Senior Pastor 4Pillars Community Church Almere

YOUR COPY NOW....

BLESS SOMEONE WITH A COPY THIS SEASON OF CELEBRATION.

Title: “Getting to know you” - A book on marital steps with information about marriage

About the book

Whether you’re preparing for marriage or want to enjoy a deeper union with your spouse, this guide will help you enjoy a relationship built on solid Christian values.

Pastor Elvis Iruh is a licensed minister with Victory Outreach International. His book highlights simple principles that are often taken for granted. Learn how to:

• get to really know a love interest before deciding to marry;

• avoid mistakes that lead to divorce;

• appreciate the sanctity of marriage;

ELVIS IRUH is a native of Delta State, Nigeria. He attended numerous schools in Nigeria, including the Nigeria Institute of Journalism, Lagos, Nigeria, before continuing his studies in Europe and earning a degree in theology from Victory Education & Training Institute. He worked for several media organizations

• forgive your partner when they make mistakes. Before you think of getting married, you should take the necessary steps to really get to know your partner. Your past should not contain any surprises - and your values must be aligned.

This revealing book is filled with practical exercises that partners can carry out with each other as well as guidance for pastors and church leaders who may need help in advising couples. This guide will help couples enjoy marriage that is built to last.

About the Author

in Nigeria as well and has been the publisher and editor-in-chief of The Voice news magazine since August 1999. He is serving as an associate pastor at Victory Outreach Almere, The Netherlands.

The book can be used for educational purposes as well as educating your children on the subject of marriage. He is also available to speak on related topics covered in the book at any organized event or church activities. He is open for collaborative efforts to strengthen marriage institutions worldwide. It is a mission he has dedicated himself to helping the younger generation to talk and address the challenges they face in building good and solid relationships which could end up in marriage.

You can purchase the book in Holland via his website: www.elvisiruh.com or through his publishers’: www. authorhouse.com/ Elvis Iruh or on www.amazon.co.uk via this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1665580844/ ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=AHRB2OK2Q2YCL&psc=1 You can contact him directly through any of his social media handle for your questions or comments, he would look into it and respond would be sent to you accordingly.

Email: info@elvisiruh.com or elvisiruh@gmail.com

Getting to know you written by Pastor Elvis Iruh Pastor Felix Asare wrote the foreword

SELF TEST AS A PROTECTION AGAINST COVID 19

Wehave seen a lot of changes in the measures surrounding the Corona Pandemic in recent months and the past year. A booster shot has been added, the QR code, facemasks, quarantine rules and much more. It is difficult for many people to keep up with the flow of information and also to get a good idea of what is true and where you can find reliable information. However, the organization, INCLUSIA continues to collaborate with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, to enlighten, educate and promote vigilance on the part of the populace. The campaign is that we all need to remain vigilant as we enter the winter season of the year and many people are reported sick. You are encouraged to get the self-test kits to test yourself for Corona virus symptoms and if you test positive then make appointment to get vaccination.

There are tem of information officers in various languages to ensure that reliable information in your own language reaches people with a migration background. They provide information about the measures, QR code, and Booster vaccination and where people can go for more information. They organize these meetings throughout the country and it is possible to join one of these meetings if you are interested. The schedule and how to join a meeting or get more information, please contact Madam Fester Imoh on +31634135262.

United Nigeria Platform, The Netherlands in collaboration with Inclusia, sponsors this information

THE VOICE MAGAZINE TEAM

Publisher: Stichting Paddi Europa

Editor-in-Chief

Pastor Amb. Elvis Ndubuisi Iruh elvisiruh@thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Founding/Contributing Editor

Edward Idahosa Ogbee apexbest2000@yahoo.co.uk

Managing Editor

Henry D. Oduenyi (Nigeria Office) henry@thenigerianvoice.com

Project Coordinator

Ifeyinwa Ezeagabu

Ndubuisi Ezeagabu

Joy Onoilu (JEBITV) (Belgium) jebitv2003@gmail.com

Middle East Vice- President

Amb. Laila EL Aftani Rahhal

CORRESPONDENTS ABROAD

Barrister Eze Eluchie (Nigeria) paddingr@yahoo.com

Proof Editor

Hashim Yussuf Amao (Ibadan, Nigeria) hashimlegalbard@gmail.com

Contributors

Rev. Tammy Abusi (Nigeria) tamabusi@gmail.com

Kester Kenn Klomegah (Russia)

Eva Nakato (Uganda) nakatoeva91@gmail.com

Jimmie Nicks (Kenya) kollywoodhorizons@gmail.com

Eubaldus Enahoro (Nigeria) enabadus2000@yahoo.com

PA to Publisher

Lilian Akintokun (Mrs) raven_lilian@yahoo.com

Magazine Designer

David Banjoko davosban@gmail.com

MEDIA CONSULTANT

Jonathan Mgbejume

Abeka Salmin Abdallah

Amb. Patrick McCaffrey

Mildred Kleinbussink

Engineer Barry A.O. Igbeare

Guest Writer: Amb. Ms. Albena Jones

The Voice magazine

The Voice magazine is editorially independent although we enjoys the support of our readers, subscribers, advertisers, non-governmental organizations and individuals of like minds; however the magazine publishers are in no way affiliated to any of these bodies or to any other publishing institution or political interest or group.

The Voice magazine strives to foster awareness among the African audience and bridge the widening gap between Africans and the rest of the world in news gathering and dissemination.

The Voice is published digitally online except on demand, we print hard copy. If you want to receive a copy, send us your email address.

On the Editorial board are Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh, Jonathan Mgbejume, Sandra Iruh-Monsels, and Henry Oduenyi

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The Voice magazine is published in the Netherlands by Stichting Paddi Europa and it is published online since 2016 around the world. It is registered at the Chamber of Commerce Amsterdam. The Voice aim to serve as a vital link among African readers in the Diaspora and we provide objective information and organizes opinion exchange among African people both in the continent and abroad. Thus it strives to foster and enhance complete understanding of developing countries problems and bring information to help address those issues. You can support this project now with as much as one euro a month to help keep publishing our digital copy for you.

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Volume 24

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NO 226 February 2023

ARTICLES

Pages 8 & 9 - EDITORIAL: Nigeria decides 2023: Vote wisely for your leaders.

Pages 12 & 13 – Professor Mahmood Yakubu: The man charged to oversee Nigeria’s election in 2023

Pages 24 & 25 - Statement by Mr. Eric Phillips, Chairman, Guyana Reparations Committee, Media Engagement: From Apology to Action:

Pages 28-33 - Investment potential and opportunities in Nigeria

Pages 38 & 39 - Did Russia Extend Trade Preferences to Nigeria?

Page 40- - Connecticut mourns the tragic loss of a young black lawmaker who died in a wrong-way crash.

Page 41 - Vic Mensa helps provide clean water to over 200 thousand people in his country, Ghana.

Page 43 - Amsterdam’s largest bike garage to open under Central Station canal; 7,000 spots

Page 44 - Hospitality sector struggling under staff shortages, high prices despite higher turnover.

Pages 46 & 47 - DJ CENT: I am a big brand, but South Sudanese don’t get it

Pages 48-50 - The Story of Benin’s Toll-Free Number

Page 51 Hon. Wavinya Ndeti presents a memorandum to His Excellency, President William Samoei Ruto of Kenya

Page 52 - African Commission mourns Vice President Badara Alieu Joof of The Gambia as well as Gambians.

Page 53 - Dark clouds gathering over South Africa

Pages 54-59 - Vanessa Moore gets a surprise birthday and graduation party from Mom

Page 63 - NOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL GERMANY MOURNS PEACE ANYIAM – OSIGWE MFR

Pages 68 & 69 – Her Excellency Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay settles to work in South Africa

Page 70 - Sports: Six countries bid to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after Guinea’s withdrawal — CAF

Page 71 - Meet Chioma Ajunwa: The legendary woman who represented Nigeria as a footballer and also as an athlete.

Nigeria Decides 2023: Vote Wisely For Your Leaders

Nigeria’s 2023 General Election is scheduled to hold in two phases, beginning with national elections (President and National Assembly) on February 25, 2023, and state elections (Governorship and State Houses of Assembly) on March 11, 2023. With these elections knocking at the door in Nigeria this month, February 2023 is important, and its significance to the future of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized, thanks to the failure of nearly 8 years of APC rule in Nigeria. It should not be forgotten in a hurry that in 2015, Nigeria voted massively for APC in direct response to the failure of the PDPled administration, which has been in power for 16 years of democratic rule and recorded dismal performances that Nigerians clamored for a change. The high expectation for change was placed in APC with all its promises to turn things around within 4

years. It has been nearly 8 years of failed promises. If you make an evaluation of this administration, it is nearly a negative, as Nigerians say they prefer the Jonathan administration to this present government. It is unfair to draw such a comparison; the obvious fact is that these two parties—APC from 2015 to 2023 and PDP from 1999 to 2015—failed Nigerians. In 2023, Nigerians will be clamoring for a sincere change and

8 years ago

a departure from these two parties’ structures of failure. In fact, the people are demanding a structure-less leadership if that means a departure from APC or PDP. It is not our responsibility to tell Nigerians whom to vote for. Our advice is to vote for leaders

who understand the dire needs of what needs to be done to fix the country and return it to the path of progress and development, a leadership that would ultimately be accountable to the people for their stewardship. to address all the atrocities committed against the people by the combined administrations of APC and PDP over the past 24 years in Nigeria. We need leadership that is less greedy, corrupt, selfish, and self-centered. We need a leader to return Nigeria to the path of appreciating the core values of civil society: respect for life, social morals, the right to life, work, family, faith, and justice, among others. All of these enable

President Buhari on the last lap of his administration

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo: Also leaving after

citizens to build character, integrity, civility, godliness, responsibility, accountability, stewardship, hard work, and patriotism. Nigerians can’t afford to get it wrong in these 2023 elections.

Carefully look at the candidates, 17 men and one woman; although we feel the number is too high, with over 60 million eligible voters, the number would be drastically cut down to 4 or 5 serious contesting candidates, but Nigerians have a good pack to elect their next leader from. Our advice to you is to elect a leader you trust with your future and that of your children and loved ones for the next 4 years. These politicians are not smarter than the rest of the population; they are those who have presented themselves to be elected. The final decision is now in your hands, with your PVC. After voting, stay vigilant so that your vote is not stolen but counted during the counting

exercise.

Congratulations to all Nigerians in advance, for this is your opportunity to make a difference through your voting power.

We wish all the contestants success and pray they maintain the peace before and after the elections.

Enjoy your February 2023 edition, and we’ll see you in March 2023 with a brand new president for the most populous black nation in the world, Nigeria.

Enjoy all the other stories packaged for your reading pleasure.

God bless you all.

Pastor Amb. Elvis Iruh Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Nigeria Needs Divine Intervention As In The Past.

Does anyone remember 1983–1985? Under Buhari, a Muslim, and Idiagbon, his assistant, also a Muslim, Life was tough in every sense of the word until God acted. In July of 1985, Buhari and Idiagbon were swept from power.

In 1993, we had MKO Abiola, a Muslim, and his running mate, Baba Gana Kingibe. They were supported by all. There was no WhatsApp at the time, and Christians never had the information that Abiola had sunk 1 million Bibles in the Atlantic Ocean and was an agent of the TYE Jihadist Muslims. In June 1993, Christians and Muslims alike trooped out and voted for Abiola and Kingibe. That morning, after an all-night prayer meeting and two hours to go and vote, a brother said, “Thus says the Lord, neither Abiola nor Tofa, but God’s will.” Those who had been praying were shocked to hear that. The votes were counted, and the results were being announced. Then the unexpected happened. IBB annulled the election.

Neither Abiola nor Tofa were accepted by God. Fast-forward to 1997 or 1998. Sanni Abacha was in charge. Five political parties were formed. All adopted Sanni Abacha as their presidential candidate. There was no opposition from anywhere. Then, on June 8, 1998, the unexpected happened. Abacha was found dead. God acted again. There was a clamor for Abiola to be brought back as president from prison. Again, the unexpected happened on July 7, 1998, when Abiola was pronounced dead. God acted again. God cannot be mocked. He is always on the throne.

He sees that Nigerians are again helpless. Will he act? Let’s wait and see. God is alive on this planet. God is very much around. So brethren, there is no need to fight one another. We should remain united in asking for God’s intervention. When all else fails, remember that God is around to act. He will still act. Therefore, the Muslim-Muslim ticket and the attempt to impose Muslim Jihadist government on Nigerians would fail, as it has in the past.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu: The Man Charged With Overseeing Nigeria’s Election In 2023

Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has on his shoulders the high hopes and aspirations of Nigerians, particularly Nigerian voters, to deliver credible, free, and fair elections in this month and March 2023 in Nigeria.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu was born in Bauchi in May 1962. He attended Teachers’ College in Toro, Bauchi State, from 1975 to 1980 and obtained the Grade II Teachers’ Certificate in 1980 at the top of his class. He undertook his undergraduate studies at the University of Sokoto (now Usmanu Danfodiyo University) from 1980 to 1985 and was a Federal Government Merit Award scholar from 1983 to 1985. He graduated with a first-class honors degree in history in 1985, winning the Waziri of Sokoto Prize for the Best Graduating Student and setting an enduring record as the first student from Northern Nigeria to graduate with a firstclass degree in history. Following his one-year NYSC in 1985/86 as an academic assistant in the Department of History, University of Johannesburg, he enrolled at the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, in 1986 with the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholarship and obtained the Master of Philosophy (M.Phil.) degree in International Relations in 1987. He then proceeded to the University of Oxford in the same year with the Commonwealth Scholarship and obtained the Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) Degree in History in 1991 at the age of 29 years. At Oxford, he was a three-time winner of the Overseas Research Students’ Award of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of United Kingdom Universities and the Beit Fund Research Grant.

Professor Yakubu began his academic career as a graduate

assistant at the University of Jos in 1986, from where he proceeded to the United Kingdom for his postgraduate studies. He returned to the university in 1992 as Lecturer I. In 1993, he moved to the Nigerian Defense Academy in Kaduna as a senior lecturer and rose to the rank of reader in 1995 and professor in 1998. At the NDA, he was Head, Department of History, from 1994 to 1995; Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Director of Academic Planning, from 1998 to 2000;

Member, Armed Forces Selection Board, from 1998 to 2003; Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, for a second time, from 2002 to 2004; Chairman, Management Board of the Staff School, from 2004 to 2006; and pioneer Dean, Post-Graduate School, from 2004 to 2006. He has more than 50 publications to his credit.

From 2006 to 2007, Professor Yakubu was the Task Team Leader responsible for tertiary education at the Federal Ministry of Education and a member of the Presidential Technical Committee for the consolidation of federal tertiary institutions. In 2007, he was appointed as the Executive Secretary of the Education Trust Fund (ETF), which later became the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund). In this position, he served as a member of the Federal Government team on the renegotiation of the Federal Government Agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) under the chairmanship of Deacon Gamaliel Onosode. He was also a member of the Presidential Task Team on Education, the Committee on Presidential Scholarship for Innovation and Development (PRESID), the Implementation Committee on the Presidential Fund for the Revitalization of Nigerian Public Universities, the Ministerial Implementation Committee on the Establishment of Nine New Federal Universities, the Almajiri Education System, and Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Needs Assessment of Nigerian Public Universities. At the expiration of his term at TETFund in 2012, Professor Yakubu had, within a period of five years, surmounted several challenges to introduce several innovations in the country’s tertiary education system. These innovations include the Academic Staff Training and Development programme, under which over 6,000 lecturers from various higher education institutions were sponsored for postgraduate degree programmes at various Nigerian universities and over 2,000 in universities

overseas; the Special High Impact Intervention Project, directed at the systematic development of the teaching, learning, and research facilities in selected HEI, with 20 universities, 12 polytechnics, and 12 colleges of education across the six geopolitical zones as beneficiaries; the National Research Fund to enable Nigerian academics to undertake advanced research for national development; the National Book Development Fund to support the publication of research findings; and the publication of over 100 HEI-based journals and 18 exceptional doctoral theses;

Professor Yakubu was co-opted in 2013 as a technical member of the Implementation Monitoring Committee (IMC) on the Presidential Special Intervention Fund for the Revitalization of Nigerian Public Universities and served as the Assistant Secretary in charge of finance and administration during the National Conference in 2014.

He is a fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations. He delivered the convocation lecture at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in 2009, and then participated in the colloquium to mark the 30th anniversary of Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, in 2013. He holds the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, as well as the Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) from the Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, and the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma.

Professor Mahmood Yakubu is the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the most talked about position in this transition period as his conduct would determine the next political stability of the country. He has assured he would not disappoint the nation.

Short Preview Of Nigerian Presidential Candidates – 18 In

All (17 Men & 1 Woman)

Peter Gregory Obi (61)

labour Party (lP)

Peter Gregory Obi CON is a Nigerian businessman and politician who served as governor of Anambra from March to November 2006, February to May 2007, and from June 2007 to March 2014. Obi graduated from the University of Nigeria in 1984. Afterwards, he entered business and banking, eventually rising to hold several high-ranking executive positions at banks. By the early 2000s, Obi was the chairman of Fidelity Bank before leaving the position to enter politics. Obi ran for governor in 2003 as a member of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, but his main opponent was unlawfully declared the winner. After three years of legal battles, Obi was declared the winner in 2006 and assumed office in March 2006. Former Anambra State governor Peter Obi emerged as the flagbearer of the Labour Party for the 2023 presidential election at the national convention and presidential primary held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, on May 30 after Pat Utomi stepped down. Obi joined the LP shortly after he resigned his People’s Democratic Party (PDP) membership and withdrew from the party’s presidential primary. He was the running mate of former Vice President Atiku in the 2019 general election.

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (66)

Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, FNSE, FNIQS, is a Nigerian politician who was the Governor of Kano State from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015. After he lost his re-election in 2003, he was appointed the first Minister of Defense of the Fourth Republic with no prior military background from 2003 to 2007, under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was later elected to the Senate in 2015, serving one term under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and representing Kano Central Senatorial District. In 2011, he was re-elected governor of the state and went on to join the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014. In 2015, Kwankwaso unsuccessfully contested the presidential primary nomination under the opposition All Progressive Congress but lost to Muhammad Buhari. In 2018, he returned to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and contested the presidential primaries, losing out to Atiku Abubakar. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has been confirmed as the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the 2023 general elections.

New Nigeria PeoPles Party (NNPP)

Atiku Abubakar (75)

PeoPle’s DeMocratic Party (PDP)

Atiku Abubakar GCON is a Nigerian politician and businessman who served as the vice president of Nigeria from 1999 to 2007 during the presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo. He ran as governor of Adamawa State in 1990, 1997, and later in 1998, being elected before becoming Olusegun Obasanjo’s running mate during the 1999 presidential election and being re-elected in 2003. Atiku Abubakar has unsuccessfully run for the office of President of Nigeria five times: in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. In 1993, he contested the Social Democratic Party presidential primaries, losing to Moshood Abiola and Baba Gana Kingibe. He was a presidential candidate of the Action Congress in the 2007 presidential election, coming in third to Umaru Yar’Adua of the PDP and Muhammadu Buhari of the ANPP. He contested the presidential primaries of the People’s Democratic Party during the 2011 presidential election, losing out to incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar clinched the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), having scored the highest vote in the party’s primary election held on May 28 at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu (70)

all ProgressiVe coNgress (aPc)

Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu is a Nigerian accountant and politician who served as the Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 and Senator for Lagos West during the brief Third Republic. Tinubu spent his early life in southwestern Nigeria and later moved to the United States, where he studied accounting at Chicago State University. He returned to Nigeria in the early 1980s and was employed by Mobil Nigeria as an accountant before entering politics as a Lagos West senatorial candidate in 1992 under the banner of the Social Democratic Party. After Sani Abacha dissolved the Senate in 1993, Tinubu became an activist, campaigning for the return of democracy as part of the National Democratic Coalition movement. Although he was forced into exile in 1994, Tinubu returned after Abacha’s 1998 death triggered the beginning of the transition to the Fourth Republic. Former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emerged the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 election in the primary election held on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, in Abuja. Tinubu was a two-time governor of Lagos State and the former National Chairman of the party.

Osakwe Felix Johnson (57)

NatioNal rescue MoVeMeNt (NrM)

Felix Johnson Osakwe is a classic and talented cleric, respected diplomat, humanitarian ambassador, and successful business personality in Nigeria and beyond. Felix Johnson Osakwe studied legal and criminal justice at Ashworth University in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He further obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology (B.Th.) and a Masters Degree in Theology (M.Th.) from Freedom University and Theological Seminary USA. He was confirmed with an honorary doctorate degree (PHD) in philanthropic management from Freedom University and Theological Seminary USA. and an honorary doctorate degree (PHD) in divinity and public administration from Highstone International University, USA. He serves as the Director of Executive Affairs, UPF Nigeria, where he engages actively with critical stakeholders and duty bearers in social, economic, and political spaces within and outside Nigeria, lending his diplomatic skills and expertise to peace brokerage and crisis management, intersecting corporate excellence with social good.

Adewole Ebenezer Adebayo (50)

Adewole Adebayo (born January 8, 1972) is a Nigerian lawyer and founder of KAFTAN TV. He is currently running for President of Nigeria under the Social Democratic Party (Nigeria). Adewole Adebayo began his legal career as a litigation lawyer at Tunji Abayomi and Co. in Lagos, Nigeria. After two years of legal practice, he founded his own law firm, Adewole Adebayo & Co., House of Law, in 2002. In 2016, Adewole Adebayo established KAFTAN TV. Adebayo sponsors nearly 2,000 young Nigerians in Nigerian and foreign tertiary institutions, in addition to numerous others he has financially empowered across the country. Adebayo is a public affairs commentator who provides advice on national issues on occasion and participates in Nigerian politics as a member of the Third Force. On January 15, 2022, Adewole Adebayo declared his intention to run for the office of Nigerian president. He is running for president of Nigeria in the 2023 Nigerian general election under the Social Democratic Party (Nigeria).

social DeMocratic Party (sDP)

Ojei Princess Chichi (44)

She is the only woman in the race alongside 17 men of “timber and calibre,” as Nigerians always love to say. She is Ojei Princess Chichi of APM. The prominent Delta Stateborn politician and astute administrator, who was schooled both in Nigeria and overseas, is a corporate finance specialist and the executive director of Nuel Ojei Holdings. Chichi’s emergence as an APM presidential candidate too was legendary, as the hitherto presidential standard bearer of her party, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, had to pull out to make way for the Amazon to slug it out with the men.

Nwanyanwu

Dan Nwanyanwu Mni, OFR, is a Nigerian politician, businessman, and lawyer who was chairman of the Labour Party (LP) from 2004 until 2014. He worked with Union Bank between 1979 and 1993, and during his appointment, he held several roles within the National Union of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), rising to the role of National Treasurer and subsequently National President from 1989. The latter appointment automatically made him a member of the National Executive Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). Mr. Dan Nwanyanwu has emerged as the presidential candidate of the Zenith Labor Party (ZLP).

Yabagi Yusuf Sani, known mostly as YYSani or Jakardan Nupe, meaning “ambassador of Nupe,” is a Nigerian politician, energy and crude oil expert, and the current National Chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP). He was a presidential candidate in the 2019 Nigerian general election. Yabagi started as an administrative officer and depot chief in the PPMC Depot in Kano in 1980 under the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. Sani began his political ambitions in 1991; he was also a founding member of (ANPP), and member board of trustees of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANP). He was a presidential candidate in the 2019 Nigerian general election. He is now the flag bearer of the party for the 2023 presidential election.

allieD PeoPles MoVeMeNt (aPM)

Sani Yabagi Yusuf actioN DeMocratic Party (aDP)

Daniel Deberechukwu (62)

ZeNith labour Party (ZlP)

Abdumalik Ado-Ibrahim (58)

youNg ProgressiVe Party (yPP)

Ado-Ibrahim Abdulmalik is a Nigerian-born businessman and politician who is a Kogi prince and the founder of Bicernergy. A son of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland in Kogi State, Malik AdoIbrahim, emerged as the presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP). Malik is a businessman and founder of the Reset Nigeria Initiative and One Team Arrows A20. He studied in the US and the UK, where his area of study was mainly automobiles. Prince Malik was educated at a private school in England, graduated from a British military academy, and holds a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Southern California.

Peter Nnanna Umeadi

all ProgressiVe graND alliaNce (aPga)

The presidential candidate of the All People’s Party (APP) is Nnadi Charles Osita, 49; qualifications: FSLC and SSCE; and the vicepresidential candidate is Hamisu Isah, 45; qualifications: FSLC and SSCE. Not much is known about him, and there is very little information online.

Peter Umeadi is a party chieftain, politician, and a former Chief Judge of the Anambra State judiciary. Umeadi, a Professor of Law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Following his retirement as the state’s Chief Judge in March 2019, Umeadi, a Professor of Law at the University of Nigeria, joined the party in his Nri Ward II in Anaocha, Anambra. He has the capacity, sense of history, humility, and self-effacement to reconcile and weld ethnic groups together. He emerged as the presidential candidate in the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) primary election, which was held on Wednesday, June 9.

Nnamdi Charles Osita

actioN PeoPles Party (aPP)

Sunday, Oluwafemi Adenuga (48)

boot Party (bP)

Mr. Sunday Adenuga (or “Sonny,” as he is fondly called) is a businessman and a risk and control leader and expert from Ogun State, south-west Nigeria. Sonny has led successful change by adopting technology to deliver social justice where required. Sonny’s academic qualifications include, among others, diplomas and degrees in mathematics, statistics, and project management, as well as other professional qualifications. Sonny’s goal in running for the office of president is to develop Nigerians and Nigeria. In the past years, Sunday Adenuga has been working to create a leadership framework that will bring the best out of Nigerians. Sunday Adenuga clinched the presidential ticket of the Boot Party (BP) for the 2023 general election in the party’s primary election on June 7.

Omoyele Sowore (51)

africaN actioN coNgress (aac)

Sowore studied geography and planning at the University of Lagos from 1989 to 1995, with his academic program extended by two extra years after he was expelled twice for political reasons and student activism. He was the President of the University of Lagos Student Union Government between 1992 and 1994, where he was involved in anticultism and anti-corruption advocacy. Sowore holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University. Omoyele Sowore stepped down from his position as the national chairman of the African Action Congress to become the party’s presidential flagbearer. Sowore is a Nigerian human rights activist, pro-democracy campaigner, and founder of the online news agency Sahara Reporters. Sowore had previously run in the 2019 election.

Hamza Al-Mustapha (62)

actioN

alliaNce (aa)

Hamza Al-Mustapha is a former Nigerian Army major and intelligence officer who served as Chief Security Officer. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defense Academy in Kaduna and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1983.

Al-Mustapha joined the army and was trained as an intelligence operative. He was involved in at least two investigations of coup attempts. He was appointed Chief Security Officer to the Head of State (CSOHS) with a Special Strike Force Unit during Abacha’s military regime (17 November 1993–8 June 1998). Hamza AlMustapha (rtd) emerged as the presidential candidate of the Action Alliance for the 2023 general elections.

Kachikwu (48)

Dumebi Kachikwu is an entrepreneur, politician, businessman, and well-loved philanthropist. He is also a media entrepreneur and the chairman of Roots Television Nigeria. Dumebi Kachikwu has built a long and prosperous career as a businessman within numerous sectors, mainly media/telecommunications, agriculture, and construction. He leads Netlink Technologies and regularly collaborates with other leading companies within the tech industry in order to drive technological advancement and accessibility to people from all over the world. He emerged as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) at the party’s presidential primary election, which was held in Abeokuta on June 9. Kachikwu beats Kingsley Moghalu to secure the ticket.

Dumebi

africaN DeMocratic coNgress (aDc)

Kolawole Latifu Abiola (60)

PeoPle’s reDeMPtioN Party (PrP)

Abdul-Lateef Kola Abiola, better known as Kola Abiola, is a Nigerian politician. He is the presidential candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP). Kola Abiola was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, where he grew up with his siblings. On April 14, 2022, he declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential race under the platform of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP). Kola Abiola went to Berkeley and then Colorado State University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in finance and an MBA in business administration. Kola Abiola is the eldest son of the late Moshood Abiola. He emerged as the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) candidate following his emergence at the party’s primary election.

accorD Party (aP)

Christopher Irene Imumolen is the Addo of Abaji, an educationist, a university professor, a serial entrepreneur, a business mogul, and a Nigerian politician. He is the founder of Joint Professional Training and Support International Limited (JPTS) and the UNIC Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organization. He is a presidential candidate on the platform of the Accord Party, ahead of the 2023 Nigerian presidential elections.

Christopher Irene Imumolen

Mr. Eric Phillips

HELLO EVERYONE…….JAMBO

I bring you greetings from the former Dutch colony of Guiana, now known as the Cooperative Republic of Guyana since it gained independence from the British in 1966.

We in Guyana were somewhat dismayed that our country was not mentioned in the apology by Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands because Guyana was a Dutch colony from 1616 to 1812, a period of 196 years. Yes, 196 years. not 20 years, 50 years, or 100 years, but almost 200 years.

The British, in contrast, enslaved Africans in Guyana from

1838 to 1917, a period of 79 years.

What do we know about the Dutch in Guyana?

In 1621, the government of the Netherlands gave the newly formed Dutch West India Company complete control over a large trading post on the Essequibo. The Dutch West Indies Company was a major owner of many plantations that produced cotton, tobacco, and sugar for more than 170 years. At one time, there were over 300 Dutch-owned plantations in Guyana.

Today, an indelible Dutch legacy lives in Guyana through the names of many of our villages, such as Goed Fortuin, Uitvulgt, Vreed en Hoop, Vergenoegen, De Haan, Deweever, Holland, Herstelling, Goed Reed, Sparendaam, and Wakenaam, which is the birthplace of my African grandmother and Amerindian grandfather.

Today, the capital city of Berbice is named New Amsterdam. We also have Dutch street names such as Vlissingen and forts such as Fort Zealandia and Fort Kyk-over-Al. Even today, much of Guyana’s legal and land conveyancing systems are legacies of the long period of Dutch colonial administration.

Dutch enslavement lives in the minds of every Guyanese because Guyana’s national hero, Cuffy, was the leader of the 1763 Berbice rebellion.

So every Guyanese is aware of the Dutch ownership of Guyana. Cuffy was an Akan man from west Africa who was enslaved in Ghana, branded, and brought in chains to Guyana as a very young man. He led the Berbice Slave Rebellion, which began in 1763 and ended in 1764. Most people don’t know this, but Cuffy’s first letter to Dutch Governor Wolfelt Simon van Hoogenheim was written in Dutch. As the rebellion continued, Cuffy and his men were also attacked by Governor Wigbold Crommelin of Suriname. Today, names such as Laurens Storm van Gravesande and Abraham van Pere are well-known historical figures of Dutch enslavement in Guyana. But so much for the brief history lesson.

1812 to 1838, a period of 26 years. Of course, the British, after emancipation in 1838, had Guyana as their colonial property for another 128 years, for a grand total of 324 years of enslavement and colonization. Indentureship also began under the British and lasted from

The book “Blood on the River,” written by Marjolene Kars, vividly describes the horror, brutality, and dehumanization of Africans in Guyana, as well as the legacy of divide and rule as the Dutch protected Amerindians by law and used them to hunt down and kill escaping Africans while destroying maroon villages.

In 1814, the three counties of Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo were bought by the British from the Dutch and, in 1831, became British Guiana.

Why did I begin my presentation in this manner? Simply because I have read almost every article on the apology and have read and listened to prime minister Mark Rutte’s speech on Monday, December 19, and have not seen or heard Guyana mentioned in any of them, nor have a Dutch MP, the vice prime minister, or anyone visiting Guyana. Yet we were enslaved for 196 years by the Dutch and only for 26 years by the British.

The Apology

We in Guyana welcome the courageous step taken by the Prime Minister of the Netherlands. We see the apology as a portal, a gateway between the mental, spiritual, economic, financial, health, cultural, and psychological crises that people of African descent live with daily on foreign shores, in Africa, and in former colonies. Slavery was a crime against African humanity. The humanity that enabled all human lives on this earth Slavery annihilated Africa, African culture, African family values, African traditions, African pride, African growth, African institutions, and African commerce, and as Walter Rodney, a great Guyanese historian, said, “Europe underdeveloped Africa.”

With this in mind, we see the apology as the beginning of a path of constructive dialogue that will lead to repair. Even in Guyana, we need a museum to ensure our citizens understand the daily negative legacies of enslavement of People of African Descent. Education is key. Caricom’s 10-Point Plan provides a framework for future discussion. I also hope the government of the Netherlands will engage civil society groups in Holland. Caricom had a very long conversation last Saturday through a program sponsored by the National Platform on Dutch Slavery Past and other groups, led by chairperson Mrs. Barryl Biekman. This was a 2-hour conference that lasted 4 hours because of the emotions, earnest interests, and ancestral intervention. Christmas is upon us, so I hope it will bring the seasonal fruits of constructive dialogue with these groups. The pain is deep. The hurt still remains, but we are now entering 2023 with new hope. So let us seek justice so that the souls of our ancestors can rest in eternal peace.

There are two Guyanese sayings I want to share today. The first is “moutar and guitar are two different tars.” The second is “the hands that work are holier than the hands that pray.”

This means we heard what was said and look forward to the positive actions that follow based on the principles that harms must be redressed and partnerships and dialogue can lead to shared understandings, shared values, shared actions, and shared benefits.

The apology is a portal. It is an important first step. A gateway.

Let us embrace a process of justice, especially during the final years of the International Decade for People of African Descent, whose motto is recognition, justice, and development.

Let us recognize the crime through an apology, which we received on Monday. Obtain justice, which is reparatory justice, and use the resources for sustainable development.

I spent 2 12 years working on building the Ukraine telecommunications network with colleagues from PTT Telecom of the Netherlands, and I have found the Dutch to be practical, so I look forward to the type of inclusive, constructive dialogue that could result in an even bolder declaration by PM Rutte on the 150th anniversary of the abolition of slavery by the Netherlands.

In the name of our ancestors and generations afflicted by racism, discrimination, and mental slavery, and on behalf of all the governments of Guyana and all Guyanese, I bid everyone attending the press conference God’s grace.

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INCREDIBLE AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES

Investment potential and opportunities in Nigeria

Overview:-

Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa and is projected to become one of the world’s top 20 economies by 2030. Nigeria’s population of 218,541,212 million is also the largest in Africa. The country has a large base of young people; more than 54% of all males and 51% of all females are younger than 20 years of age. Nigeria records over 60% of the European Union’s trade with West Africa.

Oil and gas account for 90% of foreign exchange earnings and more than half of the government’s revenues. However, the country is endowed with huge natural resources such as bitumen, coal, columbite, copper, diamond, gold, iron ore, lead, limestone, marble, salt, silver, and tin, spread across its thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The rebasing of the country’s GDP in 2014 showed tremendous prospects in non-oil sectors, including agriculture, IT, trade, entertainment, and services. Consequently, the Federal Government, through its flagship program, the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, and now the National Development Plan 2021–2025, is diligently diversifying the economy with robust MSME growth while consolidating the position of the private sector as the engine of the economy.

The Nigerian government is also investing in critical infrastructure, ensuring good governance, enabling a vibrant, educated, and healthy populace, reducing poverty, and ensuring regional economic and social disparities. Target economic areas are agriculture and food security, transportation, power, industrialization, infrastructure, and employment. Several products, such as cocoa, cotton, cement, leather, cashew, sesame, shea butter, palm oil, fertilizer, and petrochemicals, have been identified for export with a view to strengthening the economic base of the country.

Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and external shocks, the Nigerian economy lapsed into recession in Q3 2020 after two successive quarters of negative GDP growth but promptly emerged from the recession with a positive 0.11% growth in Q4 2020, a trend that continued into 2021, where it recorded a 5.01% GDP growth in Q2, 92% of which was from the non-oil sector.

INCREDIBLE AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES

Nigeria: a strong investment case

The country provides an attractive investment destination, backed by strong economic fundamentals that allow businesses to thrive.

over the last seven years and remained Africa’s largest economy.

- Geographical land mass bigger than France and the UK combined. also blessed with diverse natural resources.

- The current monthly minimum wage is $83 compared to $233 in South Africa or $124 in Egypt. considered one of the ten most improved economies in the World Bank Doing Business Report 2020.

- Largest market across Africa with a projected population of 402 million and the world’s 3rd largest population by 2050.

- A per capita income of $2028.2 is 84% higher than Africa’s average of $1,720.

- Home to many international brands that have recorded success operating in Nigeria, such as PZ, GSK, Unilever, Diageo, and MTN.

The financial market is one of the largest in Africa, with a capital market capitalization rate of over US $40 billion.

- Witnessed 20 years of uninterrupted democracy, with the peaceful handover of five elected presidents. The federal government has provided numerous initiatives and policies to encourage investment across various sectors. projected to grow at a CAGR of 2.5% over the next five years.

Nigeria has a very young, energetic, tech-savvy, and entrepreneurial population, with over 50% of the total population below the age of 25.

Source: Nigeria Investment Guide, January 2020; UK Department for International Development; UK Aid; and Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

Key facts

GEOGRAPHY

Location:- Sub-Saharan Africa

Size:- 923,768 km2

Land:- 910,768 km2

Water:- 13,000km2

FINANCIAL

Official currency:- Naira

Exchange rate (official):- 421/US$1

GDP:- $469.3billion

Per Capital:- $2,396.3

Growth:- 1.9%

POPULATION (Age mix)

0-14years – 43%

15-24years – 20%

25-54years – 30%

55- 64years – 4% 65years and above – 3%

INCREDIBLE AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES NIGERIA

agriculture

Nigeria has large tracts of arable land, which makes agriculture an important sector of the economy. The agricultural sector contributes 25% of Nigeria’s GDP. Crop production dominates the sector, accounting for 22.6% of GDP alongside livestock (17%), fisheries (0.5%), and forestry (0.3%). Investment opportunities are available in mechanized crop production; food processing and preservation; beef processing and packaging; fruit juices and canned fruits; beverages and confectionary; cash crop processing; exploitation of timber and wood processing; livestock; horticulture development; agricultural input supplies and machinery; water resources development and fabrication of appropriate small-scale mechanized technologies; development of private irrigation facilities; production of improved seeds and agro-chemicals; production of veterinary drugs; and market research.

INCREDIBLE AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES NIGERIA

Nigeria is a natural location for a variety of industrial activities due to the availability of natural resources, affordable labor costs, and a large market. It produces a large proportion of goods and services for the West African region. The industry sector contributes an annual average of 23% of the GDP. The major activities include oil and gas (9%), manufacturing (7%), and construction (5%).

Nigeria ranks as the largest oil producer in Africa and has the largest gas reserves on the continent. The state-owned Nigerian National Petroleum Company, recently restructured, accounts for more than 50% of oil production and over 40% of gas supply. The local refining capacity is put at 24%. This creates a huge gap between the demand for refined petroleum products and the local supply. To help bridge the gap, the downstream sector has been opened to private sector participation. In this regard, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery is being constructed in Lagos and is likely to become Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single train facility.

Lagos and its environs are home to about 60% of Nigeria’s industrial activities. Other industrial cities include Kano, Aba, Ibadan, Port-Harcourt, and Kaduna. Nigeria’s major manufacturing industries include beverages, cement, food processing, textiles, and detergents. The sector contributes about 9% of the GDP annually.

Nigeria is becoming home to the world’s largest emerging cement companies. Two companies, Dangote Cement and Lafarge WAPCO Cement, control 80% of the market. Nigeria is almost meeting its local demand, and the industry is beginning to export to neighboring countries.

industry

oil and gas

Manufacturing cement

INCREDIBLE AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES

services

Nigeria is one of the most open service markets in Africa. Services account for 53% of the country’s GDP. The main contributory services are trade (16%), information and communication (18%), real estate (6%), professional, scientific, and technical services (4%), and financial and insurance services (3%). The prospects of the market are strong, with 49% of the population being internetsavvy Nigerians, who have the largest online market for apparel and footwear in Africa.

information & communication

Nigeria is home to the fastest-growing and largest telecommunications industry in Africa. With a population of over 216 million, about 49% of whom are active internet users, the ICT industry presents attractive investment opportunities, especially in private network links, internet business, satellite communication, payphone services, and cellular radio phone services.

other sectors incentives

The Nigerian financial and insurance industries have become more diversified and stronger, as many Nigerian banks now operate in most African countries. The brewing industry, food processing, textiles, health (especially specialist care), education, housing, real estate, and solid minerals are also sectors with strong prospects.

- The Federal Government has introduced many incentives to encourage investors, which include:

- Income tax relief for a period of three to five years for pioneer status companies

- Zero percent import duty tariffs for the import of agricultural equipment

- Exception of interest from tax on loans granted to agricultural activities

- Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement in Respect of Income and Capital Gains

- Protection of investments through Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement

- Full repatriation of profits

- Nigeria has ratified the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

INCREDIBLE AND EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES NIGERIA summary

is a country of great opportunities with an extremely large market, huge natural resources, and unmet demand. It could be the fastest-growing African economy up to 2050 and is strategically located in the middle of Africa, creating easier access to South, North, East, and West Africa. The federal government has shown the highest level of commitment to maintaining a good business environment, with a Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) inaugurated in 2016 and sub-national reforms at the state level. There is also a One-Stop Investment Center (OSIC), which brings together 27 relevant government agencies in one location to provide fasttracked services to new investors.

A growing and increasing middle class with tech-savvy young adults, a large and flexible workforce, and an entrepreneurial population—innovative, creative, and highly resilient people—add up to create a very attractive investment destination.

Iman Who Fought For Black Models To Get Equal Pay

By Stephen Nartey

She had a career breakthrough when photographer Peter Beard encountered her at the University of Nairobi. He took photographs of her with the assurance that he would provide her with a fee that would pay her tuition at the university.

Beard persuaded Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid to join him in New York in 1976, where she signed up with Wilhelmina Models, as reported by Biography. She was born Zara Mohamed Abdulmajid in 1955 in Mogadishu, Somalia. But her name was changed at the behest of her grandfather, who suggested she be renamed Iman. Her grandfather was of the view that she would prosper with a masculine name. Iman in Arabic means “faith.” Her grandfather was right. Iman turned out to be one of the world’s most famous black supermodels and a millionaire with a chain of businesses. She spent her formative years in Egypt at a boarding school when her father, a diplomat, became an ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Her mother was a gynecologist. When Iman relocated to New York, she caught the eye of top designers like French couturier Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan, and Versace. She began starring on haute-couture runways and making it to the cover pages of fashion magazines like

Harper’s Bazaar. French couturier Laurent devoted a collection to her, dubbed “The African Queen.” Iman is noted for having demanded to be paid the same as her white colleague models and for being actively engaged in styling her shoots. This inspiration was from her mother, who told her to always know her worth.

“A couple of months after I arrived in the United States, in 1975, I found out they were paying black models less than our counterparts, and I said, ‘I’m not doing this.’ “If I’m doing the same job as the white model, I have to be compensated,” she told W Magazine. Iman said she went on strike for three months. “And then, of course, they raised my rate,” she said.

She pulled the curtains back temporarily on her modeling career in the early 1980s after she was involved in a car accident. She was out of the modeling space for five months, during which time she is said to have reassessed her priorities. In 1989, she retired from her modeling career and pursued another interest. Iman launched her cosmetics line in 1994, selling all-inclusive cosmetics and hard-to-find shades for brown and

black skin tones. In 1999, she started a lipstick brand with rapper Missy Elliott, and she channeled a significant portion of the proceeds to organizations raising awareness about ending domestic violence. She also ventured into screen appearances, featuring in several films and making TV appearances on shows like The Cosby Show and Miami Vice. She filmed a documentary with the BBC to shine a light on the ravages of war in her home country of Somalia and campaigned for international aid to alleviate the plight of women and children. She later married English rock star David Bowie when she relocated to Los Angeles in the 1990s. They married in 1992 in Switzerland. Iman decided to devote more of her time to raising her baby girl and building her marriage. She spent more of her time on family, her philanthropic work, and growing her business.

The Council of Fashion Designers recognized her with the Fashion Icon Award in 2010, symbolizing the immense impact she had made on the fashion world.

Did Russia Extend Trade Preferences To Nigeria?

By Kestér Kenn Klomegâh

More than a decade ago, Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov held a review meeting with his Nigerian counterpart, Minister Chief Ojo Mbila Maduekwe, who paid a three-day working visit to Moscow. After the closed-door bilateral talks, both ministers held a brief media conference, and one of the significant questions raised there was whether Moscow was prepared to offer trade preferences to the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Extending trade preferences was interpreted as an integral part of strengthening bilateral economic and trade cooperation between the two parties. During the Soviet days, Nigeria benefited tremendously from Soviet assistance. And with no

goods from Nigeria to further boost trade between the two oil producers.

Bondarenko told IPS that the intergovernmental commission could become a tool for the revival of Russian-Nigerian economic cooperation.

This possibility is symbolized, albeit ambivalently, by the Ajeokuta plant, which could become the largest metalproducing plant in Africa. The building of the steel plant started in 1970, during the Soviet era. According to Bondarenko, it “unfortunately stopped in the late 1980s due to problems on both ends.”

This has made the Ajeokuta project “a painful topic in discussions among Nigerian policy experts on Russian-Nigerian relations.”

For trade relations between Russia and Nigeria and other African states to improve appreciably, Bondarenko suggested that “Russia gives some trade preferences to African countries—for example, tax exceptions or reductions among other measures.” This can become an effective political step to strengthen relations with African countries.

doubts, Russia has cordial post-Soviet relations with Nigeria. Nigerian Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe headed the delegation for the “business as usual” intergovernmental commission on economic and scientific-technical cooperation on March 17. They agreed on a broad range of bilateral economic issues, many of which are still not implemented. But then, Russia has never honored its promise of extending trade preferences in practical terms to Nigeria. That media conference was held in March 2009.

Professor Dmitri Bondarenko, deputy director of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Inter Press Service (IPS) in an interview that as cooperation between Nigeria and Russia was strengthening, Russia should seriously consider extending preferential treatment to some

However, at least two points should be taken into account: firstly, such measures should only apply to specific goods so as not to discourage non-African partners. For example, if Russia gives preferential treatment to African imports of pineapples and bananas, it would have to do the same with Latin American importers of the same goods for economic and political reasons. Secondly, such preferences should apply to direct imports by African companies but not to trade mediated by Russian or third-country companies. The value of trade, which practically doubled in 2008 to about 300 million dollars, and the allowance for re-exports—more than one billion dollars—serve as indicators of current growth.

Today, Nigeria is Russia’s second-largest trade partner among sub-Saharan African countries. Russian business circles show an ever greater interest in entering the promising market of that large country.

Dr. Bashir Obasekola, a prominent Nigerian economist and the outgoing president-general of an organization representing the Nigerian community in Russia, told IPS that the current trade statistics of about 300 million dollars seem peanuts given the potential of both countries and the size of their economies. “The volume of trade should be in the billions of dollars, even

without military hardware.” “One of the major hindrances to free trade and a significant increase in trade transactions between Nigeria and Russia is the lack of direct air flights,” Obasekola said further. “This makes it more inconvenient and expensive for potential investors to travel easily to both countries.” “Besides, there are no adequate economic and social statistics available to potential Russian and Nigerian investors.”

He explained that Russian industries need raw materials, agricultural produce, and other consumer goods that are cheaply available in Africa. Without special incentives, these things cannot easily get to the Russian market.

“Such measures as changing import-export tariff policies could encourage buyers and sellers in both countries to trade.” Adequate legal protection should be made available for investors in both countries. “The lack of legal mechanisms is sometimes being exploited by criminals in both countries,” he said, adding that this led to fraud and the illegal seizure of properties and investments.

Apart from the differences in the level of economic development and climate, Russia and Nigeria are similar in several ways. Both countries have large populations and a variety of mineral resources. Nigeria and Russia are both suppliers of oil and both play significant roles in regional and world affairs.

Both countries are emerging economies, although Russia is far ahead in economic development and is a member of the Group of Eight industrialized countries (G-8) while Nigeria is aspiring to be part of the 20 most-developed economies by

the year 2020.

Obasekola said finally that the Russian private and public sectors could also play significant roles in the infrastructural development (energy, housing, roads, and railways) of Nigeria.

The two governments hoped that the commission would help them to actualize the rich potential that both Russia and Nigeria possess in the trade and economic fields and in the sphere of large investment projects.

These would include projects related to the development of infrastructure, the ferrous and non-ferrous metals industries, electric power, including nuclear energy, and the extraction of hydrocarbons and other mineral raw materials.

“We agreed to speed up work on modernizing the legal base of our relations.” “A whole array of important draft documents are in the stage of elaboration, including an agreement on the encouragement and protection of investment,” Lavrov said after their official meeting.

The Russian foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Andrey Nesterenko, said at the start of the diplomatic talks that “economic and trade ties between Russia and Nigeria have been picking up in recent years, which is consistent with the two leaderships’ policy of taking the partnership to a new qualitative level.”

Nesterenko added that “key aspects of Russian-Nigerian cooperation are to bring all the available suggestions for large projects in the energy sphere, the ferrous and non-ferrous metals industry, and other sectors onto a practical footing.”

coNNecticut MourNs

The Tragic Loss Of Young Black Lawmaker Who Died In WrongWay Crash After Attending His Own Swearing-In Ceremony

Tributes are pouring in for Quentin Williams after the Connecticut state representative died in a car accident on Thursday. According to The Associated Press, Williams, who was fondly known as “Q,” died just hours after he took the oath of office to serve his third term. State police said the deceased Democratic Party lawmaker was driving home after attending the governor’s inauguration ball when a wrong-way driver got into a head-on collision with his car. The wrong-way driver also passed away.

Prior to his death, Williams was regarded as a promising political figure. The fatal incident also happened a day after he was made co-chairman of the General Assembly’s Labor and Public Employees Committee. Wednesday was the legislature’s inaugural session of the year. Initially the co-chairman of the legislature’s Housing Committee, Williams had also set his sights on vying for higher office.

“I was so proud of him and his incredible accomplishments and had so much hope for what he was yet to do,” state Sen. Matthew Lesser, D-Middletown, told the news outlet. “Just last night, with the governor’s ball, he got pulled into a work meeting with his Labor (committee) co-chair, and they were fiercely coming up with plans for the incoming legislative session,” Lesser, who also tapped Williams to vie for his former House seat, added. “So it’s just gut-wrenching.” In the wake of Williams’ death, state legislators announced the closure of the state Capitol and Legislative Office Building, The Associated Press reported. The committee’s first meeting was initially set to take place on Thursday. But all legislative activities have since been postponed until Monday.

Williams’ death was announced by his family through a public statement released by Democratic House Speaker Matt Ritter and House Majority Leader Jason Rojas. “I am in shock,” Ritter said.

“Q was my dear friend, and I am scarred by his sudden loss,” he added. “We will have time to reflect on Q as a legislator in the weeks to come, but right now I deeply mourn my friend and send all of my love to Carrissa, Queen, and Q’s family.”

“We will all miss Q.”

State police said the incident happened in the wee hours of Thursday on Route 9 in Cromwell. In the wake of the headon collision, Williams’ car caught fire. The deceased wrongway driver was identified as 27-year-old Kimede Mustafaj. Authorities are also investigating if alcohol or drugs were the reason behind the crash.

“This is devastating news, and I am incredibly saddened by this tragedy,” Gov. Ned Lamont said. “Quentin had an infectiously optimistic personality, and he absolutely loved having the opportunity to represent his lifelong home of Middletown at the State Capitol.” “Public service was his passion, and he was always advocating on behalf of the people of his hometown.”

Williams’ biography on his legislative webpage states that he was the first African American to represent the City of Middletown in the Connecticut General Assembly. He was also a Middletown Public Schools graduate, and he earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Bryant University, a master’s in public administration from Villanova University, and a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University.

He is survived by his wife and mother.

By Francis Akhalbey

Vic Mensa

Helping Provide Clean Water To Over 200K People In His Native Ghana Britain

By Francis Akhalbey

Chicago rapper Vic Mensa is extending his philanthropic endeavors to his native Ghana by providing access to clean water to more than 200,000 locals. The rapper, who was born to a Ghanaian father, took up the decision to fund the drilling of boreholes in the West African nation after he visited his ancestral village, Billboard reported.

Mensa made that trip in the company of his father. And after he had a first-hand view of the water contamination in the area, he and his father decided to step in by funding the drilling of a borehole. Mensa’s father runs a nonprofit called “Let Them Drink Water.”

Boreholes provide clean, filtered water from the ground. But they are said to be scarce in Africa. So following the funding of a borehole that eventually provided clean water to over a hundred thousand locals, Mensa—born Victor Kwesi Mensah—took up the decision to provide two more to other villages.

“We’re building 3 boreholes in different communities in Ghana to provide clean drinking water, the first being the Asokore Zongo in Koforidua, where my family lives, which is already built. “The other locations are a nearby community called Efiduase and then our ancestral village in the Volta Region, Amedzope,” Mensa said in a statement. “Most people in communities like this in Ghana experience constant waterborne diseases.”

The drilling of a borehole is said to cost around $15,000. So to help raise funds to pay for more boreholes, Mensa and the Black Star Line Festival

formed a partnership. The festival, which was founded by the Ghanaian-American and fellow Chicago rapper, Chance the Rapper, is a “week-long series of events including panel discussions, fine art exhibitions, and nightlife events culminating in a large-scale concert at Black Star Square in Accra.”

The free concert is scheduled to take place on Friday, January 6, and artists including Erykah Badu, T-Pain, Jeremih, Sarkodie, Tobe Nwigwe, Asakaa Boys, and M.anifest have been billed to perform.

“This festival is about connecting Black people around the globe,” Mensa said in an interview with TMZ. “Beyond all of those colonial boundaries “It’s something that has been on my mind for a long time.”

Amsterdam’s Largest Bike Garage To Open Under Central Station Canal; 7,000 Spots

Amsterdam’s biggest bicycle garage, located under Central Station on Stationplein, will open this month. The garage has space for 7,000 bikes and, according to the municipality, is the world’s first bicycle garage to be built underwater. “The tour boats will soon literally sail above the bicycles.” Building the bicycle garage in such a heavily trafficked area was quite the challenge, the municipality of Amsterdam said. All the access roads to the station had to remain open, while construction workers also needed space to work. “It is extraordinary that we succeeded,” the city said.

The bicycle garage is connected underground to the metro and Central Station hall. The Stationplein bicycle garage will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Parking is free for the first 24 hours.

Once the Stationplein bicycle garage opens, the existing two NS parking facilities at the station building will also be free for the first 24 hours. State Secretary Vivianne Heijnen will open the bicycle garage, while everyone is welcome to see and discover the renovated station island.

“There will be activities for young and old,” the city said.

Hospitality Sector Struggling Under Staff Shortages, High Prices Despite Higher Turnover

Catering entrepreneurs are again making a higher turnover than before the coronavirus crisis, according to the industry association KHN. But the sector continues to face significant challenges, such as higher purchasing costs and a lack of personnel. Customers can expect higher prices and to encounter closed restaurants, closed terraces, and fewer choices on the menu this year.

According to the KHN, the hospitality sector achieved a turnover of almost 26 billion euros last year, slightly higher than in 2019. But entrepreneurs saw their profits evaporate due to the much higher costs. “The margins are under considerable pressure.” A margin of about 14 percent remains necessary to invest and to give yourself a fair remuneration as an entrepreneur, but employers are not achieving that now. “The price is often not fair,” KHN chairman Rober Willemsen said to ANP.

Restaurants will have to further increase the prices of food and drinks, Willemsen said. Entrepreneurs hardly dare pass on their higher purchasing costs to the customers, but they can’t keep it up. He doesn’t expect the price increases to scare consumers away.

Prices for food and other necessities have risen sharply in the past year, but according to Willemsen, people still come to the catering sector for a beer and a steak. “Last year, we saw what we were missing during the coronavirus.” That is the picture that prevailed, despite the increased costs and lower margins.

According to Willemsen, maintaining or increasing the workforce is “one of the most important focus points for 2023,” he told ANP. “The tension in the labor market is expected to ease slightly in 2023, but the shortages will remain,” he expects.

The sector sees many young people opting for a side job in the hospitality industry again. “But the number of people

who obtain a vocational diploma in the hospitality industry has been declining for years. Many young people also still see the hospitality industry as a temporary employer and leave after one or two years.

The “binding, captivating, and educating” of employees is the greatest challenge for entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry. Staff want to have prospects. The sector should also continue to focus on making catering courses more attractive, Willemsen said.

According to the KHN, cafes and restaurants are increasingly offering ready-made meals to customers due to a lack of staff. Willemsen sees previously prepared dishes as a good solution that does not automatically come at the expense of customer satisfaction. “The quality of ready meals has increased in recent years.” “You can see that entrepreneurs are now investing in better ovens to heat the meals and paying more attention to the preparation to deal with the staff shortages,” Willemsen said to ANP.

The need for chefs, in particular, is great. “Of the approximately 60,000 structural vacancies, 40,000 are in the kitchen,” said Willemsen. On a scale of 1 to 10, the chef shortage is at an 8. Among serving staff, the shortage is an average of 4, which is already very high.

DJ CENT: I Am A Big Brand, But South Sudanese Don’t Get It

Afrobeat singer DJ Cent Mr. No Rest calls himself the biggest brand and an international artiste—whose trip to the commercial city of Dubai is like a trip to Gumbo Sherikat, east of Juba.

The man whose songs continue to dominate airwaves across the country does not disappoint when he holds the mic, and there can be hardly a doubt about what he has achieved so far in a struggling music industry.

Speaking on Eye Radio’s Top 10 Music Countdown last week, the Num Bet Mara hitmaker went as far as likening himself to Nigerian superstar Wizkid, who has won several Grammys. He also said he has come to realize that he deserves to live the same life as American R&B singer Chris Brown. According to him, the only problem, which is no longer his problem, is that his country’s people don’t know what they have got. perhaps until it’s gone.

Mr. Cent says he only realized how big of a deal he was after meeting a Sudanese lady in Zanzibar.

“I was in Tanzania with John Frog, then I left them there and went to Zanzibar on my own mission. Then, in Zanzibar, I met this lady, and the lady said, “Hey, I saw you in South Sudan; you are really doing good.” “I am going to do something for you,” he said. “When she went to Dubai, she texted me and asked if I wanted to go to Dubai.” I said I was even on my way to the airport. So, she asked for my passport, and I went to Dubai, and that changed everything.”

Mr. Cent said the trips to Dubai helped build his music career and unleashed his true value and potential.

Exploitative music promoters

DJ Cent also blasted music promoters in the country for allegedly exploiting the vulnerability and inability of artists to make money out of their songs. He argues that many promoters undercharge singers, who have no choice but to accept the little offer.

“Our promoters in South Sudan will put a price of 500 dollars on it and make it a must for artists to accept.”

“They will say DJ Cent, I am organizing a show, and I only have 500 dollars for you.” “This is the money I have for you, and the promoter will force you to accept his price because you are vulnerable.”

“Like now, I am not after performing in South Sudan and begging promoters for small money to use my talent. No, I need to fix my price for my people, and they must work with my price. “Not the other way around,” he said.

“It should not be like that.” In the other world, bro, when you call Wizkid management today, they will tell you 200,000 dollars. That is their price. You cannot tell them your price.

But Cent says he will not be exploited anymore.

“Here in South Sudan, when you say your price, people will say you’re bragging.” Anybody who says DJ Cent is bragging, please, I am not. I am trying to set my brand now. “Because if I don’t prepare myself now, I will fail

tomorrow.”

This is how business goes. Any promoter who comes to me, I will judge his caliber and the place he is planning to have the show. So anywhere around Juba or outside Juba, I must start with 1 million South Sudanese pounds because I believe in my crowd.”

He adds: “So, anybody who is coming to DJ Cent, you have to know you are coming to a big brand.”

Mr. Cent says paying artists well will motivate them to work hard and drop good songs.

Unseen during Christmas and New Year festivals

Mr. Cent, who loves social media controversies, was neither seen in many of the December holiday concerts nor did he perform at the Together for Peace Concert that was graced by Nigerian singing twins P-Square.

When asked about where he had been, he said he had been invisible in December because he was supposed to go to Turkey.

“I was booked to go to Turkey. So, approaching Christmas, the lady who was supposed to take me to Turkey lost her child. So I told the people who used to call me for shows that I would not be present. It was too late, and I didn’t need to force myself to go for small money because I am a big brand.”

But Mr. No Rest said he has not wasted the year 2022 so far because he has traveled to Africa and beyond.

“I have moved to so many places; like last year, I went to Uganda, Nairobi, and Tanzania several times, South Africa, Ghana, Zanzibar, and Dubai twice.”

“Dubai is now my Gumbo (Sherikat). Let me tell you, my going to Dubai, I am not the one behind it.” It is my people who are my fans. “I am a big brand in South Sudan, but my people don’t understand me,” Cent said.

He said the only people who take him seriously are those outside the country.

“People out there are taking that seriously—that I am even at the level of Wizkid—because when I was in Dubai, I was living the life I have never dreamed of in my life. “I was living in the most expensive hotel, buying expensive things, and moving in expensive cars; guards opened the door for me, and I entered like a president.”

“I asked the sponsor to please don’t bother; nobody knows me here.” But she said, “DJ Cent, this is the life you deserve.” “What is happening to you is that people in your country don’t show you this life, and you can live the same life as Christ Brown.”

The Story Of Benin’s Toll-Free Number

Written by Elizabeth Kameo

With a slight smile on her face, 41-year-old Françoise (not her real name) says, “To overcome, you have to confront.” I had to face and overcome the challenges for my children and myself. After suffering in silence for years, I had to find help. That is how I came to the psychosocial and legal support center, CAPJ (Centre d’accompagnement psychosocial et juridique), “Today I am a survivor.”

In March of 2007, 26-year-old Françoise began working as the executive secretary to the director for a private transit and transport company in Benin. Three years later, her boss, the owner of the company, began sexually abusing her. It is estimated that workplace sexual harassment makes up twenty percent of gender-based violence cases in the country. One day he called the office from his house and asked me to get him some paperwork. On getting there, I found him alone, and that is when he sexually abused me. It was the first time and would continue for over nine years. He threatened me, saying if I ever told anyone, something bad would happen to me, so I kept silent.

From then on, she says he would send other workers off on errands, ensure it was just the two of them left, and subject her

to more sexual abuse. The first attack took place in October 2010 and lasted until the end of November 2019. “When the person you respect the most abuses you, you lose something.” For me, it was my courage and confidence. I had no support system at the time, so depression set in since I was always worried about losing my job. I was suffering in silence until I met my partner.

In February 2021, two years after the abuse had ended, she finally found the courage to confide in her partner and resign from her job. She sought help after a friend told her about CAPJ, though it was not until August this year that she went there. Today, her case file is with the Vice Squad. “At the center, I was listened to, offered psychological help, and provided with a lawyer.” It has been comforting. “I feel protected and supported.”

“The next step is the court hearing,” Marilyne Sourou, Head of the Psychosocial and Legal Support Center, says. “In the meantime, we are waiting to have a meeting with the lawyer that COSI-Benin has hired for her.” CAPJ is part of COSI-Benin, “La Confédération des organisations syndicales indépendantes du Bénin.” It was set up by the latter with support from its Dutch

Cases of violence and harassment in the workplace are still very prevalent and appear to be intensifying. Sadly, its victims choose to remain silent out of fear of retribution from their harassers and victimisers. To counter this, the Centre d’écoute et d’Accompagnement

CAPJ/COSI-Benin offers a free helpline for women in Benin who are victims of violence and harassment in the workplace.Britain

partner organization, CNV International, on the realization that there is a growing number of women and girls who are falling victim to workplace harassment. It acts as a listening and reconciliation center, offering legal services in situations of conflict in the workplace. Located in Cotonou, it provides a place for victims of violence and harassment in the workplace and learning environments to be listened to, advised, and guided psychologically, legally, and given health care where necessary.

Survivors throughout Benin can reach the center by calling the toll-free number 91-47-00-00. It is the only helpline in the country set up with the sole purpose of helping survivors of workplace harassment. It is available free of charge for subscribers of the most popular mobile operators in Benin. Through it, the CAPJ registers complaints and refers victims and survivors according to their geographical location, Sourou says. Using the helpline, they hope to break the silence as far as sexual harassment toward women and girls in the workplace is concerned. While Benin has a legal framework for the prevention and repression of gender-based violence as stated by Law 2011-26 of 9 January, as in many other African countries, these laws are only good on paper.

“Lack of respect for women’s rights is still the norm.” They still have no access or find difficulties when seeking justice in cases of violence. “There is a weak implementation, or in most cases no implementation at all, of the laws adopted in favor of women,” she explains. One of COSI-Benin’s tasks is advocating for the ratification of ILO Convention C190, which condemns all forms of violence in the workplace, including sexual harassment.

In Benin, 69 percent of women and girls are reported to have been victims of different forms of GBV—physical, verbal, psychological, sexual, and harmful traditional practices. Twenty percent of these are cases of economic violence. A trade union organization, COSI-Benin, also set up a National Women’s Commission, whose aim is to combat workplace sexual harassment by informing and sensitizing women about their rights as well as the country’s legal framework. Today, Françoise is one of those whom the center has helped find answers and seek justice for. She no longer considers herself a victim, but a survivor. “There was a time in my life when I considered committing suicide, but then I realized it was not the way out.” With three children, I sought help from COSI-Benin. “I now have support from the center, but I hope to gain support from the judicial institutions as I seek justice

to have my abuser held accountable for his actions,” she adds. “My abuser nearly destroyed my life and that of my children.” They did not go to school for a year because I could not afford it. As for the long-term effects of abuse over such a long period, she says there could not be a bigger challenge. “I hope

to find justice and see my abuser punished for his crime.” I am still jobless and depend on my partner and family for my financial needs. I cannot imagine going back to work with a male boss. Maybe one day, but not yet.

Those in power need to understand what is happening, listen, and support us. When you are abused, you become vulnerable and need all the support you can get. I have confidence in the system, and I hope my abuser will be judged accordingly. Since 2020 to date, the CAPJ has registered 157 complaints, including sexual harassment (mainly in domestic workplaces), sexual assault, physical violence, and threats, all at the workplace.

They currently have two pending court cases. Legal services are provided free of charge to survivors and victims through a partnership with a lawyer’s office, whose costs are covered by COSI-Benin with the support of CNV International. “This was put in place after we realized that most women had difficulties obtaining justice because they could not afford legal fees,” Sourou says.

She explains that, as per the center’s role of listening, when survivors reach out for help, they are received in confidence, listened to, and their complaints registered. “The center then advises and informs, emergency measures are taken where

Continued on Page 50

necessary, and the person in question is informed of the legal system and their rights.” “We discuss available measures that can be taken and orient them towards the most suitable service, legal, psychologic, or other,” she states. While the CAPJ is not in a position to offer holistic care to survivors, she reveals that they have an alliance with Social Promotion Centers, specialized institutions of the state with the necessary resources to help victims and survivors. But even with the toll-free line in place, she admits that there is still a lot of ground to be covered to ensure that its services are accessible to workers all over the country. To this effect, CAPJ has organized awareness- and sensitization-building workshops in the south and north of Benin and public outreach programs through radio and television broadcasts.

They are also tapping into the power of social media. A WhatsApp forum was created in January 2021. It is a melting point of information and awareness called “VBG, On en parle” (Let’s talk about GBV). It brings together media professionals, anti-gender-based violence activists, lawyers, opinion leaders, and trade union leaders. With about 200 members, the forum holds debates on topics related to violence at work and on Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 adopted by the ILO on violence and harassment at the workplace.

The biggest challenge, Sourou contends, is “breaking the silence.” “Our cultural context does not favor this; it is really difficult for victims of violence to speak out in their workplace.” Beyond culture, they are afraid of finding themselves unemployed or not being sufficiently protected from their tormentors. Since the legal process is also long and tedious, they do not always have the resilience and strength to deal with it. In addition, currently CAPJ is not known and accessible to all, and we still lack technical resources. But this is not stopping them from fighting the good fight.

She is confident that Benin’s current government is on the right track to tackling GBV in the workplace. She also believes the country’s ratification of Convention 190

and Recommendation 206 will be useful in this quest. But she adds, “most importantly, women who languish under the weight of silence need to break it and free themselves.”

Helplines play a vital role in allowing people who may be in distress or in need of psychosocial support to communicate in their own way and at their own pace. The fact that it is confidential gives people a sense of control, making them feel free to discuss matters far too risky to share face-to-face. Calling a helpline is a great way to be heard and to get sound advice on how to approach your problems.

When the person you respect the most abuses you, you lose something. For me, it was my courage and confidence.Lack of respect for women’s rights is still the norm. They still have no access or find difficulties when seeking justice in cases of violence.

In Benin, 69 percent of women and girls are reported to have been victims of different forms of GBV

Hon Wavinya Ndeti Presents A Memorandum To His Excellency, President William Samoei Ruto Of Kenya

The Governor of Machakos, Her Excellency, Hon Wavinya Ndeti, presented a memorandum to His Excellency, President William Samoei Ruto of Kenya seeking the fast-tracking of various development projects within Machakos County as part of her effort to bring development closer to the people.

Governor Wavinya stated her commitment to work with the National Government towards achieving key infrastructure development projects and universal healthcare in Machakos County.

The Machakos County Governor was accompanied by Machakos County Executive Committee Member for Health, Dr. Daniel M. Yumbya, to present the report to Mr. President.

On his part, the President assured the Governor of his administration’s commitment to advancing the welfare and betterment of Kenyans.

By Jimmie Nicks (Kenya)

african commission Mourns Vice President badara

alieu Joof of the gambia as well as gambians.

THE African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has expressed sadness over the death of the Vice President of The Gambia, His Excellency, Badara Alieu Joof, who passed away in India on January 18, 2023.

Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, described the former vice president as a great champion of human rights committed to the promotion and protection of Human and Peoples’ Rights on the continent.

“The Commission expresses its sincere condolences to the bereaved family, the government, and the people of The Gambia,” Lumbu said in a statement.

Earlier, President of the Gambia Adama Barrow announced that Joof had died in India after a brief illness, without providing further details.

“Fellow Gambians, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing away of my Vice President, His Excellency, Badara Alieu Joof. The sad event took place in India after a short illness. “May Allah grant him Jannahtul Firdawsi,” Barrow said in a tweet on Wednesday.

No date has been set for Joof’s funeral, but the government has declared seven days of national mourning following his death. The vice president left The Gambia about three weeks ago to seek medical treatment and had not been seen in public for months before the trip.

One of Joof’s last official assignments was the official opening

of the 73rd Ordinary Session of the Commission, held in Banjul from October 20 to November 8, 2022.

He was appointed Vice President of the West African country in 2022 and previously served as education minister from 2017 to 2022.

The late Mr. Joof was the fourth deputy to serve under Barrow since his historic win in 2016 against former strongman Yahya Jammeh and swearing in the following year, and the second since the president won re-election in 2021.

With the death of the Vice President, the Gambia government has declared a 7-Day National Mourning for late Vice President Badara Alieu Joof. According to the press statement released on the national mourning period, the public is hereby informed that the weeklong mourning should not be misconstrued as a public holiday or an excuse for absenteeism from work.

The 7-day period of mourning, effective January 18, 2023, entails flying the Gambian flag at half-mast, signing a book of condolences at the Presidency, and praying to the Almighty Allah to have mercy on the soul of the former Vice President. All public institutions and schools are advised to remain open during this mourning period.

Therefore, all public and civil servants are to report to their respective duty posts and continue work, as the Vice President would wish the country to continue without him.

Prince Bubacarr Aminata

Sankanu,

the Deputy Government Spokesperson of the Gambia, signed this statement.

Dark Clouds Are Gathering Over South Africa

Financial services company BNP Paribas said that South Africa will likely see weak economic growth in 2023 as the country faces global headwinds and further domestic challenges.

The company estimates 2023 GDP growth to reach 0.2%, reflecting a weaker net trade and consumption outlook.

“On top of this black growth view, we expect inflation to remain sticky for longer as the lag effect of higher wages and rebounding service prices eat into disposable incomes, forcing more action out of the SARB (South African Reserve Bank),” said BNP Paribas. Combined with low expected growth, the group said that stagflation risks loom large in South Africa.

Stagflation refers to a period of economic hardship characterized by stagnant economic growth, high unemployment, and rising prices (inflation).

For emerging economies such as South Africa, stagflation can be particularly damaging as it can lead to a decline in living standards and a decrease in investment, further inhibiting long-term economic growth.

Growth

This year in South Africa will be tougher economically than 2022, said BNP Paribas. Key trading partners such as Europe and the US are also expected to face headwinds.

The long-standing energy insecurity domestically is likely to intensify, halting economic progress even more.

BNP Paribas forecasts an estimated 200 days of load shedding in 2023, mostly between stages 3 and 4—compared to last year’s “norm” of stages 1 and 2.

The group estimated potential short-term growth of 0.5%, revealing an economy that is likely to stall without global tailwinds and robust commodity prices.

The financial services company added that faltering labor stocks and tepid levels of productivity also help explain South Africa’s recent slump in potential GDP.

Labor and inflation

Like other countries across the globe, South Africa faces disinflation in 2023, particularly in the second half of the year, reports BNP Paribas. The group does, however, believe that disinflation will happen slowly.

“Our forecasts of the second derivative in year-on-year price

changes show only a modest pace of disinflation compared with history, with the bulk of the “stickiness” likely to come from core inflation.”

The group forecasts an average CPI rate of 6.0% in 2023 after 6.9% in 2022, implying two straight years at or above the SARB’s less-desired upper 6% target bank.

The group said that until food and public transport price rises move out of double-digit territory, inflation expectations will struggle to lower.

With high unemployment a key driver of stagflation, higher wage demands place additional pressure on the economy. According to PNP Paribas, with many multi-year privatesector wage deals above 6.0% in 2022 and scope for some modest rises towards 4.5% in the public wage bill set for this year, one can expect unit labor costs to resume an upward trend as underlying growth slows sharply.

Previous concern

This is not the first warning of stagflation in South Africa. In May 2022, presenting at a financial stability review, the SARB noted that global stagflation is one of the major concerns for the economy.

The central bank said that continuous slow and inequitable growth, rising inflation, and extra pressure on key sectors of the financial system would all result in stagflation.

Jeff Schultz, the chief economist at BNP Paribas, said in November 2022 that the Reserve Bank would unlikely slow down on rate hikes, contributing further to a rough period of stagflation.

“Stagflationary conditions are less than ideal for the SARB, but don’t expect the central bank to blink in its pursuit of price stability,” it said.

Vanessa Moore gets a surprise birthday and graduation party from Mom.

Last December, Madam Ruth Moore gave her daughter, Miss Vanessa Moore, a surprise 25th birthday party in Arnhem and also wanted to congratulate her on her successful completion of a degree program at the university. So it was a double celebration for the family, and over 150 guests were invited, including her close school friends, associates of her mother, and her partner’s friends; they all joined in the celebration.

DJ Budetee was the master of ceremonies, and he and DJ Donluciano provided the music and entertainment for the night. On Vanessa’s arrival, she was received with songs of happy birthday, and she broke down into emotional tears of joy. Her mother had informed her she was going to have a photo session and not a birthday party; therefore, she was pleasantly surprised to see all her friends gathered to celebrate with her. There was enough to eat and drink and take away; she cut both her birthday and graduation cakes, and she danced all evening with friends and well-wishers. She also received gifts from her guests. Congratulations to you Vanessa Moore and greater height for you in Jesus Christ name. Amen

Photos by Jeff Enahoro

Jeff Movies Production

Den Haag, The Netherlands

+31681764181 or +31685690856

Jeff Movies Production

Den Haag, The Netherlands

+31681764181 or +31685690856

Photos by Jeff Enahoro

Vanessa Moore gets a surprise birthday and graduation party from Mom

Ghana Grants Citizenship To 126 African Diaspora Returnees

Ghana: A Place to Finally Call Home!

“Our people, on the whole, have been so unaccepted around the world, and to come to Ghana and have the government of Ghana, the citizens of Ghana, and the people of Ghana open their arms to us and tell us, “You belong...this is your right...it’s a blessing,” said Baba Ra El, an African American who moved to Ghana over eight years ago. He said that becoming a Ghanaian citizen was “an exhilarating feeling, a feeling beyond words.”

The Citizenship Ceremony

On the morning of Thursday, December 22, 2022, the Diaspora Affairs Office of the President organized the citizenship ceremony in partnership with the Ministry of Interior, Migration Unit. Also in partnership were the Ghana Immigration Services, the Ghana Tourism Authority, and the Beyond the Return Secretariat, who have been engaging with the diaspora since 2019, when

of Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President. In 2019, during the Year of Return, the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, also granted citizenship to those from the diaspora living in Ghana. That moment solidified the hope the historical diaspora has for making the African continent home.

“We want everyone to know that what began in the Year of Return is very much alive,” Ababio said. “There are several other African countries they could have chosen to move to, but they chose Ghana, and we are grateful for that.”

Becoming true sons and daughters of the soil

Matilda Ribeiro, Second Court Judge, presided over the official swearing-in of new citizens of Ghana. Each of them shared an unimaginable sense of joy that they were now becoming true sons and daughters of the soil. Some have lived in Ghana for many years and dreamed of this day coming to fruition. “This prophetic destiny was given to us,” said Dr. Toni Luck, who did the opening prayer and was also a recipient of citizenship.

“The African was taken over ten thousand miles over treacherous waters, and that promise of God to Abraham and his descendants was given to us.”

Enacting the Homeland Return Act

Ababio spoke about the

the Year of Return invited the diaspora to come home. There were 126 people of the African diaspora being sworn in that day. “In the spirit and in the continuation of the Year of Return and Beyond the Return, this occasion is significant,” said Akwasi Awua Ababio, Director

Homeland Return Act, which is currently in parliament and would be the key to supporting more people from the diaspora in gaining the path to citizenship quicker and with fewer challenges. He implored the Migration Unit to prioritize the Homeland Return Act in order to better

support the diaspora who are looking to become citizens of Ghana with ease. “I look forward to the Homeland Security Act being enacted,” Ababio said. It will play a central role in facilitating the process when the diaspora moves to Ghana and seeks ways to become citizens.

Notable Personalities in Attendance

Notable people in attendance and participants in the official ceremony included Minister of Interior Ambrose Dery, Chief of Mission of the International Organization for Migration, Ms. Fatou Dialo, Director of Migration Unit, Dominic A. Agyemang, Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, Adelaide Anno-Kumi, Comptroller General of Immigration, Kwame Asuah Takyi, Deputy Director, Diaspora Affairs, Nadia Adongo Musah, CEO, the Ghana Tourism Authority, Akwasi Agyeman, Akwasi Agyeman, Ambassador Erieka Bennett, and Annabelle McKenzie, were among the guests.

Share your thoughts with us

How do you feel about 126 African Diaspora returnees being granted citizenship in Ghana this past December?

Let us know in the comments.

NollywooD filM festiVal gerMaNy MourNs Peace aNyiaM – osigwe Mfr

Organisers of the Nollywood Film Festival Germany and the Nollywood Europe Golden Awards have joined millions of fans and wellwishers to mourn the death of one of Africa’s notable film stakeholders, Peace Anyiam Osigwe, whose death was described as “sudden, shocking, and untimely.”

The condolence message released to the media and signed by Festival Director Isaac Izoya, NFFG/NEGA wrote: “I first met Madam Peace Anyiam Osigwe sometime in 2007 when she came for the famous Berlin Film Festival, popularly called Berlinale, and we attended a workshop together. Our meeting was through our mutual friend Dorothee Wenner, who has done plenty for African films and has been a supporter of our integration shows, which saw us ferrying Nollywood stars as well as Nigerian comedians and entertainers to meet with their Europe-based fans.

That meeting elicited interest so much that in 2008, she collaborated with us in the showcasing of Lagos, a city of excellence, under the Loving Lagos project with the premiere of our movie titled “Run! But You Can’t Hide” at our Nollywood Extravaganza featuring Mercy Johnson, Benedict Johnson, Charles Inojie, Gordon’s, and a host of others. “That event created a big bond between us that has lasted since then.”

“Aside from becoming president of the Association of Movie Producers, of which I am a member, she has followed our events until they translated into the Nollywood Film Festival and the Nollywood Europe Golden Awards.”

“During our 20-year event in 2022, Madam Peace MFR sent us a short message of commendation for holding onto the dream of celebrating Nigerian film practitioners even without support from corporate Nigeria.”

She wrote in that message, “Congratulations, @Izoya, on your 20th anniversary.” It’s not easy to sustain events.

“You have always had my maximum respect; tenacity is not easy.”

I had planned seeing her on my trip to Nigeria, but the shocking news of her death has stopped me. Her contributions to the growth and sustenance of Nollywood are unmatched in the history of the industry.

Peace Anyiam Osigwe’s efforts towards unifying African films can never be forgotten.

I pray that the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), the African Oscars that she instituted, will be sustained. African has lost an iroko.

On behalf of Nollywood Film Festival Germany and Nollywood Europe Golden Awards (NFFG and NEGA), I offer my condolences to the Anyiam Osigwe family, the AMAA, the Association of Movie Producers, and indeed friends of African films, and pray that God will provide the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

May her soul rest in peace.

What Men Can Do, Women Can Do Better

Written by Martha Nalukenge

As chairperson of the water committee, Annet Ithungu is one of the leaders in her village. Her ambitions used to be very modest, but now she motivates other women in her community and reaches far and wide. “I show them that a woman can lead an organization, and it’s possible to have a positive impact without the involvement of men.”

The Rwenzori Mountains sparkle in the sun—the nickname “Mountains of the Moon” is well chosen. We are in western Uganda, not far from the border with Congo, in the village of Karugaya. It has seven hundred inhabitants, spread over about a hundred households. The surface is large: “All the way behind that hill,” says Annet Ithungu, pointing her index finger in the distance. She and the three other members of the water users’ committee welcome us. The local driver is also present. Our visit has a reason: there was a problem in the village, but now there is a solution, with Ithungu playing a crucial role as the chairperson of the committee.

As we walk through part of the village, she talks about the composition of the community: “Most people are farmers, with coffee as the main product—every household has coffee bushes.” Additionally, beans, potatoes, cassava, and yams are grown. The basic foods are cassava and Irish potatoes. Matoke (the plantain that is eaten almost daily in most of Uganda, ed.) hardly occurs here because the soil’s composition is not favorable. People also rear animals, such as goats and chickens. “Most of them have lived here for a long time since it is their ancestral land.”

During this time of uneven rainfall, it is absolutely crucial to have access to water to drink, wash, and water the land. The households are all dependent on one natural water source. She tells us that everyone has the same right to water. “You can use as much as you want; the source provides enough.”

Enough water does not mean that it is also clean water. When we reach the source, she says that until two years ago, there

was no supervision. Therefore, people would wash their clothes here, and animals would also pee in it. “We suffered a lot from typhoid, worms, and other water-related diseases.”

In 2020, the village was visited by JESE, a local development organization from Western Uganda that works with Simavi. Richard Alituha joins us from the organization. With his motorcycle, he has been traveling to remote villages nearly every day, talking to people about how they can improve their living conditions. As part of the agreement, JESE always pays part of the costs. However, the villagers also make a substantial contribution, just as happened with the water source in Karugaya, where the joint effort has given it a huge

makeover. Alituha looks satisfied. There is also a sturdy bridge at the water source, which now connects the two parts of the village much more easily.

“When I first came here,” he says, “I almost couldn’t pass here.” It was slippery and very dangerous, especially for pregnant women. It was tough to be picked up by an ambulance to go to the hospital. The bridge has also helped to increase income. In addition, crops can be picked up by trucks much more easily. Above all, he is satisfied with the water committee of Karugaya and with its composition of three women and one man. “The relationships between men and women have traditionally been very old-fashioned,” he says. “Access to water, for example, was seen as a man’s business.” There are some men who always think, “How can a woman give commands and make decisions?” That is why we want to tell many stories about women who are doing well in our projects. “For example, the water committee in Karugaya and the task that Annet fulfills in the community.”

Annet Ithungu laughs. “Our motto is: what men can do, women can do much better.” Alituha nods. “Not only here but also in other villages, it is our experience that women are more loyal and involved when they commit to something.”

As in other villages, JESE has also provided training in gender equality and social inclusion in Karugaya. “That was desperately needed because the women do most of the work in the fields, yet the men take the lion’s share of the proceeds.” The women, meanwhile, manage the money and even go to markets with their products.

At the beginning, only a few men came to the training. “The discussion about what was being said started to slowly spread through the village like an oil slick,” says Alituha. “They walked away with meaningful stories, and that’s when I realized that telling stories is so important.” Ithungu and Alituha clearly enjoy reminiscing about old memories.

“In the beginning, the debate was heated because some men only wanted to be boss,” says Ithungu.

“Indeed,” Alituha responds, “the behavior change certainly did not happen in one day... “Richard already said that a positive approach is imperative,” Ithungu continues. “You have to show men that it is also to their advantage to involve women more.” This is because they can do other things, such as look for school fees for their children. “To build a healthy community, it is a necessity that women participate.” And that is what Ithungu does as chairman of the water committee. We take a seat under the shady coffee bushes to talk to her further. She has her youngest daughter on

her lap, Beyoncé, named after her favorite singer. She has six other children.

Before leaving, Alituha praises her: “This community truly believes in her; she has the zeal and enthusiasm to bring improvement here.” A water committee was formed by the community itself, which selects the most reliable and committed residents as its leaders. There are two leaders in the village: the politicians and the chairman of the water committee, who is from the community. The two complement each other well. “She has real leadership qualities and the patience to deal with people and solve problems.”

She lets the compliments come over her with a smile and repeats the story she has already told: of how there used to be many diseases around the water source due to the dirty water; how the community, together with JESE, “rehabilitated” the well; and how she then participated as a resident of the village. “You will always find me at the well.”

The community unanimously nominated her as chairperson of the committee, though she had initially discussed it with her husband. “He also thought it was a terrific idea and has always supported me,” she says. “He still encourages me and also sees that the water committee has a positive impact on our family—our children haven’t been sick for a long time.” She also thinks it is logical that there are more women than men on the committee. “They use more water than men.” Who cooks for and cleans the children? Who washes the clothes? “That is why women always look at how the water is doing; they are more likely to notice a change in the weather pattern, signs of pollution, or if there

are other problems around the water source.”

Ithungu gives substance to the presidency in her own distinctive style. She mobilizes people for meetings and has started a savings group for a fund from which they can pay for repairs to the water source. Each household deposits a thousand shillings per month (25 euros). In addition, she also acts as a kind of law enforcement officer: whoever commits a violation around the water source gets a fine of twenty to thirty thousand shillings. For example, if you wash clothes at the source or let cattle drink or your children urinate there, In any case, children under the age of twelve are not allowed to stay there. “People who can’t or don’t want to pay the fine” get an alternative punishment, she says, such as digging or sweeping the site of the source.

One of the challenges is climate change. Together with the government, she and her fellow villagers are planning on planting more trees. Between July and August, it hardly rained in the area, and the flow from the water source was also smaller. “Then pollution is always lurking,” she says. “A

hard current ensures that chemicals are also flushed out of the source and drift away.” Water-related diseases occur mainly in dry periods. “We sometimes have to use water for the irrigation of our crops, whereas in the past rainwater was always enough.”

She also says she enjoys her position and reflects on it. “My biggest ambition is that our village will be better.” I have also started to see myself more and more as a leader, and I can motivate other women through what I do. I show them that a woman can lead an organization and that you can make a positive impact without the involvement of men. “Well, except for him,” she says with a smile when she points to the only male member of the committee: Ezra Bulemu, who as secretary takes the minutes of the meetings. He immediately responds: “I don’t worry for a moment that I’m the only man, because women always know exactly what they’re doing.” He adds: “When women talk about

work, they mean business.” “They are so hardworking, which is very motivating.” According to Ithungu, the presidency has contributed to her development. “I learn from it every day, such as that people automatically love you if you lead well.” I was very shy before I started. A few years ago, I would never have dared to sit across from you for an interview. “However, I can speak to an entire village without getting on my nerves and make decisions on behalf of the whole community.”

For the next three years, she will be the chairperson of the water committee; after that, Annette Ithungu wants to step up. “The times when women were overlooked when filling key positions are now thankfully over,” she says. “I see women doing well everywhere in the region. It is also something I aspire to. In a few years, I would like to become a leader at a higher level. “My experience now allows me to also apply for a position in politics.”

Her Excellency Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay

Settles To Work In South Africa

Gambia’s Ambassador to South Africa, Her Excellency Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay, has settled in to work as the country’s top diplomat in South Africa since her resumption in November 2022. She has familiarized herself with her new working environment, getting to know her staff, the country in general, and the neighboring countries that her new assignment covers.

It is an enormous responsibility, which the new diplomat is committed to delivering to the best of her God-given abilities with the support of her people in South Africa.

She is a former Speaker of the Gambia National Assembly, served on the ECOWAS parliament, and went into private business and

charitable works before her appointment as The Gambia’s Ambassador to South Africa.

Madam Jahumpa Ceesay will also oversee Gambian matters in the surrounding southern African nations.

Ambassador Jahumpa-Ceesay has also recently been appointed General Secretary of the APRC. According to her, her priority now is to work for the betterment of the president and her country as their representative in South Africa. “Our goal is to make South Africa a strategic partner in terms of business and investment drive towards the development of the Gambia.”

“I would make my country once again a choice destination for South Africans and others within my coverage zone to invite the Gambia for business and leisure; we have it all in the Gambia,” she concludes.

Wishing Her Excellency, Ambassador Jahumpa Ceesay, a successful tenure as Ambassador in South Africa.

Six countries Bid To Host 2025 Africa Cup Of Nations After Guinea’s Withdrawal – CAF

The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), Patrice Motsepe, has revealed six nations have submitted bids to replace Guinea as host of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Algeria, Morocco, South Africa, Zambia, and BeninNigeria are the countries in the race to replace Guinea as tournament host in two years.

In 2014, Guinea was chosen as the host nation for the premier African national team tournament. However,

due to little progress in preparations, the West African nation withdrew from hosting the biennial event last year.

This month, CAF officials will conduct inspection tours of all six countries, with the announcement of the new host nation set for February 10th, according to the official CAF report.

South African billionaire businessman Motsepe said the successful country or countries would offer the best “transport, logistics, hotels, and beautiful stadiums.”

“Each region will have a chance to organize a CAN (Cup of Nations).” “We cannot assign the organization of the CAN successively to the same region.”

Benin and Nigeria are in West Africa, as is the Ivory Coast, which will be hosting the 2023 Cup of Nations.

By Adamu Benin & Abdul Karim

Meet Chioma Ajunwa: The Legendary Woman Who Represented Nigeria As A Footballer And Also As An Athlete

Chioma Ajunwa, born on the 25th of December 1970, is one of the pioneer players of women’s football in Nigeria. She represented the Super Falcons of Nigeria at the first Women’s World Cup in 1991. Ajunwa performed as a track and field athlete and specialized in the 100m, 200m, and long jump.

Ajunwa was suspended from the sport for four (4) years after failing a drug test in 1992, despite maintaining her innocence. Following the completion of her suspension, Ajunwa went on to become the first WestAfrican woman, as well as the first Nigerian, to win an Olympic gold medal in a track and field event when she emerged victorious in the women’s long jump event at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, with a jump length of 7.12 meters (on her first attempt) during the final. Following her Olympic gold medal at Atlanta ‘96, Ajunwa was given a national award—Member of the Order of Niger (MON)—by the then Head of State of Nigeria, Gen. Sani Abacha.

Ajunwa remains the only person (male or female) to have represented Nigeria as a footballer (the FIFA Women’s World Cup) and as an athlete (100m, 200m, and long jump) till date. Chioma Ajunwa-Opara is now an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP).

Achievements and Medal Records

* won a silver medal (long jump) at the 1997 World Indoor Championships in Paris.

* Won a gold medal (long jump) at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

* Won a gold medal (long jump) at the All Africa Games in 1991.

* Won a bronze medal (4x100m relay) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland.

* Won a gold medal (long jump) at the African Championships in 1989. The first African woman, as well as the first Nigerian, to win an Olympic gold medal in a track and field event She is a living legend for Nigeria and African sports in general. She continues to remain relevant in the development of sports in Nigeria.

Congratulations to Chioma AjuwaOpara for your contributions to sports development in Nigeria and Africa.