May edition 2017 by The Voice magazine

ISSN:1571-3466

Motto: Actuated towards Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advancement

Volume 18. NO. 161 May 2017

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First complete African magazine published in The Netherlands since August 1999

Jobs4women launched King in Willem-Alexander is 50 Ghana

Anthony Joshua is World Boxing Champion

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Contents

The Voice Magazine Volume 18. No 161 May 2017 Edition

6-7

12-14

ARTICLES 4 - Editorial: Africa is in dare need of leadership 9 - Content/Masthead 20-21 - Papi & Freeky: New musical duo in town 26 - Mauritian government to host eLearning Africa 2017 27 - My Country - I am a Son of a Country called Sierra Leone. 34-35 - Pat Edo launched her gospel album in Dublin, Ireland 43- Rwanda, Netherlands Look to Strengthen Ties 48 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 50 - Invest in Real Estate in Nigeria 51 - Governor Udom Donates Food,

Toiletries to Stigmatized, Street Children in Eket 52-54 - Crazy lifestyle nearly ruined my football career says Kevin-Prince Boateng 55 - Kante named PFA player of the year ahead of Hazard, Ibrahimovic and Kane 56-57 - Zambia: U-20 to Boycott World Cup? 60 - Book Review Guinea: Masks, Music & Minerals by Bram Posthumus Why is the Horn such a distinctive part of Africa? 62-63 - Turning Point for Nigeria on Diaspora Policy

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EDITORIAL

Africa is in dare need of Leadership Nearly everyone aspire for one form of leadership or the other at every level of society. It does not matter the status of the person in society. Among the poor, the middle class and the rich and famous elite, they fight and yearning for leadership is often a common occurrence, Many times unconsciously, we all fight for leadership position for a place in society. For us, we try to instill in people that encounters us as a policy maker or influence provider that leadership is about being responsible for your actions and our decisions. We have often we look to political leadership as solution to all human problems but that seem not to be wrong as many nations are failing because of this simple mistake; the two biggest nations in Africa, Nigeria and South Africa are good examples of countries faced with leadership crisis. We over look literally or abandon every other sectors of society which should help to provide responsible leadership training skills to build a strong, viable, better prepared leaders for political leadership or any other type of leadership at societal levels. Our schools are no longer a place to train potential leaders and sharpen their skills rather students merely go to acquire educational qualification that in many African countries it is becoming worthless and useless, it worth nothing in today’s world. No surprise the students and other youths are desperately going all they can get out including risking their lives on high sea on fishing boat trying to escape poverty. The students are no longer interested in such education, they rather chase after money and fame at whatever means or cost. We take for instance the fight against poverty demands leadership particularly in Africa. We wonder why a country like Kenya, Tony Elemulu the leadership will continue to depend on food aids from abroad for its people! Why should Kenya be proud to tell the world they have the poorest and the biggest slum in the world, Kibera yet they proudly display this to foreigners who visits Nairobi to secure aids while the few elite lives in mansions and drives the most expensive cars in the world. To us, this is a huge failure of leadership. We know there are no simple solutions to fighting poverty but we also know that food handouts as the United Nations Food Agency and other international partners presently do it are waste of resources, time and energy. Why don’t you help the people to farm the land? Instead of giving them prepared food handouts? We are totally against this continued exploitation of Africa in disguise 4

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with our leaders to give the impression that they are fighting corruption instead of poverty. This western method of fighting poverty does not work anywhere in the world. Rather it traps the poor countries the more into debt. It has never helped and it would never help. We need Pastor Elvis Iruh a new type of leadership Editor-in-Chief approach, no surprise there is no end of training, information gathering however the challenge has always been at the implication level. We think things will begin to change when we the people begin to display a sense of responsibility. Yes, we don’t have it but we know what we want. That first step has to be taking by the people. It does not matter which country you come from in Africa or any of the identified 3rd world countries, the problem of poverty is the same. It is important that we know what are the plans for the future; where do we want to see our nations in the next 10 years from now! And we are willing to work towards that, this is the first step towards succeeding; to break the circle of always with empty bowls begging the west. Let us strengthen now our supporting system like the farmers; you cannot ask the farmers with crude implements to feed the nation. They can’t even feed their own families; we should have more Agricultural banks/ merchant banks. Accessibility to funds to develop farmlands; this editorial is a call for action and for everyone to realize that leadership simply means first and foremost, you take responsibility for all of your decisions and actions. Leadership also means to show humility when needed and to practice selfreflection regardless of your role in the society. Everyone we talk to is yearning for new leadership but it starts with you. You just have to ask yourself probably the same question over and over again- “what is the consequence of our action or our decision at whatever level of life we are?” Depending on the answer you honestly give yourself, it will help to determine the next step you take, to go ahead with your decision or to change the decision. Congratulations to AJ Finally, we are using this medium to congratulate, Anthony Joshua, who at 27 becomes double World Heavyweight boxing champion, raised up by a single mother, had a troubled adolescent life, found boxing, made a decision to become a boxing leader; took responsibility for his actions; today he is at the pinnacle of becoming the greatest to be compared to the likes of Sugar Ray Robinson, Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and presently among the best crop of heavy weights around in the world. (Read more about him inside the magazine) Happy new month of May 2017.

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SPECIAL FEATURE

Global support for SOS Jobs4women

Princess Asie Ocansey

On 1st May 2017, Her Excellency, Princess Asie Ocansey led her campaign team to the Independence Square, Accra, Ghana where President Nana Akufo-Addo addressed the nation of the occasion of the celebration of Labour’s Day. Her message was loud and clear, more women need to be given a chance in the labour market to excel and contribute to the advancement of Ghana, Africa and the rest of the world. This campaign is under the umbrella of her company, SOS Labour Ghana limited and her foundation, Nekotech Centre of Excellence. Princess Ocansey is promoting her new pit project, which has the backing of the government and officially launched by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations. The ministry in partnership with Nekotech Center of Excellence also launched the initiative dubbed: “SOS Jobs4Women Ghana Summit” early this year (2017).

The group had a march parade to create awareness towards the main launch of the project on 17th June 2017 at the Accra International conference centre. (Details and coverage in the next issue of The Voice magazine for June 2017 and an exclusive interview with Princess Asie Ocansey, the international awardee for humanitarian works from the Voice Achievers Award 2016 in The Netherlands). The Jobs4women Ghana Day May march according to Princess Ocansey is to call on all spheres of society from government to private sectors to give our women a chance. The project aims at bringing job opportunities to the doorsteps of Ghanaians especially women. This movement starting with Ghana she intends to spread across Africa with interest from Nigeria already. In her words, women are very important in the life of a society or a person, ‘we give birth to life including men, we want to be counted, allowed, heard and stand up to be counted as well, to be allowed to also have a say. It is just natural that men have always dominated and lead but we are saying it is time for change; we want to embrace change that has come to the nation of Ghana, we want the women to also enjoy that change and be part of the change. It is a positive change; we want the women to be more involved; we are looking to excellence, more productivity, and more engagement of women. We are looking into areas of Technology, ICT, Media, Fashion etc in fact we are coming up with an initiative that real men should wear African clothes.

Princess Asie Ocansey leading a rally for support for job creation for women in Ghana and around Africa.

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“SOS Jobs4Women” spreads through Ghana like wild fire

“What we are looking into is to create more jobs for our sisters, our textile industry people, those working in that sector are mostly women, making our Kente. So why can’t we do a Friday wear for Ghana where we wear only African produced line of clothing? At least 3 times a week to wear our Africa clothes to work; we would be creating more jobs for our sisters to sew, waive therefore creating more jobs in the process”, she explains.

On 17th June 2017 at the Accra International conference centre, we are having a summit, the first panel discussion in that summit is an all-male panel and we want the men to tell us as women how we can tackle the problem ‘sex for job’. We want to see this eradicated from our system so in the employment sector, we are going to look for the lead from the men. We want to find out how we can do this so that you don’t ask for sex before you

give us a job as a woman.

We want the men the men to answer that question for us and we the women will listen and act upon it.

Princess Ocansey proudly say that with the passion of President Akufo-Addo if all Ghanaians work together in unity and pursue a common goal for Ghana, in the next four years’ time, they will all enjoy the dividends of a changed Ghana and we all can be proud to say we are Ghanaians and I am a proud Ghanaian. (More of her interview in June 2017 edition. Don’t miss it) Editor

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ABOUT US The Voice magazine

The Team

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 af filiated 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 wan to receive a copy, send us your email address. On the team are Elvis Iruh, E dward Ogbee, Sandra Iruh-Monsels & Henry Oduenyi supported by an editorial board. READ THE VOICE ON LINE AT www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com www.thenigerianvoice.com Registration NO: (Kvk. Nr. 34.110.928) ISSN: 1571-3466 Stichting Paddi Europa Account No: NL29SNSB0908374372(SNS Bank) IBAN NO: NL29SNSB0908374372 Swift Code: SNSBNL2A Graphic Designers George Adegite David Banjoko Wil Smile Special Senior Adviser Engr. Barry Igbeare Advert Executive Faith Ehanire-Popken Fehanire4607@gmail.com

Publisher: Stichting Paddi E uropa Editor-in-Chief Pastor Elvis Ndubuisi Iruh elvisiruh@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Managing Editor Henry D. Oduenyi (Nigeria O ffice) henry@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Contributing Editor Edward Idahosa Ogbee apexbest2000@yahoo.co.uk Associate Editor Lucky Osahon (London, UK) hlosahon@hotmail.com Associate Editor Etim Thompson London, United Kingdom royalthompson@yahoo.com Project Coordinator Ifeyinwa Ezeagabu i.ezeagabu@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Project Editor (Nigeria) Chiedu Harris Ify harrisbok4real@gmail.com BUREAU CHIEFS Gbenga T. Okunlola (London) teejayok@gmail.com Joel Savage (Belgium) juskosave@yahoo.com Femi Ikutiyinu (London) afpaprint2000@yahoo.com Collaboration with National Infinity magazine, Lagos

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OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Voice magazine is published in the Netherlands by Stichting Paddi Europa and it is p ublished online from 2017 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. TV

Volume 18

NO 161

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FEEDBACK

Dutch government exploits Nigerians over visa procurement.

It has to come to acknowledge that there is a conspiracy to exploit Nigerians in particular and deny them visa to visit The Netherlands even when they have genuine intention and purpose to visit. In the past three years since the Dutch government decided to stop issuing short stay visa directly from Nigeria to come to the Netherlands. According to the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the government made an alternative arrangement with France and Belgium embassies in Nigeria to facilitate the issuance of visas for those who intend to visit the Netherlands within a 90 days period. What this in effect means is that you cannot directly appeal through Dutch Embassy in Nigeria but through French and Belgium Embassies. Many Nigerians had complained of bad treatment from both French and Belgium embassies whenever they appeal for Dutch visas, in fact it shouldn’t be called Dutch visa any more rather a Schengen visa which allows you within those 90 days visa granted to visit any of the European Union member states. This has been the experience of many Nigerians, when they appeal for the visa to any of the two mentioned embassies with specification indication that their visit is to the Netherlands, mostly on invitation of a family member based in the Netherlands with all necessary documentations available to the Embassy. The visa application is denied after collecting non-refundable visa fee and the candidate is asked to appeal the decision, some times given and many times denied. The Voice magazine was contacted and we decided to investigate the matter with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to find a solution to the problem. After several calls put through to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; they finally linked us to the Dutch Embassy staff in Abuja, Nigeria. The Embassy staff vehemently said, “we do not have any involvement with the issuance of visa to the Netherlands. It is a government decision for France and Belgium to handle such applications, regrettably if you are denied, kindly make contact with any of the two embassies you applied to”. On our part, we asked that the request for visa was specifically to visit a family member in the Netherlands. The family has gone to their gementee (Local city council) to get authorization letter that they are willing to host the visitor during the 90 days stay, in fact it is actually less, the visa request is for two weeks holiday. “We are sorry, as an embassy we cannot assist you, make contact to the French embassy”. The telephone conversation ends. It is nearly impossible to reach any person via telephone at the French Embassy in Nigeria so we put a letter across to them. On the website, it says within 48 hours, you will get a reply from them on your inquiry; it took two weeks before a response. They claim that the decision is based on what information they receive

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from the intended country of visit which is the Netherlands. The application is sent to the IND or the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and after due process a decision is reached to issue or deny. The Voice magazine put a call back to the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs, after several pass on calls, we finally get someone who bluntly says, we cannot help you. We do not have a say over issuance of visa and denial, you should take it up with the French Embassy. I insisted to get a better explanation except it is a conspiracy on the part of the Dutch government to exploit Nigerians by collecting their visa fees and deny them the visa on many times excuses such as this as I quote; “ Reason for visa denial – Your intention to leave the territory of the member states before the expiry of the visa not be ascertained”. Our question is how do you ascertain if the person will leave the country within the 90 days when he or she has not made the try yet. Shouldn’t it be that the Embassy gives condition to the candidate on what to do to ensure he or she returns after the expiration of the visa; either to report to the immigration or police on arrival with the host or to report at the point of departure?

Feedback (Pages for your letters, opinions and comments........) There is no tailor made document to be present to the French Embassy to convince them of your intention to return to your country of origin, when in the first place the intention of the trip is family visit or what the Dutch calls vacation!

We demand answers to why the Dutch government via the ministry of Foreign Affairs took this type of decision that affects Nigerian residents who cannot invite their families or friends over for a short stay visit?

Why does the Dutch government thinks that Nigerians canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford

Law abiding and tax paying Nigerian citizens and some even having dual nationality are been punished with this arrangement, all you get from all the several phone calls are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sorry we know it is not the best arrangement but we cannot do anything about it because it is government policy to arrange the visa issuance through these two European countries (France & Belgium) Could this be just a conspiracy to lock Nigerians out of the Netherlands or conspiracy of exploitation? When charge fees where it is obvious you will give a rejection at first application and the candidate has to repeat the whole process and many times, they abandon it because of time and money?

to go on holidays or visit their family members in the Netherlands and returned back to their country after the visit? The policy of refusing Nigerians has failed as other European Embassies like Spain and Italy has benefited more by issuing visas to Nigerians and they still use the same visa to come to the Netherlands. It only cost more, as you first have to enter through another European country.

We would continue our investigation until we get to the bottom of this visa application/denial pattern with the French and Belgium embassies against visitors wishing to come to the Netherlands. Someone has to take responsibility and explain the process properly to the public. Every effort to meet the conditions set on their website about visa applications are met and yet they are denied. The Dutch government is hurting the legitimate Nigerian citizens living in the Netherlands who wants to invite their families over for just visit or holiday impossible.

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Meet World Boxing Champion: Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua seem too good-looking to a boxer and not as good as he is. But coming close to him, you see a different man, he is not just good looking, highly intelligent, sensitive and softly spoken. He is a very different type of professional boxer. And here is the amazing story of a boy from Nigeria to conquer the world from his new home in United Kingdom. Anthony Joshua is 27-year-old, a former Olympic champion, who burst onto the scene at London in 2012. He is so cool, he doesn’t overturn tables in press conferences, or indulge in ‘trash talk’ to denigrate opponents. Just too cool for the world of boxing we know. Neither does he surround himself with a dodgy entourage, throw banknotes around strip clubs, or live in an obnoxious mansion. He still as simple as he started, respecting his old background and trying to give back to those who has helped him along the way and still doing. The squeaky-clean heavyweight, who still lives with his mother, is nonetheless at the top of his game and just last month he fought his biggest fight ever against one of the best `heavyweight champion, legendary Ukrainian, Wladimir Klitschko. The fight fetched him purse of £15 million but again that is not his aim at the moment; he simply wants to be the best in the world boxing ranking and rated among the ever best of the trade like great Mohammed Ali. With a 90,000 crowd at Wembley and over 2 million people watching around the world, Joshua took the stage and although slow start but he did not disappoint. A new star has been born into world boxing but who is Anthony Joshua? Anthony Joshua lives with his mom at a tiny former council flat in Golders Green, North London, which Anthony co-owns with his mother, Princess Yetunde (Yeta) Odusanya. It was one of his first big purchases after turning professional; he bought it in November 2013, paying £174,000 in cash. The duo shares their cosy property with a dog, Roxy, and a huge television, which he uses to play video games during downtime. Anthony is fiercely protective of his mother, Yetunde, a 51-year-old social worker, who came to the UK from Nigeria in the Eighties. Anthony is doing all he can to make life more meaningful for his mom; he recently gave her a new Range Rover so she didn’t ‘get ripped off ’ by a disreputable car dealer, and prevents her from attending his bouts, or even watching them on TV. 12

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‘I don’t really let my mum come to my fights,’ he explained recently. ‘I’ve banned her. It’s not a place where you want to see your kid. I would rather she not be there.’ Drugs and crime Joshua grew up on the gritty Meriden Estate in Watford, one of four children of Yeta and her half-Nigerian, half-Irish exhusband, Robert. He had a difficult youth, he fell in with a bad crowd, and he was sent to boarding school in West Africa in an effort to curb his enthusiasm for drink, drugs and petty crime. It didn’t work, however. He left after just one term and returned to the local Kings Langley secondary, before quitting full-time education at 16. A fine athlete, he could run 100m in under 11 seconds despite being a smoker and was a talented footballer who had trials for Charlton Athletic. But that career path ended when he attacked an opposition striker and was charged with actual bodily harm, for which he received a warning. Anthony was later banned from Watford town centre, and spent a period on remand at Reading Prison, for ‘fighting and other crazy stuff ’. He was on his way out and down but all changed for a decision. Saved by boxing At 18, Anthony was a jobbing bricklayer devoting weekends to what he describes as ‘drink, clothes, clubbing with girls’. Then his cousin Ben, a promising amateur boxer, persuaded him to step into the ring at Finchley Boxing Club. ‘From the first punch, I was hooked,’ he says. That was in 2008. Four years later, he was winning gold at the Olympics and earning an OBE in the process. It wasn’t all plain sailing, though. Early amateur bouts saw him wearing offender’s ankle tags, a hangover from previous convictions. Then, in 2011, police stopped him for speeding in North London, and found a bag containing 8oz of cannabis on the passenger seat. Anthony looked destined for jail, a development that would have killed his Olympic prospects. But the judge gave him a second chance. He escaped with a 12-month community order and 100 hours of unpaid work, and decided to clean up his act. Out went drink, drugs, and dodgy friends and in came clean living, for which he is now famed. ‘The arrest changed a lot. It forced me to grow up and accept my responsibilities,’ he has since admitted. ‘I would have been in drug gangs and prison if not for boxing.

Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua The hard work During the 14 weeks leading up to a fight, Anthony decamps to Sheffield, where he lives in a rented terrace house and spends days with head coach Rob McCracken at the English Sports Institute, home of the British Olympic team. He trains twice a day, for roughly two hours a time. Morning sessions are spent doing heavy lifting with his strength and conditioning coach Jamie Reynolds, while afternoons are spent in the ring. In between, he sleeps as much as possible, and aims always to be in bed by 9pm. On occasional ‘rest days’ he goes on long runs. A strong believer in sports science, Anthony often trains in an altitude mask, to replicate low oxygen conditions, and does several of his drills in sandpits, which he hopes will help him to develop the balance and stability of Brazilian footballers.

which recently trademarked his name for everything from sports kit and hair gel, to hair removal products. Scott Welch, a former British champion, says that if he fulfils his promise by dominating the heavyweight division for several years, Joshua could become ‘the first billionaire fighter’. 5,000 calories Each Monday, Anthony’s nutritionist Mark Ellison drives his BMW estate car to organic butchers in Sheffield, where he buys ten large chicken breasts, two entire lamb fillets, two beef fillets and several dozen eggs. Then he proceeds to a nearby greengrocer to ‘fill up the boot’ with vegetables. Joshua begins the day with porridge and fruit, before a ‘second breakfast’ after his morning training session involving five poached eggs on toast.

To recover, he has occasional ice baths and uses Rob Madden, a Harley Street physiotherapist, to carry out deep muscle massages along with ‘intramuscular acupuncture’ with 2in needles. Each night, he spends an hour in special trousers made by a firm called NormaTec which use compressed air to massage his limbs. This arduous process helps make Joshua a perfect physical specimen. ‘If you went into a laboratory and designed the perfect athlete to be heavyweight champion of the world you wouldn’t be far off what he is,’ says Reynolds. For the last of his 18 fights, the purse was a reported £4 million. This one gave him the biggest pay-per-view revenue of any British bout in history as well as Joshua’s astonishing £15 million payday. But the real money is, however, going to be made outside the ring after this fight. His good looks and easy charm have helped him to attract blue-chip sponsors who usually give boxing a wide berth, including Lucozade, Lynx deodorant and Jaguar cars. He is already a director of seven companies, including a property firm, a custom car business and a marketing venture

Lunch is chicken and mountainous quantities of either broccoli or spinach, along with sweet potato or pasta. Dinner involves meat or fish and rice, plus more vegetables. Between meals, he drinks ‘recovery shakes’ containing liquid protein and a couple of bananas. Altogether he aims to take on between 4,000 and 5,000 calories per day. A typical man needs just 2,500 to 3,000. Mastering chess When he isn’t preparing for fights, Joshua’s favourite hobby is motocross. He owns a Kawasaki bike and goes riding with friends. He’s also a voracious reader, especially of business books, and has taken up chess in homage to the former British superstar boxer Lennox Lewis, a brilliant amateur player who has appeared on the cover of British Chess Magazine. ‘I read a book called Think And Grow Rich,’ Joshua said recently, ‘and started thinking how Lennox applied his mind to boxing. ‘I started talking with him regularly and he mentioned chess. I got a lady friend to teach me and now I’m ready to give him a game.’

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Boxing saved my life says Anthony Joshua. Continued from Page 13 His little champ For female fans, there is good news and bad news. On one hand, the wealthy Adonis, who has been linked to everyone from singer Rita Ora to model Cara Delevingne, is officially single. On the other, he has what one might call ‘baggage’. For the past decade, Anthony has been in an on/off relationship with former school friend Nicole Osbourne, who works as a dance teacher and appears in pole-dancing videos on YouTube. In October 2015, she gave birth to their son, Joseph. Six months later, Anthony revealed the existence of his ‘lil champ’ via a post on Twitter, revealing he likes to kit the baby out in designer clothes from Bond Street boutique Moncler. Today, although the couple is not together, he regularly visits Nicole and Joseph at a £500,000 flat he bought them in Finchley, North London, not far from his home. Toughest test Wladimir Klitschko, 41, is an old chum of Anthony, who sparred at his training camp in 2014, and outside the ring the duo have a friendly relationship. The Ukrainian has held all three world titles in a decade at the top of the sport, dominating the heavyweight division and losing just four out of his 68 fights, this making it his 5th loss. By far the toughest opponent Joshua has faced, Klitschko admitted he fought a great boxer with a great future in the sports. With this victory, Joshua has thrown open a new era in the world heavy weight boxing which the Americans have tried to dominate for years before the Ukrainian Klitschkos storm the scene. Now is the time of Anthony Joshua. How far can he go? Time will tell but for now, let us greet the new sensation in the world Boxing sports, Anthony Joshua, proudly Nigerian and his British heritage.

Anthony Joshua: Always will be mama’s boy 14

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He is of a royal lineage from Remo Kingdom so you can address him as Prince Anthony Joshua and now a world heavyweight boxing champion. Congratulations Anthony Joshua

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Papi & Freeky: New musical duo in town Papi and Freeky are two young musicians making their mark in Europe from their base in The Netherlands, both professionals but their passion for music is over riding all other interests in the last few years. With the support of their mother, they have taken the music stage in Holland by storm with their brand of music. They perform at shows and other events. They are ready for the bigger stage now and after a performance, one of the group member Papi spoke to The Voice magazine Entertainment on their music and future plans. The interview was conducted by Pastor Elvis Iruh. Excerpts: TV: Short introduction of yourself? Papi: We are Papi and Freeky Chris, our music genre is dance Afro hip hop. TV: What are you doing for a living? Or are you studying or what? Papi: It’s been really nice working together and we do our best to give musical impact to everyone that listen to us. We make it hot, wrapped as a gift and deliver to our caring fans. I study International Music Management in Holland while my partner Freeky studied music production and Electronics & software engineering. TV: I have seen you and your partner performing at events. Are you musicians? Papi: Yes we are musicians. Like you said you

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have seen us in different events. TV: What type of music do you play? Papi: We make Afro dance Hip Hop with Rap TV: How will you describe music industry in Holland compared to Nigeria, your country of origin? Papi: Music Industry in Holland compared to Nigeria music Industry, I don’t really see much difference, music is music as long as you can flow with it. We have incredible fans in Holland who like our music and our people back home are calling for more of our songs. TV: What has been your experience since moving to Holland with your music? Papi: It’s been really great doing songs with the people from Holland they love and really dance to them, and that get us connected with most of the Holland musicians that we have worked together with, it is really fun. TV: Have you made any album or CD or do you have plans to produce one soon? Papi: We are almost done with our album and our songs are been played on air, mobile phones, bars, clubs and on stage performances. TV: Where do you want to be in the next few years with your music? Papi: We would love to be in greater heights in the music industry to reach out to our fans world wide with their support and encouragement.

TV: You have performed at events, which would you say have given you good memories and why? Papi: One remarkable performance for us was at the Voice Award 2015 and this is because the crowd feels exceptionally like home with lots of love. TV: Do you have any word of advice for young people who want to take to music as a career? Papi: My advice for the young who love music as a career, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a bad choice but make sure you have the music gift in you and determination to do it, it is an advantage to

know how to play one or two musical instrument. TV: Lastly, do you have any word of encouragement to the Voice magazine team and its award organization? Papi: I want to really say the Voice award has very unique platform for an inspiring and innovative Africans to lead and to learn. My encouragement is to see the voice magazine to remain a projection of African voices through businesses and innovations around the world. TV: Thank you for the interview. Papi & Freeky appreciate this interview.

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Victory Outreach is a Pentecostal Church, Bible based believing people in the trinity of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. What would you like to know? Our vision? Which activities we organize? Or would you like to hear testimonies about how we follow God? One thing is certain, we would like to get to know you and therefore you are more than welcome to visit one of our services. You can visit us every day of the week. You may have been a believer for many years already. Or you might still be searching for the meaning of life and asking yourself whether or not there is God. Within Victory Outreach Almere we would like to help you find the answer. We will gladly teach you the exact meaning of â&#x20AC;&#x153;a living faithâ&#x20AC;?. With us you will truly see and experience the supernatural power of the living God. You can always count on love and comfort when you need it. You will discover that we have a wonderful diversity of people with lots of different backgrounds, characters and personalities. But there is one thing we have in common. We all follow the same God, Jesus Christ. In that diversity and love for God we are a family where you are more than welcome. We personally hope to meet you during one of our services. God bless you as you come in Jesus Christ name. Amen

Pastor Roel & Ida van Rooij Senior Pastor of the church Victory Outreach Almere. Barbeelstraat 12, 1317 PZ Almere Telephone: 036-8417007; Telephone: 036-7505571 info@voalmere.nl ...................http://www.voalmere.nl

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INVITING NEW MEMBERS!!

Join Ika speaking people of Delta State every last Saturday of the month for our regular meeting where we discuss issues affecting our State of origin, homeland, future of Nigeria and our wellbeing in The Netherlands It is open to every sons and daughters of Ika Kingdom

For details, Call: 06-87510616, 06-87508082, 0655516057 Address : EGOLI 9A 1103AC, Amsterdam 24

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Time: 6.30pm - 9.00pm YOU ARE ALL WELCOME.

NETFREIGHT SCHIFFAHRTS- & SPEDITIONS GMBH COMPANY NAME: NETFREIGHT SCHIFFAHRTS- & SPEDITIONS GMBH YEAR OF INCORPORATION: 1986 STATUS: PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY SHAREHOLDER AND FOUNDER: BERND WANDKOWSKI HEAD OFFICE: HAMBURG GERMANY KEY GLOBAL BUSINESSES ACTIVITIES IMPORT & EXPORT TURN KEY LOGISTICS, CONTAINER SHIPPING, RORO SHIPPING, PROJECT SHIPPING, LOCAL TRANSPORT BY ROAD, RAIL AND BARGE CUSTOMS CLEARANCE, WAREHOUSING KEY TRADING AREAS MIDDLE EAST, MEDITERRANEAN, THE CONTINENT OF AFRICA WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON WEST AND EAST AFRICA. KEY RELATIONSHIPS CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH ALL MAJOR LINER SERVICES SERVING OUR KEY TRADE LANES NETWORK PARTNERSHIPS WITH RENOWN COMPANIES IN ALL EUROPEAN AND ALL AFRICAN PORTS SERVED. MISSION STATEMENT THE COMPANY WILL PROVIDE WORLDWIDE FREIGHT SOLUTIONS BY LAND, SEA OR AIR TO CUSTOMERS BASED IN GERMANY AND OVERSEAS. PROVIDING OUR CUSTOMERS WITH A PERSONALIZED, EFFICIENT AND CONFIDENTIAL SERVICE BASED ON THE HIGHEST STANDARDS AIMED AT BUILDING LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS, STABILITY AND MUTUAL GROWTH. PHILOSOPHY QUALIFIED AND COMMITTED PERSONNEL SERVICE ANALYSIS TAILOR MADE SOLUTIONS HIGH LEVEL SERVICE COMMITMENT COMPETITIVE PRICING EXPORT DOCUMENTATION TO HIGHEST INDUSTRY STANDARDS COMPLETE PROJECT MANAGEMENT WITH FULL CONTROL PROCESSES ALL CUSTOMERS ARE IMPORTANT SERVICES GLOBAL SERVICE PROVISION TRANSPORTATION FEASIBILITY STUDIES RO RO SERVICES CONTAINER SERVICE FCL/LCL BULK AND BREAKBULK SHIPMENTS HEAVY LIFT AND OVERSIZE CARGO TRANSPORTATION TRUCKING, RAIL AND BARGE MOVEMENTS WAREHOUSING, PACKING AND STORAGE CUSTOMS CLEARANCE FORMALITIES

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FULL EXPORT DOCUMENTATION CARGO TRACKING-INFORMATION SYSTEM WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES BY CHOOSING NETFREIGHT AS YOUR PARTNER? FIRST CLASS REPUTATION EXCELLENT TRACK RECORD AND REFERENCES A ONE STOP SHOP FOR ALL OF YOUR SHIPPING AND LOGISTIC SERVICES A COMPREHENSIVE GLOBAL SUPPORT NETWORK COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE EXCEEDING 100 YEARS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF THE FOLLOWING SERVICES INTERNATIONAL FREIGHT FORWARDING TURN KEY PROJECTS LOGISTICS WAREHOUSING AND PACKING CUSTOMS CLEARANCE DISTRIBUTION VISION FOR THE FUTURE MAINTAIN OUR POSITION AS ONE OF THE LEADING PROVIDERS OF SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS SERVICES BASED IN GERMANY. CONTINUE TO EXPAND OUR NETWORK AND ASSOCIATION WITH THE LEADERS IN THE SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS INDUSTRY STRENGTHEN OUR BASE IN THE REGION CONTINUE TO OFFER OUR CUSTOMERS THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE BY CONTINUING TO ADAPT TO CHANGES IN GLOBAL PERFORMANCE CRITERIA NETFREIGHT SCHIFFAHRTS- & SPEDITIONS GMBH KURZE MUEHREN 20 20095 HAMBURG TEL. +49 40 307047-11 FAX. +49 40 307047-47 E-MAIL: WANDKOWSKI@NETFREIGHT.DE WWW.NETFREIGHT.DE

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Mauritian government to host eLearning Africa 2017 Advertorial

The organizers of eLearning Africa, the continent’s leading conference on technology assisted learning and training, announced that the Government of Mauritius has agreed to host this year’s conference in September of 2017. The conference will be held under the patronage of the Minister of Technology, Communication and Innovation, Hon. Mr. Yogida Sawmynaden and the Minister of Education, Human Resources, Tertiary Education and Scientific Research, Hon. Mrs. Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun. It will take place in Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, from the 27th to the 29th of September. eLearning Africa, which this year is being co-organized by ICWE GmbH, the German company which originally created the event, and the Mauritian Government, has played a major role in promoting technology assisted learning in Africa. Rebecca Stromeyer, CEO of ICWE, said: “This year will mark the twelfth anniversary of eLearning Africa. The conference has been remarkably successful. It doesn’t just bring people from all over Africa together to discuss, share experience and learn. It also brings experts, entrepreneurs and investors in education from all over the world to Africa. In doing so, it has helped to create a host of new partnerships, to bring about some major investment deals and to inform political decision-making in all sorts of ways. “I am delighted that this year the event will take place in Mauritius. The Government of Mauritius is committed to using technology to open up a range of new opportunities in education. It is investing heavily in technology-assisted learning and training. Mauritius is a wealthy and stable country with highly developed tourism and financial sectors. The Government is keen to encourage innovation and promote tech start-ups. So, it’s an exciting time to be coming to this beautiful African island and I’m sure that everyone who attends eLearning Africa 2017 will really profit from the experience.” Ms. Stromeyer added that the theme of this year’s conference – ‘Learning in Context’ – is a very important one for African educators. “Too often in the past, people from outside have ignored the local context in Africa. But anyone who understands Africa knows how important context is. There are around 3,000 languages spoken across the continent and there is a vast amount of traditional knowledge, which we need to preserve. Technology offers us the opportunity to overcome obstacles and to make the most of diversity. Africa is going to be one of the most successful and prosperous places on the planet, so all of us – Africans and non-Africans - need to understand context and how it shapes education. “We need to ask how we can localize content to maximize opportunity and how we can apply or adapt technology to meet local conditions and needs.” 26

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In recent years, over 1500 participants have attended eLearning Africa from more than 80 different countries. It is accompanied by a ministerial round table, which is attended by Ministers of Education, Science, Technology, Information and Communications from all over Africa and beyond. About eLearning Africa Every year eLearning Africa brings together over 1,500 eLearning experts, high-level decision makers, practitioners, researchers, entrepreneurs and stakeholders from over 90 countries, and from across the education, business and public sectors. They discuss, debate, inform, share experience and plan action. In 2017, the Government of the Republic of Mauritius will host eLearning Africa. As the largest conference of its kind, the three-day event has become widely recognized as an unmissable occasion for anyone with an interest in education in Africa. It provides outstanding opportunities to learn, understand, present, promote, exhibit, connect and develop new partnerships. Notes: eLearning Africa, 12th International Conference on ICT for Development, Education and Training Date: September 27 – 29, 2017 Venue: Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre (SVICC), Port Louis, Republic of Mauritius Organizers: ICWE GmbH (www.icwe.net), hosted by the Government of the Republic of Mauritius Contact: ICWE GmbH, Ms. Rebecca Stromeyer info@elearning-africa.com, www.eLearning-africa.com, Tel.: +49 (0) 30 310 18 18-0 Press Contacts: ICWE GmbH, Juliane Walter press-service@icwe.net, Tel.: +49 (0)30 310 18 18-0, Fax: +49 (0)30 324 98 33 For more information about attending eLearning Africa 2017, please visit the conference website at www.elearning-africa. com.

My Country - I am a Son of a Country called Sierra Leone. OPINION

that exist in our society today. A country that was discovered by a Portuguese called Pedro This will lead to Da Cintra in 1462. violence, disease, A country that was colonized by Great Britain and gained depression and independence on the 27 of April 1961, a land brimming unwanted pregnancy with Gold, Platinum, Iron ore, Titanium, Bauxite, Diamond, and ultimately to the Untapped Oil and various natural resources along with destruction of the fertile soil and yet majority of the population live in family network and the unbelievable poverty. A country that endured a bloody civil fabric of the society. war for 11 years resulting in the loss of thousands of lives, May we turn our cry just to recently loss more to the deadly disease called Ebola. to Almighty God, who A country that was called the “Athens of West Africa” for alone can grant us restitution for our shortcomings, for those it educational development but now we are struggling with of us who have by deed, intent, an unacceptable high participation, neglect or will; rate of illiteracy. contributed to the social and A country where lack economic decay we experience of accountability today in Sierra Leone. May and credibility God institute compassion and have caused the lead us to empower the youth of citizens to question today and create employment the loyalty of their for our graduates and enrich representatives and the lives of the disabled who politicians; a country also have the right to equal where many people educational, vocational and no longer serve in the social opportunities. interest of securing a May we see a day when better Sierra Leone competing in the world market but only interested and once again matching the in lining up their Leone to the Dollar will take pockets and purses precedence over tribalism, A country where nepotism, favoritism, young graduates regionalism, bribery and cannot secure a corruption? May Almighty God job because they Change our mindset towards don’t have political our Country and give us hearts connection; I that can love and forgive. implore you fellow May He give us the ability Sierra Leoneans, and the zeal to empower and that we can start to uplift and most of all to somewhere by DREAM and deliver that getting involved in DREAM. ensuring our youth Long Live Sierra Leone do not get involved God bless Sierra Leone. in drugs, in alcohol Happy Independence Day to and in prostitution as all loving Sierra Leoneans at a result of frustration By Melvin Max-Conteh home and abroad. and social inequalities Youth Activists And Campaigner Against Drug-Abuse And Violence.

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HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY TO YOU PASTOR WILLIAM .E. POH Congratulations Pastor William Poh on your 50th birthday on 2nd May 2017.

On the occasion of your 50th birthday. My family and all my colleagues at The Voice magazine join me to wish you a very happy birthday, long life and prosperity. We pray for Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anointing over your life to overflow in Jesus Christ name. Amen

Signed: Pastor Ndubuisi Elvis Iruh Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Almere, The Netherlands

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Pat Edo launched her gospel album in Dublin, Ireland Pat Edo turned Christ Embassy Dublin, Ireland to a gospel musical carnival with the launch of her gospel music album she has been working on for months now. The sensational and multi-award winning artiste blessed guests from around the world with her music and her colleagues in the gospel music industry ably supported her across Europe. To get a copy of the album that is available through various media channels, you can visit her website at https://www.iampatedo.com Call +353 89 986 7883 iampatedo@gmail.com or stantorchentertainmnet@gmail.com See photos of the album launch.

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For bookings for your events across Europe or any other part of the world, visit her website at https://www.iampatedo.com www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

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The legacy continues........ Preparations are on for The Voice Achievers Award 2017. You could be the next this for 2017 award. Do business with us ........... Let the Voice magazine promote your business and services to a wider audience. (Online editions available NOW) Contact Details: Stichting Paddi Europa inz The Voice magazine Jeroen Boschplantsoen 82, 1318HH, Almere, The Netherlands E-mail: info@thevoicenewsmagazine.com Phone: +31368801341 +31684999548 or +31648519292 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com www.thevoiceachieversaward.com

The Voice Achievers Award 2017 nomination details reveal

After successful events in the past years, already there is a huge interest for this year’s event as we plan to have a double celebration. (Africa and Diaspora awards). From 1st of May 2017, we have openned the nomination and for the first time we are allowing the public to participate with our nomination, however the award committee will still have the final say on suitable candidates for recognition. Now this is the procedure: 1. You are allowed to nominate one person from any African country for any of the award list which you could find on our website: www.thevoiceachieversaward.com. 2. Nomination of a non-African but has contributed towards the advancement of Africa in the past year or years. 3. You send us a 350 word document/profile on the candidate you are nominating and why the candidate deserve to be recognized by the Voice Achievers award committee for 2017. 4. We would request you also to include your email address in your nomination letter sent to our email address at info@thevoicenewsmagazine.com 5. If your candidate is not on the list for 2017, he or she would remain on the shortlist for the following year. Important contest dates to remember • August 2017: Candidates nominated and have accepted their nomination will have their names announced • 19th to 23rd October 2017: 2017 The Voice Achievers Award to be held in Dhjibolo, Equatorial Guinea. • 17th November 2017: Diaspora award ceremony to held in Almere, The Netherlands

Be Part of The Voice Achievers Award 2017 This is where achievers are recognized and honoured. It can be you ....... 42

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Rwanda, Netherlands Look to Strengthen Ties By Sharon Kantengwa Rwanda and the Kingdom of Netherlands have pledged to maintain strong ties with emphasis on the judicial sector. The pledge was made during an event to celebrate the 50th birthday of King Willem-Alexander Claus George Ferdinand of the Kingdom of Netherlands recently in Kigali, Rwanda. The Dutch Ambassador to Rwanda, Frédérique de Man, said his government is looking forward to continue cooperation between the two countries to contribute to a professional, accessible and efficient justice sector. “Over the years, we have assisted the justice sector in achieving a lot both in infrastructure and in capacity building,” she said. “I

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda have been saying this often and I will continue saying it: the Netherlands finds it very important to work also closely with civil society and not only as a service provider. We feel strongly that civil society can provide a positive input for an enhanced policy dialogue in the justice sector. “Furthermore, public space for debate on policies and service delivery is key. Through constructive dialogue, civil society can assist us to improve further and to become more effective.” The envoy said several activities and events that focus on young Rwandan entrepreneurs will be highlighted in coming weeks.

“This fits into the aid-trade approach that is the backbone of the Dutch presence here, for example, in the fight against stunting, in assisting with feeder roads and local development, integrated water resources management, among others, and at the same time working toward more business and investments,” she said. Claude Nikobisanzwe, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, reaffirmed the relationship between Netherlands and Rwanda, particularly in post-Genocide era, in rebuilding capacity and infrastructure of the justice sector. “In a relatively short time, we have built strong ties that are witnessed by the closeness and the permanent political dialogue and consultations among leaders of our two

Dutch Prime Minister: Mark Rutte countries,” Nikobisanzwe said. “Now we are happy that our cooperation in the justice sector goes beyond financial support, but also exchange experience and best practices between the judicial institutions of both countries.” Already, several Dutch companies have their presence in Rwanda, they are in a variety of sectors including food industry, transport, renewable energy construction, and ICT. The number of Dutch business missions to Rwanda has considerably increased with focus on tourism, agriculture and horticulture. www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Happy Birthday to His Majesty King Willem Alexander

The King and Queen spend King’s Day in Tilburg, in the south of the Netherlands, this year. Although the holiday was celebrated nationwide, the royal couple visited one or more cities each year. King’s Day is a bank holiday in the Netherlands. It used to fall on 30th April to coincide with Queen Juliana’s birthday, even after she had been succeeded by her daughter, Queen (now Princess) Beatrix because her birthday was in January, where it would be too cold to celebrate. In addition to the King’s celebrations, the Royal Palace in Amsterdam opened in for 50 hours straight that weekend, and the King held a special dinner with 150 citizens who also celebrate their birthday on 27th April. Everyone with a birthday on the 27th was invited to apply for an invitation for the dinner, but a special preference was given to those who celebrate a crown year (which can be divided by 5). The Dutch Constitution states that if King’s Day falls on a Sunday, it should be observed the day before. This was the case in 2014, for King Willem-Alexander’s first celebration as King. In 2009, when it was still Queen’s Day, a man who ploughed his car through the crowds, killing eight people and injuring ten attacked the Royal Family’s parade. The car eventually crashed into a monument, and the driver later died in hospital. 44

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The Royal Family remained unharmed. Also to commemorate the King’s birthday celebration, the Royal Dutch Coin has designed a special commemoration

coin for King Willem-Alexander’s 50th birthday. The design was done by Persijn Broersen en Margit Lukács. The 10-euro coin is the first commemoration coin made since 2013 when one was made for the King Willem-Alexander inauguration. On one side of the coin is the King’s motto summarised in three words; represent, connect and encourage, and a sailor’s knot symbolises the King’s interest in water and his “will to connect.” It also features some ribbons, inspired by the reliefs in the Royal Palace in Amsterdam. On the other side is the usual portrait of King Willem-Alexander. The mayor of Utrecht, Jan van Zanen ceremoniously strike to the first coin on 24th April, three days before King’s Day. Avid collectors can pre-order the coin on the website of the Royal Dutch Coin.

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COMING SOON`: THE VOICE ACHIEVERS AWARD 2017

GRAND HOTEL DJIBLOHO will be hosting the 8th yearly The Voice Achievers Awards from 19th to 23rd of October 2017 in Djibloho – Equatorial Guinea. THE GRAND HOTEL DJIBLOHO will be offering special discounts to all guests coming to attend this event in Equatorial Guinea. The offers includes 4 nights in (superior rooms and Oyala suites) Special 4 days package with bed and breakfast Special discount for all purchases (full board soft drinks included, breakfast, lunch and dinner in MARIPOSA BUFFET RESTAURANT) Special Restaurant rate (MARIPOSA BUFFET RESTAURANT) Special package stand rent – 4 days for businesses that want to display their goods Special Saturday AWARD Gala Dinner Buffet, at LIBERTADE BALLROOM (including wine red and white) Transfer from Mongomoyen Airport to the Hotel vice versa - Complimentary free of charge Visitation to places of interest in the city including the cathedral of Mongomo For more details, email us at info@thevoicenewsmagazine.com

To know more about this wonderful hotel facility in Equatorial Guinea, visit their website at www.grandhoteldjibloho.com

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SPONSOR The Grand Hotel Djibloho is located in the heart of the Equatorial Forest. Surrounded by green hills and the winding Mbini River, the hotel sits at the heart of Djibloho, the future new administrative capital of Equatorial Guinea, and is only 20 km from the new airport in Mongomeyen. It is the new the ultimate and unique leisure destination in Equatorial Guinea

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All our accommodation options offer the highest level of comfort and the latest and most sophisticated access to all the hotel services. Each room combines sense of elegance and contemporary design, with the finest bed linens and full marble bathrooms. Grand Hotel Djibloho, Equatorial Guinea 380 Elegantly decorated guest rooms 72 Impressive suites up to 200 square meter 50 Luxurious villas (Elegant and spacious) Amazing Forest view And many more attractions for a wonderful stay in paradise on earth Getting here The best way to travel to Djibloho is flying to Mongomoyen International Airport (20 km from Djibloho) from Malabo airport. The new road which connects Bata and Mongomeyen allows you to reach Djibloho on vehicle in less than 2 hours.

Visa requirements

US is the only exempted country where its citizens do not require a visa to enter Equatorial Guinea. All other citizens must apply for a travel visa at an Equatorial Guinea embassy prior to traveling. Please refer to your local Equatorial Guinea embassy for complete and updated visa application requirements and mandatory vaccinations. Airlines flying to Equatorial Guinea National airline Ceiba Intercontinental operates both domestic and international flights from other African countries and Madrid. Iberia flights daily from Madrid to Malabo, which can also be reached from Paris (Air France), Frankfurt (Lufthansa), Addis Abeba (Ethiopian Airlines), Casablanca (Royal Air Morocco) and from other major cities from all the central Africa countries. Languages The official language is Spanish, and also French and Portuguese. There are also local languages like fang, bubi and others.

CONTACT Djibloho, Oyala WELE-NZAS Equatorial Guinea T (+240) 3500 70 300 M (+240) 551 694 844 E info@grandhoteldjibloho.com http://www.grandhoteldjibloho.com

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ADVERTORIAL

INVESTMENT IN REAL ESTATE: EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES FOR NIGERIAN DIASPORAN WITH KAYODE-OBEMBE & CO LTD Real Estate Real estate is the modern term for land, as well as any physical property or improvements that are permanently affixed to the land, including houses, buildings, landscaping, fencing, wells, etc. Investment in real estate therefore, involves the purchase, ownership, management, rental and/ or sale of real estate for profit or private gain. It is about more than just finding a place to call home, but has increasingly become a common investment vehicle to grow and nurture wealth. It is interesting to note that an overwhelming proportion of today’s and past world billionaires made their fortunes through real estate and in most cases, the journey to wealth starts from just one property and the portfolio keep growing. Have you ever wonder why property owners were called “lords”, or as now more colloquially known as “landlords”? It’s because owning properties gives power and financial freedom. There must be a reason why every rich person you know owns multiple properties. Even Donald Trump today remains a billionaire thanks to his real estate fortunes as most of his other businesses have declared bankruptcy. It is particularly gainful to invest in real estate in a growing and volatile economy like that of Nigeria as the real estate provides a safe hedge and store of value against inflation. The low rate of inflation in the country is positive for those that have real estate as assets because as the inflation goes up, so does the value of your real estate. Associated Risks However, in spite of the compelling opportunities that exist in investing in real estate, it also comes with its own associated risks. The most fundamental risk in real estate investment in Nigeria is the possibility of falling into hands of fraudsters. It is therefore important that you deal with the right people and invest in properties with genuine titles when investing in Nigerian real estate. After ensuring the integrity and genuineness of the people and properties with whom you are dealing with, the next important factors to consider are location, location and again, location! The rate of your success in real estate investment is determined largely by the location where you are putting your investment. If you are ever to choose between a good location with a higher price or bad location with a lower price, consider the former: When considering good location, one of the key factors to look out for include: area with appreciating value, axis on the line of current development, nearness 48

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to other properties with current or prospective values and good transportation. It is also important to look at the locations in regard to the future, rather than that of the past for higher, long term returns. It is also financially wise for prospective investors to consider investing dormant capital that’s sitting in low yielding Bank accounts into real estate. It may be a tough slog the first few years, but somewhat later, you’ll probably wish you had bought more. Investing in real estate is also becoming an increasingly favorable option for those eying retirement and who want to take advantage of real estate’s return potential and its abilities as a portfolio diversifier and inflation hedge.

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• Paying on installment with no interest. For people paying on a property over a period of time on installment, the rate is fixed and the payments never change. 3-4 years from now you might be paying the same amount that aren’t worth as much as when you first took out the subscription for the property on installment. As your net worth grows, the amount you pay monthly or so becomes a smaller part of your overall net worth, thereby reducing any feelings of stress associated with paying for the property. • Collateral asset. Unlike cash, which serves no utility function, property addresses not only a fundamental human need, shelter but can also serve as collateral material against loans. If our financial system goes to hell, at least you will have an asset you can actually utilize. Remember, cash is just an ordinary paper and worthless unless it’s turned into a tangible asset! Continued on Page 50

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Why you must consider investment in Real Estate. Other reasons why you must consider investment in real estate includes: • Hedge against inflation. You only hate inflation if you don’t have an asset that is inflating. Inflation is increasing the values of your properties hopefully faster than any input costs and the costs to operate the asset. Some people used to think back in 1996 how ridiculous it was for anyone to pay N50,000 to purchase a plot of land in the Ajah area of Lagos State. Today, the same one plot of land is over N50M. Inflation is a powerful economic force that’s difficult to stop. You would rather want to own inflating assets than always be a price taker. • Rise on growing economy. When times are good, assets tend to inflate quicker due to higher employment, rising wages, and rising corporate profits leading to more demands on properties. Real estate tends to be a major beneficiary during a bull market. Forget about protecting yourself against inflation, owning real estate is a gainful opportunity to make money with inflation. If there happens to be hyperinflation, your cash is devaluing rapidly whereas your real assets start surging in nominal value. When economic tightness returns sooner or later, it causes another surge in property prices. • Generational asset. You can pass on property from generation to generation, conceivably making your family and loved ones lives a little bit better. Think about our university graduates nowadays who are complaining they might never be able to afford owning a home like their parents due to exorbitant prices. Now think how much worse it will be for their children. Everybody has heard a story of some grandparent buying a home for just N20, 000 that is now worth millions of Naira. If you can buy a property to live and enjoy, and then pass it down the family to give your children a heads start, what an amazing gift you’ll provide. But besides working hard, a massive generational wealth transfer should help support future generations. • Little effort to build wealth. The whole idea is to invest in assets that work for you, and not the other way around. Real estate is a relatively easy business to understand compared to investing in stocks. For instance, on a rental property, good location, good tenants, manageable maintenance, and rental growth are all it basically takes to make for a solid real estate investment, whereas stocks have so many more variables to deal with, including: management credibility, industry growth, competition, politics, regulation, tax policies, inventory turns, margin analysis, operating profit growth, and more. Meanwhile, to turn N100, 000 into N500, 000 through equity investing is no easy feat, neither is making an interest of another N400,000 on the deposit into a Bank over 7-8 years.

“Everybody can own a property here, call us or email us for more details.... THE PLAN IS EASY TO REACH” www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Own property is in the best location in NIGERIA Continued from Page 49 • Tangible asset. Real estate is a tangible asset that will continue to add measurable value and enduring impact to everyday life and a valuable financial portfolio. It is an investment you can see, feel and touch, giving you a sense of accomplishment and success. KAYODE-OBEMBE & CO LIMITED: Empowering you to become home-owners. If you must take the advantage of the opportunities that abound in investing on real estate in Nigeria, the company to work with is KAYODEOBEMBE & CO LIMITED. The Company is a real estate firm incorporated and registered in Nigeria as a limited liability company. Setting new standards in the delivery of services in the real estate sector, our Company acquires, develops, sells, leases and manages properties and real estate products in choice locations across the country. K A Y O D E OBEMBE & CO LTD is a company that stands totally on the trust placed on it by its valued clients. The company returns this trust by continuously working to provide satisfactory and affordable housing opportunities and real estate investment windows. We believe in empowering our clients to make better informed investment decisions in their bid to either create wealth or become homeowners’ through property development. We are the promoter of serviced plot estate development projects within Lagos Megacity axis. Our estate development projects include: a) Portview Estate, (Lekki Free Trade Zone) Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos 50

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b) Victory Estate, (Lekki Free Trade Zone) Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos c) Gracecourt, Mowe, Off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway d) Vineyard Estate, Mowe, Off Lagos-Ibadan Expressway ICPC & NIDO MOU: An added value for the Diaspora The Diaspora Housing investment scheme will key into the independent corruption practices and other related offences commission (ICPC) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Nigerians in Diaspora organization (NIDO) Germany’s memorandum of understanding which allows collaboration in the areas of design, pilot testing and deployment of ITbased anti-corruption applications and tools towards effective and efficient public sector management in Nigeria and shall include but not of limited to Land acquisition, allocation, registration, management and background checks on estate developers. Interested investors in Germany and Continental Europe (Europe excluding UK and Ireland), please contact our Germany and Continental European representative GKC Business Group Continental European representative KAYODE OBEMBE & CO LIMITED Heritage Group Hamburg, Germany Tel + 49 170 98 78 495 Or you can contact MARKETING department of The Voice Magazine. E-mail: info@thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Governor Udom Donates Food, Toiletries to Stigmatized, Street Children in Eket It was a cloud of joy as Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel this week, donated food worth hundreds

SA to Governor Udom, Rev. Akwatang, Bishop Ebitu posing with some of CRARN Children in Ikot Afaha, Eket.

SA to Governor Udom, Rev. Akwatang, Bishop Ebitu posing with some of CRARN Children in Ikot Afaha, Eket , thousands of Naira to occupants of CRARN Children Centre, a children-home run by the Child’s Right and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN) in Ikot Afaha, Eket Local Government

Area in Nigeria. Making the donation on behalf of the governor, the Head, Government House Prayer Team, and Special Assistant to the governor on Religious Matters, Rev. Daniel Akwatang said they were there to offer prayers to the children and deliver a message from the Akwa Ibom State governor who is their father and to remind them that they’re not in any way forgotten. Rev. AkwaAtang reiterated the government’s commitment to protecting children and supporting their welfare in the state. He urged the children to be humble and concentrate on their studies in order to lead a successful life in the future. Also speaking, the Secretary of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Akwa Ibom State chapter, Bishop Emmanuel Ebitu, who earlier offered prayers for the children said CAN would continue to work with the government to support the children at CRARN Center to keep their good health and education going. He described Governor Emmanuel as a good father imbued with kindness whose desire to improve the living standard of the less privilege was insurmountable. He commended the management of CRARN for supporting the less privileged and called individuals and corporate bodies lend their support to the organization. “Governor Udom Emmanuel is a man, a father I know filled with great kindness and articulation better living for our children and the underprivileged. He has asked us to let you know that he will continue to support you because, with a good education, you can become potential future leaders of our state and country. So do not be despaired, be strong and expect more from your governor. To the Management of CRARN, permit me, at this point, to add that you are doing an amazing work for the society by caring for these children who have no parents or families CRARN personnel and some centre to support them. God children posing for photograph with will ultimately bless the Divine Mandate Bus you.” Bishop Ebitu maintained. The children expressed their joy and appreciation to the Governor through songs and dance lead by the CRARN Centre Coordinator and Chief Matron, Ms. Elizabeth M. Wilson.

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Crazy lifestyle nearly ruined my football career says Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Kevin-Prince Boateng once bought three cars in a day and wasted money on girls, alcohol and ‘fake friends’... but now the man who gave a speech at the UN has turned his life around and wants to advise the next generation He once stood-up in front of the UN and delivered a speech on racism; if FIFA ever want someone to go into clubs and talk about the pitfalls of paying youngsters fortunes with no thought for how they might handle it, Kevin-Prince Boateng would do a pretty good job of that too. ‘It’s true,’ he says when asked to verify the tale of him buying three cars in a day while a young player at Tottenham. ‘I still have a picture at home of me standing in-front of three cars and a big house and I’m standing there like I’m 50 Cent. I look at it sometimes and I say: “look how stupid you were”. He makes a good case for young professionals needing more help: ‘If you’re 18, you don’t know anything. And today if you are 18 you get five million net a year. You buy the world! That is exactly what you think: I can buy the world. I buy friends, I buy girls, I buy cars, I buy everything.’ Boateng’s move to Spurs was 10 years ago this summer. It ended after two seasons and barely 24 appearances. But it didn’t finish him. A young Jurgen Klopp while on loan at Dortmund inspired him and he ended up winning Serie A alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He turned 30 few months ago and he’s the only player still playing who has scored in all four top European leagues. Back in 2007 Boateng was the Memphis Depay of his day. Spurs director of football Damien Comolli signed him from Hertha Berlín, but later admitted: ‘We just looked at the talent. We forgot to look at the individual off the pitch.’ He had grown up with his mother and older brother George in a run-down part of Berlin. ‘Named in the top ten… but in a negative way,’ he says, adding that the adjacent Koloniestraße was a no-go zone for the police except when they were investigating a shooting. Now he found himself living alone in Loughton, near Spurs’ training ground. And training was soon all he was doing, after 52

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Martin Jol froze him out. ‘Jol told me after a month that he didn’t want me. So it felt like me against the world; you know that feeling when you shut-off?’ he says. ‘I had a lot of money for a 20-year-old. I thought: Okay so you don’t want me, I will enjoy my life. I went out night clubbing. And then of course you can’t perform. You end up trying to buy happiness. I bought a Lamborghini. Wow! I was happy for a week. After that I didn’t even use the car. Who drives around Loughton in a Lamborghini?’

Football clubs are a little wiser now, but still they leave players to the mercy of their own network of friends – not always a good idea. ‘I got friends to come visit me but they weren’t real friends,’ says Boateng. ‘They weren’t the type of friends who will tell you: “What the f*** are you doing? Go and train and play football.” They were friends who would say: “Let’s go out”. ‘At first you don’t think that anything is going wrong. You’re dropped to the second team but you see your money coming in and you say: “okay, I get my fun somewhere else”. Girls, nightclubs, friends, fake friends. ‘But in the end I woke up one morning and looked in the mirror and thought: no that’s not what I want to be. I looked old because every night I was out until six in the morning. I was 95 kilos. I was swollen because of the drinking and the bad food. I said to myself: “I don’t want to be this guy”.’

Not all of Boateng’s friends were happy to watch him waste away his career and with some help he cleaned his fridge out, started cooking healthy food for himself and stopped drinking. ‘Two really good friends in London who I still talk to came over and we cleaned my whole house together. They said: “If you want to go out, we will go out, but we will be behind you if you want to play football”.’ The chance to play came when he went on-loan to Dortmund managed by a still relatively unknown Klopp. He is the best coach in the world,’ Boateng says. ‘There were players at Dortmund that played five minutes in that whole six months but they were happy to work hard because he gave you that feeling that you were important. Not necessarily as a player – maybe he didn’t need you as a player – but as a person.’

Klopp wanted Dortmund to keep Boateng but a price couldn’t be agreed and so he went to Portsmouth instead. ‘I’m happy to have met Klopp,’ he says. ‘I could see that Dortmund was going to be something special. I could see the team had a togetherness that every club dreams of. Liverpool is the perfect place for him now.’ Portsmouth were already hurtling towards financial meltdown when he joined but Boateng says he just wanted to play. ‘They said: “the stadium is small”. I said: “I don’t care”. They said: “The pitch is bad”. I said: “I don’t care”. They said: “They have no money”. I said: “I don’t care”. It was small, but it was noisy. They were real fans. It was crazy, it was beautiful.’ And never more so when he scored in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley to beat Tottenham. ‘It was a little pay-back to show them that while I had made mistakes, they had made a mistake too,’ he says. In keeping with the dubious financial goings-on at Portsmouth, when Boateng left the club he joined two teams in one day – signing for Genoa, and immediately joining Milan on loan. ‘Two weeks after my agent told me I was joining Genoa he called and said: “What do you think about Milan?” And I said to him: “Yeah it’s a great club. Why?” He said: “Would you like to play for Milan?” I went to Milan. Genoa were still in the deal but I knew I was never going to play for them.’ It was in Italy, fresh from playing his part in Ghana reaching the World Cup quarterfinals and meeting Nelson Mandela, that he played his best football, and in very special company too.

Boateng, pictured alongside United Nations High Commissioner Navi Pillay and Patrick Vieira

‘I remember my first day in the dressing room I just saw the names and I said: this is a dream. I called my older brother and said: You know I’m sitting next to [Andrea] Pirlo. He said: “Take a picture! Take a picture!” And I had Beckham’ s locker because he had just left. Of all the stars in the Milan galaxy, Ronaldinho included, Ibrahimovic was the one who made the biggest impact. ‘You think he’s going to be this arrogant big f***** and not a nice guy at all, but he’s the absolute opposite. On the pitch, he’s very serious, very professional. But off it he’s just the funniest guy.’ Continued on Page 54 www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

Continued from Page 53

The team won Serie A. ‘How could they not with those players?’ Boateng says, adding: ‘They had a superstar in every position and the crazy thing was that I was playing! I knew that everybody there had talent and technique – maybe the only one with less technique was [Gennaro] Gattuso. But he had another talent: he ran 120 minutes like a psycho – so I had to bring something different. I brought a fighting spirit. I was running, I was getting fouls, I was kicking people, to the point where they started saying: “He’s the new Gattuso”.’ Boateng famously stole the show at the titlecelebration, moonwalking dressed as Michael Jackson. It was homage to one of his biggest heroes, just 12 months after he had met another – Nelson Mandela. ‘He was shining,’ he says beaming at the memory of the encounter. ‘He was like an angel sat there. And luckily he broke the ice. It was the South Africa World Cup and “David Black-ham” was what they were calling me. ‘Everybody was going crazy for me so we go into the room and everyone says: “Hello, hello, hello” and he shook my hand and he pulled me towards him and he said: “My daughter wants to marry you.” I said: “Sorry I already have a girlfriend,” and he said “no, no but I have others!” ‘When you meet one of these people it’s hard to describe the

more, in what is the biggest sport in the world,’ he says. ‘Just having people saying no to racism on a commercial changes nothing.’ He read about the break-up of the taskforce in the papers: ‘I was not even informed. And we have seen what happened to [Mario] Balotelli playing in Bastia since. He is a close friend of mine and we spoke about it. He said to me: “What can I do? I can put something on Instagram, I can put something on Twitter.” But there is nothing else he can do. He can’t fight racism alone. And I know that walking off every time is not the answer.’ He describes the speech to the UN and the ovation he received as ‘the craziest moment’ of his life. ‘I was so nervous. I was sweating and my legs were trembling and then the woman – I forget her name – tapped me under the table and said: “Okay don’t worry, you’ll be fine”. I was thinking: No, I won’t. All I could see were the sixty cameras all with their red recording lights on.’ When asked what he will do when he stops playing he doesn’t see a future in the politics of sport. But helping young players keep their heads while all those around them want to spend their money will be a crusade in itself. Recalling those Tottenham days again he says: ‘There are always two sides to the story when something goes wrong. I know I did bad stuff. I went out. I went clubbing. But I was

joy. Mandela was in prison for 27 years just because he was standing up for his rights and he sits there and he has no anger inside of him. It was an incredible moment for me.’ Boateng would go on to do his bit to fight prejudice in January 2013 when he walked off the pitch in a friendly against Italian fourth division side Pro Patria after he had been racially abused by a section of the crowd. His teammates walked with him and Rio Ferdinand was among those who applauded the move. That’s how Boateng ended up delivering a speech to the UN and heading up the first ever FIFA anti-racism taskforce. It’s one they abandoned last September, laughably declaring: ‘job done’. ‘It is not something that you can fix in a couple of years and yes it goes beyond football, but we have the chance to do

20! I left my home, my family, all my friends. I was alone there. No one cares. No one came to ask me “How are you?” If you don’t perform on the pitch they will judge you. I understand because I was a fan at Hertha Berlin and I judged the players there. You are a number in the system. You cost money, so if you don’t work… they change the number.’ He plans to eventually work as an agent or advisor, ‘help these young guys to be the best they can be,’ he says. Boateng was the best he could be… eventually. And it’s not over yet. Las Palmas are ambitious and beat Middlesbrough to the signing of Jese Rodriguez from Paris Saint Germain; they want to qualify for the Europa League. Can the Prince get back into Europe? Why not?’ he says. It would be some story – another for the collection.

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Kante named PFA player of the year ahead of Hazard, Ibrahimovic and Kane

Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been named the PFA Player of the Year at a ceremony in London on Sunday evening. Kante, 26, wins the award after being on the shortlist of six last season when winning the Premier League title with Leicester City, before teammate Riyad Mahrez was eventually crowned.

he France international edged out competition from Eden Hazard, winner of the award in 201415, Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Harry Kane of Tottenham Hotspur, Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez. Kante had been the bookmakers’ heavy odds-on favourite for some time. Credited as the key signing to transform Chelsea from a team which finished 10th into Premier League leaders, his energy in the middle of the park has been the driving force. He has made more interceptions in the past two seasons than any other player. Accepting the award at Grosvenor House, Kante said: “It’s a huge honour to be chosen by the other players. It’s really special to get this award. My first two seasons have been very beautiful. We have to finish well but so far it’s a very good season.” He is hoping to become the first player in the Pemier League era to win the title with different clubs in successive seasons. Mark Schwarzer did it the other way around with Chelsea and then Leicester last season, but his win with the Foxes doesn’t officially count as he didn’t qualify for a medal after making no appearances. Dele Alli picked up the PFA Young Player of the Year award, while Manchester City’s Lucy Bronze won the women’s player of the year award for the second time having also won it in 2014, and Birmingham’s Jess Carter topped the voting in the women’s young player category. Former England captain David Beckham received the PFA’s Merit award for his contribution to the game.

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Zambia: U-20 to Boycott World Cup? CONFUSION is brewing in the Zambia Under-20 camp as players have threatened to boycott playing at the World Cup if their Africa Cup winning bonuses are not paid. As if that was not enough, Zambia Under-20 team manager Daniel Jere has been fired and replaced by Hastings Ndovi while Goodson Mboozi has come as equipment manager. The players, who have not been paid their dues since lifting the AFCON title after beating Senegal 2-0 in March, also boycotted yesterday’s morning training session demanding to be paid their dues. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one player said it was demoralising to be waiting for the bonuses since winning the cup in March and that some players have resolved not to go to South Korea. A check yesterday found the players not training with some official indicating that the players were recovering and would train in the afternoon. However, Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) boss Andrew Kamanga said the players were not entitled to allowances according to the FIFA rules but would be given some token of appreciation. “It’s actually disappointing that the under 20 players should be talking of allowances because they are not eligible to get, what we have agreed to give them is a token of appreciation which we shall give them before they go to Spain,” he said. Kamanga said the players were addressed by FAZ general secretary Ponga Liwewe concerning their dues. He said the technical bench were advised that the team break camp and regroup next week as they are still finalising on their training camp in Spain. Efforts to get a comment from Liwewe provide futile as he was in Egypt by Press time. On Jere’s sacking, Kamanga referred all queries to Liwewe but a statement was later released in the day explaining that the move was part of the process of continuous reorganisation of the team structure. FAZ communications manager Desmond Katongo said Ndovi, who once served as U-20 and U-23 manager, brings a wealth of organisational experience to the team. “The Football Association of Zambia wishes to thank the outgoing manager for his contribution to the national team. FAZ has also appointed Goodson Mboozi as equipment manager for the U-20 national team,” Katongo said.

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The joyous U-20 team of Zambia when they won the African championship but now faced with financial problems

Sports:

Africa: Ngoepe Is South Africa’s First Gift to the Major League!

Gift Ngoepe, who became the first African player to appear in a Major League Baseball game on recently marked the occasion by getting a single in his first at-bat for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ngoepe, from Polokwane, entered the game playing second base in the fourth inning of the Pirates 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs. John Bell’s home run in the sixth inning provided the winning score, reports AFP.

The 27-year-old Ngoepe was recalled by Pittsburgh from their minor league affiliate Indianapolis earlier in the day. In addition to his hit up the middle of the field in the fourth inning, he walked in the sixth and struck out in the eighth. Ngoepe was signed at age 18 as a non-drafted free agent in September 2008. In 15 games this season with Indianapolis, he is batting .241 with four runs batted in. Ngoepe was rated by Baseball America as the “Best Defensive Infielder” in the Pirates minor league system each of the last five seasons (2013-2017). He led all International League shortstops in fielding percentage (.984) while playing with Indianapolis last year. Group F: Ecuador, USA, Saudi

Former England and Aston Villa defender Ugo Ehiogu has died at the age of 44, Tottenham have confirmed. Tottenham’s U23 coach was taken to hospital after collapsing at training last month and passed away in the early hours of the following day according to the football club management. They are heart broken with this development. Meanwhile, head of coaching and player development at Spurs, John McDermott, said:

“Words cannot express the shock and sadness that we all feel at the club. “Ugo’s immense presence will be irreplaceable. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his wife Gemma and his family.” Ehiogu, who spent most of his career at Aston Villa where he won the League Cup in 1996, won four England caps. As well as playing more than 300 times for Villa, Londonborn Ehiogu played more than 100 times for Middlesbrough after signing for them in 2000. He joined Tottenham’s coaching staff in 2014. He was reported to have died of cardiac arrest. May his soul rest in peace. Adieu Ehiogu. www.thevoicenewsmagazine.com

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Call +31648519292 for details ..

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Book Review

and lack even the most basic services. Governance lies at the heart of this problem.

Guinea: Masks, Music & Minerals By Bram Posthumus

Guinea touches on all these themes, taking the reader to all corners of captivating and exasperating Guinea, as well as through its remarkable cultural accomplishments, most notably its globally renowned music.

An affectionate portrait of the mineral-rich but little known West African state that voted for independence from France in 1958.

Bram Posthumus is a journalist who first visited Guinea in 1995, the beginning of an enduring fascination with the country. Based in Dakar, he reports on political, cultural and economic events in West Africa for the Dutch and other European media.

Guinea was the first French colony to declare its independence, in 1958. Thereafter, the country suffered under the tyranny of Sékou Touré. Now, under their first elected president, Guineans are trying to put their troubled past behind them and fulfill the promise of a decent life for all. It will not be easy.

Paperback | 280pp Price: £25 ISBN: 9781849043694 For details, contact Alison Alexanian, Publicity Manager 41 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3PL +44 (0)20 7255 2201 or Mob: 07857033426 @alisonalexanian

Tens of thousands perished in the years of chaos and human potential is still going to waste. Despite Guinea’s vast mineral reserves, its resourceful peoples and the earning potential of agriculture and tourism, most citizens are desperately poor

Why is the Horn such a distinctive part of Africa?

Price: £17.99 ISBN:

This book, by one of the foremost scholars of the region, traces this question through its exceptional history and also probes the wildly divergent fates of the Horn’s contemporary nation-states. Christopher Clapham explores how the Horn’s peculiar topography gave rise to the Ethiopian empire, the sole African state not only to survive European colonialism, but also to participate in a colonial enterprise of its own. Its impact on its neighbours, present-day Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia and Somaliland, created a region very different from that of post-colonial Africa. Yet this evolution has produced highly varied outcomes in the region’s constituent countries, from state collapse (and deeply flawed reconstruction) in Somalia, through militarized isolation in Eritrea, to a still fragile ‘developmental state’ in Ethiopia. The tensions implicit in the process of state formation now drive the relationships between the once historically close nations of the Horn. Christopher Clapham is based at the Centre of African Studies, Cambridge University, and was previously editor of The Journal of Modern African Studies, and Professor of Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University. He is a specialist in the politics of Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa, and his books include Africa and the International System and African Guerrillas. Paperback | 224pp 60

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9781849048286 For details, contact Alison Alexanian, Publicity Manager 41 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3PL +44 (0)20 7255 2201 or Mob: 07857033426 @alisonalexanian

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Turning Point for Nigeria on Diaspora Policy

The saying that you can hardly conceal pregnancy with bare hands runs true with the depreciating value that the Nigerian Diaspora Day adds to national development. Despite its commendable vision and sparse achievements, the humongous shortcomings of the Diaspora Day are threatening in 2015 to explode in the face of all stakeholders. There are certainly no winners but the biggest looser is the Nigerian state. If the government of President Muhammadu Buhari had the benefit of good counsel, 2015 should have been used as an interregnum to evaluate what had gone on for the last decade, measure the benefits of the Diaspora Day against the huge expenditure. It is certainly ill conceived to have changed the date of the event from the traditional 25 July (as is in the national calendar) to 25 August, all because at all cost, the event must hold. The question is: why must it hold at all cost? At whose benefit? Before delving into whose benefit it is, it is perhaps instructive to pour the whole affair into the right context. The National Diaspora Day of Nigeria was instituted in 2005 by the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who inscribed 25 July as a day in the national calendar for Nigeria to celebrate its Diaspora. The purpose of the day is to reflect on the contributions of Nigerians resident outside the country to national development and to dialogue with peers at home, government and public sector on gainful collaborations going forward. Following the identification of Science & Technology as an imperative of national development at the time and in a bid to make Diaspora Day more purposeful, in 2006, Science & Technology was added to the package. It thus became Diaspora Day / Science & Technology Conference with the Federal Ministry of Science & Technology as principle partner Achievements Diaspora Day - Science & Technology Conference has been praised for the pull factor it represented in attracting back home, Nigerians who otherwise had literarily hung up on the country. Due to the opportunity it provided for facilitating interface between Nigerian professionals in the Diaspora with the public and private sector, the day became a fertile recruitment ground for employers in Nigeria (private & public) who saw value in the international exposure of Nigerians based abroad. Away from hearsay, it gave Nigerian Diaspora a unique opportunity to assess situations in Nigeria firsthand and determine how best to plug into the developmental process of the country. Between 2005 and 2010, it could be argued that nothing galvanised the Nigerian Diaspora better than the Diaspora Day and facilitated the reversal of brain drain to brain gain. Challenges Despite its commendable vision and achievements, there are a number of shortcomings of the Diaspora Day. Out of a long list four of the challenges posted on the wall of Diaspora Day (DD) are more nagging. Firstly, the DD, over the years, began to lack purpose and focus. For example, for no justifiable 62

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reason the focus on Science & Technology was dropped without replacement. Style became increasingly more important than substance as fewer efforts were expended on attracting the best and the brightest in Diaspora to drive the developmental agenda of the country. Secondly, the event became incrementally inconsistent. For no genuine reasons some years are skipped or planning stopped and event cancelled. Thirdly, lack of follow-up on conference resolutions or recommendations is a hallmark of DD. There is neither evaluation nor monitoring and implementation of conference outcome is non-existent. In some cases conference reports are not issued or published. Last but not least is the issue of ownership. Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) the official Diaspora body feel dangerously marginalised in the planning of the event. Some have described the situation as absurd and cannot justify how the Nigeria National Volunteer Service (NNVS) under the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) would hijack an event which is meant to be for the Diaspora. In the early years, the Diaspora co-owned the DD both in terms of content development and presentations at the event itself. In recent years, even the leadership of the global Diaspora struggle for visibility at the event. Prime speaking slots are dominated by political figures who depart the scene along with their advisors before it is the turn of the Diaspora to share the ideas that brought them home in the first place. The Diaspora are often left talking to themselves. Diaspora Day 2015 (DD2015) A combination of the challenges highlighted above and more, which had been brewing over the years, reached a climax in 2015 when calls from NIDO for an early start in the planning of DD2015 were either ignored or not adequately responded to by government represented by the NNVS. The leadership of the organization, consisting of the continental heads in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific & Europe, constituted a global planning committee and worked out what appeared to be a robust set of events spanning nearly a week to commemorate the DD2015 with 25 July, the official day in the national calendar as the focal day. In a move that vexed the NIDO leadership beyond pardon, the NNVS announced that government has postponed the DD2015 to 25 August. A meeting between NIDO and the NNVS to find a common ground ended in an impasse. According to NIDO, it went ahead to hold what it claimed to be a scaled down DD2015 on 25 July and announced that it will not only boycott the planned 25 August event by the NNVS but issued a statement warning its members to stay home. Truth be told, the leadership of NIDO has every reason to be upset but the boycott and the call to members to do same â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which by the way was later retracted â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is another kettle of fish. There have been several important voices that spoke up in condemnation of NIDO action that it is of no effect to add to those voices here. Suffice to say that intelligent leadership calls for pragmatism and ingenuity. A leader that acts in vengeance or for personal gratification is only digging his grave.

The Future of Diaspora Day As already mentioned, the vision behind DD is laudable. Indeed it made a good start and the establishment of a focus with the addition of Science & Technology conference a year later was brilliant. The modest achievements of the DD are dotted here and there in the country but obscured by the absence of evaluation and monitoring. The challenges facing the DD and indeed the entire Nigerian Diaspora politics are huge but mitigable. It is doubtful that the huge resources invested in the DD both by government as sponsor and the Diaspora who spend hard-earned resources flying into the country, has any significant return on investment. If the DD was a business venture it would have long gone bankrupt. There is no fancy way of saying that all stakeholders need to go back to the drawing board. Two great opportunities for reform of this whole business beckon. One, this administration is new and currently taking its time to hopefully put in place good governance architecture. There cannot be a better opportunity to get the broader Diaspora Policy right. Two and perhaps more importantly is the newly passed Nigerian Diaspora Commission Bill. Government must see this Bill as an omissible tool in finally getting the Nigerian Diaspora policy landscape right. You cannot continue to wish away the existence of other self-styled ‘Diaspora Organizations’ even

when they are domestic entities but competing for relevance with NIDO. Or how do you as government recognize the plethora of community, social welfare, and cultural organizations in Diaspora without watering down the role of NIDO as official partner of government on Diaspora matters? If government does not see the Commission as avenue to create jobs for its boys and girls, it stands a chance of correctly re-drawing the Diaspora map for the good of nation. There are enough competent hands beyond the individuals currently posturing and positioning themselves for a seat at the Diaspora Commission table. A good homework by government is an absolute necessity. In concluding it must be said that to get the Diaspora Day right, you must first get the Nigerian Diaspora Policy right. There is no scarcity of ideas on what an effective Nigerian Diaspora Policy should look like but that perhaps should be the subject of another pointed discourse. Collins Nweke served Nigeria’s official Diaspora body first as Executive Secretary / Chief Executive starting from 2004 and later as General Secretary (a Board position). He finally served as Board Chairman until November 2013. For direct contact with him, kindly send your reactions to admin@ collinsnweke.eu