Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying draw made in Libreville Thursday pitted Uganda against traditional rivals Tanzania, and two teams that have stood in their way in recent continental and world ambitions – Cape Verde and Lesotho. South African opponents Lesotho particularly bring …
Read More »BUHARI: ‘Major decision’ expected on Gambia this weekend
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s presidency on Friday said a “major decision” would be taken this weekend on the crisis in The Gambia caused by veteran strongman Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to step down after elections. President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesman Garba Shehu said African leaders would meet in Accra on …
Read More »War not over after Boko Haram ousted from forest bastion
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria has recently trumpeted a major victory in its battle against Boko Haram, claiming that its army has routed the jihadists from their forest bastion, but the war against them is far from over. After years of devastating battles and a recent surge in attacks, …
Read More »Nigeria’s ‘plastic rice’ real but inedible
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | Around 100 bags of “plastic rice” seized in Lagos have turned out to contain real but contaminated rice, authorities said Friday in Nigeria, where prices for the staple have rocketed. Tests on the rice have shown that the product is “not plastic but … contaminated …
Read More »Buhari removes 50,000 ‘ghost workers’ from Nigeria state payrolls
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria has struck off 50,000 “ghost workers” from the state payrolls this year, saving nearly 630 million euros, the presidency said Tuesday. The office of President Muhammadu Buhari, who was voted into power last year vowing to stamp out endemic graft in Africa’s most populous …
Read More »Nigerian army ‘crushes’ Boko Haram in key stronghold
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday claimed the military had routed Boko Haram in a key northeastern stronghold, a year after saying the Islamist militants had been “technically” defeated. A campaign lasting for months in the 1,300 square-kilometre (500 square-mile) forest in northeastern Borno state …
Read More »Amina Mohammed, two other women named to top UN posts
United Nations, United States | AFP | Incoming UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday announced the appointment of Nigeria’s Environment Minister Amina Mohammed to be the UN’s number two official and tapped two other women for key leadership posts. Guterres has made gender parity a priority of his tenure which …
Read More »Nigeria’s leader wants spending spree to boost economy
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari proposed Wednesday a multi-billion dollar jump in spending designed to lift the nation out of the “most challenging economic situation” in its history. He pitched his NGN 7.3 trillion budget ($23 billion) proposal for 2017 — a 20 percent boost over …
Read More »Over 100 feared dead in Nigeria church collapse
Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | A church roof has collapsed in southeastern Nigeria causing “many deaths and injury” the country’s president said Saturday, with state media reporting that up to 200 people could have been killed. The evangelical Reigners Bible Ministry in Uyo, capital of Akwa Ibom state was packed …
Read More »Nigeria women’s football team protest for sixth day
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | A sit-in protest by the Nigerian women’s team stretched into a sixth day at an Abuja hotel on Friday as the players vowed not to give in until bonuses and other allowances are paid. They began their protest after arriving on Sunday from Cameroon, fresh …
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