The recent coup in Niger Republic has sent shockwaves through the West African region, raising concerns about stability and the potential for armed conflicts. The implications of this coup go beyond Niger’s borders, as the country’s strategic importance, uranium, and oil resources make it a key player in the eyes of global powers such as Read More…
Africa
When Trouble Sleeps…
I don’t like wars. But I don’t mind wars if they are in defence of a people’s essence. Remember how Horatio defended the bridge of River Tiber in the days of ancient Rome? The book, “Lays of Ancient Rome”, preserved the narrative for posterity: “To every man upon this earth, death cometh soon or late; Read More…
Before marching to Niamey, let us pause
THE new military rulers in Niger Republic, the country which marked Independence Day on Thursday, August 3, 2023, have a Sunday ultimatum from the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS. It is that they give up power and restore elected President Mohammed Bazoum to power or face serious measures, including possible invasion. ECOWAS also Read More…
Africans meeting in Nairobi: If Nigeria’s awake, Africa will rise
I have attended a few African Union (AU) Heads of State Summits and always came away with the impression that the agenda is always overloaded. But three things struck me about the July 16, 2023 meeting in Nairobi. First, its modest three-point objectives; fast-tracking the integration process in Africa; examining the Division of Labour among the Read More…
US-West African maritime drills begin
Using their small boats in silence, the West African troops boarded a rusty ferry and climbed its sides using grappling hooks to disarm mock kidnappers on board. The U.S. military conducted the drill on Saturday in the Volta River in Ghana as part of the inaugural maritime exercises organised as part of the ongoing Flintlock Read More…
Poisoning cough syrup
A REUTERS REPORT Euromonitor, a market research company, estimates that the global market for children’s over-the-counter cough, cold, and allergy medications will be worth around $2.5 billion in 2022. Using a syrup consisting of glycerin or propylene glycol that is secure, sweet, and simple to swallow, these medications include active substances like paracetamol, often known Read More…
Food Security: The African Perspective
The 1996 World Food Summit defined food security as, “…when all people, at all times have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” In Africa, food security is closely tied to sustainable agriculture. A report on food security Read More…
African Perspectives on the Fossil Fuel vs Clean Energy Debate
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) calls for ‘affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’ by 2030. It recognizes energy usage as the dominant contributor to the generation of Green House Gases (GHG), accounting for about 60 per cent of total emissions. It observes with alarm that global emissions have accelerated, resulting Read More…
FG commits to Abidjan-Lagos corridor
The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to facilitating the free movement of products and persons among member countries by supporting the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organisation’s activities (ALCO). In a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, said this while receiving ALCO’s Read More…
To migrants, watery graves; to humanity, a boiling world
TRAGEDY. Unimaginable tragedy. What is most tragic to me is not the number of migrants, including children from underdeveloped countries, who have gone down the sea to watery graves trying to reach Europe. Yes, this year alone, over 1,200 went on a final dip, never to resurface again, or if they did, only as corpses. Last Read More…