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Tag: Alpha Conde.

  • Daura Emirate confers title on Guinean President

    THE Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouq on Sunday conferred the traditional title of “Talban-Daura” on visiting President of Guinea Alpha Conde.

    Farouq said the title was conferred on President Conde in recognition of his love for President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria.

    “Today is a historic day in the history of the emirate, Katsina State and the country at large.

    “President Conde left all his schedules in his country to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir with his counterpart President Buhari in Daura.

    “This is a great honour, we also decided to reciprocate the honour by giving you a traditional title.

    “I confer on you the title of Talban-Daura for accompanying our son, President Buhari to observe Eid-el-Kabir celebration in the ancient city of Daura.

    Read Also: Securing the Gulf of Guinea

    “Talban-Daura is a title given to a great person like President Conde, we indeed thank you for the visit,” he said.

    President Buhari thanked the Emir for giving the title to President Conde.

    Buhari, who was represented by Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari said the chieftaincy title conferred on his Guinean counterpart was a great honour to him and the country.

    “I thank the Emir and the Emirate Council for the title,” he said.

    Conde was turbaned by some of the Emirate’s councillors, after which, the Emir donated a horse to him.

    The Emir urged Nigerians to support Buhari to overcome the security challenges and move the country forward.

    Delivering his message after the annual Sallah Durbar held at his palace, the Danejin-Daura, Alhaji Abdulmumini Salihu, said: “I pray to the Almighty Allah to grant good health to Mr. President, give him the courage to lead the country right.

    “I commend him for his endurance and patience on the challenges he is facing.

    “A leader must possess two qualities of endurance and patience, may Allah guide and protect him from all evils.

    “I am calling on Nigerians to continue to pray to Allah to enable the president succeed in improving their living conditions and move the country forward.

    “I also thank President Alpha Conde of Guinea for his love to our son, Buhari, and our dear country, Nigeria.

    “I thank him for coming to Daura to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir with President Buhari in Daura, in spite of his schedules. I pray to Allah to take him safely back home,” he said.

    The Emir also commended Governor Masari’s Administration for its developmental projects in the Emirate.

    He admonished his subjects against indiscriminate felling of trees, adding that they should strive to replace trees cut, plant more and nurture them to maturity.

    Farouq also urged local government councils to continue to take security issues serious and “join hands with traditional rulers to achieve success on that.”

    “It has become imperative for landlords to investigate tenants before giving their houses on rent to avoid renting them to bad eggs in the society.

    “They should liaise with traditional rulers on that. Everyone knows the importance of peace, you should report any suspicious movement of people to the relevant authority for prompt action,” the monarch said.

  • Buhari departs for Addis Ababa to attend AU Summit

    Buhari departs for Addis Ababa to attend AU Summit

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday departed Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate at the 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU).

    The president left the Presidential Villa, Abuja, via the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport for Addis Ababa two hours after observing the weekly Friday’s Juma’at prayer.

    The President alongside with hundreds of other Muslim faithful performed the two Raka’at Juma’at prayer at the Aso Rock Mosque.

    Mr Femi Adesina, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, had on January 25, in a statement disclosed that the highlight of the President’s engagements during the visit would be his statements under the historic theme for the AU Summit, namely: “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.”

    “This is the first time in the 54-year history of the AU that anti-corruption will be made a theme of the gathering of the regional leaders,’’ the statement said.

    It would be recalled that, on July 4, 2017, during the 29th Session of the AU, African leaders unanimously endorsed President Buhari to champion the fight against corruption on the continent.

    The endorsement was in recognition of his personal commitment and widely acclaimed anti-graft drive at the domestic level.

    On July 25, 2017, the President, in a letter to President Alpha Conde of Guinea, who is also the out-going AU Chairperson, formally accepted his nomination to lead members of the AU on this crucial crusade against a veritable socio-economic vice that is anti-development.

    While thanking his colleagues for the honour, Buhari reiterated his “commitment to contribute towards our collective efforts to strengthen good governance and development on the continent.’’

    Adesina said that apart from anti-corruption, other issues lined for consideration by African leaders and their delegations would include peace and security (transnational terrorism). institutional reforms of the continental body and free movement of persons.

    Also Read: Buhari signs eight bills into law

    Others are climate change, trade; aviation, education, gender and development.

    He said President Buhari would also hold bilateral meetings with some of his colleagues on issues of common interests.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Danbazau and the Minister of State (Aviation), Hadi Sirika, are in the President’s delegation to the summit.

    Others are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, and the  Ag. Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ), Mr Ibrahim Magu.

    NAN

  • I’m making good progress, Buhari assures

    I’m making good progress, Buhari assures

    President Muhammadu Buhari has written to thank the President of Guinea, Alpha Conde, for the nationwide prayers held last week by Guineans for his recovery and good health.

    In a letter dated July 24, 2017, President Buhari, who had earlier made a phone call to Conde, who is the current Chairman of the Assemblies of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, stated:

    “I thank you for your kind and thoughtful action in organizing nationwide prayers for my good health. It is a gesture that I will forever cherish and treasure.

    “Your Excellency will be pleased to hear that I am making good progress, and as soon as doctors advise, I shall return to my duties and continue serving the Nigerian people who elected me and are daily praying for my recovery.”

    In an earlier letter, President Buhari had also accepted his nomination as leader of the “2018 AU Theme on the Fight Against Corruption”, which came from African leaders at the 29th Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on July 4, 2017.

    “While thanking you for the kind words and for the nomination,” the President wrote to Conde, “I wish to express my readiness to accept this new important role and to reiterate my commitment to contribute towards our collective efforts to strengthen good governance and development on the continent. I, therefore, look forward to working closely with you in the realization of this objective.”

     

  • AU chairman calls Buhari, wishes him quick recovery

    AU chairman calls Buhari, wishes him quick recovery

    The Chairman of the African Union, President Alpha Conde, on Friday called President Muhammadu Buhari on the telephone to wish him speedy recovery from his ailment.

    A statement issued by the presidential media aide, Femi Adesina, said Conde called Buhari on the telephone on “to wish him good health and speedy recovery.”

    The statement issued on Saturday quoted the Guinean leader as saying that he called President Buhari on behalf of leaders of AU member countries.

    Conde reportedly assured his Nigerian counterpart that all African leaders stand with him in prayers “at a time like this.”

    The statement reads: “While thanking Conde for the telephone call, Buhari used the opportunity to congratulate him on his recent election as AU Chairperson during the 28th Ordinary Summit of the continental body in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2017.”

    “President Buhari, who could not attend the AU Summit, wished his Guinean counterpart a successful tenure.

    “He also expressed confidence that Africa will witness improved political stability, security and economic growth during Conde’s tenure.”

     

  • Jammeh gets final ultimatum to cede power

    West African leaders have given Yahya Jammeh a final opportunity to relinquish power after Senegalese troops entered The Gambia.

    Mr. Jammeh has been given until noon on Friday to leave office or be forced out by United Nations-backed regional forces, the BBC reports.

    Troops have been told to halt their advance until the deadline passes.

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is acting in support of Adama Barrow, who was sworn in as the new Gambian president on Thursday.

    His legitimacy as president, after winning last month’s election, has been recognised internationally.

    Last-ditch mediation talks, led by Guinea’s President Alpha Conde, are due on Friday morning.

    Chairman of the ECOWAS commission, Marcel Alain de Souza, said that if the meeting with Mr. Conde proved unsuccessful, militarily action would follow.

    “If by midday, he [Mr. Jammeh] doesn’t agree to leave The Gambia under the banner of President Conde, we really will intervene militarily,” he said.

    ECOWAS said that its forces had encountered no resistance after entering The Gambia on Thursday.

  • Guinea collates presidential poll results

    Millions of Guineans voted peacefully on Sunday in the West African country’s second free election since gaining independence from France nearly 60 years ago.

    Guinea – Africa’s leading producer of bauxite, the raw material for aluminium – has a history of election violence linked to ethnic tensions, including in a 2010 vote that brought President Alpha Conde to power after military rule, Reuters reported.

    The 77-year-old Conde is widely expected to win a second mandate, although the results were expected to be close enough to require a second round, probably against main rival Cellou Dalein Diallo.

    The streets were calm in the capital Conakry and elsewhere after clashes this week between security forces and supporters of rival parties that left several dead and dozens injured.

    Plainclothes policemen stood vigil at schools and petrol stations transformed into voting booths where some waited for hours in the rain to cast their ballots.

    Casting his vote in the Conakry neighbourhood of Boulbinet, Conde, dressed in a white tunic, reiterated an earlier call for calm. “I hope things go well because Guinea needs peace, Guinea needs unity,” he told reporters.

    At some polling stations, voting began only a few minutes behind schedule but in others there were complaints that paperwork and officials had not arrived by late morning.

    Some voters’ names were absent from the register.

  • Dozens injured in Guinea pre-election clashes

    Several people were hurt during fighting over the weekend between rival political groups, before a presidential election scheduled for October 11, local authorities said on Monday.

    Supporters of different parties clashed on Friday and Saturday in the city of Nzerekore in Guinea’s Forest Region during a visit by President Alpha Conde. Residents said calm was restored by a series of arrests and the imposition of a curfew.

    “The situation is very, very serious. We have 29 people with gunshot injuries,” Reuters quoted Aboubacar Mbopp Camara, prefect for Nzerekore, as saying to journalists.

    Medical charity Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) said on its Twitter feed on Monday that around 80 people were admitted to its local hospital. They suffered a range of injuries from bullets, stones and batons, it said.

    Local papers said one person had died from his injuries, although this could not be independently verified.

    The riots pitted supporters of Conde’s Rally of the Guinean People (RPG) party against those of his main rival, Cellou Dalein Diallo, of the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), residents said.

    Guinea, a former French colony and Africa’s largest producer of bauxite, has a long history of ethnic tensions.

    Conde, who is favoured to win next week’s vote, draws support from his Malinke ethnicity. Diallo enjoys backing from the Peuhl, who account for 40 percent of Guinea’s population.

    The European Union in a statement described the election campaign as “extremely tense” and called on actors to refrain from violence.