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Tag: Cameroon

  • Cameroon 2016: Pinnick pumps up Falcons’ spirit as team departs

    Cameroon 2016: Pinnick pumps up Falcons’ spirit as team departs

    Hours before the Super Falcons departure for Cameroon to defend the Women Africa Cup of Nations title, NFF President Amaju Pinnick was at the team’s camp to offer words of motivation and encouragement.

     Pinnick told the reigning African champions that the federation is fully behind them and that they are as important as any other National Team.

     “We are totally behind you and we cherish you as much as we cherish all other teams, and we are always proud about all you have achieved which remains a record in the continent of Africa. We are hopeful that you will remain the champions of Africa after the finals in Cameroon.

     “I want to assure you that we respect you and will do all we can to meet your needs in spite of the financial challenges we have presently. We do not take you for granted. We will always treat you as the champions that you are and hopefully, our financial situation will improve very soon and we will be able to practically demonstrate how much we treasure you.”

     President Pinnick then prayed with the ladies and reiterated that the Federation has great plans for them and Nigeria women football going forward.

     The NFF President’s visit was one of numerous morale –boosting visits by the Nigerian authorities to the Super Falcons, with the country’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo also visiting the ladies and promising Government support and encouragement penultimate Tuesday.

    Super Eagles’ Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr has been to the Falcons’ training twice, stating that he is very confident they can bring home the Cup to Nigeria from Cameroon.

    The Women Africa Cup of Nations will take place 19th November – 3rd December 2016.

    A contingent of 21 players and officials flew out of Abuja to Lagos on Wednesday morning, and then traveled from Lagos to Douala by ASKY Airline flight on Wednesday afternoon.

    The players include: Ibubeleye Whyte, Gladys Akpa, Faith Ikidi, Rita Chikwelu, Ngozi Ebere, Esther Sunday, Alaba Jonathan, Osarenoma Igbinovia, Ijeoma Obi, Halimatu Ayinde, Ugo Njoku, Uchechi Sunday, Gloria Iroka, Osinachi Ohale, Ngozi Okobi, Onome Ebi, Desire Oparanozie, Francisca Ordega, Asisat Oshoala, Rita Akarekor, Chioma Wogu 

  • Mutiu: Rohr can take Eagles to special heights

    Mutiu: Rohr can take Eagles to special heights

    Former Nigeria international Mutiu Adepoju has claimed that current Gaffer of the Super Eagles Gernot Rohr can lead the team to ‘special heights’ following his 100% start to life in charge of the three-time African champions.

    Nigeria are top of Group B of the CAF 2018 World Cup qualifier after wins over Zambia and Algeria.

    However, after lacklustre performances by the team which resulted in failure to qualify for two consecutive African Nations Cup, Mutiu have been very impressed by the resurgence of the Super Eagles under the guidance of the German.

    “It is commendable how Gernot Rohr has improved team work in the Eagles and the players have developed a good team spirit which is very important for the growth of any team in the world,” Mutiu told SportingLife.

    “Right from the first time I met the Eagles manager, he looks calm and have convinced me that he can take the team to a special height.

    “Going forward the team should not be complacent because there are still four matches to be played so they should stay focused.”

    Some section of the media observed that the Super Eagles last seven goals in competitive matches have been scored by players plying their trade in the premier league but Mutiu insists that it was a collective effort and it doesn’t matter who scores.

    “Goals can be scored by anybody so we shouldn’t just look at the fact it is being scored by players in the premier league or in the Nigerian league. It’s lovely that the players are in form,” the headmaster informed.

    Nigeria leads Group B with six points, four more than second placed Cameroon while Zambia and Algeria have a point each in third and four place respectively.

  • Cameroon Military court jails men who joked about Boko Haram

    Cameroon Military court jails men who joked about Boko Haram

    Amnesty International has condemned the 10 years imprisonment  imposed by a Military Court in Cameroon  on three young men,  Fomusoh Ivo Feh, and his friends Afuh Nivelle Nfor and Azah Levis Gob – who were convicted of ‘non-denunciation of terrorist acts’ following a  trial in Yaoundé.

    Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa said Fomusoh Ivo and his two friends should never have been arrested in the first place, as they were simply exercising their right to freedom of expression.

    “Instead of being in school like their friends, these three young men will now spend years of their lives in prison for a simple joke.

    “This ruling is clear evidence that Cameroonian military courts should not have jurisdiction to try civilians. The Cameroonian authorities must quash their conviction and sentence and immediately and unconditionally release all three of them,” Daoud stated.

    Ivo, 27, whom Amnesty International considers to be a prisoner of conscience, was arrested on 13 December 2014 after forwarding his friends a sarcastic SMS referring to Boko Haram. He was held in police custody in Douala before being transferred to Yaoundé Prison in January 2015.

  • River Niger drying up, warns Federal Govt

    The Federal Government has raised the alarm that the River Niger is drying up.

     

    To save the river from the fate that befell Lake Chad, the Federal Government along with countries bordering the River Niger has approved the environmental audit of the river.

     

    Addressing journalists at the end of the 6th Annual Meeting of African Organization do Supreme Audit Institutions Working Group on Environmental Audit (AFROSAI WGEA) in Abuja on Tuesday on the development, the Acting Auditor of the Federation (AuGF) Mrs Florence Anyanwu confirmed that that River Niger was drying up.

     

    She noted that countries bordering the river have approved the environmental audit of the river and that commencement of the audit of one of the longest rivers in Africa will begin at the end of the meeting in Abuja.

     

    According to Anyanwu, “talks are ongoing on the cooperative environmental audit project on River Niger by Niger Basin Authority consisting of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’ Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria.”

     

    She lamented that the drying up of the River Niger posed social, environmental and economic treat to the communities bordering the river.

     

    When completed, the environmental audit of River Niger will afford the governments the information they need to save the river from further deterioration as well as ensure its continued benefit to bordering communities.

     

    With regards to Lake Chad that has significantly lost a large portion of it body of water, the chair of the AFROSAI WGEA, Mrs Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam said the environmental audit report of the Lake Chad has been sent to the governments of the four countries surrounding the lake to come up with laws to save the river from total evaporation.

     

    Lake Chad is a shallow lake that ordinarily should be fed with constant rain but environmental challenges have seen the lake suffer from sustained drop in the volume of rain fall feeding the lake and a growing population that depends on the lake for water, fishing and agriculture.

     

    Fomundam noted that “despite the signing of multilateral agreements on the environment and established institutions, current scientific studies reveal that many of the planet’s ecosystems have rapidly deteriorated over the last 20 years.”

     

    She added that “citizens have increasingly expected that organizations that hurt the environment be held accountable for their actions, with many citizens feeling that government declarations concerning the environment and sustainable development should be subject to independent audits to assess the extent to which they are implemented.”

     

    In her address the minister of environment Mrs Amina Mohammed said “environmental auditing is an essential component of sustainable environmental management as it provides the mechanism for allowing government to know what has gone wrong over time and highlights the need for urgent policy action.”

     

    She added that “our environment is our sustenance and unless we care for our environment, our lives will be at risk. Unless we have a clear knowledge of what is happening to our environment, we may not be able to make appropriate policies for sustainable environmental management

     

  • 80,000 Nigerian refugees to be repatriated from Cameroon

    The Federal Government has signed a tripartite agreement with the UN High Commission for Refuge (UNHCR) and the Republic of Cameroon for the return of Nigerian refugees from Cameroon.

    The Director-General, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Muhammad Sidi, spoke when an AU Humanitarian Mission led by Dr Aisha Abdullahi, AU’s Commissioner Political Affairs, visited the agency in Abuja.

    Sidi, in a statement signed by Sani Datti, NEMA’s Information Officer, said: “80,000 Nigerians are taking refuge in Cameroon and are being catered for by the Federal Government”.

    He hailed the Federal Government, state governments affected by the insurgency, the UN agencies, non-governmental organisations and the private sector for supporting the refugees.

    The NEMA director-general also thanked all the development partners and donor agencies for working tirelessly in supporting the Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) and the government and people of Nigeria.

    Sidi said the organisations had “done a lot in the past four years to manage large numbers of IDPs in the North-East”.

    He said with the war against Boko Haram almost over, the stakeholders in the humanitarian response “have moved from the emergency response stage to recovery and resettlement of the IDPs”.

    He urged the visiting AU commissioner to use her office to seek more assistance and support for the persons and the states affected by the insurgency.

    Abdullahi had said the AU team was in Nigeria to assess the humanitarian situation and to discuss areas of possible support.

    The statement quoted her as saying that the displaced Nigerians were of concern to the AU.

    “The records available to AU indicate that there are about 13 million displaced persons and three million refugees on the continent.

    “I commend the efforts of the Nigerian government and the military for degrading and minimising the activities of the insurgents in the North-East.

    “The AU will continue to give more attention to the issues of displacement through interaction and focus on addressing the root causes of conflicts in Africa,’’ Abdullahi said

  • World Cup draws: Nigeria land in Pot three

    World Cup draws: Nigeria land in Pot three

    Nigeria could face Algeria, Cote d’ Ivoire, Tunisia or Cameroon in a tough 2018 World Cup qualifying group after the Super Eagles was drawn in Pot 3 on Sunday.

    The draw for the World Cup qualifiers will be staged in Cairo, Egypt, on June 24.

    Egypt, Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana and Senegal were drawn in Pot 1, africanFootball.com reports.

    Tunisia, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Guinea and Cameroon were placed in Pot 2.

    Nigeria was dawn in Pot 3 with Congo Brazzaville, Morocco, Mali and South Africa, meaning these teams will avoid themselves in the qualifiers to be played in a mini-league format from October to November 2017.

    The 20 remaining teams from Africa will be divided into five groups of four teams with the winners of each group qualifying for Russia 2018.

    Nigeria is seeking to qualify for a sixth World Cup after featuring in the 1994, 1998, 2002, 2010 and 2014 editions of the tournament.

  • Zeyeum engineering the future of Cameroon’s connectivity

    Zeyeum engineering the future of Cameroon’s connectivity

    By Larry Anwansedo

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of global telecommunications, the year 2016 marks a significant milestone for African engineering excellence. As the continent seeks to transition from legacy systems to advanced mobile broadband, Justin Njimgou Zeyeum has emerged from one of Europe’s most prestigious technical environments as a visionary architect of signal integrity and network synthesis.

    Having recently completed his Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics Engineering at the renowned Metropolia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki, Finland, Justin stands at the vanguard of a new generation of engineers poised to redefine Central Africa’s digital infrastructure.

    Justin is on a journey to the top of his field. He began with his selection to the Helsinki program through a rigorous international selection process. He was among a select few brilliant minds from Africa accepted into Metropolia’s competitive engineering program, a testament to his exceptional analytical foundations. Throughout his education in Helsinki, a global hub for telecommunications innovation, Justin distinguished himself through academic rigor and technical excellence, ultimately graduating in the top ten percentile of his class in May 2016.

    Architectural Innovation: The Helsinki Research

    The centerpiece of Justin’s academic and professional ascent is his cutting-edge thesis research, conducted within the world-class laboratories of Nokia Networks in Helsinki. His work focused on the development of a high-performance Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) designed for Phase Locked Loop (PLL) frequency synthesizers, which is the heartbeat of modern wireless communication.

    In an era where network speeds are dictated by frequency stability and signal purity, Justin’s research addressed critical bottlenecks in transceiver design. His VCO model demonstrated superior phase noise performance and tuning range, earning high praise from supervisors, academic professors, and industry leaders at Nokia. By mastering the complexities of frequency synthesis at the hardware level, Justin has acquired a specialized skill set that bridges the gap between theoretical physics and practical telecommunications deployment.

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    A Vision for Cameroon: LTE and Beyond

    As a bright star in the engineering space, Justin’s primary objective is to repatriate this high-level expertise to his home country, Cameroon. He envisions a national telecommunications terrain that is not merely a consumer of global technology, but a sophisticated ecosystem capable of maximizing Advanced LTE and the burgeoning field of Cloud Network Solutions.

    Justin’s strategic plan for Cameroon involves:

    Modernizing the Backbone: Utilizing his experience with Nokia-standard labs to optimize signal processing and frequency management across Cameroon’s carrier networks.

    Global Collaboration: Leveraging his established relationships with European engineering experts to facilitate knowledge transfer and bring “Helsinki-standard” best practices to local ISPs and mobile operators.

    Next-Generation Integration: Preparing the national infrastructure for Cloud-RAN (Radio Access Network) architectures, which allow for more flexible, scalable, and cost-effective mobile coverage in both dense urban centers and underserved rural regions.

    Justin’s move back to Cameroon is driven by a commitment to national development, contingent on a stable professional and political environment that welcomes high-tech innovation. He views the development of telecommunications as a prerequisite for economic sovereignty, noting that advanced networks are the fundamental engine for e-commerce, digital education, and modern governance.

    His unique position, having been trained in the heart of the “Nokia city” and possessing an intimate understanding of African market dynamics, makes him a vital asset for any organization or government body looking to leapfrog traditional infrastructure hurdles. Justin is not merely looking for a role in the industry; he is looking to lead a technological renaissance.

    In an age where connectivity is a basic human right, Justin Njimgou Zeyeum represents the “brain gain” that Africa has long awaited. Through his technical mastery of PLL synthesizers and his strategic vision for cloud-integrated networks, he is ready to ensure that Cameroon does not just join the digital age but leads it.

  • Navy arrests two boats with 671 bags of rice

    Navy arrests two boats with 671 bags of rice

    The Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Nigerian Navy in Calabar, yesterday, arrested two large wooden boats popularly known as `Cotonou boats’ with 22 passengers alongside 671 bags of rice brought into the country from Cameroon.

     

     

    Flag Officer Commanding of the Command, Rear Admiral Atiku Abdulkadir, said that the boats were arrested by men of the Navy on board `Nigerian Navy Ship Makurdi ‘while on sea patrol along the Calabar waterways.

     

    Abdulkadir said that one of the boats was carrying 14 Nigerians with 550 bags of rice, while the other carried eight Cameroonians with 121 bags of rice.

     

    According to him, the boats were arrested because the passengers on board had no valid traveling documents, hence the need to check them and hand them over to the relevant agencies for further actions.

     

    “These boats were arrested by our men on patrol Nigeria Navy Ship Makurdi with 671 bags of rice. 14 of the passengers are Nigerians while eight of them are Cameroonians.

     

    “We want to search them and see what they are up to, because, out of the 22 of them, only one woman has a valid traveling passport that can be identified.

     

    “We have to pick them up, do more investigations and hand them over to the relevant agencies for further actions.

     

    “If we find them free of any security threat, we would easily release them.

     

    “We are concerned about security on the water ways, we must continue to maintain our presence at sea and also maintain our intelligence network’’, he said.

     

    The FOC said that the Navy would carry out more enlightenment campaigns to sensitise the public on the need to process valid traveling documents before leaving for another country.

     

    “Some of the passengers are ignorant over this, we must continue to enlighten them. We must also continue to mount our presence at sea in other curb illegal movement, sea piracy and oil theft’’, he said.

     

    Mr Samuel Bassey, 33, Captain of one of the boats, said he bought the rice from Cameroon to sell in Nigeria to make some profit.

     

    Bassey who admitted not having a valid traveling passport, said that he has been using the boat for transport business for over three years.

     

    “I have been using this boat for over three years now. I don’t have a valid traveling passport, but I intend to have one soon’’ he said.

     

  • Chibok girls: Cameroon yet to release self-confessed suicide bomber, partner

    Chibok girls: Cameroon yet to release self-confessed suicide bomber, partner

    Barely three weeks after their arrest, the self-confessed Chibok suicide bomber, Aissatou Musa,  and her partner, Mamma Sali, are yet to be released to the Federal Government.

    The two girls were said to be undergoing what a security source described as “bonafide” investigation in Yaounde.

    Some Nigerian security agents are in the Camerounian capital, Yaounde, to assist their counterparts on the profiling of the girls.

    According to a top security source, the Camerounian government said it wanted a comprehensive investigation which may provide some information on the operation of Boko Haram in the Francophone country.

    The source said: “The two girls have not been handed over to the Federal Government because of the ongoing strategic bonafide investigation.

    “They said they cannot just dismiss the girls and return them to Nigeria because they were arrested by local self-defence forces in Limani , which is in the far North of Cameroon being ravaged by Boko Haram.

    “They told our team that it is in the interest of the two countries to gather enough intelligence from the suspects.

    “Some of our security agents are still in Yaounde to compare notes and collaborate on the next step. We have asked them to hand over the girls to us for further investigation.

    The Cameroonian authorities have concluded a preliminary investigation which indicated that the girls were not Chibok girls and they had no connection with the abducted 219 girls.

    It was learnt that the two girls have never had the opportunity of Western Education.

    A report said in part: “Available information as regards the acclaimed Chibok girl indicated as follows: Aissatou Musa, who claimed to be one of the Chibok girls, is the daughter of Musa Bladi and Fanta(mother) of Mandara Ethnic Group.

    “The second girl is Mamma Sali. She is the daughter of Sali Chetima and Hajiya Bintou of Kanuri tribe.

    “Both hailed from Bama and speak in Mandara, Hausa and Kanuri. They have never been to Western school except Koranic schools. They have no relationship with the 219 Chibok girls.”

    The  #BringBackOurGirls group has however, in a statement, offered suggestions on how to manage such an incident in a “quicker, more responsive and professional handling” in the future.

    The statement said: “Following the incident of Friday 26 March, 2016, wherein two females carrying explosives were arrested in the northern Cameroonian town of Limani—one of which professed to be one of our Chibok girls—we feel obligated, as a movement in the forefront of the advocacy for the rescue of our 219 Chibok girls (as well as other abductees of Boko Haram, and related issues), to offer our well-considered positions on the matter.

    “We are convinced that our positions and suggestions will be useful for our especially the Nigerian government in the on-going operations to rescue all Nigerian abductees and our 219 Chibok girls who were taken under distressing conditions from their school on the night of 14 April 2014.

  • Cameroon would-be suicide bombers ‘not Chibok girls ’

    Cameroon would-be suicide bombers ‘not Chibok girls ’

    Investigators have revealed the identity of a would-be suicide bomber arrested in Cameroon. She is not one of the 219 Chibok schoolgirls.

    Cameroon released the identities of the girl and another would-be female suicide bomber to Nigerian security agencies and a delegation to Yaounde.

    The self-confessed bomber is Aissatou Musa and her accomplice is Mamma Sali.

    But the girls were yet to be handed over to the Federal Government as at press time last night.

    According to sources, after debriefing and profiling of the two girls, the Cameroonian authorities communicated their findings to Nigerian security agencies and the delegation to Yaounde.

    It was learnt that the two girls have no Western education.

    A report said: “Available information as regards the acclaimed Chibok girl indicated as follows: Aissatou Musa, who claimed to be one of the Chibok girls, is the daughter of Musa Bladi and Fanta(mother) of Mandara ethnic group.

    “The second girl is Mamma Sali. She is the daughter of Sali Chetima and Hajiya Bintou of Kanuri tribe.

    “Both hailed from Bama and speak in Mandara, Hausa and Kanuri. They have never been to Western school, except Koranic schools. They have no relationship with the 219 Chibok girls.”

    But as at press time, the two girls were yet to be released to the Federal Government.

    A source said: “The girls have not been handed over to the Federal Government because the Cameroonian Government is still probing some clues on Boko Haram from them.

    “You know, Northern Cameroon town have been attacked many times by Boko Haram since the insurgents were displaced from their bases and cells in the Francophone country.”

    The  #BringBackOurGirls group on Saturday gave the Federal Government 24 hours to unveil the true identity of the self-confessed bomber.

    Cameroonian health and security officials yesterday started treatment on an arrested suicide bomber who claimed to be one of the 219 missing Chibok Girls.

    The girl was found to be heavily drugged and bore several injuries on her body.

    The girl’s health condition delayed her movement to the far north regional capital of Cameroon, Maroua, as earlier planned.

    Pictures of the arrested suspected bomber obtained by Nigerian officials indicated that the girl was likely a minor, between ages nine to 12 years.

    Her accomplice was about 30 years or more, and both spoke only in Kanuri language.

    Considering the well-known guidelines regarding the publication of photography of minors, the statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said it was decided to forward the pictures of the suspected bomber to the Murtala Mohammed Foundation for verification by interested Chibok community stakeholders.