The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Cameroon

  • Not her colour but her space

    Story has it that Wilfried Mbappe, a Cameroonian and the father of the France teenage prodigy, Kylian Mbappe, had to play for the France national team when his father was required to pay a bribe to allow the boy play for Cameroon, he unfortunately could not afford the bribe.

    The father took his son to France who allowed him to play without collecting a dime. Several rebuttals have followed this allegation but I choose not to pitch my tent with any part of the divide, however I know Africa is notoriously noted for all that is anti-human.

    From her sit-tight leaders, to her ethnic killings, to her oppressive society that does not give room for expression, to her religious bigotry, African remains a continent perpetually hostile to humanity.

    Before I proceed into the premise of the above conclusion, I wish to state here that the story above coincides with the time Kylian Mbappe gave all his World Cup proceeds to charity. The two events highlighted above further corroborate my view that nothing is actually wrong with the colour of the African. What is wrong with the African is his space, his geographical enclave, how she has evolved. Ngolo Kante is black, Umtiti is black, Matuidi is black but these are black men socialised in the first world.

    The African space negatively socialise whatever enters it, even the best of men are not exempted. While the bribery allegations above might not be entirely true, Africa, however, has not reproved herself from the possibility of being accused of such allegations as this age-long milieu still remain a mainstay in our society.

    Up till now, merit is still not a criterion for getting into our national space. When I talk of our national space, I’m referring to every area of our national life and not football only. Up till now, coaches still prefer to use players who carry same ethnic credentials with them. Africa till now remains the continent who has been accused to have a muddled intestine and shamefully did not hide her muddled intestine.

    The only rule here is money and its trappings, that is why the black man raised in her dysfunctional space hardly lives for humanity.

    Mbappe is reflecting the superiority of a society whose culture and religion remain the extension and preservation of humanity, for Mbappe saw the humanity of the less privileged as an extension of his own humanity.

    Every time readers want to refer to a literature about the tragedy that is Africa, they refer to Walter Rodney’s book “How Europe underdeveloped Africa”. I want to believe the writer was not telling us the whole truth as Africa eternally remains complicit in all her tragedies.

    May be my mother was correct when she opined that the man who stole palm oil from the market is not the real thief but the man who kept the palm oil for him. May be it’s not Europe, may be it’s the space call Africa.

     

    By Kehinde Oluwatosin Babatunde, Lagos

     

  • Cameroon’s President Biya to run for 7th term in office

    President Paul Biya of Cameroon will run for re-election in October, he said on Friday, aiming to extend his 36-year rule and maintain his place on a shortening roster of long-standing African leaders.

    Biya, who came to power in 1982 when his predecessor retired, is seeking a seventh term in office that could see the 85-year-old rule well into his 90s.
    It would leave him in rare company after former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe and Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh were ousted in 2017.

    Of Africa’s living rulers, only Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled uninterrupted for longer.

    “I am willing to respond positively to your overwhelming calls. I will stand as Your Candidate in the upcoming presidential election,” Biya said in a tweet on Friday.

    Biya, who has ruled virtually by decree since taking office, scrapped term limits from the constitution in 2008, allowing him to run again and sparking riots in which over 40 people were killed.

    The election, scheduled on Oct. 7, comes at a turbulent time for the Central African country and for Biya.

    A separatist insurgency in the western English-speaking regions has killed 84 troops in September 2018, while a drop in the price of its key cocoa and oil exports has weighed on the economy.

  • Falana gets information on N4.6b fuel drained daily from FG

    The federal government has forwarded to Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) information on fuel importation and sundry matters.

    The requested information was forwarded to the lawyer by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) which was acting on the directive of the Minister of state, Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachukwu as requested in his letter to the minister dated April 17, 2018.

    A letter dated July 9  and signed by Kingston Chikwendo on behalf of the DPR  to Falana and titled “Re: Request for Information on Fuel Importation and Sundry Matter” stated in part: “We humbly referred to your letter dated 17th April, 2018 to the Honourable Minister of State, Petroleum (HMSP) requesting for information on fuel importation and sundry matters.

    “The HMSP has directed the DPR to provide you with the requested information.

    “Consequently, we hereby forward to you the requested information as detailed in your letter”, it stated.

    In his letter dated April 17, Falana had specifically requested the minister to provide him with copies of the documents relating to: “ Bill of laden and DPR certified cargo discharged certificates of the imported subsidized petroleum products  into the country from December 2017 to March 2018;  Offshore processing  agreements pertaining to the sale of the 445,000 barrels of crude oil per day plus any additional crude barrels approved for domestic consumption from December 2017  to March 2018;  Volumes of domestic refined products by the nations’ local refineries against gross expenditure on refinery turn around maintenance(TAM)/ expended budget in 2017”.

    Others are  “Gross  amount of forex differential or forex subsidy (gap Between CBN rate and Special rate approved for fuel importation) from December 2017 to March 2018 and   amount expended by PEF on Project Aquila from inception aimed at tracking petroleum trucks nationwide to prevent smuggling of petroleum products”.

    Read Also: Insecurity: Falana seeks removal of service chiefs

    Falana’s request followed disclosure by the management of the NNPC that the nation’s  consumption rate of fuel was 28 million litres per day and that subsidy cost was N726 million per day,  that is,  N261.4b per annum.

    He also recalled that on March 5, 2018, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Baru claimed that the figure had metamorphosed to 50 million litres per day and that NNPC had spent $5.8billion (N1.7 Trillion) on fuel importation in January and February 2018 and that at a public forum held in Abuja two  weeks ago, the minister stated  that the consumption rate of fuel  has skyrocketed to 60 million and that the cost of  subsidy is N1.4 trillion per month!

    On the alleged subsidy of fuel importation, Falana reminded the minister that he failed to disclose the amount realized from the sale of the 60 million liters at N145 per liter.

    “You have also conveniently failed to account for the sale of the 445,000 barrels of crude oil allocated to the NNPC daily by the federal government.

    “Honorable Minister, the convenient defense of smuggling as cheap justification for a gap of 32 million litres a day (at N145 per litre is N4.6 billion daily) is untenable given the billions of Naira continually expended on Project Aquila Software by the Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF), a Parastatal under your watch in the Petroleum Ministry, to track every litre of petroleum product evacuated from the Depots and sold at retail stations in the country”, Falana stated.

    He argued “since the Project Aquila Software has capability to identify the owners and locations of all trucks loading petroleum products in Nigeria why has your office and NNPC continue to blame smuggling for the drain of N4.6 billion daily on petroleum products? How many of the Truck owners involved in the alleged smuggling have been arrested and arraigned in court since Aquila has the data base of all Truck Owners in the country?”, he asked.

    The federal government blamed the increasing consumption rate on the smuggling of fuel from Nigeria to neighboring countries by some economic saboteurs.

    Falana had insisted that the claims of the government does not explain the difference of 32 million litres per day between the consumption rate of imported fuel in December 2017 and March 2018 when it is assumed that

    The total volume of fuel consumed by Benin, Togo, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Ghana is said to be less than 250,000 litres per day.

  • Nigerian traders flee Cameroon

    Thousands of Nigerian traders are fleeing crisis ravaged English-speaking regions of Cameroon, a report by Quartz Africa said yesterday.

    The crisis, which started as a modest industrial strike action by English-speaking lawyers and teachers against the imposition of French, has spiralled into an unprecedented internal armed conflict.

    There are fears the country could slide into civil war as the conflict persists. In recent months, frequent clashes between government forces and separatists seeking to establish a state they would call ‘Ambazonia’ has left scores of civilians dead, including women and children.

    The recurrent deadly confrontations have provoked mass movement of people, many of them from neighbouring Nigeria.

    The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimates that no fewer than 160,000 people have been internally displaced; while a further over 21,000 have crossed to Nigeria as refugees.

    In a bid to express dissent, activists have instituted a civil disobedience action called “ghost town”; which grounds daily activities every Monday, with extensions to some other key days. Traders see the operation as economically damaging as at least one full business day is lost each week since late 2016. Those who dare defy the order risk facing the wrath of unknown arsonists who have burned down shops in nearby towns.

    Restrictions of the movement of people and goods have further worsened the already deteriorating situation for businessmen. Armed secessionists called “Amba Boys” mount intermittent road blocks on-and-off along major highways in the troubled area. The government has also had to officially close its western borders with Nigeria on at least two occasions, while dusk to dawn curfews instituted by some local administrative authorities have simply helped to worsen the precarious situation.

    The conflict has also been marked by the disruption of essential utility services, especially the supply of electricity and network interruptions to telecommunication services. Internet services were cut off for 136 days between October 2017 and February this year.

    Kumba, the economic hub of the South West region, located some 70 kilometres from the city of Buea, has a sizable Nigerian business community who are principally engaged in trade: selling motor spare parts, liquor, electronics, fabrics, cosmetic products, among others.

    Most of the Nigerian traders in Kumba have been doing business in the town in the last two decades. But many are now considering leaving for both safety and business reasons.

    They are not keen to wait to find out if the Cameroonian troubles eventually subside.

    Fabric traders, Mr & Mrs Okezie, are preparing to return to their hometown in Abia State.

    The husband says it has been difficult to get supplies from Nigeria over the last three months, while the whereabouts of most of their customers who took wares on credit are unknown.

    “Like some of our other brothers, we just have to return home and see what life has to offer there,” he said. “Things are really tough here now and we see no way forward.”

    Another Nigerian businessman who asked not to be named given the security uncertainty, said “the business environment has become extremely hostile.” He said sales had dropped off and he no longer felt safe being in Kumba. “On at least two occasions, Amba Boys have visited me requesting for groundnuts [cartridges for Dane guns] or money to support the struggle.

    Kevin Ndubuisi, president of the over 250-man strong Imo State Union in Kumba says his Nigerian compatriots have been returning in their numbers. “But no one tells you when he is returning. Some have just gone back as though they were going for a business trip but never returned.”

  • Three lions in another jinx battle

    The Three Lions of England who just broke a jinx winning penalty shoot outs faces yet another jinx of surviving quarter final matches.

    They never progressed beyond this stage when they beat Cameroon in R16 in 1990. The last time they English team appeared in the quarters they lost on penalties to Portugal.

    Samara Arena, venue of the match between the Three Lions who Nigerian fans prefer to call ‘Three kittens’, will witness a lot of English fans who are passionate about football. England was the world capital of soccer hooliganism until the 70s when FIFA roared the country into surrender.

    England is meeting old foes, Sweden for the 25th time but available statistics show 8 wins for England, 7 for Sweden and 9 draws. In the two times they traded tackles at the world cup, they were draws of 1-1 in 2002 and 2-2 in 2006 all in group stages. Last time they met was at 2012 Euro championship and England ran away with a 3-2 victory.

    A check on prediction voting shows a handsome 51% voted for an English victory 20% says it’s gonna be a Swedish win while 29% feels the winner will emerge from penalty shootouts. Disgraced Argentine star, Diego Maradona will not take that stuff. He described England’s victory against Columbia in R16 as “monumental robbery”.

    Sweden lives on old commendation as they have been in 5 quarters in the world cup and only lost to Germany in 1934. They appeared in the Semis in 1938, 1958 and 1994 and that was before democracy returned to Nigeria in 1999.

    On current ratings, statistics show that England is just a ‘shine shine bobo’ who used Panama to shine scoring 6 goals two of which were penalties. Panama’s scored against them. They beat Tunisia 2-1 and lost to Belgium 0-1 before Columbia got the1-1 equalizer through Mina 90+3’ and The Lions almost got lost in the forest thicket beating Columbia 4-3 on penalties. They were simply lucky.

    Harry Kane has 6 goals as the tournament highest scorer but there are Stones with two goals, Raheem Sterling the short but dangerous winger, Young folks like Lingard and Rashford with Pickford in goal who has leaked 4 goals apart from penalty shoot-out. That might be the channel of Sweden’s victory.

    Sweden defense is strong looking like steel fence. Out of four countries they have faced, only Germany scored 2 goals against them. The pattern of the scoring could be the key for England’s win. Reus scored 45+3’ and Toni Kroos got the winner in that 2-1 victory in 90+5’.

    That tells us Sweden is like the Super Eagles of Nigeria that loses concentration at dying moments of almost all their matches. Injury time in the first half, and injury time in the second half, hmmm. Think about it. Sweden got a penalty to defeat Korea and spanked Mexico neatly 3-0 before stopping the Swiss team 1-0 in R16. Granqvist is highest scorer of the team scoring two penalties against Korea and against Mexico. Larsen their hero is yet to score.

    Given the tough defense and the sleekly Swedish movements coupled with a panicky English defense, Sweden should win within regulation time. Did you notice that the VAR was not referred to even once in the England v Columbia match even when players agitated?

    It is expected that Russians will fill 0ver 75% space of the 48,000 capacity Fisht Stadium in Sochi built in 2014 for the summer Olympics when Russia and Croatia clash Saturday 1900 WAT. From the books and on current form, Croatia should cost into the semis without sweat, the high goals of Russia notwithstanding.

    Russia dazed a perennial Saudi soccer weakling 5-0 and slammed a Moh Sallah less Egypt 3-1 but Uruguay cut them to size in their backyard 3 nil. The stadium was turned to a grave yard as the Russian party was K. I. V. a term common to civil service treatment of files keeping in view action of pending decisions.

    Russia was super lucky to escape the raid of the power packed Spaniards. Spain got an own goal gift in 12’ and Dzyuba scored the equalizer via penalty in 41’/ It was a rough match filled in with protests. Any team that will have to beat hosts Russia will do it neatly from shots outside box 18.Russia goalkeeper is used to drop balls from faulty catches and rebounds kick will give smart victory.

    Russia had W3, L1, 9GF, GA5 and GD+4. Russia is reaching their first quarters since the country broke in 1990. They were in the quarters 4 times between 1958-1970. Russia and Croatia had met three times before in the qualifiers each time ended goalless but at the Euro 2008 Croatia won. In 2015 during a friendly match in November of 2015 at Rostov Stadium, now one of the venues of the world cup, Croatia won 3-1.

    Even soccer pundits did not give the match to Russia, 24% said Russia would win, 44% gives it to Croatia and a 32% say the winner will emerge via penalties. Some five hosts had progressed into the semis, Italy (1990); France (1998); South Korea (2002); Germany (2006) and Brazil (2014).

    Read Also: Les Blues at exit door?

    Croatia emerge leaders in group D where Super Eagles played. They first humbled Nigeria that both the psychic pig and cat said would reach the semis, 2-0 where Etebo scored an own goal. The team stunned the Anaconda Argentina pocketing irrepressible Lionel Messi in a 3-0 bashing. They went resting major players and narrowly beat Iceland 2-1 before playing 1-1 with Denmark and emerging from penalty shoot-out 3-2. They have GF8, GA2 and GD+6.

    They conceded 1 goal each in two matches one of them the penalty scored by Siguosson of Iceland. Croatia has a solid defense which will be difficult for a wingless Russia to penetrate.

    Croatia has improved on their scoring ability. They scored as many goals in this their Russia 2018 4 matches than they scored in the 6 games played in their two world cup appearances of 2006 and 2014. Some soccer analysts are already peeping into a Croatia v Sweden semi. I think so myself but we have to get to the bridge before we cross it.

    STOP PRESS.

    There is this thoughtful piece on the quarter final pairing and the dates circulating on the social media.

    Match 1:
    France has 6 letters & Uruguay has 7 letters.

    Match 2
    Brazil has 6 letters & Belgium has 7 letters.

    Match 3
    Sweden has 6 letters & England has 7 letters.

    Match 4
    Russia has 6 letters & Croatia has 7 letters.

    Dates of matches: 6 & 7 July: 6vs 7.

    I was told 7 is a complete number. So the winner will emerge from nations with 7 letters. Any thought?

     

  • 9 people killed in Boko Haram attacks in Niger – Officials

    Authorities on Tuesday said nine people were killed on Monday night in Diffa city in southeast Niger in several attacks believed to be carried out by terrorist group Boko Haram.

    According to local officials on the spot, the tragedy was perpetrated by at least three suicide bombers who blew themselves up late at night in three different locations in downtown Diffa.

    The areas where the explosions occurred are cordoned off by the security Forces.

    The attacks came after a relative lull in the region, thanks in particular to the large-scale operations undertaken for over a year by a mixed multinational force composed of the armies of Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Nigeria, against the terrorist group Boko Haram.

    The localities of the Diffa region, especially those bordering Nigeria, have been suffering repeated attacks by the Nigeria-based terrorist group.

    Faced with the persistence of deadly attacks by Boko Haram, the region has been under a state of emergency since February 2015.

  • ‘Don’t send refugees back to Boko Haram violence’, UN urges Cameroon

    The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged Cameroon  not to send Nigerian refugees back to the Boko Haram violence they fled from.

    Despite warnings, Nigerian refugees and asylum-seekers who fled Boko Haram violence continue to be returned from Cameroon, UNHCR said, underscoring the need to accord international protection to those in need.

    It urged protection for those fleeing insecurity and persecution in Nigeria.

    “This is in accordance with Cameroon’s national and international obligations,” UNHCR said.

    Since the beginning of 2018, 385 Nigerians refugees and asylum-seekers had been forcibly returned from Cameroon, the majority of them in March, including 160 on April 10 and a further 118 a week later.

    In total, the UN agency has registered some 87,600 Nigerian refugees in the country.

    UNHCR said: “The forced returns are in violation of the principle of no forced return. They are also a significant setback to progress previously achieved by Cameroon in granting asylum to Nigerian civilians fleeing Boko Haram violence.”

    UNHCR also noted that it recognised legitimate national security concerns of States affected by the Boko Haram crisis, and stressed that it is important that refugee protection and national security are not seen as being incompatible.

    “Properly functioning screening, registration and asylum systems help safeguard host country security,” it said.

    UNHCR reiterated its support to the Government of Cameroon to ensure that all those seeking international protection have access to efficient screening and registration procedures, as well as appropriate reception arrangements.

     

  • Three Taraba varsity students killed by falling trees in Cameroon

    Three students of the Taraba State University lost their lives when they were  hit by falling trees during a rainstorm at the Bouba Njidda National Wild Life Park in Cameroon.

    The Deputy Registrar, Information and Publication of the university, Malam Sanusi Sa’ad, made the disclosure in an interview with the newsmen in Jalingo on Wednesday.

    Sa’ad said that the incident occurred on April 16 during a devastating rainstorm at about 3:15 p.m.

    He said that the students were 400 level students of the Biological Science Department of the university on a research trip to the neighboring Cameroon.

    Read Also: Taraba killings: Army declares five wanted

    The spokesman named the dead students as Nancy Sam-Achak, Grace Thomas and Yusuf Mohammed, the president of the department’s students’ association.

    He said that the Head of the Biological Science Department, Dr Robert Houmso, who was also in the trip and 16 other students were injured during the incident.

    Sa’ad said that all the injured people were currently receiving treatment at the Garoua Hospital in Cameroun.

    NAN

  • UNHCR urges Cameroonian to respect human rights

    The United Nations High Commission for Refugees ( UNHCR ) has appealed to the Government of Cameroon to respect human rights of all citizens for the sake of peace.

    The commission’s representative in Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr Antonio Canhandula, made the appeal while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Makurdi.

    Canhandula said the instability in Anglophone Cameroon had forced thousands of citizens to seek asylum in Nigeria.

    He said Cameroonian Government should explore alternative ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved for the sake of peace and that both parties should respect human rights.

    “UNHCR urges the Government of Cameroon to explore ways of engaging with those who feel aggrieved, for the sake of peace.

    “We also reiterate the need for respect of human rights by all parties involved,’’ Canhandula said.

    He said the refugees complained of exclusion from the national life by the Cameroonian Government, political processes and important positions in the government.

    “Longstanding grievances against the central government in Cameroon took a new turn in 2016 when a group of Anglophone Cameroonians triggered civil society-led demonstrations.

    “This was based on allegations of marginalisation by the authorities, particularly in the education and justice system.

    “Initially, the protesters called for the return to a federal system of government and greater autonomy.

    “However, on Oct. 1, 2017, the separatist movement, Ambazonia Governing Council, declared unilaterally the independence of Cameroon’s Northwest and Southwest Regions.

    “Tensions ensued with government security forces clashing with movement, resulting in injuries and deaths and leading to an influx of English-speaking Cameroonians into Nigeria.

    “Critics accused government forces of killing dozens of civilians while the administration is also alleging that suspected separatists have killed more than 10 security personnel since the crisis intensified in October.’’

    Canhandula further said that the UNHCR had registered 20,485 Cameroonian refugees seeking asylum in Benue, Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

    He explained that the commission also opened a permanent office for the coordination of their activities in Calabar, Cross River, field offices in Adikpo, Benue and Ikom in Cross River.

    Read Also: UNHCR launches $157m appeal fund for Boko Haram victims

    The UNHCR representative said that the Benue Government had allocated 191 hectares of land for the settlement of refugees in Kwande Local Government Area.

    He added that the site was being developed.

    According to him, each site has the capacity to host 4,000 persons.

    He, however, said that the influx is expected to continue and there is the need for more land in Benue.

    “We are still working with the state authorities in Cross River to identify a suitable location to move the refugees away from the border in line with international standards.

    “Issues of accessibility, security, topography, water resources, absorption capacity and good terrain for sanitation facilities are taken into consideration while selecting potential refugee sites.’’

    Canhandula said the commission was yet to gain access to Akwaya, where some Nigerian refugees in Cameroon were located.

    “The Akwaya sub-division, in particular, hosts small refugee population of around 1,800 Nigerians and around 600 Cameroonian returnees, who had been refugees in Nigeria before being repatriated in 2015 and 2016.

    “This area is very difficult to access, particularly during the rainy season.

    “Nevertheless, our office in Cameroon is working to organise an assessment mission there.

    “But we cannot provide first-hand information at this moment,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • Key witness in Kalu’s trial flees to Cameroon, says EFCC

    THE Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday heard that an accountant in the Abia Government House, Mr. Akpan Udoh, who was summoned to testify in the trial of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu, has allegedly relocated to Cameroon.

    An EFCC operative, Ovie Tobore Akpoyibo, of the commission’s Port Harcourt Office, while testifying as the 13th prosecution witness, had said on Monday that effort to serve the summons on Udoh, a former cashier at the Abia State Government House, was unsuccessful.

    Yesterday, the witness said EFCC operatives were able to reach Udoh’s  brother, who claimed that he had relocated to Cameroon.

    “Further efforts to get his call logs from his service provider showed that he has been hovering between Cameroon, Republic of Benin and Katsina State,” Akpoyibo said.

    Under cross-examination by defence counsel Mr. Awa Kalu (SAN), the witness said he did not know if Udoh was still alive and had never met him.

    During re-examination by prosecuting counsel Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), the witness said Udoh had deliberately evaded the summons and that he had earlier cooperated with the commission before they lost contact with him.

    He said: “Prior to the time we went to his house to serve court summons on him, there was a phone conversation with him in which he was duly informed of the court’s summons. But shortly after the conversation, he switched off the phone.

    “However, when I visited his house, he had evacuated his family. This made the commission to contact the service provider in order to monitor his movements.

    “We discovered he was in Cameroon and thereafter went to Benin Republic. The action impliedly can be termed as running away from been served with court’s summons.”

    EFCC also called its 14th witness, Emojevwe Eboh, a compliance officer at the First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

    Eboh told the court that sometimes in February 2008, the EFCC requested for the account opening package of a firm known as General Ventures International Limited.

    He said the documents were later forwarded to the anti-graft agency. They were admitted as exhibits by the judge.

    The witness said Kalu and Mr. Godwin Akubuike were the shareholders and directors of General Ventures Nigeria. He listed 40 local cheques credited into the company’s account.

    The commission re-arraigned Kalu, Udeh Udeogu and Slok Nigeria Limited on 34 counts of laundering N3.2billion, to which they pleaded not guilty.

    EFCC said the defendants allegedly diverted about N3.2billion from the Abia’s treasury while Kalu was the governor.

    The prosecution said Slok “knew or at least suspected the said Orji Uzor Kalu to have engaged in a criminal conduct.”

    Justice Mohammed Idris adjourned till March 28 and March 29.