The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Idriss Deby

  • Chad rejects U.S. bribery allegations against President Deby

    Chad rejects U.S. bribery allegations against President Deby

    Chad on Thursday rejected allegations made in the U.S. that President Idriss Deby was paid a two million dollars bribe in exchange for providing a Chinese energy company with oil rights without international competition.

    The U.S. announced charges on Monday against former Hong Kong Home Secretary Chi Ping Patrick Ho and former Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Gadio for allegedly funnelling bribes to high-level officials in Chad and Uganda.

    “The government is indignant and questions this fierce attack against our head of state,” Chad’s government said in a statement late on Wednesday, adding that Deby had always sought transparency in the country’s natural resources sectors.

    The U.S. Justice Department alleged that Gadio received 400,000 dollars from Ho via wire transfers through New York to act as a go-between for bribes to Deby on behalf of an unnamed energy firm headquartered in Shanghai.

    Neither Ho nor Gadio, who were both arrested on Nov. 16, have commented publicly on the allegations against them.

    Landlocked Chad pumps about 130,000 barrels of oil per day.

    It ranks third-from-bottom on the UN Human Development Index and 159th out of 176 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.

    NAN

  • Osinbajo leaves Abuja for AU Summit in Ethiopia

    Osinbajo leaves Abuja for AU Summit in Ethiopia

    The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday morning, left Nigeria for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to participate in the 29th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).

    Mr Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity (Office of the Vice-President) confirmed this development on his twitter handle on Monday in Abuja.

    According to Akande, the acting president is expected back in Abuja later today .

    The presidential aide posted on the twitter handle as saying: “Acting President will be attending summit of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He leaves Abuja this morning and expected back later today.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the acting president and other Heads of State and Government of the AU Member states will be attending the opening ceremony of the session at the African Union Headquarters, Nelson Mandela Plenary Conference Hall, at 11:00 am.

    The theme of the summit is: “Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth’’ while presentation on and moderation of the Theme will be handled by Mr Idriss Deby, President of the Republic of Chad.

    Other events expected at the 2017 AU summit include the inauguration of the Road Show for Dot Africa and the Annual AU Gender Score Card.

  • Chadian President Deby wins 5th re-election

    Chadian President Deby wins 5th re-election

    Chadian Electoral Commission said President, Idriss Deby, has won an overwhelming victory in the April 10 election, extending his 26-year rule.

    The announcement was made late Thursday in N’Djamena.

     

    Deby, who took power in a 1990 military coup and has been re-elected every five years since 1996, took nearly 62 per cent of the latest vote.

    The commission said veteran opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo came second with nearly 13 per cent, while Laoukein Kourayo Medard, Mayor of the city of Moundou, was running third with nearly 11 per cent.

    It said Deby faced 13 challengers in the election, which was preceded by protests calling for an end to his long rule.

     

    A group of opposition politicians accused the government of rigging the election and said they did not recognize the result.

     

    Meanwhile, a group of opposition politicians accused the government of rigging the election and said they did not recognise the result.

    A source said on condition of anonymity that the president has won praise for his military campaign against the Islamist group Boko Haram.

    He, however, said the 63-year-old has been unable to lift half of the 13-million populations out of poverty, and the oil-producing country’s economy has suffered from falling oil prices.

  • German Radio reporter sacked from Villa for asking ‘provocative questions’

    A German Radio reporter, Musa Ubale, was on Monday barred from covering State House activities after questioning the Chadian President, Idris Derby, on the whereabouts of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.

    He also asked the visiting Chad leader if he knows of any link between the troops of the Multi-national Task Force and mercenaries from South Africa.

    Ubale had asked the two questions when the Chadian President, in the presence of President Goodluck Jonathan, was fielding questions from journalists after their closed door meeting.

    The Federal Government was unhappy with the questions and ordered the immediate withdrawal of Ubale’s State House accreditation tag.

    He was escorted out of the Presidential Villa by security officials after picking his belongings from the press centre.

    With the withdrawal of the tag, Ubale can no longer have access to the Presidential Villa to do his job unless his accreditation card is restored.

  • Buhari, Chadian president to team up against Boko Haram

    Buhari, Chadian president to team up against Boko Haram

    Chadian President, Idriss Deby and President -elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari , have agreed on a joint action between Nigeria and Chad to ensure sustainable peace and security in the sub region.

    The Chadian President told journalists after a closed door meeting with Buhari at the Defence House in Abuja that putting an end to the Boko Haram insurgency was paramount to Nigeria and Chad as well as other members of the Lake Chad Commission.

    He said t Chad and Nigeria are facing the same challenges and how to meet the expectations of the people, pointing out that both countries who are members of the Lake Chad Basin Commission will work together with other members to bring about peace, stability and security in the sub region with the core issue of Boko Haram which is being handled by the two countries.

    He pledged to work with the Nigerian government to handle the menace of Boko Haram, saying that peace and security will prevail in the sub region eventually.

    The Chadian President, who spoke through an interpreter, said the visit was aimed at congratulating the Nigerian people and leaders for achieving one of the greatest elections ever seen in Africa.

    Deby said, “Nigeria and Chad are two countries with one people. We have many things in common, a long tradition and a long history together. The visit here is to meet with the President- elect and to enhance the bilateral relations aimed at meeting the common challenges.”

    Buhari on his part, said, “We know how Chad, Niger and Cameroon have been helping Nigeria to secure our border and you how this helps in commerce and industry.

    “Due to the insurgency attacks, some of the bridges were blown up while infrastructures were destroyed. These were some of things that we discussed and God’s willing we will sit down and make sure we have a comprehensive review of the security situation in the northeast and how it affects the country.”

  • Chadian President denies knowledge of Shekau’s whereabouts

    Chadian President denies knowledge of Shekau’s whereabouts

    The President of Chad, Idriss Deby, on Monday denied knowledge of the whereabouts of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau.

    He spoke with journalists after a closed door meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja

    Deby, who came to congratulate Jonathan for the statesmanship he demonstrated after the 2015 general election, ‎said he would not have told journalists the whereabouts of Shekau if he know about it

    He said: “It is regrettable that the Nigerian army and the Chadian Army are working separately on the field, they are not undertaking joint operation. If they were operating joint operation probably they would have achieved more results.”

    “I cannot tell you today that I know where Shekau is hiding ‎and even if I knew I won’t tell you.”

    On the purpose of his visit, the Chadian leader said: “I came to consult with my brother President Goodluck Jonathan. As you all know Nigeria and Chad are two countries that have a lot of similarities in fighting insurgents.”

    “Chad has had its own problems in the 70s and 80s and Nigeria assisted Chad during those difficulties times.”

    “On the 2015 general election, ‎I came principally to congratulate Mr. President for the statesmanship he demonstrated during the elections. We all know that elections in Africa are always contested, but Mr. President demonstrated a lot of statesmanship, that he is a real democrat by conceding and congratulating the President-elect.”

    “You all know ‎that when Nigeria sneezes the neighbouring countries catch cold. If Mr. President had not taken that laudable initiative you all know what would have happened now. Nigeria is still living in peace, you all are living in peace and that would not have happened but for that laudable initiative he took.”

    “So I came to congratulate him for leaving a legacy not only for Nigeria but for Africa as a whole.”

    Continuing, he said: “As you all know we both work together to fight ‎Boko Haram. I thought it was important that before Mr. President leaves office, I will come for us to have overview of what we did together, what we achieved together in the fight against Boko Haram.”

    “It is true Boko Haram has not been completely eradicated ‎but they have been tremendously weakened. I did not want to wait and come during the inauguration of the new government, I thought I should come to consult with Mr. President, to congratulate him and to have this exchange and have overview of what we have been able to achieve in the fight against Boko Haram.”