Politics

Nigeria: Resignation of political appointees continues as President Buhari’s deadline draws close

Published

3 years ago

May 13, 2022

Following President Muhammadu Buhari’s order that appointees with plans to seek elective positions in the next general elections in 2023 should resign, ten Nigerian cabinet ministers have tendered their resignation.

On Wednesdaay, President Buhari directed all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) with the ambition of contesting for elective offices in the 2023 elections to submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday, May 16, 2022.

Nigeria’s Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, revealed the latest resignation on Friday. The minister said Nigeria’s junior petroleum minister, Timipre Marlin Sylva has resigned to run in next year’s election.

Other ministers that resigned include ministers of Justice Abubakar Malami, the mister for transport, Rotimi Amaechi, the minister for labour, Chris Ngige, the minister for Niger Delta, Ogbonaya Onu, the minister for science and technology, and women’s affairs. The junior ministers for mines and education also resigned, information minister Lai Mohammed said.

President Muhammadu Buhari said replacements would be made without delay “so that the business of governance will not suffer”.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s central bank governor, Godwin Emefiele, who is also an appointee of Buhari, Nigeria’s ruling party ticket for the presidential race next year, drawing calls for him to resign over his political ambitions.

Emefiele has asked a federal court to restrain the electoral commission (INEC) and the attorney general from blocking his bid to run for president next year while in office, which the court rejected.

Related Topics:Featured Muhammadu Buhari Ngeria Politics

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

5 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

6 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.