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Behind the News: All the backstories to our major news this week

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Over the past week, there were lots of important stories from around the African continent, and we served you some of the most topical ones.

Here is a rundown of the backstories to some of the biggest news in Africa that we covered during the week:

1. Battle for Nigeria’s presidency intensifies as gladiators move to Supreme Court

The battle for Nigeria’s presidency is springing up new and interesting turns with every passing day as the main gladiators are now putting their fate in the Supreme Court for a resolution of the dispute.

While Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party in the disputed February 25 election which was won by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress, has been subtle in his quest to retrieve what he terms as his stolen mandate, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has been doing everything possible to churn out evidence which he believes will nullify Tinubu’s victory.

The former Vice President’s battle has seen him go as far as the United States where he filed a motion on which Judge Nancy Maldonado of the District Court of Illinois ordered the Chicago State University where Tinubu claimed he graduated from, to release Tinubu’s academic records.

Though some lawyers argue that the Supreme Court of Nigeria does not admit new evidence after an appellate court ruling, Atiku is not giving up as he has filed a fresh motion seeking leave of the apex court to present fresh evidence to support his case.

In the motion he filed on Saturday through his team of lawyers led by Chief Chris Uche (SAN), Atiku said the evidence he was seeking to tender before the apex court would further establish his allegation that Tinubu submitted forged documents to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), as his qualification to participate in the presidential election.

Atiku believes that by submitting the “forged” documents, President Tinubu had “committed a twin offence of forgery and perjury, and therefore deserved to be sacked from office by the Supreme Court.”

Atiku, who is also seeking the permission of the court to tender Tinubu’s academic records which were handed over to him by the CSU on October 2, says he wants to prove that the documents Tinubu presented were forged.

In his motion, the PDP flagbearer prayed the court for, among other things, an order granting him leave “to produce and for the court to receive fresh and additional evidence by way of deposition on oath from the Chicago State University for use in this appeal to wit: the certified discovery deposition made by Caleb Westberg on behalf of Chicago State University on October 3, 2023, disclaiming the certificate presented by the 2nd respondent, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the Independent National Electoral Commission.”

He also prayed the apex court to “receive the said deposition in evidence as exhibit in the resolution of this appeal and to further make order or orders the apex court may deem fit to make in the circumstances of the case.”

While Nigerians await with bated breath to see if the Supreme Court would accept Atiku’s new evidence, supporters of President Tinubu believe the former VP is merely chasing shadows as, according to Aviation Minister, Tinubu is as clean as a whistle and as white as snow.

2. Another one gets away as Cameroon loses basketball star, Joel Embiid to USA

Cameroon’s loss of Philadelphia 76ers power centre, Joel Embiid became USA’s gain after the NBA/MVP elected to represent the star-studded US Dream Team at the 2024 Paris Olympic games.

Before deciding to play for the USA, Embiid had the option of choosing either his native Cameroon or his second adopted country, France, but as often witnessed with many African players, the lure to represent the US was too much for the Yaoundé-born Joel.

Embiid, who grew up in Cameroon and honed his skills in the courts of the country’s capital before moving to America at the age of 16, made his position known at a meeting with USA Basketball managing director, Grant Hill, declaring that it was an easy decision for him as he had been in the country for such a long time and now felt he was an American.

And to cap it all, he said his son was American and that made it much more easy for him to take the decision.

“I’ve been here for such a long time,” Embiid said during the meeting which held at Fort Collins, Colorado, where the 76ers are having their training camp.

“For the past few years, every decision I’ve made has been based on just family. My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like the US, with my son being born here. I love my home country, but I really wanted to play in the Olympics.

“After talking to my family, I knew it had to be the American team. I want to play with my brothers in the championship. I want to play for my fans because they’ve been incredible since the day I arrived here.

“But above all, I want to pay tribute to my son who was born in the United States. I want my boy to know that I played my first Olympics for him,” he stated.

Embiid joins a growing list of African-born basketball stars who chose to play for the United States, including the most famous of them all, Hakeem Olajuwon who also left Nigeria as a 16-year-old boy and ended up as one of the most decorated NBA players of all times, while also turning out for the American team.

3. MohBad: One death, multiple suspects

The mysterious and suspicious demise of Nigerian Afropop musician, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly known as MohBad, is one death that has continued to cause reverberations across the length and breadth of the country and beyond.

Though a lot people may not have known MohBad in his short sojourn on earth, his death has definitely made him very popular, especially with the indictment of famous singer, Azeez Fashola, otherwise known as Naira Marley, who was once MohBad’s mentor and had signed him to his Marlin Record before they fell out.

Investigations into the unfortunate death of MohBad has so far thrown up more suspects than expected, with the
Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police Force naming as many as 26 suspects whom it said played different roles directly and indirectly, in events that led to the ultimate death of the 27-year-old rising star on September 12.

In a press conference during the week, Police Commissioner, CP Idowu Owohunwa said the police had identified and quizzed 26 people, and five suspects were identified, arrested, detained and interrogated on their alleged roles in the sequence of events that led to the singer’s death.

The police boss identified the principal suspects to include an auxiliary nurse, Feyisayo Ogedengbe, who allegedly administered an injection on the late Mohbad, as well as his close friend, Ibrahim Oluwatosin Owoduni, aka Prime Boy.

The police also mentioned one Ayobami Sodiq, aka Spending, as being complicit in the homicide case for allegedly inviting Ogedengbe, an unqualified and unregistered nurse, to treat Mohbad.

According to the police, there is strong evidence connecting Naira Marley, and Lagos celebrity, Sam Larry, with cyberbullying, threat to life, assault occasioning harm, and conduct likely to cause a breach of the peace against the deceased in his lifetime.

The CP said that files concerning the investigation had been sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions for legal advice, and urged Nigerians and indeed fans of the late music sensation to be patient for the police to unravel the mystery behind his demise.

4. Ugandan opposition leader, Bobi Wine gets into trouble again

It was another terrible time for Ugandan musician-turned-politician, Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, as he was arrested on arrival at the Entebbe International Airport in Kampala, the country’s capital, on his return to the country.

According to his party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), Wine was “grabbed” by “government goons” who “violently arrested him upon his return to Uganda”, and taken into house arrest.

“Bobi Wine flew in from South Africa on Thursday, via the Rwandan capital, Kigali, following a series of international engagements. His supporters had planned to welcome him at Entebbe International Airport and accompany him to his home in a huge march, but the police said this was illegal,” the party said.

“The cowardly regime has arrested our president upon arrival at Entebbe Airport. We set out to receive him today, but the panicky regime security could not even allow him into immigration,” the NUP leader in the Ugabdan parliament, Mathias Mpuuga, told journalists.

Though the Ugandan police had denied arresting Wine, his supporters believe his arrest is another ploy by the President Yoweri Museveni government to harass and intimidate the opposition leader who is seen as the only candidate capable of upsetting the incumbent in next year’s election.

“Disregard rumours of his arrest by propagandists,” police spokesman, Patrick Onyango told journalists, saying the security agents had only accompanied Wine to his residence in Magere, Kasangati.

The arrest of the popular former pop star was not the first time as he has had several brushes with law enforcement officials since he made his intention of challenging Museveni, who has held office for almost 40 years, official.

Wine has been arrested on numerous occasions and arraigned on several charges including treason, incitement and corruption.

5. France’s influence in Niger wanes further as troop withdrawal begins

During the week in review, France made an announcement that it would begin pulling out its over 1,500 troops from Niger Republic following the July 26 coup which toppled President Mohamed Bazoum, a known ally of the French.

“We will begin our disengagement operation this week, in good order, safely and in coordination with the Nigeriens,” the French military headquarters said in a statement.

“Coordination with the Niger armies is essential to the success of this maneuver. All measures have been taken to ensure that the movements take place in an orderly and safe manner,” the statement added.

The withdrawal of the French troops came a week after President Emmanuel Macron announced that the European country would pull out its forces after their efforts at persuading the military junta to reinstate Bazoum failed, officially ending its military presence in the coup-hit West African nation.

Before the announcement of the withdrawal, France had taken the first step by recalling its ambassador, who had earlier been given an ultimatum to leave the country by the junta.

Some analysts believe the turn of events will go a long way to free Niger from the shackles of the former colonial power, ending what they believe was neo-colonialism. They argue that it will also send a statement to other African countries who still maintain strong, but unfair, ties with their former colonial masters.

What this also means is that French influence in the Sahel region of West Africa is gradually petering out with the likes of Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea electing to break away from what some call “its stranglehold”.

Behind the News

Behind the News: All the backstories to our major news this week

Published

on

Over the past week, many important stories from around the African continent were published, and we served you some of the most topical ones.

Here is a rundown of the backstories to some of the biggest news in Africa that we covered during the week:

Another look at Africa’s debt crisis

Conversations around Africa’s public debt were on the table during the week as Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, stated on Monday that the world’s poorest countries were unable to meet sustainable development targets because they had to prioritise debt payments over investments.

Addressing a gathering in Hamburg, Steiner asserted that the world financial crisis was impeding countries’ ability to accomplish the objectives, which include eradicating hunger and poverty, increasing access to healthcare and education, providing sustainable energy, and protecting biodiversity.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic’s pervasive effects on economies, the majority of the continent’s nations have suffered with both internal and international debt; yet, few have achieved much in the fight for debt restructuring under the G20 framework.

Numerous African nations, including Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia, and others, are struggling with significant foreign debt. Together with Zambia and Ghana, Ethiopia will be a part of a thorough restructuring known as the “Common Framework.”

At the opening ceremony of the annual African Union summit in Ethiopia last year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made the case for changes to the international financial system’s structure to better meet the requirements of developing nations.

Africa’s whole external governmental debt as of 2021 was 726.55 billion USD. The amount of foreign public debt increased from 696.69 billion dollars in comparison to the previous year.

Concerns are being raised by the rising debt levels in Africa, which could not only hinder economic growth but also make repayment nearly difficult for many of these nations. This begs an important question: When does debt stop being beneficial and instead start to negatively impact a nation’s economic performance?

Kenya remains committed to Haiti, but what does it stand to gain?

Kenya will support an international anti-gang effort in Haiti next month by dispatching an additional 600 police officers there. Haiti’s prime minister was in Kenya to expedite the deployment of the military.

At least eleven countries have pledged to send more than 2,900 soldiers to participate in the Multinational Security Support (MSS), led by Kenya.
Kenya, whose participation in international peacekeeping missions is longstanding, declared earlier this year that it would be deploying 1,000 police personnel, citing as a starting point its assistance to a bordering country.

Approximately 600,000 individuals have been internally displaced due to gang conflict, and hundreds of thousands of aspiring migrants have been deported back to Haiti, where approximately 5 million people are facing extreme famine. October marks the end of the mission’s first 12-month term. As gang violence worsened in 2022, Haiti turned for the first time to foreign assistance.

Nevertheless, it failed to identify a leader prepared to assume the helm and numerous foreign governments were reluctant to back the unelected administration in the desperately poor nation.

Kenya gains significant political value by sending its troops to Haiti on the international scene. Kenya has gained international recognition as a trustworthy ally that is eager to assist other nations. The mission opens up various opportunities. Prior to deployment, Kenyan law enforcement forces will receive specialist training and equipment. In the long term, this will increase the force’s capacity. Of course, there are monetary rewards as the participating nations receive allocations of resources. Because troops will receive additional pay, officers are very interested in being deployed overseas.

Cameroon: ‘Healthy’ Biya remains out of sight

Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya can now be likened to the proverbial cat with nine lives as the 91-year-old has remained “healthy” following latest reports of his death during the week. Rumours have been circulating about Cameroonian President Paul Biya’s possible death in a military hospital in France due to his extended absence. This rumour stems from Biya’s prolonged absence following the September China-Africa Summit when he was anticipated to head back to Cameroon almost away.

As of November 6, 1982, Biya, who is 91 years old, has been in office for 42 years. He is the oldest head of state in Africa, the longest-lasting non-royal national leader worldwide, and the second-longest serving president overall. According to rumours, Biya’s oldest son Franck Emmanuel Biya may be named as his replacement for “continuity” in France.

Since its political independence from France and Britain in the early 1960s, Cameroon has only had two presidents. The country is currently dealing with two serious crises: a deadly Boko Haram insurgency in the north and a separatist conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

President Biya is one of several long-serving African leaders, including Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, who has been in office since 1982, and Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda’s Paul Kagame is also gradually evolving into the group.

Things get tougher for embattled Kenyan Deputy President

During the week, the deputy president of Kenya was impeached by the National Assembly due to charges of corruption and abuse of power. In a vote held Tuesday night, lawmakers decisively decided to remove Rigathi Gachagua from office. The Senate will now decide what will happen to the deputy president.

Parliament adopted a proposal to remove Kenya’s deputy president from office, and on Wednesday, the matter was brought to the Senate for consideration. The National Assembly heard a nearly ninety-minute defence of troubled deputy president Rigathi Gachagua and his allies prior to the vote.

A surge of protests targeting President Ruto’s government has been occurring in Kenya over the last four months due to accusations of corruption made by certain lawmakers and government officials. High taxation and the parliament’s purported inability to act independently of the president were other issues that Kenyans objected to. Gachagua refutes the accusations made by certain lawmakers, who claim that the deputy president assisted in planning rallies against the government.

He supported Ruto in his election victory in 2022 and assisted in obtaining a sizable portion of the vote from the populated central Kenya region. Gachagua, however, has mentioned feeling marginalised in recent months, despite extensive claims in the local media that he and Ruto have strained political ties.

After widespread protests over unpopular tax increases in June and July that claimed more than 50 lives, Ruto sacked the majority of his cabinet and appointed members of the main opposition.

Gachagua infuriated many in Ruto’s coalition by comparing the government to a business and implying that people who supported the coalition had first claim to development projects and jobs in the public sector. Ruto has not yet publicly commented on the impeachment proceedings.

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Behind the News

Behind the News: All the backstories to our major news this week

Published

on

Over the past week, many important stories from around the African continent have been published, and we have served you some of the most topical ones.

Here is a rundown of the backstories of some of the biggest news in Africa that we covered during the week:

Musings on CBN rates across Africa: Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa

During the week, many African countries announced monetary policy decisions. The Central Bank of Nigeria decided unanimously on Tuesday to raise its benchmark interest rate by an additional 50 basis points, to a new record high of 27.25%. This is the sixth hike in a row this year. The decision was made in an effort to reduce inflation, strengthen the naira, and draw in capital. Governor Olayemi Cardoso reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to controlling inflation and underlined how several rate hikes have contributed to its moderation.

Nigeria’s West Africa neighbour followed suit on Friday as the Bank of Ghana reduced its benchmark monetary policy rate by 200 points to 27% at a normal meeting. With inflation having slowed and disinflationary pressures mounting, this is the first decline in eight months and the steepest since March 2018. August 2024 saw a fifth consecutive month of decline in Ghana’s annual consumer inflation, which was still much higher than the central bank’s medium-term target range of 6% to 10%. The country’s annual inflation rate dropped to a nearly two-and-a-half-year low of 20.4% from 20.9% in July.

A week prior, as anticipated, the South African Reserve Bank decreased its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 8% after holding seven consecutive meetings at a 15-year high of 8.25%. As price pressures decreased, the SARB is loosening policy for the first time since the epidemic in 2020

As monetary varying shifts across the continent continue, African nations are still facing numerous severe shocks and significant structural challenges, such as rising food and energy prices brought on by geopolitical tensions like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, climate issues that impact agriculture and energy production, and ongoing political instability.

Africa’s real GDP growth slowed to 3.1% in 2023 from 4.1% in 2022 as a result of this difficult climate. With growth predicted to reach 3.7% in 2024 and 4.3% in 2025, the economic picture is projected to improve going ahead, underscoring the resilience of African countries.

Zambia and its post-drought plans

Zambia’s finance minister, Situmbeko Musokotwane stated on Friday that the nation intends to quickly recover from its worst drought in living memory and cut its budget deficit in half the following year.

The minister stated in a budget address that the copper producer hopes for a 6.6% growth in 2025, as opposed to a projected 2.3% increase in 2024. The country is aiming for a speedy recovery. as the government crop assessment data shows that over nine million people are affected in 84 of the 117 districts after suffering through the driest farming season in over forty years, which has led to considerable crop losses, an increase in livestock deaths, and worsening poverty,

Real GDP increased gradually between 2022 and 2023, from 5.2% to 5.8%. The supply side was driven by mining and quarrying, wholesale and retail commerce, and agriculture; the demand side was driven by consumer and business spending. Food prices, transit expenses, and the nominal exchange rate are the key drivers of inflation, which is expected to remain elevated and reach 11.0% and 10.9% at the end of 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The economic challenges faced by Zambia are exacerbated by the drought, especially when considering its debt load. Its debt restructuring talks under the G20 Common Framework have progressed far more slowly than was originally anticipated when the Common Framework was first proposed.

In 2017, Zambia was placed under debt distress, and as a result, non-concessional lending from multilateral development banks was discontinued. It’s possible that by overestimating sovereign risks, the main credit rating firms exacerbated the debt crisis and dealing with a post-drought crisis might just be another “too high hurdle”

As the World Bank and Uganda LGBTQ saga continues

The World Bank is taking more action in support of Uganda’s LGBTQ community. The global lender announced on Wednesday that it is implementing steps to guarantee that lenders to Uganda are not subjected to discrimination due to a severe anti-gay law. According to a World Bank representative, both new and continuing projects would be subject to the procedures, which also include an impartial monitoring system to guarantee compliance.

Same-sex partnerships are forbidden and punishable by life in prison; similarly, anyone convicted of “aggravated homosexuality” faces the death penalty. The Anti-Homosexuality Act (AHA) was passed by Uganda, a largely conservative nation, in May of last year and it has led to considerable Western censure and US penalties.

Other than Uganda, several African nations have strict laws that discriminate against individuals who identify as LGBTQ. Hakainde Hichilema, the president of Zambia, issued a warning in March to supporters of the LGBTQ movement to stop endorsing homosexuality. He also asked that Zambia “maintain laws that abhor alien orientations like gayism and lesbianism.”

South Africa, which has a constitution that forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation, was the first and only African nation to legalise same-sex marriage in 2006. Some African nations, such as Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, and Seychelles, have laws that are favourable to the continent’s population but Uganda appears to be unbothered or tempted despite the many causes and costs of its anti-gay stand.

Ahead of Tunisia’s presidential election

During the week, another Tunisian presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel was convicted and sentenced to six months imprisonment for using “fraudulent certificates” as opposition voices in the North African country continue on attack as President Saied positions himself for what is likely to be a reelection, as all but one of the opposition candidates are either incarcerated or have had their eligibility ruled invalid by the Tunisian electoral commission.

On September 19, a third candidate who had received the election commission’s approval was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Saied, who is currently running for reelection for a second five-year term, was originally elected in 2019 as an anti-establishment candidate who pledged to combat poverty and eradicate corruption. However, in 2021 he declared that he would rule by decree after overthrowing Mohamed Ennaceur and the elected parliament, a move denounced as a coup by the opposition and the international community.

Additionally, he has deployed more oppressive strategies, which may indicate that he is not confident in his ability to win with conviction. His severe actions could indicate a new stage in Tunisia’s democratic backsliding and foreshadow more crackdowns and turmoil during an inevitable second term.

Meanwhile, concerns exist over potential voting turnout as well. Under Saied, Tunisia has conducted three elections, with dismal voter turnout in each. Less than one-third of voters cast ballots in favour of a new constitution that solidified Saied’s power and overthrew the 2014 charter in July 2022. After Saied dismissed the previous legislature in December 2022, only 11% of voters cast ballots for new members of parliament, which is among the lowest turnout percentages ever recorded in a national election worldwide. The next December, Saied called elections for a new second house of parliament, repeating this dubious performance.

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