AFRIPOL.ORG IDEAS HAVE CONSEQUENCES
Nigerian inflation rate soars to 9.7% Jun 25, 2008
Nigeria's inflation rate rose in May to 9.7 percent from 8.2 percent the previous month, driven by increases in the cost of food and household items, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday.
"The composite consumer price index went up by 1.9 percent to 177.6 points in May 2008. This was compared to 174.3 observed in April 2008," the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.
"The rise in the index was caused mainly by increase in the price of some food items, household goods, diesel and some building materials," the agency said. Oil-rich Nigeria with some 140 million people has been affected by global increases in food prices in recent months. Inflation in Nigeria slowed for most of 2006 and 2007 owing to government fiscal and belt-tightening measures to achieve a single-digit rate.
AFPGhana to sign full EPA in June Nana Obeng-Danquah , 19/02/2008
Government is expected to sign the final phase of the Economic Partnership Agreement by the middle of this year, said European Union Delegation Head Filiberto Sebregondi in Accra. The Partnership deal is a free trade arrangement between the European Union and the African Caribbean and Pacific states, which was due to conclude in December last year, but was extended for further negotiations. At the moment, government has signed the "EPA light" ahead of the ECOWAS timetable, pending the implementation of a permanent deal Filiberto Sebregondi, Head of the EU Delegation, disclosed this to journalists on Wednesday in Accra.Representatives of the EU from United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Bulgaria and Czech were present at the press conference.Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire are the only two West African countries which have temporarily signed the EPA.Under the interim EPA, Ghana is expected to benefit from an improved access to EU market, save the country's export to EU from disruption, liberalization of Ghana?s market, increase investments and jobs, and the accompanying measures for development.According to Mr Filiberto, EPA is a tool for development and it is intended to enhance trade, regional integration, foreign investments, aid for trade, and said the benefits have already started accruing. Interestingly, under the EPA certain Ghanaian sensitive agricultural products and infant industry which covers about twenty percent of the economy will not be liberalized meaning import of these products into the country would not attract tariff.Mr Filiberto stated that EU has donated over 700m dollars to Ghana for this year and remains the largest aid donor to the country.The aid focuses on the budgetary support, assist in rural infrastructural development and as well help key sectors to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Asked to assess the impact of donor funds to the country, Mr Filiberto told The Statesman that EU was satisfied with the central government on the utilization of Aid contribution and explained that, this is due to the monitoring mechanism put in place by EU and the government.According to him, there has not been any major scandal or diversion of money meant for development projects and this has resulted in increased in Aid donation to the country. THE STATESMAN
Nigeria the 80th poorest country 4/21/08 According to Ms Arunma Oteh, Vice President, African Development Bank, Nigeria has been ranked the 80th poorest country among 108 developing countries in the world and 158th with low human development index. Nigeria’s HDI score is 0.470, lower than South Africa, Algeria and Egypt with 0.674, 0.733, 0.708 respectively while it also ranks behind smaller countries such as Equitorial Guinea, Djibouti and Eritrea at 127th, 149th and 155th respectively. Even on Human Poverty Index (HPI), Oteh said Nigeria ranked 80th among 108 developing countries with a value of 37.3 per cent.New African billionaires arrive 03/06/08
Africa has two new billionaires on the block, both of whom are black. But Africa's richest men, according to the Forbes rich list, remain two white South Africans who inherited their wealth. They have now been joined by a Nigerian industrialist who seems to be in every industry going and a black South African mine magnate. But with only four entries on the list Africa remains the continent with the fewest mega-rich citizens. You need at least $1.3bn to get in, and there are currently 1062 on the list. New entrant Aliko Dangote is Nigerian and has built a $3.3bn fortune from a loan from his uncle. In a little over 25 years, Mr Dangote has built an empire that includes the number one sugar production company in the country, a cement factory and a virtual monopoly on the production of pasta in Nigeria. His company bought two refineries in the last days of the regime of Olusegun Obasanjo, but the sale was cancelled by the new president Umaru Yar'Adua, after allegations that due process was not followed. Last year Mr Dangote told the BBC about his close connections with government. "If we don't have the right people there then [all the] money I have is useless. If the country turns into another Zimbabwe, for example, then I will become a poor person," he said. The second newcomer is South African Patrice Motsepe. The lawyer who bought several unprofitable gold mines and turned them round, now has a fortune of $2.4bn. Born in the township of Soweto, he moved from being the first black partner at Bowman Gilfillan law firm in Johannesburg to running a mining contract firm after Apartheid collapsed. His African Rainbow Minerals now has annual sales of $875 million. Forbes says Mr Motsepe took full advantage of the Black Economic Empowerment laws that require mining firms to be over a quarter black-owned. Two white South Africans remain on the list: Nicky Oppenheimer and family own De Beers and are worth $5.7bn. Johann Rupert and his family head Swiss luxury goods group Richemont. This includes the Cartier label and their fortune has dipped to $3.8bn.
BBC NEWS
HOMENigeria poll petitions dismissed 02/26/08 A Nigerian tribunal has dismissed both opposition petitions asking that President Umaru Yar'Adua's election last year be annulled. The panel of five judges unanimously rejected them, saying they did not contain enough evidence.
Lawyers for both losing presidential candidates, Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku Abubakar, say they will take their cases to the Supreme Court.
International observers said the April polls fell short of expected standards.
The 2007 election saw the first transfer of power from one elected leader to another in Africa's biggest oil producer and most populous country.
Correspondents say a Nigerian president has never lost an election challenge but the decision was not a foregone conclusion.
The country's courts have been exerting their independence recently - overturning other controversial results from the disputed elections.
The BBC's Andrew Walker in court says the ruling is a considerable blow to the opposition but it will also let the president get on with his job of running the country.
He says the ruling will fly in the face of what many Nigerians experienced during the election but most have already accepted Mr Yar'Adua's election.
Security had been tight in the capital, Abuja, in the run-up to the ruling and no big crowds were allowed to gather outside the courtroom.
"The broader issue of how you get legitimacy as a president in Nigeria rests much more with what you do in government," African analyst Anthony Goldman told the BBC.
Rigging claims
The verdict was read out point by point for over three hours by judges in powdered wigs and black gowns.
"Umaru Yar'Adua and Goodluck Jonathan remain validly elected as president and vice-president of Nigeria," the ruling said, AFP news agency reports.
Judge Abdulkadir Abubakar Jega said both sides had failed to prove that violations of the electoral law were substantial enough to invalidate the election result.
The official results show that Mr Yar'Adua gained more than 70% of the vote, compared to 18% for Mr Buhari and 7% for Mr Abubakar.
"From a political stability perspective, this is likely to be positive," African economist Razia Khan told Reuters news agency.
Neither opposition candidates claim they actually won the election - they had called for a re-run.
Mr Yar'Adua has admitted there were flaws in the vote and has promised to reform the electoral system before the next elections.
Mr Buhari, who also contested the previous election in 2003 and is a former military ruler of Nigeria, maintains the vote did not take place in 29 of the 36 states.
His lawyers had unearthed records from Nigeria's election regulator that appeared to show the results had been artificially inflated between the tallying station and being announced.
Long battle
Mr Abubakar had said the vote should be nullified because the ballot papers were delivered on the day of the election and were missing serial numbers.
The former vice-president fought a long legal battle before the election to be included on the ballot after he fell out with then-President Olusegun Obasanjo in the latter stages of his final term.
The result was the ballot papers had to be re-printed at short notice in South Africa, the court has heard.
They did not reach polling stations in many parts of the country until after the election.
The lack of serial numbers also rendered any result inadmissible, Mr Abubakar's lawyers claimed.
Before the ruling, his spokesman Garba Shehu said politicians could not be "trusted to correct themselves" and the courts had to do it.
The election was widely condemned in the press, but presidential spokesman Mobolanji Adebiyi said the judges would rule on what was in front of them, not on the media reports. Seven state governors have had their elections overturned by tribunals. On Saturday a court also annulled the election of Senate President David Mark.
If the presidential election is annulled, he would have taken over during the 90-day period before fresh elections are required to be held.
Story from BBC NEWS
HOMENew pan-African energy group launched in Algiers 02/18/08
A new energy organisation for Africa tasked with coordinating policy for the resource-rich continent was set to be launched Sunday at a meeting of African Union energy ministers, organisers said.
The African Energy Commission (AFREC) is to be headquartered in Algiers and is to promote the sharing of information about policy among members. The acting head of the organisation, Hussein Elhag, said the AFREC would also promote alternative energy in African countries, including nuclear energy for countries that wanted to harness it for peaceful means. "The AFREC is a special forum to elaborate and put in practice energy policy" for Africa, said Algerian Energy Minister Chakib Khelil. The continent counts a number of established oil and gas exporters, such as Algeria, Nigeria and Libya, as well as emerging powers such as Angola, Sudan or Sao Tome.
Elhag said African countries produced about nine million barrels of oil a day, but consumed only three million of this. "The energy question is a global strategic challenge. Africa, with its resource potential and the outlook for its needs in the long-term, is concerned in the first degree," added Khelil.
About 30 energy ministers from African Union countries are in Algiers for the meeting. They have been joined by representatives from other regional and international energy groups, as well as international financial institutions.
The agenda for the meeting, including the budget, organisation and governance of AFREC, was drawn up on Friday and is set for discussion by ministers on Sunday.
AFP
Nigerian stocks higher Mon Jan 21, 6:56 AM ET
Nigerian stock prices rose 0.14 percent last week to close at 58,211.69 points from 58,130.74 the previous week, brokers said Monday. Investors traded 4.6 billion shares worth 61.9 billion naira in 78,882 deals as against 4.2 billion shares valued at 70.8 billion naira in 77,374 deals in the preceding week, they said.
Market capitalisation of the 211 listed equities stood at 10.6 trillion naira.
AFPS'Africa files fresh charges against Zuma 12.27.07
South African prosecutors have brought corruption charges against Jacob Zuma, who last week was elected leader of the country's ruling African National Congress. Mr. Zuma was first tried for corruption in 2005, before charges were dropped. Recently, prosecutors had said they were investigating new charges. Reports say the new charges include racketeering and tax evasion. His position as party leader makes him a frontrunner to become South Africa's President at the expiration of incumbent President Thambo Mbeki's tenure in 2009.
Guardian NewspapersNigeria Ranks 158 on UN’s Human Development Index 11.29.2007
Nigeria ranked 158 on UN's 2007/2008 Human Development Index (HDI), which measures countries' achievements in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and real income.
Last year, the country was 159th.
"The HDI for Nigeria is 0.470, which gives the country a rank of 158th out of 177 countries in the report," the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report (HDR) 2007/2008, stated.
The HDI is part of the HDR 2007, a flagship study produced annually by the UNDP. It was released in Brasilia, Brazil and at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday.
“However, due to shifts in how countries report statistics from which the ranking are calculated, the index is subject to regular adjustment,'' authors of the report said.
News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN), reports that Mauritius is the only African country with high HDI on the continent, placed at the 65th position. It, however, went down by two from last year's 63.
The list was topped by Iceland, followed by Norway, which was number one last year. Chad, Central Africa Republic (CAR), Mozambique, Mali, Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone came at the rear.
The first UNDP Human Development Report was prepared and launched in 1990. The report is annually translated into more than a dozen languages and launched in more than 100 countries.
ThisdayJoaquim Chissano wins the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership
Kofi Annan announced the former President of Mozambique as the winner of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership
Joaquim Chissano, the former President of Mozambique, has been announced as the winner of the inaugural Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The largest individual award in the world, it comprises:
• US$5 million over 10 years and US$200,000 annually for life thereafter
• Up to US$200,000 a year for 10 years towards the winner’s public interest activities and good causes
Announcing the Laureate in front of an audience of London’s African diplomatic community, civil society representatives and the media, Kofi Annan, the Chair of the Prize Committee, said that “President Chissano’s achievements in bringing peace, reconciliation, stable democracy and economic progress to his country greatly impressed the committee. So, too, did his decision to step down without seeking the third term the constitution allowed.”
Praising his Government’s economic progress, poverty reduction programmes, infrastructure development and work to tackle HIV/AIDS, Kofi Annan stated that “it is his role in leading Mozambique from conflict to peace and democracy that President Chissano has made his most outstanding contribution.” He also commended President Chissano for his “major contribution outside his country’s borders” which included providing “a powerful voice for Africa on the international stage”.
Kofi Annan stated that “the Prize celebrates more than just good governance. It celebrates leadership. The ability to formulate a vision and to convince others of that vision; and the skill of giving courage to society to accept difficult changes in order to make possible a longer term aspiration for a better, fairer future.”
The annual Prize has been established by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, launched in October 2006 as an African initiative to strengthen governance in Africa. The winner was selected by the Prize Committee of six eminent individuals who assessed every sub-Saharan African leader who has left office in the last three full calendar years on their exercise of leadership.
The Committee drew on research from the recently published Ibrahim Index of African Governance, and a range of other sources, to assess the quality of governance in the areas of economic and social development, peace and security, human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The Prize aims to encourage leaders who fully dedicate their tenure of office to surmount the development challenges of their countries, improving the livelihoods and welfare of their people and consolidating the foundation for sustainable development.
On hearing the outcome of the Prize Committee’s deliberations, Mo Ibrahim, the founder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, said: “I am absolutely delighted that Joaquim Chissano has been selected as the first Laureate. As a man who has reconciled a divided nation and built the foundations for a stable, democratic and prosperous future for the country, he is a role-model not just for Africa, but for the rest of the world.”
Source:Mo Ibrahim website*How Third Term cost Obasanjo Mo Prize
Home-made helicopters hit northern Nigeria Oct 21, 2007
By Aminu Abubakar (KANO AFP)
Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi, seen here, a 24-year-old physics undergraduate in northern Nigeria, takes old cars and motorbikes to pieces in the back yard at home and builds his own helicopters from the parts(AFP/File/Pius Utomi)
Mubarak Muhammad Abdullahi, a 24-year-old physics undergraduate in northern Nigeria, takes old cars and motorbikes to pieces in the back yard at home and builds his own helicopters from the parts.
"It took me eight months to build this one," he said, sweat pouring from his forehead as he filled the radiator of the banana yellow four-seater which he now parks in the grounds of his university.
The chopper, which has flown briefly on six occasions, is made from scrap aluminium that Abdullahi bought with the money he makes from computer and mobile phone repairs, and a donation from his father, who teaches at Kano's Bayero university.
It is powered by a second-hand 133 horsepower Honda Civic car engine and kitted out with seats from an old Toyota saloon car. Its other parts come from the carcass of a Boeing 747 which crashed near Kano some years ago.
For a four-seater it is a big aircraft, measuring twelve metres (39 feet) long, seven metres high by five wide. It has never attained an altitude of more than seven feet.
The cockpit consists of a push-button ignition, an accelerator lever between the seats which controls vertical thrust, a joystick that provides balance and bearing.
A small screen on the dashboard connects to a camera underneath the helicopter for ground vision, a set of six buttons adjusts the screen's brightness while a small transmitter is used for communication.
"You start it, allow it to run for a minute or two and you then shift the accelerator forward and the propeller on top begins to spin. The further you shift the accelerator the faster it goes and once you reach 300 rmp you press the joystick and it takes off," Abdullahi explained from the cockpit.
He said he learned the rudiments of flying a helicopter from the Internet and first got the idea of building one from the films he watches on television.
"I watched action movies a lot and I was fascinated by the way choppers fly. I decided it would be easier to build one than to build a car," he said pacing the premises of the security division of the university which he uses as hanger for his helicopter.
He hoped -- and still does hope -- that the Nigerian government and his wealthy compatriots would turn to him and stop placing orders with western manufacturers.
So far, however, government response to his chopper project has been underwhelming to say the least.
Although some government officials got very excited when they saw him conduct a demonstration flight in neighbouring Katsina state, Nigeria's Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has so far shown no interest in his aircraft.
"No one from the NCAA has come to see what I've done. We don't reward talent in this country," he lamented.
Abdullahi does admit that his first helicopter lacks "some basic facilities like devices for measuring atmospheric pressure, altitude, humidity and the like."
In a country with Nigeria's abysmal air safety record officials may be loath to gamble on one student's home-made helicopter.
But Abdullahi, undeterred, has started work on a new flying machine, which, he says, "will be a radical improvement on the first one in terms of sophistication and aesthetics."
Currently just a spindly metal frame in the back yard, the helicopter will be a two-seater and Abdullahi calculates it will be able to fly at an altitude of 15 feet for three hours at a stretch.
It will be powered by a brand new motor -- albeit Taiwan-manufactured and destined for the Jincheng motorbike so common on the streets of Kano.
DR. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala names MD at World Bank Oct.4th, 2007
Robert Zoellick, president of World Bank on Thursday named former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala managing director of the international institution.
Okonjo-Iweala previously worked at the World Bank before she joined the former Nigerian government then led by President Olusegun Obasanjo, as finance minister and later foreign minister.
Her new position at World Bank from December will have responsibility for the bank's Africa, South Asia, and Europe and Central Asia regions. She will also oversee human resources, according to the statement released by Zoellick.
AFRIPOLVatican names Nigerian head of protocol Sept. 24, 2007
Pope Benedict XVI has named a Nigerian, Monsignor Fortunatus Nwachukwu as the Head of Protocol at the Vatican Secretariat of State. The Vatican Press Office has announced that the appointment takes immediate effect. Nwachukwu, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Aba, was born in Ntigha in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State on May 10, 1960. He was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood on June 17, 1984 after completing his priestly training, which included Bachelors degrees in Philosophy and Theology at Bigard Memorial Seminary (now St. Joseph's Major Seminary), Ikot Ekpene, and Bigard Memorial Seminary, Enugu respectively. He had served as Dean, later Vice Rector at the Immaculate Conception Seminary, Umuahia, Parish Administrator of the St. Anna's Catholic Parish, Ibeku-Umuahia, and was Student's Chaplain at the then College of Agriculture Umudike and the Umudike Campus of Alvan Ikoku College of Education all in Abia State. In 1986, he was sent to Europe to specialise in Biblical Studies. He studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the St. Thomas Aquinas University, the Pontifical Urbaniana University, and the Pontifical Ecclesiastical (Diplomatic) Academy, all in Rome. He also studied at the Jesuit Theological Faculty of Sankt Georgen University in Frankfurt, and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He obtained a Licentiate Degree in Sacred Scriptures (LSS), completed the habilitation for the Doctorate (CD) and a specialization in Textual Criticism of the Old Testament. He also obtained Doctorate Degrees respectively in Systematic Theology (STD) - specialising in Systematic and Africa Theology - and in Canon/International Law (DCL), specialising in relations between the Holy See and Israel. Apart from English language, he is also proficient in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Arabic and Modern Hebrew. His studies equally exposed him to Biblical Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
Monsignor Fortunatus Nwachukwu entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See in 1994. The Holy See is the Central Government of the world Catholic Church, and has the Vatican as its territorial guarantee.
Nigerian suspends redenomination plan Aug 24, 07Ghana 'will be an African tiger' Ghana's President John Kufuor says the discovery of the country's first major oil deposit could turn the West African country into an "African tiger".
Nigeria Justice Minister Michael Aodoakaa on Friday suspended plans to re-denominate the Nigerian currency, the naira, on the grounds that the central bank had not obtained presidential approval.
"I, as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation, hereby stop all actions on the re-denomination of the Naira," Aodoakaa told a news conference in Abuja. The central bank announced plans to drop two zeroes from the naira earlier this month, partly to enhance confidence in the currency and to promote the usage of coins. The reform was to have taken effect August 1, 2008. But Aondoakaa said the bank violated the law by not waiting for the president's approval before announcing the policy. "All actions of the central bank in the re-denomination must be in accordance with the Central Bank Act. So, until an approval is sought for and obtained in writing from the President, all actions on the re-denomination must stop," he said. A statement personally signed by Soludo said, "For the good of the country, the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, GCFR, has spoken on the policy issue of the redenomination of the naira. The Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] recognises and reaffirms Mr. President’s approving authority in matters relating to the denomination, forms and design of our national currency, as enshrined in Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007".
The statement continued, "The Bank therefore accepts Mr. President’s decision to suspend the implementation
of the redenomination aspect of the Strategic Agenda for the Naira. The CBN remains committed to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, GCFR and his avowed goal of making Nigeria one of the twenty largest economies in the world by the year 2020. To this effect, CBN is committed and ready to do all that is within its mandate and powers to accelerate Mr. President’s agenda for a stronger Nigerian economy. Finally, we wish to thank all Nigerians for their under-standing, and the healthy, positive contributions to the policy debate".
Nigeria set to free its currency August 14th, 2007
Nigeria's central bank has said it will make the country's currency, the naira, convertible by 2009.
Until now, the central bank has limited how much foreign currency can circulate by selling it through auctions. It has also set the exchange rate.
The change should help increase flows of money into the banking system and encourage investment into Nigeria.
The government will also redenominated its currency from August 2008, so that 100 old naira will become 1 naira.
This should help make the pricing of goods easier, as well as conversion into other currencies.
Gradual withdrawal
The naira has been appreciating against the dollar this year, thanks to Nigeria's high oil revenues.
Analysts think the naira will be further strengthened following the latest currency changes.
"This is very positive. I agree fully with all the initiatives," said Tony Elumelu of Nigerian bank UBA.
The central bank's governor Chukwuma Soludo said the bank would "gradually withdraw from the weekly auction system [of foreign currency] and only intervene in the market as may be required to achieve defined policy objectives." The currency changes apply to commitments Nigeria has made under International Monetary Fund (IMF) rules regarding currency transfers.
BBC NEWS
Shell finds new Nigerian oilfield ABUJA (Reuters) July 26, 2007
The Nigerian arm of Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) has made an oil discovery and a test well flowed at up to 5,000 barrels per day, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) said on Thursday.
The discovery was made onshore in the eastern Niger Delta in Shell's Oil Mining Licence 17. The exploration well, Aghata-1, was drilled to a total depth of 4,679 meters and encountered 245 meters of hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs.
"Aghata-1 well is a material exploration success for SPDC and Shell," said Basil Omiyi, the managing director of SPDC, a Nigerian arm of the Anglo-Dutch oil major.
"It has the potential to immediately increase oil production in the area, and also enabling us to find other potential exploration opportunities in similar geological settings," Omiyi was quoted as saying in a company statement.
Initial production is expected to start later this year after the completion of the production test, and studies are under way to appraise the field, devise a drilling plan and ascertain its likely longevity.
SPDC said it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with neighboring communities, which includes provision of jobs locally, supply contracts and other benefits.
Oil companies in the Niger Delta frequently run into disputes with host communities over a perceived lack of opportunities and benefits from their presence there.
(Reuters)
HOME
Huge oilfield discovered in Ghana JUNE 18, 2007
UK firm Tullow Oil has announced the discovery of 600 million barrels of light oil offshore from Ghana.Reserves in the Mahogany exploration well were far greater than the 250 million barrels than the firm had earlier forecast, it said.
Tullow - which saw its shares rise 10% on the news - jointly owns the West Cape block where the drilling took place with Anadarko Petroleum.
The firms share rights to the adjacent Tano basin, which could yield more oil.
With oil as a shot in the arm, we're going to fly
-John Kufuor, President of Ghana"Based on evidence to date, ultimate reserves are likely to be materially in excess of previous estimates, with some high potential zones still to be drilled," said Tullow chief executive Aidan Heavey.
He said it was one of the biggest oil discoveries in Africa in recent times, but warned it could be up to seven years before the oil started to flow.
'Boost to economy'
Ghana's President John Kufuor told the BBC that the discovery would give a major boost to Ghana's economy.
"Oil is money, and we need money to do the schools, the roads, the hospitals. If you find oil, you manage it well, can you complain about that?
"Even without oil, we are doing so well, already. Now, with oil as a shot in the arm, we're going to fly," he said.
Tullow Oil holds a 22.9% stake in the West Cape Three Points licence and just under 50% in the Deepwater Tano licence.
The move comes as foreign firms are increasingly tapping into Africa for oil.
Tullow shares closed up more than 12% on the news in trading in London.
Nigeria has filed charges against the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, accusing it of carrying out improper trials for an anti-meningitis drug.Author Adichie wins Orange PrizeNigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has been named winner of the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction. She beat five other contenders for the £30,000 women-only award, including Kiran Desai, shortlisted for her Booker Prize winner The Inheritance of Loss.Adichie's novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, is her second work and set during the Biafran War of the 1960s.
The new writer's award worth £10,000 was presented to Karen Connelly for her novel The Lizard Cage.
Moral responsibilityAdichie's first novel, Purple Hibiscus, was also shortlisted for the award - formerly known as the Orange Prize for Fiction - in 2004. Bookmakers Ladbrokes made her favourite to clinch the honour after a flood of bets in recent days. Desai would have become the first author to win both the Orange and Booker Prizes for the same novel if she had triumphed.
The award ceremony took place at the newly-refurbished Royal Festival Hall on London's South Bank, and the judging panel included broadcaster Muriel Grey and best-selling writer Marian Keyes.
Previous recipients of the award have included Zadie Smith for On Beauty (2006), Andrea Levy for Small Island (2004) and Helen Dunmore for A Spell In Winter (1996).
Nigeria sues drugs giant Pfizer June 5, 2007
The government is seeking $7bn (£3.5bn) in damages for the families of children who allegedly died or suffered side-effects after being given Trovan.
Kano state government has filed separate charges against Pfizer.
The firm denies any wrongdoing, saying the trials were conducted according to Nigerian and international law.
Pfizer - the world's largest pharmaceutical company - tested the experimental antibiotic Trovan in some meningitis-stricken children in Kano in 1996.Some of the children reportedly died, and campaigners say several others developed mental and physical deformities.
These allegations... are highly inflammatory and not based on all the facts
PfizerThe government says the children were injected with the drug without approval from Nigerian regulatory agencies.A Pfizer spokesman in New York, Bryant Haskins, reiterated the company's position that its trial of Trovan was conducted with the full knowledge of the Nigerian government and in a responsible way.
"These allegations against Pfizer, which are not new, are highly inflammatory and not based on all the facts," he told Reuters news agency.
The company has previously said that "verbal consent" had been obtained from the parents of the children concerned and that the exercise was "sound from medical, scientific, regulatory and ethical standpoints".
This is the first time Nigeria's federal government has filed charges against Pfizer.
The separate case in Kano - in which the state is seeking $2.7bn in compensation - has been running for more than two years. On Monday judges postponed that trial by a month, to allow the firm to appear before the Kano court.
Kano state sues Pfizer over "guinea pigs" drug test on children for $2.75B May 20, 2007
The authorities of Kano state in Nigeria filed a suit case against US drug firm Pfizer for allegedly using 200 children as "guinea pigs" for a drug test in 1996 that led to multiple deaths and deformities.
The Nigeria's state that sued Pfizer are seeking 2.75 billion dollars (2.04 billion euros) in compensation from the pharmaceutical giant. Kano state accuses Pfizer of "secretly using children as guinea pigs to test a drug under the guise of humanitarian gesture". Preliminary hearings in the suit have been fixed for June 4.
I think it borders on the criminal that the large pharmaceutical companies, both here and in Europe, are using these poor, illiterate and uninformed people as guinea pigs
-Rep. Tom Lantos of California, (D) on International Relations Committee
The world’s biggest drug company Pfizer Inc was faulted for April 1996 clinical trial of its drug Trovan on nearly 100 Nigerian children and infants in Kano Hospital without obtaining authorization from Nigerian government.
A panel of Nigerian medical experts setup by then minister of Health, Dr. Tim Menakaya concluded in the unreleased report that Pfizer violated international law by testing an illegal and unapproved drug on children with deadly strain of meningitis. After being treated with the drugs, Eleven of the children reportedly died, while the remaining 181 were said to have suffered from deafness, paralysis, brain damage and blindness.
Trovan was never approve by FDA for use in treating American children while it was out rightly banned in Europe.
Executives at Pfizer, issued a two-page statement:
"The Nigerian government has neither contacted Pfizer about any of the committee's findings nor are we aware that the committee has approved a final report. Therefore it would be inappropriate for the company to respond to specific points in the document.
"However, as we have stated repeatedly over the past several years, Pfizer conducted this trial with the full knowledge of the Nigerian government and in a responsible way consistent with Nigerian law and Pfizer's abiding commitment to patient safety."
The blue-ribbon panel recommended for government to “sanction appropriately” and for Pfizer to tender “an unreserved apology to the government and people of Nigeria.”
Dora Akunyili, Director of Nigerian drug regulatory agency, concluded that Pfizer have no authority to conduct the clinical trial and said that confidentiality of the report is unnecessary .
© 2007 AFRIPOL.org
Osadebe, high-life music maestro, is dead May 15,2007
DISTINGUISHED highlife musician Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe, (OON) is dead at 71.
He passed on last Friday, according to his family in a statement.
It said a coordinated funeral arrangement is being planned in some cities in the USA on a yet to be announced date.The undisputed master of Igbo Guitar Highlife, Chief Stephen Osadebe’s music remains one of the premier sounds of Nigeria.
Born in 1936, he trained with legends such as Stephen Amechi, nearing stardom before the Biafran war wiped out opportunities for Ibo artists in Nigeria. After the war, Osadebe began rebuilding his career and in 1984 reached his zenith with the multimillion selling Osondi Owendi.
Today, Osadebe’s reign in Highlife remains supreme. Blending elements of traditional highlife with funk, jazz, reggae, and even hints of 60’s psychedelia, which is fueled by irrepressible wah-wah guitar, this powerful dance music explodes when matched with Osadebe’s rich baritone voice and powerful lyrics addressing the social and cultural challenges of the era.
Remastered from 70’s and 80’s releases on Polygram Nigeria, Sound Time displays the breadth and depth of Osadebe’s prolific talents.
Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe hailed from Umuekeke in Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
He once said that he started music as a chorister in the Church.
“I was also a member of the school’s boys’ band. From there, I started developing interest in music. I was then very actively involved in the traditional African music genres: Amakekwu, Kokoma, Agidigbo and other local forms of music.
We entertained people during ceremonies like burial, marriage and other occasions that required music. My parents were involved fully as local musicians too. They played more of the musical instruments and danced well too. But I was into all they were doing and was equally singing.
When one great musician visited Onitsha in 1955, I went to watch the concert and enjoyed the vocalist’s performance. I felt I could do something better than I was doing and even better than what the vocalist did. I started finding a way to join a band until I approached them and requested to be allowed to play one classical number.
They obliged and I played both the instrument and the vocal, which impressed the band members and the audience. But it was in 1956 that I started playing what I am known for today. I started it as a Marakas player under Empire Rhythm Skies led by Akunwata Stephen Amaechi Nnanyelugo.
After some months with the band, I was asked to sing some of my numbers during a performance. After the performance, the Central Dance Band, Lagos, engaged me as a band vocalist. To me, this was a very big promotion, because the vocalist of a band is the life-wire of the band. When I moved in there, I started composing and recording my songs. I started the recording first with Zenonia and later moved to other studios.
All these musical activities brought me to limelight. I started organising and rehearsing musicians from different bands, then they performed and got recorded. Different recording outfits invited me and I recorded my music with them. But I finally pitched my tent with Phillips West African Records, which later changed its name to Phonogram and then to Polygram.
The instinct has been in me. I should say that I inherited music from my parents because my late father was a very good dancer and drummer. When I was growing up, I was very much interested in classical music. The man who mainly inspired me into singing was the late Natkin Cole, an American. He sang in English, Spanish and other languages. I loved his music.
The Amakekwu music was the reigning thing then in the 50s. Even today, they still play it. I used to sing the music alongside Kokoma, which was the Ghanaian kind of Highlife. I was playing the entire instrument, especially the Konga. Later Kusimilaya came. A kind of music that was also called Agidigbo. It was the late Adeolu Akinsanya who came to teach us that in Onitsha and from there, I started developing interest in it.
Generally, I am aware that people talk much about my prophecy. They also speak about how meaningful my music is and how they play it when they have one problem or the other. They say that after listening to it, they always feel relieved. All the records I did in America bear the inscription, Doctor of Hypertension. These are what I hear or see. To be frank, I do not know what I do to the listeners with my music. But I believe that my music is educative.
The name of my band is Osita Osadebe Nigeria Sound Makers International.
I play the kind of music that suits the African man. That is dwelling on my culture to reach the rest of Africa. People call it Highlife, which I call in Igbo Oyolima; it is all about when you are relaxed and in the mood for enjoyment.
They are many. What I will do is to name a few. I have Onyemaechi, which many people do not know. No money, No woman, Akaraka, Enyi Mba Enyi, Late Patrice Lumumba, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Mbadiwe Jikotanu, October the first rainy day, One Pound, No Balance, Ononuju Aku, Onuigubo, Onu Kwuru njo g’ekwu mma, Agbala aka n’azo ana, Osondi Owendi and Makojo.
I was initiated into the club in October 15, 1965 when it was still Okaa Society. Along the line, the late Major General Aguiyi Ironsi banned the Okaa Society for reasons I did not know. So, it was after the war the People’s Club was formed. Most of us were financial members, not honorary members. So, I am a full-fledged member.” First Posted in Vanguard.
