Headlines
Ramaphosa Becomes AU Chairman, Pledges to End Era of Colonialism, Imperialism in Africa
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has promised to lead a revolution into infrastructure development across Africa, a challenge he said if realised would see an end to all manifestations of colonialism and imperialism on the continent.
Mr Ramaphosa took over on Sunday as the new chairperson of the African Union in Addis Ababa, using his acceptance speech to rail against decades of neglect that had rendered Africa a minor player in world trade and notorious dumping ground for substandard goods.
“The era of colonialism and imperialism under which Africa is a pit stop in the global assembly line has passed,” Mr Ramaphosa declared as he took over from Egypt’s Abdel Fatah El-Sisi for the one-year tenure on Sunday afternoon.
The South African leader expressed high expectations of the recently-adopted African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He said its implementation would mark the beginning of prosperity in a continent that has had its potential suppressed for too long.
“We are a continent that is rich in natural resources but also in history, intellectual output, culture in its sense of humanity,” he said, adding that he would use his leadership to kickstart a process that would guarantee an “Africa connected through a vast network of roads and railways, enabling the free movement of goods, people and services.”
Driving force
The 33rd Summit of the African Union that got underway earlier this week has been packed with discussions around urgent implementation of AfCFTA, a continent-wide trade treaty adopted in 2018. Fifty-two out of 54 countries and territories that make up the African Union have endorsed the treaty. Legislative bodies of all the countries have already commenced ratification processes.
African leaders believe the agreement would spur intra-continental trade amongst the member states, which is currently very low, notwithstanding their common borders and shared cultural heritage.
“The success of the AfCTA depends on infrastructure development,” Mr Ramaphosa said, adding that a road would be constructed between Cape Town and Cairo as part of the agenda. A slew of “outstanding issues” around AfCFTA, especially on the definition of what constitutes an ‘African good or service’ would be finalised before the official commencement of the policy, he added.
Women and youth would also play a major role in driving AfCFTA implementation due to their indispensable potentials for economic mobility, Mr Ramaphosa said.
He promised to reduce gender-based violence that has become a key impediment to social development and technological breakthrough on the continent.
This year’s AU summit, which has non-African leaders like Antonio Guterres and Canada’s Justin Trudeau in attendance, focused on silencing the guns to foster economic development on the continent. It would wrap up on Monday after consideration of all pending policy initiatives that were presented to the leaders of the 54 member states.
Premium Times
The Presidency has dismissed claims that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments were directed at the political situation in Rivers State or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s constitutional decisions on the matter.
In a statement on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, the Presidency described the reports as a “gross misrepresentation.”
The statement clarified that Vice President Shettima’s remarks at the public presentation of a book by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), were misconstrued by some online platforms and individuals.
“These reports have distorted the Vice President’s comments in pursuit of a mischievous agenda,” it stated.
“They twisted his account of how the administration of former President Jonathan considered removing him as Borno Governor during the insurgency to falsely link it with current events in Rivers State.”
The Vice President, who spoke at the launch of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block in Abuja on Thursday, was said to have referenced the past solely to commend Adoke’s professionalism while in office, and to reflect on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution regarding federal and state relations.
“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional measure implemented was a suspension, not an outright removal.
“This action was taken in response to the grave political crisis in Rivers State at the time, with the governor facing a looming impeachment and the State Assembly complex under demolition,” Nkwocha clarified.
The Presidency insisted that the action taken by President Tinubu in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the Governor was fully in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which authorises such measures when there is a breakdown of public order requiring extraordinary intervention.
According to the statement, the President’s proclamation invoking Section 305(2) was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, confirming the legitimacy and constitutional propriety of the decision.
“The action of President Tinubu in suspending Mr. Fubara and others from exercising the functions of office averted the governor’s outright removal. To conflate suspension with removal is misleading,” the statement further noted.
Nkwocha also stressed that Vice President Shettima’s comments were delivered extemporaneously and intended to underline the importance of public accountability and historical documentation.
He referenced the Vice President’s mention of past public servants, including Adoke and former Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to illustrate principled leadership.
“His remarks were not in any way a criticism of President Tinubu’s actions, which the Vice President and the entire administration fully support and stand by without reservation,” the spokesman stated.
The Vice President, the statement added, remains in “loyal concert” with President Tinubu and is committed to implementing all constitutional measures necessary to safeguard democracy and uphold order across the country.
Concluding, the Presidency called on media organisations and political actors to desist from misrepresenting public remarks for sensational or partisan purposes.
“We urge media organisations and political actors to desist from the destructive practice of wrenching statements from context in order to fabricate nonexistent conflicts,” Nkwocha said.
Headlines
Akpabio Relieves Natasha of Committee Chairmanship Position, Appoints Akwa Ibom Senator As Replacement
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has replaced suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Diaspora/Non-Governmental Organisations.
In her place, Akpabio named Senator Bassey Aniekun Etim (Akwa Ibom -East).
The Senate President, who made the announcement on the floor in Abuja on Thursday, did not give any reasons.
The committee position had remained vacant since March when the Senate suspended the Kogi-Central Senatorial District lawmaker for six months for flouting the Senate’s rule on the seating arrangement and seat allocation.
The suspended lawmaker, at a point, chaired the Senate Committee on Local Content before Akpabio reassigned her to the Committee on Diaspora/NGO, shortly before she ran into trouble with the Senate over her conduct on seat allocation.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the 2024 governorship election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.
In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba, the apex court ruled that the appeal lacked merit. It upheld the earlier judgments of the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had both declared Okpebholo the validly elected governor.
