UNITED STATES AND NIGERIA SEAL $5.1 BILLION FIVE-YEAR HEALTHCARE DELIVERY AGREEMENT

UNITED STATES AND NIGERIA SEAL $5.1 BILLION FIVE-YEAR HEALTHCARE DELIVERY AGREEMENT

Wayne Lumbasi In a landmark move for global health diplomacy, the United States and Nigeria have signed a transformative five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) valued at $5.1 billion. The US committed nearly $2.1 billion, matched by Nigeria’s unprecedented $3 billion in domestic funding. Framed under the America First Global Health Strategy, this pact addresses Nigeria’s […]

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 GIRLS AND WOMEN ESCAPING MALI ALLEGE SEXUAL VIOLENCE BY RUSSIAN FORCES

GIRLS AND WOMEN ESCAPING MALI ALLEGE SEXUAL VIOLENCE BY RUSSIAN FORCES

Wayne Lumbasi Girls and women fleeing northern Mali are recounting deeply disturbing experiences of sexual violence allegedly committed by fighters linked to Russian forces operating alongside the Malian military, shedding light on a hidden and brutal dimension of the country’s worsening conflict. The accounts come from refugees who have crossed into neighboring Mauritania, many of […]

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 DIPLOMATIC TENSIONS GROW AS U.S. CHALLENGES SOUTH AFRICA’S AFRIKANER REFUGEE PLAN

DIPLOMATIC TENSIONS GROW AS U.S. CHALLENGES SOUTH AFRICA’S AFRIKANER REFUGEE PLAN

Wayne Lumbasi Tensions between South Africa and the United States have surged to a new high following a diplomatic dispute over a controversial refugee programme. The policy, introduced earlier this year by the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump, designates members of the white Afrikaner community as potential refugees eligible for resettlement in the United […]

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 TINUBU APPOINTS NEW OIL REGULATORS AFTER CHIEFS RESIGN AMID DANGOTE DISPUTE

TINUBU APPOINTS NEW OIL REGULATORS AFTER CHIEFS RESIGN AMID DANGOTE DISPUTE

Wayne Lumbasi President Bola Tinubu has taken swift action to fill leadership gaps in Nigeria’s oil sector following the resignation of the heads of the country’s two most influential petroleum regulatory agencies, in the wake of a high-profile dispute involving billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote. On Wednesday, December 17, both Farouk Ahmed, CEO of the Nigerian […]

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 KENYA MOVES TO GRANT DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES TO FRENCH SOLDIERS UNDER NEW DEFENCE AGREEMENT

KENYA MOVES TO GRANT DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES TO FRENCH SOLDIERS UNDER NEW DEFENCE AGREEMENT

Wayne Lumbasi Kenya is set to grant diplomatic-style privileges and immunities to French military personnel operating in the country under a proposed Defence Cooperation Agreement with France. The agreement, now before Parliament, seeks to formally regulate the presence and activities of French soldiers involved in joint defence engagements with the Kenyan military. The proposed pact […]

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 U.S. EXPANDS TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, TARGETING AES STATES, NIGERIA, TANZANIA AND OTHER AFRICAN NATIONS

U.S. EXPANDS TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, TARGETING AES STATES, NIGERIA, TANZANIA AND OTHER AFRICAN NATIONS

Wayne Lumbasi The United States has announced a sweeping expansion of its travel restrictions, affecting a growing number of African countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, and states within the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). The move reflects a tougher approach to immigration and border security, with wide-ranging effects on travel, education, business, and diplomatic relations across […]

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 M23 REBELS TO WITHDRAW FROM UVIRA FOLLOWING U.S. REQUEST

M23 REBELS TO WITHDRAW FROM UVIRA FOLLOWING U.S. REQUEST

Wayne Lumbasi The Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has announced that it will withdraw its forces from the eastern Congolese town of Uvira, following a direct request from the United States. The decision comes just days after the group seized the strategic town, raising alarm over regional stability and the fragile peace process in the Democratic […]

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 DANGOTE DIESEL FACES REJECTION IN EUROPE OVER SULPHUR CONCERNS

DANGOTE DIESEL FACES REJECTION IN EUROPE OVER SULPHUR CONCERNS

Wayne Lumbasi Africa’s largest oil refinery, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, has encountered resistance in European fuel markets following reports that its diesel shipments failed to meet the continent’s stringent quality requirements. Industry sources say several European buyers have recently avoided purchasing diesel from the Nigerian refinery after laboratory tests allegedly showed elevated sulphur levels and […]

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 FUEL DISPUTE INTENSIFIES AS DANGOTE ACCUSES REGULATOR OF SABOTAGING LOCAL REFINERIES

FUEL DISPUTE INTENSIFIES AS DANGOTE ACCUSES REGULATOR OF SABOTAGING LOCAL REFINERIES

Wayne Lumbasi Nigeria’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has escalated a bitter dispute with the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), accusing the agency of enabling “unethical” fuel imports that threaten local refining and the country’s energy security. Dangote, whose Dangote Refinery in Lagos is one of Africa’s largest, argued that the regulator has […]

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