31, March 2018

Vatican scrambles to clarify pope’s reported denial of hell ⁰

The Vatican has attempted to clarify reported remarks by Pope Francis in which he appears to reject the existence of hell, contradicting the teachings of the Catholic Church on the issue.

In a brief statement released on Friday, the Holy See said that an article published by Italian newspaper La Repubblica on Wednesday and written by its founder, Eugenio Scalfari, was not “a faithful transcription of the Holy Father’s words,” describing it as “the fruit of his (Scalfari’s) reconstruction.”

According to the daily, Pope Francis held a private meeting with Scalfari before the Eastern weekend. During the meeting, the pontiff was reportedly asked about the fate of “bad souls.” He was quoted as responding, “They are not punished. Those who repent obtain God’s forgiveness and take their place among the ranks of those who contemplate him, but those who do not repent and cannot be forgiven disappear. A hell doesn’t exist, the disappearance of sinning souls exists.”

The Vatican said that the “literal words pronounced by the pope are not quoted” and that “no quotation of the article should be considered as a faithful transcription of the words of the Holy Father.”

The teachings of the Catholic Church affirm the existence of hell.

Pope Benedict XVI emphasized in 2007 that hell “really exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much anymore.” Pope John Paul II also stated in 1999 that hell was “the ultimate consequence of sin itself… rather than a place; hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God, the source of all life and joy.”

The 93-year-old Scalfari — an avowed atheist — is known for priding himself on not taking notes or recording high-profile interviews, and this is not the first time he has been accused of misrepresenting Pope Francis. He was rebuked by The Vatican in 2014 for an article claiming the pope had abolished sin.

Pope Francis did raise controversy back in January, when he defended a Chilean bishop named Juan Barros who stood accused of protecting a pedophile priest close to him.

“There is not a single piece of evidence against him. It is all slander. Is that clear?” the pope said at the time when asked by reporters about Bishop Barros.

US Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston then described the pontiff’s remarks as “a source of great pain for survivors of sexual abuse by [the] clergy or any other perpetrator.”

Source: Presstv

31, March 2018

Condition of Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria worries top UNHCR official ⁰

A top official with the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has bemoaned the deplorable conditions under which Cameroonians fleeing the Anglophone crisis are living in Nigeria.

Antonio Canhandula, a Programme / Operation Manager and UNHCRrepresentative made his reservations via his twitter handle after visiting some of the refugees in Nigeria’s Cross River and Benue States earlier this week. Other refugees are living in the Akwa Ibom and Taraba States.

One tweet disclosed how some women said they had so little food to feed their families that they had to carry bricks to earn money to supplement what relief agencies provided.

Accompanying a photo of young children lined up in a school he wrote: “Beautiful Cameroon refugee students. Children do not deserve the unfortunate situation of a refugee. This is freedom and human growth arrested. Robbing children of a future. An urgent solution is called for. Ikom.”

Then there was the story of how a expectant mother who fled the crisis back home had delivered a day before the UNHCR visited. Ernestine Etioe, 23, gave birth at a clinic located in Cross River State.

The UNHCR’s records indicate that 20,000 plus Cameroonians have fled the country’s North West and South West regions due to what has become known as the Anglophone crisis.

Canhandula’s reservations are the same as those of the agency he represents. The UNHCR aside pushing that a political solution be found to the crisis holds that it does not have enough funds to cater for the growing number of refugees.

Secessionist elements pushing for independence under the so-called Ambazonia Republic have often clashed with state security agencies. They had earlier used guerilla style attacks to kill over twenty security forces.

The recent leg is armed exchanges and the use of kidnappings. So far, two government officials are in their custody. The Catholic Church’s relief wing in Nigeria has said the refugee influx also hurts Nigerians as it deepens their own poverty situations.

Dialogue has been advanced as a key solution to the crisis that started in October last year. Interior Minister Paul Atanga Nji is on record to have said the government will only dialogue with persons who believe in the unity of Nigeria.

Source: Africa News

31, March 2018

Ambazonian Revolution: Whose side are you on? Good Friday and lessons for Anglophone leaders ⁰

As Christians the world over commemorate the death of Jesus Christ, on this day that has come to be known ironically as Good Friday, on account of the salvation won for mankind by this otherwise tragic event, the central message that should not be lost on Ambazonia leaders is that sacrifice makes leadership. Jesus Christ spoke truth to power and paid the supreme price. He died a vicarious death to take away the sins of humanity and open the way to eternal life for all who believe in Him and in His message.

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are a lesson on the power of humility, service, self-sacrifice and true love. Jesus taught a lot of lessons through his parables and miracles but perhaps the greatest lessons he taught are the practical lessons of his own life. Jesus taught his followers that there is no greater love than for a man to lay down his life for his friends, and that is exactly what he did. He taught his followers that those who seek to be first must make themselves last and servant of all; and that is what he did when he washed the feet of his disciples and accepted a humiliating death in order that they may live. Though as son of God He was rich beyond measure, He made a preferential option for the poor, whose circumstances He graciously shared. His life was consistent with His message. The present generation of Ambazonia leaders can learn a lot from the life and supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Like the abducted Ambazonia leaders, the conflicts that led to the crucifixion of Christ centered on the social paradigm that Christ preached to the world. Like Sisiku Ayuk Julius Tabe and his co-travelers, the truth Jesus spoke was, of course, too bitter for his opponents to swallow and so they had to silence him. Yet, silenced in detention, like Jesus who was nailed to the cross, the power of their message was already immortal. Ambazonia is a spirit that will never die.

Jesus of Nazareth profoundly and manifestly changed the course of history. His message of love, mercy and compassion, truth, justice, and freedom, has inspired some of the most progressive individuals and movements in human history. Yet His coming was inauspicious. There were no earth-shattering sirens and convoys to welcome Him; life in Bethlehem went on normally as poor Mary and Joseph went around looking for a room in an inn to stay. And finding none, they settled for a lowly manger, and there Christ was born. But from the child born in this manger was to flow the knowledge of the Supreme Creator, the grace of healing and the compelling message of salvation for mankind. This is why Christians see the birth of Christ in the flesh as the miracle of all miracles. Those who believe in His word and abide by His teachings have the assurance of everlasting life after death. But not all who saw Him even in His own time recognized Him and not all who recognized Him believed in Him.

In the course of passionately preaching and living out the truth as he knew it, condemning the injustices of the day, Jesus came in regular conflict with the status quo and those who benefited from it. He was betrayed by his own disciple, Judas Iscariot, denied by his closest associate, Simon Peter; handed over to the Roman authorities by the chief priests of his religion and condemned to death by Pontius Pilate the Governor. He was politically murdered without due process by civil authorities who made the cause of religious bigotry their own. Ambazonians must capitalize on the best ideals of their various faiths to transform their struggle for independence by keeping their eyes on the big picture, instead of fighting each other for positions.

The victory of good over evil, which Jesus represents, questions the widespread corruption, greed and selfishness that define the present power struggles amongst Ambazonia leaders. The instant gratification mentality that pervades the Ambazonia leadership contrasts sharply with the sacrifice and selflessness which Christ’s death and resurrection symbolizes. The propensity for seeking to lead; the disposition towards crass materialism and blind pursuit of pleasure is clearly at variance with the lesson of Good Friday. On the whole, the teachings of Christ, anchored on humility and service in leadership seem to be lost, especially amongst the Ambazonia leadership, where the forces of greed and corruption continue to thrive. Those who aspire to lead the struggle must embrace those higher values of leadership exemplified in Jesus Christ. When Anglophones abandon hypocrisy and live out the higher ideals of self-less service, redemption is possible and victory is all but assured. We know who the enemy is; so whose side are you on?

By Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai

31, March 2018

US and British troops killed in Syria ⁰

Two members of the US-led coalition in Syria, one British and another one American, have been killed in an improvised explosive device attack, according to official statements.

The attack, which took place on Thursday near the Syrian city of Manbij, injured five other troops too.

“Two coalition personnel were killed and five were wounded by an improvised explosive device in Syria” at around midnight (2100 GMT), the coalition said in a statement.

The British Defense Ministry also confirmed that the one of them was from within its ranks.

“The individual was embedded with US forces on a counter-Daesh operation when the incident occurred,” the ministry stated.

The US and its allies have been bombarding what they call Daesh positions inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from the Damascus government or a UN mandate.

The strikes, however, have on many occasions resulted in civilian casualties and failed to fulfill their declared aim of countering terrorism.

Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in early 2011, more than 350,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations’ estimates.

Syria has, for several times, written to the UN to complain that the US was flagrantly violating its sovereignty. The US supports militants fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad and has repeatedly attacked Syrian army positions.

Source: Presstv

31, March 2018

Southern Cameroons Crisis: U.K. cautions citizens in travel alert ⁰

The United Kingdom has issued a travel alert for Cameroon warning nationals to totally avoid travel to within 40km of the country’s borders with Nigeria, Chad and Central African Republic.

It also said Brits should not travel to the Bakassi Peninsula and specifically to the Ndian Division of the South West region. For the other parts of the Anglophone region, the directive said all but essential travel should be undertaken.

A summary of the March 27 directive issued by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) read: “the FCO now advise against all travel to within 40km of the Cameroon/Nigeria border and Ndian division, and against all but essential travel to the rest of the North West and most of the South West regions; updated information on kidnaps and clashes in the North West and South West regions.”

There have also been multiple exchanges of fire between the Cameroonian security forces and armed groups over the past few months in some towns and villages in the North West and South West regions.

The U.K. position follows that of France earlier this week. The French Ambassador to Cameroon, Giles Thibaut tweet on Monday that the Anglophone regions were a no-go area for French nationals. The alert also cautions against all but Cameroon’s borders with Gabon and Congo.

It specifically mentioned the Koupé-Manengouba, Lebialem, Manvu and Meme divisions in South West region and the rest of North, North West and Adamawa regions as places that citizens should be careful when going to.

“The FCO recounted the March 2018 kidnapping of Tunisian and Cameroonians workers which rescue operation led to the death of a Tunisian. They also related recent armed exchanges between suspected separatists and security forces.

“Kidnaps of Cameroon officials have been reported in the North West and South West regions. There have also been multiple exchanges of fire between the Cameroonian security forces and armed groups over the past few months in some towns and villages in the North West and South West regions.

“This follows violent and deadly clashes between demonstrators and the Cameroonian security forces in the North West and South West regions in September and October 2017. Restrictions including night curfews, a ban on public meetings and other restrictions remain in place,” the statement added.

Source: Africa News

31, March 2018

Ambazonia Liberation Struggle: A Holy Odey Chi War? ⁰

With no rape, no looting and no extortion tainting their record, this could be the most crimeless war by a very disciplined “army”

In a village along the Kumba-Mamfe-Bamenda road, a curious trial took place one of these past weekends. At a funeral I attended, village youths gathered for grave-digging, witnessed the trial (in my presence) of three young men who the previous day had assaulted two other young men over a negligible social issue. From the brutality of the fight, it looked like a gang fight. Eyewitnesses said the attacking “gangsters” were under the influence of marijuana and Tramadol.

The first among the “gangsters” to be brought to the “dock” and ordered to kneel down, told the “jury’ that their assault was intended to punish the victims for snatching someone else’s girlfriend – she is not the girlfriend of any of the gang members.

The leader of the village youths said he wanted to know in what capacity the three took upon themselves to “discipline” the “woman-snatchers”. The gangster kneeling before the jury said they simply sought to teach the woman-snatchers a lesson as they had warned them repeatedly to leave someone else’s girlfriend alone. But word had gone around the village that the gangsters claimed they were “Amba Boys” seeking to impose order in that capacity and that they were acting under the influence of their newly acquired “Odey Chi” powers. Odey Chi is believed to be a charm that renders its users invincible and provides them protection against machete cuts and bullets.

It turned out that their claim of belonging to the Ambazonia Defence Force (ADF) or its related factions had reached the ears of “authentic” Ambazonia separatist fighters in the bush, otherwise called Amba Boys or Odey Chi Boys. Credible sources say the ADF boys visited the village at night to enquire after claims that “some rascals are using our name to commit atrocities in the village”. The graveside trial was thus staged for the attention of the “authentic Amba Boys”.

The Amba Boys stood right opposite the youth “judges”, behind the litigants and observed quietly as they testified. Someone standing by elbowed me discretely and whispered to me, “Those are the real Amba Boys.” They all carried strange amulets that looked like charms. Confused, I asked, also whispering, “Real Amba Boys how? Who are the fake ones?” Then I was told about the Odey Chi/Amba Boys claim by the gangsters.

As the trial proceeded, the other two gangsters walked to the scene. Ordered to join their “accomplice” in kneeling down, only one of them obeyed. The third resisted, haughtily ranting, boasting and daring anyone with guts to force him to his knees.

I saw one of the “VIP guests” closing in on the ranting young man. Short and stout and looking vexed, the “authentic Amba Boy” grabbed stubborn village youth by the legs, lifted him with ease and flung him to the ground, head first. He pulled out a machete from… his trouser pocket; it seemed and made a gesture like to slaughter the young man he had flung to the ground. At this, the entire “jury”, the rest of the youths present and even his fellow Amba Boys, rose like one man and pounced on his machete.

A village youth who grabbed the machete was left with a bleeding palm from the machete cut. Someone standing by said the wound could be fatal because weapons used by the Odey Chi Boys are always mystically lethal so that a mere wound or scratch from their machetes or bullets was a certain cause of death. No treatment! Minutes later, when I saw the wounded young man, he had a red piece of cloth wrapped on the wrist of his wounded hand. He said the Amba Boys gave him as an antidote.

The graveside scuffle led to a commotion that brought the trial to a premature end. The Amba Boys told the village youths not to bother. They said they would handle the matter their way and left the village.

NO RAPE, NO LOOTING, NO EXTORTION

In another village, young men with guns and machetes riding motorbikes, stopped at a sales point of smuggled fuel and whisked away gallons of fuel. The salesman and onlookers were left dumbfounded. The act looking like looting, they stayed mute, at least thankful they were not hurt. But to their utter surprise, the young men who “seized” their fuel returned the next day and paid for the fuel they took away.

Some bike riders have testified that sometimes the Amba Boys seize their bikes to get away to some location, but once there, they call someone they know to ask them to collect their bikes where they abandoned them before entering the bush, describing the place.

When Amba fighters went on the rampage at Wone village also along the Kumba-Mamfe road, where they burnt down a lugging trailer and had bloody fire-fights with defence and security forces, travelers who ran into their “checkpoints” say the boys asked for money to buy cartridges for their dane guns. Their driver offered 2000FCFA. The boys asked him to throw the money on the ground, explaining that they do not receive money directly to their hands. When they, the passengers, each offered their own share of money, the Amba Boys turned them down and said what the driver had given them was enough. Just 2000FCFA! The Odey Chi Boys only enquired whether there were any soldiers in disguise in their vehicle. After performing a ritual by swinging a machete in front of them, which it is believed, would have turned red or smeared with blood were an “enemy” in their vehicle, they were allowed to drive on.

A driver transporting me to Bamenda on March 29, told me that on his way to Kumba earlier that day he ran into the Amba Boys at Kendem village, just under 40km from Mamfe. He said all they asked from him and his passengers was, “Any Gendarme dey inside dis moto?” (Is there any Gendarme in this vehicle?). They were allowed to drive on. “Some passengers were afraid they would search and seize money and their property, but those boys do not ask for money,” said the driver.

MY PRELIMINARY CONCLUSION

As well as there are concordant testimonies and reports of neither looting nor extortion by the Amba Boys, there have equally been no reports of rape. These three are the acts of atrocity most commonly reported by guerrilla fighters for obvious reasons: they would rape women because staying in bush hideouts for long could leave them sex-starved; they would loot where they attack and leave people fleeing for their lives; they would extort from frightened persons, taking advantage of their intimidating posture with arms. Besides ransoms reportedly collected from hostage-taking, none of these atrocities have been blamed on the Amba fighters.

Short of my wished opportunity to interview the Amba Boys, one-on-one, it is generally believed that their Odey Chi cult prohibits them to have contact of any kind with women, including sex and even eating food cooked by women. I am yet to confirm that. It is said their cult equally bars them from stealing/extorting or looting. “If they do any of those, they will lose their powers and lose their invincibility,” said someone claiming to be familiar with the dictates of the cult. “That’s why some of them a killed in battle, but on the whole, most of them do not succumb to bullets, reason why they are fearless and have the courage to attack soldiers, without waiting to be attacked.”

If this is true of the Amba Boys, can’t I conclude that their war will be a sane war, one free of atrocities, and thus a Holy War of sorts? Doesn’t that impose a kind of rare discipline on the troops?

By Franklin Sone Bayen

30, March 2018

Chris Anu to Launch First Ambazonia World-Wide Digital Radio ⁰

Ambazonia Interim Government Secretary for Communications,Hon. Chris Anu, is set on launching Ambazonia’s first digital radio with worldwide receptibility.

A few days ago, Sec. Chris put up a poster advertising the near launching of the radio on his social media platform to the jubilation of most of his fans. However, he never explained to the audience whether the radio is an Interim Government initiative or his own personal venture. Our senior political man, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai shared this soul-searching conversation with the Ambazonian Communication Secretary

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Many people seem to be very excited at the radio idea you published on Face book. But you didn’t say whether it is your own child or that of the IG. Can you clarify that please?

Chris Anu: No! It’s entirely my personal initiative. If things had gone well financially, the radio would have in fact been launched since October 30th last year. That was the plan. It was already in the pipeline before I was consulted to be part of the Interim Government. Unfortunately, funds just didn’t show up on time for me to meet the dateline.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: What is the mission of the radio and how will people in Ambaland receive its signals?

Chris Anu: Well, this is a new kind of radio that very many people in Ambaland are probably not very familiar with. This is not traditional FM, AM or SW radio. We call it digital radio. It is produced exclusively online. But we thought how many people want to sit on the computer to listen to radio, unless you are on your PC, you don’t have the time. So we thought of a way to make it accessible to everyone interested in Southern Cameroons news and events around the world to have easy access to the broadcast. So we thought about delivering the signal through an App. The App is called SCAN Radio. It is an App just like every other App. People will download it for free, do a free one time sign up and start receiving or listening to the radio 24/7.

Now, with the App, you can imagine that so long as anyone has an android phone, tablet or I Phone and I Pad, no matter where you may be in the world, all you need to do is push the App in your gadget and start listening to the broadcast. It will be in your phone, it will go anywhere with you, and tell me, who doesn’t carry an Android or Apple phone?

You asked about the mission! The mission is news, news 24/7. I’m banking on the services of reporters on the ground and those of the very many talented Ambazonian journalists to get this done. I want it to be Ambazonia’s own BBC or VOA. News every top of the hour and headlines news every bottom of the hour. In between that we will have a mixed of interviews, features and commentaries on developing stories.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: How do you compromise your position as IG communication Secretary and that of a Journalist running the radio?

Chris Anu: You surely understand that at the IG we are all volunteers’ right? That leaves us to still work for ourselves. There is no doubt that the radio will be a big asset at the disposal of the IG, but it is purely a commercial venture. It is an independent radio station and would function like any other radio does. I will have time to do lots of the programs, even reading of the news. But, it will be fully staffed so that my absence for my other ventures and business of the IG wouldn’t have to be a problem.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: Will you accept programming from other groups that share different opinion from the IG for broadcast?

Chris Anu: As far as the material doesn’t compromise our mission and goal to Buea, Yes, I will. Again, this is a commercial venture and the doors are opened to all. And I really mean all. Even people who have been mean to me are welcome. I have a philosophy that in a struggle or revolution like this, you never want to have permanent enemies, you allow everything to transit and pave way for collaboration or unity.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: So when should people expect to start listening to the radio?

Chris Anu: Right now, the App is ready, but not yet published in Play store and Apple store because we are still doing testing. It takes a little longer to get on Apple store. I believe that within ten days it should be in Play store for download. Maybe same with Apple store. Once they are launched in both stores, we will keep on with another week or two of test running to give people the opportunity to download the app before we start with proper programming. In a nutshell, it should be fully functional on or before the 15th of April.

Cameroon Intelligence Report: How do you hope to sustain the radio financially?

Chris Anu: Well, I just told you that this is a commercial venture. We hope that it generates revenue on its own, and of course, we equally looking forward to community support.

30, March 2018

Southern Cameroons crisis deepens as Ambazonians increase self-defense efforts ⁰

Last week, the body of a Tunisian engineer working for construction firm Soroubat was found near Kumba in Southwest Province after the military rescued a compatriot and two Cameroonian technicians kidnapped by separatists, the government believes.

If, as alleged, the militant Ambazonian Defence Force (ADF) was responsible, this latest incident will exacerbate fears of a political meltdown in a region already dotted with ghost towns — fields of ripe cocoa beans are left unattended while teachers and lawyers remain on strike.

Militants ambush police and attack army checkpoints while a military crackdown on dissent has allegedly resulted in many fatalities and scores detained without due process, prompting a civilian exodus.

Systematically denied economic opportunity, Anglophones have for decades been largely excluded from the political process, inspiring activists to demand their own state — Ambazonia — co-extensive with the former UK-administered United Nations Trust Territory of Southern Cameroons.

Public opinion is divided between those embracing the separatist movement and those who believe violence only undermines recent gains.

The token appointment of an English speaker as prime minister has been maintained, while President Paul Biya’s two more loyal Anglophones have ministerial roles.

However, Biya has not accepted demands to reinstate the Anglophone region’s original federal status.

Respected figures such as upstream consultant Simon Tamfu, a Northwesterner and ex-head of exploration at state oil company SNH, believe the struggle for autonomy has been hijacked by militants.

Results of last weekend’s senatorial elections will be known soon, but there is a real risk that October’s presidential polls will be derailed.

Culled from Upstream

30, March 2018

Trump to Putin: Start arms race, US will win ⁰

US President Donald Trump has reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin that if Washington and Moscow reignite the arms race, the United States would win it.

Putin’s revelation of new nuclear-capable Russian weapons that can reach the United States “really got under the president’s skin,” one official told NBC News on Thursday.

“If you want to have an arms race we can do that, but I’ll win,” Trump reportedly told his Russian counterpart during a phone call last week.

Delivering his annual state of the nation speech in Moscow earlier this month, Putin expressed concerns about the new US nuclear posture which he said has lowered the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

The new American policy allows the use of nuclear weapons “in response to a conventional attack or even a cyberthreat,” the Russian president said, adding, “Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons only in response to a nuclear attack or an attack with other weapons of mass destruction against her or her allies, or a conventional attack against us that threatens the very existence of the state.”

Putin also said that Russia had tested a number of new advanced strategic weapons, which could not be intercepted, saying they would render US-made defense missile systems “useless.” He also said that the West has ignored Russia but should “listen to us now.”

In last week’s phone call, Trump also congratulated Putin for his recent victory in Russia’s presidential election.

Following the phone call, Trump said that the two men had “a very good call” and that he was planning to meet with the Russian leader in the near future.

Tensions between Russia and the US have heightened in recent weeks, following the alleged nerve-agent poisoning of a former Russian double agent in Britain.

Western officials have blamed that attack on Moscow, though the Russian government has denied any role in it. Some analysts have said that the poisoning Sergei Skripal is a false flag operation orchestrated by MI5 with the complicity of the British press in order to demonize Russia.

The US has ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning. Up to 17 EU countries and Australia have also announced that they will expel dozens of Russian diplomats.

It was the biggest such expulsion since the height of the Cold War era, a term that describes the tense relationship between the US and the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1989.

There are now fears of a serious diplomatic crisis and a freezing in relations between Moscow and the West, which has raised the specter of the Cold War once again.

American officials said the expulsions meant to send a message to Putin about the “unacceptably high” number of Russian intelligence operatives in America.

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “powerful forces” in the US and Britain were behind the nerve agent attack against Skripal that the British government has blamed on Moscow.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned of a return to the Cold War-like tensions between the United States and Russia in the wake of recent developments.

“I think we are coming to a situation that is similar, to a large extent, to what we lived during the Cold War,” Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York on Thursday.

He then called on Washington and Moscow to re-establish lines of communication in a bid to avoid any escalation of tensions.

Source: Presstv

30, March 2018

Buhari vows to consolidate Nigeria’s unity ⁰

President Muhammadu Buhari made his first official visit to Lagos on Thursday since coming to power in 2015.

During the visit, the head of State went ahead to inaugurate a vast public transport station.

The state government declared Thursday a work-free day for civil servants to allow them to welcome the 75-year-old leader. Buhari used the occasion to call on Nigerians to preserve their unity despite the diversity.

“Our goal is to bring together all sections of the nation and all Nigerians of every creed, region and ethnic group into a mutually beneficial productive, social, economic and political relationship,” Muhammadu Buhari said.

The visit comes less than a year to the presidential election scheduled for February 2019. Muhammadu Buhari is still to make his intentions clear about a possible second term.

Nigeria, a major oil producing country in Africa went through an economic recession last year aggravated by the fall in oil prices. The head of state suggested the way forward.

“We seek to replace corruption with correctness, insecurity with safety and poverty with prosperity. The road we thread is rough and hard in spots; the search for progress and reforms has its rough patches,” he added.

President Buhari was widely criticized – even by his own party – for his passivity and the rigidity of his economic policies which allegedly discouraged foreign investors.

His popularity within the ruling APC will be tested during party primaries expected to hold later this year.

Source: Africa News

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Vatican scrambles to clarify pope’s reported denial of hell ⁰

Condition of Ambazonian refugees in Nigeria worries top UNHCR official ⁰

Ambazonian Revolution: Whose side are you on? Good Friday and lessons for Anglophone leaders ⁰

US and British troops killed in Syria ⁰

Southern Cameroons Crisis: U.K. cautions citizens in travel alert ⁰

The United Kingdom has issued a travel alert for Cameroon warning nationals to totally avoid travel to within 40km of the country’s borders with Nigeria, Chad and Central African Republic.

Ambazonia Liberation Struggle: A Holy Odey Chi War? ⁰

Chris Anu to Launch First Ambazonia World-Wide Digital Radio ⁰

Southern Cameroons crisis deepens as Ambazonians increase self-defense efforts ⁰

Trump to Putin: Start arms race, US will win ⁰

Buhari vows to consolidate Nigeria’s unity ⁰

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