South Africa: Ex-President Jacob Zuma Freed From Prison

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been set free following the expiry of his prison sentence for contempt of court, a government department said on Friday.

Zuma received a 15-month sentence last year after he ignored instructions to participate in a corruption inquiry, thereby committing a court contempt. 

He handed himself in on July 7 last year to begin his sentence, which led to the worst violence South Africa had seen in years as his angry supporters took to the streets.

In a statement, Zuma said he felt relieved to be a free man and thanked his supporters.

"The... messages of support on social media and other platforms kept me strong and focused on ensuring that those who wanted to break my spirit and resolve do not succeed," he said.

Zuma was released on medical parole in September 2021. But in December, the high court set aside the parole decision and ordered him to return to jail. Zuma appealed the ruling and remained on parole pending the appeal outcome.

His appeal had not been determined by the time his sentence expired.

"Mr Zuma complied with his conditions for medical parole as set out during his placement," the Correctional Services department said in a statement.

"All administrative processes have now been concluded and the sentence expiry date marks the end of him serving his sentence under community corrections."

We Have $310 Million Economic Reform Funding Agreement With Rwanda — IMF

Enyichukwu Enemanna 

The International Monetary Fund said on Friday that it had reached a staff-level agreement for a 36-month Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI) and Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) to support Rwanda’s economic policies and reforms with $310 million  and help it build resilience against climate change.

Rwanda is the first African country to reach a staff-level agreement to access the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST) 

Rwanda's gross domestic product is forecast to grow 6.8% in 2022, the IMF said in a statement, higher than the 6% it predicted in June.

The funding agreement is subject to approval by the IMF's executive board, which is scheduled to consider it in December this year.

The IMF said a mission to the East African country had discussed reforms to strengthen the fiscal framework, sustain effective forward-looking monetary policy and mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Addressing high inflation, long-term development needs and emerging climate risks remain a policy challenge in a highly volatile global environment," the Fund's statement said.

Innovative African Countries 2022

Niger Delta: Group Urge PMB To Score Valid Points Before Its Tenure Elapses

The League of Niger Delta Elders has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC government to salvage its administrations and as a matter of urgency to score some valid points before its tenure elapses.

In an Open Letter, on Friday to Solomon Lalong, Governor of Plateau State and Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign, the group bewailed the APC government for failing to deliver on its many promises made to the Niger Delta region noting that this sad development has taken the region backwards in terms of development. 

"As the 2023 general election draws nigh, it has become crucial to express our displeasure with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, on their failed promises to the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

"The alarm raised by Godswill Akpabio, the erstwhile Minister of Niger Delta Affairs that the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC is on "life support", is a reality which has taken the region aback, and is disrupting the developmental story of the region that is begging to be written in gold.

"The deliberate failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to constitute a substansive NDDC Board is a minus in their achievements, especially as they leave office in a few months time. 

"This Gestapo-like decision, has left the NDDC leadership in the hands of a Sole Administratior for too long. This has in turn botched the working relationship between the NDDC, International Oil Companies, IOCs and the Niger Delta Ministry. 

"These bureaucracies are largely responsible for the trapping of funds which would have been used to fast-track payment to contractors for projects executed in the region.

"The East West Road still lies uncompleted. The report of the NDDC Forensic Audit which revealed that as much as 13,000 projects remain uncompleted across the region, is yet to be made public.

"To this end, and as a matter of urgency to score some valid points before leaving office, the current administration can still salvage itself," the letter written by Oyintari Peretimi, the group's spokesperson read.

Bayelsa Gov Meets President Over Medical University, Road Projects

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, on Wednesday, met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Governor Diri, who was accompanied to the meeting by his predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson, former Military Governor of Rivers State and Amanyanabo of Twon Brass, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, and the Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama, King Bubaraye Dakolo, sought the President’s intervention and the support of the Federal Government in addressing some critical infrastructural and developmental issues in the state.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that in pursuance of the President’s policy to establish six new federal universities of medical sciences and bio-medical technology in the country, the state was willing to hand-over the Bayelsa Medical University (BMU) to the federal government to cover the South-South region.

The governor noted that the medical institution was equipped with a 300-bed hospital and had all its programmes accredited by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

The governor equally sought the support and collaboration of the federal government on the ongoing three senatorial road projects in the state. They include the Yenagoa-Angiama-Oporoma-Ukubie road in Bayelsa Central, the Sagbama-Ekeremor-Agge road (Bayelsa West) and the Yenagoa-Ogbia-Nembe-Brass road (Bayelsa East).

According to the governor, Bayelsa, being the most littoral and riverine state in Nigeria, grapples with very peculiar environmental challenges that place greater burden on the cost of infrastructure development.

“This notwithstanding, successive administrations have made spirited efforts to connect the state through massive investment in roads and bridges. Yet we have the least road coverage in the country, which makes most communities inaccessible by road.

“To take advantage of the Blue Economy, my administration has continued the construction of the three senatorial roads designed to terminate at the Atlantic Ocean.

“These roads, which are long-conceived federal projects that have suffered lack of attention, will provide enormous benefits to our communities and enable easy access to our nation’s oil and gas assets.”

The Bayelsa governor also solicited the President’s intervention to resolve the controversy surrounding the revoked Atala Marginal Oilfield (OML 46) licence, which is owned by the state government.

He explained that state government acquired the marginal field through the Bayelsa Oil Company Limited (BOCL) since 2003 but was surprised that in April 2020, a few weeks after he assumed office, the federal government through the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) revoked the licence.

Diri stated that the oilfield was reallocated to “a private company based on wrong information supplied to the relevant authorities.”

President Buhari, in his brief response, assured the delegation that he will urgently look into the requests and act on them.

NDLEA, Interpol sign MoU on access to global criminal data records

By Gowon Emakpe

 

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA and the International Criminal Police Organization, INTERPOL , have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU that will enable the anti-narcotics agency contribute to the pool of global criminal data and also access such records of 195 countries around the world for its use.

Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA,  Mohamed Buba Marwa, signed for the Agency while the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of the National Central Bureau and Vice President, Interpol Africa, Garba Baba Umar, endorsed the document on behalf of the global body.

Femi Babafemi, Director, Media & Advocacy of the Agency said speaking at a brief ceremony at the NCB secretariat, Force Headquarters Abuja on Wednesday,5th October 2022,  Marwa reminded the audience that drug business is international in scope while the scourge of drug abuse has continued to destroy lives, youths, families and communities, stressing that it also fuels criminalities because perpetrators either consume illicit substances or use proceeds to fund their nefarious criminal activities.

“As we are after the drug cartels and barons, we are not under the illusion that they won’t be after us but we are always steps ahead of them. This is why all security agencies must collaborate to fight the cartels, whether in Nigeria or anywhere in the world. We are therefore happy that the signing of this MoU allows us access to contribute and benefit from criminal data records of 195 countries globally”, 

Marwa, commended the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba Usman for providing good leadership for the Nigeria Police and his commitment to partner with NDLEA in the fight against illicit drugs in Nigeria, citing the IGP’s memo to all police formations across the country to always transfer drug cases to NDLEA across the states for investigation and prosecution, as a mark of such collaboration.

Speaking earlier, AIG Garba Umar commended Marwa for transforming NDLEA to a ground breaking agency within a short time of his assumption of office. He called for more support for the anti-narcotics agency from all relevant stakeholders especially security agencies.

He highlighted the significance of the MoU to the success of NDLEA operations and assured of the full support of Interpol at all times.

 

Nigeria @ 62: Medicliq Provides Free Medical Checkup For IBB Golf Club Members

In commemoration of Nigeria’s 62nd Independence anniversary and the 82nd birthday of elder statesman and former military governor of Rivers State, Alfred Diete-Spiff, a healthcare technology organization, Medicliq Health Care has taken free medical services to members of IBB Golf Club in Abuja.

The group which deploys technology such as telemedicine, emotional intelligence, virtual consultations with doctors from across the globe and others in administering to the health care needs of millions of people in Africa said it is poised to making access to decent medical care affordable and easy to everyone irrespective of age and status.

Speaking with newsmen at the weekend in Abuja, the CEO Medicliq Health Care, Dr. Abubakar Ibrahim said the decision to choose the Golf Club, which he said is a game novel among senior citizens is borne out of the need to reach the elderly in its free medical campaign, stating that it is poised to touch the lives of more people with the right support from relevant agencies of government.

According to Dr. Ibrahim, similar outreach has taken place outreach in Jos, Kano, Port Harcourt and more cities across the federation, adding that the organization is in consultation with a lot of government agencies in its effort to make health care affordable and accessible to all Nigerians.

“We have several kinds of innovations that we are working on, currently we have a device which is like a mobile clinic that has everything, it is a box which is mobile and can be taken to any rural community and can perform treatment care just from our box without  going to a hospital.

“You have access to international doctors from that box, you can speak to a doctor across the world, it has internet access, it connects directly to the satellite, and we can reach any community wherever ” he said.

While noting that many Nigerians no longer pay attention to critical health concerns since post COVID-19, Dr. Ibrahim expressed optimism that this innovation will go a long way in providing answers to health issues such as depression, mental health, communicable diseases and others affecting individuals because of change of lifestyle.

“It is an innovation that can change all these, just the same way the mobile communication evolved, it is time we moved from mediocrity in health care to technology where we can now start saving lives.”

According to him, the reception has been impressive despite the little distraction associated with the charged political atmosphere ahead of Nigeria’s major election in 2023. He appealed to the government to activate relevant agencies to raise awareness about the decaying mental health care in the country.

In his comment, CEO Red Saphire Mr Ono Akpe while saying that Medicliq is spending a lot of money to sponsor the outreach noted that there was no religious and tribal sentiments in various states it has covered.

He said the mobile app introduced by the organization assists patients in having access to medical care irrespective of their location.

“We have a wonder-kit, a whole clinic on the go and that box is a magic box that can check you up for most general issues you would have including cardio, ECG, ear , nose and throat issues and amongst others.

“It can be used in any community, rural and urban to treat patients and all they need to do is to connect it to the satellite and you can get international doctors that will appear on the screen and consult with the patient directly, all you need to do is put up the box set it up and with the screen you can be linked up to a doctor that has been programmed” he added.

Medicliq has other Medical Outreach programmes in Abuja planned for the month of October to commemorate Nigeria's 62 Independence anniversary.