News in Africa Online promises to remain a one-stop-shop – that is to be your ideal website for vital tit-bits – that make up part of the information kit, any day, for Africans on the move. The larger picture we like to paint is to present Africans at home and in The Diaspora with thoughtful insights into common day occurrences. One lay man is said to have defined News and Current Affairs as “the same things that happen every day, except that the victims are different”. There seems to be some sense in that definition because on our part, we like to make our website the one-stop shop that places both the events and the victims on one page. We like to serve them hot to you each weekend.
Last week, we launched into Personality Profile in a bid to bring you the account of the lives of eminent Africans who have toiled to advance the frontiers of civilization in their countries and the continent. This week, we are serving you the theological aspect of one of Africa’s best known clerics, Archbishop Emeritus, Desmond Tutu of South Africa. In the same vein, we have created a new slot – Spotlight – where we hope to look at government organizations and actors that have been part of the democratic experience in Nigeria.
In this debut, the Spotlight is on two key actors – the Nigerian law enforcement agency charged with the task of battling economic and financial crimes, EFCC. There can be no doubt that the EFCC is one of the most widely known government organizations in Nigeria. It operates like a mad dog which has no qualms in turning round to attack even its founders including the guys holding its leash. The other subject on our Spotlight slot is the Chief Servant of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, who has picked up the epithet of Action Governor from his predecessor.
The place of the media in many African countries remains very sensitive. In country after country, the authorities continue to issue Press statements as well as to organize workshops and seminars to warn practitioners, especially those engaged by the private radio and television stations, on the need to abide by the rules and regulations embedded in the statutes that preceded their licenses. Two weeks back, we reported on the situation in Liberia; last week, we zeroed in on Nigeria, now the searchlight is on the Cameroonian media.
We could not have missed out on the acclaim that Anti-nuke groups have won for themselves. The campaign against Nuclear weapons has been acknowledged by such an influential global body as the Nobel Peace Committee in Sweden. The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize has gone to the right guys. The best way to avoid the threat of a nuclear war is to get all the countries that have developed them to dismantle their bombs. Yes, ICAN is on the right path.
This edition has a fine mix of reports on our regular spots – Politics, Education, Agriculture, Business, Economy, Climate Change, Entertainment and Sports. We are glad you are visiting our site. Let us have your comments.
Pat I. Chukwuelue
Editor-in-Chief
