Welcome to another weekend edition of News in Africa Online. As usual, we have come out smoking! This is the 24th edition of our news package geared to keep you in tune with happenings in and around Africa. We are miles ahead of the rest. Others simply dish out the bland and hard news about Africa. But we spice up our reports with incisive and entertaining analyses aimed at keeping you relaxed as you browse from one story to another.
This February 9 publication should be a reader’s delight. For starters, our Spotlight column looks at one of the busy-bodies in the Nigerian media, the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN. The professionals in the agency hardly knock off or catch a nap. They stay up all night to ensure that words smiths like us will have something to chew on. News will not be news if it is not reported in credible media, that is, if it is not passed on. Click on it and see what we mean.
This weekend, we prefer to profile the personality of an uncanny fellow – a man who does not submit easily to definition and description. Pat Utomi is in many ways an enigma. Apart from being endowed with plenty talents, he has extra doses of energy and stamina that enable him to keep bouncing properly. He is a down-to-earth fellow. He can board a jeep or taxi to the airport but when the going gets tough, he simply drops and takes okada rather than miss his flight. Since he circulates round the globe like air, you need to meet him one of these days.
In Liberia, hundreds of thousands of women turned up at the polls last Boxing Day to vote for Senator George Weah to become their President. Now, President Weah, who has a female deputy, has been announcing names of people to fill important positions in his government. He has not named a single woman. The women do not find that funny. They are speaking out loud and clear. Click on Women Issues and see our analysis.
The East African country of Uganda hardly misses the news on any given day. Its leader, Yoweri Museveni, thrives in controversy. In this edition, Uganda, clearly features twice. First, the UN human rights agency has asked the government to perform a specific task, which it is apparently not keen in doing. On the other side, President Museveni, who likes the limelight, wants to relish the effects of the 2018 World Cup from Kampala since his country did not qualify to be in Russia in June. Smart guy! See both reports – Human Rights and Travel/Tourism.
We hear that the simple definition of education is – that which is left after all that the child learnt from the blackboard and the books is gone. Do you agree with this? If it is true, try and fathom out why the French President and a popular pop star agreed to team up to promote education. Click on our Education column.
There are local champions and there are world champions. But every championship entails tactics and techniques. Nigeria was doing well in the CHAN in Morocco until it met the host nation. That match looked like the meeting of the analogue and the digital (apologies to Gen. Ibrahim Babangida). The lesson is quite clear. The 2018 World Cup in Russia is about 4 months away. The Nigerian squad has become the reference point for other African teams featuring in Russia. Expose the teams to modern trends in soccer. That is, drop analogue and go digital! Click on our Sports column.
We have the regulars as usual – Nigeria, ICT, Politics, East Africa, Environment, Media and Human Rights, Central Africa.
Feel at home.
Pat I. Chukwuelue
Editor-in-Chief
