Afrikan Post December 2015 issue

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Vol 7 Issue 12

African Community News

2015: The Year African Women’s Political Page 28 Participation Rose To New Heights!

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December 2015

African Diaspora Coding Academy Graduation

From the Editor

O u r G r ea tes t G lor y is n o t in n ever f a llin g b u t in r is in g ever y time we f a ll .

We ar e committted to b r in gin g th e commu n ity th e bes t in N ews f r om Af r ica a n d th e D ia s p or a . Yo u may als o vis it o u r webs ite a t www.af r ik an po s t.com f or d a ily n ews u p da tes o n Af r ica .

D is cla imer : Th e o p in ion s ex pr es s ed in ar ticles a n d s to r ies in th is N ews pa per ar e th os e o f th e a u th o r s a n d d o n o t n eces s ar ily r ef lect th e views o f Af r ik an Po s t . All co mmen ts a n d s u g g es tio n s a r e welcome.

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D E PA R T M E N T S Vol 7 Issue 12

CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT

Rocky Dawuni Nominated For 2016 Grammy Awards Pg. 11

Buhari Bags Kasu’s Doctorate Degree Of Letters Pg. 11

Meet the Nigerian designing Michelle Obama's dresses, decorating the White House Pg. 16

Battle Wounds: The Bruised Heel Pg. 20

SPORTS Yaya Toure Wins BBC African Footballer Of The Year Award 2015 Pg. 39

UPDATE Ex President Olusegun Obasanjo Appointed Chairman of World Ex-Presidents Pg. 11

On Saturday, December 12, 2015, The Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA), in partnership with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), the Department of Human Resources (DCHR)’s Center for Learning and Development, and Coders4Africa (C4A) hosted the graduation ceremony for its EKO | African Diaspora Coding Academy Session I. EKO | African Diaspora Coding Academy is a capacity building program developed by MOAA to provide greater access to free coding classes, software design, and application development for the growing African-born population in the District. EKO bolsters Mayor Bowser’s commitment to focus on high-growth industries such as technology to stimulate job creation and prepare District constituents with long-term competitive skills that will place under-served community members on ‘Pathways to the Middle Class.’

MOAA Director Mamadou Samba and C4A Cofounder Amadou Daffe delivered welcoming

remarks to the 40 graduates, followed by congratulatory comments by Nicole Cook, Deputy Interim Director for the Center for Learning and Development, DCHR, and Michael Rupert, Director of Communications, OCTO. The speakers emphasized the importance of bridging the digital divide and acknowledged the contributions that graduates from EKO will make to their communities as they build on the skills that they have acquired through the program. In a showcase of these skills, four students presented their final website projects, each of which held direct relevance to community and business development.

At the end of the program, Directors Samba, Cook, and Rupert along with Amadou Daffe and the Chair of the Commission on African Affairs, Dr. Akua Asare, presented the graduates with their certificates.

About 50 community member, including several members of the Commission on African Affairs, MOAA staff and invitees attended the graduation ceremony.

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December 2015

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Afrikan Post

2016 elections in Africa

1/31/2016

Burkina Faso

2/18/2016

Uganda presidential and parliamentary elections.

1/31/2016

2/21/2016

2/21/2016

2/28/2016

3/13/2016

February 2016 3/20/2016

Municipal

Central African Republic Presidential and Parliamentary Runoff

Comoros

Presidential

Niger

Parliamentary, Presidential

Benin

Presidential Runoff

Benin

Cape Verde

Legislative

Niger

Presidential and Parliamentary Runoff

Chad

Presidential

Djibouti Presidential

April 2016

Sudan

August 2016

August 2016

Referendum

Republic of the Congo Cape Verde

Presidential

Presidential

September 2016 Zambia Legislative, Presidential

10/30/2016

Tunisia Municipal, Regional

11/27/2016

Democratic Republic of Congo

12/1/2016

The Gambia

2016

Parliamentary

November 2016 Equatorial Guinea 12/7/2016

Chad

Presidential

Presidential

Ghana Parliamentary, Presidential

2016

Mauritania

Legislative

2016

Tanzania Constitutional Referendum

2016

Mali

2016

Morocco

December 2016 Cote d'Ivoire 2016 2016

2016

Libya

Municipal

Guinea Municipal

Parliamentary

Rwanda Parliamentary

Somalia General

2016

Gabon General

2016

Parliamentary

Constitutional Referendum

2016

2016

Legislative, Presidential

Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Local Sierra Leone

Local

2015

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Nigerian Makes History after New York Police Department Promoted Her to Inspector

Presidential

April 2016

April 2016

December

The New York Police Department has announced the promotion of Deputy Inspector Olufunmilola F. Obe to the rank of Inspector. When her promotion was announced at a ceremony at Police headquarters in Manhattan on Friday, December 18, 2015, there was a tumultuous roar of approval from the audience of many Nigerians and other African leaders in the New York region, who had been invited to witness the ceremony, including Imam Souleymane Konate. Inspector Obe began her career with the New York City Police Department in June, 1992 as a Police Cadet assigned to the 24 Precinct. In February 1994, she was sworn in as a New York City police officer and assigned to the 17 Precinct. She has

also served at the 19 and 50 Precincts, as well as the Property Clerk Division.

Inspector was promoted to Sergeant in December 2000, Lieutenant in July 2005, Captain in September 2008, and Deputy Inspector in June 2012.

Currently the Commanding Officer at the 28 Precinct, Inspector Obe has also commanded Police Service Area B. She also served as Executive Officer of the 19, 25 and 34 Precincts. Inspector Obe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from The City College of New York and a Master of Public Administration from Marist College. Inspector Obe is 2014 graduate of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University.

Inspector Obe has been married to her husband, Peter, for 19 years, and they have three children, Ayodele, Tola and Timi.

The African community congratulates this trail-blazer in policing in the United States of America, and wants the world to know that they are very proud of her accomplishments.

Source:http://www.lailasblog.com/2015 /12/Olufunmilolaf

Senegal Refugee Wins €400,000 In Spain Lottery

A refugee from Senegal who travelled to Europe by boat has won a stake of some €400,000 (£294,000; $436,000) in Spain's annual Christmas lottery.

The man, named Ngagne, travelled from Morocco to Spain in 2007.

Ticket-holders in his coastal town of Roquetas de Mar won first prize, and a share of €640m (£470m), in the "El Gordo" (The Fat One) lottery.

Ngagne told one Spanish newspaper that he and his wife often did not have even €5 to last the day.

The 35-year-old and his wife were rescued when they made the journey by boat in 2007, and taken to the island of Tenerife. They now live in Roquetas de Mar, which is on Spain's south coast.

"There were 65 people on that boat," he told the La Voz de Almeria newspaper (in Spanish). "I want to give thanks to Spaniards and the Spanish government for rescuing me when I was in the sea."

Read more on Roquetas de Mar's win Ngagne told reporters he had recently lost his job as a vegetable picker in greenhouses near the town of Almeria.

Another migrant in the town also won a share of the prize - a Moroccan 18-year-old named Imanes Naamane who moved to Spain aged four. "We will be able to do a lot of things - everything we want," La Voz de Almeria quoted her as saying. "We were in real trouble before."

Roquetas de Mar has an unemployment rate of more than 30% - higher than the national average of 21% - and tourism and agriculture are the main industries.

Unlike many other lotteries, there is no single jackpot in El Gordo. Instead the winnings are distributed among thousands of people.

The winning number - 79140 - appeared on 1,600 tickets in Roquetas de Mar. Second-prize winners included ticket-holders in Seville and Granada.

El Gordo is the world's biggest Christmas lottery, and the live televised draw grips the nation.

http://www.bbc.com/news

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Spain Elects First Black MP Into Parliament

A former nurse has made history in Spain by becoming the first black Member of Parliament. Rita Bosaho secured the coastal city of Alicante according to The Guardian. Born in Equatorial Guinea, Bosaho moved to Spain more than 30 years ago, working as nurse before moving into politics. On her historical win, the Podemos politician told El País: “It’s about time, isn’t it?” In Spain, immigrants make up roughly 15 per cent of the population but represent less than one per cent of the country’s lawmakers. The 50-year-old told Spanish news agency Efe: “Why is it so striking that a black woman could end up in parliament? What does that say about us all being integrated?” The shortage of diversity in Spain’s institutions, she said, comes down to a lack of opportunities. “It’s a structural problem that needs to be put in context, looking at the social panorama of Spain.”

business. “We talk about rights and equality and the constitution protects us,” said Bosaho. “But what happens with institutional representation or women in business? Why aren’t our voices being heard there?” The mother-of-one is a member of the left-wing Spanish political party Podemos, who have managed to rise to become the third largest part in the parliament commanding 69 out of 350 seats after securing 21 per cent of the votes on Sunday. – Source: voice-online.co.uk Source: http://citifmonline.com

With a reputation for activism, the politician has vocalised her intention to prioritise violence against women and raising the profile of women in politics and

ECOWAS Single Currency To Be Launched By 2020

By Arthur Chatora on December 10, 2015 — Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) says the single currency programme will be launched by 2020

ECOWAS to adopt single currency by 2020 Photo: Ghanaweb ECOWAS to adopt single currency by 2020 Photo: Ghanaweb

Kalilou Traore, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commissioner for Industry and Private Sector Promotion, says the commission is committed to implementing a single currency in West Africa by 2020.

Traore told the media in Lagos this week that the commission was fast-tracking processes toward the implementation of the single currency within the period, Vanguard reported.

“More states have to comply with some macroeconomic

criteria like inflation, budget deficit, currency stability; without this, if we set up a common currency, it will fail”.

A common currency is expected to support a more integrated regional economy and Traore said frameworks which support regional automotive, pharmaceutical and agriculture industry programmes are part of the processes toward achieving success of the common currency, Vanguard reported.

Member states must maintain a single-digit inflation rate at the end of each year Photo: Member states must maintain a single-digit inflation rate at the end of each year Photo: According to reports, the 15-member bloc – shifted the launch date of the single currency from an initial date of 1 January 2015 to 2020 citing non-fulfillment of financial responsibilities by member countries.

The West African Monetary Institute set out 10 criteria points for the launch of the currency: the Four Primary Convergence

Criteria and Six Secondary Convergence Criteria, the African Review noted.

The four primary criteria include: a single-digit inflation rate at the end of each year, a fiscal deficit of no more than four percent of Gross Domestic Product, a central bank deficit-financing of no more than 10 percent of the previous year’s tax revenue, and gross external reserves that can give import cover for a minimum of three months.

Source: Vanguard

Remittance - Nigerians in Diaspora Sent Home $21 Billion in 2015

By Nicholas Ibekwe With about $21 billion sent home by Nigerians in diaspora in 2015, the country is the sixth largest receiver of remittances in the world, the Migration of Remittance Factbook 2016 has shown.

The country is also by far the largest receiver of remittances in sub-Saharan Africa, receiving a total of $34.8 billion this year.

The report, which relied on data gathered from January to December 1, 2015, was compiled by the Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development with support from the World Bank, German, Swedish and Swiss governments.

the most lucrative destinations for Nigerian migrants. Nigerians at home received a total of $9.4 billion ($5.7 billion from the US and $3.7 billion from the UK) from both countries in 2015.

SA Twins Beat Odds To Become Doctors

The 23 year-old twins, “come from a family with six children in Khayelitsha and had to survive on their mother’s meagre income as a domestic worker,” according to Stellenbosch University.

Wanele reportedly contracted tuberculosis during their matric year at the Centre of Science and Technology and Wandile helped to look after him and ensured that he didn’t lag behind.

Wandile, right and Wanele Ganya of Khayelitsha will graduate with Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degrees respectively at a ceremony at Stellenbosch

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According to the report, the U.S. is the top remittance-sending country in the world. A total of $56.3 billion was sent out of the US to other parts of the world. The second largest remittance-sending country is Saudi Arabia with $36.9 billion followed by Russia ($32.6 billion), Switzerland ($24.7billion) and Germany ($20.8 billion).

An analysis of the report by PREMIUM TIMES also shows that the United States and the United Kingdom are by far

Arthur Chatora on December 9, 2015 — Twin brothers, Wandile and Wanele Ganya from Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, excelled “in the face of adversity” to graduate as doctors from Stellenbosch University. They had to rely on their mother’s meagre income as a domestic worker, but despite the challenges, the twins pursued an opportunity, which may have once seemed impossible Twin brothers, Wandile and Wanele Ganya from Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, who are both graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree respectively from Stellenbosch University, epitomise a classic case of rising above difficult circumstances to achieve greatness.

Somalia Bans Christmas Celebrations November 2015

University. Photo: David Ritchie Despite the challenges, the twins pursued an opportunity which may have once seemed impossible to them, and they have achieved that in absolute style.

The twin brothers, who are the first people in their family to study and graduate from the university say they “immensely” benefitted from the assistance they received from Stellenbosch University. They received The Rector’s Award, for their academic excellence and excelled “in the face of adversity”.

The medical training continues for Wandile and Wanele, they have been placed at the Ngwelezana Hospital in Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal, where they will continue pursuing their dream, telling IOL: “We look forward to this new chapter in our lives, but we will be missing home. We will be calling home every day”.

Source: IOL and Stellenbosch University

Somalia's government has banned the celebration of Christmas, warning that such Christian festivities could threaten the nation's Muslim faith.

"Those celebrations are not in any way related to Islam," an official at the religious affairs ministry said.

Security agencies have been directed to stay alert to stop any gatherings.

Foreigners are free to mark the Christian holiday in their own homes, but hotels and other public places have been prohibited from marking the day.

Africa Live: BBC news updates "Having Muslims celebrate Christmas in Somalia is not the right thing, such things are akin to the abandonment," local media quote Mohamed Kheyrow, a top official at Somalia's justice and religious affairs ministry, as saying.

Correspondents say as the country recovers from years of civil war, a growing number of Somalis who grew up in the diaspora are returning home, some of them bringing Western customs with them.

Christmas is not widely celebrated in Somalia, which officially adopted Sharia in 2009, but the odd event was held - especially as an excuse to hold a party.

Mogadishu's mayor, Yusuf Hussein Jimale, told the BBC that such gatherings might also be a target for the Islamist al-Shabab group that has targeted hotels in the city in the past.

Celebrations will be allowed at UN compounds and bases for African Union peacekeepers, who are in the country to back the government's fight against the al-Qaeda-linked militants.

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Zimbabwe To Make Chinese Yuan Its Legal Currency

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Zimbabwe has announced that it will make the Chinese yuan its official legal tender after Beijing confirmed it would cancel $40 million in debts.

Zimbabwe plans to make the Chinese yuan legal tender in a deal that will result in $S40 million ($55 million) of debt being cancelled.

The southern African nation abandoned its own dollar in 2009 after hyperinflation which peaked at around 500 billion% rendered it unusable. It then started using a slew of foreign currencies, including the US dollar and the South African rand.

The yuan was later added, but its use had not been approved yet for public transactions in the market dominated by the US dollar.

The country's Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the use of the yuan "will be a function of trade between China and Zimbabwe and acceptability with customers in Zimbabwe.

They (China) said they are cancelling our debts that are maturing this year and we are in the process of finalising the debt instruments and calculating the debts."

Zimbabwe's central bank chief, John Mangudya was in negotiations with the People's Bank of China "to see whether we can enhance its usage here", the Minister said.

China is Zimbabwe's biggest trading partner following Zimbabwe's isolation by its former Western trading partners over Harare's human rights record.

A Law Firm with a Difference Call Today 571-285-5242

In reaction veteran President, Robert Mugabe adopted a "look East policy", forging new alliances with eastern Asian countries and buttressing existing ones.

In early December, Chinese President Xi Jinping stopped over in Zimbabwe in a rare trip by a world leader to the country, and presided over the signing of various agreements, mainly to upgrade and rebuild Zimbabwe's infrastructure such as power stations.

Source: http:http://news2.onlinenigeria.com

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The African Diaspora Awards In New York City

On Saturday, our friends from Applause Africa held the fifth edition of the African Diaspora Awards in New York City. Hosted by Ghanaian TV presenter and actress Peace Hyde and Nigerian comedian Seyi Brown, this year’s awards opened with an all-acoustic Fela performance by Fela! On Broadway star Sahr Ngaujah.

In total, ten awards were handed out throughout the night.

Danai Gurira was honored as the African Diaspora “Person of the Year,” just one month after the Zimbabwean playwright and actress’ Liberian Civil War drama starring Lupita Nyong’o was confirmed to be headed to Broadway.

Malian designer-to-the-stars Alhassan Toure was named Designer of the Year.

An African City creator and executive producer Nicole Amarteifio received the “Creative Artist of the Year Award” for her work launching the successful Accra-set web series.

Akon and his partner, Senegalese entrepreneur and political strategist Thione Niang, were honored as Advocates of the Year for their work with the Akon Lighting Africa project. “Africa will not develop without its diaspora,” said Niang, who last month was appointed by President Obama and the Energy Secretary as Ambassador at the US Ministry of Energy representing minorities in energy. “Together we can unify our continent. And together we can create a better Africa,” he added during a memorable acceptance speech to close out the awards.

“There is much to celebrate in Africa’s social and economic progress over the past decade,” Applause Africa co-founder Debo Folorunsho says. “But if the continent is to build on educational foundations of his youth and stop the seeping away of skills, talent and human potential caused by the crisis in education and political leadership. Africa’s youth have a right to an education that offers them a better future – and they have a right to expect their leaders and the international community to get behind them.”

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Billboard In India Mistakes Morgan Freeman For Nelson Mandela

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Okayafrica was on the red carpet to document some of the best looks at this year’s African Diaspora Awards. Browse through NYC-based photographer Leon Williams’ red carpet photos above.

The 2015 African Diaspora Awards Honorees Person of the Year: Danai Jekesai Gurira, Actress Eclipsed, Zimbabwe Advocacy: Akon & Thione Niang, The Akon Lighting Africa, Senegal Life Time Achievement: David Adjaye, Architect, Tanzania Entrepreneurship: Chid Liberty, Liberty & Justice, Apparel Manufacturer – Liberia Community Service: Atti Worku, Founder Seeds of Africa – Ethiopia Creative Artist: Nicole Amarteifio, Creator of An African City – Ghana Humanitarian: Kennedy Odede, Social entrepreneur, Shining Hope for Communities – Kenya Friend of Africa: Laurie A. Cumbo, Council Member, Office of New York City – USA Designer: Alhassan Toure, Toure Design – Mali Organizational Impact: Young African MBA’s – Pan African Excellence in service: Dr Oluyemi Badero, Cardiologist – Nigeria by Alyssa Klein Source: http://www.okayafrica.com-

New Delhi: An Indian owner of a billboard dedicated to Nelson Mandela was red-faced on Thursday after the discovery that a photo of actor Morgan Freeman was used instead of one of the anti-apartheid hero. The billboard was erected on the side of a road in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu as part of memorials across India and the world to Mandela, who died on December 5.

But Freeman’s face loomed large in the billboard over small images of rights icons Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi. “We should be proud that we were part of an era when they lived,” read the Tamil-language condolence message on the board.

Cloth merchant Chandrashekhar, who paid for the board in a private capacity as a mark of respect to the former South African leader, said it was a mistake by the designer. “We will replace it with the correct picture of Mandela,” the merchant, who uses one name, told AFP by telephone from Chennai, adding that he did not know how the gaffe occurred.

Morgan Freeman played Mandela in the 2009 film “Invictus”.

Source: http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/

Ex President Olusegun Obasanjo Appointed Chairman of World Ex-Presidents

Former Nigerian president, Matthew Olusegun Okikiola Obasanjo has been appointed as the new chairman of council of world ex-presidents.

OBJ records as the first African to be appointed at the 32nd annual plenary meeting of world ex-presidents in Newport, United Kingdom recently.

He takes over from Franz Vranitzky who was a former chancellor of Austria from 1986-1996 before he later became chairman of world ex-presidents

chairman on 1st July 2010 and served till June 2015.

Past & present Leaders Who Occupied This Post…

(1) Helmut Schmidt of Germany (2) Malcolm Fraser of Australia (3) Jean Chretien of Canada (4) Franz Vranitzky of Australia (5) Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.

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Rocky Dawuni Nominated For 2016 Grammy Awards

Ghanaian reggae artiste, Rocky Dawuni has made history by being the first Ghanaian to be nominated for the Grammy Awards in the US. The Ghanaian, who is based in the US, received a nomination in the Best Reggae Album category in the world’s most respected music awards event next year.

The nominees for the 2016 awards were announced Monday.

Rocky Dawuni received the nomination for his album ‘Branches Of The Same Tree’ and will slug it out with some of the biggest names in reggae music in the world.

Also nominated in that category are Jah Cure for ‘The Cure’, Barrington Levy for ‘Acousticalevy’, Luciano for ‘Zion Awake’ and Morgan Heritage for their album, ‘Strictly Roots’.

Winners of the 2016 edition of the awards will be announced on February 2 2016 in a ceremony that will be telecast live on American cable network, CBS.

Source: http://www.myjoyonline

Buhari Bags Kasu’s Doctorate Degree Of Letters He suggested a review of the academic approaches owing to report that about 80% of the graduates from Nigerian universities find it very difficult to get employment every year, partly due to the curricula of the universities and other tertiary institutions, which lay emphasis on training for white-collar jobs.

President Buhari said that Nigeria would need to increasingly globalize education through entrepreneurship if it would reduce the high rate of unemployment and poverty in the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been conferred with an Honorary Doctorate degree of Letters by the Kaduna State University.

buhariBuhari got the honorary doctorate on Saturday, during the second Convocation ceremony of the University in Kaduna.

Other awardees are Governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai and Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

Speaking at the occasion, the President’s advice commended the institution’s development strides in terms of academic excellence and inculcating discipline in the students within its 11 years of existence.

The President pushed the point further by mandating that all university students in Nigeria, regardless of their major, would need to study entrepreneurship during the academic career.

He promised that his administration would embark on programmes that will ensure that youths are gainfully employed as part of efforts to reduce unemployment and insecurity in the country.

The Nigerian economy, historically, has depended largely on oil revenues. As the country tries to diversify away from dependence on oil, the President maintained that entrepreneurship remains key to the future of the country’s socioeconomic development.

This he noted could only be achieved if the youths are

inculcated with the necessary skills and knowledge to be independent right from their days in school.Business mogul, Aliko Dangote, was also honoured with an honorary doctorate degree along with other awardees.

The second convocation of the Kaduna State University is for students who graduated from the institution between 2012 to 2015 academic sessions.

Since its establishment in 2005, the University has continued to develop both in terms of infrastructure and academic excellence. 38 out of the 4,000 graduating students bagged first class in various disciplines.

The University’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Barnabas Quirix said that this feat could not have been achieved without the strong foundation laid down by the management and support from government.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state, while eulogizing the successes so far recorded by the University in the area of entrepreneurship and leadership programmes, gave the assurance that his government would continue to support state owned tertiary institutions to develop by increasing their annual grants and employing additional staff. source: http://www.afrizap.com/

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December

Happy New Year !!!

From the Highlife Radio Team

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Get to Know Daniel Ampomah, Ph.D., RN, NENigeria’s MultiBC, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Nursing Talented Blessing and Health Center Okagbare Beats Usain residing in Northern Virginia. What is your favorite aspect of your work in the community?

Bolt to Guinness A. I host a health segment on a local radio station called, World Record!

“Your Health is Wealth” that addresses health issues in the

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community. My favorite aspect is just getting into the studios of Ghana Tourist Coach Radio in Alexandria, Va. every Sunday afternoon and disseminating health-related information to my community. More than 7,000 people listen to my radio broadcast where I discuss prevalent health issues in that community, such as hypertension and diabetes. It is so fulfilling when people call and seek answers to questions that bother them!

Q. Looking ahead to the future of healthcare, why do you think participating in service and volunteerism is important?

Daniel Ampomah, Ph.D., RN, NE-BC, is a faculty instructor at Chamberlain College of Nursing in Arlington, Va. and the chief executive officer of Ghana Nursing and Health Center. Dr. Ampomah received the 2015 DC/Maryland/Virginia Nurse.com GEM Award of Excellence in Volunteerism and Service.

Q. What surprised you the most about the nursing profession?

A. Nursing actually wasn’t my first career path. When I arrived to the U.S. from Ghana, I changed course. My brother was going through some difficult health issues, and the people who made his life better were the nurses. I had a change of heart because of the compassion and care that I saw nurses bringing to the table.

In nursing school, I thought bedside nursing was the only option available as a career trajectory for nursing. To my surprise, nursing is a huge and a diversified profession. You can aspire to be whatever you want to be. Opportunities for growth are found in areas such as: academia, law, forensic nursing, anesthesia, holistic nursing, case management, nurse executives, lobbyist and the list goes on and on.

A. The future of healthcare is about bringing healthcare to the doorstep of the community. Therefore, participating in service and volunteerism is important because it is the vehicle through which communities can confidently access health related information. Furthermore, it allows the volunteer to connect directly to the community and thus make it a better place. As a nurse, it affords me the opportunity to gain experience and also to meet people and learn from others.

Q. Why is it important for all nurses (regardless of specialty) to embrace giving back to the community?

A. Nursing is a caring profession that offers me an opportunity to place my skills, talents and knowledge at the disposal of my community. All nurses, regardless of their specialty, have a unique responsibility of showing gratitude to their community by selflessly giving their caring hearts back to the community by way of volunteerism. I think it is not so much an act of generosity as a responsibility. The role of the nurse is to serve as the central custodian of community care.

Nurses serve the community by providing health and wellness education and immediate care services, promote disease prevention and facilitate disease management.

Blessing Okagbare, Nigerian sprinter, beat record breaking star, Usain Bolt, to the 2016 Guinness world records feat as the athlete with the most diamond league appearances.

Okagbare participated in 38 diamond league events higher than any other athlete in the world, according to the records.

“Multi-discipline athlete, Blessing Okagbare from Nigeria participated at 38 Diamond league events between July 3, 2010 and September 5, 2014. Okagbare’s specialities are the 100m and 200m sprints and long jump,” the book said.

The IAAF Diamond League is an annual series of track and field meetings held from 2010 till date and billed to hold again in London by 2016.

The competition was designed to replace the IAAF Golden League, which held from 1998 to 2010.

Though Bolt was awarded IAAF world athlete of the year in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013, he is yet to have as much appearances as the multi-talented Nigerian.

Okagbare holds the women’s 100 metres Commonwealth Games record for the fastest time at 10.85 seconds. http://www.sundayadelajablog.com/

Source:www.discovernursing.com

Daily Trust Unveils 'African of the Year' 2015 Award Winner

Q. We know you do a lot of work with the Ghanaian population

Gregoire Ahongbonon of Benin has been named 'African of the Year' by Nigeria's Daily Trust for for "extra-ordinary work in caring for under-privileged people with mental disabilities" in Cote d'Ivoire, Benin and Togo. The influebtial Abuja-based nerwspaper says the annual award recognizes ordinary Africans who have "distinguished themselves in their various walks of life".

Source:http://allafrica.com/

Two University Students From Ghana And Nigeria Suspended In Uk Over Jollof Rice Origin Fight

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Two students of College of South West London in the UK have suspended indefinitely for a fight which ended with one of them going home with two broken teeth—and a red eye.

The students-Tracy Osei Assibey from Ghana and Lateefa Oyedepo are reported to have gotten into a fierce medieval fight which started from their shared apartment’s kitchen and ended up on the streets.

Apparently, Lateefah was peacefully cooking her jolloff rice when Tracy commented that, she was doing it the wrong way and that she shouldn’t use the fat grain easy cook rice.

Lateefah then replied that how Nigerians cook jollof is the right way since Ghanaians as usual stole jollof rice from them—adding that, Ghanaian jollof rice tastes disgusting compared to the big rice Nigerian one.

That’s how it started—the BBC says, things got heated and soon the two students starting pulling each others weaves, followed by heavy punches.

For about two-and-half hours, the students fought each other and descended down stairs from their 5th floor apartment with the fight – until one of the college’s lecturers from Sierra Leone, Mrs. Adelaide Walters, jumped inbetween them to pull them apart.

At a disciplinary meeting which led to their suspension over the weekend, Mrs. Adelaide Walters, who was present as a witness to the fight, stated that it is absurd for two students who would possibly become future leader to fight over the origin and cooking of jollof rice – especially when both of them are wrong about the origin and cooking method.

Mrs Walters indicated to the hearing board that jollof rice originates from her country, Sierra Leone and the way both Ghanaians and Nigerians cook it is wrong but she does not go about fighting anyone.

The third year students have been suspended indefinitely by the university.

Source:ScrewLife.Com

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Meet the Nigerian designing Michelle Obama's dresses, decorating the White House

Olowu, along with other fashion designers such as Caroline Herrera, Humberto Leon, Carol Lim and Kenzo, was brought into the White House’s China Room, Vermeil Room, and library for the holiday season.

Duro Olowu is a Nigerian-born fashion designer and he has been enlisted by the First Lady of The United States of America, Michelle Obama, to decorate the white house in preparation for the 2015 Christmas celebrations.

According to Ventures Africa, Olowu, along with other fashion designers such as Caroline Herrera, Humberto Leon, Carol Lim and Kenzo, was brought into the White House’s China Room, Vermeil Room, and library for the holiday season.

The report reveals that Olowu decorated the Vermeil room using two 8-foot Christmas trees draped with vintage fabrics, ribbons and encrusted tinsel.

Olowu was born to a Nigerian father and Jamaican mother. He was raised in Lagos and spent his childhood travelling between Nigeria and various European cities.

His designs have earned him customers such as Michelle Obama, Uma Thurman, Keira Knightley, and Linda Evangelista.

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Florence Attempts To Penetrate The Gospel Music Market In The USA

Oral ofori-Virginia

Florence Obaa Yaa Achiaa is one of the many Ghanaian gospel musicians who has chosen to launch her career outside the shores of her homeland. Florence has been domiciled in the USA for the past 15 years.

She launched her second album titled ‘Odomakoma’, in July 2010 which transliterates into ‘Gracious God’.

The twelve track CD which was produced by herself also has a DVD version which has seven tracks, one of which is a bonus.

Florence is based in Raleigh, a major metropolis in North Carolina, USA and is a native of Bantama, a town in Kumasi; the capital of Ghana’s Ashanti kingdom.

Obaa Yaa Achiaa left Ghana for the USA in the year 2000 where she had been living with her parents and siblings.

Her mother, the late Rose Nimo was married to William Kingsley Manu who is a native of Kumasi and a retired employee of the Tema Textile Limited located in Tema, one of Ghana’s bustling port cities. Florence has 13 other siblings of which 5 are males, the rest are 8 females.

The songstress whose life has been saturated with music since her teenage years started singing back in her high school days as a student of the Yaa Asantewaa Girls Senior High School in Ghana where she was a student in 1984. From Yaa Asantewaa she moved on to further her studies at the Kumasi Polytechnique where she majored in Catering in 1986.

After school she worked as a professional Caterer until music gradually began to retake prominence in her life.

Up from the early 90′s in Ghana, Florence started to immerse herself into the world of gospel music, at the time, she was a chorister

for both the Calvary Crystal Church and the well known Winners Chapel founded by David Oyedepo of Nigeria.

The Church had opened it’s first branch in Ghana that was at the time located at Lapaz Ghana’s capital; Accra.

Whiles in Ghana, the songstress also doubled as a backup vocalist for some of the gospel musicians of her time.

Today, she draws most of her inspiration from some of these pioneering gospel musicians from the early 90′s that were emerging onto the gospel music scene like female gospel artistes including Diana Akiwumi, Helena Rabbles and Daughters of Glorious Jesus, who greatly influenced her style of gospel music today.

Helena Rabbles was personally at the album launch of Obaa Yaa Achiaa this year in the State of Maryland located on the American East Coast. Prior to this new album, Florence had released an earlier album on the 13th of June 2009. She’s however of the opinion that her new album is better and also an improvement on the last one. Her latest album titled “consuming fire” is already enjoying airplay on some of the online radio stations in the United States .

In 2008, Obaa Yaa paid a visit to her home country of Ghana where she was greatly impressed by the strides that has been made on the gospel music scene. She’s developed lots of admiration for how far advanced and improved the musicians and producers back home have gotten.

This progress gives her tons of inspiration she says. It also challenges her to better herself out in the USA as far as her journey in the world of gospel music is concerned.

It has not always been smooth on that journey though, as Florence recounts some of the difficulties she faces with singing gospel music in the local dialect outside of Ghana. Surely there is a respectable number of Ghanaians living and working in the States, but unlike back home, it is extremely difficult to find sponsorship and the cost of production falls solely on the artiste, especially when their genre is gospel music.

The stumbling blocks not withstanding, Florence still strives to give off her best. Her priority is to get her music across the globe by using the States as her launchpad. Gospel music according to the songstress is her way of spreading the word of God. If it means going as far as singing in Chinese to get people to understand the message she’s conveying, then so be it.

Her goal is to ultimately glorify God and in the process, uplift men through her music and to become a good example to, Elsie; her 9 year old daughter who lives with her in Raleigh North Carolina.

14 year old Ghanaian actor Abraham Attah Wins Best Young Actor After Hollywood Movie December

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Ghanaian actor Abraham Attah has won the Black Film Critics Circle's Rising Star award in the US for his role in Beasts of No Nation.The critics called his debut (alongside Idris Elba) as an African child soldier, "one of the strongest and most phenomenal we have ever seen" and said he had "a very bright future ahead of him".

The Black Film Critics Circle also released their top 10 films of 2015.

Creed Mad Max: Fury Road Straight Outta Compton Spotlight The Martian Room Beasts of No Nation The Hateful Eight The Big Short Ex Machina

http://www.bbc.com/news

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African Countries And Their Capitals Algeria Algiers Angola Luanda Benin Porto-Novo Botswana Gaborone Burkina Faso Ouagadougou Bujumbura Burundi Cameroon Yaounde' Cape Verde Islands Praia Central African Republic Bangui Chad N'Djamena Comoros Moroni Congo Brazzaville Cote d'Ivoire Abidjan Djibouti Djibouti Egypt Cairo Equitorial Guinea Malabo Eritrea Asmara Ethiopia Addis Ababa Gabon Libreville Gambia Banjul Ghana Accra Guinea Conakry Guinea-Bissau Bissau Kenya Nairobi LesothoMaseru Liberia Monrovia Libya Tripoli Madagascar Antananarivo Malawi Lilongwe Mali Bamako Mauritania Nouakchott Mauritius Port Louis Morocco Rabat Mozambique Maputo Namibia Windhoek Niger Niamey Nigeria Abuja Rwanda Kigali Sao Tome' and Principe Sao Tome' Senegal Dakar Seychelles Victoria Sierra Leone Freetown Somalia Mogadishu South Africa Pretoria Sudan Khartoum Swaziland Mbabane Tanzania Dar es Salaam & Dodoma Togo Lome' Tunisia Tunis Uganda Kampala Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) Kinshasa Zambia Lusaka Zimbabwe Harare

http://www.quia.com/

DZD AOA XOF BWP XOF BIF XAF CVE XAF XAF KMF XAF CDF DJF EGP XAF ERN ETB XAF GMD GHS GNF XOF XOF KES LSL LRD LYD MGA MWK XOF MRO MUR MAD MZN NAD XOF NGN RWF STD XOF SCR SLL SOS ZAR SSP SDG SZL TZS XOF TND UGX ZMW ZWD

List Of Currencies In Africa

Algeria Algerian dinar Angola Kwanza Benin CFA franc Botswana Pula Burkina Faso CFA franc Burundi Burundi franc Cameroon CFA franc Cape Verde Cape Verdean escudo Central African Republic CFA franc Chad CFA franc Comoros Comorian franc Republic of the Congo CFA franc Democratic Republic of the Congo Congolese franc Djibouti Djiboutian franc Egypt Egyptian pound Equatorial Guinea CFA franc Eritrea Nakfa Ethiopia Ethiopian birr Gabon CFA franc Gambia Dalasi Ghana Ghanaian cedi Guinea Guinean franc Guinea-Bissau CFA franc Ivory Coast CFA franc Kenya Kenyan shilling Lesotho Loti Liberia Liberian dollar Libya Libyan dinar Madagascar Malagasy ariary Malawi Malawian kwacha Mali CFA franc Mauritania Ouguiya Mauritius Mauritian rupee Morocco Moroccan dirham Mozambique Mozambican metical Namibia Namibian dollar Niger CFA franc Nigeria Naira Rwanda Rwandan franc Sao Tome and Principe Dobra Senegal CFA franc Seychelles Seychellois rupee Sierra Leone Sierra Leonean leone Somalia shilling South Africa South African rand South Sudan South Sudanese pound Sudan Sudanese pound Swaziland Lilangeni Tanzania Tanzanian shilling Togo CFA franc Tunisia Tunisian dinar Uganda Ugandan shilling Zambia Zambian kwacha Zimbabwe Zimbabwean dollar(No longer in use)

wikipedia.org

Nigerian States And Their Capitals

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STATES CAPITALS Abia Adamawa Akwa Ibom Anambra Bauchi Bayelsa Benue Borno Cross River Delta Ebonyi Edo Ekiti Enugu Gombe Imo Jigawa Kaduna Kano Katsina Kebbi Kogi Kwara Lagos Nassarawa Niger Ogun Ondo Osun Oyo Plateau Rivers Sokoto Taraba Yobe Zamfara

Umuahia Yola Uyo Awka Bauchi Yenogoa Makurdi Maiduguri Calabar Asaba Abakaliki Benin City Ado Ekiti Enugu Gombe Owerri Dutse Kaduna Kano Katsina Birninkebbi Lokoja Ilorin Ikeja Lafia Minna Abeokuta Akure Oshogbo Ibadan Jos Portharcourt Sokoto Jalingo Adamawa Gusau

http://www.umunna.org/nigeria_state.html

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Afrikan Post

Battle Wounds: The Bruised Heel

Dr. Miriam C. Gyimah

Onward, Christian Soldiers marching as to war, with the Cross of Jesus going on before.

Christ, the Royal Master, leads against the foe, Forward into battle see his banner go!

Someone once said that when they became a Christian, it seemed as if all hell broke loose on them. In one moment, the expressed sentiment is a humorous one, but in the next, one realizes that it is an awakening reality check. The statement is a reality check, because many, if not most people, are under the impression that when they become born again, because they are now in Christ’s camp, all their troubles and headaches are behind. What a great misconception! The fact is that hell will often break loose, because hell has declared war on us simply because we escaped its dark and destructive clutches and found refuge in the arms of God. So suffice it to say that we should expect hell will turn on us, but it is up to us to wage war against hell and crush the heads of all those dark principalities who dare challenge us Christian soldiers.

In the coming year, I say that instead of us allowing hell to break loose on us, with its principalities and spiritual wickedness claiming ground in our lives and victimizing us, we should be ready to combat it and be determined that throughout the entire year, we will be certain to crush the heads of all serpents that threaten our lives. In fact, I think we have to go a step further and wage an offensive on these principalities. We don’t have to await their attacks and then begin to defend ourselves.

As Christian soldiers, we shouldn’t automatically position ourselves on the defensive. We know they are there and we know their desire is to harm and destroy us through sicknesses, accidents, disgrace and more, so let us gear up and be ready to do battle.

I believe you know what I mean when I talk of battles. I am talking of trials, tests, temptations. I am talking about the storms of life, storms that come to overtake us and render us fighting for our lives. They come in different ways and by various means, but their intention, to an extent, are the same. They come to challenge us either through individuals (personalities) or circumstances. These are storms that we cannot ignore but must deal with. In the past, some of these storms truly assaulted us so much so that we felt a literal pain within our hearts and prayed during that meantime, the time that we were going through this crisis, that we should escape it. Sometimes, the fact that we are going through them feels surreal and we pause several times during the day, despite where we are, and ask ourselves, is this really happening? We hope it is a bad dream from which we shall wake. But then alas, we find that this is our reality when we feel that literal pang within us and acknowl-

Her Page

edge that no dream scenario could hurt so much. So we just pray that it will be over soon and that it will be a thing of yesterday. We pray for today’s quick end.

The fact is that we’ve been there and we are very likely to go there again in our lives, because becoming a Christian is to become a soldier. Being a Christian is much like the expectations for the life of Christ. Christ came to wage war against the prince of this world, Satan, so that we might be liberated. It was prophesied before His birth that He would be the Savior of mankind, that He would be Emmanuel—God with us, but also, it was prophesied that He would be wounded, bruised (Isaiah 53:5), and disgracefully put to death.

We know from the Bible that while Christ’s life was purposed to emancipate mankind and grant us everlasting life when we accepted Him, it was also to be a life of suffering.

In prophesying of Christ’s coming, the Bible states that He will crush the head of the serpent and his heel will be bruised (Gen. 3:15). While Christ came to liberate and bring joy and everlasting life to us, He also came to suffer battle wounds and scars. And because he met His mission successfully, He proudly bears these scars as he once revealed them to the Apostle Thomas.

Christ’s bruises were inflicted during His battling of Satan and all his spiritual and human agents. Christ came as a lamb, but he is also known as a Lion.

As Christians, we are to be like lambs, as in gentle, loving and humble beings to God our father, but we are also to be like lions, ready to fight when we sense a threat to our environment and ourselves. We are soldiers of the Cross and nothing less. Thus, the point is that as Christians, all hell is to break loose on us and we should expect to wage war and acquire battle scars.

What embattled soldier is free of wounds? Are you a soldier? If so, where are your battle wounds? Where are your scars?

If hell has ever broken loose on us and we struggled through it, then we can recall the storms and pinpoint our battle wounds. Some of these wounds have healed and bear their markings on our Christian journey and souls as combat scars that are there to remind us of our trials and tribulations and how far we have come in Christ. They remind us of how we battled, sometimes failing, but still pushing on, knowing that Christ was our partner in the struggle and that we are and will always be more than conquerors through Him. We can easily recall how we felt, how we suffered through various situations, whether or not we unwittingly and ignorantly brought them on ourselves. And we can recall those times when out of nowhere, we are sucker-punched so painfully that we didn’t even know how to begin to fight our way out. We could only look to God, our answer in all things. Yes, we’ve been embattled and bear our wounds. Are there any who haven’t? Where are yours? Do you also bear them?

All Christians will at one point or another bear wounds and they will hurt deeply. Some of these wounds, especially those which are a result of personal attacks from those who are close to us, will be the most painful partly because at this time, our trust in our closest friends and even family will be shaken. Some of the most painful wounds are also those which we suffer simply because they are tests to evaluate who we are in God. In other words, those tests are similar to the one that the great man Job suffered in the Old Testament.

Job was a righteous man, but he was made to endure the deaths of his children, the loss of his fortune

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and a painful sickness where he could not find ease within his body or life simply because the devil was jealous of him and falsely accused him of his devotion and motivation for serving God. Job prayed to God during the time of this most painful test and even questioned God as to his overwhelming suffering, but Job never got an answer from God, although, eventually, God delivers him and blesses him, making the latter part of his life better than the former. But even as Job’s situation was turned around, as a soldier, he had suffered internal wounds that he would never forget and from which he possibly did not completely heal.

Like Job’s, these wounds record the pain we have undergone. But what is more important is that we can emerge from these storms and wounds even stronger and more bold as experienced Christians who have come to learn their place and importance in their relationship with God. It is an inevitable part of our growth as Christians and therefore, we should embrace and bear proudly our battle scars, if only to recall how God was with us through the entire struggle.

In an earlier article entitled “No Pedestals Please!” I wrote about the mistake that we can sometimes make when we put our trust in another as if that person were infallible. The point of the piece was that we should put our complete trust in the Lord and the Lord only and not so much in man as man can always fail us.

That article came about as a result of one of these spiritual battles I am writing of. It was indeed a painful experience and I have to admit that while I have had my share of battles and therefore battle wounds, this one was different for it impacted my perception and trust in fellow Christians and some of the very people that I love.

Thus far, it is the one defining circumstance which has impacted my relationship with others within Christendom. While the Lord has moved me beyond that circumstance, I still bear the scars of that injurious situation. But interestingly, as painful as it was, I am thankful to bear the scars, for the battle not only helped my growth in Christ, but the wounds are there to remind me never to cross that path again.

As a New Year is upon us, we must recall the goodness of God upon our lives within the past year and how He has stood beside us, often carrying us, through the storms that came our way.

We can also consider the scars and wounds that we have come to bear in the past year and should rejoice in the fact that while this particular year will surely come to an end and never return, we are still here and standing. Yet again, we have conquered.

However, and more importantly, in this year, we should make up our minds to wage an offensive against the works of the enemy, gear up our ammunition, and begin on the path of victory.

How do we do that? We take hold of the word of God in our lives and hearts and let it reign by wisely applying it, being careful that we are adhering to it. You see, you can’t be an effective and conquering soldier if you are out of sync with the soldier’s manual.

Next, when you are certain that you have aligned yourself with the word of God, begin in prayer, and sometimes prayer and fasting, to build a stronghold about yourself and family that the enemy cannot penetrate. Then begin to break the enemy’s neck, crush his head and pierce him in his core. You are a soldier and this is what you must do to ward of principalities. Does this sound violent? Yes, but the storms are violent. Satan and his cronies, whether demonic forces or his recruited human agents are heartless and merciless, so don’t be fooled. You have to challenge them and you have to be as merciless to them as they would be to you. I am ready to crush their heads even if it means bruising my heel. I will gladly bear the bruised heel if it means that my enemies are defeated and under my feet. Are you? It’s time to wage war. Be victorious in the New Year!

Joke Center

Joke Center

In Ghana, two friends went for an interview... One was educated and the other wasn't, so they agreed to help each other They agreed that the educated one should go first... And when he comes back, he should give the other answers to all the questions The first guy's interview started; QN 1:"When was Ghana's independence?"

GUY 1:"It was supposed to be 1956 but it was postponed to 1957 due to many reasons."

QN 2:"Who brought independence to Ghana?"

GUY 1:"So many participated but it was Kwame Nkrumah who finalised it."

QN 3:"It's believed that in planet mars there is life...is it true?"

GUY 1:"So many say so, but it has not been scientifically proven."

When he left the interview room, he went straight to his uneducated friend and gave him all the answers.

Second guy's interview also started: QN 1:"When were you born?"

GUY 2:"It was supposed to be 1956 but it was postponed to 1957."

QN 2:"What!! Who is your father?"

GUY 2:"So many parcitipated but it was Kwame Nkrumah who finalised it."

QN 3:"Oh My God!! Are u CRAZY???"

GUY 2:"So many say so but it has not been scientifically proven!"

A farmer saw a plane full of politicians crash near his farm. When the police arrived, they asked the farmer what happened. .

Farmer: They crashed near my farm and I buried all of them.

One of the police men asked with shock; "are you sure they were all dead"? .

Farmer: Some of them were screaming, "we are still alive".

But I couldn't believe them.

You know, these politicians. They can lie.

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Guinea Declared Ebola Free By Ex-Banker Sworn In As Burkina Faso Who Leader December 2015

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, two years after the epidemic began there.

Guineans are expected to celebrate the landmark with concerts and fireworks.

The disease killed more than 2,500 people in the West African state, and a further 9,000 in neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Liberia was declared Ebola-free by the WHO in September, and Sierra Leone in November.

A country is considered free of human-to-human transmission once two 21-day incubation periods have passed since the last known case tested negative for a second time.

"It's the best year-end present that God could give to Guinea, and the best news that Guineans could hope for," said Ebola survivor Alama Kambou Dore, quoted by AFP news agency.

Local health workers echoed a warning from medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres that vigilance was still vital despite the mood of celebration.

"We have to be very careful, because even if open transmission has been stopped, the disease has not been totally defeated," said Alpha Seny Souhmah, a Guinean health worker and Ebola survivor.The disease has had an enormous social and economic impact on Guinea, the BBC's Ibrahima Diane in Conakry says.

According to the UN, 6,220 Guinean children have lost one or both parents to Ebola.

More than 100 health workers also lost their lives in the fight against the disease.

Meanwhile, survivors are still living in fear of the stigma and long-term side effects associated with the virus, our correspondent adds.

The fight against Ebola was particularly difficult in Guinea, he says.

Some communities initially did not believe there was an epidemic, while others blamed it on Western countries and the Guinean authorities.

The government has blamed the virus for poor economic performance and says it has also caused people to distrust the country's health services.

President Alpha Conde has doubled the health budget since winning re-election in November.

Source:http://www.myjoyonline.com

A former banker has been sworn in as Burkina Faso's president in front of thousands of cheering supporters.

Roch Marc Christian Kabore won elections last month, the first since long-serving ruler Blaise Compaore was ousted in a popular uprising last year.

Mr Kabore was an ally of Mr Compaore before the two fell out.

Several African heads of state attended Mr Kabore's inauguration in the capital, Ouagadougou. Mr Kabore said he would defend the constitution and "ensure justice for all".

He once served as Mr Compoare's prime minister, but gained popularity after opposing his bid to change the constitution and run for a third term.

Mr Compaore fled to Ivory Coast after being forced out of office.

Gen Diendere, a powerful ally of the ousted president, staged a coup in September.

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including threatening state security. He denies the charges.

The 20 soldiers accused of trying to free him were arrested during a raid in Ouagadougou, outgoing Prime Minister Isaac Zida said.

The group had also planned to free other coup plotters, and re-establish the elite presidential guard which organised the short-lived coup, he added.

At least 57 people, including about 20 presidential guard officers, are being held over the coup.

Both Gen Diendere and Mr Compaore have also been charged with the 1987 murder of former President Thomas Sankara.

They have denied any wrongdoing.

He was forced to return power to a transitional government seven days later, after the army sided with protest- Source: BBC ers opposed to the coup.

Gen Diendere was charged in October with 11 crimes,

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Nollywood's Kate Henshaw Gets Political Appointment

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Dumelo Gets Royal Title With Plots Of Land In Cameroon

The year, 2015, seems to be ending in a good note for Nollywood actress turned politician, Kate Henshaw as River State Governor, Ben Ayade recently made several appointments into important boards and parastatals.

December 16, 2015, the governor approved the appointment of Senator Florence Ita-Giwa as the Chairman of the Cross River Ports Authority and Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw as his Special Adviser, Liaison, Lagos.

The appointees are to resume office immediately. Meanwhile, the colleagues of the Nollywood diva have been sending out congratulatory messages to her.

Source: Source: Nigeriafilms.com

Ghanaian actor, John Dumelo, was giving a royal title with plots of land in Bamenda, Cameroon.

The popular actor who was in the country for a philanthropic work was showered with a royal title.

He also disclosed the royal title also came with plots of land.

title comes with a lot of land too,” he said.

Good in his acting prowess, he was nominated for categories Most Promising Actor and Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 6th and 7th Africa Movie Academy Awards respectively.

On 1 April 2014, he became the first Ghanaian citizen to hit a million likes on Facebook.

Source: Enterghana.com He captioned: “Thanks a lot to the people of Bamenda, Cameroon. Was given this beautiful regalia to signify the royal title bestowed upon me. I’m grateful. Oh, and the

Pastor who gets power from Native Doctor exposed by his Wife According to report, The founder and pastor of Holiness of Heaven Ministries located at Orlu in Imo State has been busted in the act. He was a powerful pastor who performed numerous miracles, gave prophesies and healed the sick until the bubble bust recently.

His reign ended when his “new wife” found out about his so called diabolic alliances and raised alarm over his fetish dealings with a very dangerous native doctor.

As soon as news spread that the pastor is not real afterall, irate village youth mobilized and raided his church and personal chambers. To the surprise of many, a lot of fetish item were discovered.

The community youths grabbed the pastor and his partner, the native doctor and paraded them in parts of the community without clothes. Sources say some of the youths went back and burn down the church building as well as the juju priest’s shrine.

Wonder shall never end until the ends of time.

Source:onlinenigeria.com

Afrikan

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Sierra Leoneans in Dallas hold a Thanksgiving Service

November 2015

through the will of God that the carnage ended. According to Kar Beth, “the basic human response to God is not fear and trembling, not guilt and dread, but thanksgiving.” That is why the Association of Sierra Leonean Organizations in Texas (ASLOT), the umbrella organization in Texas decided to galvanize all Sierra Leoneans to come together and thank God for ending this dreadful disease.

Pastor-Florence-Bangura-Imam-Alhaji-Salieu-Bah-ASLOTChief-Reuben-Ndomahina

celebrating the end of Ebola in Sierra Leone

Dallas, Texas; December 9, 2015: Sunday, December 6th, marked another milestone in the United States as Sierra Leoneans in Texas joined together in fellowship thanking the almighty God for His divine intervention in ending the Ebola epidemic that took thousands of Sierra Leonean lives in the country. In the wake of the trail of havoc left behind by arguably the most virulent epidemic ever in Sierra Leone, and the tremendous challenges it poses to the socio-economic development of the country, religious clerics in Texas––Islam and Christian––offered their devout prayers to lift up the vibrant community praying for all those who lost a relative to the Ebola scourge. Dr. Thomas Sawyerr (medical doctor advising how to prevent Ebola)

For over 18 months the Ebola virus exacted enormous burden on the people of Sierra Leone and West Africa. It was only

The-newly-formed-Mandingo-Association

ASLOT believe that praying together as a unified community can bring us into God’s presence through a fuller dimension of peace and unity. They also believe that it was also morally righteous to gain wisdom from the most high, and continue to seek His face for divine healing, which many Sierra Leoneans need at this time.

and patriotism during the event. The Mandingo association believes that the interfaith prayer for the down of dreadful disease, Ebola is part of their civic responsibilities to come out in love and display a sense of belonging within the Sierra Leone community in Dallas Fort Worth. The event ended with refreshments for all and all participants embraces each other with joyfulness.

By Sanpha Sesay, The Texas Chief

- See more at: http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com/?p=76747#sthash.1v6xcq7 O.dpuf

It was a day of somber and thoughtful reflection in the community regarding the devastation of the Ebola virus caused in West Africa. Many in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex came out to offer prayers for the victims, survivors, and for the disease not to return again.

The theme of the interfaith thanksgiving service was ‘The Power of Thanksgiving’. Religious preachers from both Christianity and Islam believed that there is nothing the community can ask for again from God but to praise and thank him. It provided the community with an opportunity to spend the evening invoking the name of God and asking for forgiveness and mercy. Participants felt connected to a community of friendship, joyousness, shared experiences, and kindness after listening to words of encouragements from Imams and Pastors. -

Several organizations and clubs were represented during this event but it was the newly formed Mandingo Association of Dallas Fort Worth that displayed a solid show of solidarity

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Forensic-preacher-Alhaji-Salieu-Bah

Among-them-were-Lawyer-Andrew-Kaikai

Forensic-Pastor-John-Kanu

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How a Drug Can Help Prevent 11 Natural Ways To Get Rid Of Pimples 5000 Girls Being Infected Fast With HIV Every Week

ANALYSIS

By Deborah Baron, University of the Witwatersrand and Sinead DelanyMoretlwe

grammes is defining who will most likely benefit from them. Mathematical models suggest that it is likely to be cost-effective in settings where there are three new infections in every 100 people each year.

Lemon Juice The natural astringent and antibacterial properties of lemon juice are great for clearing up skin. To get the best results, just apply the lemon juice directly to the skin and leave it for up to an hour.

Apple Cider Vinegar Sort of along the same lines as lemon juice, apple In Africa, the populations that have been cider vinegar has the same antibacterial properties, prioritised to date are sex workers, men as well as antifungal properties as well. Apple cider who have sex with men and couples vinegar is very powerful though, so you might want Pre-exposure prophylaxis, more commonly where one partner is HIV infected and the to dilute it when you use it, at least at first. Just referred to as PrEP, is the use of anti-retro- other is not. apply a small amount to your skin, but make sure viral drugs by people who do not have HIV that you choose pure, undiluted vinegar for best But research shows that unless HIV preto prevent them from becoming infected. results.

South Africa has became one of the first African countries to license a fixed-dose combination of anti-retrovirals to be used as an oral pre-exposure prophylaxis.

acne from coming back. To use tee tree oil for acne, mix one part oil to six to nine parts water, depending on how strong you want the mixture to be. Apply directly to the skin using cotton balls,and leave it on for around 30 minutes. You can moisturize afterwards, but be sure that you never use tea tree oil undiluted.

Want to try tea tree oil yourself? You can pick up a bottle from this page on Amazon.

Cornstarch If you suffer from blemishes that are extremely red and blotchy, cornstarch can be a great choice.

Cornstarch is very gentle on the skin, so it is a great vention in teenage girls and young The World Health Organisation recently option for those of us who have very sensitive skin. women is prioritised, the ambitious tarrecommended it as an additional HIV preYou can apply a cornstarch and water paste to indigets set by UNAIDS to end HIV by 2030 Baking Soda vention choice for people with a high risk Baking soda is a great option for clearing up blemvidual blemishes, or to your whole face, and you can will not happen. of being infected. ishes, it’s cheap, it’s natural, and it doesn’t contain leave it on as long as you like. any harmful chemicals or other ingredients. The The recommendations are based on studies Every week more than 5000 adolescent Garlic showing that daily doses of the drug effec- girls and young women acquire HIV. And benefits of baking soda are many: it exfoliates, it the vast majority of them live in southern reduces inflammation, and it clears up skin. All you Isn’t garlic great for everything? Not only does garlic tively reduce the HIV risk in men and have to do is use warm water and baking soda to have a ton of antibacterial properties when you eat it, women. This was irrespective of age, mode Africa. Young women are up to eight make a paste.

Then, apply the paste to your skin times more likely to be infected than their it also has great effects when applied directly to the of HIV transmission or the drug regimen used. The only common factor in the level male peers of the same age in eastern and like a mask. Leave it on for up to an hour, and then skin. To use, just thinly slice a clove of garlic. Rub the garlic clove and the juice of the garlic onto your of protection was how well people adhered southern Africa. This is despite the rate of rinse. You will be amazed at the results. new HIV infections declining or stabilisto the drug regimens. skin, paying close attention to problem areas, and ing in many other populations. leave on for up to 30 minutes.

The studies also showed that pre-exposure prophylaxis is safe to use in healthy populations as there was no evidence of increased side effects in trial participants.

And although their HIV risk is driven in Egg Whites Ice Cubes part by individual behaviour, other factors Egg whites also make a great home remedy for getIf you have spots that are especially swollen and red, also play a role. These include:

ting rid of pimples. To use this method, simply separate the egg white from the yolk. Then, you can use a cotton swab, cotton ball, or simply your fingers to apply the egg white to your skin. Your skin will glow and begin to tighten. Leave the egg white mixture on your skin for up to an hour for best results.

poverty, gender inequality and high exposure to violence, South Africa's Medicines Control Council has ruled that the drug Tenofovir disoprox- limited economic options, and il/emtricitabine (TDF/FT3), more common- the low social power of young people. ly referred to as Truvada, is safe and effec- Adherence pitfalls tive for use as pre-exposure prophylaxis in For PrEP to be effective, it will need to be Manuka Honey the country. This paves the way for the Have you heard of manuka honey? It’s kind of government to issue a tender to procure the integrated into existing HIV prevention famous on the internet for it’s legendary wound services. drug.

Breaking a new frontier

South Africa's license is incredibly important for HIV prevention in the country as well as the region. It is a critical step to including pre-exposure prophylaxis in publicly-funded HIV prevention programmes.

The licensing also means that other countries in the region are likely to follow.

Several policy, programme and procurement processes need to be followed before the drug can be distributed through the healthcare system.

The government is likely to start with pilot sites as it did with anti-retrovirals given to mothers to prevent mother to child transmission. This will help it learn:

how to identify populations who need and want to use PrEP, what systems are needed for delivery, and how best to monitor health so that it doesn't overburden the health service.

A solution for young women

One of the critical steps in developing pro-

ice can be a great way to reduce inflammation and reduce the appearance of blemishes. Just rub an ice cube on the trouble spots,and not only will your pores close up, the bacteria will be pushed out as well. Win/Win!

Water Yes, it’s simple, but it works. By drinking 10-12 glasses of water per day, you can flush most, if not all, impurities out of your body. Also, you can boil a pot of water, and place a towel over the pot and your healing and soothing properties. Manuka honey head to get the benefits of steam. Steam can help to People at high risk for infection and who comes from the manuka bush of New Zealand. The open the pores and flush out the impurities. As you wish to start PrEP will need to be tested way that it’s used for acne treatment is very simple- can see, water can be beneficial in multiple ways for HIV before they start and then every it is simply applied directly to the skin and then when it comes to getting rid of blemishes. three months while taking the drugs. This later rinsed. will ensure that those with an early HIV As you can see, there are a ton of different ways that infection are detected and don't develop Manuka honey is an incredibly powerful food that you can treat acne naturally. These are just a few of anti-retroviral drug resistance. They will can be used in many ways. Read more about it here the best natural remedies for treating pimples quickalso have their kidney function tested as and you can buy a tub from this page on Amazon. ly, there are so many more out there. So, if you try Truvada can cause kidney problems in these and you are not satisfied, keep looking, and some people.

Papaya you will find the perfect one for you!

But the biggest challenge is ensuring that If you are familiar with high end skin care prodhttp://www.naturallivingideas.com/get-rid-of-pimyoung people, particularly young women, ucts, you probably already know that papaya is a very common ingredient in acne treatments. ples-fast/ who start PrEP take the pills daily as required. Those taking PrEP daily cannot However, you can get the same benefits without spending the cash! All you have to do is mash up miss a single dose. While two trials of pre-exposure prophylaxis in South Africa, the flesh of the papaya to form a paste or a lotion Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda consistency, and apply directly to the skin. You can raised questions about whether young leave it on for up to 30 minutes, then rinse and women will adhere to pre-exposure promoisturize.

phylaxis, recent open-label studies have shown that when populations at-risk, including young women, recognise their risk and know that pre-exposure prophylaxis is effective in preventing HIV, they are able to use it effectively.

Tea Tree Oil Tee tree oil is a very common home remedy for many conditions, but especially for acne and other skin conditions. Tea tree oil is able to break up clogged pores, clear out dead skin cells,and keep

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2015: The Year African Women’s Political Participation Rose To New Heights!

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A few weeks after she was sworn in as Malawi’s first female president, Joyce Banda traveled to Liberia in late April 2012 to meet President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who has occupied Liberia’s highest office since January 2006. Glowing in African attire, both leaders bantered like sisters during a press conference.

“This is our day, this is our year, this is our decade,” enthused Ms. Banda. “The two of us have great strength,” added Ms. Sirleaf. “Together, we can do more to empower women and to ensure that women’s role in society is enhanced.”

After the media event, Duncan Cassell, Liberia’s gender minister, said, “Now we have Joyce [Banda]. Ms. Sirleaf is not going to be lonely among men anymore.”

Gender equality advocates had further reason to celebrate when Catherine Samba-Panza was sworn in on 23 January 2014 as interim president of the Central African Republic (CAR), making her the fourth African female head of state. The first was Ruth Perry, who headed the Liberian transitional government for about a year from September 1996. Regrettably, Ms. Banda, the second woman to be seated as president, became the first to be unseated when she lost the elections, in what some say was a retaking of power by loyalists of the late President Bingu wa Mutharika.

Rwanda leads the world

“One of the most fascinating developments in African politics has been the increase in women’s political participation since the mid-1990s,” writes Aili Mari Tripp, a professor of gender and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US. Besides the four female heads of state, Ms. Tripp bases her upbeat assessment on the increasing number of women parliam entarians on the continent.

Indeed, with 64% of seats held by women, Rwanda has the highest number of women parliamentarians in the world. Senegal, Seychelles and South Africa have more than 40% each, and Mozambique, Angola, Tanzania and Uganda are not far off, with women occupying over 35% of all parliamentary seats.

Considering that women hold only 19% of the seats in the US congress and 20% in the senate, Ms. Tripp maintains that Africa has every right to be proud. What she did not say is that American women hold top positions in ministries, military and other top government departments, which is not the case in most African countries.However, a survey on women’s participation in politics in 34 African countries by Afrobarometer, a research group that measures public perceptions of socioeconomic and political issues in Africa, notes that while countries such as Rwanda and South Africa may have numerically significant women’s parliamentary representation, some of the world’s worst performers are also on the continent. For example, women have only 6.2% representation in Swaziland, 6.7% in Nigeria and 8.4% in Benin.

Most Africans demand equality

Nevertheless, the good news is that a vast majority of Africans (72%) agree that women should have the same chance of being elected to political office as men, the Afrobarometer study found.

The problem, again, is that this majority opinion on gender equality does not exist in some parts of the continent. While 74% of respondents in East Africa believe in women’s equality and 73% in Southern Africa, only 50% in North Africa agree that women should have the same rights as men. In fact, women’s leadership was rejected by 53% of respondents in Sudan and by 50% in Egypt.

There are many reasons why women’s participation in politics is the key to good governance. Experts say women are key to the new breed of politicians who offer Africa the opportunity for

democracy. It is interesting that the three female African leaders assumed office during crises or transitions. Ms. Sirleaf was elected after a 13-year devastating civil war; Ms. Banda, who had been vice president, took over after President Bingu wa Mutharika died in office; and Ms. Samba-Panza was sworn in amid rebellion and sectarian violence in the CAR and Ms. Perry headed the interim government following ceasefire negotiations that ended almost two decades of war.

Not everyone believes women leaders are remarkably different from their male counterparts. Countries in Africa where women are leaders have not always been beacons of good governance, some observers say. But the reasons for this are deep-rooted and beyond the leadership capabilities of such female leaders.

Obstacles to participation

I Have No Apology Kneeling To Worship God – New Ooni of Ife December 2015

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Satang Nabanech, a women’s rights advocate and attorney from The Gambia, lists several social, cultural and economic barriers that inhibit women’s ability to make significant changes in politics. Ms. Nabanech cites patriarchal politics, or a belief that men must naturally make decisions and that the place for a woman is the home.

In addition, women often lack skills, education and experience to survive in politics, Ms. Nabanech says, stressing that politics is expensive and many women lack the financial assets to succeed in it. “It is difficult for women to participate in political life when their major concern is survival and they have no choice but to spend much of their time trying to fulfil the basic needs of families.”

Violence in African politics may also discourage participation.

Generally, women feel “a sense of vulnerability to political intimidation and violence,” notes the Afrobarometer survey. In Guinea, for instance, 64% of women say they are very concerned about political intimidation.

Worldwide, efforts to enhance women’s political participation have shown progress in the past two decades. At the UN Beijing conference on women in 1995, delegates called on governments to have women represent 30% of their governments.

To achieve the Beijing target, some African governments have used different types of quotas to increase women’s participation in government. For example, Burkina Faso and Uganda have constitutional provisions reserving a certain number of parliamentary seats for women, Kenya has special seats for women representatives in parliament, while political parties in South Africa and Mozambique have adopted internal rules to ensure a certain percentage of women can vie for office.

Some, however, attack quotas as ineffective. The pros and cons of quotas seem more like a debate over the means to an end.

There is less of an argument over the desirability of having more women in politics.

Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chairperson of the African Union, says that although the gap between men and women on political participation remains wide, “in 46 countries across the world, women account for more than a quarter of all members of parliament. I am also proud to say that 14 of these countries are in Africa”. When it comes to women’s political participation, Africa could well be on the right track.

Extract From: http://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has said he owed nobody apology for kneeling to worship God Almighty during the thanksgiving service held in his honour at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Ife. The monarch spoke in reaction to criticisims against him by an online medium that he knelt down to worship God during the church service.

Ooni said it was wrong to equate any earthly King, no matter his status, with the almighty God who created the heavens and the earth, saying the criticism was an attempt to embarrass the throne.

The humble Ooni said this in statement by Director of Communication and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace, Ile Ife, Mr. Moses Olafare.

He said since the almighty God is not Ooni or any king’s mate he would not stop to worship and revere him because it was God who enthroned him.

The statement read: “It is an unacceptable sacrilege to equate Ooni’risa or other king to the Almighty God. God Is the creator of mankind and it is God that made it possible for the enthronment of any king.“The attention of Ile Oodua has been drawn to a publication released Wednesday 16th 2015 by an online medium known as NEWSPUNCH in which His Imperial Majesty, Ooni’risa & Arole Oodua Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi(OjajaII) was crtisised for bowing to God.

“God remains the highest, the king of kings who has kept all kings alive and has made it possible for me to be crowned as the king of the source of Yoruba civilisation.

“I have no regrets whatsoever for kneeling down to exalt the almighty God who did not only create me, but also kept me alive, saw me through all the storms in my, life-journey and eventually crowned me as the custodian of Oodua race.

“This act of equating me to God of gods of king of kings and the sole owner of the universe is a wicked sacrilege planned to embarrass the throne. My emergence as Oba has been made possible only by the almighty Olodumare to whom I remain eternally grateful.”

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Africa's Best Quotes Of 2015

It has been a roller-coaster year of African news, from the historic elections in Nigeria to the momentous visits of the Pope and the US president.

To sum up the last 12 months, here are some of the best quotes:

1. "I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody" Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari on the day of his historic inauguration in May 2. "We must change our lawless habits, our attitude to public office and public trust. We must change our unruly behaviour in schools, hospitals, market places, motor parks, on the roads, in homes and offices.

"To bring about change, we must change ourselves by being law-abiding citizens" President Buhari said four months later on Nigeria's independence day 3. "The time for vision has come. I request our South African government to help us clean our land of lice. We need to remove all itching bedbugs and lay them bare in the sun.

"We request that all foreigners should take their baggage and be sent back" South Africa's Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini, who denied that his comments in March fuelled xenophobic violence South Africa xenophobia: Africa reacts

4. "If I had known this lion had a name and was important to the country or a study obviously I wouldn't have taken it. Nobody in our hunting party knew before or after the name of this lion."

US dentist Walter Palmer, who killed Zimbabwe's famous Cecil the lion in July What Cecil the lion means to Zimbabwe

5. "Dear white people in the fashion world!... Why do I have to bring my own make-up to a professional show when all the other white girls don't have to do anything but show up.

"Don't try to make me feel bad because I am blue-black it's 2015" South Sudanese model Nykhor Paul, who got more than 20,000 likes on Instagram after she posted the comment in July

September

8. "I've just concluded - since President Obama endorses the same-sex marriage, advocates homosexual people and enjoys an attractive countenance - thus if it becomes necessary, I shall travel to Washington DC, get down on my knee and ask his hand" Zimbabwe's leader Robert Mugabe, mocking a US Supreme Court decision in June to legalise gay marriage 9. "I love my work. But under our constitution, I cannot run again... I actually think I'm a pretty good president - I think if I ran I could win. But I can't.

"When a leader tries to change the rules in the middle of the game just to stay in office, it risks instability and strife - as we've seen in Burundi. Nobody should be president for life" US President Barack Obama on his visit to Ethiopia in July What's Obama visit done for Africa?

10. "We are going to create a special wheelchair for President Mugabe until he rules to 100 years because that is what we want. That is the people's choice. We want a leader that respects us"

Zimbabwe's first lady Grace Mugabe in November, after her 91-year-old husband was caught on camera struggling to walk 11. "The way to treat a boil is to squeeze it out, and I have made it my responsibility to do that. I know squeezing out a boil hurts but unfortunately there are no two ways about it" Tanzania's newly elected President John Magufuli, telling parliament in November about his drive to root out corruption and lazy workers Tanzania's 'Bulldozer' president

12. "I organised a meeting in 2005 to solve our family issues. When I asked them about their opinion, they said I should build each family member a house and give each of them a monthly wage... I just want other African families to learn from this" Togo football star Emmanuel Adebayor, denying in a Facebook post in May claims that he failed to support his family financially

6. "I have seen more demonstrations and strikes in my first two years. I don't think it can get worse. It is said that when you kill a goat and you frighten it with a knife, it doesn't fear the knife because it is dead already. I have a dead-goat syndrome"

13. "Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters.

"Together, we must say no to hatred, no to revenge and no to violence, particularly that violence which is perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself. God is peace, God salaam."

7. "This is surreal for me, I'm not going to lie, growing up in the dusty streets of South Africa, I never dreamed that I would one day have two things really: An indoor toilet and a job as host of the Daily Show.

"And now I have both, and I'm quite comfortable with one of them" South African comedian Trevor Noah as he made his debut hosting Comedy Central's satirical news show in

14. "Relaxing your hair was a rite of passage. My hair suffered a lot with those chemicals and I cut it all off and my hair grew and I realised it wasn't that bad after all" Kenya's Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o told the BBC Being African: What does hair have to do with it?

Ghana's President John Mahama, being dismissive in March of the protests against his government. The quote has earned him the nickname "The Goat"

Pope Francis on his visit to a mosque in the Central African Republic in November Pope of the poor makes big impact in Africa

15. "A court is the guardian of justice, the cornerstone of a

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democratic system based on the rule of law. If the state  does not abide by court orders, the democratic edifice will crumble stone-by-stone until it collapses and chaos ensues" African leaders at an African Union summit in South Africa Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir attended an African Union summit in South Africa in June Judge Dunstan Mlambo, who criticised the South African government for letting Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir leave the country in June despite an International Criminal Court arrest warrant Why South Africa let Sudan's Bashir escape justice 16. "It's not about unmasking Anas. It's about all of us putting our hands together and ensuring we have a better continent. I think that anonymity has always been my secret weapon and I have always used it to the benefit of society" Anas Aremeyaw Anas Undercover journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, whose documentary this year exposed corruption in Ghana's judiciary Ghana's anti-corruption blockbuster Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa35160583

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Afrikan

The Call of Esther Ministries Fetes Children in the Community December 2015

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On Sunday December 27th, the 6th Annual The Call of Esther Ministries Children Christmas party held at the Lord of life Lutheran Church in Fairfax treated about 200 children from the Maryland, DC, Northern Virginia metro area to the celebratory event. The Call of Esther Ministries started this Annual Christmas event about 6 years ago.The children are engaged in lots of fun games, activities food and a surprise visit from Santa! Activities of the day included whacking a piñata, a dancing competition, face painting and many others. At the peak of the festivities of the day ‘Santa’ appeared in his usual Red apparel with his cap to match to entertain the kids.

This year Santa entered the hall with his usual “ho ho ho ho” waving to the children and parents. Excitement filled the air as the children surged forward towards Santa; who handed out Christmas present to every child, with reminders that "Jesus is the reason for the season."

The Call of Esther Ministries which has women as its focus, helps them maximize their potential through prayers meetings, workshops, open discussions and conferences. Mrs. Muriel Vanderpuye, Founder of The Call of Esther Ministries expressed her profound appreciation to all her sponsors (Pastor Gyimah & Church of the Living God, MoneyGram, staff of both the New Ghanaian newspaper & Sunlightradio among many others) who supported the event either monetarily or in kind.

Supporting an event of this nature is a very worthy cause which Afrikan Post would like to appeal to the community to lend a helping hand. In December 2016 let us all contribute our ‘widows mite’ towards making the Christmas celebration a memorable one for the kids in the community.

All the children had fun and did not want to leave at the end of the event. For more information about the Call of Esther Ministries or the annual Children's Christmas party email thecallofesther@yahoo.com or call 571.758.0789

A Representative of MoneyGram addressing the kids

Mrs. Muriel Vanderpuye, Founder of The Call of Esther Ministries

Santa Handing out Presents to the Children

The Children engaged in many fun activities

Some of the parents and organizers

12 African Inventions That Changed the World

Mathematics The invention of mathematics is placed firmly in African prehistory. The oldest known possibly mathematical object is the Lebombo bone, which was discovered in the Lebombo Mountains of Swaziland and dated to approximately 35,000 B.C. Many of the math concepts that are learned in school today were also developed in Africa.

Over 35,000 years ago, Ancient Egyptians scripted textbooks about math that included division and multiplication of fractions and geometric formulas to calculate the area and volume of shapes.

Medicine Many treatments used today in modern medicine were first employed in Africa centuries ago. The earliest known surgery was performed in Egypt around 2750 B.C. Medical procedures performed in ancient Africa before they were performed in Europe include vaccination, autopsy, limb traction and broken bone setting, bullet removal, brain surgery, skin grafting, filling of dental cavities, installation of false teeth, what is now known as Caesarean sections, anesthesia and tissue cauterization.

Speech Using estimates supported by genetic, archaeological, palaeontological and other evidence suggests that language probably emerged somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa during the Middle Stone Age, hence the first words by humans were spoken by Africans.

Architecture and Engineering The African empire of Egypt developed a vast array of diverse structures and great architectural monuments along the Nile, among the largest and most famous of which are the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx of Giza. Later, in the 12th century there were hundreds of great cities in Zimbabwe and Mozambique made of massive stone complexes and huge castlelike compounds.

In the 13th century, the empire of Mali boasted impressive cities, including Timbuktu, with grand palaces, mosques and universities.

Mining of Minerals The oldest known mine on archaeological record is the “Lion Cave” in Swaziland, which radiocarbon dating shows to be about 43,000 years old.

The ancient Egyptians mined a mineral called malachite. While the gold minds of Nubia were among the largest and most extensive in the world.

Metallurgy and Tools Many advances in metallurgy and tool-making

were made across the entirety of ancient Africa. These include steam engines, metal chisels and saws, copper and iron tools and weapons, nails, glue, carbon steel and bronze weapons and art. In places like Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda, the advances in metallurgy and tool-making surpassed those in Europe.

Navigation Evidence suggests that ancient Africans sailed to South America and Asia hundreds of years before the Europeans, debunking the propaganda that Europeans were the first to sail to the Americas. Many ancient societies in Africa built different types of boats, from small vessels to large ships that could carry up to 80 tons.

Law and Religion Evidence shows that the ancient Ethiopians were the first to honor their gods, offer sacrifices and organize other religious customs for people to honor the divine as well as the first country to have established law.

Astronomy Several ancient African cultures birthed discoveries in astronomy. Many of these are foundations on which we still rely, and some were so advanced that their mode of discovery still cannot be understood. The Dogon people of Mali amassed a wealth of detailed astronomical observations. They knew of Saturn’s rings, Jupiter’s moons, the spiral structure of the Milky Way and the orbit of the Sirius star system.

Philosophy Philosophy in Africa has a long history dating from pre-dynastic Egypt and continuing through the birth of Christianity and Islam.

One of the earliest works of political philosophy was the Maxims of Ptah-Hotep, which were taught to Egyptian schoolboys for centuries. Ancient Egyptian philosophers made extremely important contributions to Hellenistic philosophy, Christian philosophy and Islamic philosophy.

International Trade Evidence shows that international trade was first developed between Africa and Asia, and among these international trade contacts were the exchange of ideas and cultural practices that laid the foundations of the earliest civilizations of the ancient world.

Obama Appoints A Nigerian, Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo As Deputy National Security Adviser December 2015

President Barack Obama has tapped Adewale “Wally” Adeyemo, who served in top roles at the Treasury Department, to succeed Caroline Atkinson as his deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs. Ms. Atkinson has served in her current post since June 2013, a position that includes coordinating U.S. participation in the annual summits of the Group of 20 and Group of Seven countries. Ms. Atkinson also played key roles in the recently concluded climate negotiations in Paris and in pushing the White House’s trade agenda, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Mr. Adeyemo, 34, joined the White House’s National Economic Council as deputy director this fall from the Treasury, where he served most recently as the deputy chief of staff to Secretary Jacob Lew.

He was the Treasury’s lead negotiator on the currency agreement that was part of the Pacific trade deal.

Mr. Adeyemo also worked on Treasury’s response to crises in Ukraine and Greece and in 2010 was one of the first officials charged with standing up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

In a statement, Mr. Obama thanked Ms. Atkinson for her service and said he was grateful that Mr. Adeyemo would carry on her work.

Mr. Adeyemo had been nominated by Mr. Obama to serve as assistant Treasury secretary for international markets and development, but a White House official said Mr. Adeyemo had asked the president to withdraw the nomination given his new role. Mr. Lew said that Mr. Adeyemo had “developed a network of interna-

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tional relationships in economic offices around the world to promote U.S. interests effectively.” Former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Mr. Adeyemo, who joined the administration in 2009, was a “natural diplomat with a great feel for policy.” The position has served as a springboard to even higher profile international finance posts. Michael Froman, who is currently the U.S. trade representative, held the post under both Mr. Obama and President Bill Clinton. Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard, who previously served as a senior Treasury official in the Obama administration, held the post in the Clinton administration.

Source:http://www.abelabel.com/

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Obama Appoints Nigerian Journalist On Us Human Trafficking Council

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Nigeria Bans Credit Card Use Abroad

ing issues since 2009.

She founded The Entian Story in 2013, a non-profit organization which advocates for survivors of human trafficking and domestic abuse after her personal experience when she relocated to the US from Nigeria.

“In 2009, Ms. Oriola published her book Imprisoned: The Travails of a Trafficked Victim and began producing Imprisoned Show. Ms. Oriola has owned and managed Bukola Braiding and Beauty Supply since 2007. She was a reporter and researcher for Century Media Limited in Lagos, Nigeria from 2003 to 2005. Ms. Oriola received an A.S. from The Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo.”

She began her journalism career in Nigeria in 2000 at Common Interest Communications, Publishers of the defunct National Interest Newspapers and later joined the defunct New Age Newspaper.

United States President, Barrack Obama has named a NigerianAmerican journalist and Anti-human Trafficking advocate, Bukola Love Oriola as a member of the US Advisory Council on Human Trafficking.

In a statement by the office of the Press Secretary, White House on December 16, Obama said he was honoured that Oriola and ten others appointed to serve on the council have decided to serve the country.

“They bring their years of experience and expertise to this Administration, and I look forward to working with them,” Obama stated.

In 2005, Oriola won the Cadbury National Award for Education Reporters and is a fellow of the International Institute for Journalism, Germany.

Responding to her appointment, Oriola who was in Nigeria in September on sensitization campaign against human trafficking, said she was grateful and humbled.

“Please join in thanking God on my behalf. I regard the appointment as an opportunity to do more than I have been doing in advocating against Human Trafficking in the United States and in other parts of the world.”

One of the banks, Standard Chartered, has emailed its customers notifying them of the ban.

Source:http://howng.com/

According to White House statement, Oriola, has served as an independent consultant, speaker, and author on human traffick-

Nigeria's central bank has ordered commercial banks to stop customers from using their debit and credit cards abroad, a source has told the BBC. One bank has emailed customers to this effect, stressing it is a "temporary measure".

Access to foreign online retailers will also be affected when the ban takes effect on 1 January 2016.

It is part of the government's effort to try to stem the flow of foreign exchange out of the country.

The unofficial value of the Nigerian currency, the naira, has plunged because of the fall in the oil price - its main export.

Africa Live: BBC news updates Africa's largest economy has spent billions of dollars propping up the currency since it fixed the exchange rate in February and tightened trading rules to curb speculation.

It is not clear how many people will be affected by the latest measure but the BBC's Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi in the capital, Abuja, says wealthy Nigerians travel abroad regularly and use their local cards for shopping and other transactions.

Some top-end shops in London have signs in Hausa to cater for the large number of Nigerian customers.

Avoid Immigration Scam

Source:onlinenigeria.com

To accomplish this goal, USCIS launched the Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law (UPIL) Initiative. As part of the effort, we've partnered with several government agencies to identify resources that can help you avoid immigration services scams.

Empower yourself by using our online educational resources, which include:

Are you getting the right immigration help?

Many people offer help with immigration services. Unfortunately, not all are authorized to do so. While many of these unauthorized practitioners mean well, all too many of them are out to rip you off. This is against the law and may be considered an immigration services scam.

If you need help filing an application or petition with USCIS, be sure to seek assistance from the right place, and from people that are authorized to help. Going to the wrong place can:

Delay your application or petition

Cost you unnecessary fees Possibly lead to removal proceedings This site can help you avoid immigration services scams. Remember: Know the facts when it comes to immigration assistance, because the Wrong Help Can Hurt.

Tools to Help You Avoid Scammers USCIS wants to combat immigration services scams by equipping applicants, legal service providers and community-based organizations with the knowledge and tools they need to detect and protect themselves from dishonest practices.

The top things to know before and after filing an application or petition A list of common immigration services scams State-by-state information on where you can report an immigration services scam Advice on finding authorized legal help Information on becoming an authorized legal immigration service provider Educational tools you can print and share This page can be found at:

http:// www.uscis.gov/avoidscams.

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Mfantsiman Association of Washington DC Metro Hold Annual Dinner Dance D e c e m b e r 2015

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The Mfantseman Association of the Washington DC metro area is a non-profit organization that seeks to unite Ghanaian people of Fante heritage through collaboration among various Fante Associations in North America and Fante leaders in Ghana.

The association aims to assist in the socio-cultural, educational, health and economic development of the Fante people primarily in Ghana and where ever they are found.

On Friday December 18, 2015, the Association gathered at the Comfort Inn at Springfield in the State of Virginia USA to take stock of the past year and seek ways to forge into the upcoming new year of 2016.

In attendance at the event were some of the Association's executive members including Dr. Albert Wright who is the Association's Patron and his wife and Mr. Amos Degraft Duker, the Founder of the Association. Also present at the annual dinner were some community leaders. Members of the general public were also present at the gathering which featured a heavy display of Fante cultural heritage in the forms of dance, music and food.

The President of the Association, Mr. Isaac Manford expressed his profound appreciation to the executives who have supported him in steering the affairs of the association and he urged the members to embrace each other in the spirit of unity and pray that the association would grow in strength as the years go by.

Mfantseman Association of the Washington DC metro area was formed in 2014, it presently has a membership of over 100 composed mostly of Fante professionals and other individuals living and working in the Washington DC metro area and beyond. The Association also opens its doors to non Fante individuals who are interested in learning more about and contributing to its growth and nonprofit interests.

According to history, the Fante states of the then Gold Coast which is now Ghana extended from Pra in the West to about twenty-four kilometers west of Accra, the current capital of Ghana. The Fanti states included the Eguafo, Dena (Elmina), the Efutu, Asebu, the Etsii, Komenda and Shama who are all members of the Akan tribe. The Fanti language, is part of the Kwa group which numbers some 1.2 million.

Their inheritance and succession to public office is determined mostly by matrilineal descent. According to their oral traditions, the Fantes arrived in their present habitat from the north by the 17th century.

They served as middlemen in the commerce between the interior and British and Dutch traders on the coast. In the early 18th century the Fantes formed a confederation, primarily as a means of protection against Ashanti incursions from the interior.

Several Fanti-Ashanti wars ensued during which the Fanti were aided by the British, who, however, destroyed the strong Fanti confederacy established between 1868 and 1872, believing it a threat to their hegemony on the coast. In 1874 a joint Fanti-British army defeated the Ashanti, and in that same year the Fanti became part of the British Gold Coast colony.

To find out more about the present day Mfantseman Association of the Washington DC metro area their activities, contact them via phone number 703 655-0655

TThe President and the patron of the Association with their partners

The President Mr. Isaac Manford flanked by his vice giving his address

Members and their guests in Joyous mood

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H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to attend CCA's 2016 U.S.-Africa Business Summit

Head of State Summit in Addis Ababa, is a platform to promote trade and investment in all African countries.

The Corporate Council on Africa (CCA) is honored to announce H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of the Republic of Liberia will attend the 10th Biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 1-4, 2016.

President Sirleaf will join Ethiopian Prime Minister, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn and other African heads of state and senior government representatives at the Summit to promote U.S. and international trade and investment in Africa. For Liberia, the challenge is to attract investment after being affected by the worst Ebola outbreak in history. "Liberia has gone through a crisis like few other countries have," said CCA President and CEO, Stephen Hayes. "It once again represents an excellent investment opportunity, where the social and economic good come together. We are deeply honored that President Sirleaf will be with us, as we are with her."

The CCA Summit has always been distinct for showcasing investment opportunities not only in Africa's largest markets such as Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya, but also in less-visible, but promising markets like Liberia. The 2016 Summit, which will immediately follow the African Union's Annual

In 2012, CCA launched the Liberia Working Group (LWG) to engage the business community and those with a vested interest in Liberia's economic growth.

The inaugural meeting hosted the Ambassador of the Republic of Liberia, Jeremiah C. Sulunteh and Finance Minister, Honorable Amara Konneh. The challenge and motivation to launch LWG was to support Liberia's post-conflict development. Today, Liberia is working to attract investment post-Ebola. According to the World Bank, the three countries most affected by Ebola: Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, will suffer a combined $1.6 billion in economic losses in 2015.

CCA has been at the forefront of U.S. private sector response since the Ebola outbreak, bringing together not only members, but any company invested in Liberia, to facilitate a coordinated U.S. government and business response to the crisis.

The 2016 Summit is proudly sponsored by leading American and African businesses and organizations including: Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, Symbion Power, Acrow Bridge, AGCO Corporation, AstraZeneca, Gilead Sciences, Petrolin Group, USAID, Zenith Bank, Boeing Company, Development Finance International, John Deere, Microsoft, Mota-Engil Africa, Procter and Gamble, Varian Medical Systems, Ford Motor Company and International Green Structures. So far, more than 30 major companies are sponsoring the conference.

The Corporate Council on Africa's 10th Biennial U.S.Africa Business Summit will be hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 1-4, 2016 at the United Nations Conference Centre. To attend the Summit and for more information, please visit www.summit.africacncl.org or e-mail summit@africacncl.org.

For media enquiries, please contact Michaela Ehimika at mehimika@africacncl.org or 202-835-1115.

United States Announces $88 Million in Humanitarian Aid for Ethiopia D e c e m b e r 2015

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The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an additional $88 million in humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia today to address the humanitarian crisis resulting from the impacts of the El Ni単o phenomenon.

The additional aid brings the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for Ethiopia to more than $435 million since the start of fiscal year 2015 and increases funding for nutrition, water, food, sanitation, and hygiene support.

Ethiopia is facing a humanitarian crisis as consecutive seasons of below-normal rainfall-exacerbated by the effects of El Ni単o-has lowered agricultural production, decimated livestock, and deteriorated food security and nutrition conditions in some parts of the country. Ethiopia currently has one of the largest food insecure populations in the world, which has increased dramatically since August 2015, as it is experiencing one of the worst droughts in decades.

By early 2016, the Government of Ethiopia estimates that 10.2 million people will be in need of relief food assistance. This is in addition to 7.9 million chronically food insecure covered by the Government of Ethiopia-led Productive Safety Net Program, supported by USAID and the donor community. Approximately 5.8 million people will need clean water, 1.7 million children and lactating mothers will require nutritious food supplements, and as many as 435,000 children will require treatment for severe acute malnutrition in 2016.

Building on earlier food assistance to Ethiopians impacted by El Ni単o, USAID will provide more than 116,000 metric tons of relief food aid to address the needs of 2.6 million people in 74 districts. USAID will also scale up rapid response systems for nutrition and water, and support partners to jumpstart pipelines of relief supplies, helping provide much needed aid for peak needs during the June to September 2016 lean season.Combined with previous contributions, USAID is supporting 3.9 million Ethiopians with relief food assistance through non-governmental organizations and the World Food Program.

The United States commends the Government of Ethiopia for its early and appropriate response to the crisis, including providing $297 million in relief resources.

USAID's resilience investments-including efforts to safeguard livestock and other assets and inject cash transfers into development programs in drought-prone areasare also helping Ethiopian households cope with the impacts of El Ni単o. Building upon the foundation of the Productive Safety Net Program, these measures are key to the long-term food security programs the United States supports in Ethiopia through Feed the Future, the U.S. Government's global hunger and food security initiative.However, due to the severity of this crisis, additional resources from global donors are still urgently needed to save the lives of those most in need in Ethiopia.

Source:http://allafrica.com/

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7 Ways To Live 2016 Without Regrets

When we come to the end of the year, there are many things to think about. Apart from the holiday season, we should think about the mistakes we made, the failures we faced and the success we gained.A new year is quickly approaching, and it’s time to start forgetting about the past year. It’s time to forgive yourself and your enemies.

It’s time to set new goals. It’s time to change your life. You may say you don’t have time for thinking.

Find that time. This will help you live 2016 with no regrets but more happiness. I guarantee you that you’ll learn something useful from this article. If you follow some of the tips mentioned below, you will live 2016 with a great sense of accomplishment.

1. Learn to share your love

When I wrote ‘love’ I didn’t mean expressing love to a partner. Love is a wonderful feeling that can do miracles. We all have, but not all of us show and share it. If you’re a shy person who has trouble showing love, you need to learn to stop feeling uncomfortable and awkward every time you say ‘I love you’ or help others. In 2016, share your love with anyone you know and don’t know. Share your love with animals. Express your true feelings. Don’t hide them. You won’t regret it at the end of the new year.

2. Become the leader of your own life

You don’t need to be a leader in the workplace but you have to be the leader of your own life. People will never stop talking and gossiping so if you really want to do something special to you or the whole world, do it. Don’t wait for permission and approval. This is a waste of time. Focus on your decision and believe in yourself. You’re capable of doing just anything a human being can do. Once you become the leader of your own journey, your life will become a lot better.

3. Know your next move

Whatever you do, know your next move. Set your new year’s resolutions and consider the ways to achieve them. Consider the backup plans too. If plan A fails, you need to have plan B and plan C. Knowing your next move will help you be more productive in 2016 and ring in 2017 with no regrets at all.

4. Get rid of old stuff

Be it a resentment, an ex, a mistake, or a friend who hurt you, get rid of the past. Leave all the old things and feelings in 2015 so that you could turn over a new leaf in 2016. Delete the social media account that spoils your mood whenever you check it, say goodbye to people who are trying to ruin your life, quit the job you hate, throw away the old things that make you feel sad and forget about all of the mistakes

D e c e m b e r 2015

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Best Countries For Business In Africa Forbes

and failures you faced in 2015. A new year is a new opportunity to make your life happier, and you won’t be able to do it if you don’t let go of the old stuff that’s been destroying your life for years.

5. Let negative people walk away from you

At some point or another even your best friend or your sibling may betray you. Sometimes the closest people can become our worst enemies and no matter what we do, we can’t change them. If someone walks away from you, let them do it. Holding onto them is a waste of time and effort. In 2016 make sure you’re surrounded with positive people. One positive friend is better than three negative ones.

6. Spread your wings

Stepping outside the box is more than just a cliche. We refuse to take the risks because we believe we can’t do it.

Remember, you CAN do it. Don’t underestimate yourself.

Want to travel the world? Volunteer? Move to another city? Quit job? Ditch excuses and welcome change in your life. Any change breeds a sort of growth. You will have no regrets once you reach your risky goal. Keep going when others stop. Set the goals that most are afraid to reach.

Spread your wings and show others how happy and lucky you are.

7. Give your power to the positive possibilities in front of you

The key to living a life with no regrets is a huge motivation to do anything life offers. Stop listening to the negative voice chattering in the back of your head. Say yes to things you typically talk yourself out of. Focus on the reasons to continue, not to stop.

With 2016 upon us, we have to say goodbye to the things that made us miserable in 2015. We have to let go of everything that’s holding us back. This is a sure way to live 2016 and many years to come with no regrets. Are you satisfied with what you accomplished in 2015? Have you already set your new year’s resolutions?

Source: Womanitely

On the Forbes 2015 ranking of 144 Best Countries for Business in the world,

Ghana ranks 79th and 8th in Africa.

Ghana is ahead of countries like Senegal, Tunisia, Namibia and the Seychelles.

Some of the other countries that Ghana is ahead of include Mozambique, Lesotho, Madagascar, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire which is ranked at 106th in the world and 17th in Africa.

In Africa, the top 10 were #1 Mauritius, #2 South Africa, #3 Morocco, #4 Botswana, #5 Cape Verde, #6 Rwanda, #7 Zambia, #8 Ghana, #9 Senegal and #10 Tunisia.

Globally, the top 10 were #1 Denmark, #2 New Zealand, #3 Norway, #4 Ireland, #5 Sweden, #6 Finland, #7 Canada, #8 Singapore

Source:http://www.myjoyonline.com

How An Unpopular Nigerian Ex-Player Became One Of The Most Powerful Men In Football

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In the last few days, the news of Jose Mourinho’s sacking has been the biggest news in world soccer.

The manager, just over two years into his second stint at Chelsea, was fired after a poor run of results which had left the league champions and its expensively assembled squad facing the humiliating prospect of being involved in a scrappy battle to avoid relegation from the English Premier League. While Mourinho’s name and cult personality has dominated the headlines, Michael Emenalo, a Nigerian ex-international who is now Chelsea’s technical director, has also come into the limelight, so much so that some fans are even calling for his head. For someone with, at best, an average professional football career, his rise to become a close and trusted ally of Russian billionaire and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and one of the most powerful men in football is quite remarkable.

Emenalo’s football career began in 1985 at Enugu Rangers, one of Nigeria’s oldest football clubs and a year later he enrolled at Boston University where his academic ability impressed university officials who advised him to pursue a career in law rather than professional football. Emenalo chose football and his professional career spanned two continents and six clubs.

His international career saw him turn out 14 times for the Super Eagles with his best moments being appearances at the 1994 World Cup against Argentina and Greece. Mostly anonymous and away from the spotlight, Emenalo endured a journeyman football career mostly with clubs in lower divisions in Europe.

Retiring from active football in 2000 after turning out for Israeli club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Emenalo returned to the United States where he eventually joined the Tucson Soccer Academy as director of player development in 2006. But Emenalo did not stay in the role too long as only a year later he was offered a route to the big time by Avram Grant, his former coach at Maccabi Tel Aviv. Grant had been hired by Chelsea in 2007 to replace Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese was sacked in his first stint at the club. Following his appointment, Grant brought in Emenalo as Chelsea’s chief opposition scout, a role he held till 2010 when he replaced Ray Wilkins as Chelsea’s assistant coach.

Twelve months later, Emenalo landed his big break as he was appointed as the club’s technical director thrusting him into a key role as he became in charge of overseeing recruitment strategy and shaping the club’s playing personnel. Emenalo’s work as technical director has been crucial to changing Chelsea’s financial model as the club, in light of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rule which prevented clubs from spending beyond their revenue margins, could no longer solely depend on the deep pockets of its Russian billionaire owner.

Inevitably, his role meant constant interaction with Roman Abramovich. Now a prominent member of Chelsea’s board, Emenalo stands out as the only member with tangible football experience. The other members, Bruce Buck, Eugene Tenenbaum and Marina Granovskaia all have long standing personal or business relationships with Abramovich leaving Emenalo

as the man with unique football insight and thus earning the trust of Abramovich on football related matters at the club.

ALSO READ: Kachikwu Takes Over From Diezani As OPEC President It’s an important role at a club where the owner has spent liberally. After an initial outlay of £140 million to purchase Chelsea Football Club in 2003, Abramovich has now spent up to £2 billion on the club. As the club’s financial model evolved, Abramovich’s investment also changed from hand-outs to interest-free loans now valued at more than a billion pounds. The club itself had run up cumulative losses of around $1 billion in in 10 years to 2014/15 season. Most of those losses come from expensive player signings which now comes under Emenalo’s role as technical director. Operating as a buffer between the board and the manager, Emenalo has become a powerful man at Chelsea thus limiting the powers of the manager. In 2013, when the news of Mourinho’s return was confirmed, Emenalo offered to resign (paywall) knowing that Mourinho might be averse to the club’s new structure which limits his powers but as a testament to his rise in stature, Abramovich turned down his resignation. In the aftermath of Mourinho’s sacking, when the club needed to make a strong statement to clear the air on circumstances surrounding the Portuguese’s departure, it was Emenalo, who was put forward. ALSO READ: Former Mr Nigeria Shares Naked Bedroom Picture “It was a decision taken to protect the interests of the club,” Emenalo said during an interview with Chelsea’s own cable TV channel. “While there is huge sentiment for the individual, who has done so much for the club, the fact remains Chelsea football club is in trouble. The results have not been good. There obviously seemed to be a palpable discord between manager and players and we feel it was time to act. The owner is forced to make what was a very tough decision for the good of the club.”

Chelsea fans, dominated by Mourinho loyalists, were upset Emenalo never even mentioned by the former manager by name, at times referring to Mourinho as “the individual”. As the dust around Mourinho’s sacking settles, it appears more likely Emenalo had a more of a say in the final decision than was previously imagined. In less than a decade, the little known Nigerian ex-international has gone from simply being a member of the club’s backroom staff to deciding the fate of the most successful manager in the club’s history. Even though Emenalo has come in for severe criticism from Chelsea fans who remain hugely sentimental towards Mourinho, he retains the trust of Roman Abramovich who, going by all indications, possibly considers Emenalo to be the new ‘Special One’. qz.com

Read more at: http://www.abelabel.com/2015/12/28/how-anunpopular-nigerian-ex-player-became-one-of-the-most-powerful-men-in-football/

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Meet The 10 Year Old Working on her PHD And Wants to Run Her Own Bank At 15!

Just like many other 10 year old’s, Esther Okade, loves “Frozen” and playing her dolls. What makes her stand out is the fact that she’s currently working on obtaining an undergraduate degree.

This ten year-old Nigerian child has been accepted to start her maths degree at a British university.

Having enrolled a short while ago, the young girl is already at the top of her class following a 100 per cent score in a recent test.

From the early age of seven years, Esther Okade had always wanted to go to university.

“I actually wanted to start when I was seven. But my mum was like, “you’re too young, calm down.” “She would say, ‘mum, when am I starting?’, and go on and on and on,” said her mother.

After three years of persuasion, Esther finally got her mother to take her to university.

She began applying in August and a phone interview, an essay and a maths exam later she got accepted into the Open University in December to study for a maths degree.

When she isn’t studying for exams, CNN reports that she writes math workbooks for children called “Yummy Yummy Algebra,” while her family works to open “Shakespeare Academy,” a nursery school and primary school in Nigeria’s Delta region.

Due to her love of numbers and helping others, she believes that opening a bank will ensure a fulfilling career.This also speaks volumes! She doesn’t want to work at someone else’s bank but is interested in being an entrepreneur! Not only is she brilliant, she’s ambitious as well.

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Africa U-23 Championship: Yaya Toure Wins BBC Nigeria beat Algeria to African Footballer Of The emerge champions Year Award 2015

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Yaya Toure has been voted the BBC African Footballer of the Year 2015.

The Nigeria U-23 team has emerged champions of the second edition of the Africa U-23 Cup of Nations following their 2-1 win over their Algerian counterparts on at the Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium, Dakar.

Two goals from Oghenekaro Etebo in the first half was enough to hand Nigeria the title even though the Algerians got some sort of lifeline when

Segun Oduduwa scored an own goal.

The Algerians moved closer to getting an equaliser but they were denied by the heroics of goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel who not only stopped a penalty kick but made other fantastic saves.

Samuel Eto'o given managerial chance at Antalyaspo

Former Cameroon captain Samuel Eto'o has been appointed interim player-manager at Turkish side Antalyaspor.

The 34-year-old striker, who joined the club on a three-year contract in June, has been given three matches to impress at the helm.

He takes over from Yusuf Simsek, whose contract was terminated by mutual consent on 7 December.

Antalyaspor will make a decision about whether to give Eto'o the role permanently after the winter break.

Eto'o will be guided and assisted by Mehmet Ugurlu, who is the club's technical director, as the Cameroonian takes his first steps into management.

The move is an unexpected one the former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelsea player, who has been involved in a number of controversial and damaging disputes with his country's football federation as well as with team-mates.

One of his former international team-mates, Patrick M'boma, admitted he was "surprised Eto'o has gone into management so soon".

But he revealed Eto'o, who he played alongside in two Africa Cup of Nations-winning sides, has long-held ambitions in that area.

"I know it was in his plans to be a manager - he told me many years ago," M'boma told BBC Sport.

"But from what I know he has no experience. I hope he will be a good manager but I do not know.

"He has the personality and the knowledge, but I am not sure he will have the patience. If he can improve on the areas where he is weak he could be a success."

The 32-year-old Ivory Coast midfielder becomes only the third player, after Nigerians Nwankwo Kanu and Jay-Jay Okocha, to receive the honour twice.

Football fans voted for Manchester City's Toure, who first won in 2013, ahead of Yacine Brahimi, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andre Ayew and Sadio Mane.

"I am very proud. To receive this dedication from the fans is unbelievable," Toure told BBC Sport.

"Also I want to pay tribute to the other nominees. African football is growing up, becoming much better and we have fantastic young players coming through now."

Toure described all five nominees as "champions".

He added: "I am delighted and very happy. And as an African player, I want to lead all my younger brothers to be successful in the future.

"When I was a kid I was always dreaming of being an important player. I have sacrificed a lot.

"I will continue to try to win a trophy every year, I will fight to win a personal trophy."

Previous winners 2014: Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) 2009: Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast) 2004: Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria) 2013: Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) 2008: Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt) 2003: Jay-Jay Okocha (Nigeria) 2012: Chris Katongo (Zambia) 2007: Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo) 2002: El Hadji Diouf (Senegal) 2011: Andre Ayew (Ghana) 2006: Michael Essien (Ghana) 2001: Sammy Kuffour (Ghana) 2010: Asamoah Gyan (Ghana) 2005: Mohamed Barakat (Egypt) 2000: Patrick Mboma (Cameroon) Two of the beaten nominees have won the award before, Algeria's Brahimi in 2014 and Ghanaian Ayew in 2011. Gabon's Aubameyang was on the shortlist for the third year running, while Senegalese Mane made it for the first time.

Toure has been nominated for the award seven times and his second win ensures his year ends with a trophy, just as it began when he led Ivory Coast to glory at the Africa Cup of Nations.

He captained the team in Equatorial Guinea and opened the scoring in the semi-final to put his side on course for a 3-1 victory over Democratic Republic of Congo.

Toure was a key influence as his country end a 23-year wait for their second Nations Cup title, overcoming Ghana in a penalty shootout in the final.

It was Toure's first trophy with the national team in his sixth Nations Cup tournament, and having lost in two finals - in 2006 and 2012.

There was less success for Toure with Manchester City, who failed to defend their English Premier League 2014 title and finished second to Chelsea.

But Toure remains a powerful presence in the heart of the midfield and contributed seven goals for City in the calendar year.

Amy AnsongA s s ociate Editor

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