By Joseph Edegbo

Nigerian Government says the reported deplorable conditions of the Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram in the North East, “is fake news.”

Addressing  a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said in view of the grave security implication of the allegations contained in the publication, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered an investigation to determine its veracity.

The investigation, he said,  has since been concluded and that the summary of the findings is that there is no case of hunger, starvation or begging among the troops fighting in the North East, and in particular in the Armed Forces Special Forces Battalion that was referenced in the publication.

”Also, there is no irregular/short payment of allowances, while claims of poor equipment, inadequate kitting and accommodation are found to be ill conceived and unfounded,” he said.

Mohammed said contrary to the publication, the troops in question, deployed at Brig.-Gen. Maimalari Secondary School along Gubio Road, are being fed centrally three times a day, and are kitted immediately after  training before their deployment in the theatre.

The Minister  then wondered how soldiers who are fed centrally be starving or begging for food? Concerning the payment of allowances, the monthly allowances of troops of the AFSF Battalion are being paid directly into their various accounts from the Defence Headquarters, hence they cannot be shortchanged,” he said.

On the allegation of poor equipment and inadequate kitting, the Minister said it was found that the inflow of logistics into the theatre in the past six months showed an enormous quantity of materiel was distributed to troops in the theatre.

“If anything, the publication in question exhibited poor understanding of what obtains in the theatre of military operations. For example, the claim of poor accommodation in an operational environment. By their training, soldiers in theatres of war are usually in trenches, tents or other makeshift structures. Fighting insurgency is not a walk in the park and the gallant men and women in uniform who are engaged in counter-insurgency operation in the North East are not on a luxurious expedition. The battlefront is no playground,” he said.

Mohammed warned that engaging in fake publication about the troops is not only a great disservice to the nation, but a terrible downplay of the kind of sacrifices being made by the gallant troops in fighting the insurgency.

He said such fake reports amount to collaborating with fifth columnists and enemies of the nation to weaken the fighting spirit of our forces, and represent a clear and present danger to the nation’s security.

While restating the administration’s belief in the freedom of the press, the Minister appealed to the media to always commit to the highest standards of journalism by double checking with the government before publishing any information from the theatre of operation in the North East.

By Joseph Edegbo

The European Union (EU) has withheld the activation of the 2018 annual action program for Comoros saying it is not satisfied with President Azali’s government reform of the  judiciary and constitution.

“The services of the EU have decided to postpone the annual action program of cooperation between the EU and the Comoros Union for 2018 in light of strong uncertainties detected with regards to the preconditions that the government of Comoros agreed to to…in terms of the reform of the judiciary and the presence of an independent body that would take over the control of the constitution and the development of a strategy to fight corruption.”  the EU explained in a statement.

Welcoming the move, Mr. Abubakar Aboud, advisor to former President Sambi and in charge of communication of the leading opposition party, Juwa party said, “We see this move as a first serious warning to the government of Azali by a leading multilateral organisation. The European Union was quick to react by refusing to finance government projects related to justice and road networks. We hope this will encourage other multilateral organisations to follow suit. President Azali needs to understand that he will not be allowed to destroy the democratic institutions and human rights in the country with impunity.”

After almost a week of armed clashes between the national army and insurgents in the city of Mutsamudu, Anjouan, a precarious calm has settled. However, this was quickly followed by the arrest of the governor of Anjouan Dr. Abdou Salami Abdou. Decrying the arrest, Mr Aboud, said,  “The presumption of innocence no longer exists in Comoros. Whatever the government says, the justice system executes without question. There is no longer an independent justice system, just as there is no longer an independent National Assembly. That’s why I am pleased that the EU has raised the issue of judicial reforms.”

Colonel Azali is purging his political opponents, mainly from the Juwa party, the main opposition in the country. So far, key leaders including President Sambi, vice president Jaffar Ahmed Said Hassani, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army Colonel Ibrahim Salim, the general secretary of Juwa Party Ahmed Hassane El Barwane, spokesman for the party Dr Ahmed Abdou Chakour, treasurer of the party Milano Henri Alphonse and the MPs of Mutsamudu and Itsandra have been arrested.

To diffuse the tensions and unrest in the country, the African Union  (AU) tried to initiate a dialogue between the opposition and the government by sending AU High Representative Ramtane Lamamra on September 14^th. However, he didn’t meet any of the political prisoners including former President Sambi. The talks broke down and stalled as the government refused to revise the decisions of the referendum, calling it “ancient history”.

“The release of political prisoners was one of the main requests that were not respected by government authorities. The removal of the immunity of three opposition MPs followed by the arrest of the governor of Anjouan, can hardly facilitate the resumption of this inter-Comorian dialogue,” says Aboud.

“I am really worried about threats on President Samb’s life, he concludes. “Recently, I learned from reliable sources, that a plot could be put in place to physically eliminate President Sambi, which naturally makes me fear the worst. “

By Iliya Kure

A newly launched advocacy organisation, Part Worn Africa is calling on African governments and regulatory bodies across the continent to introduce and enforce stronger regulations governing the sale of second-hand tyres.

According to the organisation, Africa is plagued by inadequate legislative and regulatory frameworks and an absence of minimum safety and quality standards for what may constitute a safe to use second-hand or part-worn tyre.

Africa has the highest rate of road traffic deaths in the world, with 26.6 killed per 100,000 inhabitants.

The United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety (2011 – 2020) called on African countries to implement concrete actions to improve road safety and half road deaths by 2020.

“Unscrupulous operators take advantage of porous tyre waste disposal processes to gather ‘stock’ for resale, while others resell tyres rejected from other countries outside Africa because they are no longer fit for use. This makes them dangerous, a fact further compounded by these tyres often being ill-suited to Africa’s climate and road conditions,” explains Abdul Waheed Patel, Director of Part Worn Africa.

“There is a need to protect road users by developing, enforcing and monitoring compliance with appropriate legislative and regulatory standards and specifications for second-hand and part-worn tyres, uniformly across Africa. Drivers who may be experiencing financial pressure often choose unverified cheaper tyres without being aware of the associated safety risks,” he adds.

The advised that once the limits of tyres have been reached, they should be safely disposed of in accordance with regulated tyre waste management practice, as against the trend where many of these unsafe tyres are returned into the African market, with unsuspecting and financially strapped drivers becoming the victims.

Part Worn Africa says it would work with governments, regulatory bodies and multi-sectoral interest groups across Africa to address policy, legislative and regulatory deficits that expose unaware consumers to this major hazard on Africa’s roads.

“Addressing these issues will also confront an unchecked illicit economy in the trade and sale of unregulated and unsafe tyres, which is also typically characterised by unfair competition, irresponsible business practices and dumping of these tyres on African roads from jurisdictions where they are no longer suitable for use elsewhere,” it said.

Drone technology can turn around the fortunes of the construction sector, Gauteng Infrastructure Development MEC Jacob Mamabolo said on Monday.

Updating the media on progress made since the launch of the programme on 21 May, Mamabolo said drone technology can address challenges such as cost and quality issues.

Since the initial launch in May, the Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) has acquired an additional four drones bringing its fleet to five.

“We have one drone per region because since the launch we have taken position, that drones can make infrastructure delivery efficient and effective,” said Mamabolo.

Head of Department Bethuel Netshiswinzhe said the sector has historically been a rigid and averse to change.

Through drone technology, the DID is able to monitor building projects such as new schools, clinics, libraries and hospitals, among others.

“[Through the] work we are doing, we are trying to build a department that can sustain service delivery,” said Mamabolo, adding that government can be efficient.

He stressed that by improving the work of the department, the quality of life for residents will also improve.

“We still don’t have effective, efficient way of delivering infrastructure.”

The drone programme is a partnership between the DID and the University of Johannesburg which resulted in the department signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the university in July to accelerate the delivery of public infrastructure through smart technologies.

Addressing media at a media briefing held at the Emoyeni Conference Centre in Johannesburg, Mamabolo said the objective of the partnership, is to build on infrastructure delivery analytics capability that uses drone data to monitor progress against plans, monitor the use of materials on site and project governance and safety controls.

Capabilities of the drones include 3D technology where through the drone, the DID can monitor and verify site activity without officials being on site through high quality transmission technology that allows high definition video streaming.

“Capabilities include a 3D model. We will be making it official policy where everybody  that works with DID, our professionals, they will have to join us in leveraging smart technologies. The 3D technologies embedded in the drone gives us the opportunity to check and verify site activity,” he said.

Through the technology, the department is able to check whether construction on site is in accordance with architectural designs.

Through the drone technology the department can also ensure that “every cent is accounted for” thereby also contributing to the fight against corruption.

“Once we bring in transparency, openness into construction sites, we are able to see what exactly is going on.”

Mamabolo said government is of the view that infrastructure can turn around Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rates while also creating much needed jobs.

“We must build capacity of the state, we will demonstrate. We are going to make it a policy that everyone who works with us will need to deliver all drawings to us in 3D models so we can track cost, quality and time beyond dispute.”

SAnews.gov.za