Africa
Nigeria accounts for over 20% of funds laundered from Africa says FG
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The Federal Government says over 20 per cent of funds illegally taken from Africa come from Nigeria.
The Spokesperson for the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Azuka Ogugua, stated this on Monday in Abuja while speaking on the occasion of the 2021 African Union Anti-Corruption Day marked every July 11.
She spoke on this year’s theme, ‘Regional Economic Communities: Critical Actors in the Implementation of the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption.
Ogugua, who was a guest on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ program, stressed that there was a need for a common African policy on the repatriation of stolen funds from the continent.
Speaking on the significance of the day, the ICPC spokesperson said, “The African Union Anti-Corruption Day does not just start and end with the celebrations. The celebrations serve the purpose of bringing to the fore the activities that have been done throughout the year and making recommendations and the way forward.
“In In 2017, 2018, and 2019, there was a call to have a common African position on asset recovery. African countries were seriously undergoing stress, a lot of funds have been moved out of the countries illegally and we were all struggling to find ways of recovering the funds. So, a lot of discussions were around how African countries can go about these.
“Nigeria accounts for more than 20 per cent of the funds illegally taken out of Africa. So, Nigeria has had a lot of experience and Nigeria was able to say, ‘Let’s have a common African position on asset recovery so that each country is not left to struggle on its own.
“This has been achieved – as at 2020, we now have the CAPA – the Common African Position on Asset Recovery which states how individual states can go about recovering funds looted from their countries. It might not look like much but it is an assistance that is being given to all countries.
“They also made some commitments too, being that the African Union countries, those that have ratified the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, committed to not being used a haven for illicit funds. We are already being depleted as it were; we will not allow people to steal money and come and hide it in our countries that was a major commitment from that CAPA.”
Africa
Tunisian court jails opposition leader, bans him from presidential elections
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A Tunisian court sentenced opposition party leader Lotfi Mraihi, a potential presidential election candidate, to eight months in prison on a charge of vote buying, his lawyer said on Friday.
The court also banned Mraihi, leader of the Republican Union Party and one of the most prominent critics of President Kais Saied, from running in presidential elections for life, his lawyer Omar Ismail said.
Mraihi will appeal the sentence, Ismail added.
Opposition parties, many of whose leaders are in prison, have accused Saied’s government of exerting pressure on the judiciary to crack down on his rivals in the 2024 elections and pave the way for him to win a second term.
Elected president in 2019, Saied has not officially announced his candidacy for the vote expected to be held on Oct. 6.
Still, it is widely anticipated that he will seek a second term.
He said last year he would not hand power to what he called non-patriots.
The opposition says fair and credible elections cannot be held unless imprisoned politicians are released and the media can do its job without pressure from the government.
In 2021, Saied dissolved parliament and began ruling by decree in a move the opposition have described as a coup.
Saied said his steps were legal and necessary to end years of rampant corruption among the political elite.
(Reuters/NAN)
Africa
Nigerian, South African Defence Chiefs Unite Against Continental Security Challenges
![Nigerian, South African Defence Chiefs Unite Against Continental Security Challenges](https://accessnews.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Nigerian-CDS-and-his-South-African-counterpart.webp)
Nigerian, South African Defence Chiefs Unite Against Continental Security Challenges
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, has called for stronger ties between the Armed Forces of Nigeria and the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) to tackle the complex security issues facing Africa.
Gen. Musa made this appeal during an official visit to his South African counterpart, Gen. Rudzani Maphwanya, in Pretoria, South Africa. The call for enhanced cooperation was highlighted in a statement released by Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, Acting Director of Defence Information, on Tuesday in Abuja.
“The meeting is a panacea to addressing the multifaceted challenges bedevilling the continent,” Gen. Musa emphasized. He underscored the importance of mutual cooperation and strengthening bilateral ties to combat regional security threats.
During their closed-door meeting, both leaders discussed various strategies to address these challenges, focusing on the exchange of expertise and forging stronger ties for the betterment of the continent.
Gen. Musa was honoured with Cannon Gun Salutes, a mark of high regard, during his visit. Brig.-Gen. Gusau noted the significance of the meeting between the two largest economies and military powers in Africa.
The meeting also saw the presence of SANDF Chiefs of Intelligence, Policy and Plans, International Affairs, and Joint Operations, among other departmental chiefs, highlighting the comprehensive nature of the discussions aimed at enhancing regional security cooperation.
Africa
Ramaphosa takes oath of office for 2nd term as South African president
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Cyril Ramaphosa, leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), took oath as the nation’s president for the next five years on Wednesday at Pretoria, the administrative capital.
Ramaphosa, 71, was re-elected as South African president by the National Assembly on June 14 with 283 votes against the other nominee, Julius Malema from the Economic Freedom Fighters, who received 44 votes.
Under the South African Constitution, once elected as president by the National Assembly, the president-elect must assume office within five days.
In the general elections on May 29, the ANC secured 159 out of the 400 seats in the National Assembly.
This is the first time the ANC is falling below the 50 per cent needed to maintain its 30-year-old outright majority in the lower house of parliament.
(Xinhua/NAN)
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