Author: kajarbi54

By Bakary Tourey Jr. Former Nigerian Senator, Dr. Ita Solomon Enang, has called for the direct election of members into the ECOWAS Parliament, proposing that such an arrangement include a sunset clause limited to one year, as originally conceived in the 2016 Act. Senator Enang made the call on Tuesday, during the ongoing extraordinary session and seminar of the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja. He spoke while delivering a presentation on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), outlining opportunities and challenges in expanding intra-community trade within the ECOWAS region. Addressing lawmakers, Enang explained that free trade agreements – whether bilateral…

Gambian lawmaker Hon. Maimuna Ceesay has called on the ECOWAS Parliament to move from what she describes as “integration by mouth” to genuine and practical implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Hon. Ceesay made the call on Tuesday at the ongoing Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament, focused on accelerating implementation and shifting from negotiations to “functional integration” to advance the AfCFTA within the sub-region. She maintained that the region lacks proper translation of talks into action, urging ECOWAS to establish a parliamentary oversight mechanism on AfCFTA implementation. “Every country should have a commitment. It cannot be…

The United States House Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Affairs formally submitted a report to the White House detailing their findings and recommendations on addressing the alleged persecution of Christians in Nigeria. This follows President Donald Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern and his directive for Congressman Riley Moore and Appropriations Committee Chairman, Tom Cole, to lead the investigation. Moore’s December 2025 mission to Nigeria took him to Benue, North-Central Nigeria, where he met victims of terrorism and engaged top officials, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The report draws from expert interviews, congressional hearings, roundtables,…

A pro-government militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo says it has killed around 50 members of the M23 rebel coalition during a recent offensive in the region. The group known as Wazalendo said the clashes occurred between Monday, to Sunday, Feb. 16 and Feb. 22 and several rebels were also captured as well. It said their fighters recaptured several localities in the territories of Masisi, Rutshuru and Walikale in North Kivu province as well as in Fizi in South Kivu following clashes with the M23 rebel coalition. According to a statement, on the Nkokwe/Masisi axis, the fighters recaptured positions…

Major challenger and president of the National Unity Platform (NUP), Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine, has formally addressed the European Parliament following Uganda’s 2026 general elections, describing the electoral process as a “military operation.” He urged the European Union to impose targeted sanctions on key government officials. Speaking remotely, Wine framed his remarks as both a briefing on post-election developments and an appeal for decisive international action. Framing the EU-Uganda Relationship Kyagulanyi began by thanking the European Parliament for what he described as sustained attention to Uganda’s political trajectory and its recent resolution on the country. He underscored…

The First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon. Jibrin Barau, has cautioned member states against fragmentation and isolation in the pursuit of shared regional objectives, such as the implementation of the AfCFTA. He was speaking during the proceedings of the First Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament on Monday in Abuja. Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of Nigeria’s Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, Hon. Barau, who is also Nigeria’s Deputy Senate President, reiterated that deeper integration is critical for West Africa to compete in an increasingly competitive global economy. He cautioned that fragmentation and isolation could potentially marginalize…

A fire broke out at Terminal 1 of Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday, prompting the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, (FAAN), to implement emergency protocols and temporarily suspend airport operations Authorities confirmed that six individuals were injured in the incident and are currently receiving medical care, with all reported to be in stable condition. One of the victims was moved to the FAAN Headquarters Hospital for additional assessment. According to FAAN, firefighters acted swiftly to control the blaze and structured evacuation measures allowed passengers and staff to exit the affected sections safely. The Control Tower was temporarily shut down…

Ethiopia has ruled out an immediate opening of its aviation market to foreign private airlines, citing the need to build a more resilient domestic aviation sector. The Director General of the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, Yohannes Abera, disclosed this on Monday, stating that the broader aviation ecosystem, as well as legal and financing frameworks, must be strengthened before any market opening is considered. He noted that the domestic aviation sector currently lacks the institutional and operational capacity to compete independently with foreign carriers. Abera added that private domestic aviation companies face several structural challenges, including regulatory constraints and operational bottlenecks,…

Zambia and Mozambique have unveiled a cross-border fibre-optic project aimed at accelerating digital integration and boosting regional trade. The project is expected to strengthen connectivity between the two countries by linking their national networks. Jointly unveiled by Zambia’s Science and Technology Minister, Felix Mutati, and Mozambique’s Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation, Américo Muchanga, the Chanida-Cassacatiza Cross-Border Fibre-Optic Interconnector, extends Zambia’s national fibre backbone to Mozambique’s high-capacity submarine cable network. Minister Mutati revealed that the launch of the project means Zambia is now connected to eight neighbouring countries through fibre infrastructure. “I may just boast that we have become the…

The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) has removed its tax office container following mounting public criticism over what many described as double standards in the enforcement of street vendor evictions in Kampala’s Central Business District (CBD). The container, which had occupied the busy Kikuubo pedestrian walkway for months, became a flashpoint after the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) began enforcing its directive to clear traders from streets, walkways, and other non-gazetted trading spaces. As KCCA intensified operations in line with a February 5 ultimatum that took effect on February 19, members of the public questioned why a government agency structure remained…