OLU IBEKWE

Home Exclusive 5 things that Buhari can do to get Nigeria back on track-Washington Post Our Reporter November 2, 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari, who was inaugurated May 29, is the antithesis of the stereotypical Nigerian politician: incorruptible, soft-spoken, self-effacing and deliberate.  He embraces the nickname “Baba Go-Slow and Steady.” Buhari’s unhurried style has its downsides, however: It took him an unprecedented four months to name a solid but unextraordinary cabinet. His reform agenda appears to be sauntering out of the gates, according to the civil society-run Buharimeter. In the meantime, the challenges facing Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy continue to grow: Oil revenues are down, currency value has slipped and Boko Haram has killed more than 1,700 since June. Nigerians nevertheless expect their new president’s reform agenda to show tangible results, and soon. Given these imperatives, here are five t...

The popular SolarCity leasing model moves into the African continent. October 22, 2015 By Jennifer Runyon Chief Editor 102 38 5 DBL Partners, the same venture capital fund that supported SolarCity for many years, has led the largest venture capital funding for distributed energy in Africa. Off Grid Electric announced today that it raised $25 million in a Series C investment. Off Grid Electric, based in California and Tanzania, is installing solar in over 10,000 homes and businesses per month with what it calls “its radically affordable solar leasing platform.” The company designs, manufactures, sells, installs and services solar home units in Tanzania and is announcing tod...

The recent visit of South East Progressive Forum led by its Chairman and immediate past President of the Pan African Parliament Rt. Hon Bethel Amadi to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, on 27 th August, 2015 has continued to generate a lot of interest in the South East resulting in a lot of lies, blackmail and misinformation targeted at the person of Hon Amadi, in an attempt to vilify him and gain cheap political mileage. Hon Amadi led a delegation of eminent South East personalities such as Senator Anthony Agbo from Ebonyi, Senator Fidelis Okoro from Enugu, Hon Jerrry Igbokwe from Anambra, Ambassador Okey Emuchay from Abia and Hon Dr. Geff Ojinika from Imo amongst many other leaders. The delegation went to highlight key issues concerning the South East such as dilapidated infrastructure in all the socio-economic sectors, high youth unemployment, incessant insecurity, ...

HON NKODO DANG EMERGES NEW PAP PRESIDENT His Excellency, Hon. Nkodo Dang Roger of Cameroon has emerged the new President   of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) in a keenly contested election following the expiration of the tenure of Nigeria’s Hon. Bethel Amadi. A total of three candidates presented themselves for the election namely: Hon. Edwardo Joaquim Mulembwe   (Mozambique), Hon. Roger   Nkodo Dang (Cameroon) and Hon. Raboui Mongi (Tunisia). Hon. Nkodo Dang secured the highest number of votes amongst the contestants and was therefore declared the winner of the election. He was immediately congratulated by the two other contestants who pledged to cooperate and work with him in the spirit of “One Africa, One Voice”. In his acceptance speech, Hon. Nkodo Dang congratulated his fellow contestants for exhibiting the spirit of sportsmanship and expressed his appreciation to the PAP parliamentarians for the confidence reposed in him and pledged to carry everybody al...

PAP CONFERS AMBASSADORIAL STATUS ON BETHEL AMADI – EXPRESSES APPRECIATION TO NIGERIA The Pan African Parliament (PAP) at the 5 th day of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Third Parliament approved a motion conferring Ambassadorial status on its outgoing President, His Excellency, Hon. Bethel Amadi. Moving the motion which was unanimously adopted after some amendments, its chief sponsor, Hon. Martin Bohue of Cote D’Ivoire recalled the remarkable contributions of Hon. Amadi towards the institutional development of PAP in his capacity as President. Continuing, Hon. Bohue appreciated Hon. Bethel Amadi’s wisdom, humility, availability, leadership and open mindedness as well as his quality as a negotiator and unifier. Considering the urgent need for the signing and ratification of the Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU) relating to the Pan African Parliament as adopted at Malabo, Equatorial Guinea in June 2014, Hon. Bohue therefore moved that PAP should desig...

PAP PRESIDENT HON. BETHEL AMADI PRESENTS ACTIVITY REPORT TO THE PLENARY The second day of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Third Parliament of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) witnessed the presentation of Activity Report of the Parliament by PAP’s President, His Excellency, Hon. Bethel Amadi. Presenting the report, Hon. Bethel Amadi highlighted the activities of the Parliament in the areas of Election Observer Missions, committee activities, regional and women caucuses, transformation of the Parliament, implementation of the approved structure, legislative business, administration and emerging issues in the execution of the Parliament’s mandate. The report also highlighted some of the challenges militating against its ability to achieve its full potential as a continental legislative body. According to the PAP President, Hon. Bethel Amadi, PAP currently has advisory and consultative role which did not augur well for the effective execution of its mandate, particularly as r...