Africa Business News

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has welcomed the formation of a legal team by Ohanaeze Ndigbo to monitor the proceedings at the trial of the self-acclaimed IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
A communique by the AGF’s spokesman, Dr Umar Jibrilu Gwandu noted that the group showed a mature departure from the mindset of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra while channelling concerns and presenting demands.
Malami says by urging the youths to be law-abiding and sheath their sword as well as asking them to try to obtain voter’s cards to enable them to contribute to national development, the position of Ohanaeze becomes glaringly constitutional and commendable.

The Governor of Sokoto State and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has backed the calls for the electronic transmission of votes.
Tambuwal in a statement stressed the need for the lawmakers to give the country an electoral law that allows free, fair, and credible polls.
He also faulted the alleged plan by the federal parliament to disempower the Independent National Electoral Commission from transmitting results of elections electronically.
He says some have argued that internet penetration in all parts of Nigeria is not assured.

The Suez Canal netted Egypt a record $5.84 bn in the last tax year despite the coronavirus pandemic’s effect on world trade as well as a six-day blockage of the busy waterway by a giant cargo ship.
Osama Rabie, head of the Suez Canal Authority says despite various challenges, revenues from the canal rose sharply in the fiscal year ending June 30.
He says authorities netted the highest revenues in the history of the canal, hitting $5.84 billion more than two per cent up from the previous year.
Rabie says the SCA’s marketing and flexible pricing policies helped maintain a good rate of traffic through the canal and earned the trust of our partners.

Peru has extended until the end of August a coronavirus-related state of emergency that allows the government to impose restrictions in an effort to stem infections.
Interim President Francisco Sagasti and his government’s resolution extended the order, which was expected to be lifted on July 31, until the end of next month.
That means that restrictions including a nighttime curfew in place since March last year would continue.
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that Peru has struggled to contain surging coronavirus cases and deaths in recent months, with the country recording more than 2.07 million infections and more than 193,000 deaths since the pandemic began.

Officials say the death toll in last month’s collapse of a Florida apartment building has now risen to 90 with another 31 people still unaccounted for after the tragedy.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava says the number of confirmed deaths is now 90. Seventy-one victims have been identified adding that 217 people are accounted for and 31 people remain potentially unaccounted for.
Miami-Dade fire chief Alan Cominsky says the recovery and removal operation was proceeding around the clock, and emergency personnel were at the point of accessing cars in the underground parking garage.
Cominsky refused to be drawn on a possible endpoint for the recovery work.

South African ex-president Jacob Zuma asked the nation’s top court to let him out of jail by rescinding its 15-month sentence for snubbing anti-graft investigators.
The Constitutional Court sentenced Zuma to prison for refusing to appear before a probe into the corruption that mired his nine years in power.
Zuma is seeking to have that ruling set aside on the grounds that it was made in his absence.
The court says should the bid fail, Zuma’s team will seek to convince the judges that jail time is not the appropriate punishment for this instance of contempt, due to reasons including the implications for Zuma’s health.
His lawyers had also petitioned the Pietermaritzburg High Court in KwaZulu-Natal to stave off imprisonment however was rejected because he lacked jurisdiction over the matter and claims about his health were not supported by any evidence.

President Emmanuel Macron says France is to start closing its bases in northern Mali before the end of 2021.
The country will initially move troops south, before reducing the numbers to around half - amounting to about 2,500 to 3,000 soldiers.
Macron says the decision had been taken in line with the imperative of containing the spread of the threat to the south.
The French president was keen to point out they would continue to work in the region, even with reduced numbers.
Macron says they will remain committed. But to remain committed is also to adapt.

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has extended the Covid-19 lockdown by another two weeks as cases increase in the country.
The president says schools would remain closed and night curfew would remain.
The sale of alcohol remains prohibited and mass gatherings are still not allowed.
Restaurants have however been allowed to reopen with strict social distancing rules.
The president says the government will extend the Covid-relief fund to benefit more businesses affected by the lockdown.
South Africa recorded 16,302 new virus cases on Sunday bringing the total number of infections to 2,195,599.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority says that it would in the coming weeks, commence public sensitisation to further enlighten air travellers on steps to take in case of flight delays or cancellations by airlines.
Director-General of NCAA, Capt. Musa Nuhu, says this would enable the agency to respond appropriately in cases where their rights are trampled upon by airlines.
Capt. Nuhu says that the law on 100 per cent refund on air tickets in cases of a three-hour delay is not novel to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulation stressing that it has been in existence since 2015.
He, however, clarified that in the case of natural phenomena, the airlines would not be sanctioned by the agency, describing it as a force majeure.

The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission has commended the National Assembly for taking steps to review the Electoral Amendment Act as amended but faulted the exclusion of electronic transfer of results.
Jega lamented that the decision of the 9th Assembly to allow INEC to use electronic voting without the electronic transmission of results is counterproductive.
The former INEC boss explained that not all politicians are fraudulent and want to win by hook or by crook.”
Jega asked the National Assembly to diligently work to ensure that the Electoral Amendment Bill is appropriately amended before being passed.