Newscast - Africa

West African leaders called for military-ruled Mali to hold elections in February and threatened further sanctions in January if Bamako fails to make any commitment towards returning to democracy.
President of the West African ECOWAS bloc Jean-Claude Brou says the heads of state decided to keep the deadline of February 27, 2022, for elections in Mali adding sanctions would be imposed in January if Mali did not move to stage polls.
The head of Mali’s transitional government, Colonel Assimi Goita justified postponing the election and holding a national consultation which he said would be indispensable for peace and stability.
Goita emerged as Mali’s strongman leader after a coup that toppled former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020

The federal government says that it was continuing to put pressure on its western allies to proscribe bandits, Boko Haram and the Indigenous People of Biafra as terrorists.
The government says that doing so would severely reduce the funding for the groups, noting that it was doing all within its powers to ensure that a stop is put to the killings throughout the country.
The presidential spokesman says the economic instability that the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked has further proven an effective recruitment tool for bandits and terrorists across the nation in particular and the African continent as a whole.

The United States Embassy has revealed that over the past two weeks it had helped connect oncology specialists from the US and Nigeria to help strengthen the capacity of cancer treatment and care in Nigeria.
A statement by Prof. Cindy O’Bryant of the University of Colorado and Prof. Donald Harvey of Emory University conducted training and shared best practices with their Nigerian counterparts in both Abuja and Lagos.
They also discussed early detection and prevention, enhanced delivery of care, and strengthening institutional support for patient-centred care models.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company has announced a huge leap in trading surplus of ₦141.96billion recorded in June 2021 compared to a deficit of ₦37.46billion in May 2021.
The June 2021 figures of the NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report shows operating revenue as compared to May 2021, decreased by 9.07% or N89.27billion to stand at N894.64billion. Similarly, expenditure for the month decreased by 29.32% or N299.44billion to stand at N721.93billion.
The report also noted that the increase in trading surplus was due mainly to the increased sales of crude oil and gas by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company and the increased gas sales and depreciation postings by the Nigerian Gas Company.

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives Mr Femi Gbajabiamila to investigate the N10 billion funds budgeted to the National Assembly said to be missing.
SERAP Deputy Director Kolawole Oluwadare asked the leadership of the National Assembly to promptly probe and refer to appropriate anti-corruption agencies fresh allegations that N10bn of public money budgeted for the National Assembly is missing, misappropriated or diverted.
They said little can be achieved by the National Assembly in the fight against corruption if the leadership and members do not first confront the spectre of alleged corruption and mismanagement within their ranks.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday expressed optimism that young Nigerian graduates can provide solutions to the biggest challenges confronting the nation.
The Vice President says while young Nigerians, particularly the OAU graduands, stood on the shoulders of great men and women before them, the onus is on their generation to “deal with the biggest issues that confront the world, and our nation.

A United States appeals court has rejected an attempt by former President Donald Trump to hold back the release of White House records linked to the deadly January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol.
A three-judge panel of the US Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, DC says that Trump had provided no basis for his request.
The judges say both branches agree that there is a unique legislative need for these documents and that they are directly relevant to the Committee’s inquiry into an attack on the legislative branch and its constitutional role in the peaceful transfer of power.

Commissioner Ylva Johansson says a group of 15 European Union member states have agreed to take in 40,000 Afghans for resettlement, after meeting interior ministers of those countries.
The document seen by the AFP news agency shows that Germany will accept the bulk of the new arrivals, with 25,000, with the Netherlands accepting 3,159, Spain and France 2,500 each, and other countries in lower numbers.
The United Nations high commissioner for refugees had previously urged the bloc to accept 42,500 Afghans over five years, but some of the 27 member countries had resisted.

Nicaragua has broken off diplomatic relations with Taiwan, leaving the self-ruled democratic island with just 14 formal diplomatic allies amid continuing pressure from China, which claims the island as its own.
The Central American country made the announcement in a brief statement from its foreign ministry and cited Beijing’s One China policy.
The statement says the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory.
China’s State Council Information Office says the two signed a joint communique on the resumption of diplomatic ties in Tianjin.

Somalia has formed a steering committee of commanders from various security agencies to discuss the imminent takeover of national security from the African Union mission.
The AU mission's mandate is set to formally end by 31 December, but the UN Security Council might grant it a temporary extension.
Government officials including ministers and security commanders attended the meeting aimed at assessing the security progress.
The ministry says the meeting aims to implement the unified national strategic and political vision to ensure the transfer of all security responsibilities from Amisom to the Somali Security Forces.