Latest news with #ShehuSani
BBC News
2 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Wetin be ICC and why Nigerians dey para say goment rename am
Nigerians dey para afta di kontri present goment rename di Abuja International Conference Centre wey former President Ibrahim Babangida build to President Bola Tinubu name. On Tuesday, di Nigeria Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, announcement during one unveiling ceremony afta di goment rehabilitate di centre, say dem don change di name to Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Centre. Wike also name halls inside di centre afta some politicians. Im name halls afta Vice President Kashim Shettima, Chief Justice of Nigeria Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas. According to di FCT Minister, dis n aim way to say thank you to dem for supporting im FCT Administration and for how di Judiciary and Legislative arms of goment dey collabo wit executive. But Nigerians dey para say di whole tin be like dem dey enjoy anoda man sweat. Isaac Fayose, di younger brother of one former Nigerian govnor, Ayodele Fayose, para say: "IBB, di man wey build am, no name am afta imsef. Tinubu renovate am, change im name. e say a lot. Nigerians dey suffer, but dem dey focus on keeping dia name forever." Former Nigeria Senator, Shehu Sani sef follow provoke for social media as im advise di president say: "Na IBB build di International Conference Centre Abuja. Make di President reject renaming di place wit im name". Abuja International Conference Center [ICC] Former President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida bin build di Abuja International Conference Centre for 1991. According to Wike, Babangida bin build to ICC to host one Organization of African Unity meeting. Di meeting bin suppose happun for Ethiopia but dem gatz relocate am sake of security threat. Nigeria step in come begin urgent construction of di ICC through one oil swap arrangement wey e do to take raise di money. Di centre bin popular wella sake of na dia President Babagida constitution review committee bin dey examine and revise di Nigerian Constitution. Architecturally, di centre na mixture of modern design and Nigerian cultural decorations. E get spacious hall and beautiful gardens surround am to give am very cool atmosphere. Dis centre na one of Nigeria most iconic venues for high-level events, both local and international. E don host all kains of events from world summits to trade exhibitions and cultural showcases. Tinubu goment bin recently do one major renovation wey dem say cost ₦39 billion, and come commission an again for on Tuesday. Di renovation bin happu afta President Visit di place for 2024 begin complain about how di facility dey spoil. Inside eight months, Wike renovate an im to wetin im call "world-class" venue. Now di facility go dey bear di name of di president wey renovate am, no be di one wey build am. Oda goment buildings wey Tinubu name afta imsef Less dan two years wey di Nigeria president enta office, President Bola Tinubu don commission more dan three goment properties afta im name. Inside di first 19 months of im goment Tinubu commission one multibillion-naira army barrack wey dem bin start to construct for 2023. Di barracks project na intervention wey goment bin fund to provide more accommodation to military workers. E also commission one immigration complex as well as one new federal polytechnic, All of dem for Abuja.
Voice of America
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Kremlin disinformation campaigns aim to discredit French military in Sahel, analysts say
On Feb. 20, Ivory Coast became the latest African nation to expel French troops, taking control of the last remaining French military base in the country. This followed the departure of French forces from Chad, which had hosted them for nearly 70 years. These moves marked the end of France's military presence in the Sahel region, after the expulsions from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, all ruled by military juntas. Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby called the French withdrawal a "new dawn for a fully sovereign Chad." Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani, with 3.3 million followers on X, claimed, "The French forces are of no use," contradicting the statistical data. Since France began withdrawing in 2022, conflict-related fatalities in the Sahel have risen by 65%, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). Analysts point to Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns as key drivers of the shift away from France in the Sahel. Bakary Sambe of the Timbuktu Institute told VOA that Russia has exploited anti-imperialist sentiment and historical colonial grievances to turn public opinion in Africa against France. The military leaders of Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, after expelling French forces, have increasingly aligned with Russia, which has deployed Wagner mercenaries across the region. Human rights groups have accused Russian troops in Africa of committing abuses against civilians. As French forces departed Chad, identical pro-Russian messages circulated on social media, often from influencers known for pushing anti-Western narratives. X content creators including African Hub, Typical African and RT News India echoed the sentiment, framing the French withdrawal as the end of colonial exploitation, dating back to the French invasion in 1900. All three accounts posted a video of French troops' departure from Chad with identical wording that described it as France's "final humiliation." The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, affiliated with the U.S. Defense Department, notes that Russia is the primary source of disinformation in Africa, with over 80 documented campaigns targeting more than 20 countries. These campaigns leverage paid African influencers, digital avatars and manipulated media to fuel anti-Western sentiment. The ''Russian embassies appear to have helped set up a network of ostensibly African grassroots front organizations,'' the Africa Center said. These disinformation campaigns "employ paid African influencers, digital avatars, and the circulation of fake and out-of-context videos and photographs. These messages copy-and-paste from and are amplified through multiple channels of Russian state-controlled media, radio, and official communications, creating the repetitive echo chambers in which disinformation narratives become rote,'' the Africa Center reported. The Africa Digital Democracy Observatory (ADDO) tracks how digital tools shape public opinion in Africa, noting the influence of prominent pan-Africanist figures such as Kemi Seba and Nathalie Yamb. The U.S. State Department said Seba was closely working with Russian political operatives linked to the now deceased oligarch and Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, seeking to influence elections in Madagascar. Yamb has been involved in Russian-backed activities, including attending the 2019 Russia-Africa summit. During the 2023 Niger coup, Russian content creators falsely claimed that ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) was planning an invasion of Niger, a narrative debunked by ECOWAS leaders. Russia has also expanded its cultural influence in the Sahel, establishing "Russian Houses" across the region. In N'djamena, Chad's capital, VOA's Henry Wilkins visited one such "Russian House" last month. Unlike Western cultural institutes, these Russian centers are involved in propaganda efforts, with some training journalists to spread anti-Western disinformation, Wilkins reported. The Russian Embassy in Chad and the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to VOA requests for comment. Russia's goal, according to Constantin Gouvy of the Clingendael Institute, is to replace Western powers such as France as the primary partner for the Sahel states using disinformation to destabilize the region. Sambe of the Timbuktu Institute suggests that Russia's actions in Africa are a form of retaliation against NATO, particularly France, for its role in European geopolitics.
