11, November 2017
UN: After Kofi Annan, Neocons want Amina Mohammed’s head 0
The Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed has denied any allegations of fraud following a report by a US based environmental agency.
The report claims that local and international laws were violated when she granted permits to Chinese firms to import Nigerian timber while she was the country’s minister of environment. Ms Mohammed says that the permits she signed for the export of rosewood logs to China were done following due process.
In a statement released by the United Nations, the deputy secretary general also welcomed efforts to shine more light on the issue of illegal rosewood logging and exportation. Nigeria is a key exporter of wood to China but the country has faced issues of illegal wood exportation.
Following what they say was a two year investigation, the US based Environmental Investigation Agency released a report on the illegal importation of rosewood logs worth $300m (£220m) from Nigeria to China.
It claims that thousands of permits were retrospectively signed off by the Ministry of Environment, permitting Chinese importers to release 1.4 million logs that had been detained at the Chinese border for months.
The report also claims that $1m was subsequently paid to unidentified government officials for the release of the wood. UN Secretary-General António Guterres was informed about the allegations and reiterated his full support and confidence in his deputy.
Source: BBC
11, November 2017
Federal Republic of Ambazonia: Governing Council makes public a draft constitution 0
The Governing Council of the Federal Republic of Ambazonia has released a draft constitution for Southern Cameroonians all over the planet to study and make possible contributions before the next meeting of the interim cabinet. Cameroon Concord News understands the daft proposal to Southern Cameroonians was designed during the 4th conclave that held in Nigeria.
Our senior political man, Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai who examined the draft constitution late today, opined that “for the purpose of growth, the Governing Council identified three points of power in the 64-page document. The Council suggested in the draft that the executive power should be in Buea, the economic capital should be in Bamenda and the judicial authority should be in Mamfe.”
A spokesperson for the interim president Sisiku Ayuk Tabe told Cameroon Concord News that the draft is by no means anywhere near to the final document that will be adopted via a referandum. Southern Cameroonians have been called upon to send feedbacks to the ruling body and also to make positive criticism of the draft constitution.
According to the proposals that came out from the last conclave, Ambazonia will have three federal states. In Article 1, the document states that Ambazonia is headed by a President elected by direct and universal suffrage. He is assisted by a Prime Minister also “elected from among the members of the Federal Assembly”.
According to the proposed constitution, federal states will be led by elected governors. Each state will have a local government represented by its municipality. English has been retained as the official language but “Pidgin and other languages can be developed for official use”.
The document stipulated that “Only Ambazonians between the ages of 35 and 70 may be eligible for the office of President”. Its mandate is five years and renewable once. It also states that anyone who has reached the age of 18 must undergo military training for 12 months.
The draft constitution comes only a few weeks after the 4th conclave confirmed Sisiku Ayuk Tabe as interim president and mandated him to form a government.
By Sama Ernest, CCN