Ghana begins visa-on-arrival policy for AU member states

The Immigration Service of Ghana (GIS) said on Friday that foreign nationals from the African Union (AU) member states can now travel to Ghana and be issued with visas on arrival as Ghana kick-starts the new policy.

A statement signed by Francis Palmdeti, head of public affairs of the GIS, said the arrangement would be piloted at the Kotoka International Airport in Accra for three months, and thereafter extended to all other entry points of the country.

"All AU nationals affected by this policy who arrive in the country must have a passport, valid for at least three months, from the date of entry; they must have a return ticket or evidence of onward travel," it said.

According to the GIS, travelers must show evidence of sufficient funds and proof of accommodation before they are granted visas.

The visa-on-arrival decision by the Ghanaian government is in fulfillment of a resolution adopted at the AU Executive Council meeting held earlier this year in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The resolution stipulated that AU Member States review their internal and external security realities in an attempt to implement mechanisms allowing for the issuing of visas on arrival for citizens of Member States, with the possibility of a 30-day stay.

Ghana becomes the first AU member state to adopt such a policy and has received commendation from the AU Commission for the bold step. Enditem

Taylor Swift the world's highest-paid celebrity, according to Forbes rich list

Taylor Swift is the world's highest-paid celebrity at the tender age of 26, pulling in a whopping $US170 million over the past year, Forbes magazine said.

The pop diva's take from June 2015 to June 2016 is the highest total of her young career, the magazine said, more than doubling her previous record of $US80 million last year.
She out-earned other famous musicians including Adele ($US80.5 million), Madonna ($US76.5 million), Rihanna ($US75 million) and Bruce Springsteen ($US60.5 million).
The Shake It Off singer also outpaced rival Katy Perry, who was last year's top-earning musician at $US135 million, according to Forbes magazine's annual list of 100 highest-paid celebrities.
Perry dropped to number 63 on this year's list, earning $US41 million.
Rockers AC/DC were the highest paid Australian celebrities, sitting at 17th place on the list after earning $US67.5 million in the past year, according to Forbes.
Swift's huge earnings were largely thanks to her 1989 World Tour during which she smashed the Rolling Stones' North American record, grossing $US200 million on the continent en route to a quarter of a billion worldwide, the magazine said.
Coming in at number two on the list this year was boy band One Direction ($US110 million), followed by author James Patterson ($US95 million).
Taylor's former beau, musician Calvin Harris, also made the cut coming in at number 21 ($US63 million).
"The world's 100 highest-paid celebrities pulled in $US5.1 billion pre-tax over the past 12 months, more than the GDP of Belize, Gambia and Bhutan combined," Forbes said.

IMF says Nigeria’s economy will probably contract this year

Nigeria’s economy will probably contract this year as energy shortages and the delayed budget weigh on output, according to the International Monetary Fund.
“I think there is a high likelihood that the year 2016 as a whole will be a contractionary year,” Gene Leon, the fund’s resident representative in Nigeria said in an interview in the capital, Abuja, on July 8.
While the economy should look better in second half of the year, growth will probably not “be sufficiently fast, sufficiently rapid to be able to negate the outcome of” the first and second quarters,” he added.
Africa’s largest economy shrunk by 0.4 per cent in the three months through March, the first contraction in more than a decade, as oil output and prices slumped and the approval of spending plans for 2016 were delayed.
A currency peg and foreign-exchange trading restrictions, which were removed last month after more than a year, led to shortages of goods from gasoline to milk and contributed to the contraction in the first quarter.
While conditions that impeded growth in the first half of the year, including shortages of power, fuel, and foreign exchange, as well as the higher price of dollars on the the parallel market, may have been reduced, they still weigh on the economy, Leon said.
The Washington-based lender cut its 2016 growth forecast for Nigeria to 2.3 percent in its April Regional Economic Outlook from 3.2 per cent projected in February. The World Bank lowered its forecast to 0.8 percent last month, citing weakness from oil-output disruptions and low prices. Last year’s expansion of 2.7 per cent was the slowest in two decades, according to IMF data.
“Most people would agree that if you should fix one thing in this country, it should be power. There is a need to start changing the power equation from 2016, from today, not tomorrow or later,” Leon said.
Nigeria generated an average of 2,464 megawatts of electricity on June 6, according to information from the power ministry. This is less than half of the installed capacity of 5,000 megawatts for a nation whose population of 180 million people is the highest on the continent. It compares to power generating capacity of more than 40,000 megawatts in South Africa, which has a population a third of the size.
http://tribuneonlineng.com/imf-says-nigerias-economy-will-probably-contract-year/

UPDATE: Murdered female preacher: Mum asked me to love my siblings night before her death —Daughter •I won’t press charges on culprits —Husband

FIRST daughter of the woman who was murdered while preaching at Kubwa, Abuja, Mrs Eunice Olawale, Jessica, said her mum asked her to love her siblings and take care of them night before her death.
She also said her only consolation was that her late mum was in heaven.
The 15-year-old girl, speaking with the Nigerian Tribune on Monday, said “the evening before she was killed, she woke me up to follow her somewhere, When we got to a junction, she paid a shopkeeper who she was owing.
“When we were returning home, she asked me if I noticed the love between her and her siblings, she then asked me to love my siblings as well and bring them together. She said I am supposed to love them and be their mother.”
“The last thing she told me before she died was ‘good night dear’.”
A condolence message by Jessica read: “Mummy, I can’t still believe you are gone. I love you so much. I will try to be very strong for daddy, ok.
“I will take care of my younger ones like you wanted me to do. Oh! How I miss you. You were so beautiful in all, suffering and pain. I miss you, come back to us.”
The second child, Michael, said her mother was the strongest woman he ever knew.

Foiling Boko Haram’s plan in the South-West

IT  is doubtful that many people attached great importance to the startling revelation recently made by the military authorities that fleeing Boko Haram terrorists had infiltrated parts of the South-West. Perhaps what caught the attention of most people was the security alert issued by the United States on the possibility of terror attacks  on foreigners domiciled in Lagos.  However, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, General Isidore Edet had, at a church service marking  the Army Day celebration at Saint Charles Catholic Church, Ikeja Cantonment, sounded a note of warning on Boko Haram fighters seeking refuge in Yorubaland. According to him, it was becoming a daily routine for security operatives to apprehend suspected Boko Haram members in Lagos and Ogun states, following sustained military operation against the terrorists.
General Isidore said: “Almost on a daily basis, we arrest Boko Haram members in Lagos. They have seen that the war is being won, so they are running. The army, in conjunction with other security agencies, arrests them almost daily. Initially, they deny when we ask them questions. But when we profile them, they start revealing where they fought, how they killed soldiers, how they detonated bombs in Maiduguri, and so on. ”
While we commend the gallantry and vigilance of the Nigerian military and other security agencies against the invidious activities of the terrorists, we warn that the incursion of the killer sect into Ogun and Lagos states cannot be handled with levity. Rather, the threat demands the concerted efforts and collaboration of  the civil populace and security operatives, to stave off possible catastrophe. The magnitude of the damage done by Boko Haram to the North-East and indeed the nation is too grave to treat the latest incursion of the blood-thirsty sect with levity. The South-West, being the industrial and commercial hub of the country, deserves a comprehensive security apparatus in all its nooks and crannies. On their part, state and local governments should, as a matter of urgency, step up campaigns aimed at achieving improved public awareness on security.
In August last year, the State Security Service (SSS) confirmed the arrest of nine suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Lagos. In October 2014, there were reports that no fewer than 1,000 fleeing Boko Haram fighters were arrested, also in Lagos. The third round of arrests took place in the densely populated Ijora, where security operatives apprehended two suspected terrorists and recovered arms, including AK 47 rifles and explosives, in a building on Aromire Street. A bomb kept in a cooler and hidden inside the ceiling of one of the rooms occupied by one of the suspects was recovered by soldiers. Sadly,  however, not much has been heard concerning all the arrests till date.

Fani-Kayode meets bail conditions, awaits EFCC verification

A former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, on Monday met his bail conditions but he was still awaiting verification of some documents by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
A statement by Jude Ndukwe, the Media Adviser to the ex-minister, said Fani-Kayode was eager to reunite with his family.
The statement said: “Kindly be notified that Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has met all the conditions for his bail and the relevant documents have been duly filed and submitted at the Federal High Court in Lagos.
“We are now waiting for the EFCC to verify the documents after which he would be released. Despite the fact that he has been locked up for the last 62 days he remains confident, strong, healthy and in very high spirits.

“He misses his family very badly, especially his five month old son Aragon, and he looks forward to coming home to be with his family, friends and loved ones.”
The ex-minister is standing trial on a 17-count charge of unlawful retention, unlawful use and unlawful payment of about N4.9 billion.
He was arraigned alongside a former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a company – Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.
Investigation by the EFCC indicated that Fani-Kayode was allocated about N840million from the funds which were used for the 2015 presidential campaign.
The ex-minister’s share of N840million was paid in three tranches into his account.
The first tranche of payment involving N350million hit the account on February 19, 2015. Another N250milion was also paid into the account on February19, 2015, while N240million was similarly credited to the account a month later; precisely, March 19, 2015.
The balance on this account as at December 31, 2015 was N189, 402.72.
http://thenationonlineng.net/fani-kayode-meets-bail-conditions-awaits-efcc-verification/

PM-in-waiting Theresa May promises 'a better Britain'

 Theresa May promised to build a "better Britain" and to make the UK's EU exit a "success" after she was announced as the new Tory leader and soon-to-be PM.

Speaking outside Parliament, Mrs May said she was "honoured and humbled" to succeed David Cameron, after her only rival in the race withdrew on Monday.
Mr Cameron will tender his resignation to the Queen after PMQs on Wednesday.
Mr Cameron, who has been UK prime minister since 2010, decided to quit after the UK's Brexit vote.
It follows another day of dramatic developments in the political world, when Andrea Leadsom unexpectedly quit the two-way Conservative leadership contest, saying she did not have the support to build "a strong and stable government".
Her decision left Mrs May - the front runner - as the only candidate to take over leading the party and to therefore become prime minister.

In a speech flanked by dozens of Conservative MPs, Mrs May, the home secretary since 2010, praised Mr Cameron for his stewardship of the Tory party and the country.
And she paid tribute to Mrs Leadsom for her "dignity" in withdrawing her leadership bid, as well as to the three other candidates who ran in the contest.
"I am honoured and humbled to have been chosen by the Conservative Party to become its leader," Mrs May told the gathered media.