WORLD

It’s with deep sadness and regret that the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany (NIDOG) announces the death of Dr Daniel Yakubu Kutchin. The Nigerian nuclear physicist and IT expert was found dead on 7 August 2019 in his apartment in Monchengladbach, Germany. He was 57. NIDOG sympathises with the family and friends of Dr Kutchin on their irreplaceable loss. Dr …

Adewale  “Wally” Adeyemo, who served the US government under President Barack Obama as the Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, has been hired as the first president of the Obama Foundation. Mr Adeyemo’s hire was announced last Thursday in Chicago by the Obama Foundation. Adeyemo, whose parents migrated from Nigeria to the US in search of a better life, …

How to make African women more visible as entrepreneurs and not only as employees in Germany was the theme of the 10th Economic Forum of the Pan-African Women’s Day, which took place on Friday, 26 July at the Chamber of Commerce (IHK) in Potsdam, Germany. The Day (celebrated each year on 31 August) is also a contribution to the UN …

Nigerian government praises its citizens living in the diaspora for the money they regularly send home, which in 2018 amounted to US$25 billion. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, however, would like Nigerians abroad to still do more as the Secretary to the Federal Government throws new challenges at them at the National Diaspora Day in Abuja. The Secretary to …

The 10th Economic Forum of the Pan-African Women’s Day will take place on Friday, 26 July at the Chamber of Commerce (IHK) in Potsdam, Germany. The event, organised by the Pan African Women’s Empowerment & Liberation Organisation (PAWLO)-Germany, will focus on the achievements of the struggle for African Women’s empowerment. Dr Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana, the newly-elected Member of the European Parliament, …

According to a newly-published survey by Transparency International, most Africans think corruption is getting worse in their countries. The Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – Africa, released by the Berlin-based anti-corruption organisation, reveals that 53 per cent of citizens surveyed in 35 African countries think corruption is getting worse while 23 per cent say the problem is getting better. More than …

Nigerians from across the globe will converge on their country’s capital Abuja on 24-25 July for this year’s Nigerian Diaspora Day. The annual event brings together foreign-based Nigerians and representatives of the federal and state governments to discuss areas of possible partnership in national development. The theme of this year’s Day, organised by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) in …

Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, ICC, Gambian Fatou Bensouda has been hit with a visa ban by the United States government over her office’s decision to probe alleged war crimes by Americans. She has been investigating US forces and their allies in Afghanistan, a move that United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cautioned last month and said could …

The German chapter of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) has elected a new executive committee. The election was part of the body’s annual general meeting, which took place on Saturday, 22 June in the city of Dortmund. Dr RosaLyn Dressmann was elected to lead the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation Germany (NIDOG) as President for the next two years at …

They wave of violence among Black youth in the British capital continued to claim lives when Eniola Aluko, 19, was on Friday shot dead at Plumstead, London. According to UK’s Metropolitan Police, the young Nigerian, who is from Thamesmead, died after sustaining gunshot wounds to the neck and chest. Metropolitan Police said they were called to the scene, a car …

Participants from different walks of life gathered for two days (24-25 May) in the western German city of Dortmund to commemorate the 2019 Africa Day. The Day marks the anniversary of the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) on 25 May 1963. The event, celebrated in the city by AfricanTide Union for the ninth year, brought …

The day that commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now African Union) in Addis Ababa on 25 May 1963, will be marked this year for the 10th consecutive time in the western German city of Dortmund. The African Unity 2019 conference, taking place on 24-25 May and organised by the non-governmental organization AfricanTide Union e.V., will bring …

The newly-elected governor of Imo State, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has assured indigenes of the state that his door would be opened to them when he assumes office. Speaking at a reception in his honour in Großkrotzenburg (near Frankfurt) on Saturday, Ihedioha, who will be sworn in on 29 May for a 4-year term, said the situation of Imo State requires …

Germany, Indonesia, South Africa, the Dominican Republic and Belgium, took up their seats on the UN Security Council as non-permanent members on 1 January 2019. They were elected last June to serve two-year terms on the 15-member Security Council. The other five non-permanent members on the Council are Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Peru and Poland. Five countries have permanent …

Many new laws and legislative changes, affecting employees, the unemployed, families and retirees, came into force on 1 January 2019. The African Courier takes us through some of the most important changes that we should know. Minimum wage rises The statutory minimum wage (der gesetzliche Mindestlohn) rises from 8.84 euros to 9.19 euros on 1 January 2019. From 2020, employers …

A research by the World Bank has found that Nigerians was the top receiver of cash from the United Kingdom in 2017. Nigeria was ranked the largest remittance recipient in sub-Saharan Africa and the sixth largest amongst lower-middle-income countries. According to the report, Nigerians living in the UK sent £3.27 million back home in 2017. “Remittances to sub-Saharan Africa are …

Leaders from Africa are meeting their European counterparts at the Africa-Europe High-Level Forum in Vienna. The 2-day meeting (17-18 December), with the theme  “Taking cooperation to the digital age”, aims at assessing “how current partnerships between Africa and Europe contribute to this goal, complementing the ongoing implementation of the joint declaration of the 2017 Abidjan Summit between the African Union …

Denis Mukwege, the Congolese humanitarian and gynaecologist, is one of the two recipients of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. He received the prize along his co-laureate Nadia Murad yesterday in the Norwegian capital city of Oslo at a colourful ceremony. Below is the full speech Dr Mukwege, founder and director of Panzi Hospital and Foundation in the Democratic Republic of …

Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO) Worldwide has nominated its representatives to the Federal Government’s Board of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM). Kenneth Gbandi, the Chairman of NIDO Europe, said on Monday in a press statement that the nomination was in line with the act establishing the commission. He said the representatives, two from each of its continental bodies, were nominated …

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo of Nigeria held a town hall meeting with his countrymen and women living in Germany on Sunday evening in Berlin, where he assured them of the federal government’s determined efforts to solve the country’s major problems. Prof Osinbajo took questions from a cross-section of Nigerians on burning issues, including inadequate electricity supply, security, deficient infrastructure and unemployment. …