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☆ West African nations mull troop contributions for possible Niger intervention
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Boureima Balima | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

West African leaders gather for Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Head of States and Government meeting in Abuja, Nigeria August 10, 2023. ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) said all options were on the table and they still hoped for a peaceful resolution to the Niger crisis. Security analysts said an ECOWAS force could take weeks or longer to assemble, potentially leaving room for negotiations. Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara on Thursday promised to supply a battalion of troops to the standby force. The African Union welcomed ECOWAS' decision to activate a regional force and continue to seek a diplomatic solution.

Persons: Abraham Achirga, Mohamed Bazoum, Alassane Ouattara, Sering Modou, Ledgerhood Rennie, Ikemesit Effiong, Hama Moussa, Issa Seydou, Antony Blinken, Bazoum, They’ve, Pap, Ange Aboa, Alberto Dabo, Alphonso Toweh, Diadie, Edward McAllister, Anait Miridzhanian, Nellie Peyton, David Lewis, Ingrid Melander, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Economic Community, West African States, REUTERS, ECOWAS, Economic, West, Ivory, SBM Intelligence, African Union, Military, EU, Rights Watch, Thomson Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, NIAMEY, Niger, West, Central Africa, West African States, Ivory Coast, Ivorian, Senegal, Sahel, U.S, Niamey, Russia, France, United States, Mali, Burkina Faso, Banjul, Abidjan, Bissau, Monrivia, Diadie Ba, Dakar

☆ World Bank to help fund 1,000 mini solar power grids in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A technician works on solar power panels at the Atlantic Shrimpers farm in Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria July 5, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File PhotoABUJA, Aug 5 (Reuters) - The World Bank is aiming to help fund construction of 1,000 mini solar power grids in Africa's biggest economy Nigeria in partnership with the government and private sector, the lender's president Ajay Banga said on Saturday. Mini grids, made up of small-scale electricity generating units, typically range in a size from a few kilowatts to up to 10 MW, enough to power some 200 households. "Now the idea is not for the World Bank to be the only person putting the money. World Bank data shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, 568 million people still lack access to electricity.

Persons: Temilade, Ajay Banga, Banga, Abraham Achirga, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Bank, World Bank, Thomson Locations: Badagry, Lagos, Nigeria, ABUJA, Abuja, Banga, Saharan Africa, Africa

☆ Nigeria's labour unions suspend strike after meeting president
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Felix Onuah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ABUJA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Nigeria's main labour federation has agreed to return to talks with the government following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, union leaders said, on a day when hundreds of Nigerians marched against the removal of a petrol subsidy. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the marches across major Nigerian cities were successful enough to force Tinubu to meet union leaders and vow to expedite an agreement on a new minimum wage among other promises. [1/2]Members of the Nigerian Labour Union, holding flags and placards, march during a protest against fuel price hikes and rising costs, in Abuja, Nigeria August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Abraham AchirgaLed by union leaders, protesters carrying placards marched in Lagos, the oil-producing state of Bayelsa and in the northern cities of Kano and Kaduna. In the capital Abuja, marchers broke down a gate to the National Assembly, expecting to be addressed by the Senate president, witnesses said.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, Tinubu's, Dele Alake, Abraham Achirga Led, Elisha Bala, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Tife, Hamza Ibrahim, Garba Muhammad, Tomasz Janowski, Giles Elgood, Sandra Maler Organizations: Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigerian Labour Union, REUTERS, NLC, National Assembly, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Nigeria, Abuja, Lagos, Bayelsa, Kano, Kaduna, Gbogbo, Yenagoa

☆ Dancing the blues away: Nigerian salsa teacher fights mental health stigma
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ABUJA, July 5 (Reuters) - Nigeria's Emeka Adindu says salsa saved his life. Growing up in a country with deep-rooted stigma against mental health issues, Adindu, 35, found solace in the popular Latin dance as he battled abuse, depression and suicidal thoughts. "Salsa was the only thing that could make me smile all those days that I was battling, fighting with my demon," he says. A 2021 UNICEF report shows one in six Nigerians aged between 15 and 24 are depressed, anxious or have other mental health issues. Medical professionals say the stigma associated with mental health in Nigeria's culturally conservative society makes matters worse.

Persons: Adindu, Princess Solomon unwound, Abraham Achirga, Vining Ogu, Angela Ukomadu, Bhargav Acharya, Devika Organizations: UNICEF, Thomson Locations: ABUJA, Abuja

☆ Voting scheduled to start in Nigeria election, delays seen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LAGOS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Voting was scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) in Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary election, though Reuters reporters in several locations across the country saw polling stations that did not open on time, and in some cases queues of voters with no election officials in sight. In past Nigerian elections, voters in some areas complained that polling stations opened hours late or did not materialise at all. Reporting by Abraham Achirga and Hamza Ibrahim in Kano, Temilade Adelaja and Seun Sanni in Anambra, Tim Cocks, James Oatway and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Lagos Writing by Estelle Shirbon Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Anamasere Igboereteonwu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] People looks for their names on voters list put up on a wall at a polling unit, during Nigeria's Presidential election in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), though Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed picture, with delays of several hours in some places while voting got underway more swiftly at others. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the vice presidential candidate from the ruling party, Kashim Shettima, arrived to cast his ballot but was unable to do so as his designated polling station had not opened. In another northeastern city, Yola, opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was able to vote, surrounded by a chaotic scrum of media and supporters. Vote-counting will begin as soon as polls close and results will be posted outside polling stations, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

☆ Ahead of Nigeria elections, residents stock up on food, essentials
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Abraham Achirga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In past elections, violence has flared in Kano, a largely Muslim state, after results were announced. [1/3] Vendors selling fruits and vegetables are pictured in a market, ahead of Nigeria's presidential election in Kano, Nigeria February 24, 2023. Widespread insecurity is a major concern for voters, although the army and police have promised a peaceful election. Ejike, 22, was among last-minute shoppers before markets closed in Anambra's capital Awka but was unable to buy what she wanted. "We just place it in God's hands although we know that there is definitely going to be killing."

☆ Nigerian soldiers patrol ahead of election, land borders shut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Internal movements have been restricted to the polling units. There will also be no movement of persons across national borders," the ministry of interior said in a statement. The candidate for Enugu East district and the driver of a campaign minibus belonging to another party were killed in coordinated attacks in Enugu State in the southeast. "Materials already delivered for the senatorial election will remain in the custody of the central bank in the state until the new date for the election," Yakubu told a news conference. Flanked by the head of the police, Yakubu said INEC was on guard against possible attacks on its electronic system.

[1/6] Godwin Nnamdi, 27-year-old fitness trainer and first-time voter, poses for a portrait at a gym in Lagos, Nigeria February 15, 2023. But his active social media campaign and promises to break with Nigeria's gerontocratic past have endeared him to many younger voters. The young and tech-savvy, first-time voters rallying around Obi call themselves the "Obi-dients" - a somewhat incongruous choice for an anti-establishment movement. The former banker has promised jobs, skills training and funding to young Nigerians, but so too have Tinubu and Atiku. If Obi loses, Ndukwe said he would join the wave of skilled Nigerians leaving the country in its perpetual brain drain.

[1/5] Supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC) wear traditional attire with APC branding during a campaign rally in Abuja, Nigeria, February 11, 2023. Ahead of the Feb. 25 vote, political rallies and campaign events have become catwalks for colourful printed fabrics twisted into elaborate dresses, tunics and headscarves. He wore an LP-emblazoned, green, red and white version of a traditional hat and held a wooden walking stick that is often used as an accessory among Hausa men. "You can see the stick here which means I am a full Lagosian by virtue of this campaign in Lagos," said Ahanotu. "This is our official regalia for APC presidential campaign council," she explained.

☆ Nigerian ride-hailing app aims to put women at ease
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Abraham Achirga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Chichi, a member of HerRyde, a ride-hailing app with exclusively women drivers, smiles as she drives off in her car in Abuja, Nigeria September 4, 2022. Shakir, 31, is among thousands of Nigerians hailing rides using mobile apps, but her car has something unusual: a female driver. She said the trip on HerRyde, a ride-hailing app with exclusively women drivers that launched in August, set her mind at ease. Some male drivers, she said, would chat inappropriately or even made her feel as though they might attack her. "We don't want cases where women have to be on their toes or on the edge when they are using ride-hailing services," she said.

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