RAF Tornado jets have carried out their first air strikes against so-called Islamic State in Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The strikes came hours after MPs voted in favour of UK action in Syria.
They backed the action by 397 votes to 223 after a 10-hour debate in the House of Commons.
Four Tornado jets took off from RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, shortly after the vote.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the sorties had returned from the “first offensive operation over Syria and have conducted strikes”.
Two of the four Tornados arrived back in Cyprus just over three hours after they left the base, landing shortly before 03:00 GMT.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale said the pair of Tornados had left RAF Akrotiri with three 500lb Paveway bombs each and returned to base without those weapons.
The Ministry of Defence is expected to give details of their targets later on Thursday, he added.
The RAF was already carrying out operations against IS in Iraq.
Following the vote, Prime Minister David Cameron said MPs had “taken the right decision to keep the country safe” but opponents said the move was a mistake.
A total of 66 Labour MPs sided with the government as Cameron secured a larger than expected Commons majority.
Source: newtelegraphonline.com/uk-launches-first-syria-air-strikes-after-house-vote/
Thursday, 3 December 2015
Wednesday, 2 December 2015
TCN: Nigeria Needs $1bn Annually to Attain 20,000MW by 2020
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Mark Karst, has said the company is targeting 20,000 megawatts of electricity by the year 2020 and would need $1 billion annually to achieve the target.
Speaking on Wednesday at the public hearing into the activities of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Distribution Companies (DISCOS) as relates to infrastructure and billing by the House of Representatives Committee on Power, Karst noted that the money required is a huge sum.
“We have a long term expansion plan that is detailed to build 20,000mw evacuation capacity by 2020, and the funding would be by external institutions,” he said.
The TCN is however having difficulty is attracting funding, and is considering Public Private Partnership (PPP) alternatives.
“It will need $1billion annually over that period of time. It is a substantial amount of money. But this is a generation on the move, so the only choice we have would be to see how we raise the money,” he added.
Karst put the current power generation at 4,800 megawatts, with potential for 5,400 and 6,000 in a very short time if certain adjustments are made.
He disclosed that the tariff application of TCN with NERC has been pending since the middle of 2014.
“Transitional electricity market declared in February 2015 has not been effective,” he said adding that the power sector remains a difficult field to navigate for all players involved.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, said there has to be a regular supply of at least 6,000 megawatts of electricity before power outages can be significantly reduced.
Amadi also disclosed that 55 per cent of consumers remain un-metered, attributing it to legacy issues which has resulted in consumers charged through estimated billing.
He lamented that the cloning of meters and bypassing meters remain a major challenge particularly in the South-east, which results in loss of revenue for distribution companies (discos).
Responding to reports that the regulatory body is soft on discos for infractions and inefficiencies particularly in metering, Amadi agreed, he however noted that the agency is not quick was wield the big stick to build investors confidence in the sector, and due to the fact that the discos are still experiencing several challenges.
“It is in the interest of consumers that we help discos and generating companies to survive, but from the beginning of this year, we have been penalising. Recently, we asked Abuja disco to pay N18 million to the family of a child who was electrocuted, and they did that,” he said.
Amadi added that Abuja disco was also mandated to compensate 32,000 consumers with about N50 million due to over-billing. He explained further that the discos are experiencing several challenges.
“You talk about tariff, but what about gas? The telecommunications industry has the advantage of technological innovations. Electricity is a conservative technology, we cannot do without gas, even if we build solar everywhere,” he said, adding that the discos have to deal with weak infrastructure.
Hon. Igariwey Enwo (Ebonyi PDP) however noted that NERC being soft on discos had resulted in them not being keen on metering, and campaigning for the switch to smart meters.
“No individual from in my state, Ebonyi, has a single pre-paid meter. Many people there have never even seen what it looks like...you have to make it mandatory for them to go ahead with the metering,” he said,
The atmosphere at the hearing was less contentious than it was last Tuesday, where the lawmakers grilled Amadi on the emoluments and severance benefits accruing to him and seven commissioners when their tenures end this year.
Amadi noted that he has included the cumulative amount in fresh documents submitted to the committee as requested.
The lawmakers raised several challenges which consumers continue to experience, such as mass disconnection, paying for transformers, cables and even labour to get electricity and exploitation through estimated billing.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Hon. Daniel Asuquo, said the committee takes the issue of local content seriously, and Nigerians must be given right of first refusal.
He also lamented that the TCN wholly owned by the government, is being owed by the discos despite the N213 billion loan granted to them by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“TCN is yet to receive a dime, but the discos are paying to their banks, because government is the father Christmas,” he said.
Source :www.thisdaylive.com/articles/tcn-nigeria-needs-1bn-annually-to-attain-20-000mw-by-2020/226996/
Speaking on Wednesday at the public hearing into the activities of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Distribution Companies (DISCOS) as relates to infrastructure and billing by the House of Representatives Committee on Power, Karst noted that the money required is a huge sum.
“We have a long term expansion plan that is detailed to build 20,000mw evacuation capacity by 2020, and the funding would be by external institutions,” he said.
The TCN is however having difficulty is attracting funding, and is considering Public Private Partnership (PPP) alternatives.
“It will need $1billion annually over that period of time. It is a substantial amount of money. But this is a generation on the move, so the only choice we have would be to see how we raise the money,” he added.
Karst put the current power generation at 4,800 megawatts, with potential for 5,400 and 6,000 in a very short time if certain adjustments are made.
He disclosed that the tariff application of TCN with NERC has been pending since the middle of 2014.
“Transitional electricity market declared in February 2015 has not been effective,” he said adding that the power sector remains a difficult field to navigate for all players involved.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of NERC, Dr. Sam Amadi, said there has to be a regular supply of at least 6,000 megawatts of electricity before power outages can be significantly reduced.
Amadi also disclosed that 55 per cent of consumers remain un-metered, attributing it to legacy issues which has resulted in consumers charged through estimated billing.
He lamented that the cloning of meters and bypassing meters remain a major challenge particularly in the South-east, which results in loss of revenue for distribution companies (discos).
Responding to reports that the regulatory body is soft on discos for infractions and inefficiencies particularly in metering, Amadi agreed, he however noted that the agency is not quick was wield the big stick to build investors confidence in the sector, and due to the fact that the discos are still experiencing several challenges.
“It is in the interest of consumers that we help discos and generating companies to survive, but from the beginning of this year, we have been penalising. Recently, we asked Abuja disco to pay N18 million to the family of a child who was electrocuted, and they did that,” he said.
Amadi added that Abuja disco was also mandated to compensate 32,000 consumers with about N50 million due to over-billing. He explained further that the discos are experiencing several challenges.
“You talk about tariff, but what about gas? The telecommunications industry has the advantage of technological innovations. Electricity is a conservative technology, we cannot do without gas, even if we build solar everywhere,” he said, adding that the discos have to deal with weak infrastructure.
Hon. Igariwey Enwo (Ebonyi PDP) however noted that NERC being soft on discos had resulted in them not being keen on metering, and campaigning for the switch to smart meters.
“No individual from in my state, Ebonyi, has a single pre-paid meter. Many people there have never even seen what it looks like...you have to make it mandatory for them to go ahead with the metering,” he said,
The atmosphere at the hearing was less contentious than it was last Tuesday, where the lawmakers grilled Amadi on the emoluments and severance benefits accruing to him and seven commissioners when their tenures end this year.
Amadi noted that he has included the cumulative amount in fresh documents submitted to the committee as requested.
The lawmakers raised several challenges which consumers continue to experience, such as mass disconnection, paying for transformers, cables and even labour to get electricity and exploitation through estimated billing.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Power, Hon. Daniel Asuquo, said the committee takes the issue of local content seriously, and Nigerians must be given right of first refusal.
He also lamented that the TCN wholly owned by the government, is being owed by the discos despite the N213 billion loan granted to them by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“TCN is yet to receive a dime, but the discos are paying to their banks, because government is the father Christmas,” he said.
Source :www.thisdaylive.com/articles/tcn-nigeria-needs-1bn-annually-to-attain-20-000mw-by-2020/226996/
U.S. terrorism experts arrive in Nigeria Jan 2016
US Ambassador to Nigeria James Entwistle revealed this yesterday in Abuja during a courtesy call on the Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), in his office.
Entwistle said his country had concluded plans to send a team to Nigeria by January, as part of efforts to end all forms of insecurity in Nigeria and the world at large.
“We are ready to partner with you on security. As you know the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), we will be having a team here in January in this regard. It is an attempt to approach the need to reform democracy in order to improve security performance. This project will be done with the Nigerian government,” and assured the minister of total support to combat insecurity.
In a similar development, Nigeria and Israel have agreed to engage in a partnership that will put an end to the incidents of insurgency and terrorism and challenges of internal security threatening the country’s stability and corporate existence.
This was revealed yesterday when the Ambassador of Israel, Uriel Palti paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) in Abuja.
Palti, who said the major challenge of dealing with the country’s internal security lies within the jurisdiction of the Interior ministry, said, “The fight against terrorism is an issue affecting four other countries in the West African sub-region including Nigeria. It is an issue affecting the world as a whole. We look forward to partnering with you for mutual interests in the future.”
Responding, the minister of Interior who expressed gratitude to the US ambassador, assuring that the Nigerian government will partner with the US to ensure fruitful implementation of the project said, “We want to assure you that we will fulfill our own part of the partnership and we are confident that you will fulfill your own part also.”
Speaking earlier, Ambassador Palti, who said he had been mandated by the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu to do everything possible to strengthen relations between Israel and Nigeria in areas of bilateral interests, added, “we have the experience and we will work with you. We will collaborate with you in the areas of counter-terrorism and strengthening of your internal security.”
Source:www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/u-s-terrorism-experts-arrive-in-nigeria-jan-2016/
Entwistle said his country had concluded plans to send a team to Nigeria by January, as part of efforts to end all forms of insecurity in Nigeria and the world at large.
“We are ready to partner with you on security. As you know the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), we will be having a team here in January in this regard. It is an attempt to approach the need to reform democracy in order to improve security performance. This project will be done with the Nigerian government,” and assured the minister of total support to combat insecurity.
In a similar development, Nigeria and Israel have agreed to engage in a partnership that will put an end to the incidents of insurgency and terrorism and challenges of internal security threatening the country’s stability and corporate existence.
This was revealed yesterday when the Ambassador of Israel, Uriel Palti paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) in Abuja.
Palti, who said the major challenge of dealing with the country’s internal security lies within the jurisdiction of the Interior ministry, said, “The fight against terrorism is an issue affecting four other countries in the West African sub-region including Nigeria. It is an issue affecting the world as a whole. We look forward to partnering with you for mutual interests in the future.”
Responding, the minister of Interior who expressed gratitude to the US ambassador, assuring that the Nigerian government will partner with the US to ensure fruitful implementation of the project said, “We want to assure you that we will fulfill our own part of the partnership and we are confident that you will fulfill your own part also.”
Speaking earlier, Ambassador Palti, who said he had been mandated by the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu to do everything possible to strengthen relations between Israel and Nigeria in areas of bilateral interests, added, “we have the experience and we will work with you. We will collaborate with you in the areas of counter-terrorism and strengthening of your internal security.”
Source:www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/u-s-terrorism-experts-arrive-in-nigeria-jan-2016/
British terror suspect Jermaine Grant jailed in Kenya
A British man accused of plotting terror attacks on the Kenyan coast has been jailed for nine years in Mombasa.
Jermaine Grant, from London, was jailed for nine charges related to trying to illegally obtain Kenyan citizenship.
He faces separate charges of "conspiring to improvise an explosive device" and a trial in Mombasa is ongoing. He denies the terror charges.
Grant was arrested in 2011 when batteries and chemicals were discovered in his apartment in Mombasa.
UK police - who have provided forensic assistance to Kenyan authorities - allege they were "precursors for making highly volatile explosive substances".
Samantha Lewthwaite, known as the "White Widow" and wanted in connection with the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005, is also suspected of being involved in the alleged plot.
She escaped arrest in Kenya in 2011 and has been missing since then.
The sentencing of Grant comes after Mombasa High Court judge Martin Muya overturned an earlier acquittal on the Kenyan citizenship charges.
He sentenced him to one year in prison for each of the charges.
Source:www.bbc.com/news/uk-34982045
Jermaine Grant, from London, was jailed for nine charges related to trying to illegally obtain Kenyan citizenship.
He faces separate charges of "conspiring to improvise an explosive device" and a trial in Mombasa is ongoing. He denies the terror charges.
Grant was arrested in 2011 when batteries and chemicals were discovered in his apartment in Mombasa.
UK police - who have provided forensic assistance to Kenyan authorities - allege they were "precursors for making highly volatile explosive substances".
Samantha Lewthwaite, known as the "White Widow" and wanted in connection with the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005, is also suspected of being involved in the alleged plot.
She escaped arrest in Kenya in 2011 and has been missing since then.
The sentencing of Grant comes after Mombasa High Court judge Martin Muya overturned an earlier acquittal on the Kenyan citizenship charges.
He sentenced him to one year in prison for each of the charges.
Source:www.bbc.com/news/uk-34982045
Anti-ageing drug could see humans live to 120
Scientists believe common diabetes drug metformin could hold secret of long life and want to start groundbreaking human trial in 2016
THE world’s first anti-ageing drug will be tested on humans next year in trials which could see diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s consigned to distant memory.
According to Wikipedia, Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the commonest cause of premature senility.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middle-aged and elderly people.
Scientists now believe that it is possible to actually stop people growing old as quickly and help them live in good health well into their 110s and 120s.
Although it might seem like science fiction, researchers have already proven that the diabetes drug metformin extends the life of animals, and the Food and Drug Administration in the United States (US) has now given the go ahead for a trial to see if the same effects can be replicated in humans.
If successful it will mean that a person in their 70s would be as biologically healthy as a 50 year old. It could usher in a new era of ‘geroscience’ where doctors would no longer fight individual conditions like cancer, diabetes and dementia, but instead treat the underlying mechanism – ageing.
Scottish ageing expert Professor Gordon Lithgow of the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing in California, is one of the study advisors.
“If you target an ageing process and you slow down ageing then you slow down all the diseases and pathology of ageing as well,” he said “That’s revolutionary. That’s never happened before.
“I have been doing research into ageing for 25 years and the idea that we would be talking about a clinical trial in humans for an anti-ageing drug would have been though inconceivable.
“But there is every reason to believe it’s possible. The future is taking the biology that we’ve now developed and applying it to humans. 20 years ago ageing was a biological mystery. Now we are starting to understand what is going on.”
Ageing is not an inevitable part of life because all cells contain a Deoxy ribonucleic Acid (DNA)/genetic material blueprint, which could keep a body functioning correctly forever. Some marine creatures do not age at all.
However over our lifetime billions of cell divisions must occur to keep our bodies functioning correctly and the more times cells divide the more errors creep into the process. As cell problems grow, the body can no longer repaid damage. In the case of cancer, cells no longer have the ability to get rid of mutations, and tumours grow. In Alzheimer’s the brain stops clearing out sticky plaques, and dementia develops.
Scientists think the best candidate for an anti-ageing drug is metformin, the world’s most widely used diabetes drug which costs just 10p a day. Metformin increases the number of oxygen molecules released into a cell, which appears to boost robustness and longevity.
When Belgian researchers tested metformin on the tiny roundworm C. elegans the worms not only aged slower, but they also stayed healthier longer. They did not slow down or develop wrinkles. Mice treated with metformin increased their lifespan by nearly 40 per cent and their bones were also stronger. Last year Cardiff University found that when patients with diabetes were given the drug metformin they in fact lived longer than others without the condition, even though they should have died eight years earlier on average.
The new clinical trial called Targeting Aging with Metformin, or TAME, is scheduled to begin in the US next winter. Scientists from a range of institutions are currently raising funds and recruiting 3,000 70 to 80 year olds who have, or are risk of, cancer, heart disease and dementia. They are hoping to show that drug slows the ageing process and stops disease.
Outlining the new study on the National Geographic documentary Breakthrough: The Age of Ageing, Dr Jay Olshansky, of the University of Illinois Chicago, said: “If we can slow ageing in humans, even by just a little bit it would be monumental. People could be older, and feel young.
“Enough advancements in ageing science have been made to lead us to believe it’s plausible, it’s possible, it’s been done for other species and there is every reason to believe it could be done in us.
“This would be the most important medical intervention in the modern era, an ability to slow ageing.”
A baby girl born today is now expected to life to an average age of 82.8 years and a boy to 78.8 years, according to the Office for National Statistics. But if the results seen in animals are reproduced in humans, lifespan could increase by nearly 50 per cent.
Professor Lithgow believes that, in the future, young people may be given a type of ageing ‘vaccine’ to slow down ageing.
Source:www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/anti-ageing-drug-could-see-humans-live-to-120/
THE world’s first anti-ageing drug will be tested on humans next year in trials which could see diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s consigned to distant memory.
According to Wikipedia, Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive mental deterioration that can occur in middle or old age, due to generalized degeneration of the brain. It is the commonest cause of premature senility.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disease of the nervous system marked by tremor, muscular rigidity, and slow, imprecise movement, chiefly affecting middle-aged and elderly people.
Scientists now believe that it is possible to actually stop people growing old as quickly and help them live in good health well into their 110s and 120s.
Although it might seem like science fiction, researchers have already proven that the diabetes drug metformin extends the life of animals, and the Food and Drug Administration in the United States (US) has now given the go ahead for a trial to see if the same effects can be replicated in humans.
If successful it will mean that a person in their 70s would be as biologically healthy as a 50 year old. It could usher in a new era of ‘geroscience’ where doctors would no longer fight individual conditions like cancer, diabetes and dementia, but instead treat the underlying mechanism – ageing.
Scottish ageing expert Professor Gordon Lithgow of the Buck Institute for Research on Ageing in California, is one of the study advisors.
“If you target an ageing process and you slow down ageing then you slow down all the diseases and pathology of ageing as well,” he said “That’s revolutionary. That’s never happened before.
“I have been doing research into ageing for 25 years and the idea that we would be talking about a clinical trial in humans for an anti-ageing drug would have been though inconceivable.
“But there is every reason to believe it’s possible. The future is taking the biology that we’ve now developed and applying it to humans. 20 years ago ageing was a biological mystery. Now we are starting to understand what is going on.”
Ageing is not an inevitable part of life because all cells contain a Deoxy ribonucleic Acid (DNA)/genetic material blueprint, which could keep a body functioning correctly forever. Some marine creatures do not age at all.
However over our lifetime billions of cell divisions must occur to keep our bodies functioning correctly and the more times cells divide the more errors creep into the process. As cell problems grow, the body can no longer repaid damage. In the case of cancer, cells no longer have the ability to get rid of mutations, and tumours grow. In Alzheimer’s the brain stops clearing out sticky plaques, and dementia develops.
Scientists think the best candidate for an anti-ageing drug is metformin, the world’s most widely used diabetes drug which costs just 10p a day. Metformin increases the number of oxygen molecules released into a cell, which appears to boost robustness and longevity.
When Belgian researchers tested metformin on the tiny roundworm C. elegans the worms not only aged slower, but they also stayed healthier longer. They did not slow down or develop wrinkles. Mice treated with metformin increased their lifespan by nearly 40 per cent and their bones were also stronger. Last year Cardiff University found that when patients with diabetes were given the drug metformin they in fact lived longer than others without the condition, even though they should have died eight years earlier on average.
The new clinical trial called Targeting Aging with Metformin, or TAME, is scheduled to begin in the US next winter. Scientists from a range of institutions are currently raising funds and recruiting 3,000 70 to 80 year olds who have, or are risk of, cancer, heart disease and dementia. They are hoping to show that drug slows the ageing process and stops disease.
Outlining the new study on the National Geographic documentary Breakthrough: The Age of Ageing, Dr Jay Olshansky, of the University of Illinois Chicago, said: “If we can slow ageing in humans, even by just a little bit it would be monumental. People could be older, and feel young.
“Enough advancements in ageing science have been made to lead us to believe it’s plausible, it’s possible, it’s been done for other species and there is every reason to believe it could be done in us.
“This would be the most important medical intervention in the modern era, an ability to slow ageing.”
A baby girl born today is now expected to life to an average age of 82.8 years and a boy to 78.8 years, according to the Office for National Statistics. But if the results seen in animals are reproduced in humans, lifespan could increase by nearly 50 per cent.
Professor Lithgow believes that, in the future, young people may be given a type of ageing ‘vaccine’ to slow down ageing.
Source:www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/12/anti-ageing-drug-could-see-humans-live-to-120/
Nnamdi Kanu’s case stalls over death of magistrate’s father
The hearing of the case involving the Director of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu was on Tuesday stalled due to the death of the magistrate’s father.
The court registrar, Salisu Yunusa said the magistrate’s father died on Thursday, November 26, adding that no date has been fixed for the hearing and ruling on the case.
On the protests regarding why the court could not sit over the case, Yunusa said, “Of course, the protesters complaining are not part of the case, besides, are the counsels complaining?”
“Did any of the counsels complain to you,” Yunusa asked.
DAILY POST recalls that the Director of Radio Biafra was on October 18, arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, upon his arrival into Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
Though Kanu had being granted bail by a Wuse 2 Magistrate Court, he is still in the custody of the DSS.
Dim Udebuani, one of the counsels to Kanu in his reaction commiserated with the bereaved magistrate on the death of his father, but described the continued incarceration of Kanu by the DSS as demonic.
“It is a matter that speaks for itself; we have just being told that your lordship, Honourable Shuaibu Usman lost his father,” Udebuani said.
Source :dailypost.ng/2015/12/02/nnamdi-kanus-case-stalls-over-death-of-magistrates-father/
The court registrar, Salisu Yunusa said the magistrate’s father died on Thursday, November 26, adding that no date has been fixed for the hearing and ruling on the case.
On the protests regarding why the court could not sit over the case, Yunusa said, “Of course, the protesters complaining are not part of the case, besides, are the counsels complaining?”
“Did any of the counsels complain to you,” Yunusa asked.
DAILY POST recalls that the Director of Radio Biafra was on October 18, arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services, DSS, upon his arrival into Nigeria from the United Kingdom.
Though Kanu had being granted bail by a Wuse 2 Magistrate Court, he is still in the custody of the DSS.
Dim Udebuani, one of the counsels to Kanu in his reaction commiserated with the bereaved magistrate on the death of his father, but described the continued incarceration of Kanu by the DSS as demonic.
“It is a matter that speaks for itself; we have just being told that your lordship, Honourable Shuaibu Usman lost his father,” Udebuani said.
Source :dailypost.ng/2015/12/02/nnamdi-kanus-case-stalls-over-death-of-magistrates-father/
Transparency report: Africa’s business tycoons highly corrupt
Business executives are the most corrupt group in Africa after police officers, a new survey indicates.
This is the first time its annual survey ranked businessmen as highly corrupt, Transparency International said.
Abuses of power increase poverty and deprive people of basic needs, the anti-corruption watchdog warned.
Poor people were hardest hit as they were almost twice as likely to pay a bribe compared with the more affluent.
More than people 43,000 were interviewed in 28 states in sub-Saharan Africa for the People and Corruption: African Survey 2015.
Here are some of the other interesting findings from the report done by Transparency International together with the Afrobarometer research group:
1) 75 million estimated to have paid a bribe
Corruption rose in Africa over the past year, with about 75 million of people paying bribes over the last year, the survey said.
The majority of those surveyed – 58% – said that corruption had increased over the past year.
Some of these were to escape punishment by the police or courts, but many people were forced to pay “to get access to the basic services that they desperately need”, it said.
2) Liberia perceived to be most corrupt
Liberia has by far the highest rate of bribery of the countries surveyed, with 69% of people who used public services saying the had paid bribes in the past year.
This was followed by Cameroon, Nigeria and Sierra Leone which were found to have high bribery rates of between 41% and 48%.
In East Africa, Uganda fared worse than Kenya (38% to 37%), while Zimbabwe (22%) and Zambia (17%) were the most corrupt in southern Africa.
3) Only 1% of people in Botswana and Mauritius paid a bribe
Botswana, Mauritius and Cape Verde, where 2% of people were forced to pay bribes, had the lowest bribery rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
This was on a par with low bribery rate countries on other continents, such as in Europe or the US, Transparency International says.
4) 35% afraid to report corruption
Only about one in 10 people who paid a bribe actually reported it last year. The top reasons given for people failing to do so was fear of the consequences (35%) and that it would not make a difference (14%).
There was therefore a need to focus on “protecting those who report corruption, making existing reporting mechanisms more effective, and awareness raising about how and where to report”, Transparency International said.
5 ) Religious leaders least corrupt
Those surveyed regarded religious leaders and traditional leaders to be the least corrupt, although 15% still saw the clergy as corrupt and 21% for the latter.
Government officials and tax officials rank as the third and fourth most corrupt groups – 38% and 37% respectively.
Judges and magistrates also ranked badly with 34% viewing them as corrupt, compared with the 33% ranking for parliamentarians and the 31% for the offices of presidents.
Out of six key public services, people who come into contact with the police and the courts were the most likely to have paid a bribe, the survey showed.
Source: newtelegraphonline.com/transparency-report-africas-business-tycoons-highly-corrupt/
This is the first time its annual survey ranked businessmen as highly corrupt, Transparency International said.
Abuses of power increase poverty and deprive people of basic needs, the anti-corruption watchdog warned.
Poor people were hardest hit as they were almost twice as likely to pay a bribe compared with the more affluent.
More than people 43,000 were interviewed in 28 states in sub-Saharan Africa for the People and Corruption: African Survey 2015.
Here are some of the other interesting findings from the report done by Transparency International together with the Afrobarometer research group:
1) 75 million estimated to have paid a bribe
Corruption rose in Africa over the past year, with about 75 million of people paying bribes over the last year, the survey said.
The majority of those surveyed – 58% – said that corruption had increased over the past year.
Some of these were to escape punishment by the police or courts, but many people were forced to pay “to get access to the basic services that they desperately need”, it said.
2) Liberia perceived to be most corrupt
Liberia has by far the highest rate of bribery of the countries surveyed, with 69% of people who used public services saying the had paid bribes in the past year.
This was followed by Cameroon, Nigeria and Sierra Leone which were found to have high bribery rates of between 41% and 48%.
In East Africa, Uganda fared worse than Kenya (38% to 37%), while Zimbabwe (22%) and Zambia (17%) were the most corrupt in southern Africa.
3) Only 1% of people in Botswana and Mauritius paid a bribe
Botswana, Mauritius and Cape Verde, where 2% of people were forced to pay bribes, had the lowest bribery rates in sub-Saharan Africa.
This was on a par with low bribery rate countries on other continents, such as in Europe or the US, Transparency International says.
4) 35% afraid to report corruption
Only about one in 10 people who paid a bribe actually reported it last year. The top reasons given for people failing to do so was fear of the consequences (35%) and that it would not make a difference (14%).
There was therefore a need to focus on “protecting those who report corruption, making existing reporting mechanisms more effective, and awareness raising about how and where to report”, Transparency International said.
5 ) Religious leaders least corrupt
Those surveyed regarded religious leaders and traditional leaders to be the least corrupt, although 15% still saw the clergy as corrupt and 21% for the latter.
Government officials and tax officials rank as the third and fourth most corrupt groups – 38% and 37% respectively.
Judges and magistrates also ranked badly with 34% viewing them as corrupt, compared with the 33% ranking for parliamentarians and the 31% for the offices of presidents.
Out of six key public services, people who come into contact with the police and the courts were the most likely to have paid a bribe, the survey showed.
Source: newtelegraphonline.com/transparency-report-africas-business-tycoons-highly-corrupt/
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