Western Union emphasises the contribution of immigrants at awards ceremony
Peter Uduehi reporting
By Peter Uduehi
At its eighteenth annual Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards ceremony, Western Union says the contribution of immigrants and newcomers to the Canadian economy and the country's values cannot be overstated.
The event, held recently at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in downtown Toronto, brought together business and community leaders, stakeholders, award recipients and event organisers, with brand manager Ricky Bajage also in attendance.
Ranjit Sarai, VP Digital GTM at Western Union, said "tonight, we want to honour and celebrate these 25 professionals and individuals because of their continued contributions to this country and because they are examples of how hardworking they have been for the society that they believe gave them so much in their personal advancement", noting that newcomers and immigrants, for the most part, do not only look out for themselves in terms of succeeding in their careers, " but they also look out for the people they left behind in their native countries after they have made that journey to their new countries", adding "they help their loved ones through remittance agencies like Western Union to send money back home".
Adetoyese Oyedun, one of the honourees and a Nigerian-Canadian of 20 years, said he is proud to be one of the honourees but that he did not know how he became popular with the committee "that chose to honour me. I didn't know who told them about me", said Oyedun, who is a chemical engineer and an entrepreneur in the Greater Toronto Area...GTA. He said the award is definitely an example of hardwork and that "it is also an example for younger immigrants or newcomers to Canada that everything is possible if you work hard. It means that people are taking notice of your contribution even if you are not aware they are doing so".
Top Picture: Ranjit Sarai talking to the media at the event.
Middle to Last Photo: Participants at the event...
Situation in Niger remains tense though junta still in control
ANALYSIS by African World... Below: Niger’s new junta leader General
Abdourahamane Tchiani.
On Saturday, Niger Republic came under an attack by
mutineers who attempted to seize power from the junta led by Abdourahamane
Tchiani. After fighting that lasted for hours, Mr Tchiani's government still
remains in power.
The mutinous soldiers took the regime by
surprise, besieging and holding sway over the Diori Hamani International
Airport and Air Base 101. They also attempted to breach the fortified perimeter
of the presidential palace. The attack briefly disrupted the state television
and radio broadcasts.
Footage seen by our reporter showed armed soldiers,
tactical armoured vehicles and troops securing the streets of Niamey. The
mutineers seized control of Air Base 101, the paratroopers' camp and other
positions near the international airport.
The mutineers released a statement from the air base,
announcing that Mr Tchiani was no longer the head of state. The statement,
signed under the name of Armed Forces for the Restoration of the Fatherland,
also announced the dissolution of the constitution, border closure and
restriction of movement.
While the fighting continued, it was
reported that the head of the junta requested the intervention of Africa Corps,
a Russian-backed mercenary group which has entrenched itself in Sahelian states
led by military rulers.
Before that, the mercenaries, stationed at
the air base, had come under attack by the rebellious soldiers, prompting them
to defend themselves. After a formal request to neutralise the mutineers, the
Africa Corps collaborated with the Nigerien Presidential Guard, launching an
air and ground offensive, making it a second primary mission in the region
since their show of strength in Bamako in
April.
This led to
the killing and arrest of the mutinous soldiers, with the Nigerien government
announcing that it remained in control.
In solidarity with Niger
In
the face of the attempted mutiny, several countries sided with the junta in
Niger.
Given
its friction with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), it is
expected that no member of the regional bloc will stand in solidarity with
Niger. But its allies, Burkina Faso and Mali, with whom it co-founded the
Alliance of Sahel States (AES), did throw their weight behind their falling
member.
The AES, in a statement issued
in Ouagadougou, affirmed it remained "fully committed to and mobilised
alongside Niger, sharing its determination to continue the struggle for
sovereignty and peace."
It
also praised "the loyalty, courage, and sense of duty of the Nigerien
Defence and Security Forces who, true to their oath, confronted this mutiny and
helped restore order."
Affirming
its solidarity with Niger and its people, the Turkiye Republic called for
"restraint" to preserve the country's security and stability.
Algeria
also assured the Niamey government of its "full solidarity and firm
support" to help the nation overcome the ordeal and restore security.
Who are the mutineers?
The
full identities of the mutinous soldiers remain sketchy at press time. However,
footage of captured soldiers suggests that they are mainly young and
junior-ranked personnel.
Yet,
some unverified reports have linked some senior officers to the plot. Among
them are Kimba Tahirou, a colonel, and Abdoulaye Idé, a captain promoted to the
rank in 2021, according to I-Sahel.
According
to social media claims, Mr Tahirou, who is the head of the national
gendarmerie, has sided with the mutineers.
The
government has not issued a statement to debunk these claims, and it has also
not mentioned the names and ranks of the young officer arrested in connection
with the incident.
Why the action?
Most
of the soldiers that took part in the mutiny were drawn from active frontlines
around Ouallam, Téra, and Dosso, including Tillabériwhere, suggesting that the
action might have been triggered by worsening insecurity.
According
to a jihadi researcher, Hasret Kargin, the mutiny erupted a day after the
Nigerien junta released four al-Qaeda linked jihadists in exchange for 11
soldiers, a kind of policy that Mr Tchiani frowned at when he seized power in
2023.
The
ousted President Mohamed Bazoum had pioneered the approach of dialogue,
reconciliation and conditional amnesty as part of its counterterrorism
strategies. But Mr Tchiani, upon overthrowing him, vowed a military-only
approach.
A window for jihadists
Because
soldiers abandoned their posts to stage the mutiny, jihadi groups like the
Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), JNIM and other terror networks might take
advantage of their absence and the ongoing instability to further entrench
themselves in the country.
Happening Now:
France is pleading to its citizens to leave Mali as soon as possible
With Tuareg-led rebels saying the ruling junta in Mali will fall "sooner or later" and demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops, the French Foreign Ministry has called on French nationals to leave the country. has urged its nationals in Mali to leave the country "as soon as possible" amid continuing attacks by Tuareg-led rebel forces who have claimed that the ruling junta will "fall sooner or later" and demanded that Russian forces also withdraw from "all of Mali." The French Foreign Ministry said the security situation in the former French colony remains "volatile" following a coordinated assault by Tuareg-dominated separatists allied with the al-Qaeda-linked Jihadist Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM). In the largest attacks in Mali in nearly 15 years, the rebel alliance, the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), has captured the strategic northern desert town of Kidal and killed Defense Minister Sadio Camara, seen as the mastermind behind the military government's pivot away from the West and towards Russia in recent years.
Confederation of African Football hand down fines, bans over last Afcon championship in Morocco
African football’s governing body has issued fines worth more than $1m and banned Senegal’s coach and Senegalese and Moroccan players over a shambolic African Cup of Nations (AFCON) final that involved a walk-off protest by one of the teams, fans trying to storm the field and fights among journalists. The sanctions announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) include fines totalling $615,000 for the Senegalese Football Federation and $315,000 for the Royal Moroccan Football Federation for unsporting and improper conduct by their players, coaching staff and supporters, among other offences. At the January 18 AFCON finale, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch, led by coach Pape Thiaw, in protest against a penalty awarded late in regulation time to the hosts, Morocco. Thiaw, who last week defended his side’s actions, was banned for five African games and given a fine of $100,000 for bringing the game into disrepute, the African confederation said. The game restarted after a delay of about 15 minutes. Morocco missed the penalty, and Senegal won the African title 1-0 after extra time. The heated final in Rabat also saw supporters trying to storm the field, Morocco’s and Senegal’s players scuffling on the sidelines, reporters from the two countries fighting in media areas and a bizarre sequence in which Moroccan ball boys tried to seize a towel being used by Senegalese goalkeeper Edouard Mendy – in an apparent bid to distract him and help their team win the continental title. That behaviour by the home team’s ball boys led to a $200,000 fine for Morocco’s federation, which will be a cohost of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal and has come under scrutiny for the chaotic African final. That behaviour by the home team’s ball boys led to a $200,000 fine for Morocco’s federation, which will be a co-host of the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal and has come under scrutiny for the chaotic African final. Morocco was hoping to host the 2030 World Cup final in Casablanca at the Hassan II Stadium, set to be the largest football arena in the world with a capacity of 115,000 people after its planned completion in 2028. But this month’s African final reflected badly on it.
EDITORIAL:
Trump tariff negotiations with Canada shifts again, this time over Palestinian statehood
How long can Canada go on with the Trump show is anybody's guess. The shifting sand method of the US president is something no one has ever witnessed or seen before, and even before this write-up is finished we might have to rewrite it four times for a total end.
This is because Trump is capable of darting off on a whimsical foray, especially based on how his churlish feelings are affrected by someone or something, as though he is constantly in a rapture of some sort of medical fever. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent pronouncement that Canada will endorse Palestinian statehood was never part of the equation with Trump on current trade talks on tariffs, but it became an issue as soon as The Canadian PM expressed the proposed move. Meanwhile, Mr Trump is not applying the same kind of pressure on France or England and others whose heads of government have endorsed the same idea of a tw state solution to the Palestinian debacle. So, why pick on Canada, the US's most important trading partner and closest neighbour and friend?
DR Congo in major promotion deal with FC Barcelona
Barcelona players will have "DR Congo - Heart of Africa" emblazoned on the back of their training shirts from the start of next season, after the top Spanish football team agreed on a four-year deal with the central African country.
The partnership will reportedly cost the Democratic Republic of Congo 44m euros ($50m; £38m), although the club has not disclosed the figure it will receive.
A rebel group has seized large parts of eastern DR Congo this year, although a ceasefire has recently been agreed.
The arrangement has faced criticism from some Congolese who have questioned their government's priorities, especially as its own football league has been plagued by chronic underfunding for years.
But the authorities have defended the agreement, saying that it will help raise the profile of the country.
As part of the deal, Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium will host what the club called an "immersive exhibition... to showcase the cultural diversity and sporting tradition" of DR Congo.
The country's Sports Minister, Didier Budimbu, told BBC Focus on Africa that the agreement includes a training camp for 50 young Congolese players and 10 coaches.
Barcelona says it will also run camps for children across a range of sports, including basketball, handball and roller hockey.
DR Congo has signed similar deals with Italian side AC Milan and French team AS Monaco. Last month, Budimbu described them as part of a strategy to "reposition" DR Congo as a leader in tourism and investment opportunities.
But some think the money should rather be spent in the country.
"When you talk about tourism, it should be about things to see when people come here... for me, rather than investing that money [abroad], they should invest that money to build the country first," Muzinga Lemfu, resident of the capital, Kinshasa, told the BBC.
But another resident, Freddy Kabengele, saw the advantages of the deal and said he was happy "to show DR Congo off to the world and also to bring tourists to the country".
Since 2018, DR Congo's regional rival Rwanda has had a sponsorship deal with English side Arsenal promoting tourism in the country with the slogan "Visit Rwanda" on the sleeves of the players' shirts. French team Paris St-Germain and German side Bayern Munich have similar deals.
These have also come under fire, especially recently as Rwanda has been accused of backing rebels in DR Congo in a devastating conflict in the east, which it denies.
In February, DR Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner wrote to the clubs questioning the "morality" of the arrangement.
The Rwandan government dismissed the accusations of sports-washing as a "distraction".
Some critics of the Congolese government have expressed concern that the European deals could overshadow the fighting in the east and the authorities' troubling human rights record.
In June, Rwanda and the DR Congo signed a peace deal aimed at ending decades of fighting.
In 2023, a deal that South Africa's tourism board pursued with Tottenham Hotspur did not come to fruition after complaints from the public.
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