Former President Obasanjo warns President Buhari of Nigeria

Go And Rest! Former President Obasanjo Issues A Statement Asking Buhari Not To Seek Second Term*

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has issued a special press statement on the state of the Nigerian nation. While reiterating his desire not to return to partisan politics, the former military head of state who later became a civilian president in 1999 used his lengthy press release to ask President Muhammad Buhari not to seek a second term in 2019.

He writes: President Buhari needs a dignified and honourable dismount from the horse. He needs to have time to reflect, refurbish physically and recoup and after appropriate rest, once again, join the stock of Nigerian leaders whose experience, influence, wisdom and outreach can be deployed on the sideline for the good of the country. His place in history is already assured. Without impaired health and strain of age, running the affairs of Nigeria is a 25/7 affair, not 24/7.

I only appeal to brother Buhari to consider a deserved rest at this point in time and at this age. I continue to wish him robust health to enjoy his retirement from active public service. President Buhari does not necessarily need to heed my advice. But whether or not he heeds it, Nigeria needs to move on and move forward.

Zambia on Verge of Containing Cholera outbreak after 78 deaths

*🇿🇲Zambia on Verge of Containing 👾Cholera Outbreak After 78 💐Deaths*

Zambia is close to containing a cholera outbreak that has killed 78 of the more than 3,600 people who have fallen sick since October. Health Minister Chitalu Chilufya told reporters the number of cholera cases being recorded daily had dropped to less than a quarter of what was being reported two weeks ago. "We continue to record a drop from an average 164 cases daily to an average 25-30 cases per day. In the last 24 hours, we have had a total of 32 cases," Chilufya said.

On January 14, Zambia relaxed rules, including the closure of markets and schools, imposed to curb the spread of cholera as the number of new cases being reported halved. Chilufya said the measures put in place to contain the outbreak were clearly working. President Edgar Lungu last month directed the military to clean markets and unblock drains to help to fight the spread of the disease.

"The civil-military operation that has been going on has paid dividends," Chilufya said, referring to the presidential order for the military to join the cleanup exercise. Chilufya said by January 20, the government had vaccinated 1.3 million people, including inmates in congested prisons, against cholera.

Retired General and candidate Sami Anan arrested

*Egypt 🇪🇬 election: Retired general and candidate Sami Anan arrested 😱*

Former chief of staff in the Egyptian army, Sami Anan, has been detained after announcing his intention to run for president.

Mr Anan has been accused by the armed forces of violating Egypt's military code, running for the post without permission and forging documents.

Mr Anan, who served as the army's chief of staff from 2005-2012, announced his intention to stand against President Sisi on social media earlier this month.

Speaking to the Reuters news agency, a spokesman for Mr Anan denied he had broken any laws, and blamed "inaccurate reading of Anan's announcement" for the arrest.

I love Trump for being Frank with Africans

*Uganda's Museveni: I love Trump for being frank with Africans*

President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has given a speech declaring his "love" for US President Donald Trump. Earlier this month, Mr Trump was accused of referring to African nations as "shithole" countries during an immigration meeting. Mr Trump has denied making the remarks but US senators who attended the meeting say that he did. The African Union demanded that Mr Trump apologise for his "clearly racist" comments.

"America has got one of the best presidents ever," Mr Museveni said to laughter during the opening of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. "I love Trump because he tells Africans frankly. The Africans need to solve their problems, the Africans are weak."

Mr Museveni's comments are in opposition to the reaction of many leaders who have condemned Mr Trump's language. On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron told the BBC that he shared Africa's outrage.

Germany plane and helicopter crash in mid-air,killing four

*Germany: Plane ✈ and helicopter crash 💥 in mid-air, killing four*

A small plane and a helicopter have collided in south-western Germany killing four people, police say. A rescue helicopter which had been on a training flight was involved in the crash above the town of Philippsburg, air rescue organisation DRF said.

DRF said the victims were the two helicopter pilots and the two occupants of the plane.

"We do not yet know who was in which aircraft," a police spokesman was quoted as saying by German broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

The crash scene is about five kilometres (three miles) east of Philippsburg, a town which has an operating nuclear power plant.

Congressional Democrats call on facebook, Twitter to urgently investigate and combat Russian bots and trolls

*Congressional Democrats call ☎ on Facebook, Twitter to urgently investigate 👀 and combat Russian bots and trolls*

Top congressional Democrats on Tuesday called on Facebook and Twitter to urgently examine the role of Russian bots and trolls in the growing online campaign to release a classified memo about allegations that the FBI mishandled a classified surveillance request as it probed Russia’s meddling in the 2016 campaign.

Hashtags such as "ReleaseTheMemo" have been trending on Twitter in recent days, and accounts affiliated with Russian influence efforts have been supporting this effort, according to the Alliance for Securing Democracy, a U.S.-based group that examines efforts by Russia and other nations to interfere in democratic institutions. The hashtag has also been shared by Donald Trump Jr. and Rep. Steve King.

The letter to Facebook and Twitter calls for rapid study of these allegations and for the companies to shut down accounts that are involved. The authors are Rep. Adam Schiff and Sen. Diane Feinstein, both California Democrats; Schiff is ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, and Feinstein is ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"If these reports are accurate, we are witnessing an ongoing attack by the Russian government through Kremlin-linked social media actors directly acting to intervene and influence our democratic process," wrote Schiff and Feinstein. "This should be disconcerting to all Americans, but especially your companies as, once again, it appears the vast majority of their efforts are concentrated on your platforms. This latest example of Russian interference is in keeping with Moscow’s concerted, covert, and continuing campaign to manipulate American public opinion and erode trust in our law enforcement and intelligence institutions."

The urgent request for investigation, with a report back due on Friday, underscores growing Capitol Hill scrutiny of the influence of social media on American politics, as well as growing concern over release of the classified GOP memo. The letter is addressed to Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey.