Summary

  • 'Rats' smuggle items into Nigeria health budget

  • Nigeria bombings 'kill 56' at refugee camp

  • Deadly riot over control of cemetery in Ghana

  • Mugabe warns Zanu-PF infighting 'benefits' opposition

  • Uganda presidential candidate promises to honour Idi Amin

  • Shock over Mandela grandson's 'conversion' to Islam

  • Get Involved: #BBCAfricaLive

  • Email stories and comments to africalive@bbc.co.uk - Wednesday 10 February 2016

  1. Scroll down for Wednesday's storiespublished at 18:00

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all for today from the BBC Africa Live page. Listen to the Africa Today podcast and keep up-to-date with developments across the continent on the BBC News website.  

    A reminder of today’s African proverb:

    Quote Message

    You don’t put your finger in someone’s mouth and hit them on the top of their head."

    A Twi proverb sent by Richard Odomako Opoku, Kumasi, Ghana.

    And we leave you with this photo of South Sudanese athletes training in the capital, Juba: 

    South Sudanese runners, selected by the South Sudanese Athletic Federation, train in the open field of the Buluk Athletics Track in Juba, on February 10, 2016Image source, AFP
  2. Nigeria football coach in trouble over outburstpublished at 17:59

    Oluwashina Okeleji
    BBC Sport

    Sunday OlisehImage source, Getty Images

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) will fine coach Sunday Oliseh $30,000 (£20,000) for his extraordinary eight-minute video rant over the weekend.

    Oliseh looks set to consult with his lawyers about contesting the sanction.

    The 41-year-old posted a video on his own website to hit back at what he called the "insanity" of his critics after the team failed to get past the group stages of the African Nations Championship (CHAN) in Rwanda.

    The coach has since apologised to the NFF for his outburst aimed at the Nigerian media as well as his vociferous former international teammates.

    Read the full BBC sport story here

  3. Ghana cemetery causes riotpublished at 17:57

    Sammy Darko
    BBC Africa, Accra

    There has been a riot in Ghana's Kumasi city following a dispute over control of a cemetery. 

    One person was killed, and about 100 vehicles destroyed as an angry crowd, armed with knives and cutlasses, went on the rampage in the streets of the city's Old Tafo suburb. Police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd, made up of Muslims. 

    They were said to be angry that non-Muslims had demolished a wall at the huge cemetery in the heart of Kumasi, Ghana's second city. 

    The two sides have been involved in a long-running feud for control of the cemetery. 

  4. Nigerian campaign to buy local goodspublished at 17:56

    Nigerians on Twitter have been getting patriotic in a bid to save their own economy.

    The hashtag #BuyNaijatoGrowtheNaira has been used to call on people to buy more locally made products.

    Abdullahi Kaura Abubaker reports from Abuja:

    Media caption,

    Nigerian campaign to buy locally

  5. Bombers 'kill Nigeria refugees'published at 17:54

    Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    At least 56 people have been killed and 67 injured in multiple suicide attacks at a camp for refugees in north-eastern Borno state, an emergency official has told the BBC.

    The attackers detonated their explosives while the refugees were queuing to collect food rations, he added. 

    The incident occurred at a camp in Dikwa town yesterday, but details are only emerging now because of a lack of telephone communication in the area.

    The camp was set up for people fleeing violence unleashed by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.  

  6. Call to sentence Habre to life in prisonpublished at 17:50

    The prosecution has demanded life in prison for Chad's ex-ruler Hissene Habre who is on trial for war crimes at an African Union-backed court in Senegal, the AFP news agency reports.  

    Mr Habre is accused of ordering the killing of 40,000 people during his rule in the 1980s, charges he denies.

    The trial marks the first time one African country has prosecuted the former leader of another.

    Mr Habre has refused to recognise the legitimacy of the court, a special tribunal set up in Senegal's capital, Dakar, at the behest of the African Union.

    In this Monday July. 20, 2015 file photo, security personnel surround former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre inside the court in Dakar, Senegal.Image source, AP
    Image caption,

    Mr Habre was exiled in Senegal at the time of his arrest

  7. Kenyans arrested for 'falsely posing as agents'published at 17:24 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    Nick Cavell
    BBC Africa Sport

    Police in Kenya have arrested three people in the town of Eldoret for conning money out of athletes as they pretended to be agents of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

    "An athlete came to us complaining about someone wanting to extort money. So we laid an ambush - and we arrested three conmen," Eldoret commanding police officer Nelson Taliti told me.

    In a report last November, Wada alleged that Kenya has a "real problem with doping".

    There are 15 Kenyans currently banned for doping by the International Associations of Athletics Federations, including three-time Boston Marathon winner Rita Jeptoo.  

  8. Nigeria 'kills' Boko Haram fighterspublished at 17:19 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    mapImage source, bbc

    The Nigerian army says it has killed several fighters from militant Islamist group Boko Haram in the north-eastern state of Borno.

    Several other fighters escaped with gun wounds following an encounter with the military at a major cattle market near Mainok town, the army said in a statement.

    Four AK-47 rifles, five hand grenades and ammunition were recovered in the operation, it added.

    At least 20,000 people have died in Boko Haram's seven-year campaign to establish an Islamic state.

    AK-47 riflesImage source, Nigerian Army

    See our 10:34 entry on the bombings in Cameroon

  9. Bringing art-house cinema to Liberiapublished at 17:09 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    Pandora Hodge is bringing cinema to the masses through Kriterion Monrovia, which screens films to communities around Liberia's capital.

    During the Ebola outbreak, Ms Hodge and her team were forced to stop screenings, so they set about raising awareness of the virus through door-to-door campaigns.

    Now the country has been declared free of Ebola transmission, Kriterion Monrovia is set to open its first art-house cinema.

    The country's last modern-day cinema shut down during the civil war in the 1990s.

    As part of the BBC's Women of Africa series, we look at Ms Hodge's initiative in this video:

    Media caption,

    Women of Africa: Rebuilding Liberia's cinema after Ebola

  10. Mugabe warns Zanu-PFpublished at 16:35 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe delivers his State of the Nation address in Parliament in Harare on August 25, 201Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Mr Mugabe has ruled since 1980

    Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has warned that infighting in the ruling Zanu-PF party is "giving relevance" to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, the state-owned Herald newspaper reports, external

    "If you have a grievance take the issue to the party. Don't go to opposition papers," he said in an address at the Zanu-PF headquarters in the capital, Harare. 

    "You are embarrassing yourself and the party," he added, the Herald reports. 

    Zanu-PF has been hit by divisions over who will succeed Mr Mugabe, 91. 

    One faction is believed to be backing his wife, Grace, while another has thrown its weight behind his deputy, Emmerson Mnangagwa. 

    Mr Mugabe was speaking at an event organised by the Zanu-PF Women's League, which his wife leads, to thank him for a "successful tour of duty as African Union chairman". 

    Read: Mugabe the feminist?

  11. Ertirea's refugee crisispublished at 16:17 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    The BBC's Newshour programme has visited a centre in Ethiopia, where many Eritreans are taken after they cross the border to escape forced military service and persecution.

    Ethiopia hosts almost 700,000 refugees, more than any other African country.

    Tim Franks has been speaking to some of the refugees at the Endabaguna reception centre:

    Media caption,

    Eritreans in a reception centre in neighbouring Ethiopia

  12. 'Rats invade' Nigeria budget documentspublished at 15:51 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    Muhammad Kabir Muhammad
    BBC Africa, Abuja

    Shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari submitted his first budget in December last year, tagged “Budget of Change”, some Nigerians began pointing out some strange allocations. 

    These include the amount to be spent on software and computers for some ministries and agencies, as well as allocations for the purchase of cars for the presidential villa.

    Others have highlighted multiple entries for the same department, especially in the education ministry.

    While defending his ministry’s budget, Health Minister Issac Odewale disowned what was presented to the parliament, saying some “rats” had smuggled foreign items into the document originally prepared.

    He is believed to have been referring to some civil servants.

    President Muhammadu BuhariImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    President Buhari was partly elected on a promise to fight corruption

    Already there is talk of a “budget mafia” who, despite the government’s vow to plug all leakages, are accused of finding ways to enrich themselves from the public till.

    The government says the budget is not perfect and that the president is open to correction, but already some Nigerians have changed the budget’s appellation to “Budget of Corruption”.

    Read our 13:38 and 12:30 posts

  13. Nigerian street vendor turns top modelpublished at 15:27 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    BBC Monitoring
    Janet Onyango

    Twitter users in Nigeria are tweeting about Olajumoke, 

    A street vendor in Nigeria's commercial city, Lagos, has caught the attention of Twitter users after she accidentally walked onto the set of a photo shoot featuring rap artist Tinie Tempah.

    Olajumoke caught the attention of Nigerian celebrity photographer and singer, Ty Bello, who took photographs of her that were published on the cover of ThisDay style magazine. 

    Since then, Olajumoke, a trained hairdresser, has been offered internships at various hairdressers in Lagos and received modelling contracts. 

    Here are some reactions to this rags to riches story:

  14. Mandla Mandela's wivespublished at 14:55 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    ndla Mandela, one of the grand sons of Nelson Mandela, attends a mass in memory of late South African former president Nelson Mandela on December 8, 2013 in Johannesburg.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Mandla Mandela's latest wife is a Muslim

    The 42-year-old grandson of Nelson Mandela, Mandla Mandela, is at the centre of controversy after he converted to Islam, and married for a fourth time. 

    Here's a brief look at his marital life:    

    • Married Tando Mabunu-Mandela in 2004. They are reportedly still entangled in a bitter divorce
    • Wed Anais Grimaud, from Reunion, in a traditional ceremony in 2010. Marriage annulled after reports that she had an affair with his younger brother
    • Married Mbali Makhathini in 2014. Marriage annulled by court after first wife opened charges of bigamy
    • Wed Rabia Clarke in a Cape Town mosque in 2016 after converting to Islam.

    Source: South Africa's The Times newspaper

    See our 13:06 post for more details

  15. New Kenya football chief electedpublished at 14:33 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    Abdinoor Maalim
    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    Nicholas Mwendwa has been elected the new president of the Kenyan Football Federation. 

    Mr Mwendwa - the chairman of a lower league side, Kariobangi Sharks - got 50 of the 77 votes, beating his only rival, Ambrose Rachier. 

    He succeeds Sam Nyamweya, who pulled out of the contest after it became clear that he did not have the backing of delegates at the federation's meeting in the capital, Nairobi.   

  16. Gold mine manager 'killed' in Ghanapublished at 14:19 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    Mining giant AngloGold Ashanti says one of its senior managers has been killed in Ghana, Reuters news agency reports. 

    John Owusu, the firm's head of corporate affairs and spokesman in Ghana, was killed on Saturday when illegal miners invaded the Obuasi gold mine, a spokesman is quoted as saying. 

    The mine, about 200km (125 miles) north-west of the capital, Accra, is currently idle as AngloAshanti waits for a partner for the operation, Reuters reports. 

  17. Battle to save trapped mine workers in South Africapublished at 13:51 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    An ambulance leaves the Lily mine, which is owned by Vantage Goldfields, near Barberton, east of Johannesburg, February 5, 2016Image source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The mine is in a remote area

    Time is running out to save the three mine workers trapped in a South African gold mine since Friday, the mining union's president has warned.

    Joseph Mathunjwa spent the night underground with the rescue team at the mine near Barton town in the north-east of the country.

    The three were working above ground in the lamproom when a building collapsed into the mine, burying them under tonnes of rubble.

    More than 70 miners managed to escape using an emergency exit.

    The rescue team says they have got a response to tapping sounds that they made from above.

    Read the full BBC story here

  18. Why Nigeria's budget 'shouldn't be passed'published at 13:38 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    President Muhammadu Buhari presenting the budget to parliamentImage source, AFP

    A Nigerian news website has published seven reasons why it says the parliament should reject President Muhammadu Buhari's 2016 budget - the first one he has presented taking office last year.

    The document, submitted to parliament in December, has been marred by controversy with some senior civil servants being accused of tampering with it.

    The Cable news says dubious financial allocations and "rat feasting" on the budget are some of the reasons why it shouldn't be passed. 

    Read the full article here, external and see our 12:30 post

  19. Has Mandla Mandela defied tradition?published at 13:06 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    Pumza Fihlani
    BBC News, Johannesburg

    Chief Mandla Mandela may find himself at a crossroads - forced to choose between his new bride and his loyal subjects.

    Nelson Mandela's heir, who prides himself on being a man of tradition, may face some tough questions over his conversion to Islam.

    It has implications for him not because of the religion itself but because it creates uncertainty about the chief's loyalties.

    Mandela MandelaImage source, AFP

    And it seems the secrecy has caused concerns within the AbaThembu Royal family, who now question the chief's commitment to upholding time-honoured traditions.

    In rural South Africa, away from many of the trappings of modern life, traditional leaders play a key role in their communities.

    This could be in the form of ceremonies or day to day decisions on how to resolve conflicts. While this is the chief's fourth marriage, it is the first to pit him against tradition - the very core of who he is.

    See our 09:02 post for the views of an influential traditional leader 

  20. Pledge to repatriate Idi Amin's bodypublished at 12:53 Greenwich Mean Time 10 February 2016

    circa 1972: Ugandan soldier, dictactor and head of state (1971 - 1978) General Idi AminImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Idi Amin died in 2003 in Saudi Arabia

    A leading opposition candidate in Uganda's presidential election has promised to repatriate the remains of the former dictator, Idi Amin, and build a museum in his honour. 

    Amama Mbabazi, the former prime minister, said he wanted to reconcile different factions in Uganda. 

    Too often, they divided the country between Idi Amin's people, Milton Obote's people and Yoweri Museveni's people, he said. 

    Amin's eight-year rule from 1971 to 1979 was characterised by bloodshed and eccentricity. 

    He killed opponents, often brutally, and expelled Uganda's Asian population, before being overthrown by Obote. He died in exile in Saudi Arabia in 2003. 

    Mr Mbabazi is running for the first time against Mr Museveni in elections after falling out with his former close ally. 

    The president is seeking a fifth term in the fiercely contested election due on 18 February.