Page 11 - aruba-today-20190223

A11
WORLD NEWS Saturday 23 February 2019

A look at Nigeria’s top 2 presidential contenders

By SAM OLUKOYA both prices and unemploy- The 72-year-old rose from
CARA ANNA ment are painfully high. a tax officer to become
Associated Press Meanwhile, while the Nigeria’s vice president
KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Af- military under Buhari has between 1999 and 2007, a
rica’s most populous coun- pushed Boko Haram from period in which he was tar-
try goes to the polls on Sat- many communities in the geted with corruption al-
urday to decide whether northeast, a new faction legations that have never
President Muhammadu pledging allegiance to faded. After a childhood in
Buhari deserves a second the Islamic State group which he defied his father
term. While more than 70 has made a deadly resur- to pursue an education,
people are running to lead gence in recent months, Abubakar discovered his
Nigeria, the close race displacing tens of thou- entrepreneurial side and
comes down to Buhari and sands of people in one of moved from the customs
a billionaire former vice the world’s most dire hu- service into a life of business
president, Atiku Abubakar. manitarian crises. and politics. He points to his
Here is a look at the top In this photo released by the Nigeria State House, Nigeria’s The president spent more business empire, claiming
candidates, who both incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, of the All Progressives than 150 days of his term some 50,000 employees,
come from the country’s Congress party, right, greets supporters as he departs from outside the country for as evidence of the wealth
largely Muslim north and Daura, Nigeria, bound for Abuja, following the postponement of medical treatment, and he hopes to bring to fellow
have chosen Christian run- presidential elections, Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. questions about his health Nigerians. But one analyst
ning mates from the other Associated Press remain as he keeps public noted that a privatization
traditional power bases, bering his reputation for But his term has been dif- appearances brief. “I feel program mainly supervised
the southeast and south- sometimes harsh discipline, ficult. Nigeria’s heavily oil- he is not fully OK. He should by Atiku while vice presi-
west. cheered when he unseat- dependent economy, the go and rest,” said Anna dent was a failure. “Most
___ ed incumbent President largest in Africa, fell into a Eguaoje, a businesswoman of the privatized assets are
PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU Goodluck Johnathan in rare recession when global in Kano. “The other one is still relying on the Nigerian
BUHARI 2015, hoping Buhari would crude prices crashed. The old too, but more energet- government for bailouts,
The 76-year-old former mili- follow up on his vows to recession is over but growth ic,” said Caroline Inyanda, especially the power sec-
tary dictator who ruled in tame widespread corrup- remains slow, and while Bu- an airport worker in the tor,” said Sylvester Odion-
the mid-1980s now says tion and defeat a deadly hari points to progress in ag- same city. Akhaine, a political science
he regrets his ruthless past. Boko Haram extremist insur- riculture and infrastructure, ___ lecturer at Lagos State Uni-
Many Nigerians, remem- gency. many people grumble that ATIKU ABUBAKAR versity. q

China’s new policy against gender bias meets fans, skeptics

By YANAN WANG prominent Chinese sociolo- men.” In other cases, the
SHANSHAN WANG gist on sex and family issues. company preferred female
Associated Press “Although (the notice) applicants to be married
BEIJING (AP) — China has might not be that useful in with children.
announced new measures practice, at least it states Thursday’s notice on “pro-
against gender discrimina- the issues in explicit terms,” moting women’s employ-
tion in Chinese workplaces Li said. “Companies won’t ment” was published jointly
that forbid employers from be as blatant as they were by several ministries, includ-
asking potential female before.” While gender dis- ing the Ministry of Educa-
hires questions such as if crimination in hiring is al- tion and the Ministry of Hu-
they are married or have ready banned by Chinese man Resources and Social
children. labor laws, the notice ap- Security. It said companies
At some companies in Chi- pears to target specific that post discriminatory
na, the answers to these behaviors that have made job ads can be fined up to
questions can be disquali- news in recent years. Last 50,000 yuan ($7440).
fying. Other firms are ex- In this Feb. 10, 2019, photo, a group of female job-seekers chat April, Human Rights Watch The notice also forbids
plicit in their job postings in front of a billboard displaying recruitment leaflets at a labor published a report that re- companies from including
that they are looking only market in Qingdao in east China’s Shandong province. vealed that Chinese job pregnancy tests in medi-
for men. Associated Press advertisements were rife cal examinations required
Many welcomed the gov- ing certain discriminatory skeptical that such mea- with gender discrimination. for employment, and bans
ernment notice, published actions against female sures could be strictly en- Human Rights Watch found employers from placing
Thursday, which forbids employees and job can- forced. several postings that said restrictions on whether a
companies and recruit- didates. But female work- “A notice is better than “men only,” ‘’men pre- woman can have children
ment agencies from tak- ers and analysts alike were nothing,” said Li Yinhe, a ferred,” or “suitable for as a condition of hiring.q