News Ganjaa

03/11/2025

Twelve northern Nigerian governors, senior judges, and traditional rulers could face US sanctions under a bill before Congress alleging involvement in religious persecution linked to Nigeria’s Sharia and blasphemy laws. The Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz and supported by US President Donald Trump, seeks penalties, including visa bans and asset freezes, for officials found complicit. The bill focuses on 12 northern states—Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto, Katsina, Bauchi, Borno, Jigawa, Kebbi, Yobe, Kaduna, Niger, and Gombe—accused of enforcing laws discriminatory against Christians.

Credit: DW Africa

23/10/2025

Letter from Saclepea
With Musa Hassan Bility
Written in Maryland, USA.

The Little Girl from Ganta

It was a Saturday morning in Saclepea. I was getting ready to attend the Solidarity Rally in Ganta. The day was already heavy with plans, guests to meet, people to inspire, and a movement to push forward. I climbed the stairs, debating whether to step out onto the back porch for air, when a small voice called out from behind me.

“Papa,” she said softly, “I came for you to please help me. Can you help me with something to feed my son and myself?”

She was a little girl, hardly beyond her teens, standing there with courage in her eyes and sorrow on her face. I asked her gently, “Who is the father?”

She looked down, her voice trembling. “He is gone, Papa. He left me and the baby. He is in America now.”

I froze. “Where do you live?” I asked.

“In Ganta,” she said. “But I came all the way here just to see if you could help me. I am hungry. I do not have food. I am sorry.”

Her apology pierced through me. I looked at her, her little boy restless in her arms, eyes wide open, searching the world for comfort he had not yet known. Tears welled in her eyes, and they glimmered with that strange mix of pain and hope that only the truly broken can carry.

At that moment, my entire world stopped. I was born the son of a trader and a woman who spent her whole life farming just to survive, yet I have never known a pain that struck as deep as what I saw in her eyes.

I called my niece and said, “Take this little girl and her son to your auntie, tell her to speak with her. I want us to help her.” We gave her something to eat and told her to rest while I went on to the rally. But throughout that rally, through the crowds, the cheers, the promises of change, my mind never left that little girl and her child.

When I returned, I asked Mrs. Bility about her. She told me a story too painful to imagine, a young mother living in a dark cellar, sleeping in corners, without family, without food, and without hope. Her mother was gone. Her father was also gone. The man who gave her a child had abandoned and gone to America, leaving her to face the world alone.

That night, my wife and I decided to take her into our care. Find a place for her and her baby, put them in school, and create a future for them. We promised to look after her as one of our own.

But this story, this one story, is only a fragment of a much larger tragedy. There are thousands of girls like her across our country. Hungry. Homeless. Forgotten. And each one is a reflection of our national failure to protect the vulnerable and give dignity to people experiencing poverty.

As I sat thinking that night, I realized our problem is not the absence of wealth or opportunity. It is the absence of care. We have lost the ability to see ourselves in the eyes of the suffering.

That little girl from Ganta has become the voice that speaks to my conscience. Her tears have become the mirror of our nation’s wounds. Her story has reignited in me the fire to fight for change, not the change that comes through slogans, but the change that touches lives.

Liberia must change, for her, for her son, and for the hundreds of thousands of children whose dreams are buried beneath our silence.

20/10/2025

Reflection
By Leymah R. Gbowee

Loss of Authority

Growing up in our community on the Old Road, we—the children—belonged to all the adults, especially the fathers and mothers. There were fathers around us who did not tolerate nonsense. They were not saints, but they demanded that women be treated with respect.

I remember once, a cousin of ours insulted a lady. My father asked him to apologize, but he tried to act tough. Papay came down and landed him a few slaps, after which he apologized appropriately.

There were also men like the late Boimah Massaley, who would sit on his porch at night in the dark. Whenever he saw any of us girls walking or talking with a boy, he would make sure our parents knew. Then there was Joseph Sandy, a single father who cared for his children with dignity but was also a father to all the children in the neighborhood. After my own father, I would say he was the coolest dad around.

There was also Mr. Roosevelt—the “no-problem” dad. He was calm, cool, and collected, but he could also snitch when necessary. These men I mention were the authority figures we grew up with. No one could be a fool, play a fool, or act a fool knowing they were around.

Today, when I look around most of our communities in Liberia, I recognize that we barely have authority figures anymore. The older men who should chastise and correct are often the ones chasing little girls. Many communities are without men of honor—without father figures that other children can look up to.

After we lost our dad, I read some of the comments on social media about his life and interactions. The ones that tugged at my heart the most were from childhood friends reminiscing about him being both a disciplinarian and a kind man.
Many blame the attitude of the current generation on the war in Liberia. While the war certainly played a part, I believe a vast majority of the problem stems from people equating authority with money or material wealth. As a result, many adults refuse to intervene in young people’s lives for fear of being embarrassed or disrespected. Sadly, the more we shy away from being figures of authority, the further our young people drift from lives rooted in values and morals.

Today, I pray that men of honor will step up and fill the gap created by the loss of authority in our communities.

10/10/2025

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize goes to a brave and committed champion of peace – to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.

As a founder of Súmate, an organisation devoted to democratic development, Ms Machado stood up for free and fair elections more than 20 years ago. As she said: “It was a choice of ballots over bullets.” In political office and in her service to organisations since then, Ms Machado has spoken out for judicial independence, human rights and popular representation. She has spent years working for the freedom of the Venezuelan people.

Ahead of the election of 2024, Ms Machado was the opposition’s presidential candidate, but the regime blocked her candidacy. She then backed the representative of a different party, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in the election. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers mobilised across political divides. They were trained as election observers to ensure a transparent and fair election. Despite the risk of harassment, arrest and torture, citizens across the country held watch over the polling stations. They made sure the final tallies were documented before the regime could destroy ballots and lie about the outcome.

The efforts of the collective opposition, both before and during the election, were innovative and brave, peaceful and democratic. The opposition received international support when its leaders publicised the vote counts that had been collected from the country’s election districts, showing that the opposition had won by a clear margin. But the regime refused to accept the election result, and clung to power.

In the past year, Ms Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people.

Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always be defended – with words, with courage and with determination.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace. She embodies the hope of a different future, one where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected, and their voices are heard. In this future, people will finally be free to live in peace.

Read more about the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize: https://bit.ly/4o0sckV

10/10/2025

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.

As the leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela, Maria Corina Machado is one of the most extraordinary examples of civilian courage in Latin America in recent times.

Ms Machado has been a key, unifying figure in a political opposition that was once deeply divided – an opposition that found common ground in the demand for free elections and representative government. This is precisely what lies at the heart of democracy: our shared willingness to defend the principles of popular rule, even though we disagree. At a time when democracy is under threat, it is more important than ever to defend this common ground.

Venezuela has evolved from a relatively democratic and prosperous country to a brutal, authoritarian state that is now suffering a humanitarian and economic crisis. Most Venezuelans live in deep poverty, even as the few at the top enrich themselves. The violent machinery of the state is directed against the country’s own citizens. Nearly 8 million people have left the country. The opposition has been systematically suppressed by means of election rigging, legal prosecution and imprisonment.

Venezuela’s authoritarian regime makes political work extremely difficult. As a founder of Súmate, an organisation devoted to democratic development, Ms Machado stood up for free and fair elections more than 20 years ago. As she said: “It was a choice of ballots over bullets.” In political office and in her service to organisations since then, Ms Machado has spoken out for judicial independence, human rights and popular representation. She has spent years working for the freedom of the Venezuelan people.

Ahead of the election of 2024, Ms Machado was the opposition’s presidential candidate, but the regime blocked her candidacy. She then backed the representative of a different party, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, in the election. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers mobilised across political divides. They were trained as election observers to ensure a transparent and fair election. Despite the risk of harassment, arrest and torture, citizens across the country held watch over the polling stations. They made sure the final tallies were documented before the regime could destroy ballots and lie about the outcome.
The efforts of the collective opposition, both before and during the election, were innovative and brave, peaceful and democratic. The opposition received international support when its leaders publicised the vote counts that had been collected from the country’s election districts, showing that the opposition had won by a clear margin. But the regime refused to accept the election result, and clung to power.

Democracy is a precondition for lasting peace. However, we live in a world where democracy is in retreat, where more and more authoritarian regimes are challenging norms and resorting to violence. The Venezuelan regime’s rigid hold on power and its repression of the population are not unique in the world. We see the same trends globally: rule of law abused by those in control, free media silenced, critics imprisoned, and societies pushed towards authoritarian rule and militarisation. In 2024, more elections were held than ever before, but fewer and fewer are free and fair.

In its long history, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has honoured brave women and men who have stood up to repression, who have carried the hope of freedom in prison cells, on the streets and in public squares, and who have shown by their actions that peaceful resistance can change the world. In the past year, Ms Machado has been forced to live in hiding. Despite serious threats against her life she has remained in the country, a choice that has inspired millions of people.
When authoritarians seize power, it is crucial to recognise courageous defenders of freedom who rise and resist. Democracy depends on people who refuse to stay silent, who dare to step forward despite grave risk, and who remind us that freedom must never be taken for granted, but must always be defended – with words, with courage and with determination.

Maria Corina Machado meets all three criteria stated in Alfred Nobel’s will for the selection of a Peace Prize laureate. She has brought her country’s opposition together. She has never wavered in resisting the militarisation of Venezuelan society. She has been steadfast in her support for a peaceful transition to democracy.

Maria Corina Machado has shown that the tools of democracy are also the tools of peace. She embodies the hope of a different future, one where the fundamental rights of citizens are protected, and their voices are heard. In this future, people will finally be free to live in peace.

Credit: The Norwegian Nobel Committee

09/10/2025

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi “for the development of metal–organic frameworks.”

The 2025 Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry have created molecular constructions with large spaces through which gases and other chemicals can flow. These constructions, metal–organic frameworks, can be used to harvest water from desert air, capture carbon dioxide, store toxic gases or catalyse chemical reactions.

Kitagawa, Robson and Yaghi have developed a new form of molecular architecture. In their constructions, metal ions function as corner-stones that are linked by long organic (carbon-based) molecules. Together, the metal ions and molecules are organised to form crystals that contain large cavities. These porous materials are called metal–organic frameworks (MOF). By varying the building blocks used in the MOFs, chemists can design them to capture and store specific substances. MOFs can also drive chemical reactions or conduct electricity.

“Metal–organic frameworks have enormous potential, bringing previously unforeseen opportunities for custom-made materials with new functions,” says Heiner Linke, Chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry.

Learn more
Press release: https://bit.ly/4njXUtg
Popular information: https://bit.ly/42gZLGZ
Advanced information: https://bit.ly/42gZUKx

07/10/2025

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2025 in Physics to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit.”

This year’s physics laureates’ experiments on a chip revealed quantum physics in action.

A major question in physics is the maximum size of a system that can demonstrate quantum mechanical effects. The 2025 physics laureates conducted experiments with an electrical circuit in which they demonstrated both quantum mechanical tunnelling and quantised energy levels in a system big enough to be held in the hand.

Quantum mechanics allows a particle to move straight through a barrier, using a process called tunnelling. As soon as large numbers of particles are involved, quantum mechanical effects usually become insignificant. The laureates’ experiments demonstrated that quantum mechanical properties can be made concrete on a macroscopic scale.

In 1984 and 1985, John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis conducted a series of experiments with an electronic circuit built of superconductors, components that can conduct a current with no electrical resistance. In the circuit, the superconducting components were separated by a thin layer of non-conductive material, a setup known as a Josephson junction. By refining and measuring all the various properties of their circuit, they were able to control and explore the phenomena that arose when they passed a current through it. Together, the charged particles moving through the superconductor comprised a system that behaved as if they were a single particle that filled the entire circuit.

This macroscopic particle-like system is initially in a state in which current flows without any voltage. The system is trapped in this state, as if behind a barrier that it cannot cross. In the experiment the system shows its quantum character by managing to escape the zero-voltage state through tunnelling. The system’s changed state is detected through the appearance of a voltage.

The laureates could also demonstrate that the system behaves in the manner predicted by quantum mechanics – it is quantised, meaning that it only absorbs or emits specific amounts of energy.

The transistors in computer microchips are one example of the established quantum technology that surrounds us. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics has provided opportunities for developing the next generation of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.

Learn more
Press release: https://bit.ly/42jAlZg
Popular information: https://bit.ly/4gKFvTX
Advanced information: https://bit.ly/48CSBjZ

03/10/2025

Reflection
With Cheechiay Jablasone

Are These Weah’s Actions/Decisions Indicative of Love For Country?

The embers are dying from the celebrations of the birth of former President George Manneh Weah by largely youthful people. Most of these young people believe Weah has ‘love’ for Liberia and therefore have committed to his political ambitions to an extent where they’ve made the presidency his entitlement. To prove or disprove one’s love for country can be a difficult thing. However, when it comes to Weah and the claim from his supporters that they support him more for love of country, then it leaves one to look closely at the decisions Weah has taken or is taking to discern how those decisions have helped or hurt Liberia.

Except for those who do not follow the game of football, the universe where Weah ascended to a godlike figure, you will have no clue or be in doubt that Weah is a football genius. Weah was so good a player he won the highest individual prize in the game: ballon d’Or in 1995. He’s so talented at identifying potential players that he identified local players for roles on the national team in 2000-2002 and they stood out. He was so exceptional as a manager that his team pushed a Nigerian style-studded team to the wire for qualification for World Cup 2002. During that campaign, Weah’s team, which came to be known as ‘Jorweah 11’, became the only hope many Liberians could bank on amidst the hopelessness of a government that governed over a failed state and had become a pariah.

Unarguably, Liberian youths are amongst the most talented football players on the continent. Yet these young people have not reached their potential due to lack of opportunities. A year ago, following partisans of the CDC celebrations of the former President’s birthday in his absence, he returned to the country. At one of a few low key events in his honor, a local journalist asked the former president and football genius why couldn’t he help Liberian youth by setting up a football academy? In a nutshell, the journalist was asking why couldn’t the former world best and accomplished manager of the national team help to horn the skills of his young compatriots? Mr Weah’s response was: “I am above that”.

However, recently upon his return to Liberia when thousands of young people had gone to meet Weah, he was proud to announce that he was returning to the country after successfully finding a team for his son, Tim who plays professional football. The irony is, Mr Weah doesn’t see himself being above finding a team for his son but do see himself as being above helping to make dreams come true for youths, some who could be even talented as Tim or better. Is that how to show love for a country. Is this really a love for which young people should mortgage their future?

If that’s not any worst of thing that a person can do to their country to betray their country, then consider this simple but damaging action by Weah as president. As president, Weah chose a kitchen cabinet that comprised: Emmanuel Shaw, former finance minister to Samuel Doe; Charles Bright former finance minister under Charles Taylor. But choosing Shaw was the most alarming if not disturbing decision. As finance minister, Shaw and Doe ended the nation’s oil refinery and reverted to imported refined gasoline. They created their own company, the Liberia National Petroleum Company (LNPC) and utilized the state-owned LPRC storage tanks with their company’s name painted in bold letters on those tanks. That killed off millions of dollars of refinery production.

As finance minister, Shaw also bought a presidential jet for the president, apparently using government funds. During the heat of the war, the plane flew the then president’s family to London. When the plane landed, Shaw was in London with papers to show the government of Liberia owed him millions and he needed the plane as collateral to pay off the debt. So the then finance minister took the plane, presidential jet, sold it and pocketed the proceeds. Didn’t Weah know about all this before appointing this man his Economic Advisor?

With the refinery dead and the presidential jet sold and back in government, Shaw was at it again. This time haunting the hydro electic plant. After the Weah government came to power, he partnered with a Ghanaian businessman to bring a 35million-dollar floating power plant to Monrovia to sell power. At the time the country already had a newly half-a-billion hydro electric power plant completed with aid from the US . Weah bought into the deal only to have the US, EU and ADB write the president and warning of repercussions. Only then did Weah step back. The same man who destroyed the refinery was about to destroy the hydro. No thanks to Weah but thanks to the US, EU, ADB. They stopped him this time. Weah could not. Is that a love for country?

Recently after Weah’s home on 9th Street suffered a second fire incident in two decades, he told reporters that on the night of the fire, they were going to sleep on 9th Street but his wife decided against that. A young Liberian woman read that and was shocked. Her response was: “Really, in a country where people are so poor with no place to sleep, Weah has options of homes to sleep in?”. For those living in Monrovia, Identify how many homes Weah has around Monrovia and the number of poor families without living places. Is that love for country?

Weah should’ve been a blessing to Liberia; winning the ballon d’Or, being an accomplished player and returning home and transferring his knowledge of the game to young Liberians. But as it stands, he’s a curse to the country by which corrupt politicians are refilling their bank accounts! The young people whose future are being stolen are the pipes through which these corrupt politicians are refueling.

18/09/2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin announced that 400,000 people have fled Gaza City for safer areas as the IDF advances on . Netanyahu also said he'll be coming to the White House to meet President Trump for the fourth time this year. The IDF says Hamas has built "the largest shield in history" as the terror group tries to protect itself from soldiers moving toward them in the ground war. Spokesman Effie Defrin says rescuing the remaining 48 hostages held by Hamas is at the forefront of the military campaign.

Jerusalem Dateline

As Israel's ground operation in Gaza City kicks into high gear, the Israel Defense Forces say Hamas has turned Gaza into

18/09/2025

Local residents and eyewitnesses said dozens of Israeli tanks and military vehicles have pushed into a major residential district of Gaza City, on the second...

15/09/2025