African press review 30 April 2018

Controversy about Donald Trump's "shithole" African countries swells as Nigeria's Buhari becomes first African leader to visit him in the White House. And a Kenyan tycoon robbed at gunpoint allegedly identifies his attackers behind a police desk.

We start in Nigeria where the commentators are looking forward to President Muhammadu Buhari's working visit to the United States and the first White House visit by an African leader since Donald Trump's election.

The Nation reports that Buhari arrived at Blair House, the US Presidential Guest House, on Saturday where he will be staying throughout his three-day visit.

According to the newspaper a press release from the White House states that the talks will focus on fighting terrorism and insecurity, economic growth and democratic development in Nigeria, set to hold presidential polls in February next year.

But Punch underlines in its lead article, that all eyes will be on Trump after he earlier called African nations “shithole” countries, a damaging remark he has since denied.

For its part Premium Times says on top of his White House meeting with Trump, President Buhari's delegation will meet with CEO's of several American companies such as energy giant General Electric for the implementation of the interim phase of the narrow gauge rail concession.

According to the paper the an affiliate of GE is waiting to finalize a concession agreement to invest an estimated two billion dollars to modernize the rail line from Lagos to Kano and from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri.

Meanwhile, ThisDay highlights a statement from the opposition Peoples' Democratic Party alerting the US President the undemocratic policies and actions of President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to the newspaper the PDP urges Trump to get Buhari to explain actions of his administration, which it claims are the height of human rights abuse in the country's national contemporary history.

Meanwhile Vanguard relays a message from the Secretary of Northern Leaders and Stakeholders Assembly, Umar Ardo, urging the United States President, Donald Trump to ask President Muhammadu Buhari while he jailed an American citizen for 95 years in 1984 while he was Nigerian military Head of State.

In Zimbabwe the papers are watching a process by the ruling ZANU/PF party to select its candidates for the July 2018 general elections. The state-owned Herald newspaper reports that the process scheduled on Sunday was not completed because of what the party’s national elections commission attributed to a breakdown experienced by the company that was printing the ballot papers.

According to the publication the election primaries which continue today have been very peaceful despite flaring tempers in some constituencies, where the contests involve so-called bigwigs of the revolutionary party.

And in Kenya, Standard Digital tells the shocking story of a robbed man who found his robbers behind the desk of the police station where he rushed to report the crime.

The paper reports that Jervason Musinga Kiendi claims the three constables, seized his saloon car, robbed of Sh390, 000, and dumped in a bush in Konza, moments after he withdrew cash from a bank in Machakos town on Friday. Machakos County police boss Samuel Mukinda said they had opened investigations into the claims, according to the Standard.