Culture
Nigerian government approves N9.2 billion premium for civil servants’ life insurance
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N9.2billion as premium to insurance companies that will manage the group life insurance for federal civil servants in the country. Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed revealed this when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council meeting which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Wednesday. He said: “On behalf of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, I will like to report that council today approved the award of contract for the appointment of insurance companies for group life assurance for federal government employees, public servants, para-military and the intelligence community for the year 2021-2022 in the sum of N9, 248. 995, 907. “This premium is for a perio...
The Soundlings Left Their Mark All Over TV’s Top Soundtracks, Now They’re On to Video Games With Knockout City
What happens when you take the basics of dodgeball, add in some of what makes Rocket League so addicting, and mix it with a retro-futuristic setting with visuals similar to Overwatch? You end up with Knockout City, the latest title from Velan Studios (developers of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit) and the industry giants at EA. Will it be the next casual fan favorite or major esports hit? Only time will tell, but the action-heavy combat dodgeball (or “dodgebrawl”) title certainly made a splash when it was released on May 21. But perhaps the thing that makes Knockout City stand out the most is the extremely unique soundtrack. While many games are happy to either license music from existing artists or hire a composer (or composers, if there’s budget) to create their own score for a game, ...
Nigerian government kicks as Twitter deletes President Buhari’s tweet
The Federal Government has kicked against Twitter that on Wednesday deleted President Muhammadu Buhari’s tweet that spoke of treating people in the “language they understand.” The Presidency questioned the role of Twitter in the secessionist agitation in the South-East following the social media’s deletion of a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari evoking the memories of the civil war to threaten “those misbehaving” in the region. The president had said in his series of tweets on his handle @mbuhari on Tuesday: “Many of those misbehaving today are too young to be aware of the destruction and loss of lives that occurred during the Nigerian Civil War. Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.” Twitter has now deleted th...
Anambra election: PDP aspirant urges delegates to shun monetary inducement
Dr Godwin Maduka, a major contender for the gubernatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Nov. 6 election in Anambra has urged party delegates to shun financial inducement. Maduka, America-based medical practitioner-cum politician, made the call while addressing journalists on Sunday in Awka on the need for party delegates to cast their votes without fear or coercion. He advised delegates to shun monetary inducement and develop boldness to vote for a candidate who has the capacity to develop the state.a He said though he has enough money to buy delegates at any cost but saw an act as undemocratic and should be discouraged for the people to get a sound polity. “Our delegates should be political active and not be passive any more in affairs that concerns their generation ...
Plateau university applauds governor for facilitating N3 billion federal government impact intervention
Twitter Vice Chancellor of Plateau State University Bokkos (PLASU), Prof. Yohanna Izam has applauded Governor Simon Lalong for facilitating N3 billion Federal Government high impact intervention into the Institution. He noted that the governor also approved the released of funds for the accreditation of 15 programmes in the University to meet up with global academic practices. Prof. Izam disclosed this yesterday during the maiden Alumni Award and dinner of the University, where an award of Excellence was presented to Governor Simon Lalong by the University for approving the returned of Academic activities on assumption of office which was suspended by his predecessor, Jonah David Jang. “We are glad that Governor Simon Lalong has facilitated the Federal Government intervention of N3 billion...
Mac Walters Discusses Mass Effect’s Return to Consoles With Legendary Edition
For at least the past handful of years (probably more like 7 or 8, but who’s counting?) there have been rumors, leaks, and countless wishes for remastered editions of the original Mass Effect trilogy. Mass Effect: Andromeda didn’t exactly leave the best taste in a lot of people’s mouths with its 2017 release, and it began to seem more and more like the flop of the fourth game had pushed EA and Bioware away from bringing new life to the first three. But late last year — while much of the gaming world was gearing up for the release of the new consoles — fans celebrated the game’s “N7 Day” holiday (November 7) with official confirmation that Mass Effect Legendary Edition would be coming in 2021. Containing remastered and significantly upgraded versions of all three original games and their DL...
Minister urges media to create fact-checking desks against fake news
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has advised media organisations to set up special desks for fact-checking in order to guard against being misled by fake news and misinformation. He gave the advice in Abuja yesterday when he hosted the editorial board of the Guardian Newspaper on a courtesy visit. The minister urged media organisations in Nigeria to take his suggestion seriously, noting that establishment of a special desk for fact-checking will curb the problem of fake news and enable the citizens to separate fact from fiction. He said in the era of fake news and misinformation, the media has a duty to get its facts right and ensure that charlatans and hackers do not dominate the media space, as it is increasingly becoming the case in the country. Mohammed said: “...
UNESCO exhibit in Venice focuses on rebuilding Mosul sites
The United Nations’ cultural agency has opened an exhibit detailing plans to restore multicultural landmarks in the Iraqi city of Mosul, underlining the role of architecture in helping heal wounds. The exhibit, “Revive the Spirit of Mosul,” will be featured on the sidelines of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition, which opened Saturday after a one-year pandemic delay under the title: “How will we live together?” The Venice Biennale’s central question resonates in particular in Iraq, which is experiencing turbulent change, and the old city of Mosul, where 80% of the city’s monuments were destroyed by extremists during the city’s 36-month occupation by the Islamic State group. Iraq is one of three countries participating for the first time at the Biennale, with an exhibit by Rashad...
Ex-President Obasanjo: Education for all, way out of insecurity
Former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on Friday said if the country will get out of the present insecurity threatening the corporate existence of the nation, such as banditry, Boko Haram, kidnaping, and other criminalities, Nigeria need to go through a very long gestation period of training and educating all Nigerian children. Speaking at the commissioning of Prof. Abayomi Oluwatosin Jiboku Building, Lariken International College, Ologuneru, Ibadan, Oyo state capital, on Friday, he advised government at all levels to invest hugely in Western education to tackle insecurity. Obasanjo stated that Nigerians should reawaken their conscience and they should not be falling cheaply for pecuniary gains, which, according to him, has been fueling corruption and insecurity besetting th...
Nigerian government determined to eradicate poverty, unemployment – minister
The federal government has reiterated its determination to eradicate poverty as well as tackling unemployment in the country to the barest minimum, saying its many programmes designed to tackle the issues have had tremendous success. The government said the alarming rate of out-of-school children witnessed some years ago had considerably reduced due mainly to some of its initiatives, among which it said, was the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme. The government’s position came as it inaugurated an expanded committee on National Home Grown School Feeding Programme with a task on members to make meaningful contributions to stamp the problems out of the country. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, speaking at the event i...
Composer Ben Prunty Brings a Chilly New Twist to Subnautica: Below Zero
If you’re scared of the ocean, Subnautica and its sequel, Subnautica: Below Zero, almost certainly aren’t for you. In the original 2018 game, the player finds themselves stranded in the ocean of an unknown planet surrounded by nothing but the darkness of the water around them (and the alien creatures that live in it) as far as the eye can see. In Below Zero, that fight for survival expands to include some icy terrain, harsh snowstorms, and above-ground critters as well — all while providing the same level of wondrous exploration and thorough crafting that fans would expect. For composer Ben Prunty (FTL: Faster Than Light, Into the Breach), that meant putting a chilly new spin on the original’s sound — particularly since he was a new addition to the Unknown Worlds Entertainment team for Bel...
Ex-US envoy: British museum holds over 700 pieces of Benin bronzes
The British Museum, the world’s first national public museum, currently holds 700 pieces of the Benin Bronzes collection, more than any other museum and other institutions globally, a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. John Campbell has said. Campbell, however, acknowledged that the authorities of the British Museum had agreed “to return the Benin Bronzes collection once the Edo Museum of West African Art, currently under construction in Benin City is completed.” He gave this figure in a blog post titled “Germany to Return Some African Art to Nigeria” published on the website of Council for Foreign Relations (CFR), a US non-profit think-tank specialising in international affairs on Wednesday. More than a century after British soldiers looted a collection of priceless artifacts...
