people
Nigerian government receives stolen Ile-Ife artefact from Mexico
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Geoffrey Onyeama, on Thursday in Abuja received a stolen Ile-Ife artefact recovered from Mexico. Receiving the artefact, he called for a more secured border to prevent future occurrence of theft. Onyeama collected the artefact from Dr Yakubu Dadu, Charge d’Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Mexico. The minister hailed the Embassy’s efforts in recovering the artefact. He said that the interventions of Nigerian Envoys in recovering stolen possessions of the country shows the important works they were doing as against negative reports of Nigerian missions on social media. Onyeama also appreciated the government of Mexico for its cooperation in ensuring that the artefact was duly returned to Nigeria. He however stressed the need for sensitising Customs o...
Police nab ‘cultists’ in Anambra
The police in Anambra say it has arrested two suspects involved in a rival cult fight in which four people were killed in Awka on Wednesday. DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, the police spokesman in Anambra, disclosed this in a statement made available to reporters on Thursday in Awka. Ikenga gave the identity of the arrested suspects as Victor Ikechukwu, 30; and Ifeanyi Uyanne, 35. He said that a Toyota Corolla car and a military camouflage were recovered from the suspects. According to the spokesman, the suspects were arrested following Wednesday’s shoot-out at Tempsite, Okpuno, Awka. Mr Ikenga said the Commissioner of Police Monday Kuryas had advised parents/guardians to watch over their children/wards and prevent them from engaging in cultism and associated vices. Get more stories like this on Twi...
House leaders demand full autonomy for local councils
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase; and Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, have called for full autonomy for local governments in Nigeria, stating that it is the only way dividends of democracy can get to the people at the grass roots. Wase and Elumelu made the call in Abuja on Thursday, at a leadership training sponsored by the Minority Leader for chairmen and councillors of Local Government Areas in Delta State. The Deputy Speaker, while answering questions from journalists, recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had signed an Executive Order to declare financial autonomy for LGs. Buhari had signed Executive Order 10 in May 2020. Wase said, “As for me, first as a member of parliament representing my constituency and my people, I think I am on the s...
Senator Mark urges Nigerians to bury religious, ethnic differences
News Agency of Nigeria A former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has charged Nigerians to bury their religious and ethnic differences and come together to establish a common front against forces threatening the peaceful coexistence of the people. Mark said it was time for all men and women of good conscience to rise to the occasion and proffer lasting solutions to the lingering insecurity that has enveloped the entire country. The former Senate President stated this at a mass on Thursday to mark his 73rd birthday at St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, Abuja. According to him, Nigerians can no longer deny the current level of insecurity and disharmony rocking the nation. He said: “Though we have different reasons to celebrate at different times, we cannot shy away from the pre...
M-Pesa Africa Appoints New Managing Director
Image sourced from Twitter Safaricom’s M-Pesa Africa has appointed Sitoyo Lopokoiyit as its new Managing Director. He is a “mobile financial services expert who has directly managed mobile money in two of the largest markets in the world – Kenya and Tanzania,” reveals MyBroadBand. Lopokoiyit joined Safaricom in 2011 as head of M-Pesa strategy and business development. He then went on to Vodacom Tanzania in 2016 where he worked as the director of m-commerce, before re-joining Safaricom in 2018. Kenyan Senators Call for Safaricom to Split Senators in Kenya believe that Safaricom should split into two firms – Mobile Services and M-PESA. According to The Star, a split would see the mobile telephony service is regulated by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) and the M-Pesa...
Maureen Esisi: Leaving my marriage was my best decision ever
Maureen Esisi, ex-wife to popular Nollywood actor, Blossom Chukwujekwu, says she once contemplated suicidal thoughts after her divorce. Maureen talked about her failed marriage to the Nollywood actor in a monologue on her Youtube page. According to her, although it was not easy leaving the 2-year-old marriage, it “was the best decision ever.” “Let’s look back two years ago when I left my marriage. I left my marriage penniless broken and penniless. I can remember it like it was yesterday. I have no money in my account. My business had suffered so much,” she disclosed. “And I was broken. I had a friend who felt it in her heart to be there for me. I love her to bits. I moved out of my then home and moved into this place that you all love today. “It wasn’t easy, I swear. For the first time in ...
U.K. to open first LGBT+ retirement home as market grows
Britain’s first LGBT+ retirement home is set to open in mid-2021, the housing association behind the London riverside apartments said, highlighting a growing market of older people who do not want to be forced back in the closet. There is a critical need for housing for older LGBT+ people, said Anna Kear, Chief Executive of Tonic Housing, as many say it would be “terrifying” to live in a predominantly straight home where other residents did not accept them. “People say that if they get to that stage, they would rather (die by) suicide than go into a heterosexual care home or sheltered housing environment, which is just awful,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. With an ageing population, the demand for specialist housing for older people is growing, with private retirement units acco...
Djibouti president set to extend 22-year rule
Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh is expected to extend his two-decade rule of the tiny Horn of Africa nation as the country heads to the polls Friday. Guelleh, 73, is facing political newcomer Zakaria Ismail Farah, his only rival after traditional opposition parties decided to boycott the election. A businessman specialised in the importation of cleaning products, Farah, 56, is seen by observers as unlikely to pose a significant challenge to the strongman who has been in power for 22 years. Djibouti is a largely desert country strategically situated on one of the world’s busiest trade routes and at the crossroads between Africa and the Arabian peninsula, a short distance from war-torn Yemen. Under Guelleh, the country has exploited this geographical advantage, investing heavily in ...
Kano consumer council confiscates products worth N100 million
The Kano State Consumer Protection Council (KSCPC) says it has confiscated expired and counterfeit drugs and other products worth N100 million in the state. This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Kano by Mr Musbahu Yakasai, the Public Relations Officer of the council. Yakasai quoted the acting Managing Director of the council, Alhaji Baffa Dan-Agundi, as saying that the products were confiscated following raids on some markets within Nano metropolis. The council’s boss said that officials organised raids on the Sabon Gari market and other markets within Kano metropolis between April 2 and April 5. “The confiscated products include drugs, lemon flavor and other consumables,” he said. Dan-Agundi said that the council would not relent in its effort towards curtailing the import...
Anglican Primate expresses confidence in Enugu governor’s leadership qualities
The 5th Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Henry Chukwudum Ndukuba, has expressed the Church’s confidence in the leadership qualities of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State. Primate Ndukuba told Gov. Ugwuanyi that “you are one of the young men in politics we can look up to and have confidence that this nation has a future”. Speaking when he led his entourage to the Government House, Enugu, on a courtesy call, ahead of the grand opening ceremony of the Church’s 5-day conference, holding at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), the Primate expressed delight at Gov. Ugwuanyi’s commitment to God, peace and good governance in Enugu State. The cleric, who offered prayers for Gov. Ugwuanyi and the state, also told the governor that...
Nollywood actor grateful after family escapes death
A Nigerian actor, Junior Pope Odonwodo, a.k.a Jnr Pope, has expressed gratitude to God for sparing his life and that of his family members after a fire incident destroyed his house. The actor, who said he was so thankful to God for saving his entire family, took to his Instagram handle to show appreciation to God. He said his house went up in flames while the family was sleeping but God intervened, adding that he was safe and no one sustained any injury. ‘‘Join Me In Thanking God Ooooooooo. My house almost went up in flames while my family slept. But GodIntervened. My hands are clean Oooooooooooo, (Akam di Ocha). God Is The Greatest (final full stop). My family and I are safe,” he wrote. In 2006, the actor joined the Nigerian movie industry (Nollywood) and started attending movie auditions...
Kim Jong Un: North Korea facing its ‘worst-ever situation’
Kim Jong Un says North Korea is facing its “worst-ever situation” and called on “grassroots” members of the ruling Workers’ Party to be more proactive and responsible in carrying out the country’s new five-year economic plan. The comments, reported by state media on Wednesday, came as experts warn Kim is facing perhaps his toughest moment as he approaches a decade in rule, with North Korea’s coronavirus lockdown unleashing further shock on its sanctions-battered economy. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Kim made the comments during an opening speech at a meeting of the Workers’ Party’s cell secretaries on Tuesday. “Improving the people’s living standards … even in the worst-ever situation in which we have to overcome unprecedentedly numerous challenges depends on the ...