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                                      Last week this blog reported about Nigerians held in prison in the boundary town of Aflao, Ghana. The Federal Government of Nigeria acted swiftly and secured the release the 39 Nigerians. They were arrested while trying to enter Ghana illegally. The Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission in it's twitter handle stated:  “About a month ago, the Nigerian mission in Ghana got a call on the arrest of six Nigerians who were caught at Aflao border trying to enter Ghana. “The Nigerian consular team was dispatched by the High Commission to intervene immediately, and on getting there, they met with about 30 more Nigerians who were arrested for also trying to enter Ghana through illegal routes due to the border closure.” “The officials agreed and allowed the team to get their details to secure approval from the appropriate authorities for them to be evacuated alon...

                          “Success is doing what you want to do, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want.”  – Tony Robbins

                                     A twenty year old man has been arrested for allegedly raping an eleven year old girl in Bebelebiri II community in Yenegoa Local Goverment Area, Bayelsa State. The victim said that on Saturday, the suspect, Mr Benjamin Wariebi send him on an errand to buy fifty naira worth of groundnut. "When I brought the groundnut, he dragged me inside his room, clamped his hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming." “After he finished, I was crying and bleeding. Some people saw me and I told them what happened. He wanted to run, but he was arrested,” she said. The Police said that the suspect has been arrested.

                    John Wayne in his interview with Playboy magazine in 1971 said " I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. I don't believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people." This statement he made 49 years ago has prompted the Orange County to pass a resolution calling out John's racist comment and demanding that John Wayne's airport be renamed.                The family's spokesman Ethan Wayne said .. "There is no question that the words spoken by John Wayne in an interview 50 years ago have caused pain and anger. They pained him as well, as he realized his true feelings were wrongly conveyed." Ethan says his it would be an "injustice" to judge John based on a single interview and says the big picture paints a much different picture of dad, who he says "called out bigotry when he saw it."

                                                                The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Abia State, Uche Ihediwa Esq. has  Tuesday given a seven days ultimatum to the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC)  from today to remove the offensive and provocative notices placed on the properties and to  tender an apology to the Abia State Government within the same period. The properties in question include; the Abia Mall, the Housing Estate at Adelabu Street, Umuahia, the former Township main market at Ogwumabiri, the Millennium Luxury Apartments, Umuahia, Abia Hotels, and Linto Estate, Old Timber Shed.                                                     ...

                          On the 29th of June 2020, 566 new confirmed cases and 8 deaths were recorded in Nigeria On the 29th of June 2020, 566 new confirmed cases and 8 deaths were recorded in Nigeria Till date, 25133 cases have been confirmed, 9402 cases have been discharged and 573 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory The 566 new cases are reported from 20 states-  Lagos (166) Oyo (66)  Delta (53)  Ebonyi (43) Plateau (34) Ondo (32) FCT (26)  Ogun (25)  Edo (24) Imo (15)  Bayelsa (13)  Benue (12) Gombe (11)  Kano (11) Kaduna (11)  Osun (8) Nasarawa (7)  Borno (5), Katsina (2)  Anambra (2)

                                    Candice Carty-Williams won the Book of the Year Award at the British Book Awards on Monday. She becomes the first Black British woman to win the Book of the year. Carty-Williams won the award for Queenie, her debut novel. Carty-Williams said: “This win makes me hopeful that although I’m the first, the industry is waking up to the fact that I shouldn’t and won’t be the last.”                      

                                       Have you seen this Bear?  A brown bear has been sentenced to death after attacking Fabio Misseroni, 59 and Christain Misseroni,28 in Italy. The bear attacked father and son that were hiking the mount Pellerin Trentino, Italy. A tussle ensued and the  bear bit Fabio's leg and his father jumped unto his back to enable the son escape. This startled the bear and he took a swipe at the older man, breaking his leg in three places. Animal rights groups have called for the mammal to receive a stay of execution following the attack.

                                                 The Nigerian Novelist Oyinkan Braithwaite won the Crime and Thriller book of the year awards at the British Book Awards for her novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. This was announced Monday night during the award. She has this to say "I couldn’t have imagined it in my wildest dreams but each and every time [I win an award] it feels like another pat on the back. I didn’t write the book to get published – it was an exercise for myself because I’m terrible when it comes to finishing stories, so I wasn’t thinking about what agents or publishers or readers will think when I wrote it. I had no expectations."                      

               The greatest threat to freedom is the absence of criticism. The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny. Books and all forms of writing are terror to those who wish to suppress the truth. - Wole Soyinka

                                                One of the resolutions reached at the Emergency Congress of the medical doctors in the employment of the Lagos State Government was to issue an ultimatum that they will embark on a 3-day warning strike on July 13th. The 2 weeks ultimatum commences today and at its expiration, if 70% of the requests they have made are not met they will embark on the 3-day strike.  In his statement on Monday, the Chairman of the medical doctors under the umbrella of the Medical Guild, Dr. Oluwajimi Sodipo, said  the issues include; salary disparity, shortage of doctors, COVID-19 response and Medical Residency Training Act, among others. He said: “At the end of the Emergency Congress held on Saturday, we have resolved that the state government should be given two weeks more ultimatum, starting from Monday, June 29, to meet at ...

                                  President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, in his address to the nation on Monday, warned that the oncoming election on the 7th of December is only for Ghana citizens and that non-Ghanaians should not participate. He also warned that only Ghanaians eligible to vote should enroll in the new voters' register. In President Nana Akufo-Addo's words; “The election on 7th December must be a Ghanaian election, not a West African election, conducted with a voter register of Ghanaians. That is the only way the true will of the Ghanaian people can manifest.” “Using your God-given and constitutional rights costs nothing but staying home can come at a very steep price. The pandemic, notwithstanding, we have to strengthen Ghanaian democracy,” he said and added that “It is, thus, vitally important that all eligible voters register, so, on the designated day of 7th December, they can vote to ...

                             Twitch, a company owned by the world richest man, Jeff Bezos has temporarily banned Trump's Twitch account due to hateful conduct arising from a video clip released during the president's speech. The video clip shows Trump's 2015 campaign when he criticized people crossing the Mexican border to enter US and also Trump's campaign in Tulsa. Twitch told Fox News it warned the Trump campaign in 2019 when it joined the platform that it would make him adhere to the platform’s terms of service and guidelines. The platform's community guidelines and hateful conduct rules are the following: "Hateful conduct is any content or activity that promotes, encourages, or facilitates discrimination, denigration, objectification, harassment, or violence based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability or serio...

                                   Kim Kardashian West brand KKW is worth $1 billion following the contract she signed with Cosmetic company Coty Inc., which paid $200 million for a twenty percent stake of her brand. This will put the KKW brand value at 1 billion dollars. Coty Inc. in March 2019 paid $600 million for a 51% stake in Kim's junior sister's brand. The $600 million valued her business at roughly $1.2 Billion. Kylie gave up the majority stake while Kim still has control of his brand.

                                        Teenage rapist, Jack Evans, 18 who raped a virgin girl has been jailed after his parents made him confess to his crimes when they saw a text that implicated him. Jack was arrested after his parents saw a text he sent 2 months after the rape to his victim to say sorry. His father and stepmother then matched him to the police station to confess to his crime. Later, t hey tracked down his victim, who had been a virgin, who told them about the attack and he was charged with rape.  She said she was left feeling 'worthless' and unable to trust men again.                                                   According to Daily mail, Evans' father Jonathan Evans, 47, said outside Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court: 'I wanted him to tell...

                          Christie's, Paris, has sold 2 sacred Nigerian statues on Monday which were looted from Nri-Awka, Eastern Nigeria. The sale went ahead despite opposition from scholars and Nigerian Heritage Societies. The statutes were sold for $239,000.  Professor Chika Okeke-Agulu of Princeton University argued that Jacques Kerchache a known collector of African Art who owns the collection exploited the Nigeria Civil War for his own gain. In his Instagram he stated:     "In a 2017 op-ed article in the New York Times, I wrote about widespread looting of art from Eastern Nigeria during the Biafran War (1967-70), and that my mother still mourns the overnight disappearance of countless alusi (sacred sculptures) from communal shrines in my hometown, Umuoji, in Anambra State. These art raids from all indications were sponsored by dealers and their client collectors mostly based in...

                                A medal depicting an angel (a white man) trampling the satan (a black man) has been suspended by the Governor-General of Jamaica for its offensive nature and degradation of people of colour Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen has announced that he has suspended personal use of the insignia of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) containing the offending image.  This also follows his acknowledgment of concerns raised by citizens over the image on the medal and the growing global rejection of the use of objects that normalize the continued degradation of people of color. Additionally, The Governor-General has asked his  Office to initiate an immediate review of all insignias and iconography associated with the Office of The Governor-General that may be considered racialized or culturally inappropriate. The Governor-General has sent a letter to the  Chancell...

                                          The lawsuit brought by the All Progressive Congress (APC) Edo State against Governor Obaseki for forging his university degree certificate presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission has been struck out by the court.  On Monday the Federal High court sitting in Abuja presided by Justice Anwuli Chiekere struck out the suit seeking to disqualify Governor Obaseki from contesting the September 19 Governorship election in Edo state over alleged certificate forgery.  The crux of the case was that Obaseki forged his Bachelor of Arts certificate in Classical studies from the University of Ibadan and thus not qualified to be Edo State Governor. The screening committee of APC Edo State has on 12th of June disqualified Obaseki from taking part in the party's primary election which took place on 22nd of June over the alleged forg...

                                      For unity to be meaningful it has to be creative, not the unity of Jonah in the whale but the unity of holy matrimony. The first can only lead to defecation, the second to procreation. - Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu

               The internet went agog Saturday when the New York Times reported the story that Russian president Vladimir Putin secretly offered a bounty to Afghanistan militants for American soldiers they killed. The NYT also reported that the 45th US President, Trump was informed about it but he chose to chicken out. The White House and Putin denied this allegation.  White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnamy denied that Trump was aware of the bounty on US soldiers. He said " The CIA Director, National Security and the Chief of Staff can all confirm that neither the president nor the vice was briefed on the alleged Russian bounty intelligence,"  Russia Embassy in the US tweeted in the absence of reasons @nytimes is there to create fake news. The Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said that the report is shocking. He said Trump failed to sanction Russia for this violation of international law. He called Trump "Gift to Russia"...

                                        The Chief Judge of Kogi State, Honourable Justice Nasiru Ajanah died this morning, Sunday, of COVID-19 complications. He was 64 years old. He died at COVID-19 Isolation Centre Gwagwalada, Abuja. 

               Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness. Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough. Turn your wounds into wisdom. -Oprah Winfrey

                               The Delta State Governor Mr. Ifeanyi Okowo and his family are in isolation following one of his daughters testing positive to COVID-19. The governor said that it is regrettable that many people still think that COVID-19 is a hoax. The governor said,  “Therefore, I want to make a passionate appeal to all Deltans to please realize that the Coronavirus disease is real.” “It does not in any way suggest that the danger is over. We made this decision with all sense of responsibility while counting on your partnership with the government to defeat this virus. Regrettably, it does appear our people have not taken this matter as seriously as they should.”

                                  The former governor of Oyo state Senator Abiola Ajimobi was laid to rest on Sunday, the 28th of June at about 10:07 AM. He was buried in Ibadan in accordance with the Muslim. rites. Ajimobi died at the age of 70 years of COVID-19 complications.                                                                  

                                             On the 27th of June 2020, 779 new confirmed cases and 4 deaths were recorded in Nigeria No new state has reported a case in the last 24 hours. Till date, 24077 cases have been confirmed, 8625 cases have been discharged and 558 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory The 779 new cases are reported from 22 states-  Lagos (285) Rivers(68)  FCT(60) Edo(60) Enugu(56) Delta(47) Ebonyi(42)  Oyo(41) Kaduna(19)  Ogun(18)  Ondo(16)  Imo(12) Sokoto(11) Borno(9) Nasarawa(8)  Abia(5) Gombe(5)  Kebbi(5) Kano (4) Yobe (3) Ekiti(3) Osun(2)

                One of the rarest gemstones in the world is Tanzanite and it is found in Northern Tanzania. A Tanzanian miner Saniniu Lazer discovered the 2 largest Tanzanite in the world in a mine near his home.                   The 2 gemstones have a combined weight of 15 Kg and prior to the discovery of his stone the largest tanzanite mined weighed 3.3Kg. He sold the 2 gemstones to his government for £2.4 million.                   Mr. Lazer confirmed that the nation's President Dr. John Magafuli phoned to congratulate him on his discovery. When asked what he intends to do with his money he said there will be a big party and then he will start small businesses and build a school. 

                                 Residents of Ovumnte community in Ebonyi State have submitted a petition to the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, CP Philip Sule Maku, over the forceful and illegal acquiring of their land by ex-Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim. According to Sahara Reporters, the residents stated that Anyim had successfully bought over Daniel Nwonu, DPO in charge of Ivo Divisional Police Station, who allegedly assisted him by intimidating and arresting legitimate landowners.  The landowners in the Ovumnte community had also engaged in a peaceful protest against the use of thugs and conduct of the DPO and his policemen who were alleged to be sponsored by Anyim to intimidate members of the Ovumnte community. In the “Save Our Souls” petition submitted at the Office of the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State, on Tuesday, the residents accused Anyim and the Police DPO of “forcible ...

                              On Friday  The U.S. reported an all-time high of 45,500 COVID-19 cases Wednesday, eclipsing the mark set during one of the deadliest stretches in late April,   Health experts said a disturbingly large number of cases are being seen among young people who are going out again, hitting the bars and other nightspots, often without wearing masks or observing other social-distancing rules. Deaths from the coronavirus in the U.S. are down to around 600 per day, compared with about 2,200 in mid-April. Some experts have expressed doubt that deaths will return to that level, in part because of advances in treatment and prevention but also because a large share of the new infections are in younger adults, who are more likely than older ones to survive.  COVID-19 has claimed over 125,000 lives in the US

                                      In Central India's Madhya Pradesh a baby girl has been born without all four limbs due to a rare genetic disorder that has left doctors and family members baffled. T he baby was born with an autosomal recessive congenital disorder, called Tetra-Amelia, characterized by the absence of all four limbs.                        Dr Suresh Aggarwal, a paediatrician at Rajiv Gandhi Smriti Hospital, Sironj, suggested that the baby is perfectly healthy.

                         The $2.8 billion project will carry gas across the country, from the south to the north – and eventually extend to North Africa, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s press advisor Femi Adesina has said. The spokesman cited work on the AKK as one of Buhari’s achievements, saying the president had the “heart of a lion”. The AKK link will run for 614 km. The first phase is 200 km, from Ajaokuta to Abuja, with a price tag of $855 million. The second phase is 193 km, from Abuja to Kaduna, at a cost of $835mn. The last phase is 221 km and runs from Kaduna to Kano, costing $1.2 billion. Adesina did link the AKK plan with the more grandiose Trans Saharan Gas Pipeline (TSGP), which would run through Niger and into Algeria. This would then allow more gas to be exported into Europe. While distributing gas in Nigeria is an appealing prospect in the government’s efforts to boost the economy and power sector, t...

                    Keedron Bryant a 12 year old African American  song protesting the killing of African Americans by police went viral has been signed by Warner Records. He posted the song on social media after the killing of George Floyd by 4 policemen in Minneapolis. One hundred percent  of the single's net profits will be donated to the NAACP. His mother Johnnetta Bryant wrote the song, the acapella recorded on a smartphone moved many as Bryant sang , "I'm a young black man doing all that I can."

                          Lewis Hamilton, 6 time Formula 1 world champion has labelled Berine Ecclestone as “ignorant and uneducated” after his comments on black people and racism. We reported yesterday that Bernie Ecclestone,89 suggested:  “in lots of cases black people are more racist than white people are”. And Hamilton admitted he was both “sad and disappointed” after reading the comments, while also insisting “now the time has come for change”. Hamilton wrote on social media: “Damn, I just don’t even know where to start with this one. So sad and disappointing to read these comments. “Bernie is out of the sport and a different generation but this is exactly what is wrong – ignorant and uneducated comments which show us how far we as a society need to go before real equality can happen. “It makes complete sense to me now that nothing was said or done to make our sport more diverse or to address the racial abus...

The music legend Stevie Wonder, has a message for US President Donald Trump, though in this video clip Trump's name was never mentioned. He referred to a lot of times when Trump has made racial and offensive statements against black and brown people - referred to Haiti and  Africa nations  as shithole countries “Black lives do matter, and this is not another digital, viral trend, moment or hashtag,” he added in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement. “It has to be the beginning of an end of all this bullish. It is our lives, literally. Yes, all lives do matter. But they only matter when Black lives matter too.” “You know, it’s a sad day when I can see better than your 20/20 vision,’” said Wonder, who has been blind from birth. Ahead of the 2016 election, the musician said that voting for Trump to lead the country would be like asking him to drive a car. “The universe is watching us,” Wonder concluded in Tuesday’s video. “Forget about a hundred, a thousand years f...

               A man in Vienna has been fined nearly £500 for farting provocatively in front of police officers. Austrian police were forced to defend the penalty after the Österreich newspaper revealed the man had been punished for ‘offending public decency’ on June 5. Officers argued that the offender was uncooperative and behaving provocatively with officers leading up to the incident. They wrote on Twitter that the man had been sitting on a park bench before getting up, looking at them and letting go a ‘massive intestinal wind apparently with full intent’ .

                  The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, reopened on Saturday after almost 3 months of shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airport also witnessed strict compliance with other safety measures aimed at curtailing the spread of the virus.

              French side in Championnat National 3, Iris Club de Croix Football has announced the appointment of retired Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama as the coach in charge of all the goalkeepers from the club’s reserve team down to its under-16 side. Enyeama before he retired played for Enyimba International, Hapoel Tel-Avi, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Lille.  The club on their official Facebook account, IC de Croix declared: “Vincent ENYEAMA, Nigerian International, winner of the CAN 2013, 8th World Cup finalist against France and former goalkeeper of the LOSC from 2011 to 2018, will take charge of the specific goalkeeper on the training pole (from reservee to U16).”