Stop complaining I married Nigerian, Singer Becca tells Ghanaians

Punch Nigeria. Thursday, October 31, 2019

Ghanaian singer, Rebecca Akosua Acheampomaa Acheampong, popularly called Becca, who is married to a Nigerian, Oluwatobi Sanni Daniel, has told her countrymen to stop complaining about the fact that she didn’t marry one of them.

Becca and Daniel got marriedon August 18, 2018, and have already welcomed their first child, a baby girl.

The singer, who has a new single featuring Nigeria’s Tiwa Savage said that she was 33 years old when she got married and as of that time, no Ghanaian man had asked her to marry him.

She said this during an interview session with Afia Pokua. The interview was shared on Instagram.

Becca said, “I did. I got married at 33. So, they cannot say that after 33 years of living in this country, nobody saw me or anything.”

Although the interview was mostly done in a Ghanaian language, the part, where she talked about the age at which she married and how no Ghanaian man had asked to take her to the altar was said in English.

See video link below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4FxMKlncsN/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

Corpers and life of sex, booze, drugs in NYSC camps

By Timileyin Akinkahunsi and Ojoi Ijagah
Punch Nigeria. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2018.

For Dorcas Ifeji, the best time of her life was in 2016, the year she participated in the one-year mandatory National youth service programme. And all of the excitement was down to the three weeks she spent in the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp in Taraba State.

Ifeji described her experience in camp as the time of her life she would always relish. As a fresh graduate, she had thought that the regimented life in the camp, with soldiers keeping a watchful eye on corps members, would be stressful, but she was wrong. The experience was almost like nothing changed for the party-loving lady.

"We had a place called Club Zero behind the Mammy Market (usually a market in military barracks where food, beverages and other things are sold); it was like a clubhouse," she said with a sheepish smile.

"Club Zero was where everything unimaginable happened in the camp. It was just behind the Mammy Market. You could get to smoke weed, party and indulge in everything irregular; some adventurous people even made out in the open.

"What made Club Zero interesting was because the soldiers in the camp usually let their guards down there, looking for free beer from the guys and willing girls to flirt with. Some soldiers were lucky enough to find drunk and vulnerable girls who would follow them to their quarters for private business.

"It was normal to see corps members in pairs, kissing, groping and doing sexually suggestive things in Club Zero. The place was dimly lit so the atmosphere was conducive for certain actions. A day really stood out for me: people were shouting and I was wondering what could have happened. Then I realised that a guy and a lady had just been found having sex in a corner at Club Zero.

"The act should have attracted serious punishment but people actually hailed them and after the noise went down, all the soldiers present there said was 'una must buy us one crate of beer o' (you must buy us a crate of beer)."

Since the national youth service is compulsory for Nigerian graduates under the age of 30, those seeking employment are required to show proof of participation or formal exemption from taking part in it as a prerequisite for getting jobs in the country.

Why I asked to be killed at Swiss suicide clinic –104-year-old scientist

~Yahoo News UK. Thursday, May 10, 2018.

Dr David Goodall

British-born academic Dr David Goodall has explained why he has chosen to end his own life at the age of 104.

Dr. Goodall, who was born in Britain but lived for much of his life in Australia, travelled to Switzerland to visit a euthanasia clinic.

Wearing a sweatshirt with the slogan 'Ageing Disgracefully', he addressed a press conference today (Wednesday) on the eve of his death to explain his decision.

“I am rather surprised at the wide internet in my case. I am very appreciative of the hospitality of the Swiss federation and the ability which one has here to come to an end gracefully,” he told reporters.

“I am happy to have this chance, though I would have preferred to have had it in Australia, and I greatly regret that Australia is behind Switzerland in this move, and that most countries are in fact behind Switzerland.

“One wants at my age, and even rather less than my age, one wants to be free to chose their death at an appropriate time.

“My abilities have been declining over the past year or two - well, my eyesight has, for the past five or six years.

“I no longer want to continue life. I am happy to have the chance tomorrow (Thursday) to end it and I appreciate the help of the medical profession here in making that possible.”

He assured the gathered press that he had no regrets about the decision he had made.

He also said that his family supported his decision and that none of them had tried to change his mind.

“There are many things I would like to do, I suppose; but its too late. I am content,” he said.

Dr. Goodall received a round of applause from those gathered after bursting into song during the press conference.

When one reporter asked him if he had chosen a piece of music to listen to during his last moments, he replied that he had not, but that he would chose the final movement of Beethoven's ninth symphony.

Dr. Goodall then sang a section of the piece of music to the delight of those present.

Dr. Goodall will die on Thursday with a number of family members present.

Wife of Swazi king commits suicide

~Vanguard Nigeria. Tuesday, April 10, 2018.

Senteni Masango

The eighth wife of Swaziland King Mswati III, Ms Senteni Masango, has committed suicide, local media confirmed.

"The king's wife is believed to have overdosed on about 40 amitriptyline capsules - widely used to block the long-term (chronic) pain of some rheumatic conditions and treat depression and related disorders," online publication News24 reported.

Ms Masango - known as Inkhosikati LaMasango -was found dead early on Friday morning and she was buried on Sunday morning.

King Mswati III chose Ms Masango as his eighth bride in September 1999, when she was only 18.

It soon emerged she had a record for truancy, poor grades and she was a high-school dropout and a rebel.

Last year, King Mswati III, married his latest bride, Ms Siphelele Mashwama, who was aged 19 years.

It is a tradition for the Swazi King to choose a wife every year.

The Sherburne-educated king choses a new bride during the famous Reed Dance ceremony, also known as Umhlanga.

The Reed Dance ceremony is an annual Swazi and Zulu tradition held in August or September.

In Swaziland, tens of thousands of unmarried and childless girls and women travel from the various chiefdoms to participate in the eight-day event, and would-be brides are publicly checked to ascertain their virginity.

The Kingdom of Swaziland is one of the world's last remaining absolute monarchies.

King Mswati III was crowned in 1986 at the age of 18, succeeding his long-serving father King Sobhuza II, who died at the age of 82.

The king, now aged 50, who is known as Ngweyama - the lion - has many wives and often appears in public in traditional dress.

After over 20 years in US, Wisconsin man deported to West Africa for lack of right papers

~Punch Nigeria. Friday, March 9, 2018.
(Culled from USA Today)

After more than 20 years in the United States, a Wisconsin man was deported to West Africa earlier this week, a federal agency confirmed.

The process for his deportation was set in motion eight years ago when a judge ruled that he had overstayed his visa.

Buba Jabbi, 41, of Wisconsin Rapids was deported Tuesday and back in The Gambia by Wednesday afternoon, according to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement statement issued Wednesday.

Jabbi had entered the U.S. in 1995 and overstayed his visa. He was detained February 15 after checking in with federal authorities as he had been directed and was set for deportation based on a judge’s order from 2010.

A stay of removal had been filed on his behalf, but was denied February 27, according to Nicole Alberico, a public affairs officer with ICE.

Jabbi, the father of two daughters ages five and one, was being held at a detention centre in Sierra Blanca, Texas.

If necessary, Jabbi’s wife, Katrina Jabbi, a native of Wisconsin Rapids, said she would move her family almost 5,000 miles to The Gambia, a nation of about two million people that is almost twice the size of Delaware, to be with her husband.

“We have spent many years trying to rectify this situation,” Katrina Jabbi previously said. “I will continue to fight and file waivers if he is deported.

AUCHI - LIBYA - ITALY: Undercover operation exposes 'mafia' smuggling Nigerians to Europe

By Nima Elbagir, with Lillian Leposo and Hassan John
Source: cnn.com
~Culled from Vanguard Nigeria. Sunday, March 4, 2018.

• Trafficker's chilling warning: Don't struggle if you're raped

In a lurid pink hotel room in Edo State, southern Nigeria, a trafficker is arranging to smuggle us across the continent to Libya - and ultimately Europe.

Fluorescent lights flicker intermittently inside the hotel, which doubles as a brothel and serves as the headquarters of tonight's operation.

We are posing as would-be migrants attempting to reach Italy with the help of our "pusherman" - one of an army of brokers who work alongside smugglers on the Nigerian end of the migrant route from Africa to Europe.

Edo State is Nigeria's trafficking hub and one of Africa's largest departure points. Each year, tens of thousands of migrants are illegally smuggled from here. They're refugees fleeing conflict or economic migrants in search of better opportunities in Europe, most having sold everything they own to finance the journey.

But as CNN revealed in an exclusive report last year, they often never get beyond Libya.

When they arrive, they're told by smugglers they will need to pay thousands of dollars more to continue their journey across the Mediterranean.


When the migrants fail to pay, they are held in grim living conditions, deprived of food, abused by their captors, and sold as laborers in slave auctions.

Footage obtained of a slave auction in Libya - in which young men were sold by smugglers for as little as $400 each - caused international outrage.

The 'VIP' package

Three months later we wanted to see whether that outrage had translated into action. CNN producer Leposo and I went undercover as two wealthy women paying for the "VIP" travel package from Nigeria to Europe, which includes a smuggler who will meet us in the northern city of Kano and escort us across the border into Libya.

Mr & Mrs: My husband not father of my son, divorce-seeking wife tells Lagos court

Topics:
- My husband not father of my son, divorce-seeking wife tells Lagos court
- 'My sister flirts with my boyfriend'
- I caught my wife, best man having adulterous meeting – Husband tells court
- 'My husband makes money only for himself'
- I caught my wife with two lovers in our bedroom – Husband

________________________________________

My husband not father of my son, divorce-seeking wife tells Lagos court
~Vanguard Nigeria. Thursday, May 25, 2017.

Lagos – A divorce-seeking housewife, Mojisola Ajiboye, on Thursday told an Agege Customary Court that her husband is not the biological father of her son.

She gave the testimony in the divorce suit she filed against her estranged husband at the court.

The petitioner, a 30-year-old nurse, who resides at No. 46, Shiaba St., Agege , a Lagos suburb, said she regretted her seven-year marriage to Samson Nkanang, 33.

She claims that the husband usually abandons her at home and travels on official trips without any form of care.

"My husband is irresponsible and has turned me into a punching bag, I am no longer interested in the union; I want the loveless marriage dissolved,'' she pleaded with the court.

The petitioner told the court that the petitioner whom she has been married to for over seven years is not the biological father of her son.

"I was impregnated by another man during the period my husband travelled on an official trip,' she said.

The estranged wife urged the court to dissolve the marriage so that they can go their separate ways

"Although l registered the child's birth in the respondent's name, he is not the father of my son,''she said.

Mojisola alleged that her husband is temperamental and constantly beats her over minor issues.

Samson , who admitted subjecting his wife to frequent beatings, however, denied the allegations of being an irresponsible husband and father.

He told the court that he was on an official trip for two months in Akwa-Ibom when his wife told him she was pregnant.

"On my return, I even had sexual intercourse with her severally in order for her private part to be opened according to the doctor's report.

"So I am amazed now that she claims I am not the biological father of my child."

Lagos: How Uber driver married his client

~Punch Nigeria. Monday, May 22, 2017. 

A Nigerian lady has taken to social media to narrate how she met her husband, who is an Uber driver. The story is an entire deviation from the stories of Uber drivers assaulting their clients that has become rampant, recently.

The whole story started from simple courtesy, then it progressed to a conversation before it reached the altar.

Read the story as shared below.

“OUR UBER LOVESTORY

On the 19th of July, 2016 after a very hectic time at a Client's office, I ordered for an Uber ride somewhere around Bourdilion Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Then one 'Gregory Shola Okorodudu @bigsholz ' picked up my request and called to get exact description to where I was. I described it to him and asked to let me know when he arrives.

On getting to me, he said 'goodevening Maam', he got out of the car, took my bag, asked where I wanted to sit and opened the door for me. He was like "hope you're okay Ma?" then I just cut in, "if you call me Ma again I will call you Sir"....lol.

Shortly after, I got a call from my Bestest Nonso and we spoke for a while as there seemed to be a very long traffic that day. At the end of the conversation she told me Afam our friend got us Ribs of fire (barbeque pork ribs) with fries. I was so excited I was singing 'Afam is the best'...my favorite meal from Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. Then I got off the call with a better countenance than I got in the car.

Then Shola cut in saying, 'sorry to eavesdrop into your conversation but did you say you found ribs of fire in Lagos?' I said 'yes'. He had this big grin on his face then said it was one of his favorite meal in Manchester, UK.

Then I looked at him like, "You've been to the UK?" he said YES! Did a Masters in Petroleum and Gas Engineering and graduated with Distinction. I was in shock and he said you don't believe, here is my certificate. He's got his documents scanned on phone. So I was like why are you driving Uber then?

Nigerians 6th happiest in Africa, Norway world’s best

~News Agency of Nigeria
March 20, 2017

Nigerians in Germany in a photo-op with President Buhari, 2016

Despite the economic recession, Nigerians are Africa’s sixth happiest people, according to a new report released on Monday that called on nations to build social trust and equality to improve the wellbeing of their citizens.

Algeria leads the rest of Africa in happiness, followed by Mauritius. Strife-torn Libya is surprisingly ranked third, ahead of Morocco. And even a bigger surprise, another crisis-torn nation, Somalia is Africa’s fifth happiest country ahead of Nigeria and South Africa, ranked 7th. Tunisia is eighth and Egypt ninth, while Sierra Leone is tenth.

At the bottom ten are Benin, Madagascar, South Sudan, Liberia, Guinea, Togo, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burundi and the worst of them, Central African Republic.

(Please read the full African Report here: Africa- ranking of Happiness

On the global stage, Norway displaced Denmark as the world’s happiest country

The Nordic nations are the most content, according to the World Happiness Report 2017 produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), a global initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012.

Countries in sub-Saharan Africa, along with Syria and Yemen, are the least happy of the 155 countries ranked in the fifth annual report released at the United Nations.

“Happy countries are the ones that have a healthy balance of prosperity, as conventionally measured, and social capital, meaning a high degree of trust in a society, low inequality and confidence in government,” Jeffrey Sachs, the director of the SDSN and a special advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General, said in an interview.

The aim of the report, he added, is to provide another tool for governments, business and civil society to help their countries find a better way to wellbeing.


Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland, Finland, Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden rounded out the top ten countries.

Xenophobia: South African xenophobia vs Nigerian internal xenophobia

Topics:
- South African xenophobia vs Nigerian internal xenophobia
- Xenophobic attacks on Nigerians: FG warns S-Africa of dire consequences
____________________________

South African xenophobia vs Nigerian internal xenophobia
Written by Azuka Onwuka
Twitter: @BrandAzuka
~Punch Nigeria. Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

Azuka Onwuka

It has become an annual ritual – just like an annual epidemic – for South Africans to engage in xenophobic attacks against their fellow Black Africans resident in South Africa. There are some trends in these attacks. The South Africans do not attack the Indians who have lived in South Africa for a couple of centuries. They do not attack the Pakistanis or the Chinese. They do not attack the North Africans. They do not attack the Whites who have settled in South Africa for centuries and are in control of the economy and the lands. The reason is simple. The colour of the skin of the above-mentioned people is different from that of the Black South Africans. The Black South Africans still see those with a different colour as superior but prefer to vent their anger and frustration on their fellow Blacks who reside in South Africa to eke out a living.

Coincidentally, the xenophobic attacks have been occurring in the tenure of President Jacob Zuma. They did not occur when Dr Nelson Mandela or Mr Thabo Mbeki were in office. One can infer that the body language of Zuma has been encouraging the attacks. Maybe, if he had shown some righteous anger against the attacks or ensured that the perpetrators are severely punished, they would not have recurred.

Ironically, Nigerians have been expressing their anger over the xenophobic attacks. Many commentators remind South Africans the sacrifices Nigeria and other African nations made to end apartheid in South Africa, including hosting many leaders of the African National Congress as well university students from South Africa.


However, the reason the action of the South Africans is shocking to many Nigerians is that we have a track record of not attacking foreigners within Nigeria. Nigerians even treat foreigners better than they treat fellow Nigerians. For example, in spite of the number of times Nigerian football clubs and national teams have been attacked while in other countries, Nigerians usually don't attack foreign teams. On the contrary, on many occasions, during some international matches, Nigerian football fans are known to have swapped support from the national team to the visiting teams if they are not impressed with the performance of the national team. Even if a visiting team beats the Nigerian team or prevents Nigeria from qualifying for an international competition, such a team can even take a victory lap round the stadium without even a bottle of water thrown at them.

Nollywood actor, Hanks Anuku exits Nigeria, turns Ghanaian

~Vanguard Nigeria. Sunday, March 5, 2017.

Actor Hanks Anuku turns Ghanaian with new name
Nana Kwame Fifi Kakra Anuku.

Nollywood Actor Hanks Anuku has become a Ghanaian having naturalised, relocated and changed his name to Nana Kwame Fifi Kakra Anuku.

The veteran actor Hanks Anuku has finally embraced Ghana as his adopted country, Ghana Link reports.

The actor who has relocated to Accra has now become a naturalized citizen of Ghana.

In a recent interview with Ghana Creative Arts, Hanks said he is going to stay in Ghana for the rest of his life in order to help Ghanaians.

On why he left Nigeria, the actor said the crisis in Nigeria forced him to leave the country and send his family to London while he hustle in Accra Ghana.

He added that his adopted Ghanaian name is Nana Kwame Fiifi Kakra Anuku.

TheCable€ï€² Verified accountï‚™ @thecableng tweeted Hanks Anuku saying that " God told me to leave Nigeria... I have found peace in Ghana ''.

BROWN CHYNA€ @Brown_Chynah also said Anuku comfirmed: " I'm Ghanaian Now!''

He said aActor Hanks Anuku Changes His Name To Nana Kwame Fifi Kakra

Sobontone€ @Shubomi_said "Anuku Ditches Nigeria & Becomes Ghanaian; Changes Name''.

Ghana, Zambia to adopt Nigeria's BVN scheme

Written by Jonah Nwokpoku
~Vanguard Nigeria. Wednesday, November 9, 2016.

GHANA's apex bank, the Bank of Ghana and Bank of Zambia are currently understudying Nigeria's bank verification number, BVN initiative in order to introduce it into their banking system.

This was disclosed by Director, Banking and Payment System, CBN, Mr. Dipo Fatokun while speaking about the several initiatives the CBN has undertaken to strengthen Nigeria's financial system, at the Swift Business Forum held in Lagos yesterday.

He said: "Under the payment vision 2020, we have actually implemented some reforms. First to be mentioned is the RTGS system. This is one of the systemically important payment infrastructure that we have. And it has assisted in conducting bank transfers and settlements, real time. Another thing that we have done is the bank verification number, which was concluded last year. This has helped a great deal to properly identify bank customers and we are also witnessing drastic reduction of incidence of fraud as a result. And I am glad to say that my colleagues from the Bank of Ghana have visited us, about two weeks ago, to see how this has been done. Our colleagues from the Bank of Zambia are also currently in Nigeria seeing how this was done, with the aim of replicating such in their own country."

Fatokun who was also speaking as a member of a panel discussing, 'Regionalisation and Trade Corridor Evolution in West Africa' pointed out that besides African countries' focus on commodities that offer them comparative advantage and creating incentives to encourage investments, there is need for strong and reliable payment infrastructure to enhance intra-African trade.

Comparative advantage

According to him, "There is need for structural reforms for us to be able to trade successfully within the West African sub region. Each country will specialise on areas where they have comparative advantage. One of the things that has hindered trade between African countries is because most African countries are commodity producers. So, there is need for countries to restructure their economies so that they can also get involved in activities outside the commodity market.

"Another thing that can be done is to create incentives among countries. For example, tax holidays, market instruments, waivers, etc. And there is no doubting the fact that the central bank of these countries and the ministry of finance, the fiscal authorities, will play critical role in the process.

"More so, we must have infrastructure that will connect all the countries so that people can pay seamlessly across different regions of the continent.

If all these are taken care of, then enhanced intra-African trade is doable. And in pursuing this, the government has the responsibility to create awareness because you can only trade in articles that you need.

If citizens are still consumers of foreign products from Europe, America and Asia, then you need to create the necessary market for the African trade. So on our own, we need to begin to educate our people so that we can encourage trade among ourselves."

Bearded woman makes it into Guinness Book of World Records

~Nigerian Tribune. Friday, September 9, 2016.

A beautiful bearded woman, Harnaam Kaur, stunned a global audience when when she was announced as world most bearded woman, thereby making in into the book of Guinness World Records for 2017.

Kaur, who is a body-image activist and runway model reacting to her award said: “I am super proud to hold this record, the inner child in me is so pleased. I grew up reading this book, I even tried breaking some of my own records wanting to be in this book,” Kaur, 24, wrote on Instagram Thursday. Rather than remove her facial hair — the result of a hormonal condition called polycystic ovarian syndrome, for which September happens to be awareness month — the British challenger of beauty norms has chosen to nurture her whiskers.

“It is amazing to be valued and celebrated being a Bearded Lady. I am proud to hold this amazing record,” she continued. “I hope those who read or see my record can take away positivity, inspiration and realise that no matter who you are or what you look like, you are officially amazing!”

Bearded-woman-site2

Yahoo News had reported that Kaur joins other beauty-themed record breakers this year, including Tyler Wright, who has what’s been deemed to be the largest afro (10 inches high and 9 inches wide); a group of 261 people in Milan who were recognized for the category Most People Wearing Their Hair in a Beehive; and Charlotte Guttenberg, 67, and her partner, Charles “Chuck” Helmke, both of Florida, for Most Tattooed Senior Citizens. Their bodies are covered with tats 91.5 percent and 93.75 percent, respectively.

Guinness has named Kaur the youngest female with a full beard. She began growing facial hair at age 11, and spent much of her adolescence dealing with shame, bullies, and efforts at hair removal. But at age 16, she made the decision to accept all of herself and embrace her beard.

Kaur’s confidence paid off, as last year she became the first woman to walk a major runway with a full beard, working the catwalk for jewelry designer Marianna Harutunian as part of Royal Fashion Day. Previously, she signed on to be a rep for model Tess Holliday’s social media campaign #EffYourBeautyStandards, spreading the love-yourself message to all.

The activist’s induction to Guinness has delighted Kaur’s many supporters. “I love that there was a record to break!” wrote one of her more than 61,000 Instagram followers. “Not because others have gone through the pain you have, but because it’s amazing to see ‘different’ celebrated and honoured. Congratulations!”

Nigerians are talented-Zuckerberg

Written by By Prince Osuagwu, Levinus Nwabughiogu and Geraldine Anunukem
~Vanguard Nigeria. Friday, September 2, 2016. 

• Meets Buhari, attends Aso Villa Demo Day

• Rich men don't dress like you in Nigeria-Buhari

• FG to partner Facebook

Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg visits President Muhammadu Buhari
in Aso Villa on Friday, September 2, 2016.

Co-founder and the Chief Executive Officer of social networking website, Facebook, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg has said that Nigerians were highly gifted in the Information Communications Technologies, ICT.

He said this after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The computer guru said he was impressed by the interest, energy and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by young Nigerians in all the ICT camps that he had visited in Lagos.

"I was highly impressed by the talent of the youths in the Co-creation Hub in Yaba. I was blown away by their talent and the level of energy that I saw," he said.

Recall that Zukerberg was in Nigeria earlier in the week but left Lagos for Kenya amidst speculations that there were no government officials to speak with him.

But on Friday, he returned to Nigeria and met with Buhari in a meeting also attended by numerous ministers including Adebayo Shittu, Ogbonnaya Onu, Okechukwu Enalemah and Lai

Mohammed who are respective Ministers of Communications, Science and Technology, Trade and Investments and Information and Culture.

The president commended Zukerberg for sharing his technological ideas with the Nigerian youths, saying such was mostly needed at the time.

Uncommon encounter: I never knew my lecturer was the man who performed the surgery on my mum that made my birth possible

Written by Chinelo Obogo
~The SUN Nigeria. Monday, August 15, 2016.

...As medical student meets surgeon who enabled his mum conceive

• I never knew my lecturer was the man who did a surgery on my mum's blocked womb. The surgery led to my birth, he says.

On November 15, 2015, Professor Godwin Ajayi, a consultant gynaecologist/obstetrician and fertility expert at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) had just concluded lecturing final year medical students at the College of Medicine, Idi-Araba, Lagos. Then he got the surprise of his life.

One of his students, 23-year-old Oluwatosin Akinduro, walked up to the professor after the lecture. He wanted to thank Ajayi for a favour he said the lecturer had done in the past.

"I was very impatient and thought that Oluwatosin only wanted to ask me to help influence his posting for housemanship. I immediately told him that I was in a hurry, and that he should write down what it was and bring it to my office," Ajayi, who also runs a prenatal diagnosis and therapy centre at the College of Medicine, said.

Oluwatosin did as he was told. He wrote the letter and dropped it at the professor's office. Ajayi told the reporter that after reading the letter, tears fell from his eyes.

It turned out that back in 1992, he (Ajayi), had performed a delicate corrective micro tubal surgery on a woman, who, for 11 years, was trying to conceive. The surgery, which is usually performed on damaged fallopian tubes, enabled the woman to conceive naturally shortly after. The woman was Mrs. Oluwemimo Akinduro. And Oluwatosin was the child that was conceived after the surgery.

I made N3,000 hawking water in 20 minutes - White Naija Girl

~PUNCH, Nigeria. Sunday, May 15, 2016

Popularly known as White Naija Girl, Ibukun Afolabi, from Hungary tells ARUKAINO UMUKORO why she decided to hawk sachet water on the streets of Lagos

Can you give a brief background of yourself?


My husband gave me a Nigerian (Yoruba) name, 'Ibukun,' which means 'blessing.' I am originally from Hungary. I live in the United Kingdom at the moment. In 2008, I came to the UK, where I met my husband, Gbenga Afolabi of MagnumN3. I studied Business and Management. I also hold degrees in German and French languages. When I first came to the UK, I could not speak English, so I had to start learning it from the beginning.

In 2012, I decided to start ­a blog, the whitenaijagirl.com, soon after I got married. Initially, I wanted to write a book, but my husband advised me to start a blog instead so I could reach more people. I started to write about my experiences as a 'Nigerian' wife. Soon, many people - men and women – in relationships with Nigerians started to contact me, asking different questions. The blog became quite successful. Finally, I visited Nigeria in the middle of October last year. I stayed for a month. It was during that period that the video of me selling sachet water was shot.

Was your visit to Nigeria in October your first trip to the country?

Yes it was. But here in the UK, I have had contacts with a lot of Nigerians. The church I attend in the UK is predominantly a Nigerian church. I have always been inspired by Nigerians and their way of living. I love the culture, food and their attitude to life. I also love it that Nigerians take education seriously. My husband is a film-maker and I produce most of his films. When we came to Nigeria; that was when I noticed how hard people in Nigeria are working and how much they needed to struggle on a daily basis to earn a living.


What was the inspiration behind the video of you selling pure water and drinks on the streets of Lagos?

It is because I saw these people doing this every day for a living. And I wondered why they had to live like that in a rich country like Nigeria. That 'pure' water video was done because I wanted to experience what Nigerians are going through, to empathise with them and to go through what they are going through. I realised that it is really hard. And I wanted people to know about this. In the UK, when you have a child, you get child benefits. In Nigeria, there is nothing like that. It is difficult for the women hawking 'pure' water. It is really a difficult job. I wanted to raise awareness about their plight. These people need help from the government. They don't have to risk their lives on the road doing such a job. That was purely my inspiration. It was a great experience, I felt their struggle, because it was hot, you could see me sweating. The load was very heavy. At the beginning, I could not take off the bowl from my head. It was hurting my head even though I had the scarf on. I am planning other projects to raise more awareness about the difficulties every day people face. For me, what I did (selling pure water) was not so extraordinary. What is extraordinary is that people are doing this job daily for a living.

That thing (bowl of sachet, bottled water and drinks) on my head felt so heavy and I only carried it for less than an hour. But those people who do it for a living actually do that for about eight to 10 hours a day. They are the real heroes, not me. I did it for less than an hour because we attracted a little too much attention so we could not carry on. And that was at the time the police were really after people selling on the streets. So, we were a little cautious so as not to get into trouble.

Were you scared at any point?

'5,000 discarded plastic bottles I collected from gutter paved my way to success' – Eluagu

Written by Ebele Orakpo

~Vanguard, Nigeria: Interview By Femi Ajasa 

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention. Mr. Nzubechukwu William Eluagu, a visual artist and graduate of Fine Art (Sculpture) from the Yaba College of Technology, took waste recycling to another level with his final year project; an audacious 13.6 feet sculpture entitled, Your Destiny Is In Your Hands, made mostly from waste materials.

In this chat, the 2013 HND holder says he was forced to think of an alternative way to execute his project as a result of paucity of funds. Excerpts:

Inspiration:

One day, I was going to church and I saw plastic bottles littering the gutters. I said to myself that I could use them to create something. I wondered why artists have not started using them because I noticed that none of my predecessors had used something like that. Again, I had this urge to reduce waste and, at the same time, reduce cost for myself. I wanted to do something inexpensive with readily available materials. That was what really motivated me. Even if I don't score an A, I will be fulfilled that I used something that was thrown away and recycled it into something nice.

How did you construct the over 10-feet structure, did you use a ladder or crane?

Well, I did the job beside the school's Computer Centre. It used to be a sculpture garden so there is a metal and concrete work there that aided me to climb. Basically, I did the work on the ground before mounting it. After doing the iron reinforcement, I attached the bottles. I also used a metal drum which I borrowed from one of my lecturers to stand on because I didn't have the luxury of scaffolds. Again, there was no time because I was under intense pressure. While in school, especially during my HND, I had to fend for myself. It was very challenging but thank God, I had some contracts in arts and it helped me. In my final year, I had so many contracts I had to finish and the people were on my neck so much so that I felt like running away from school but, at the end, I had to do something.

How long did it take to complete the project?

It took roughly three months but I had to finish the work within three weeks because the lecturers were on my neck, the external moderators were coming so I just had to do it. In fact, the way I planned to do it was not the way I finally did it. Though it was my project, friends assisted me when there was so much pressure. It was my fiancé that actually suggested I did it in a certain way. Though it almost caused a quarrel between us because that was not the way I had wanted to do it but she was insistent and before you know it, we started doing it her way. It was going to take much of the materials and I was trying to manage my materials because I did not have so much money to spend. Anyway, at the end of the day, it came out well.

Finding a terra firma quickly! AN AMAZING STORY...

Facebook: Suminda Deepal Rajapakse shared William Baird's post.

Here is an amazing story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11:
On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic .
All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that "All Business" look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta's main office in Atlanta and simply read, "All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination."

No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander, New Foundland.
He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately -- no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request.
While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings.
We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander , New Foundland, to have it checked out.

Nigeria’s Freeman Osonuga named among 3 finalists for space trip

Written by Chioma Obinna & Gabriel Olawale - Vanguard, Nigeria. 

LAGOS-As the global contest for Kruger Cowne Rising Star space trip competition deepens, Nigeria's Freeman Osonuga has been selected among the three finalists for the influential Rising Star programme. His selection among the three finalists is one step closer for a Nigerian to travel to space for the first time in history.

Launched last year at the One Young World Summit in Dublin, Ireland, the programme consisted of a year-long search to find one inspiring individual, who will become the voice of the next generation, culminating in the chosen champion being catapulted onto the world stage and into space.

Flying beyond the 100km mark by XCOR Aerospace'sLynx® Spacecraft, the champion will be presented with the opportunity to view the world from an entirely new perspective.Also through the unique experience, if chosen Rising Star will provide new insight into global discussions on some of the world's most pressing issues.

Freeman Osonuga 

Osonuga who hail from Ogun State was selected based on the tremendous social media engagement, candidate profiles on the Rising Star website, video content among others.Speaking during a courtesy visit to Vanguard Corporate Head Office in Lagos, Osonuga explained that he was selected following his efforts to garner support from the entire country including the government.

"I was also selected for my efforts to use both national and international press to inform an international audience of his journey, from Ebola suit to spacesuit and how his mission to change the world continues."

Elated Osonuga is up against Keren Jackson of Ireland and Hussain Manawer of the United Kingdom. These three finalists will be flown to Bangkok next month where they will attend the One Young World Summit and also deliver a keynote speech on their topic of choice to the thousands of delegates present as well as a panel of global business leaders after which the winner of a space trip will be announced.

The Boy from Jamaica

Today, Jamaica is on my mind. I was flying from Trinidad and Tobago on my way to Atlanta and had to make a brief stopover in Jamaica-the land I had heard so much about through the powerful medium of music. Reggae music.

From the air, you could see the iridescent island sparkling, like a queen, a Caribbean queen bejewelled in a splash of sun, sea and reggae. I wanted to see everything: the sights of Jamaica. I wanted to hear everything: the voices of Jamaica. Men and women in dreadlocks, speaking their patois and reggae music blasting in my ears from ubiquitous loudspeakers such as we have in Lagos. Is this not another Africa? Africans must be Africans everywhere they are. I wanted to smell everything: the smell of ganja, marijuana or whatever name you call it. The ganja that Peter Tosh sang about and campaigned for its legalisation because of what he claimed as an all-purpose medicine that can cure asthma, tuberculosis and what have you. Legalise it, and I will advertise it. Remember that song by Peter Tosh? The Peter Tosh who was killed by gangsters on motorcycle-a victim of gang violence in a society afflicted with so much crime and violence like Nigeria our Nigeria.

Jamaicans don't play with their heroes. They celebrate them. Loudly and proudly. All over Norman Manley Airport are huge photographs of their heroes: Usain Bolt, the fastest man in the world in his familiar yellow and green athletic outfit doing his trademark lightning pose. But still, the biggest of them all is Bob Marley, the man whose face is the face of Jamaica, the legendary king of reggae who still rules from the grave. Bob Marley who prophesied his own immortality in the song Bad Card:

"You a-go tired fe see my face/Can't get me out of the race."

Yeah, Bob Marley. The same Bob Marley who sang about Jamaica afflicted with violence in the song 'Johnny Was': A song about a woman who "hold her head and cry, 'Cause her son had been shot down in the street and died from a stray bullet. Woman hold her head and cry...Now she knows that the wages of sin is death, yeah! Gift of Jah is life. 'Johnny was a good man' she cried."