"It's never too late to achieve your dreams" – Florence Nwando

Meet Florence Nwando Onwusi Digidu, the 73-year-old who has not allowed her age stop her from achieving a life long goal. She is now a graduating member of Howard University’s Class of 2020 earning a doctorate in Communication, Culture and Media Studies.

She defended her dissertation titled “Igbo Collective Memory of the Nigeria – Biafra War (1967-1970): Reclaiming Forgotten Women’s Voices and Building Peace through a Gendered Lens,” on April 26, which is based upon her personal experiences as a survivor of the Nigerian Civil War, as stated in an official university statement.

Being the oldest of five sisters, completing her fourth degree as a prestigious Sasakawa and Annenberg Fellow, Didigu says she is thankful to have made it across many hurdles.

“In my second year at Howard, and very close to my screening test, I lost my mother and my father within months. I had to return to Nigeria each time to perform the demanding burial ceremonies for each. I was completely deflated, both physically and emotionally, but I persevered because my father always wanted me to be a ‘Doctor.’”

Apart from surviving the Biafra war, she also won a battle with shingles which caused paralysis on the right side of her face and robbed her of her voice. She told Howard that the obstacle (shingles) was actually “symbolic because it’s her life’s work is to elevate more Igbo women’s voices too”.

According to her, the Nigerian-Biafra War which happened over 50 years ago, is one challenge she will never forget.

Activist condemns the movement of Almajiris into the south

Chief Adesunbo Onitiri, political activist and social critic, has queried the rationale behind some northerners exporting their almajirai to the southern states, despite the Federal Government’s ban on interstate travel to check the spread of coronavirus in the country.

According to a statement made available to journalists in Lagos, he expressed worry over the current incident. He advised that as Nigerians, what the Federal Government should do is to gather all the almajirai in the north and rehabilitate them by providing them with vocational education.

“By this arrangement, give them soft loans to start business. They will be useful to themselves and their society,” he said.

The social critic described the danger of the coronavirus lockdown as another disaster bedevilling the nation with the attendant economic lockdown.

“We implore the southern states to lift the ban on the economic lockdown in the south.

We can only enforce physical distancing and wearing of face masks. Nobody in the south hates the northerners.

We demand a total overhaul of the security architectural structure of Nigeria. The present structure has failed woefully to stem insecurity in Nigeria,” the statement said.

Imo scraps payment of pension to ex-governors

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has assented to a bill repealing the law that created pension allowances and gratuities for former governors, deputy governors, assembly speakers, and deputy speakers.

Signing the bill into law in Owerri on Friday, the governor noted that the erstwhile law runs contrary to the 1999 constitution as amended, which stipulates that a pensioner must have worked for at least 10 years and must be up to 45 years of age.

He regretted a situation where some of the beneficiaries of such payments also get a huge amount of money as salaries and allowances in other positions they occupied such as serving as senators or members of the House of Representatives.

“Apart from the inconsistency of such a law to the provisions of the ground norm, which is the Constitution of 1999 (as amended), this has led for a very long time a precedence that does not encourage diligence and prudence in service delivery,” the governor said.

He, however thanked the State House of Assembly for rising to the occasion and embracing totally the desire of the government to strengthen the Internally Generated Revenue base of the state.

On his part, Speaker of the Imo House of Assembly, Chiji Collins, said the house of assembly presented two bills for the governor’s assent: the Bill on Imo State University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and Bill on the Repeal of Pensions and Gratuity.

He said that the Bill on Pensions and Gratuity had long been repealed in many states of the federation when it was discovered to run contrary to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Present at the signing of the bill into law were the Deputy Governor Prof. Placid Njoku; the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Amara Iwuanyanwu; the Majority Leader, Uche Ogbuagu and other members of the House, as well as some members of the State’s Expanded Executive Council.

"COVID-19 is a test from God" – Atiku

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar says COVID-19 is a test from God.

In a Sallah message on Saturday, Atiku asked Nigerians to continue to abide by the guidelines issued by health authorities.

The former vice-president said guidelines are for the benefit of Nigerians and the world at large. In his words,

“All these strictures could not have made our fasting less valid because, as Muslims, we believe that everything that happens is with the command of Almighty Allah. We are taught in the scripture and the Sunnah of Noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) that God would test our faith individually and as an Ummah.

The current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic is a test from Allah and, having fasted as we are enjoined as Muslims, let us continue to remember that it is part of our faith to protect all lives and to abide by regulations from those in authority, especially during a time of great uncertainty like this.

Those protocols about avoidance of crowded places, social distancing and regular washing of hands are for our own benefits and the benefits of humankind in general.

As Muslims, it is incumbent upon us to do our best both in action and in prayers to ensure that the world is healed of this deadly virus in the earliest possible time.”

Atiku said it is incumbent on governments at all levels to prioritise the welfare of the people when planning for post-COVID-19 era. He said,

“People in leadership positions all over the world should learn from countless examples of how Prophet Muhammed (SAW) and his immediate disciples took the welfare of the people as priority in administration of a state.

This time calls for sacrifice in leadership. This is no time for extravagance and living in luxury.This year’s Eid-el-fitr celebration is already a special one.

But I wish all Nigerian Muslims and their counterparts across the world a more special celebration, filled with pleasant moments as we pray together and enjoy the day with our families.”

Buhari mourns Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte

President Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the death of retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Adolphus Karibi-Whyte. Justice Karibi-Whyte died on Friday at the age of 88 years in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The President, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, noted that Justice Karibi-Whyte served Nigeria with his wisdom, knowledge and experience all through his life as a scholar and a law man.

President Buhari, while commiserating with the family of the deceased, the government and people of Rivers State, as well as his professional colleagues, commended his legacies to the Law and the State, noting that his contributions were not just for Nigeria, but for the whole world.

“President Muhammadu Buhari sends condolences to government and people of Rivers State over the passing of legal icon, author and Professor of Law, Justice Adolphus Godwin Karibi-Whyte.

President Buhari prays that God will comfort all who mourn the legal colossus, especially his family, the academia, Nigerian Bar Association and Body of Benchers, friends and associates, commending his contributions to law and jurisprudence in the country, and beyond, leaving a legacy of integrity and nationalism.

President Buhari notes, with deep conviction, that the legal luminary used his knowledge, wisdom and experience in serving the nation he loved so much, working diligently as a scholar for many years, before transiting to the judiciary, and pursuing his passion of ensuring fairness through the Federal Revenue Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The President affirms that Justice Karibi-Whyte played many historic roles in growing Nigeria’s legal system, strengthening democratic institutions and shaping the policy direction of many governments and international agencies, as he served as Chairman, Nigerian Constitutional Conference, 1994-1995, Counterfeit Currency Tribunal, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities, and Judge and Vice-President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague.

The President believes the erudite jurist lived and led by example, set a standard for resourcefulness and patriotism, and brought honour to the country, praying that the almighty God will grant his soul a peaceful rest”, the statement said.

Pregnant mother stabs lover to death

Hell has no fury like a woman scorned. That much was proven in the life of Mr. Anyakwo Mohammed whose lover stabbed to death for impregnating another woman. In a sensational confession to the Nasarawa State Command of the Nigerian Securities and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC), Veronica rendered an account of how she drove a knife into her husband’s chest during a quarrel, causing him to die before he could be rushed to the hospital.

Already, the NSCDC has vowed to charge her to court for murder.

Narrating the events that culminated in the fatal incident, Veronica said her late Mohammed refused her request that she should allow him to make a call with his phone, and the situation resulted in a heated argument. She said:

“I was roasting a yam for him because he was very hungry, but a disagreement broke out in the process. I went inside the room to pick the knife with which I would peel the yam.

As the quarrel continued, I told him that he would no longer eat from the yam and that he should go and eat at the place of the woman he impregnated.

He got angry, stood up and held my hand in a bid to forcibly collect the knife from me so that he would peel the yam by himself.

As we dragged the knife, its sharp end drove into his chest, causing a deep cut and serious bleeding. It was in the night, so before they could rush him to the hospital, he died.”

Expressing regrets over the incident, Veronica said she would not have picked a quarrel with her late husband if she had any inkling that it would result in his death.

“I would not have engaged in a quarrel with him if I knew. I loved him so much even though he disappointed me.

May God Almighty forgive all my sins and his shortcomings. I believe that God will take my husband to heaven to be with Him. May his gentle soul find peace.

His death was not deliberate. I will forever miss him. I didn’t mean to kill him. I will continue to pray for his soul for the rest of my life.

The only promise I will make is that nobody will ever take his place in my heart. I am two months pregnant for him, apart from the two-year-old daughter we already had. My prayer is that the unborn baby would be a male child so that I would name it after him as a mark of honour.

It is clear to me now that I have made a big mistake by killing my husband and his spirit may hunt me for the rest of my life. But God knows it was not intentional.”

The tragic incident, which occurred in the backwoods of Obene Ward in Keana Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, on April 28, 2020, saw everyone who heard or saw the gory details reeling in shock.

In her no-holds-barred confession at the state command of the NSCDC, 22-year-old Veronica blamed her husband for the tragic end to their marriage, which she claimed started on a good note before the irreconcilable disagreement set in, even though they were not legally married.

In an emotion laden voice during an interview with our correspondent, she recounted the fatal incident that led to her stabbing her husband to death.

“She explained that she was staying with her grandmother before she died and her uncle took her to Keana Local Government Area to live with him. It was during her stay with her uncle that she met her late husband who impregnated her outside of wedlock.

Veronica, a primary school dropout, said her late husband dated her for four years before he impregnated her with a promise that he would marry her if she converted to Islam. She said:

“My parents who brought me to the world have humiliated, cheated and frustrated my entire life. If I knew early enough that the people I stayed with were not my biological parents, I would have run away from them. I was deceived and introduced to fake parents by my own blood sister.

What a wicked world! My parents violated my human right and my late husband, Anyakwo Mohammed, who impregnated me without paying my bride price, deceived me.

It was frustration and anger that pushed me into stabbing my late husband. Bringing in another lady with pregnancy worsened the situation.

Since this incident occurred, I have been very unhappy. I called my husband’s brother who works with the Nasarawa Broadcasting Service (NBS) to plead on my behalf. I have sinned against them.

My late husband’s brother said I should not worry; that it was how God wanted it, for there was nothing they could do to bring their late brother back to life.

I am begging the Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to forgive me and help me to get out of my predicament.

I was arrested by the NSCDC. I am being neglected by my family members. Even the people I regard as my parents have also abandoned me to my fate.

I regret my action. May his gentle soul rest in peace. I did not know that he would die. I had been having a misunderstanding with my late husband over a woman he impregnated and it led to constant quarrels and fighting. I got tired of it all.

I returned from my ‘parents’ house and was told that Mohammed was with another lady whom he impregnated.

When I asked him if the pregnancy was his, he refuted it. He said the lady was his girlfriend but the pregnancy was not his.

We were staying together with the lady but she left us before the incident occurred.

My late husband promised to marry me if I could change my religion. But when we started having constant quarrels, I was discouraged about it.”

She explained further that her late lover visited her people twice and bought them some items as an in-law. She said:

“I have a two-year-old baby for him. The baby is in Lafia with my husband’s family. But shortly after we had the baby, I did not understand him again even though we were together.

Our relationship broke down irretrievably with the damming discovery that he was sexually involved with another woman and had impregnated her and was even planning to bring her in, all because I refused to convert to Islam.”

Already, the NSCDC has vowed to charge her to court for murder.

Cubana Chiefpriest claps back at Burna Boy over Davido

Remember the feud about Burna Boy dragging Davido that he's living off his father's wealth even as a musician? Cubana Chiefpriest has replied him on Davido's behalf. He said,

"No Be @davidoofficial Say Make Adeleke Born Am !!!! Don’t Ever Fight Destiny, You See This Crown👑 Na God Give Am To Him, Na Natural, Na Follow Come, E Dey The Body.

David🇺🇸🇳🇬 As Ajebo Never Looked Out For A Rich/Blown Girlfriend Rather He Blew His Girl, David At 26 Has A 5 Year Old Daugther, David With His Said Papa Money Has Raised Talents To Super Stars Even Gate Man Sef Blow !!!!

You Wey Wan Check Am If To Say Your Papa Get This Money Pride No Go Gree You Do Music For A Living, David Turned Poor Ikotun Boys To Island Big Boys, Come On !!!!

There Are Levels To This Championship🎖 Thing, Na Who Blow Come Still Blow People Na Him We Wey Be Igbo🇳🇬 People Dey Call Odogwu👑 #CubanaChiefPriest🔑 #CelebrityBarMan".

"We've spent over N640m to conduct coronavirus tests in Lagos State" – Abayomi

Prof. Akin Abayomi, the state Commissioner for Health, made this known at the Lagos COVID-19 update on Thursday.

Abayomi said that there were plans to ramp up testing capacity to about one thousand tests on a daily basis.

He said that Lagos had conducted the highest number of COVID-19 tests in Nigeria, with four testing laboratories, and planned to increase the testing sites in the coming weeks.

According to him, as the state ramps up its testing capacity, there will be need to subside the cost of the test, either through insurance or donor funds.

“For now, the Lagos State Government is providing COVID-19 tests free of charge,” he said.

The commissioner said that the state would validate rapid test kits to enhance case detection, adding that the process had commenced and manufacturers of the tests kits identified.

According to him, the state is about to roll out Hydroxychloroquine trial.

He added that the state was also participating in a World Health Organisation (WHO)’s solidarity trial of the drug in one of its isolation centres.

“In about a month, we should start getting results from the Lagos trial. Then, we can decide whether Chloroquine can act as a preventive or curative purpose, and how effective it will be in reducing the severity of the disease,” the commissioner said.

"Nigerian economy will definitely go into recession" – Finance minister

The minister said this on Thursday, May 21, 2020, after the National Economic Council meeting. She said,

“The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has made an assessment. So, it is the NBS assessment that Nigeria will go into a recession measuring at an average of -4.4%.

But with the work that the Economic Accessibility Committee is doing; bringing stimulus packages, we believe that we can reduce the impact of that recession.

And if we applied all that have been proposed and we are able to implement it, we may end up with a recession that is -0.4 percent. In any case, we will go into recession but what we are trying to do is to make sure that it is shallow so that we will quickly come out of it come 2021.”

A country’s economy goes into recession when its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reduces for two consecutive quarters.

In her statement on Thursday, Ahmed suggested that Nigeria would slip into recession in the second quarter of 2020.

Nigeria is one of the countries hardest hit by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

On why Nigeria is gradually reopening its economy despite the daily increase in coronavirus cases, the minister said the economy needs to be supported to prevent it from falling into a depression. She said,

“This is a very difficult time because the challenges we have now are double. There is health challenge, there is an economic challenge. Even as we are addressing the current health challenge, we still have to look at how we can support the economy so that the economy does not fall into a depression.

We have to feed the people and you can only feed the people if people go out and farm. We are a very large population, we don’t want to take the risk and we don’t have enough fund to cushion the effect.”

Minister announces number of persons to benefit from Lagos State home feeding

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar Farouk, has said about 337,589 people will benefit from the modified school feeding programme in Lagos.

The minister, who was represented at the inauguration of the school feeding programme by the Director, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDP’s, Mrs Margaret Ukegbu, said this in Lagos on Thursday, May 21, 2020. She said,

“The special homegrown feeding intervention will impact 337,589 beneficiaries made up of parents, guardians and caregivers of primary schoolchildren in participating schools.

The identified and selected households will each receive 5kg bag of rice, 5kg bag of beans, vegetable and palm oil, salt, tomato paste and 15 pieces of eggs.

These rations have been revealed by a nutrition expert to ascertain the nutritional value and benefits to the children.”

Also speaking at the inauguration, Lagos Commissioner for Education, Mrs Folashade Adefisayo, said the modified school feeding programme was a continuation of the existing homegrown feeding programme of the state government.

She stressed the importance of food in the development of a child, adding that the modified feeding programme would go a long way in achieving that. She said,

“When a child is growing, it’s quite imperative that a child should have a good, quality, balanced diet to ensure that the brain grows appropriately because a hungry child cannot learn properly.”