News & Announcements

A nursery has been evacuated and emergency services are responding following a carbon monoxide leak. A total of 26 people including children and teaching assistants have been transferred to four nearby hospitals due to the leak at a daycare centre in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA.

Several children were taken away on stretchers. All are reported to be in stable condition. Authorities declared a level 1 mass casualty, meaning there are warnings medical responders could become overwhelmed by the number of casualties.

A call for medical help was first received about an unconscious child in the incident at Happy Smiles Learning Center on Wabash Street early on Tuesday morning, October 11.
Captain John Christopher of the Allentown Fire Department said their equipment alerted them to the presence of carbon dioxide when they attended the centre.

Fire departments and other responders have been forced to attend the incident, while a nearby daycare has offered shelter. Gas company UGI is on the scene and is assessing the situation. Parents have been notified about the incident.

Big Brother Naija stars, Alex and Tobi Bakare have confirmed the death of their colleague, Patrick Fakoya, popularly known as Rico Swavey.
Recall that the Tinsel star has been on life support after a motor accident in which he suffered a life-threatening injury.

In separate tweets on their Twitter handles, Alex and Tobi Bakare confirmed the death.
“This is not what we agreed Rico. Rest in peace,” Alex tweeted.
Tobi shared a picture of himself and Rico, with the caption: “This is how I will remember you brother.” Meanwhile, after his colleagues announced his accident, entertainers launched a fundraiser for him.
His fellow BBNaija ex-housemate, Tobi Bakre, made the announcement on his Twitter page on Wednesday, as he asked the public for donations.

Sharing a picture of the hospitalised Rico Swavey on his Twitter page, Bakre also noted that the accident victim had been placed on life support.
Bakare tweeted: “Please help save Rico. “He had a really bad car accident.
“We have to keep him on life support and continue to pay the rising medical bills while we pray for God’s miracle.

“(We) can’t do it alone.
“Please click on the link to donate at ricoswavey.com.”
Reality TV star, Alex Asogwa, aka Alex Unusual, who shared the news about the accident on her Twitter page on Tuesday, also called for donations.

Nigerian data and intelligence startup, Stears Business, has announced the closing of its seed round funding, in which $3.3 million was raised.
The round which was led by Mac Venture Capital had participation from other companies including Serena William’s Serena Ventures, Melo 7 Tech Partners, Omidyar Group’s Luminate Fund, and Cascador.
In a statement released by Stears’ CEO, Preston Ideh, on Monday, he expressed excitement at the development and assured that the funding will translate to the expansion of the company to other African countries.

The statement read in part, “We’re excited to announce that we have closed our seed round funding of $3.3M led by @MaCVentureCap, with participation from @SerenaVentures.
“Like all startups, it is our job to obsess over the problem we set out to solve and keep learning from our users. We know that the market wants more than just articles, no matter how well-researched. It isn’t just about building Stears 2.0 in the 54 African countries; that is not the goal.

“To be the most trusted source of data and insights in Africa, a >$1 trillion economy with >1 billion people, the continent needs deep, reliable, regular streams of data, not just articles or reports. To provide this, we know what we must do next: focus on making proprietary data, models, tools and forecasts directly available to our users.

“What does this look like? It means building the most valuable database on African economies and markets. It means expanding our intelligence team into Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt. It means developing local expertise that cannot be replicated with remote offices.”
In an emailed statement Serena Williams the Tennis champion stated that she did not invest in the company because of her love for Africa, but rather, “because Stears has strategically thought of how to increase the investment community on the continent.”
“They’re aware of the complexities and have leverage with data and technology, and I truly respect what they’re doing,” she continued.

The financing round places Stears’ total cumulative funding at $4 million, after an initial pre-seed round of $650,000 in 2019, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
Launched in 2017, Stears was founded by four school mates, Michael Famoroti, an economist; Bode Ogunlana, a software engineer; Abdul Abdulrahim, a data scientist; and Preston Ideh, a corporate lawyer, who met during secondary school at Loyola Jesuit College, Nigeria, and at the London School of Economics and Imperial College in the United Kingdom.

One of the company’s famous exploits is creating Nigeria’s first real-time election tracker, which drew two million unique users during the 2019 general election cycle.

The coronation of the new British monarch, King Charles III, will be held on May 6, 2023. The United Kingdom Royal Family disclosed this through a Twitter post on Tuesday.
Buckingham Palace wrote, “The coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey. “The ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort.”
Also, a statement by the Royal Family Tuesday read, “Buckingham Palace is pleased to announce that the Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday 6th May 2023.
“The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. “The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort.
“The Coronation will reflect the monarch’s role today and look towards the future while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.”
Britain’s longest-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, died in September at 96, ending a long reign of about 70 years. The queen had been dogged by health challenges since last October.

It was an evening of pomp and pageantry as the Nigerian High Commission in Freetown led by His Excellency, Ambassador Henry John Omaku (fcim), welcome Nigerians, government officials from the host country, members of the diplomatic corps, and the business sector in a well-attended dinner to commemorate the 62^nd Independence Anniversary of Nigeria in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The rich cultural heritage of Africa’s most populous ethnic group was on display as various cultural groups showcased their artistry, culture, and dancing prowess before the enthusiastic audience.

Speaking at the occasion His Excellency, The High Commissioner, Ambassador Henry John Omaku emphasized that “we cannot but appreciate the remarkable journey to our 62^nd Independence Anniversary Celebration.  Although like every nation, we have encountered many challenges and tribulations, it is no doubt that Nigeria has continued to soar above them all. As a nation with different tribes and tongues, we have continued to work towards attaining the vision of our founding fathers for a united and prosperous country.” This was clearly depicted in the abundance of the cultural display, food served, and the exchange of banters by Nigerian residents in Freetown from the different ethnic groups present at the occasion.

He further noted that “beyond the shores of the country, the foreign policy of Nigeria prioritizes Africa, starting with its immediate neighbours, the entire ECOWAS and Africa as a whole, has in the last few years received a renewed attention by the administration of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR); This is evident in the various efforts of Nigeria geared towards strengthening the strong bilateral relations between Nigeria and Sierra Leone, established in mutual respect and trust by our founding fathers; Together with the government of Sierra Leone, led by His Excellency, President Julius Maada Bio, the Nigeria High Commission has continued to work assiduously to strengthen this strong bilateral relation.”

In another development, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. David J. Francis also extolled the cordial relationship that exists between Nigeria and Sierra Leone which dates back even before the independence, and promised that the government of His Excellency Retd Brig. Julius Maada would continue to work towards consolidating the relationship.

The highlight of the occasion was marked by an exchange of toasts to the Unity and peace of Nigeria, as well as group photo shots with various dignitaries in attendance. As the Nigerian envoy, alongside members, of the High Commission played a good host to guests in attendance.

After weeks of intrigues, Ijeoma Josephina Otabor popularly known as Phyna has won the 2022 edition of the Big Brother Naija reality show.

The seventh season, tagged Level Up, premiered on 23 and 24 July 2022.

Phyna beat fellow housemates, Bella, Adekunle, Daniella, Chichi, and Bryan, to win the converted grand prize worth N100 million, which is the highest in the show’s history and will be handed out to the ultimate winner.

Russian troops withdraw from strategic east Ukraine town of Lyman where Kyiv’s forces were threatening to encircle them.
Confirmation of the retreat came via Russia’s defence ministry. It will be seen as a significant blow, analysts say.

Details emerge of a recent deadly attack on a convoy of Ukrainian civilians, a day after dozens were killed near Zaporizhzhia, reports the BBC.

President Zelensky said Ukraine wouild liberate all of its territory, despite Vladimir Putin’s declaration that four occupied regions are part of Russia.

In an angry speech decrying the West on Friday, Mr Putin claimed people living in the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia were now Russian.

Ukraine responded to Putin’s declaration by asking Nato to speed up giving it membership of the US-led defence alliance.
Ukraine’s nuclear operator says Russian forces have detained the head of the occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

It was indeed a national disaster and a dark day for the Indonesian government as about 400 soccer fans feared dead in a stadium stampede after the home team, Arema FC lost to bitter rivals.
The unfortunate incident which occurred at the overcrowded stadium late on Saturday in Malang, East Java saw now fewer than 180 fans dead and another 180 critically injured.

The crash took place after police tear-gassed fans who invaded the pitch.As panic spread, thousands surged towards Kanjuruhan stadium’s exits, where many suffocated.
Fifa, the world’s governing football body, states that no “crowd control gas” should be carried or used by stewards or police at matches.

One eyewitness told the BBC that police had fired numerous tear gas rounds “continuously and fast” after the situation with fans became “tense”.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said it was “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension”.About 180 were also hurt in aftermath of home team Arema FC’s loss to bitter rivals at the overcrowded stadium late on Saturday in Malang, East Java.

THE PUBLIC SPHERE with Chido Nwakanma

Nigerians must thank Ezenwo Nyesom Wike of Rivers State for enriching the dramaturgy of Nigerian politics today. Nyesom Wike continually provides rich content, positive and negative, and forces conversations on power distribution, federalism, and Politics in Nigeriana. Wike stands out in the Fourth Republic for deepening the fought component.

The Governor of Rivers State is often in the news for audacity. I was in Port Harcourt in mid-September and saw first-hand the audacious infrastructural transformation of the oil city by the executive actions of Nyesom Wike. It is impressive. I previously lived at D-Line Port Harcourt and could not recognise Garrison Bus Stop and several other parts of the city. Port Harcourt bespeaks infrastructure boldly. It is all so fitting as Wike is one of the acclaimed Port Harcourt Boys in the Port Harcourt Son ditty of Duncan Mighty.

Nyesom Wike is one of the bright stars of PDP in government. He has shown bold vision and the capacity to execute, a critical success factor in government. He claims that he was the party’s lifeblood in the dark days of loss when many ran away.

Audacity sits well with Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, even if it tends to be loud, obnoxious, and in-your-face. As Elections 2023 Campaign kicked off on 28 September 2022, Wike shared the headlines. It was for the bold action of leading his cohort to stay away from the official declaration by his party’s presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku. Wike continued his protest action since the conclusion of the PDP primaries and, significantly, Atiku’s selection of Delta State Governor Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

Wike claims that he is fighting the exclusion of the South from the PDP arrangements and the party’s alleged betrayal of its earlier agreement to cede the race for the presidency to the South. Additionally, he demands the resignation of party chairman Dr Iyorchia Ayu on two grounds. It is wrong to have the presidential candidate and the chairman from the North concurrently, and Dr Ayu had pledged not to be or remain the chairman if a northerner is a presidential candidate.

The arguments sound impressive and altruistic. The record in the public domain is slightly different. The PDP hierarchy disputes those claims.  The party says there was no agreement to zone the flag to the South.

Many patriots expected or assumed that the PDP would support the South-East’s aspiration to clinch the party’s presidential ticket. Governor Wike was one of those that worked against the interest of the region. The man who claimed not to be Igbo became an Igbo by ascription as he sought to appropriate the position.

When his party men chose Abubakar Atiku, Wike reportedly blamed his colleague governors from Southern Nigeria for failing to win the first prize. He was clever by half. The records show that Wike lost because his chummy and ally turned coat and played the ethnic card. However, it went beyond Governor Aminu Tambuwal. Ahead of the convention, many of those Tambuwal relied on declared publicly that they would vote for Abubakar Atiku.

Atiku then went against Wike as the choice recommendation of the party’s inner caucus for the vice-presidential candidate. Analysts can only speak of what is in the public domain. It bruised Wike’s ego. The strong counterargument to Wike’s entitlement is the candidate’s right to choose his running mate. It comes down to congeniality.

Ifeanyi Okowa has wisely stayed out of the skirmish as an interested party. He has remained a committed party man and running mate to the candidate. It is the way of wisdom.  

Indeed, both Wike and Okowa have avoided direct exchanges on the matter. Both men have been discreet, whether in southern solidarity or maturity, as members of the political class of 1999. Commendations.

Wike seems to be on a long thing concerning Dr Iyorchia Ayu unless he and his team change tactics. The party recently passed a confidence vote on Ayu. They say that an Ayu resignation requires constitutional amendment.

PDP must deal with the challenge of Nyesom Wike with wisdom. One of the consequences of the Wike rebellion is the colossal scandal around monies paid to the party’s Exco with about six persons returning more than N120m. Those members, allegedly from the Wike side, claimed they were responding to a report in The Nation, owned by APC’s Bola Tinubu that it was a bribe. They conveniently kept the money until the report. The party similarly disputes it and claims it was an agreed payment.

PDP must walk the path of a party seeking to convince Nigerians of its good intendments. The scandal is noxious. The stench is terrible. It has created room for internal and external opposition to sound like profound contributors when they are only continuing their local fights.

Wike has made the point about shaking the party and emphasising his significance based on the oil money over which he presides. The challenge for both he and the party is to find an honourable way to dismount from this horse. The onus is more on the governor. They should find rapprochement so no one ends up clutching at straws. More so, Nyesom Wike.

London-based Nigerian Disk Jockey, Florence Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy, has announced that she has officially graduated from the University of Oxford.

DJ Cuppy, who underwent a Master’s programme in African Studies at the prestigious university, made the announcement on her Twitter page on Tuesday.

She stated that though she didn’t get merit or distinction in her thesis, she was excited that she passed.
DJ Cuppy noted that she faced a tough year at Oxford and was proud of herself that she had finally graduated. She also appreciated God in her tweet.