Okonjo-Iweala, Yesufu, Others Lead Pack of 100 Top Women Leaders

The Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and former Minister of Finance in Nigeria, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s leading social crusader, Ms. Aisha Yesufu, the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Mrs. Amina Mohammed and the former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili are among the outstanding women profiled in a biographical compendium on top women leaders in Nigeria to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day.

The Nigeria Women Annual: 100 Leading Women is an annual qualitative profiling of phenomenal women in Nigeria who have contributed to the development of Nigeria and the world.

It is a gender-specific biographical compendium that responds to existing gender gaps in Nigeria biographical documentation and leadership |||READ MORE

 

‘Kayan Mata’ Linked To Increasing Rate Of Divorce In Abuja – Report

 

The increasing rate of divorce in Abuja and other states in the country has been linked to an aphrodisiac popularly known as Kayan Mata which is used to ‘snatch lovers and husbands’.

Kayan Mata which mean women things in Hausa is a product used for sexual intercourse and love enhancer among couples as it possesses the power to improve their affections.

However, the product has been misconstrued and abused by women who are in desperate need of man or cash |||READ MORE

Over 300,000 Nigerian refugees in Niger, Chad, Cameroon – UNHCR

A total number of 300,884 Nigerian refugees, currently reside in the Republic of Niger, Chad and Cameroon, Data sourced from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Nigeria has shown.

This was even as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq; her Women Affairs counterpart, Paulen Tallen; the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba; the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Muhammed Babandede, the Director-General of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Imaan

Sulaiman-Ibrahim; the UNHCR Country Representative, Chansa Kapaya and others, gathered in Abuja for the Stakeholders Meeting on the Implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees |||READ MORE

July 17th is #NoCorruptionDay and here’s all you need to know

YOU MAY BE CORRUPT AND SERAP (Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project) is here to tell you how. On the 17th July 2020, tagged #NoCorruptionDay, we are joined by dedicated citizens; the likes of MI Abaga, Alex Ekubo, Osas Igodaro, Lillian Esoro, Jeff Bankz & others – who are willing to use their platforms to share this powerful message and also supported by agencies; Accountability Lab and Yiaga.We have activities centered around #NoCorruptionDay geared towards tackling corruption through mindset reorientation.

In 2019, SERAP undertook a survey to assess & highlight key behavioural and belief patterns about corruption across Nigeria. The survey birthed the Anti-Corruption Social Norms Report.

This report found that 40% of respondents do not believe in the possibility of successfully ending corruption in Nigeria. 43.3 % do not believe they have a role to play in the change dings lend credence to the idea that corruption has become a Nigerian norm. 71% of research respondents were found to depend on the internet and Social media to reset social norms and get information so naturally, these media became the avenues to prioritize to help policy makers and Anti-corruption agencies effectively reach Nigerians |||READ MORE

 

Oluwo of Iwo kicks against family planning in Nigeria

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, Telu I, has kicked against the practice of family planning in Nigeria saying its application will wipe out the human race.

The monarch said this while making his contribution to a public debate on family planning recently.

In his opinion, Nigerians should respect the dictate of God on procreation. He argued that the assumption that overpopulation is responsible for poverty is not correct. He said that what China has achieved as the most populous nation and emerging giant of the world could be linked to the country's huge human resources |||READ MORE

'I don't want to die': Final interview with mother, 31, who died from bowel cancer leaves viewers 'absolutely devastated' - after Panorama reveals her treatment was 'paused' for six weeks during lockdown

A mother-of-one's final interview before she died of bowel cancer last month - after her treatment was halted stopped because of the global Covid pandemic - has left viewers 'angry' and 'in floods of tears'.

In an interview broadcast during Panorama: Britain's Cancer Crisis, which aired on BBC 1 last night, Kelly Smith, 31, from Macclesfield, Cheshire, is seen telling hosts of the Radio 5 Live podcast 'You, me and the Big C' that she's 'terrified' of dying.

Kelly had restarted chemotherapy shortly before lockdown after discovering her bowel cancer had spread to her small intestine, her pancreas, lymph nodes, liver, spine, stomach and brain |||READ MORE

PULL UP FOR CHANGE FOUNDER SHARON CHUTER'S MISSION TO BUILD AN ANTI-RACIST BEAUTY INDUSTRY IS JUST GETTING STARTED

For the past few years, the beauty industry has been abuzz with talk of 'transparency' when it comes to ingredients and supply chains and 'inclusivity' when it comes to shade ranges. But what if brands approached their own employment practices, corporate structure, internal training, external marketing, product development and on-set talent with that same level of regard for transparency and inclusivity? Despite the relative ubiquity of 40-shade foundation ranges and self-aggrandizing empowerment messaging, the beauty industry — like most of corporate America — remains a racist and toxic place, wherein Black talent is often neglected, ignored and erased. Sharon Chuter is on a mission to change that.

On June 3, in the midst of a growing international movement to fight racism and scores of performative posts on social media from brands across corporate America, Chuter went public on Instagram with a simple ask: Pull Up or Shut Up. The founder of UOMA Beauty — whose tenure in the industry includes roles at Revlon, L'Oréal and Benefit — was inspired by Rihanna's moving speech at the NAACP Image Awards encouraging people to ask their friends of all races to "pull up" for the Black community. Chuter turned her attention to her own industry, calling upon beauty brands to not just share hollow messages of solidarity on social media — but to get honest about their own shortcomings, offer transparency about the diversity of their employees and outline concrete goals for doing better in the future.

"We ask all brands who have released a statement of support, to publicly release within the next 72hrs the number of black employees they have in their organizations at corporate level. We also need to know the number of black people you have in leadership roles. You all have statements and policies about being equal opportunity employers, so show us the proof," she wrote in an Instagram caption. Within that first 72 hours, dozens of companies, including Ulta, L'Oréal and Glossier, had indeed pulled up — a testament both to the power of social media and of Chuter herself. The movement has also expanded beyond beauty, with companies like Gap, Levi's, Apple and Microsoft coming forward with employment statistics and action plans for change. But all of this, says Chuter, is just the beginning |||READ MORE

Snoop Dogg honours Kobe Bryant at 2020 ESPY Awards

Snoop Dogg paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant during the virtual 2020 ESPY Awards on Sunday night.

The Gin and Juice star performed a rap tribute to the NBA (National Basketball Association) legend, who, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, passed away in a helicopter crash in January.

Snoop, real name Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr., rapped as video of Kobe, as well as footage of the many stunning murals that have popped up in tribute to him, played |||READ MORE

This partnership helped prevent 13 million deaths

Vaccines have been saving lives for centuries. But from the time Edward Jenner created the first vaccine in the late 1700s, not everyone has had equal access to them. As a result, children in some parts of the world continued to die from diseases that were preventable in other parts.

When Melinda and I learned about this inequity over twenty years ago, we thought it was infuriating—and deeply unfair. So, in 2000, our foundation teamed up with countries whose children were impacted the most, the World Health Organization, the World Bank, UNICEF, vaccine manufactures, and donors to do something about it. Together, we created an organization called Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Gavi works with governments to make sure that every child has access to the lifesaving vaccines they need. The organization makes this happen by negotiating vaccines at prices that are affordable for the poorest countries. Since Gavi guarantees high volumes, manufacturers are able to lower the cost of vaccines quite dramatically. Gavi also helps low-income countries strengthen systems to deliver vaccines to all communities |||READ MORE

 

 

George Floyd's daughter, 6, says she misses him: 'Dad changed the world'

Gianna Floyd, the 6-year-old daughter of George Floyd - who died in the custody of a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on his neck for over 8 minutes -- said in an interview with Good Morning America on Wednesday, "I miss him."

Gianna's mother, Roxie Washington, praised Floyd as a loving and doting father.

A family video of Gianna on a family friend's shoulders holding his hands shows her saying "Dad changed the world." |||READ MORE

 

Pentagon chief on shaky ground with White House after breaking with Trump over protest response

Washington (CNN)Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is on shaky ground with the White House after saying Wednesday that he does not support using active duty troops to quell the large-scale protests across the United States triggered by the death of George Floyd and those forces should only be used in a law enforcement role as a last resort.

Speaking from the Pentagon briefing room podium, Esper noted that "we are not in one of those situations now," distancing himself from President Donald Trump's recent threat to deploy the military to enforce order.

"The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act," he told reporters. Esper also distanced himself from a maligned photo-op outside St. John's Church |||READ MORE

Hungry Rivers residents scramble for spaghetti at accident scene

There was pandemonium at UTC Junction, Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Thursday following an accident involving a mini bus and a trailer loaded with cartons of spaghetti.

Scores of hungry residents, who rushed to the scene of the accident, were seen scrambling for the spaghetti, which scattered on the road because of the impact of the crash.

The residents rushed to the scene with different sizes of bags and began to pack the pieces of noodles that littered the ground as they complained of hunger |||READ MORE

PTF Reduces Nationwide Curfew, Orders Full Operation In Financial Sectors

The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has reduced the nationwide curfew from 10pm to 4am.

The National Coordinator of the PTF, Dr Sani Aliyu, announced this on Monday at the daily briefing of the task force in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He said, “Effective from tomorrow, Tuesday, June 2, 2020, the easing of the lockdown will be characterised by the following: The nationwide curfew will remain in place but the timing of this will be reduced to 10pm-4am.” |||READ MORE

COVID-19: Boss Mustapha rolls new plan as second phase of eased lockdown ends

The Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, has said state governments, community and religious leaders will be responsible for the next phase of battle against COVID-19.

Mustapha, who is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, said the decision was due to the fact that Nigeria was currently experiencing community infection.

The SGF made the disclosure after he and members of the task force met President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Sunday |||READ MORE

 

Adeboye: good things coming after pandemic

GENERAL Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye has prophesized that a lot of good things will happen in Nigeria after the lockdown imposed due to the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Adeboye, in a sermon during a live broadcast to his members yesterday through the DOVE Television monitored in Abuja, predicted that many babies will be born in early 2021.

The cleric, who informed Christians to rejoice during the lockdown, identified David and Elijah and Joseph in the Bible, as persons who became great as a result of lockdown in their lives |||READ MORE

 

21st century slaves (4): ‘How we fled sex bondage’

Precious thought if she broke out of her jail cell, she would run into freedom. She thought if she fled Jane’s Ghetto (brothel), she would break into blossom, and finally set on the path to achieve her dreams.

One month after The Nation revealed her predicament as a sex slave in Bracody’s underworld in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, she has fled captivity by Lady Jane, her Nigerian madame, to whom she was sold by her boyfriend, Nonso, for a paltry N220, 000. Lady Jane, the trafficker and sex merchant, claimed that she owed her N480, 000, however.

“There was no way I could work off the debt. I am tired. My body is tired. My genitals are worn. Because I was too eager to make money and pay off my debt, I slept with an average of 17 men daily, ‘short time’ and till day break. They were violent and mean. Most of my clients were vagabonds; street urchins, park thugs and criminals, and they did lots of wicked things to me,” she said, showing the scars of multiple cigarette burns on her left breast to the reporter |||READ MORE

COVID-19: Special palliatives should be given to pastors, Imams – MURIC

The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has said that special palliatives should be given to Pastors and Imams to help cushion the effect of COVID-19 lockdown.

The Islamic group said that such will also help reduce the agitation from those calling for the reopening of churches and mosques in Nigeria.

A statement signed by MURIC director, Ishaq Akintola reads: “Like many countries of the world, Nigeria has been under government-imposed lockdown for nearly two months. The citizenry is restless. People are hungry. The open demand by certain religious leaders for their places of worship to be reopened lends credence to the pressure clerics are going through. Even the recent decision by some state governments to reopen religious centres is not unconnected with subterranean agitations from clerics in the states. Deserted for weeks, the house of God longs for warmth |||READ MORE

Mali President Pardons 400 Prisoners To Curb COVID-19

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has pardoned 400 prisoners in order to stem the spread of coronavirus, his office said Tuesday.

Among those released was preacher Bandiougou Doumbia who was jailed for two years in March for comments notably praising jihadist leaders Iyad Ag Ghali and Amadou Koufa.

“As part of anti-COVID-19 measures, the president of the republic has granted pardons to 400 prisoners including the preacher Bandiougou Doumbia”, the presidency announced on social media |||READ MORE

 

New York Doctor Who Delayed Retirement to Treat Coronavirus Patients Dies After COVID-19 Battle

A beloved New York doctor delayed his retirement to work on the front lines of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has tragically lost his life to the contagious respiratory virus.

Dr. James Mahoney, a physician at both University Hospital of Brooklyn and its neighboring Kings County Hospital Center, died on April 27, The New York Times reported Monday.

Mahoney, 62, was loved by his patients, who he would give his cell phone and pager numbers to, and didn't stop checking in on even after he became ill himself with COVID-19 |||READ MORE

WMA decries violence against health workers worldwide

The World Medical Association, WMA, Monday raised the alarm over the rising tide of violence against health workers around the world, describing the situation as an international emergency that was intolerable.

The Association in a press statement made available to Vanguard and signed by the WMA Secretary-General, Dr. Otmar Kloiber, said urgent action was required to combat the trend.

“Over the last decade, we have seen a surge of violence against health personnel worldwide. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, this phenomenon has expanded dramatically |||READ MORE