AHMED JODA's exit and the northern autumn - Matthew Hassan Kukah

Ahmed Joda

A TRIBUTE BY:  Matthew Hassan Kukah

"... With Ahmed Joda gone, the north is at best now a huge graveyard. Its children are now largely orphans."

The death of Ahmed Joda marks the drop of the final leaves of the northern autumn. Ordinarily, in spring, the first drops of the rains and moisture breathe life into the foliage and in turn, a long process begins to ensure that fresh leaves return to the trees.

However, with the bandits and kidnappers having taken over the region, Northern Nigeria is faced with a prospect of self- immolation that is almost impossible to contemplate.

The region’s internal tensions commenced long ago with the death of the Gamji himself on January 15th, 1966. His rarified personage had dwarfed all around him and there were hardly any pretending deputies in sight. Everyone around the Sardauna was merely an altar server; no co-celebrants as such.

EDITORIAL: Electronic voting and transmission of results – the imperative to safeguard democracy

Our top editorial this moment comes from the Premium Times with a message in view of the seemingly much awaited Nigeria’s 2023 Elections and a deserving voting pattern. The story reads:

 As the Conference Committee of the National Assembly begins harmonising the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, PREMIUM TIMES deems it necessary to reiterate the need to pass an electoral law that would fully accommodate both electronic voting and the electronic transmission of results. We are firmly convinced that such step would safeguard Nigeria’s democracy.

The main purpose of the Conference Committee is to reconcile the two versions of the Amendment Bill as respectively passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Wao! The largest house in the country is for sale, but no one is buying it.

Meet "The One Bel Air" – a Los Angeles megamansion that is believed to be the largest modern home in the United States, USA Today, reports.

According to Architectural Digest, the record-breaking estate has 105,000 square feet of living space, including 42 bathrooms, 21 bedrooms and a 5,500-square-foot master suite, the report states, adding that the property is also adorned with jaw-dropping features and amenities — including a sky deck, night club, several swimming pools, 10,000 bottle wine cellar, a 50-seat theater, a four-lane bowling alley.

Nigeria's Former Vice President Holidays With His Family at Children Park

Nigeria's former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar takes his family out on a holiday as he flashes a few photos via his IG with the message "Out and about on holiday with my children and grandchildren at the National Children Park & Zoo" 

A MESSAGE TO NIGERIAN CHRISTIANS – Femi Emmanuel

-          We have prayed enough and God has answered our prayers.

-          God answered our prayers by giving us large followership.

-          Mega churches in Nigeria are not available anywhere in the world.

-          No church like Redeem … in the world.

-          No church like Winners … in the world.

-          No church like Mountain of Fire … in the world.

-          No church like Chosen … in the world.

-          No church like Christ Embassy … in the world.

-          No church like Deeper Life … in the world.

-          Redeem alone has over 40,000 parishes.

-          Winners alone has over 30,000 parishes.

We have prayed enough and God has answered! The church should wake up, rise up and start playing their part in building a better Nigeria. We have the number, we have the resources, we have everything we need to repair Nigeria from the grassroots. The time to start is now!

This message was delivered by Pastor Femi Emmanuel, Presiding Pastor of Livingspring Chapel International while addressing his congregation as Nigeria marks her 61^st Independence Anniversary.

Calling on Nigerian Christians to partake in politics from the grassroots, Pastor Femi has equally asked them to change their prayer modes.

“So, it’s not just ‘deliver Nigeria, Deliver Nigeria’, he said. “It should be called ‘Wake up your church’.

“Talk to your General Overseers. The church community is an imprisoned community. Our General Overseers have imprisoned us. They must release us, mobilize us, encourage us to go to the grass root. Politics is in the grassroots”, he added.

Thousands of Haitians prepare to trek through Panama's jungle and on to the U.S.

Haitian migrants in Necoclí, Colombia, walk toward boats that will take them to the town of Acandí, across the Gulf of Urabá. The boats can't keep up with the number of Haitians looking to travel from Colombia through the jungle to Panama to eventually reach the U.S.

Carlos Villalón for NPR

NECOCLÍ, Colombia — This town's Caribbean beaches used to fill up with tourists but there's no longer room. Instead, thousands of Haitian migrants who can't afford the hotels have pitched tents on just about every patch of sand, National Public Radio (NPR) reports.

According to the report, Nearly 20,000 Haitians, who are on their way to the United States, are now holed up in Necoclí, forming a human bottleneck even bigger than the recent migrant logjams on the U.S.-Mexican border.

Tents pitched at Necocli's beach in September. About 19,000 migrants are living in the town, some staying in hotels and many other camping out on the beach.

Carlos Villalon for NPR

Bruno Noel got to Necoclí two weeks ago with his wife and 6-month-old son and notes his many compatriots speaking Haitian Creole on the boardwalk. "This is like a smaller version of Haiti," he quips, the report states further adding that Lacking visas, Noel and other Haitians are taking a roundabout, overland route to get to the U.S. Many moved to Brazil, Chile and other South American nations following Haiti's devastating 2010 earthquake. But now that countries in the region have eased pandemic travel restrictions, throngs of Haitians are heading north. Many believe they will have a better chance to get into the U.S. — and to stay there — now that Donald Trump has been replaced in the White House by President Biden.

811m people are hungry, appeal against food wastage - UN

The UN food agency has launched an urgent appeal for action to reduce the amount of food that is wasted, saying lack of food, hunger and malnutrition affect every country in the world, NAN reports.

According to the report, The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Tuesday that 17 per cent of all food available to consumers in 2019 ended up being thrown away.

An additional 132 million people face food and nutrition insecurity today because of the COVID-19 pandemic, FAO said, ahead of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, on Wednesday, 29 September.

The problem of food waste is a global one and not limited to wealthy nations alone, said Nancy Aburto, Deputy Director of FAO’s Food and Nutrition Division Economic and Social Development Stream, speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

“Food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition are impacting every country in the world and no country is unaffected; 811 million people suffer hunger, two billion suffer micronutrient deficiencies – that’s vitamin and mineral deficiencies – and millions of children suffer stunting and wasting, deadly forms of under-nutrition.”

"Made In Lagos" album reaches number 1 on the chart

Nigeria's Musician, Wizkid

Cool FM 96.9 Abuja reported few days ago that Wizkid’s ‘Made in Lagos‘ album reached number one on the chart.

According to the report, Nigerian superstar singer, Wizkid (Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun) is now holding the record of longest stay on Billboard World Albums Chart.

He tallied with Fela Anikulapo Kuti last week.

Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's ‘The Best Of The Black President‘ album, a compilation released in 1999, spent forty-five weeks on the Billboard World Albums Chart, making it the longest-running album on the chart for a Nigerian singer.

However, according to current updates, Afrobeats sensation Wizkid has broken the record by spending a total of 46 weeks on the Billboard World Albums rankings with his 2020 ‘Made in Lagos’ album.

Wizkid’s ‘Made in Lagos‘ album reached number one on the chart, while Fela’s ‘The Best Of The Black President‘ peaked at number three.

SPECIAL REPORT: Inside Nigeria’s worsening kidnap-for-ransom scourge

A study of reported cases of Kidnap-for-ransom in the media reveals that the crime has become perhaps the biggest security threat in Nigeria.

Tears dropped down the cheeks of Catherine Ukpekpi as she narrated her family’s ordeal. It was April and her husband, Ben, the leader of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) in Cross River State, had been kidnapped four weeks earlier. It was the second time in 16 months that he had been kidnapped.

Mrs Ukpekpi said the circumstances of both incidents were identical. Just as in December 2019, he was again abducted at the front of their house in Calabar, and by people she suspected were the same.

“Two days later they opened communication and said we should pay N150 million before they release my husband. I asked them N150,000 or N150 million? They said ‘madam N150 million! We abducted your husband for money. Pay us N150 million, not a kobo less. He is the NLC chairman’”.

2023 Campaign Posters For Ailing Ex-Lagos Governor Surface In London

Former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu

Images of the APC leader were on display at some London train stations.

From Sahara reporters, New York comes this report of political campaign posters of former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu.

See the full story below, curtesy of Sahara Reporters:

Campaign posters for the ailing All Progressives Congress National Leader and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, to run for Nigeria’s president in 2023 have emerged in London, United Kingdom where he is currently receiving treatment.

In a viral video shared on Monday on Arise TV, images of the APC leader were on display at some London train stations.

SaharaReporters observed that several groups had of recent campaigned for the frail APC leader and shown support for his presidential ambition, even though he had yet to officially declare his interest in succeeding Buhari in 2023.

The adverts were also said to be on display at the popular London’s Heathrow Airport. Tinubu’s photographs were splashed on the walls.

Career Path: Young Boy Wishes To Be A Killer

Did you miss this? Well, don't fret, this is it, the video of young boy with a stunning career choice that has sent many wandering. The lad wishes to be a killer. Yes, that's what he said. See it here in the video below curtsey, Arise News:

Bobrisky apologises to Tonto

Via her post on IG, Bobrisky is apologising to Tonto with this message: “Tonto, I humiliated you here so is a must I come back here to apologize for calling you out !!! I honestly didn’t know what came over me, but I later realize I was wrong... pls find it in your heart to forgive me. Yes I might have be there for u as friends, the truth is you were also there for me at some point of my life. Pls find it in ur heart to forgive me once more. We necessarily shouldn’t be friends no more but let me apologize for calling you out.

“To my fans, and to tonto fans I’m sorry many of you are disappointed at me, pls forgive me and I promise never to repeat dis no more.

“@iamfaithojo mummy thanks for giving me the best advice God bless you ma, you are truly a mother who don’t support evil.”

What helps you cope with stress?

Photo credit: Medical News Today

Stress can feel like a baseline condition for many of us – especially during a pandemic. But there are ways to support yourself through the very worst of it, whether through help, sleep or radical self-care, The Guardian reports.