In commemoration of the 2019 Africa Youth Day celebration themed “1 million by 2020: count me in”, a nd in response to the African Unions call on governments, the private sector participants, development partners, civil society organizations and youth development stakeholders to stand up and be counted as drivers of its 1 million by 2021 initiative towards youth empowerment, Baywood Foundation, a youth-oriented organization founded and funded by Emperor Baywood-Ibe organized a one day consultative dialogue to foster new approaches to address the Challenges of the African Youth. Empress Patricia Baywood Ibe, Deputy Managing Director, Baywood Foundation Enugu giving  the keynote address on behalf of the Chairman of Baywood Foundation

Nine young Ghanaians including dancehall artiste, Shatta Wale, Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and producer, GuiltyBeatz have been ranked among the 2019 100 Most Influential Young Africans list released by Africa Youth Awards. The list which annually recognises the works of young Africans who have impacted lives across the continent, features young people from 32 African countries. Other young Ghanaians on the list include the founder of African Fashion Fund, Roberta Annan, Freelance Journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, Managing Director of Primetime Ltd, organisers of National Science & Maths Quiz, Nana Akua Ankomah-Asare, Tech Era CEO, Derrick Omari and Director of GhanaThink Foundation, Ato Ulzen-Appiah.

Now that the furor around the show has finally subsided a bit, it’s time to take a look at who most people don’t realize is  low-key  the other/real winner of  Big Brother Naija . A lot has been said on and offline, about the housemates and the way they played the game. In my opinion, the show is, among many things, one big social experiment on human behavior – it reveals who we are, and I’m not just talking about the contestants.

I have observed with rapt interest,  the mantra in some quarters that Imo State needs a Technocrat as a governor in order to right the wrongs of the past and bring about transformational development. However, this school of thought would suffice in some climes and circumstance, never without subjection to variant reprovals.

 A business mogul and frontline politician, Mr Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has called for decentralization of more power to state to fast track Nigeria's development.  The Chairman of Bresson AS limited said there was need for Nigeria to decentralise power to the states if it must survive as a productive country. 

Hope is the theme song for Omo, the Daily Trust Newspaper Most Anticipated Book of 2018. The song is in sync with the theme of the action thriller novel by Flight Lieutenant Alexander Emmanuel, who has said he was dedicating the song and the book to Leah Sharibu, who is still in captivity since her abduction from Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi on 19 February 2018,   and every African child who is snared by discrimination and abuse. 

Nigeria is one of the greatest countries in the world, whose greatness is being held back by numerous self inflicted vices. While the country is blessed abundantly in all fronts, its greatest undoing is the lack of visionary leadership, which some analysts have described as Nigeria’s natural disaster. Successive governments in Nigeria have blamed the complexity of the country for their failure in office and some even argued that Nigeria is a difficult country to govern.

Foundation for Peace Professionals (FPP), an independent Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) has publicly unveiled the much anticipated Nigeria Peace Index (NPI) research and the index came with some shocking revelation. Nigeria Peace Index (NPI) is the first national peace index in Nigeria focused on measuring peace tendencies through foundational indices. In the Nigeria Peace Index (NPI) publicly unveiled in Abuja  on Friday , Osun and Kogi State emerged as the 2 most peaceful states in Nigeria, followed by Ekiti, Kwara and Imo State, which emerged as 3rd, 4th and 5th most peaceful states respectively. The index also revealed that Yobe, Kebbi, Bauchi, Zamfara and Sokoto State are the five least peaceful states in Nigeria. This is apart from Borno State that was not considered in the research due to insufficient data and the Boko Haram red light.

Nigerian Blogger, Helen Ozor known for her event blog www.helenozor.com Shows off Sheraton Club Floor, Lagos. Hear her story on this guided tour. When I got invited by Sheraton Lagos to spend 24hours on the Club Floor, I was really looking forward to my stay . Why? Because the Club Floor was recently renovated and not many people in Nigeria are familiar with it. So it is great to introduce it to a few more people. Everything on the Club Floor is so grand. Below is how my stay went. Pre-Arrival Was there any pre-arrival communication by the hotel with myself via email ? Yes there was. We exchanged emails and I had my itinerary sent to me ahead in order to get me ready for my stay. But it was totally flexible and I had no special requests. Did I try to engage the hotel via Social Media ? Did the hotel interact with me and make me feel welcome/special?

The second wave of democratization in Africa, beginning in the 80s, and the gradual establishment of democracy as the new normal in the continent brought much hope and excitement. As we have seen in the recent intervention by the military in Zimbabwe, coup d’etats have become unpopular and unacceptable in the entire continent in deference perhaps to dominant global politics. In the past two decades, there have been many electoral transitions across the continent indicative of a pattern of democratic consolidation. In reality, however, mercenaries of democracy, dictators and a military culture dominate African politics. The form of governance may have changed, but the form of politics has remained seemingly unchangeable. We are forcefully reminded of this by certain recent developments across the continent. In Burundi, President  Pierre Nkurunziza  has just ensured that the officials of a football team, which rough-tackled him during a football match last year, have been s...

Over the weekend, I joined my children to watch the much talked about ‘Black Panther’. It was a good film, and I was happy they took me to see it. However, I came out of the movie theatre a little upset. When the first scenes came up, and I saw “Sambisa Forest” I was unhappy that the only reference the film makers could have for Nigeria was a negative one, but I was later encouraged by the thought of Africans solving African problems. That is a good thing, the kinds of things we used to do. For young people who may not remember, Nigerian civil servants and indeed most able citizens used to contribute money every month to support the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Nigeria was the single stabilizing force across West Africa. Helping to restore peace in Liberia and Sierra Leone are examples of the gigantic status we once had.

Deputy speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly and the chairman, House Committee on Information, Rt. Hon.Cosmos Ndukwe took to his facebook page to share insightful rehabiliation story of Umunnato General Hospital. Read his story below... REHABILITATION OF UMUNNATO GENERAL HOSPITAL: THE TRUE STORY While I was seeking the mandate of Bende North (UMUNNA) people to represent them at Abia House of Assembly, I was specific in my campaign promise that I would do all within my powers to see that the General Hospital, Umunnato is rehabilitated to serve its original purpose of providing quality Medicare to the people of Umunna and environs. I was particularly disturbed that rural dwellers were not availed the diverse opportunities having a secondary healthcare facility provide. I knew that a functional general hospital within Umunna would serve the specific health needs of my people at Ezeukwu, Ugwueke, Alayi, Item and Igbere.

Nigeria's first Male empowerment blogger, Jenny Chisom lent her voice to politics focused on the mindset of some young Nigeria. Here is it unedited: For Those young people who think no matter what a younger Nigerian does, he or she cannot win the likes of Buhari, Atiku and the statesmen in a Free and fair election; and those who even believe that no matter what happens, elections can never be free and fair in Nigeria, read and react later: I see all you young but clueless people everywhere online and offline and my heart goes out for you. It is obvious you do not believe that there comes a time in the life of a nation when young people decide to take back their nation and by their numbers, can achieve it.

According to TheNigerian.news , Simi in her own words while answering an interview said: I believe that everybody is entitled to their opinions. Some people may say that they don’t like my dress, shoes or any other thing. I don’t find that surprising or strange because there are also a lot of dresses and shoes that I don’t like. I like to be comfortable in whatever I wear and that is what dictates my outfits. A lot of people have expressed their views about my dress sense on social media. Sometimes, I ‘humour’ them. Read all about it HERE

The former Central Bank Governor, and Emir of Kano His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi the second , surprised guests present at the Muson Centre for the launching of the book of Sir Olaniwun Ajayi in mid 2017. Below is his unedited speech. “Let me start by saying that I am Fulani (laughter). My grandfather was an Emir also fulani my uncle and guardian was also the immediate late Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero and therefore I represent all that has been talked about this afternoon. Sir Ajayi has written a book. And like all Nigerians of his generation, he has written in the language of his generation. “My grandfather was a Northerner, I am a Nigerian. The problem with this country is that in 2009, we speak in the language of 1953. Sir Olaniwun can be forgiven for the way he spoke, but I cannot forgive people of my generation speaking in that language.

In October 2017, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced to the delight of Nigerians that it is making arrangements with the Nigerian Prisons Service to allow some classes of prisoners to vote in the next general elections scheduled for 2019.  This development was greeted with glee and exhilaration as Nigerians began to envisage hope in the Nigeria of our dream. The announcement signaled Nigeria assuming its place in the comity of nations who have since keyed into this laudable democratic etiquette. Prior to that belated announcement, the Federal High Court, Benin-city, Edo state had in 2014 ruled that inmates of prisons across Nigeria have the right to vote in all elections conducted in Nigeria. 

Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School Ikeja, a co educational institution founded by the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles otherwise known as OLA on 21St January 1969. MCSS will hold her 49th School Anniversary on the 26th and 27th of January 2018. The Anniversary celebration will be characterized by a number of activities which includes Prize giving/ Award ceremony as well as Career counselling/Career talk which will hold on the 26th January,2018. The Career Counselling talks will be delivered by Ex Landers who have distinguished themselves in the areas of Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, I.T. and Human resources.

One of the biggest news websites in Nigeria went offline late October and has remained unavailable since. Here I refer to  naij.com , a website that has repeatedly ranked among the top ten most visited websites in Nigeria for years. I hate to be the harbinger of bad news but I must inform you that many internet service providers in  Nigeria have knocked Naij and dozens of other websites off the Nigerian online space for weeks now. According to available evidence, the blockade of domain names of Naij and others was at the behest of the federal government. President Muhammadu Buhari, born-again democrat and lover of free speech, scored his biggest coup against the media and the country is quiet. Shutting down  naij.com  in

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo’s office coordinates the Presidential Enabling Business Council. The Council was set up pursuant to an Executive Order signed by the V.P then Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The crux of the Order was to ease the process  of doing business in Nigeria. Prior to this order, it was a herculean task moving from point A to Point B in business registration without facing countless potholes. The move by the Vice President has so far received accolades both within and outside the shores of the country. The Ease of Doing Business initiative has streamlined the process of business registration making it easier to start a business. The V.P has also involved industry stakeholders comprising the organized private sector and relevant government departments with a view to cover up loopholes that impede efficient business formation and administration in Nigeria. Several regulatory agencies have been directed to reduce the down- time in...

Obinna Edeh © Nigeria’s print and electronic media are currently awash with the news of another leaked presidential memo. The gist is that a couple of days ago, the President directed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation  to respond to a query explaining the circumstances in which the sacked pension boss, Abdulrasheed Maina was reinstated into the civil service. The query further instructed the Head of Service to send in a reply through the office of the Chief of Staff before the close of work. However, few days after the query and response was dispatched, Nigerians woke up to see the leaked version of the letter to the President awash in the dailies. The news paper (that broke the news) explained that her correspondent sighted the letter and since it was a hot gist, they actually rushed to publish without due diligence.