President Buhari will depart Abuja on Friday February 18th for Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt to participate in the Business for Africa, Egypt and the World Forum. A statement by the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, states that the forum, which opens in the Egyptian resort town on Saturday, February 20, 2016, is being organized by the Egyptian government under the auspices of the African Union Commission.. According to the statement, "the forum's objective is to accelerate private sector engagement and investment within Africa and promote the development of African ties and partnerships". President Buhari, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi of Egypt and the Presidents of Togo, Sudan, Kenya, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the Prime Minister of Ethiopia are among confirmed speakers at the forum. Other confirmed speakers include the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina and the President/CEO of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote. President Buhari will be accompanied on the trip by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelama. He will return to Abuja at the conclusion of the forum.
President Buhari has appointed Journalist and Blogger, Tolu Ogunlesi, as his Special Assistant on Digital and New Media. Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Shehu Garba, announced this in a statement released this evening. Congrats Tolu. See the statement below... President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday appointed Mr. Tolu Ogunlesi as his Special Assistant on Digital/New Media. Ogunlesi, who is a renowned blogger and journalist, graduated from the University of Ibadan in 2004, and obtained an MA in Creative Writing from University of East Anglia, UK, in 2011. Before his appointment, Ogunlesi had worked as a Features Editor and Editorial Board member of NEXT Newspaper. He also worked as a West Africa Editor for The Africa Report magazine from 2014 to 2015. Ogunlesi is a two-time winner of the CNN Multichoice African Journalism Awards, and a 2015 New Media Fellow of the U.S. State Department's International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP). Ogunlesi will be assisted by Bashir Ahmad, who is a Personal Assistant to the President on New Media. Femi Adesina Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity) 18th February, 2016
A Hausa Muslim man identified as Yunusa from Kano state, has been accused of kidnapping and forcefully converting and marrying off 13 year old Urhobo girl, Ese Rita Orur pictured above. According to The Sun, Yinusa who resides in Opolo, Yenagoa, had abducted Ese on August 12th 2015 and eloped with her to Kano and has refused to allow her return home. Rita's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Oruru, had made several visits to Kano to secure the release of their daughter but have been unsuccessful as Yinusa’s kinsmen insisted that Ese, who they now refer to as ‘Aisha’, belongs to them and that they are ready to pay the necessary bride price. The Orurus reported the matter to the Police and the Department of State Security (DSS) and their promise to bring home Ese has remained unfulfilled forcing the parents to take the issue to youth and civil society groups. At a press conference addressed by Kizito Andah of the Child Protection Network today February 18th, the civil society and youth groups in Bayelsa say they are ready to stage a protest and press home the demand for the release of Ese from the custody of her abductors. That also lamented the inability of both the Nigeria Police and the DSS to secure the release of Ese. They warned against an ethno-religious crisis which the abduction and forceful conversion into Islam could trigger in Bayelsa state. Andah who addresed the press, said CPN was demanding that Nigerians prevail on all relevant authorities to ensure that Ese is released and her abductors are punished in line with the laws of the land.
Kanye West was pictured sipping champagne in a super expensive jewelry store while eyeing checking out ridiculously pricey watches at Jacob & Co. Monday night in NYC. According to TMZ, who got the exclusive pics, the store is known for watches that will set you back the price of a small house.
Yesterday, Mfreke Archibong Effiong, was paraded by the Akwa Ibom State Police Command for allegedly killing his father, Mr. Archibong Effiong in Ibesikpo-Asutan LGA of the state. While parading the 25 years old, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Delia Nwawe, said the suspect hit his father with a big stick on the head. In response, the suspect attributed the incident to provocation as he never set out to kill his father. Mfreke said he came back from farm on Monday to meet his father beating the mother,Vanguard reports. He said the mother was trying to explain what happened, but his father attacked him with a broken bottle. He said he was trying to defend himself when he hit his father with the stick on his right arm.