(Published in The PUNCH, on Monday, January 2, 2023) With a halo round his head, Pelé packed lightning in his right foot, thunder in his left; the reason his footsteps sparkled, the reason he shone like a million stars, the reason he was named Edson after the inventor of the light bulb, Thomas Edison: the reason he turned football to ‘jogo bonito’ – the beautiful game. Pelé was born in the morning of October 23, 1940 when electric light arrived in his hometown of Três Corações, a city in Minas Gerais, light and sunlight heralded the son of light to…
Author: Soffiyyah Olamide
By Qasim Akinreti, Ph.D January 1st, 2023, Ben Shemang marks his 60th birthday. That signifies a glorious exit from Voice of Nigeria as an International State Broadcaster. Medium height, black, handsome, soft-spoken, and always full of jokes. That was my boss, Ben Shemang. A multi-lingual international broadcast journalist, trainer, and news administrator, Ben as popularly called by his peers, will be remembered for making significant contributions to Voice of Nigeria. Immense Contributions To VON He took over from John Elaigwu, as the Bureau Chief of VON in Abuja in the early years of the movement to Abuja. Yemi Fakayejo, ‘FAKAS”,…
Dear Compatriots and Friends, Happy New Year! May all our national calamities disappear this year. I am constrained to write this letter to all Nigerians, especially young Nigerians, friends of Nigeria globally as well as our development partners because of the gravity, responsibility and implications of the collective decision Nigerians, both young and old will be making within the next two months. The last seven and a half years have no doubt been eventful and stressful years for many Nigerians. *We have moved from frying pan to fire and from mountain top to the valley.* Our leaders have done their…
Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi has slammed former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for endorsing the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi for the 2023 General Elections reported thegazellenees.com Speaking in an interview with Channels Television, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, a former External Affairs Minister, slammed former President Obasanjo for releasing a statement about the upcoming general election and hinting at his preferred presidential candidate. According to Professor Akinyemi, Obasanjo has had his tenure hence he should go home and just be quiet. The former Foreign Affairs Minister described Obasanjo as part of the country’s problems, therefore should…
The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN), Lagos State Area Unit has urged all stakeholders to tackle prevalent challenges in Nigeria so that equal rights and peaceful coexistence prevail in the Society. The Amir (President) of MSSN Lagos, Miftahudeen Thanni, made the appeal during the formal closing ceremony of the society’s 113th Islamic Vacation Course ( IVC) in the Epe area of Lagos State. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, lawmakers in the state, prominent clerics and other notable personalities. The students’ leader said Nigerians’ patriotism has been weakened by the challenges…
A wanted terrorist kingpin, Gwoska Dankarami, on New Year eve, escaped death by the whiskers when air strikes of the Nigerian military targeted his hideout, along Kaura Namoda Road in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State. PRNigeria however gathered that several of his foot soldiers were not so lucky, as they were eliminated by the Nigerian Air Force, NAF, jets’ rockets. The well-planned and coordinated air operations carried out in the early hours of Saturday, 31 December, 2022, targeted Dankarami’s hideout with the intent of eliminating the terrorist, but he escaped with serious injuries, a military intelligence operative told…
Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has congratulated all Nigerians at home and those in the diaspora at the beginning of year 2023 while praying that the new year will be a positive turning point for the country. Saraki in a statement from his Media Office in Abuja signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu noted that many events, both sad and good, happened in the year 2022 that just ended but that there were many reasons for both the entire country as a collective and individual citizens to appreciate God for sustaining us all. “Our country continues to confront security, economic,…
My Fellow Countrymen and Women. I wish all of you a very happy and prosperous New Year. First, I would like to thank and honour the Almighty who saw us through the year 2022 and has given us the opportunity to see another year. Each New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, reposition, and move forward with the New. As we celebrate the opportunity to be alive in this year 2023, we must also acknowledge the passing away of our brothers and sisters who didn’t make it into this new year. May their souls rest in…