Author: damazah@gmail.com

Born in Glasgow, Andrew O’Hagan, 58, studied at the University of Strathclyde. In 1995, he published The Missing, a work of nonfiction. His debut novel, Our Fathers, was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1999; Be Near Me and The Illuminations were longlisted in 2006 and 2015. His recent novels are Caledonian Road and Mayflies. The latter was adapted for BBC television in 2022 and is now a play which will be performed at the Edinburgh fringe from 7 to 30 August. O’Hagan is editor at large for the London Review of Books; he lives in London with his wife…

President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration’s commitment to improving security, education, infrastructure and economic development, saying ongoing reforms are laying the foundation for a more prosperous Nigeria. The President stated this on Saturday at the third General Hassan Usman Katsina Memorial Conference held at Arewa House, Kaduna. Tinubu, represented by his Special Assistant on Political Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Masari, said his administration remained committed to safeguarding the legacies of Nigeria’s founding leaders through policies that promote national development. He expressed optimism that the security situation, particularly in Northern Nigeria, would improve. “While we continue to work day and night…

NewsFeedIran has condemned a Ukrainian attack on one of its commercial vessels, summoned Kyiv’s top diplomat, and urged the UN Security Council to respond, warning the incident could escalate the war. Iran says a sailor was killed in the incident. Al Jazeera’s Tohid Asadi reports from Tehran.Published On 26 Jul 202626 Jul 2026Click here to share on social mediashare-nodesSharegoogleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo

As Nigeria’s budgets grow bigger, so do allegations of padding, raising fresh doubts about implementation and accountability, writes Festus Akanbi The annual budget is the most important economic policy document of any government. It translates policy priorities into roads, schools, hospitals, security, power projects and other public services. Yet, in Nigeria, the budget has increasingly become a source of controversy rather than confidence. Instead of serving as a development blueprint, successive appropriation exercises have been dogged by allegations of budget padding, opaque project insertions, duplication of expenditures and questionable constituency allocations. Those concerns have resurfaced as the National Assembly scrutinises the…

Monday.com, the Tel Aviv-based work management software company known for its colorful, customizable project-tracking boards, this week became the latest tech company to cite AI as a factor in job cuts. On Wednesday, the company said in an SEC filing that it will lay off about 20% of its workforce, or just over 600 employees, as part of a “restructuring plan” tied to its “ongoing transformation of its product, marketing, and go-to-market strategy” in support of “a leaner, more focused operating model” as it continues investing in its “AI-driven growth strategy.” Co-founder Eran Zinman told employees in a LinkedIn memo…

For Kano State to retain its enviable status as one of the most peaceful states in the North-west geopolitical zone ahead of the 2027 general election, Ejiofor Alike writes that the political actors in the state should withdraw support for rival thuggery groups  and other criminal gangs currently threatening peace in the state  Despite its huge population and status as a politically volatile state, Kano State has retained its enviable position as one of the few states in the North-west that have not been severely hit by insurgency and armed banditry. Even at the peak of the emirship tussle between the state government-recognised…

Indeed, few figures in Nigeria’s politics have cut through the noise quite like Senator Adeola, who epitomises industrial grit and now stands as a quiet model of renewal. What makes Adeola remarkable is not the flash of his campaigns or the polish of his rhetoric, but the steady, almost old-fashioned wisdom that marked him long before he ever sought higher office. Voters didn’t just elect him to his previous and current political offices. They adore the version of leadership he genuinely represents: thoughtful, substantive, and rooted in lived experience, rather than ideology. In some obvious ways, the whole episode is…

Argentina’s forward #10 Lionel Messi cries during the trophy ceremony at the end of the 2026 World Cup football tournament final match between Spain and Argentina at the New York/New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) Lionel Messi will not be required to play in next week’s Major League Soccer All-Star Game after representing Argentina in the recent World Cup final, the US domestic league said Saturday. Inter Miami superstar Messi had been sanctioned last year for skipping the annual showcase, which pits top players from across MLS against rivals from…

It is important to follow a balanced diet on holiday. Too many “My Wife’s Sister’s Husband’s Psychopath”, and you’ll get confused and grumpy. Too much sugary romance and your teeth will fall out. Something too big and challenging you’ve been meaning to get round to for ages will make you feel guilty and more liable to give in to scrolling, and if you take too many supposedly upmarket “must reads” of the summer, you will simply prove to yourself just how much overhyped averageness there is out there, when all you want is something satisfying.You need to be able to…

The NIPR has, over the decades, built an enviable reputation as Nigeria’s foremost professional body for strategic communication, stakeholder engagement, reputation management and relationship building. Precisely because of that reputation, the circumstances described in this memoir invite reflection on whether greater dialogue, mediation and internal engagement might have produced a less divisive outcome. Public relations professionals are often the first to counsel organisations on crisis communication, stakeholder engagement, reputation management and conflict resolution. They advocate dialogue before confrontation, mediation before litigation, and empathy before escalation. But what happens when a veteran public relations practitioner believes those very principles were denied…