Author: damazah@gmail.com

As photographed at night from a satellite, or the International Space Station (ISS), the Iberian peninsula looks encrusted with lights along its coastal edges. Madrid forms a big pulsing cluster near the centre, while surrounding hinterlands appear as something of a void. Ever fewer people live out in Castile and León and Extremadura, adjoining regions that cover much of what is known as La España Vacía, or “Empty Spain”.Not many visit either, or at least not compared with Barcelona and other glowing nodes of the tourist circuit. So, while the big ports and resorts struggle to manage surplus holidaymakers, there is…

I have been wondering if Emir Sanusi will continue to sit on his throne and keep quiet as his bosom and extremely loyal friend continues to languish in avoidable jail. The man has been refused bail for a completely bailable offence. One technicality or the other is being thrown up to keep him out of circulation, and Nigerians, knowing full well the role he played during Emir Sanusi’s time, have begun to wonder just what the very influential Emir was saying or doing. Just in case some of you have forgotten, this is how it played out.  One morning, that…

Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has described the late military Head of State, Sani Abacha, as the man who “freed” the Ijaw people from oppression by creating Bayelsa State in 1996. Mr Diri made the statement Thursday night at the dinner and awards ceremony marking the state’s 30th anniversary of the creation of the state in Yenagoa. The governor said although Mr Abacha’s legacy might be viewed differently by Nigerians, his decision to create Bayelsa from parts of the former Rivers State remained important to the Ijaw people. “If at every point in my remarks I keep calling him, it…

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, diabetes and dementia accounted for 74 per cent of global deaths in 2023, up from 58 per cent in 2000, according to the latest estimates released by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The findings, contained in the WHO’s latest Global Health Estimates released on Friday, show that although global life expectancy has largely recovered from the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s disease burden is increasingly shifting towards chronic illnesses and mental health conditions. According to the report, global life expectancy reached 73.3 years in 2023, almost returning to the 73.4…

A 30-year-old man, Chibuike Okpara, says he killed his girlfriend, dismembered her body and hid it inside a toilet in his apartment. PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that the police in the state arrested the suspect for killing the victim on 19 September in his apartment at Olympic Layout, One-Day Area of Enugu State. At the time, the police simply identified the victim as Chinyere. Full identity revealed  In a video clip posted on Friday morning, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, Daniel Ndukwe, said the deceased victim has been identified as Chinyere Ugwu. Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said…

Lately, the Presidency has continued to weaken the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) by truncating career progression and replacing merit with personal loyalty and ethnic affiliation. Under former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, tens of deputy inspectors general of Police and deputy comptroller-general on Immigration and customs were compulsorily retired before and after attaining the mandatory 60 years of age and 35 years in service. As a result, competent officers have been forced into premature retirement mainly due to stagnation, political interference, favouritism and nepotism. The tenures of the Comptroller-General…

The Nigeria Police Force, Akwa Ibom State Command, has released the leaders of the Obi-Kwankwaso (OK) and Obidient movements in the state after more than 24 hours in detention following a disputed Independence Day march in Uyo. OK and Obidient movements are political groups working toward the actualisation of the presidential aspiration of the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso. Elijah Noah, coordinator of the OK Movement, and Ben Smith, state coordinator of the Obidient Movement, were among nine people the police arrested during the controversy surrounding the planned 1 October political procession. Mr…

A finance and project-management professional, Olawunmi Odufuye, has called for improved forecasting of fertiliser costs and supply conditions to help strengthen food security in the United States. Odufuye made the call in an article on fertiliser economics, where she said forward-looking analysis could help manufacturers, farmers, investors and policymakers prepare for changes in production costs and supply conditions. She noted that fertiliser costs and availability could influence planting decisions, production budgets, farm margins and the wider economics of food production. According to her, fertiliser markets are affected by several interconnected factors, including energy prices, availability of raw materials, production capacity,…

The 20 best residential gardens have been revealed in the first-ever Landscape Australia awards shortlist. Jury chair Emily Wong said each project was a response to urgent issues like the climate crisis, fire and flood resilience, and the loss of biodiversity. They saw gardens as ‘part of a larger living commons that supports different ecologies and also … the future of Australian cities’. Wong also noted that private gardens take up a large quantity of space in Australian cities. ‘So really, these gardens are about seeing the design as a contribution to shared infrastructure’

The Rotary Club of Eko Signature has formally installed its Charter President, Rotarian Davina Ogbue, with a clear agenda to leverage corporate partnerships and professional networks for sustainable community development. The installation ceremony in Lagos brought together business leaders, government representatives, and club’s officials who reiterated commitment to humanitarian service. In her address, Ogbue emphasised that leadership in Rotary is ‘a call to action’ rather than prestige.  “We wanted to create a distinct space where the energy, talents and minds of the next generation could be seamlessly channelled into sustainable life-changing service. We began with 20 charter members and has…