Author: damazah@gmail.com

Veteran Nigerian Juju and Highlife musician Iyun Janet Ajilore, popularly known as Saint Janet, has been laid to rest in Abeokuta, Ogun State, weeks after her sudden death. The singer was buried on Wednesday at her residence following funeral activities that brought together her children, relatives, colleagues and admirers. Among those who joined the mourning were veteran Juju musician Gentleman Dele Taiwo and other figures associated with the traditional music community. Videos from the ceremony showed an emotional farewell as Saint Janet’s children and other mourners gathered around her remains before she was committed to the earth. The burial concluded…

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Thursday called for the arrest of the Chairperson of Kuje Area Council, Samuel Shekwolo, for reportedly asking residents to vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 or relocate from the area council. In a statement by the NHRC, the Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, described this as “intimidation and direct assault on the Constitution and on democratic principles. “In view of the foregoing, the Commission is demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of Hon. Samuel Danjuma Shekwolo by the Nigeria Police Force. “The Commission is also calling on the Department of State…

The Federal High Court in Lagos has granted the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) a 30-day extension of the detention of social media influencer and businessman Afolabi Kazeem Michael, popularly known as KC Luxury, over his alleged link to a 184.5-kilogramme cocaine seizure. The judge, Akintayo Aluko, granted the request on 20 August, after the NDLEA asked for more time to investigate Mr Kazeem’s alleged involvement in the drug trafficking case. The agency’s application was filed a day after Mr Kazeem was taken into custody, according to the certified true copy of the enrolled order shared with PREMIUM TIMES…

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.European football’s governing body Uefa said it is preparing a criminal complaint against Gianni Infantino over the Fifa president’s failed plan to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.In a US court filing, Uefa said it was seeking documents from Joshua Kushner’s investment firm, which was lined up as lead investor in Infantino’s attempt to sell a stake in Fifa’s commercial rights to the football tournament.Uefa said it was “preparing to bring criminal claims in Switzerland against Infantino and…

Panic, the indie game publishers behind the quirky, yellow crank-sporting Playdate gaming handheld, is issuing refunds to customers who had to shoulder the cost of inappropriate tariffs imposed by the Trump administration this year. The news comes months after the Supreme Court said in a February ruling that those tariffs were illegal, which also demanded that the administration refund the companies that had to temporarily pay the import taxes. In an update posted on the Playdate help site this week, Panic noted that it has finally “begun to receive refunds of the tariffs we paid in the last year” and…

Speaking ahead of Burnham’s visit, First Minister Michelle O’Neill called for a “fair budget settlement that actually works for public services”.”The reality is that we are so underfunded – have been for years,” she told reporters on Wednesday.”If Andy Burnham wants to make a difference, then he can make a difference by actually changing the funding arrangement, because what we have currently does not cut it.”Talks between Treasury officials and the executive have been taking place over the summer.On Monday, Northern Ireland secretary Sir Chris Bryant said it was “shocking” that a Stormont budget had yet to be agreed.He said…

When I began my research career nearly a decade ago, there were no female academics in the mining-engineering department at Central South University in Changsha, China. Only this year did the department appoint me as its first female professor. I welcome that change, but it shows that the expectations around who can pursue mining careers have only recently begun to shift.I have visited many mines for research and fieldwork, in China and abroad, only to be told that I could not go underground. Sometimes, this happened after I had already planned the work and travelled there. The situation felt absurd:…

The President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has confirmed his resignation from office, bringing his four-year tenure to an end amid mounting pressure over the state of Nigerian football. Mr Gusau announced his decision at a world press conference at the NFF headquarters in Abuja on Thursday, 27 August, following weeks of reports that he and several members of the federation’s Executive Committee had been coerced to step down. He said the decision followed extensive pressure from football stakeholders and consultations with his family, friends and other stakeholders. “Because of that, there was so much clamour from…

Amid all the celebrity tributes pouring in for the late Dolly Parton, one of them is getting backlash for being “disrespectful” and “foul” to the country music icon. Parton’s former co-star Ricky Schroder played Parton’s father in two NBC biopic movies based in the singer’s childhood (2015’s Dolly Parton’s Coat of Many Colors and 2016’s Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love), both of which were narrated and executive produced by Parton. In the wake of Parton’s death on Tuesday, Schroder took to social media to post, “I didn’t agree with her advocating for Transgender & Covid Vaccine support ……

By Azibaolanari Okungbowa A parent moves through a series of meetings. Not one meeting. Many. A teacher on a Tuesday. A social worker the following week. A speech therapist the month after. A school nurse somewhere in between. Someone from the local authority when the paperwork finally comes through. Each professional is there for the same child. And not one of them has spoken to the others. I know that journey. I have made it more times than I can count. And every time, before a meeting even begins, there is a thought that arrives without being invited. Here we…