Author: damazah@gmail.com

The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has invited the European Union (EU), the United States Embassy, the British High Commission, Yiaga Africa, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), and other election observer groups to monitor its 2026 National Officers’ Elections scheduled for July 18.  In letters signed by NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, the Association said the observers’ presence would strengthen confidence in the transparency, credibility and integrity of the electoral process.  Osigwe described the NBA as Africa’s largest professional Association of Lawyers, noting that it has consistently upheld constitutional democracy, the rule of law, human rights and institutional independence. He…

The principal of Community High School, Ahoro-Esinele, in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, Rachael Alamu, has recounted the harrowing 56 days she and more than 40 abducted pupils and teachers spent in captivity, revealing that the kidnappers repeatedly beat some of the children while blindfolding, handcuffing and chaining the male captives. Mrs Alamu spoke with journalists on Monday  shortly after military formally handed her and other survivors over to the Oyo State Government following their rescue. She described the ordeal as one of the most traumatic experiences of her life. While she escaped physical assault, she said many…

Sir Nick Faldo believes Bryson DeChambeau has “zero clue of strategy” when it comes to playing links golf.DeChambeau is looking to end his unwanted run of missing the cut in his last three starts at the major championships with a big finish at The Open at Royal Birkdale this week. Despite his woes at this year’s PGA Championship, The Masters and the US Open, DeChambeau has enjoyed a great season on LIV Golf, winning both LIV Golf Singapore and LIV Golf South Africa in March. At last year’s Open Championship, the American long driver finished tied for 10th, but endured…

Born Nigel John Dermot Neill in Omagh, Northern Ireland, in 1947, he moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, with his family as a child.He adopted the name Sam at the age of 12 because there were several Nigels at his school.He began acting while studying at the University of Canterbury and made his film debut in 1971’s The City of No. After a number of television and film roles in New Zealand, he gained wider recognition in the 1977 film Sleeping Dogs, one of the country’s first films to achieve international distribution.He later moved to Australia, where he starred in My…

Courgettes are an early summer delight, when, such is their appeal and versatility, you often can’t move for them in my kitchen. Even so, I am not entirely sure they get the full recognition they deserve in the UK, not least because we grow some marvellous varieties here. I use courgettes in everything from raw salads (very thinly sliced courgettes tossed in salt and lemon) to slow-cooked, crisp-fried (the flowers are especially good stuffed with cheese or meat, then deep-fried) or lightly charred on a barbecue, which brings out a wonderful sweetness; you can even bake them into a deliciously…

Pubs and brewers are being prevented from capitalising on Britons’ record-breaking thirst for alcohol-free beer because of over-strict regulation, a trade body has warned.More than 64m pints of low- and no-alcohol beer is forecast to be sold over the summer, an increase of 8m compared with 2025, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) said, citing the figures as proof that the category is “not just a fad”.The trend comes amid lower rates of alcohol consumption among younger people and a more short-term trend towards moderation, with the UK in the grip of multiple prolonged heatwaves.However, the BBPA warned that…

The Bangkok pub that has become the scene of the city’s deadliest blaze in 17 years has said it will cooperate with an investigation into alleged negligence, as the death toll rose to 30.The local district office said on Tuesday that three more people died after the devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of Monday. An initial assessment by disaster officials found that an electrical short ‌circuit in an air conditioner located in the ‌ceiling caused the fire.Authorities have confirmed the identities of 27 victims, with three yet to be identified. Most are believed to be Thai…

A pattern is emerging among people who’ve already made it big. They’re rolling up their sleeves again, seemingly out of fear of missing AI’s defining moment and, presumably, the irresistible allure of making even more money — potentially a lot more. Tom Blomfield, who co-founded GoCardless and Monzo before spending 4.5 years mentoring founders as a Y Combinator Group Partner, announced on Monday that he is taking a leave of absence to join Anthropic’s compute team — not as an executive, but as a member of technical staff. He’s not alone in making that kind of move. Instagram co-founder Mike…

***Awards N10m cost against party ***Judgment won’t affect ADC candidates, party insists ***Atiku heads to S’Court, alleges forged INEC documents over ‘fake’ nomination upload By Ikechukwu Nnochiri, Omeiza Ajayi & Luminous Jannamike ABUJA — In a split decision of two-to-one, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja yesterday affirmed the judgment restraining the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from recognising or participating in any state congresses organised by committees appointed by the Senator David Mark-led caretaker leadership of African Democratic Congress, ADC. But the party in a swift reaction, insisted the judgment does not affect candidates produced through the party’s…

Scientists often talk about the importance of flora and fauna to the health of our planet, but Dr Toby Kiers, an evolutionary biologist and founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks, wants us to consider another force: fungi. Her work charting the planet’s vital underground systems has earned her numerous awards, including a MacArthur fellowship and a Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (sometimes called the ‘green’ Nobel). She tells Ian Sample about her work mapping fungal networks on the remote Palmyra Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, and what the research reveals about fungi’s often invisible role