FEATURES

Sunday, 31 October 2021 05:54

How 'Let's Go Brandon' became code for insulting Joe Biden

When Republican Rep. Bill Posey of Florida ended an Oct. 21 House floor speech with a fist pump and the phrase “Let’s go, Brandon!” it may have seemed cryptic and weird to many who were listening. But the phrase was already growing in right-wing circles, and now the seemingly upbeat sentiment -- actually a stand-in for swearing at Joe Biden -- is everywhere. South Carolina Republican Jeff Duncan wore a “Let’s Go Brandon” face mask at the Capitol last week. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz posed with a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign at the World Series. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s press secretary…

Sunday, 31 October 2021 05:51

Facebook's new name ridiculed by Hebrew speakers

Facebook's announcement that it is changing its name to Meta has caused quite the stir in Israel where the word sounds like that for "dead". To be precise, Meta is pronounced like the feminine form of the Hebrew word. A number of people have taken to Twitter to share their take on the name under the hashtag #FacebookDead. The emergency rescue volunteers Zaka even got involved, telling their followers on Twitter: "Don't worry, we're on it". Another Twitter user said: "Thank you for providing all Hebrew speakers a good reason to laugh." Facebook isn't the only company to be ridiculed…

Tuesday, 26 October 2021 05:45

‘Why I returned to Boko Haram and how I escaped', woman tells story of her romance with terrorist commanders

In 2017, Aisha Yerima shocked her family when she willingly returned to Boko Haram captivity after she had been freed by the military. Four years on and the 30-year-old has now escaped and returned to her parents' home in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. She was kidnapped by Boko Haram at the age of 21 from a town Southeast of Maiduguri and went on to marry one of the group's commanders, whom she said won her heart with romance and gifts. He had gone off to battle when the military attacked their camp in the Sambisa Forest, rescuing Aisha…

Tuesday, 26 October 2021 05:43

Failed state? Why Nigeria’s fragile democracy is facing an uncertain future

Peter Beaumont A series of overlapping security, political and economic crises has left Nigeriafacing its worst instability since the end of the Biafran war in 1970. With experts warning that large parts of the country are in effect becoming ungovernable, fears that the conflicts in Africa’s most populous state were bleeding over its borders were underlined last week by claims that armed Igbo secessionists in the country’s Southeast were now cooperating with militants fighting for an independent state in the anglophone region of neighbouring Cameroon. The mounting insecurity from banditry in the Northwest, jihadist groups such as Boko Haram in…

Sunday, 24 October 2021 06:18

Sunday Igboho’s aide released from DSS detention gives blow-by-blow account of the midnight attack by security operatives on the separatist’s home

Onaolapo Ademola is one of the 12 associates of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, recently released on bail from the custody of the Department of State Services. In this interview with KAYODE OYERO, Ademola narrates how the secret police raided the Ibadan residence of Igboho in a Gestapo style in the midnight of July 1, 2021, killing two associates and arresting him and other Igboho’s aides Please tell us about yourself. I am Onaolapo Ademola by name. I am 32 years old. I’m a solar inverter expert. I deal in land and real estate and also have…

Saturday, 23 October 2021 05:58

5 things you’re doing that attract snakes

Sure, you clean your home to make it look presentable, but maintaining a tidy space is also the first step toward keeping pest problems at bay. However, it's not just rodents and roaches you're fending off by ensuring that your space is clean as a whistle: experts say that avoiding certain tasks as a homeowner could be making your house or yard look like an attractive hideout for snakes. Before you find yourself faced with a slithering surprise, find out which cleaning and maintenance habits could be attracting snakes to your space. 1 Don’t neglect cleaning up your bird feeder…

Friday, 22 October 2021 05:44

Think big: Six ways to accomplish more as a leader

The best leaders among us think big. Visionary leaders create a future that seems impossible to others. Think Kennedy, who sent a man to the moon. Or Steve Jobs, who imagined the iPod and iPhone, which would transform the way we communicate with one another. Or Nelson Mandela, the first democratically elected President of South Africa, and the leader of the Anti-Apartheid movement. And then there are everyday heroes who make big, audacious, impossible things happen. Like Desray Shuck, former head of leadership development for the global mining conglomerate, Anglo American, with operations across six continents and with over 63,000…

Wednesday, 20 October 2021 06:02

#EndSARS: 'He died in my arms.' 12 months on, a mother's agonising wait to find out why her son died at Lekki toll gate

When Adesola heard about the shooting at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos on October 20, 2020, she immediately thought of her son who had earlier left home to join the hundreds of young people protesting against police brutality at the site. In a blind panic, she called his phone, but there was no answer. She immediately hailed a passing motorcycle taxi, known locally as an Okada, and raced to the scene. But nothing could have prepared her for the harrowing scenes she witnessed when she got there, she said. "While I was looking for my son... I saw people…

Wednesday, 20 October 2021 06:00

#EndSARS one year after: What has changed?

In October 2020, Nigerians started what can be termed the biggest campaign against police brutality in the country. Although the campaign started on social media, Nigerian youths eventually took to the streets in some parts of the country to protest against the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian Police Force. In the course of the protest, tagged #EndSARS, donations were made from different parts of the world. Feminist Coalition — a group set up by about 14 women — said it received N147,855,788.28 as of October 22, 2020 through crowdfunding and spent part of the money…

Wednesday, 20 October 2021 05:56

The Nigerians who want Israel to accept them as Jews

Rocking back and forth, Shlomo Ben Yaakov reads from a Torah scroll at a synagogue on the outskirts of Nigeria's capital, Abuja. Intermittently his soft mellow voice rises in Hebrew and he is joined by the dozens who recite after him. Most do not fully understand the language, but this small Nigerian community claims Jewish ancestry dating back hundreds of years - and they are left frustrated by a lack of recognition by Israel. "I consider myself a Jew," says Mr Yaakov. Outside the Gihon Hebrew Synagogue in the suburb of Jikwoyi a table is laid inside a tent built…

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Saturday, 16 October 2021 05:56

Here's what it was like to get one Covid shot in Nigeria and a second in the UK, where people are already getting access to booster shots

In Nigeria, less than 3% of the population has gotten the Covid vaccine. In the UK, 68% of people are fully vaccinated. Life is returning to normal in both places - but in Nigeria, most people must make do without the vaccine. There's a growing push to speed up vaccine access in poor countries. I got my first Covid-19 vaccine shot in Nigeria in September. I arrived at the health center at 5 in the morning and waited in line for hours. When it was finally my turn, the center was so packed with people that I had to stand…

Sunday, 10 October 2021 05:59

How the 3-3-1 rule can help you fall asleep quickly — and reduce anxiety

Sleep is key to productivity -- but it also helps calm chronic anxiety. I've found a series of simple tactics that almost assures a good night's sleep (while reducing angst). Anxiety is unquestionably ugly. I've written about its pervasive effects before -- heck, I even composed a tell-all so more people would understand what it does to day-to-day existence. You might be wondering: Yes, I've used breathing exercises. Some of them help. And yes, I've used CBT. It can also help (if you stick to daily practice). I've also employed exercise, dietary changes, switching decaf for caffeinated coffee, cutting alcohol,…

Saturday, 09 October 2021 05:27

Some passports enable you travel visa-free to 192 countries, others to just 26. Here are the world’s best and worst passports

The global gap in travel freedoms has never been wider, says the latest report by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners. The firm's Henley Passport Index, based on exclusive data provided by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has been regularly monitoring the world's most travel-friendly passports since 2006. It says that increasing travel barriers that have been introduced over the past 18 months of the Covid pandemic have resulted in the widest global mobility gap in the index's 16-year history. The index doesn't take temporary restrictions into account, so leaving actual current travel access aside,…

Thursday, 07 October 2021 05:45

#EndSARS: One year after

Seyilogo Braithwaite has never felt as invigorated as she did a year ago when she was feeding those taking part in mass protests - a movement dubbed Nigeria's "Arab Spring". Tens of thousands of young Nigerians took to the streets to protest against police brutality after a video went viral of a man allegedly being killed by the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars), sparking what became known as the #EndSars demonstrations. "When the protests got bigger, friends and family were sending me money, and I was using it to cater for the protesters. I made food for almost 2,000 people…

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