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☆ Nigerian radio host brings her native language to sports commentary
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

IBADAN, Nigeria, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Sports commentator Aderonke Adesola is not the voice most Nigerians expect to hear on the radio. She is 25 years old, a woman and hosts her show in the local language Yoruba instead of English, which dominates most programming in Nigeria. "There is a high level of illiteracy in Nigeria, where some people don't understand what the commentator is saying in English," Adesola told Reuters. "As a Yoruba commentator, my show comes to fill the gap." "Before, when the commentary was in English, only a few listened, but now everyone is interested because it is in a language we understand," said Suru Olayande, a welder.

Persons: Aderonke Adesola, Adesola, Suru Olayande, Seun Sanni, Nellie Peyton, William Mallard Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: IBADAN, Nigeria, Ibadan

In a report published Monday, the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency urged global investors in the three firms - Beijing Tong Ren Tang group (600085.SS), Tianjin Pharmaceutical group (600329.SS) and Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group (000623.SZ) - to divest their stakes. The group said it focused on the pharmaceutical companies because they are publicly listed, and display products that include leopard or pangolin parts on their websites. Beijing Tong Ren Tang and Tianjin Pharmaceutical group did not respond to several emails and calls from Reuters asking for comment. Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical Group could not be reached for comment. The environmental group said Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup and BlackRock did not respond to its queries.

Persons: pangolin, Seun, Beijing Tong Ren Tang, Avinash Basker, Wells, China's, Andrew Silver, Selena Li, Miyoung Kim Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, UBS, HSBC, Environmental Investigation Agency, Tianjin Pharmaceutical, Jilin Aodong Pharmaceutical, TCM, Deutsche Bank, HSBC Holdings, Citigroup, BlackRock, & Co, HSBC Global Asset Management Canada, Royal Bank of Canada, Citigroup ， Deutsche Bank, Reuters, Medical Products Administration, Protection, Thomson Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Rights SHANGHAI, HONG KONG, London, Beijing, Tianjin, Jilin, Shanghai, Hong Kong

☆ Deaf Nigerian dancers delight public, challenge expectations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Members of Deaf Can Dance team pose after their performance at a dance concert in Ibadan, Nigeria August 6, 2023. Public performances by deaf artists are rare in Nigeria, where there is little provision for people with disabilities to access cultural and artistic activities. Otunuyi and others in the group credit James with helping them express rhythm and flow during rigorous training sessions. "Some may think it is just a waste of energy, a waste of time," Otunuyi signed. "We are trying to break the biases, the prejudices against deaf people," he said.

Persons: Seun, Omowunmi Otunuyi, Samuel James, James, Otunuyi, I'm, Seun Sanni, Bhargav Acharya, Estelle Shirbon, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Deaf, REUTERS, Rights, Pro Foundation, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: Ibadan, Nigeria, Rights IBADAN, Nigerian

☆ Blind church band shows Nigeria there's 'ability in disability'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Kazeem Sanni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Visually impaired pastor Chimaobi Nduka sings with the faithful during blind people's Sunday church service at Bethesda Home for the Blind in Lagos, Nigeria July 2, 2023. REUTERS/Seun SanniLAGOS, July 21 (Reuters) - Every Sunday, worshippers at Bethesda Home Church in Lagos sing and dance to popular hymns. But there's a twist: the drummers, guitarists, keyboard player and choir are all visually impaired. "When (people) start seeing the ability in them, they will believe in them," said Ohakwe, who runs an NGO for visually impaired people. "I want anybody out there, as a visually impaired person or a disabled person, to have in his mind that there is a lot you can still do if you believe in yourself."

Persons: Chimaobi Nduka, Seun Sanni, Chioma Ohakwe, Ohakwe, Nathaniel Ndukwe, Ogungbe Abiola, Abiola, Hereward Holland, Nellie Peyton, Alison Williams Organizations: Bethesda Home, Blind, REUTERS, Seun, Bethesda Home Church, World Bank, Fed, Thomson Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Seun Sanni LAGOS, Bethesda

☆ Fame-crazed Nigerians sing and cook their way to the record book
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Nigerian gospel singer Oluwatobi Kufeji, 39, sings as he attempts to break a Guinness world record of longest singing hours, in Lagos, Nigeria July 10, 2023. REUTERS/Seun SanniLAGOS, July 13 (Reuters) - A Nigerian man has completed more than 200 hours singing, another managed a 100-hour live video on Instagram, while a masseuse's bid to massage people for 75 hours ended in exhaustion. The three are among more than a dozen Nigerians aiming to set Guinness World Records in the latest craze to hit Africa's most populous nation. Then Lagos-based gospel singer Oluwatobi Kufeji took to singing for 200 hours to help boost his career. Still, she managed 50 hours and said that would be enough to make the record book.

Persons: Oluwatobi Kufeji, Seun Sanni, Hilda Bassey, Masseuse Joy, Vining, MacDonald Dzirutwe, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Seun, Guinness, Records, Thomson Locations: Nigerian, Lagos, Nigeria, Seun Sanni LAGOS, Ekiti

☆ Nigerian parents pay school bills with recyclable waste
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Kazeem Sanni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Fatimoh Adeosun, 48, a parent of a student of My Dream Stead, a low-cost school that accepts recyclable wastes as payment, sorts plastic waste for submission, in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria May 19, 2023. My Dream Stead school, in the sprawling, impoverished Ajegunle neighbourhood where the Adeosuns live, is one of 40 low-cost schools in Nigeria's commercial capital that accept recyclable waste as payment. Tuition fees at My Dream Stead stand at $130 per year and the school is expanding into a second apartment block to accommodate its 120 pupils. Some mornings, Fatimoh and Fawas walk to the school together with bulging sacks of rubbish over their shoulders. The waste is weighed on school premises and its sales value added to Fawas' account.

Persons: Adeosun, Stead, Temilade Adelaja, Fawas Adeosun, Fatimoh, Alexander Akhigbe, Seun Sanni, Sofia Christensen, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Temilade, Fawas, Thomson Locations: Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria, Temilade Adelaja LAGOS, Nigerian, recyclables

☆ Unilever pivots to African suppliers as forex pressure mounts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Seun Sanni | Richa Naidu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

The war in Ukraine exacerbated supply chain logjams and manufacturing issues that began with the COVID-19 pandemic. Managing foreign exchange costs is largely what is driving a pivot to African suppliers, Unilever said, even though sourcing from the continent can cost more than buying from parts of Asia. “Over 95% of the brands we sell to our (African) consumers are made in African factories,” Reginaldo Ecclissato, Unilever’s chief business operations and supply chain officer, told Reuters. Today more than two-thirds of the ingredients that go into Unilever products sold in African markets come from the continent, the company said. Where is it on the scale of Unilever’s supply chain?” he said.

Persons: Kasali, ” Kasali, “, Knorr, Hellmann’s, Reginaldo, Tedd George, Nestle, ”, Pierre, André, Ecclissato, it’s, bouillon, Iranloye, Busari, Unilever’s Ecclissato Organizations: Reuters, Unilever, REUTERS, ” Unilever, Nestle, Danone, sorbitol Locations: ALAYIDE, Nigeria, Oyo, Africa, Ukraine, Asia, India, China, South Africa, Lagos, Oyo State

☆ Beans and violins - orchestra blends classical roots with modern Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Members of Vesta Orchestra and Opera Foundation perform during a concert they organized at the Alliance Francaise de Lagos / Mike Adenuga Centre in Lagos, Nigeria May 20, 2023. It was the latest show staged by the Vesta Orchestra, founded in 2017 by violinist Rosalyn Aninyei, which has enlivened the classical music scene in Lagos by performing new works by contemporary Nigerian and African composers. The music had clear connections with the classical repertoire rooted in Europe, but the choice of the Yoruba language and the story anchored the performance in Nigeria. "I am so happy that there are events like this in Nigeria," said Kayode Oshundun, who was attending his first performance by Vesta. "My flat was actually behind the opera house and it was always a dream of mine to come home ... and discover our own classical music," she said.

☆ After 100 hours of non-stop cooking, Nigerian chef seeks world record
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Nigerian Chef Hilda Bassey, 27, attempts to break the Guinness World Record for the longest cooking time by an individual, in Lagos, Nigeria May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Temilade AdelajaLAGOS, May 16 (Reuters) - A Nigerian chef has spent 100 hours preparing meals non-stop, aiming to set a Guinness World Record for the longest ever cooking session by an individual. Hilda Bassey, a chef in the mega city of Lagos, has captivated the country with her marathon cooking, which started on Thursday and ended on Monday night. The current longest cooking record is held by Indian chef Lata Tondon, who set a time of 87 hours and 45 minutes in 2019. Bassey's time will need to be certified by Guinness World Record officials before it can be made official.

☆ Nigerian hijab-wearing chef seeks to break stereotypes about Muslim women
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, May 4 (Reuters) - Nigerian Sherifah Yunus Olokodana looks like any Muslim woman with a veil that only exposes her eyes, but the entrepreneur who has carved a niche as a chef in Lagos is seeking to break stereotypes about hijab-wearing women in the country. Nigeria is almost evenly divided between the largely Christian south and mainly Muslim north, where cultural norms often discourage women to get into business. Olokodana, a Yoruba Muslim from the southwest, has been a pastry chef for nearly two decades and sells food spices, but she said she still faced prejudice. "Women in hijab continue to get negative vibes from people. Reporting by Seun Sanni; writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Dreaming sky high, Nigerian man builds airplane from trash
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

On a recent cloudy day, the single-propeller plane withstood cross-winds high above a sandy football field and swooped low over the heads of onlookers in Oworonshoki, the poor neighbourhood where Fatai lives in the east of the city. I started picking things around, making some little projects," the 21-year-old said. "Whenever I see an airplane flying, it gives me a very overwhelming joy." "As our country is an under-developing country, so I hope to be a part of the people that will develop the country using this, my drone technology," he said. Reporting by Seun Sanni; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Estelle Shirbon and Ed OsmondOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerian drummer nurtures children to preserve use of local instruments
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Seun Sanni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Nigerian artist Adebayo Ayodeji is targeting children to play traditional instruments like drums, which he worries could become extinct and erase an important aspect of the culture in Africa's most populous country. In the megacity of Lagos, parents bring children to his twice-a-month drumming workshops to learn how to play drums and understand their traditional significance. "We are using this to revive our cultural values," Ayodeji said, noting that most children had not seen the drums before. "They've not played it before and this is an opportunity to introduce them to it, so we are using it to at least do a kind of evangelism – evangelism of art," Ayodeji said. Reporting by Seun Sanni; Writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Richard ChangOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerians vote for new president, delays seen at some polling stations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( Anamasere Igboereteonwu | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/8] People looks for their names on voters list put up on a wall at a polling unit, during Nigeria's Presidential election in Agulu, Anambra state, Nigeria February 25, 2023. Polling stations were scheduled to open at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT), though Reuters reporters at locations across the country saw a mixed picture, with delays of several hours in some places while voting got underway more swiftly at others. In the northeastern city of Maiduguri, the vice presidential candidate from the ruling party, Kashim Shettima, arrived to cast his ballot but was unable to do so as his designated polling station had not opened. In another northeastern city, Yola, opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar was able to vote, surrounded by a chaotic scrum of media and supporters. Vote-counting will begin as soon as polls close and results will be posted outside polling stations, according to the Independent National Election Commission (INEC).

☆ Voting scheduled to start in Nigeria election, delays seen
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LAGOS, Feb 25 (Reuters) - Voting was scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) in Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary election, though Reuters reporters in several locations across the country saw polling stations that did not open on time, and in some cases queues of voters with no election officials in sight. In past Nigerian elections, voters in some areas complained that polling stations opened hours late or did not materialise at all. Reporting by Abraham Achirga and Hamza Ibrahim in Kano, Temilade Adelaja and Seun Sanni in Anambra, Tim Cocks, James Oatway and MacDonald Dzirutwe in Lagos Writing by Estelle Shirbon Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerian soldiers patrol ahead of election, land borders shut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Camillus Eboh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Internal movements have been restricted to the polling units. There will also be no movement of persons across national borders," the ministry of interior said in a statement. The candidate for Enugu East district and the driver of a campaign minibus belonging to another party were killed in coordinated attacks in Enugu State in the southeast. "Materials already delivered for the senatorial election will remain in the custody of the central bank in the state until the new date for the election," Yakubu told a news conference. Flanked by the head of the police, Yakubu said INEC was on guard against possible attacks on its electronic system.

[1/6] Godwin Nnamdi, 27-year-old fitness trainer and first-time voter, poses for a portrait at a gym in Lagos, Nigeria February 15, 2023. But his active social media campaign and promises to break with Nigeria's gerontocratic past have endeared him to many younger voters. The young and tech-savvy, first-time voters rallying around Obi call themselves the "Obi-dients" - a somewhat incongruous choice for an anti-establishment movement. The former banker has promised jobs, skills training and funding to young Nigerians, but so too have Tinubu and Atiku. If Obi loses, Ndukwe said he would join the wave of skilled Nigerians leaving the country in its perpetual brain drain.

☆ Eco-friendly Nigerian artist turns plastic flip-flops into portraits
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Nigerian artist Eugene Komboye creates artworks using discarded plastic flip-flop sandals in his studio in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Nigeria, January 21, 2023. REUTERS/Seun SanniABEOKUTA, Nigeria, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Eugene Komboye, a Nigerian artist, is turning discarded plastic flip-flop sandals into colourful portraits in an effort to help clean up the environment in a country where plastic pollution is prevalent. Flip-flops are the footwear of choice for many Nigerians andKomboye, 30, sources his material mostly from dump sites, landfills and river banks. Some customers come to his studio with photographs which he will use to create a personalised portrait. Reporting by Seun Sanni, writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe, editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigerian artist's exhibition showcases food preservation methods
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, Jan 27 (Reuters) - In his latest exhibition, Nigerian artist Olufela Omokeko is exploring the importance of food preservation in a country where food is often spoiled due to lack of quick access to markets and cold storage. During a recent art exhibition in Iwaya, a slum in the commercial capital Lagos, guests also had the chance to taste Omokeko's puree from dried tomatoes, peppers and local spices as he showcased age-old traditions on how to extend the shelf life of perishable food. Nicknamed "son of a pepper seller," Omokeko grew up seeing women who sell perishables at their homes or at the market throw away food because it was rotted. That problem remains, and Omokeko hopes to show Nigerians who come to his exhibitions how to dry and blend food to preserve its lifespan while maintaining the taste. Reporting by Seun Sanni; writing by MacDonald Dzirutwe; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Nigeria opens 'game changer' billion-dollar deep seaport
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Seun Sanni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LAGOS, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Nigeria opened a billion-dollar Chinese-built deep seaport in Lagos on Monday, which is expected to ease congestion at the country's ports and help it become an African hub for transshipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations. President Muhammadu Buhari has made building infrastructure a key pillar of his government's economic policy, and hopes that this will help his ruling party win votes during next month's presidential election. "This is a transformative project, game changer project. This project could create at least 200,000 jobs," Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria Cui Jianchun told Reuters after the port was commissioned by Buhari. China is among the largest bilateral lenders to Nigeria and has funded rail, roads and power stations.

☆ Nigeria dance carnival helps residents reclaim the streets
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Residents of Oworonshoki have seen their share of violence, with robberies and tit-for-tat gang murders once commonplace in this part of Nigeria's vast, boisterous commercial capital. Days of dance workshops culminated with an all-day carnival aiming to reclaim the streets and reduce tensions between rival gangs. "I've been able to achieve a big goal in my life, and Slum Party has really changed a whole lot for me," he said. Community leader Oriyomi Akeem said Slum Party has helped bring peace to a neighbourhood once known as a no-go area overrun by gangs. Ozegbe-Obiajulu hopes the carnival's success could be replicated by people in other troubled areas of Nigeria and beyond.

[1/3] A man walks across a set up of terra cotta heads, a French woman collection representing the remaining Chibok school girls in captivity in Lagos, Nigeria, November 29, 2022. The artwork, titled "Statues Also Breathe" and conceived by French artist Prune Nourry, consists of 108 life-size clay heads, made by 108 students from all over Nigeria, and now on display at an art gallery in Lagos. Boko Haram militants abducted around 270 teenage girls from a school in the northeastern town of Chibok in 2014. A small group of women who were among the abducted girls and were later released took part, as did some parents of the missing women. "These girls have been in distress for eight years," said Habiba Balogun, coordinator of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign in Lagos.

☆ Major Gulf bourses in red ahead of U.S. inflation data
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Seun Sanni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. consumer price index (CPI) data for October is due at 1330 GMT, with economists polled by Reuters forecasting a decline in both monthly and yearly core numbers to 0.5% and 6.5%, respectively. Dubai's main share index (.DFMGI) fell 0.3%, with blue-chip developer Emaar Properties (EMAR.DU) losing 0.6% and top lender Emirates NBD (ENBD.DU) falling 0.4%. Dubai schools operator Taaleem Holdings announced a price range of between 2.95 dirhams and 3 dirhams per share for its upcoming initial public offering. The company plans to raise 750 million dirhams ($204.21 million) from the IPO to expand its premium schools network. The Qatari index (.QSI) retreated 0.7%, as most of the stocks on the index were in negative territory.

The banks are now less conservative in counting expected rental income when assessing loan applications, said the four sources. In September, about a third of new bank mortgage lending was for investment. On Nov. 12, NAB will also halve its discount on rental income to 10%, including for Airbnb-like short-term rentals, the sources said. NAB, Westpac and ANZ trail market leader Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX), which has a quarter of the mortgage market. Commonwealth continues to apply a rental income discount of 20% on mortgage applications, a sixth source said.

☆ African solutions: Lagos art fair tackles climate and culture
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] People look at a painting at the Art X, an annual art fair held in Lagos, Nigeria November 5, 2022. They were among hundreds attending ART X, an annual fair in Lagos, Nigeria's buzzing commercial capital, that hosted more than 120 artists from 40 African countries and the diaspora. aimed to tap into African wisdom to address problems from climate change to political crises. Just beyond the fair, flooding has laid farmland to waste and displaced more than a million. Ify Obi, 24, standing by her favourite piece - a giant woven design by Nigerian artist Victor Ehikhamenor that threaded plastic rosaries onto lace to create images of traditional African leaders - said she most appreciated works that amplified African culture and African solutions.

☆ Desperate flight, then misery in a camp for Nigerians displaced by floods
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Seun Sanni | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"They ate like people who need more, so like a father that I am I cannot go and join them," he said. NOT ENOUGH FOODThe camp in the school building in the village of Ogbogu now shelters about 600 displaced people whose homes are under water. People are so desperate they are cooking with chaff that would normally be thrown away after grinding cassava to make garri, a staple food. He and those who remained were sleeping outdoors as there was no space in any of the makeshift camps that had sprung up, he said. "Even when this is over, I know that there is no money now that I can use to buy something to eat.

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