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☆ Essence Fest is devoting a day to Nollywood for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —For the first time, Essence Fest – which has been celebrating African American culture in the United States for more than two decades – is devoting a day to Nigeria’s Nollywood film industry – the most prolific in Africa. “Nigeria will have its own day in terms of the film and TV industry, where we are front and center. “It’s such an honor to be part of this inaugural official Nollywood delegation to the Essence Festival. Last year, Amazon Prime Video secured exclusive streaming agreements with two Nollywood film studios in its hunt for African content. (But) we have to take our stories out … by participating in international events like the Essence Festival and the Cannes Film Festival.

Persons: Nigeria’s, Toyosi, ”, Shawn Faqua, “, Daniel Etim Effiong, Nollywood, Effiong, Etim Effiong Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, Culture, CNN, “, Essence, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Cannes Film, American Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, United States, Africa, New Orleans, “ Nigeria, West African, Nigerian, Nollywood

☆ Nigeria: More than 100 dead after wedding party as boat capsizes
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —More than 100 people are now confirmed dead after a boat ferrying hundreds of wedding guests overturned Monday in the river Niger around north-central Nigeria, local police said. The vessel was carrying around 250 passengers traveling back to Patigi in northcentral Kwara State after attending a wedding party in Gboti, in neighboring Niger State, when it sank early Monday, killing 106 on board, according to police. Heavy rains and floodingThe overcrowded boat capsized after hitting a tree trunk, he said of the accident which happened at around 3:00am Monday. Niger and Kwara states lay along the banks of the River Niger, West Africa’s main river, and surrounding communities remain vulnerable when it overflows. Last month, at least 15 people died after a boat capsized in northwestern Sokoto State, authorities told CNN.

Persons: Nigeria CNN —, Ajayi Okasanmi, Abdul Gana Lukpada, Patigi, ” Lukpada, ”, ” “ Organizations: Nigeria CNN, CNN, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Police Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Niger, northcentral Kwara State, Gboti, Niger State, Kwara, Patigi, Egboti, West, Sokoto State

☆ Nigeria: Hundreds of wedding party guests feared dead as boat capsizes in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Hundreds of people, including wedding guests, are feared dead in north-central Nigeria after a boat they were traveling in capsized in the river Niger early Monday, a local chief told CNN on Tuesday. “There was a marriage ceremony in a nearby village … Egboti village which is by the river Niger. As they sailed, the boat hit a tree branch hiding in the water and it split into two. Boat accidents are common in northern Nigeria. Last month, at least 15 people died after a boat capsized in northwestern Sokoto State, authorities told CNN.

Persons: Abdul Gana Lukpada, Lukpada, ”, I’ve, Ajayi Okasanmi, Rafiu Ajakaye Organizations: Nigeria CNN, CNN, Kwara State Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Niger, Kpada, Patigi district, Kwara State, Egboti, Niger State, Kwara, Sokoto State

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —Nigerian chef Hilda Effiong Bassey, known on social media as Hilda Baci, has been confirmed as the new world record holder for the longest cooking marathon, the Guinness World Record (GWR) committee said Tuesday. The record was confirmed nearly a month after the GWR reviewed footage from the cookathon, which lasted four days. I said I wanted to be a record holder and now I am. Although Bassey cooked for 100 hours, she was penalized for an error in her scheduled rest breaks, according to the world record committee. “There was a miscalculation when it came to Hilda’s rest breaks, meaning we are unable to award the 100 hours claimed,” the adjudicator said.

Persons: Hilda Effiong Bassey, Hilda Baci, Mark, ” Bassey, Bassey, Lata Tondon, “ Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, GWR, CNN Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, Indian

☆ Nigeria: Fuel prices triple as new leader Tinubu ends subsidy
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In a seemingly off-the-cuff remark during his inaugural speech Monday, Tinubu declared, “the fuel subsidy is gone,” adding that it was unsustainable. The last time the government tried to remove fuel subsidies in 2012, it sparked nationwide protests. Fuel subsidies are a drain on public finances and many argue that they have led to widespread abuse and corruption. Previous governments have tried unsuccessfully to remove the fuel subsidy, which has kept gas prices artificially low, although they have steadily climbed through the years. Fuel subsidies were not sustainable, but ending them “abruptly” without provision for economic and social consequences was “reckless,” he added.

Persons: Bola Tinubu, Tinubu, “, Joe Ajaero, Goodluck Jonathan, Sam Amadi, ” Amadi, NNPC Organizations: Nigeria CNN —, CNN, National Petroleum Corporation, Nigeria’s Labour Congress, Occupy, Abuja School of Social, ” Locations: Abuja, Nigeria, Africa’s, State, Occupy Nigeria

☆ Seun Kuti: Nigerian musician in court after arrest for alleged police assault
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigerian singer and saxophonist Seun Kuti, youngest son of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, appeared in court on Tuesday following his arrest for allegedly assaulting a police officer. A Lagos court denied a request by prosecutors to detain Kuti for 21 days, his lawyer Femi Falana told CNN. Seun Kuti Getty ImagesKnown for his music activism and outspoken criticism of the government, Kuti has been a vocal advocate against police brutality. Together with his late father’s former band, Egypt 80, which he now leads, Seun Kuti has performed for audiences worldwide, touring extensively in the United States, France, Japan, and the UK. With his brother Femi, Kuti has carried forward the Afrobeat legacy of his father who died in 1997.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —A Nigerian senator, his wife and a doctor were on Friday jailed in the UK over an organ harvesting plot, Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement. Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and Dr. Obinna Obeta were sentenced at the UK’s Old Bailey court to nine years and eight months, four years and six months, and 10 years in prison respectively. Some of the country’s political class wrote to the UK court appealing for leniency ahead of his sentencing, including Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Ekweremadu served as speaker of the ECOWAS parliament between 2011 and 2015. But the calls for clemency failed to hold sway over the UK court and some in Nigeria questioned why high profile politicians were using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.

☆ Nigeria: Clemency pleas for senator found guilty of organ harvesting plot in UK
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigerian MP Ike Ekweremadu will be sentenced in the UK Friday after being found guilty of an organ harvesting plot, but fellow lawmakers in his country have joined growing calls for leniency in his case. Many of the country’s political class have written to the UK courts appealing for leniency during his sentencing, including Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo. … The conviction has already been done but we are seeking clemency because this is the first time our colleague is getting involved in this kind of thing,” Lawan said. Ekweremadu served as speaker of the ECOWAS parliament between 2011 and 2015. But the calls for clemency are unlikely to hold any sway over the UK court and some in Nigeria have raised eyebrows that high profile politicians are using their influence to advocate for a convicted criminal.

☆ Indomie: Nigeria probes popular noodles after recalls by Malaysia, Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s food and drug regulator says it is investigating the popular Indomie brand of instant noodles following recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan where health authorities say they detected a potentially cancer-causing substance. “The public is … informed that the implicated Indomie instant noodle is not registered for sale in Nigeria. Indomie: The instant noodle giant in Nigeria 01:18 - Source: CNNIndonesian food giant Indofoods has defended the safety of its products. Indonesian food giant Indofoods says Indomie noodles is available in more than 100 countries across the world in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Indomie first launched instant noodles in 1972 with a chicken flavor but is now produced in many varieties.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s botched attempt to replace its banknotes has been declared invalid by the country’s Supreme Court. In a ruling Friday, the country’s highest court said a presidential directive to discontinue the use of old naira notes following a redesign was illegal. The court said the old banknotes should continue to be legal tender, alongside new versions, until the end of this year. The Nigerian presidency has yet to respond to the Supreme Court ruling. Sixteen Nigerian states took the federal government to the Supreme Court to challenge the short notice they were given to exchange the old notes for new ones.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday directed Nigeria’s central bank to reissue old 200-naira ($0.43) banknotes withdrawn just days ago as concerns grow that the botched introduction of new money could disrupt general elections later this month. In a televised broadcast Thursday, Buhari expressed sympathy for Nigerians experiencing hardship and announced that the old 200- naira note will return to circulation for 60 days. The higher denomination notes remain canceled but can be exchanged at the central bank and other designated points, he said. He also assured Nigerians that the supply of cash would improve in the coming days. “I have been reliably informed that since the commencement of this program, about 2.1 trillion naira ($4.5 billion) out of the banknotes previously held outside the banking system, had been successfully retrieved,” he said.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria was forced Wednesday to delay plans to replace its banknotes with a redesigned currency after chaotic scenes at ATMs as millions of people struggled to get their hands on the new cash. The new naira notes are, however, “fortified with security features that make them difficult to counterfeit,” President Buhari said last year. Across the country, banks have increasingly become targets of mounting anger over the frustrating search for the new naira notes. Angry Nigerians vandalise Bank premises over frenzy of new naira notes. Nigerians are desperately relying on their banks to distribute new bills after the February 10 deadline to exchange the old currency saw many scrambling to deposit their old notes.

☆ Artist Àsìkò explores Yoruba culture through mythology
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Lamide Akintobi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —Appreciating cultural heritage and using it to imagine a better future: that’s one of the goals of self-taught photographer and visual artist Ade Okelarin. Drawing on aspects of traditional Yoruba culture has been an important aspect of his creative journey. In this work, Okelarin reimagines Olokun, the Yoruba goddess of the oceans, seas and wealth. Okelarin also uses digital rendering, layering the photographs with aspects of his cultural heritage, such as fabric and textures. “Living in the diaspora, now more than ever, my cultural heritage is a big part of my identity and who I am.

Persons: Ade Okelarin, ”, Okelarin, ” Okelarin, Thor, Okelarin reimagines Olokun, “, ’, – Okelarin, didn’t, – Organizations: Nigeria CNN, Sun Locations: Lagos, Nigeria, ”, West Africa, Caribbean, South America, UK

☆ Nigerian first lady ‘directed student beating at presidential villa,’ lawyer alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Nigeria’s first lady ordered security operatives to detain a student and also supervised his beating at the country’s presidential villa, his lawyer has alleged. Spokespeople for Nigeria’s national police and Department of State Services told CNN they were unaware of Adamu’s arrest. Mrs. Buhari should be prosecuted for taking the law into her hands,” Mohammed told CNN. His uncle Shehu Azare told CNN he is now focused on writing his final exams and would not speak out about his ordeal. So, there’s no point for that (apology),” his uncle Azare told CNN.

☆ Nigeria: TikTokers caned and ordered to wash toilets as court rules they defamed Nigerian governor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —Two TikTok comedians have been publicly whipped in Nigeria for making a video that a court in the northern Kano State ruled had defamed the state Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, according to a judicial spokesperson. The two friends, according to Ibrahim, were sentenced on Monday after being brought before a magistrate’s court on Friday. They didn’t even ask or beg for a lawyer to stand for them,” Ibrahim told CNN. “They were arraigned before the Kano State Magistrate Court for defaming the character of Governor Umar Ganduje on their TikTok social media account. They were also ordered to make a video on social media to publicly apologize to Governor Ganduje.

☆ Boko Haram: How Ngarannam community attacked by terror group was rebuilt
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-29 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It was the night in 2015 that Boko Haram militants attacked Ngarannam town in Borno State, northeast Nigeria. Ngarannam, a village of around 3,000 people, became desolate after the attack as displaced residents fled to Borno’s capital Maiduguri and surrounding areas. Her husband Bulama is the community leader for Ngarannam, which afforded them a certain privilege in the town. ‘Rebuilding Ngarannam ‘The project was conceived and led by Mohamed Yahaya, the UNDP’s Resident Representative for Nigeria. Nigerian architect Tosin Oshinowo meets some residents of Ngarannam community.

In an updated travel advisory issued Thursday, the State Department flagged 15 other Nigerian states in its “Do Not Travel” list due to risks ranging from terrorism to kidnapping and criminal activities perpetrated at sea. In a similar advisory to British nationals, the UK government advised against nonessential travel to the Nigerian capital, while warning against all travel to 12 Nigerian states. Nigeria’s police chief, Usman Alkali Baba, said there were “no imminent threats” in the country’s Federal Capital Territory. Nigeria also grapples with widespread kidnappings for ransom and maritime crimes in its southern region. Hundreds of prisoners were broken free in a prison raid in the country’s capital in July.

Desperate to survive, many locals fleeing raging floods which have wrecked their homes and livelihoods are also forced to depend on floodwater for sustenance. A child is pictured doing her dishes in floodwater in Odi, in Nigeria's southern Bayelsa State, on Tuesday. Aniso Handy has remained in his house in Odi, in Nigeria's Bayelsa State. Displacing the living and the deadIn Bayelsa’s capital Yenagoa, located 28 kilometers (17 miles) from Odi, floods have displaced not just the living but also the dead. Flooding in Nigeria's Bayelsa state has forced people to wade through waiste-high water.

Abuja, Nigeria CNN —More than 1.4 million people have been displaced and about 500 people have died in some of the worst flooding Nigeria has seen in a decade, the country’s humanitarian ministry said Wednesday. In parts of Kogi and Anambra, floods had risen as high as rooftops. According to the humanitarian ministry, flooding this year was similar to Nigeria’s last major flooding in 2012, which killed 363 people and displaced 600,000. Images captured by Nasa’s Landsat 9 reveal floodwaters having “inundated numerous communities” along the banks of both rivers and heavy destruction in Kogi state capital, Lokoja. The image further illustrates water having reached southern Kogi and northern Anambra state.

☆ Nigeria floods: 76 die in Anambra fleeing rising water levels
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

People stranded due to floods following several days of downpours In Kogi Nigeria, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. Lokoja the capital city of Kogi state is experiencing the worse flood ever, and body is saying anything. In neighboring Nasarawa state, which is also grappling with flood water cascading down the River Benue, farmers are counting their losses from ravaged farmlands. Pictures from Kogi state flood. pic.twitter.com/frjiyBOYkr — Adenike Titilope Oladosu (@the_ecofeminist) October 5, 2022Climate activists are intensifying the call for climate finance to address Nigeria’s climate crisis.

☆ Cloud of colonialism hangs over Queen Elizabeth’s legacy in Africa
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-10 | by ( Stephanie Busari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —The death of Queen Elizabeth II has prompted an outpouring of reflection and reaction online. Among the worst atrocities under British rule occurred during the Mau Mau uprising, which started in 1952 – the year Queen Elizabeth took the throne. Queen Elizabeth II on her way to the Kumasi Durbah with Kwame Nkrumah, President of Ghana, during her tour of Ghana, November 1961. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to a crowd of schoolchildren at a rally held at a racecourse in Ibadan, Nigeria, February 15, 1956. Queen Elizabeth II dances with President Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, during her visit to Accra, Ghana, in 1961.

☆ Blood Sisters: Nigeria's movie industry stars turn out for Netflix premiere
▼ + stars: | 2022-05-05 | by ( Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Lagos, Nigeria CNN —It was a night of glitz and glamor as Nigeria’s movie industry stars, known as Nollywood, strutted the red carpet on Wednesday at the launch of Netflix’s first Nigerian Original series, Blood Sisters. The theme of the premiere was ‘Red and Fugitive’ and Nollywood stars turned out in style to launch the series created by leading Nigerian production company EbonyLife Studios. Blood Sisters features Nollywood veteran stars such as Kate Henshaw, Uche Jombo, Ramsey Nouah, Segun Arinze and Joke Silva. Nigeria’s Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed was also at the premiere and lauded the launch as evidence of the growth of Nigeria’s creative industry. Other streaming platforms also have Nigeria’s movie market in their sights.

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