Tinubu mourns victims of Kwara boat accident, orders thorough investigation

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June 15, 2023

The Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, has demolished the historic roundabout at the Kano State Government House. The roundabout which was renovated by the past administration of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, was brought down early hours of Wednesday.

In just his first week in office, the governor Yusuf-led administration commenced demolition of some structures in the state built under Ganduje’s tenure which the current government termed illegal structures.

A three-storey plaza on Race Course Road in the sate capital was among the early structures demolished by the current government.

Meanwhile, the Kano State government has explained the reason behind the demolition of the roundabout.

In a statement, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sanusi Tofa, said the roundabout was destroyed because it was substandard.

The statement added, “This is because it is done with used foam work and too much sandy materials instead of normal cement concrete.

“Also, the structure is too tall to be placed in front of the Government House as it defaces its main gate which blocks the view for security surveillance.

“Additionally, it poses traffic challenges around the area because of its size, blocking the view of drivers accessing all routes linked through the roundabout.

“The government wishes to make it clear that it became very necessary to take down the structure for the purposes of immediate reconstruction and downsizing to ensure visibility of the government house entrance and safety of motorists.”

Credit: channelstv.com

Gbajabiamila resigns from House of Reps after 20yrs

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June 15, 2023

Immediate past Speaker of the House of Reps, Femi Gbajabiamila

The immediate past Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has resigned his membership of the House of Representatives after 20 years in the Green Chamber.

It would be recalled that Gbajabiamila was appointed by President Bola Tinubu as his Chief of Staff but the appointment letter was dated 14 June.

Gbajabiamila’s resignation was convened in a letter read by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas on Wednesday during plenary.

Gbajabiamila was first elected in 2003 and he remained in the parliament for 20 years until his resignation today, Wednesday.

Political career

Gbajabiamila was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2003, he represents the Surulere I constituency of Lagos State. Gbajabiamila has criticized members of the National Assembly for switching parties. He suggested that many voters don’t have access to the information to make choices based on every individual’s stance, and therefore sometimes vote for candidates based on their party alignment. He criticized floppers with this in mind, saying the effect “cannot be anything but negative.”

Gbajabiamila was the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly. He was head of the House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating claims by the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) about the 140.9 billion naira (about $1 billion) debt owed by ‘Zenon Petroleum & Gas Limited’ and ‘Forte Oil Plc’.

In the House, Gbajabiamila demonstrated his true passion for issues concerning his constituents and Nigeria as a whole. He worked passionately to address matters of great concern to him and quickly earned a reputation as a brilliantly competent legislator.

Credit: dailypost.ng

Tinubu meets with Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan

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June 15, 2023

President Tinubu in a chat with Goodluck Jonathan

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has disclosed the agenda of his meeting with President Bola Tinubu.

The two men met inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.

Speaking with newsmen afterwards, Jonathan said he met with Tinubu to brief him about the planned constitutional referendum in Mali.

Jonathan is a special envoy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and is leading the mediation mission in Mali.

The West African country will conduct a referendum on a new constitution on June 18. It will be a precursor to the long-awaited elections scheduled for February 2024.

“I came to brief the president on the activities of some continental and subcontinental bodies. You know, I am the ECOWAS mediator for Mali and the chairman of the West African Elders Forum.

“So, there are certain issues bordering on the continent and the sub-region that I discuss with various presidents,” Jonathan said.

Credit: dailypost.ng

Ghana’s inflation on acceleration again

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June 15, 2023

Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, Government Statistician

Ghana’s year-on-year inflation for May increased to 42.2 per cent up from 41.2 per cent in April, the Ghana Statistical Service said on Wednesday.

This means that in the month of May 2023 the general price level was 42.2 per cent higher than May 2022, Professor Samuel Kobina Annim, Government Statistician, said at a media briefing in Kumasi on Wednesday.

He attributed the increase to a spike in food inflation during the period, which increased from 48.7 per cent in April to 51.8 per cent in May, which is the highest overall contribution to national inflation rate in 17 months.

“Since January 2022, food inflation peaked it in January 2023 with a rate of inflation of 61 per cent. This is more than three times the rate of food inflation which was recorded in January 2022 [13.7 per cent],” Prof Annim said.

He added that: “Since January 2023, we saw a continuous slowdown in food inflation – decreasing through 59.1 per cent, 50 per cent to 48.7 per cent for April 2023.” The Government Statistician said that the decline in food inflation was reversed in May 2023 with an upward increase up to 51.8 per cent.

Meanwhile, non-food inflation declined to 34.6 per cent in May 2023 from the 35.4 per cent recorded in April 2023.

A disaggregation of the May 2023 rate of inflation showed that inflation for locally produced items was 36.2 per cent, while that of imported items was 43.8 per cent.

On a divisional basis, furnishing and household equipment recorded the highest year-on-year inflation of 57.8 per cent, followed by housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, which had a 54 per cent inflation.

The year-on-year inflation for personal care, social protection and miscellaneous services was 53.4 per cent, food and non-alcoholic beverages – 51.8 per cent, and alcoholic beverages, tobacco and narcotics – 42.1 per cent.

The five divisions with the least inflation were restaurant and accommodation services – 5.9 per cent, insurance and financial services – 10.2 per cent, education – 10.5 per cent, information and communication – 16.1 per cent and recreation and culture – 29.2 per cent.

Regionally, the contribution of the Greater Accra region to the overall national inflation was the highest inflation – 24.6 per cent, followed by the Ashanti region, 17.2 per cent, Eastern region – 12.6 per cent, and Central region – 10.2 per cent.

The inflation recorded by the four regions combined – Greater Accra, Ashanti and Eastern (64.4 per cent) was more than half of the total inflation recorded among all the 16 regions.

The 12 other regions all recorded inflation of less than 10 per cent, with five regions – Oti, Upper West, Ahafo, Savannah and North East, contributing an inflation of less than two per cent to the overall national inflation.

Source: GNA

Fadda Dickson refused to employ me in 2021 because of my English -MzGee reveals

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June 15, 2023

Ghanaian media personality MzGee recently revealed that she was declined an opportunity to work with Despite Media in 2021 due to her English language proficiency.

In a interview with Abeiku Santana, MzGee recounted visiting Fadda Dickson, a prominent figure in the media industry, to present a plaque during her tenure with JoyNews. During her visit, Abeiku Santana, also present at the time, introduced her to Fadda and spoke highly of her.

In an effort to secure a position for MzGee, Abeiku inquired whether Fadda would consider employing her. Unfortunately, Fadda responded with discouragement, showing no interest in her because she was not proficient in the Akan language.

Reflecting on the incident during the interview, MzGee shared her recollection with Abeiku Santana, reminding him of their initial meeting with Fadda Dickson. She expressed her disappointment as she recounted Fadda’s response, stating that he dismissed her due to her English-speaking background, suggesting that she should stick to that domain.

However, MzGee acknowledged Abeiku Santana’s belief in her and his accurate prediction of her future success. She fondly remembered how he referred to her as the “Wendy Williams of Ghana” even before they had met, recognizing her potential without seeing her as a mere imitation.

Despite facing subsequent criticism and backlash when she assumed the hosting role for UTV’s United Showbiz, MzGee demonstrated remarkable resilience. She refused to let the rejection define her and continued to pursue her passion, ultimately proving her worth as a competent and valuable media personality.

Credit: pulse.com.gh

Grammy introduces ‘Best African Music Performance’ category to 2024 awards

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June 15, 2023

The African music community has expressed excitement as Grammy introduces a new category, ‘Best African Music Performance’ to its 2024 awards.

This comes to encourage African acts who have the dreams of winning a Grammy in their career that, their dream is near possible.

The category was among the three new ones announced by the academy in a statement released via its website on Tuesday.

The other two newly created categories are Best Pop Dance Recording and Best Alternative Jazz Album.

According to the statement, the new categories will receive nominations beginning with next year’s show.

“The addition of the Best African Music Performance category reflects how African acts such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, Black Sherif and Tems —along with the rise of the Afrobeats genre—have become global chart-topping stars and streaming juggernauts,” the statement reads in part.

The Grammy “Best African Music Performance” category is open to both contemporary and traditional music from the African continent including Afrobeats, Afro-pop, Amapiano, High Life, Fuji etc.

Lack of genre affecting Ghana music internationally – Appietus

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June 15, 2023

Renowned music producer, Appietus says a lack of genre specifically known for Ghana music is hindering the recognition of Ghana’s music globally.

In an interview on Hitz FM, Appietus said that, unlike Ghana, countries like South Africa, Jamaica, Nigeria and others have a genre that’s known to foreigners who want to explore their music.

He explained that; “If you go outside Ghana, Black Stars are known more than our music. What kind of music represents us out there? The moment you say Jamaica, Reggae comes to mind; mention Hip-Hop and America comes to mind; Afrobeat, Nigeria comes to mind, you don’t have to mention the name of any artiste.”

Appietus added; “the moment you ask which music is representing us (Ghana) out there, they will start mentioning names and not genres. We had our highlife and Azonto but we left it.”

Appietus believes that it does not matter the genre the music industry decides to stick to but despite the many changes made to the genre if the name stays the same, it could boost Ghana’s image in the music scene worldwide.

“Nigerians are always adding new things to Afrobeats but they are not changing the name. South Africans had Kwaito, and now they brought Amapiano but most of the songs still have elements of Kwaito in them yet they call it Amapiano. They have stuck to it and the whole world has accepted it.”

He noted that regardless of how many genre trends Ghanaian artistes jump on, they would not be recognised as the original creators nor will the genre be seen as Ghanaian.

“Imagine we call our music Highlife or Azonto or whatever it is and we keep modifying it, the people will know that this music comes from here (Ghana) and this is how it sounds. It doesn’t matter the genre, we can always add new things. The more everybody is doing it, it will look good outside.”

Shatta Wale was my friend, but… – Blakk Rasta

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June 15, 2023

Radio Presenter cum Reggae musician, Blakk Rasta has finally opened up about his relationship with Shatta Wale.

In an interview on Asaase FM, Blakk Rasta expressed his disappointment, stating, “You know he’s been my friend from the start, but unfortunately, negative influences like ego and other factors came in to destroy our bond.”

Despite the longstanding feud between the two artists, Blakk Rasta mentioned his newfound excitement, revealing, “I am thrilled now because we have been at odds for nearly 20 years.”

The ‘Barack Obama’ hitmaker further shared that; “In fact, the day I heard him speak on Facebook live, I had goosebumps all over me.”

Blakk Rasta recounted an unexpected turn of events during Shatta Wale’s online session, saying, “He mentioned that he was going to address the topic of Blakk Rasta and urged his fans to tune in. I anticipated his usual demeanor.”

“However,” Blakk Rasta continued, “he surprised me by declaring that he would block anyone who speaks ill of me. It made me realize that a man who deeply cares for his fans is willing to distance himself from some of them if they disrespect me.”

Blakk Rasta is one person who has been vocal about his disappointment in Shatta Wale, describing him as ungrateful and a poor role model for the youth.

The revelations from Blakk Rasta shed light on the complexities of their relationship and the profound impact of their differences.

Italians bid farewell to ex-PM and media tycoon Silvio Berlusconi

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June 15, 2023