Artefacts looted by British troops from Ethiopia in 1868 have been returned to the Ethiopian embassy in London.
They include an imperial shield, a Bible and crosses, the embassy said.
The Scheherazade Foundation purchased the items through a UK-based auction house and private dealers, before handing them over to the embassy.
The embassy tweeted photos of the artefacts:
Kenya’s Chief Justice Martha Koome has admitted that corruption remains a menace in and out of the judiciary, terming it “a national embarrassment”.
Ms Koome told the BBC she was concerned that the prosecution of cases involving corruption and embezzlement of public funds was taking too long.
The judiciary has long been marred by claims of corruption.
The second-most senior judge, Philomena Mwilu, is on trial for alleged abuse of office and taking of bribes.
She denies any wrongdoing.
While some governments have been faced with stiff opposition by anti-vax protests some are looking for more ingenious ways to induce their citizens to take jabs that have been reported to make people worse off health wise.
South African football fans who are vaccinated can get free entry to watch the national team play Ethiopia in a World Cup qualifier next month, the country’s football association says.
worried about growing ant-vax sentiments Its head Danny Jordaan said the deal would apply to half the tickets. It is subject to an agreement with the government and depends on how many fans show up, according to the News24 site.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), has begun the electronic verification of the new ship registration certificates, introduced on July 1, 2021.
These certificates now have Quick Response (QR) Codes in them to enable ship-owners, regulatory agencies’ enforcement officers and other stakeholders to verify them.
In addition, the agency also commenced full enforcement of the marine environment protection statutory requirements and documentation on Nigerian and foreign-flagged vessels operating within the nation’s maritime domain.
As a result, all ship-owners and operators are now required by law to update their vessel documentation, which include permits or exemptions, levies, record books and plan approvals.
According to a statement by Osagie Edward, assistant director, Public Relations of NIMASA, this has become a pre-condition for processing any vessel or company request with the Agency.
He stated that NIMASA would sanction operators that fail to comply with the requirement.
“The new move is pursuant to the Agency’s statutory mandate to implement all provisions applicable to marine environment protection and documentation as enshrined in the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), 1973; the Merchant Shipping Act, 2007; and the NIMASA Act 2007,” the statement reads.
Commenting, Bashir Jamoh, director-general of NIMASA, said effective application of environmental protection regulations in the maritime domain was crucial to the nation’s quest for economic development.
“We are deliberate, methodical, and strategic in the enforcement of the environmental protection requirements as they relate to our own laws and international regulations that we acceded to. A well protected marine environment guarantees investor confidence, which is a basic necessity for the optimisation of our rich maritime endowments,” he explained.
According to him, NIMASA is enthroning a sound and sustainable marine environment protection system that serves the interests of both the country and operators.
On electronic verification of certificates, Jamoh said, the Agency has adopted technology to guarantee more security for ship documentation, and to give the international shipping community greater confidence in NIMASA’s services.
On her part, Nneka Obiayor, the registrar of ships, said security and business facilitation were the major considerations in the introduction of the electronic verification of new Ship Registry Certificates.
According to Obiayor, the aim goes beyond safety and security of ships to include ease of doing business, which is uppermost priority in the design and implementation of the electronic verification of the newly-introduced Ship Registry Certificates.
“With a blend of technology and creativity, we have introduced new features intended to make our ship registration certificates more secure and easier to process,” she added.
Nnete Okorie-Egbe of Akwete was a Princess and revolutionary leader from Akwete.
Nnete was the fearless leader of the 1929 women’s riot of Aba, protesting unfair taxation of women.
She was imprisoned by the British Colonial Administration for two years in Port Harcourt.
Later released to a hero’s welcome as the British Colonial Administration backed down and reversed itself, by abolishing the taxation on women.
She Died at age 102 in 1968 during the Nigerian/Biafra Civil War.
Most people purchase properties in Lagos don’t really understand the meaning of the basic Real Estate terms.
As a potential buyer looking to buy land, home or build a house from scratch, you must be conversant with a few of these figures.
You can start with understanding the system of Land measurement in Nigeria.
In Nigeria today, Land is measured in Hectares, Acres, Meters and Feet. These measurements are affected by factors, which includes development pattern, human and environmental factors.
Let’s start by asking what is the size of standard plot in Nigeria?
According to the dictionary meaning of a plot: A plot is a marked-out piece of Land for the purpose of building or farming. The word ‘plot’ is an arbitrary term used to describe a land division carved out for property development.
The size of a plot can vary for different reasons but according to Nigeria’s land division, the appropriate plot for a house construction is 50 x 100ft which can accommodate a standard house with a small compound.
To better understand Land divisions used in Nigeria, different units of area are used as follows:
HECTARES (HA)
A hectare is one of the lease known metric units and one which potential buyers and Estate developer seem to struggle with – it is a land measuring 100m x 100m OR 328ft x 328ft OR 10,000sqm. It is about two and half acres. A Hectare consist of 15 plots.
ACRE
An Acre is a standard unit of measurement used by Land sellers and it is almost equivalent to the size of a standard football field. An Acre is a product of any rectangular plot of land giving a total of 4,046sqm OR 43,560sq ft. An Acre consists of 6 plots each measuring 6 x 120ft.
In Lagos State, the standard size of a plot is 60ft x 120ft (18m x 36m that is 648sqm), while in some other cities in the country, plots are measured in 50ft x 100ft.
SURVEY PLAN
A Survey plan is a document that measures the boundary of a parcel of land to give an accurate measurement and description of that land. The people that handle survey issues are Surveyors and they are regulated by the office of the Surveyor general in Lagos as it relates to survey issues in Lagos. A survey plan must contain the following information:
1. The name of the owner of the land surveyed
2. The Address or description of the land surveyed
3. The size of the land surveyed
4. The drawn-out portion of the land survey and mapped out on the survey plan document
5. The beacon numbers
6. The surveyor who drew up the survey plan and the date it was drawn up
7. A stamp showing the land is either free from Government acquisition or not.
EXCISION
Land Use Decree on the 28th of March, 1978 that vested all lands in every state of the Federation under the control of the State Governors. The Land Use Act coupled with other laws made it possible for the Governor who was now the owner of all lands in the state to actually have the power to Acquire more lands compulsorily for its own public purpose to provide amenities for the greater good of the citizens.
Fortunately, the government recognizes that indigenes of different sections of the country have a right to existence . . . a right to the land of their birth. Hence, it is customary for state government to cede a portion of land to the original owners (natives) of each area.
An Excision means basically taking a part from a whole and that part that has been excised, will be recorded and documented in the official government gazette of that state. In other words, not having an excision means the land could be seized by the Government anytime without compensating you even if you bought it “Legitimately” from the Baale or the Original dwellers on the land.
GAZETTE
A Gazette is an Official record book where all special government details are spelt out, detailed and recorded
A gazette will show the communities or villages that have been granted excision and the number of acres or hectares of land that the government has given to them. It is within those excised acres or hectares that the traditional family is entitled to sell its lands to the public and not anything outside those hectares of land given or excised to them.
A Gazette is a very powerful instrument the community owns and can replace a Certificate of Occupancy to grant title to the Villagers. A community owning a gazette can only sell lands to an individual within those lands that have been excised to them and the community or family head of that land has the right to sign your documents for you if you purchase lands within those excised acres or hectares of land.
If the government based on some reasons best known to them decides to revoke or acquire your land, you will be entitled to compensation as long as it’s within the Excised lands given to that community.ad land to buy.
The best way to know whether a land is under acquisition or has an excision that has been covered by a Gazette is to get a surveyor to chart the site and take it to the surveyor general’s office to do a land information to confirm whether it falls within the gazette and spell out which particular location it can be found.
CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY
A Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) issued by the Lagos State Government officially leases Lagos land to you, the applicant, for 99 yrs. As already indicated above, all lands belong to the Government.
A C of O however is the officially recognized Document for demonstrating Right to a Land.
What happens after 99 years? That question is still subject of debate among experts. Most have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. Others postulate that as the new owner of the land, you the buyer, can renew the certificate of occupancy when it expires.
That makes sense, but for now is largely a case of “We shall see when we get there”
DEED OF ASSIGNMENT
A Deed of Assignment is an Agreement between the Seller of a Land or Property and a Buyer of that Land or property showing evidence that the Seller has transferred all his rights, his title, his interest and ownership of that land to that the Seller that has just bought land.
The Deed of Assignment has been exchanged between both parties, it has to be recorded in the land registry to show legal proof that the land has exchanged hands and the public should be aware of the transaction.
Such recorded Deed of Assignment come in the form of either a Governor’s Consent or Registered Conveyance.
Dubai Miracle Garden is one of the most stunning attractions in Dubai, and every year heaps of visitors head to Dubailand to taking in the superb sights of the 72,000 sq m flower park.
Boasting more than 150 million flowers – and more than 120 different varieties – it’s a bucket-list spot for residents and tourists alike.
Dubai Miracle Garden is the largest natural flower garden in the world. Some of the flowers have never been cultivated in the region before either.
And this season the park has enhanced its nighttime experience for visitors, with sculptures kitted out with twinkling lights.
The Amphitheatre has also been revamped, featuring an observatory to enjoy live entertainment and panoramic views of the garden.
There’s also a 400m walking track to take in the flower art, where there will also be floral parades, street performers, Zumba sessions and more.
Famous attractions at Dubai Miracle Garden include the record-breaking Emirates A380 display along with an 18-metre floral structure of Mickey Mouse.
Mickey stands at 18m high and was the first Disney character floral display in the Middle East, earning a Guinness World Record for World’s Largest Topiary Structure in February 20198.
It features nearly 100,000 flowers and weighs 35 tonnes. Dubai Miracle Garden has two other Guinness World Records too, largest vertical garden, which it achieved in 2013, and the world’s largest floral sculpture forming the shape of an Airbus A380 in 2016.
Also returning this year is the Floral Castle and the Caribbean and Asian hammocks.
There’s also a 12m-high teddy bear holding a heart, while there’s also a 15m-wide floral clock.
One of the most famous sights at Dubai Miracle Garden is the Hearts Passage – a series of hearts made from thousands of flowers that makes frequent appearances on Instagram.
“Every year, we challenge ourselves to create new and distinctive displays to keep Dubai Miracle Garden close to the hearts and minds of our visitors, giving them an experience worthy of sharing between friends and family members,” said Engineer Abdel Naser Rahhal, Creator and Co-founder of Dubai Miracle Garden and Vice Chairman of Cityland Group.
“This distinction that we bring to our visitors, season after season is the result of the creativity, commitment and hard work of our team, whose aim is to achieve the highest level of recognition for Dubai Miracle Garden and highlight Dubai as a leading tourist destination.”
You can take the bus to Dubai Miracle Garden from Mall of the Emirates Metro Station via public buses on Route 105. Buses run Sunday to Thursday from 2pm to 8pm, and on Friday and Saturday from noon until 10pm.
The park has reopened under strict health and safety measures in line with government directives. There will be temperature checks on arrival as well as social distancing in place across the park.
The coastal town of Badagry, traditionally known as Gbagle, is situated between the city of Lagos, and the border with Benin Republic at Seme. It was cut out of Nigeria in 1863 and eventually added to the state of Lagos as part of Nigeria by the United Kingdom in 1901.
Being the second largest town in south-west Lagos State, Badagry is surrounded by lakes, creeks and islands, which makes beaches and resorts one of the major attractions of the ancient town.
Christianity Was First Preached In Badagry As It Was The Town Where Christian Mission Workers Came To And Practiced Their Work.
The First Two-Storey Building Was Also Built In Marina, Badagry In 1845.
Today on beautiful Nigeria, we’ll take a look at tourist attraction, Suntan Beach.
A hidden jewel in Badagry with beautiful palm trees and huts, Suntan Beach is one of the less talked about but magnificent beaches in Lagos. The quietness takes you to a whole new level and opens your mind to the world.
The beach also have horses for a short ride up and down the beach, children rides are also available.
Visitors need not worry about safety here, this is one of the safest places to be. Visitors are advised against daring the sea by moving too deep into the sea.
Also, try out your hands in fishing, you just might be blessed to catch a few. Enjoy Horse riding and get entertained by the locals with historical tales. Visitors are advised to go with a camera as this is a good site to take lovely pictures.
On Suntan Beach Locals are willing to tell tales and make sure you have a good time. The best time to visit Suntan Beach is during the weekend when there is a flurry of activities taking place on the beach.
A microbiologist with EnvironQuest, Iyiola Oladunjoye, has said he will mentor next generation of microbiologists who will be capable of exploring local opportunities to tackle impending global health challenges.
Oladunjoye who was appointed a three-year term as a member of the Young Leaders Circle by the American Society for Microbiology in August 2021, explained that he would work with the Nigerian Society for Microbiology to solve challenges microbiologists experience with their practice in Nigeria.
“My goal is to enhance microbiology education and training in Nigeria, by leveraging on ASM support and resources to build the next generation of microbiologists that are capable of exploring local opportunities available to tackle impending global health challenges of serious concerns. As an Executive of Rouleaux Foundation, I would be harnessing the Talent Management System of the organisation to create a Mentorship Programme for Microbiology undergraduates in Nigeria, in partnership with the American Society for Microbiology. I also aim to work with the Nigerian Society for Microbiology to solve challenges microbiologists experience with their practice in Nigeria. It is our collective goal to see to the establishment of the Microbiology Council of Nigeria, geared towards regulating, professionalising microbiology practice and increasing research funding for microbiological research in Nigeria. This would be achieved through public awareness and working together with legislators to put relevant policies in place.”
Iyiola who graduated in 2018 as one of the best graduating students with a First Class Honours in Microbiology from the University of Ilorin, explained that there was need to drive advancement in microbial sciences in Nigeria through effective training and capacity building of microbiology students across different levels.
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