A 25-year-old Nigerian filmmaker, Idorenyen Uko, has achieved academic excellence by graduating with the highest distinction from the New York Film Academy, Los Angeles (NYFA’s).
According to reports, Idorenyen Uko who hails from Akwa Ibom boasted a perfect cumulative grade point average of 4.00.
During her academic journey at the academy, Idorenyen Uko, directed and produced outstanding films like “Sincerely Me” and “Error Connection.”
Each of the films showcased her unique storytelling style and cinematic flair.
In a telephone interview with NAN on Wednesday, Idorenyen Uko said that her ambitions and vision extended beyond the bright lights of Hollywood. She also expressed her passion for returning to Nigeria to revolutionise the country’s film industry.
According to her, she received the prestigious Summa Cum Laude distinction at NYFA’s commencement ceremony, held in August.
Commenting on her achievement, one of her colleagues said, “Uko’s journey through film school is a testament to her unwavering dedication and creative prowess. With her remarkable talent, boundless passion, and a resolute commitment to elevating Nigerian culture while meeting Hollywood’s production standards, she is poised to become a trailblazer in the world of cinema. Her graduation with Summa Cum Laude honors is just the beginning of an exciting chapter in the story of a visionary filmmaker.”
Nigeria moved up seven spots to 11th with 528.9 points in the latest FIBA World Ranking Women presented by Nike in Switzerland on Wednesday.
The climb comes off the back of D’Tigress’ dominance at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2023, where they won the title for the fourth time in a row.
Mali, who finished third at the tournament, made a huge leap of 13 places to 16th with 362.1 points, while silver medalists Senegal enjoyed an increase of 11 places to 316.3 points and are the last team occupying a berth in the top 20.
Fresh from making history and being crowned FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 champions, Belgium have moved up one spot, and it’s highly significant and cause for delight as they now secure their joint all-time high of sixth spot. With 654.6 points, they jump over neighbours France, who are on 643.8, and the Cats are only 0.8 points behind Canada in what is an unchanged top five.
China won the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2023 and remains stable in second place.
Brazil are back in the top ten after they soared seven places to eighth position on 612.6 points via their stunning FIBA Women’s AmeriCup 2023 triumph. The South American nation won a record sixth title at the event as they beat the USA in the final.
Elsewhere on the list, Hungary’s eye-catching run to the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 Semi-Finals also sees them back in the top 20 with a rise of five places to 19th on 342.5 points.
Meanwhile, Germany played in the competition for the first time in 12 years and excelled on their return, helping them to accelerate 11 places to 25th on 298.5 points.
Finally, Iran achieved a stellar rise of 26 places to 52nd after moving to 135 points after they made the title game of the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup Division B 2023 in Bangkok.
This is the first FIBA World Ranking Women, presented by Nike, that benefits from the adjusted competition and region weights.
They have been adjusted based on the performances of each nation over the past eight years.
A top court in the Democratic Republic of Congo has jailed an opposition politician for seven years after finding him guilty on 12 charges, including spreading false rumours and insulting the head of state.
Jean-Marc Kabund had been detained since August last year, when he was arrested for criticizing President Felix Tshisekedi and his government.
Mr Kabund is a former vice-president of the DR Congo parliament. He was also a close ally of President Tshisekedi until their fall-out in early last year.
He went on to form the Alliance for Change political party, under which he planned to run for president in the December elections.
He will not have an opportunity for appeal as the decisions of the Court of Cassation, which sentenced him, are final and not subject to appeal.
“This is an extremely harsh decision, especially as there is no appeal,” his lawyer Kadi Diko said after the Wednesday sentencing.
He told the Reuters news agency that Mr Kabund received four months each for the first nine offences and 16 months each for the last three.
Several websites established around the time of Nigeria’s general elections in February 2023 are reaching thousands of people while spreading false news. A high number of adverts on the websites mean they can be profiting from the spread of disinformation.
They weave false stories with factual news about sports, entertainment, and politics – with some publishing as many as 700 pieces per month. They also favour or attack politicians in Nigeria.
Almost seven months after the fiercely contested elections, the country remains deeply divided, as witnessed in the reaction to last week’s ruling on the opposition challenge to the results. The disinformation spread by these websites may be fueling these divisions.
The BBC Global Disinformation Team analysed three of these new websites: Podium Reporters, registered in 2021, Reportera, in July 2022, and Parallel Facts, in May 2023.The timing of their creation had a reason, according to Mr Tijani.
During the electoral campaign and after, all three main candidates were subject to inaccurate news stories published by the websites analysed.
Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC was elected president in a tight race with 37% of the votes. His election is still being contested by the second- and third-placed candidates, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and the Labour Party’s Peter Obi. Last week the election tribunal rejected their challenges but they have said they will go to the Supreme Court.
A House of Representatives hopeful and artiste, Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W, on Wednesday, expressed his gratitude for the Election Petitions Tribunal ruling that ordered a rerun in the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency in Lagos State.
In the February 2023 election, the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the Labour Party’s candidate, Mr. Thaddeus Atta, as the winner of the poll with 24,075 votes, while Wellington and Obanikoro had 18,668 and 16,901 votes, respectively.
Following the results of the election, Wellington, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Ibrahim Obanikoro of the All Progressives Congress filed petitions challenging the election results.
The tribunal, in its judgment on Monday, declared the February election inconclusive and ordered INEC to conduct a supplementary election within 90 days in 33 polling units where elections did not hold.
Wellington made it known in an interview: “For me personally, it’s a miracle in and of itself that we get another chance to finish the election.
“I think it’s a testament to the power of perseverance, the power of faith, and the collective will of the people who want to participate in the rebuilding of this democracy.”
“People were really frustrated that they didn’t get a chance to participate in that election. And I think that that’s important,” Wellington said.
The House of Representatives has denied claims by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress that the Federal Government gave N100m to members of the National Assembly as palliatives. The National Assistant Secretary of the NLC, Christopher Onyeka, had made the allegation in a statement issued in Abuja. Reacting to the allegation, House Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi, described the allegation as baseless and “devoid of factual accuracy.”
The statement read, “The House of Representatives notes with concern news reports across multiple newspapers, electronic, and online media, of a statement credited to the National Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Mr Christopher Onyeka.
“First, we state categorically that Mr Onyeka lied in his claim that National Assembly members were given N100m as palliatives. For the avoidance of doubt, at no time did members of the House of Representatives receive any money from the executive arm as palliatives. We, therefore, consider this statement as malicious, irresponsible, and in bad faith.
“We consider it irresponsible and most unfortunate that Mr Onyeka would misrepresent facts in a bid to lend credence to otherwise valid demands of the NLC while seeking to denigrate the National Assembly and inciting the public against the institution.
“Accordingly, the House of Representatives demands an immediate retraction of this lie and a public apology from the Nigeria Labour Congress. “We wish to remind the NLC and indeed all Nigerians that in less than 100 days in the tenure of the 10th Assembly, we have demonstrated our commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers and all Nigerians.
“We wish to invite the NLC to see the National Assembly as partners rather than adversaries. The 10th Assembly of the House of Representatives wishes to reassure Nigerians that we remain committed to advancing the well-being of our constituents.
African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused serving and former governors of endangering the country’s democracy through their actions. The National Chairman, Okey Nwosu, who made the allegations, in an interview with journalists, in Abuja, said most of the governors have become emperors in their respective states.
He stated that apart from muzzling the local government areas, the governors also are in the habit of wanting to dictate who gets elected into the state and national assemblies in their states. “The Governors in almost all the states have become emperors, they are controlling the local government, for the last 20 years there is nothing happening in the local government and without local government there is no grassroots development, development is bottom up and not up to bottom it cannot work.
“Therefore, who are acting like emperors seizing local government accounts, must be called to order. They want to influence almost everything they select who becomes local government Chairmen, they select people who go to the state House of Assembly, those to go to NASS and they are beginning to put their stronghold on who becomes the governor even president.
“Recently the governors are going to the tribunals to stop people who won elections genuinely. This cannot advance our democracy and country. Because of that I called on the NSA to action. What they are doing is threatening the fabric of our society.” Furthermore, Nwosu called on security agencies to pay attention to developments in Kogi and Imo states, ahead of the November 14 gubernatorial poll.
Nevertheless, he charged members of the party not to succumb to threats and blackmail; but work within the ambit of the law to ensure victory for the party in the forth coming governorship elections in Kogi and Imo states.
“We are calling on all ADC members to rise up and make sure that ADC wins the coming November 11 election in Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo State. Our Campaign is going on well in Kogi and Imo in particular, I charge our candidate Hon. Leke Abejide and Professor James Okoroma to remain focused as victory beckons.”
“As a party we have come together to give credence to the nation and our party for transformational leadership that epitomizes values in this responsibility we must not fail. The job maybe hard people may refuse to cooperate; the first task for us is to deliver our global campus.”
Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Bayelsa State, the British High Commission has declared its readiness to support free, fair, and credible polls. Political Secretary, British High Commission, Abuja, Hamish Tye, stated this during a meeting with the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Udengs Eradiri, at his residence in Yenagoa.
According to Tye, his visit was to meet with the governorship candidates, get a better idea of the issues shaping the poll as well as better understanding of the manifestoes of each governorship candidate. He said: “We have come to Bayelsa to meet with the governorship candidates and to get a better idea of the issues they are going to be contesting in the election and what the people are going to be voting on and to get a better idea of what each governorship candidate will like to do while in office.
“We don’t have any demands per say but our view is that the election should be peaceful and credible. We also discussed the idea of a peace accord and that will be followed up.” Eradiri said his concerns about the election are the issue of vote-buying and plot to manipulate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Abia stakeholders, COSEYL hail tribunal judgment validating Kalu’s victory, urge PDP, LP to accept verdict
According to him, there is already vote-buying on display by the various appointments being dished out by the incumbent administration to lure the opposition, especially LP members. He criticised the process for being deceitful, noting that the appointments are geared towards extracting political support for re-election.
“For me, the concerns that I raised and I keep raising are about vote-buying that is already ongoing by appointments that are being dished out by the government of the day. They promised 17 members per polling unit, they are paying N100,000 each.
“Some of them won’t even get a salary; it is just a show of desperation to use the people’s wealth to buy them. It is the responsibility of the government to appoint aides that will work for the progress of the state.
Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, yesterday, alleged that the leadership of the Labour Party, LP, knew that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, lost the February 25 election.
Soyinka accused the leadership of LP of trying to force “a lie” on Nigerians, especially youths that Obi won the election. The Nobel laureate spoke at an event titled “The Lives of Wole Soyinka — A Dialogue” organised by Africa in the World. The event took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
While speaking at the event, Soyinka was asked to react to his comment against the Vice-Presidential candidate of LP, Datti Baba-Ahmed after the general elections. Soyinka said the truth matters to him, noting that many people always look for shortcuts.
His words: “This recent election – two things happened first of all. One party took over the labour movement, which is not my favourite movement, and then it became a regional party.
“Whereas it was a marvellous breach into the established two camps. Peter Obi achieved something remarkable there, that he broke that mould. However, he did not win the election.
“I can say categorically that Peter Obi’s party came third not even second and the leadership knew it but they want to do what we call in Yoruba ‘gbajue’, that is force of lies.”
While he alleged that the LP leadership attempted to mobilise young people to protest against the outcome of the election on the “banner of lies and deceit, Soyinka said: “They were going to send some of the hardliners, proud young people into the street to demonstrate.”
He, however, said: “I’m also ready to be among such demonstrators but only on the banner of truth not on lies, and deceit.
“This party (LP) wanted the same thing (referring to 2011 post-election violence) to happen on the basis of a lie and we find this vice-presidential candidate on television boasting, insisting, threatening and trying to intimidate both the judiciary and the rest.
“What kind of government will result from that kind of conduct? In addition, they did not know this but they were being used.
“Before the election, there were certain clandestine forces, including some former generals, who were already calling for an interim government before the elections began.”
“Some of them were known figures, including a proprietor of a university calling for an interim government before the election took place.”
Lake Tana is a very large lake which is the source of the Blue Nile River, and it is located in the Amhara Region within the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
As the lake can be found in the northwestern Ethiopian Highlands, the lake is around 84 km (52 mi) long and 66 km (41 mi) wide, where the maximum depth has been measured to be 15 meters (49 feet).
Formed by a volcanic activity which blocked the in-flowing rivers as early as the Pleistocene epoch, the lake was much larger than it is today.
Due to its immense size, the entire lake has been named Lake Tana Biosphere Reserve providing an important ecosystem which is a hotspot of biodiversity, and also has a global importance for agricultural genetic diversity.
Throughout the lake, there are some islands and islets which number varies depending on the level of the lake, where the biggest one is Dek Island.
What is important is that the islands and peninsulas too around the lake collectively house more than 20 monastic churches, many of which were founded in 14 century, during the rule of Amda Tsion, though some are possibly older, where at least two date to the Gonderine period.
One of the most famous treasures from the monasteries can be found on Tana Qirqos Island, where a rock is located which was shown to CIA specialist, Paul B. Henze, on which he was told the Virgin Mary had rested on her journey back from Egypt. Sadly, the women are not allowed to visit the churches and monasteries on the islands, except that they are only allowed to land on the banks of the islands.
The main city on Lake Tana, Bahir Dar, is the perfect link for visitors to get a boat ride to one of the many islands, as it is a famous one due to the outflow of the lake where the Blue Nile River originates.
Around 70% of the fish species that can be found within the lake are endemic, and as there are no inflows in the lake, and it is well protected by the Blue Nile Falls, it means that the flora is only limited to a highly distinctive fish fauna that is generally related to species from the Nile Basin.
Unfortunately, there is the water hyacinth that threatens the lake, as it covers a large areas of open waters, and with recent data it is shown that Lake Tana is critically infested putting the aquatic biodiversity at extreme risk.
The small in-flowing rivers carry heavy loads of soil and suspended sediment into the lake, which affects the water quality and creates favorable conditions for the spread of the weed, which in fact creates an almost impossible situation to remove the plant from the largest national freshwater body.
Nevertheless, having an enormous religious and natural importance in the country, Lake Tana shall continue to be the beacon of Ethiopia’s freshwater, with hope to be well preserved and protected, so that it will stay there for an even longer period since its creation.
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