And they killed Nigerian Airways along with others

On May 1, 1959, Nigerian Airways Limited was inaugurated during the tenure of Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola as Minister of Aviation giving Nigeria its fledging national carrier. Chief Raymond Njoku succeeded Akintola as the first Supervisory Minister to herald the new airline. The first board appointed by the government provided policy guidelines for the new Nigeria Airways was headed by Chief T.T. Solaru, while the first General Manager of the airline was an expatriate, Captain L.V. Messenger. Although the basic objectives of the new airline were to carry on the…

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Controversial Mandela book removed from shelves

Following the protest by Graca Machel, the widow of South Africa’s Nelson Mandela, the publishers of the controversial book, “ Mandela’s Last Years”, have pulled it from the shelves and immediately stopped issuing copies. Machel, had threatened legal action against his late husband’s personal doctor, Dr. Vejay Ramlakan, over a book that reveals previously undisclosed details of his patient. According to Africa Review, Dr Ramlakan, headed the former South African leader’s medical team until his death in December 2013 at the age of 95. He released his book, “Mandela’s Last Years’’…

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Lunch in London, anxiety in Nigeria

“What’s gwan inna wa cwantry?” “What language is that?” “English of course.” “Sounds like Creole to me. Why don’t you just talk straight?” “Nobody talks straight in this country anymore.” “I still talk straight. I can’t start twisting my tongue because some people have lost it.” “Okay, I was asking what is going on in our country?” “Is that a direct question or a sly comment?” “Just answer the question” “What I know is that we are now truly, a country of hyenas, jackals and small animals. A big animal…

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Germany is for a united Nigeria – envoy

The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Bernhard Schlagheck, says his country will support a more united and prosperous Nigeria devoid of wrangling. Schlagheck spoke during an interactive session with the leadership of the Enugu State Chapter of Ohaneze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, in Enugu on Monday. The ambassador also said that the Federal Republic of Germany had confidence in Nigeria’s ability to deal decently with the call for the restructuring of the country for a more equitable nation. He, therefore, advised all stakeholders to respect the constitution and…

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Google releases the final Android O developer preview

Google today launched the fourth and final developer preview of Android O, the latest version of its mobile operating system. As expected, there are no major changes in this release and, according to Google, the launch of Android O remains on track for later this summer. There’s still some time left before the official end of the summer (that’s September 22, in case you wondered), but given that Android Nougat was on a very similar schedule, I expect we’ll see a final release in August. The final APIs for Android O arrived with the…

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15 political parties back restructuring

No fewer than 15 political parties on the platform of the Coalition for New Nigeria (CNN)  have expressed  support for the  restructuring of the country. CNN’s National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, who addressed   newsmen on Monday in Abuja, said the coalition was determined to chart a new course for Nigeria. According to him, CNN is committed to the unity, indivisibility and progress of Nigeria. He said that the vision of the coalition was a  new Nigeria that would be  secure and prosperous through effective governance. “Our goal will be to…

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Facebook acquires Source3 in bid to prevent video, other Piracy

In its battle against pirated content, Facebook has acquired a US-based startup Source3 to help it weed out pirated videos and other content that users share without permission. The startup builds technology to detect intellectual property that has been shared by Internet users without permission. According to a report in Recode on Monday, Facebook was acquiring both the technology and some of the core team members of Source3. “We’re excited to work with the Source3 team and learn from the expertise they’ve built in intellectual property, trademarks and copyright. As always, we are focused…

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Cristiano Ronaldo confirms Real Madrid stay

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has spoken about his future with the European champions, saying he wants to win more trophies with the club. The four-time Ballon d’Or winner was linked with a shock exit from the Santiago Bernabeu earlier in the close-season, with Paris Saint-Germain and former employers Manchester United believed to be among those interested. Ronaldo led Madrid to four trophies last season, including the Champions League and a first La Liga crown since 2012. The 32-year-old – who is contracted until 2021 – wants more of the…

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Chinese jets intercept U.S. surveillance plane – U.S. officials

Two Chinese fighter jets intercepted a U.S. Navy surveillance plane over the East China Sea at the weekend, with one jet coming within about 300 feet (91 meters) of the American aircraft, U.S. officials said on Monday. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial reports showed one of the Chinese J-10 aircraft came close enough to the U.S. EP-3 plane on Sunday to cause the American aircraft to change direction. One of the officials said the Chinese jet was armed and the interception happened 80 nautical miles (148…

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25 countries for Nigeria’s art, craft expo

National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC) says it is expecting at least 25 countries and 150 exhibitors at the 10th African Arts and Crafts (AFAC) Expo scheduled for Abuja. The Director-General, NCAC, Otunba Segun Runsewe, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. Runsewe said that participants from these countries and the exhibitors were expected to showcase their unique cultural identities at the expo which is holding from Aug. 27 to Sept. 17. He expressed commitment to justifying his appointment…

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