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 I tried to befriend Gani Fawehinmi — but he didn’t want to be seen with me – IBB

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Ibrahim Babangida, former military head of state, says he tried to be friends with Gani Fawehinmi, the late human rights lawyer.

 

Babangida, who ruled Nigeria as military president from 1985 to 1993, spoke on Inside Sources, a Channels Television programme anchored by Laolu Akande.

 

The former military head of state described Fawehinmi as a good critic, saying he valued his comments on national issues.

 

“If we come up with a policy, my first question to my staff was: What would Gani Fawehinmi say? I like listening to him. I made it a point to become his friend,” IBB said on Friday.

 

“He was very friendly with one of my former ministers, the late Alex Akinyele. They were very good friends, and he (Alex) tried to make us very good friends.

 

“He (Fawehinmi) (was) a good critic and he didn’t want to be seen with someone that people already perceived as ‘an evil genius’.”

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Fawehinmi was a vocal critic of the government, both military and civilian. Different military regimes incarcerated him but he never relented in his human rights activism. He died on September 5, 2009, at the age of 71.

 

In 2008, he rejected the award of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) conferred on him by late President Musa Yar’Adua. Fawehinmi said he took the decision in protest of bad governance since independence.

 

However, in 2018, former President Muhammadu Buhari announced the conferment of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON) — the second-highest national honour — on the late activist.

 

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Duoye Diri, Tunji-Ojo, Esther Ajayi, Odunbaku, others receive Triangle Media Award in London

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Dignitaries from Nigeria and across the United Kingdom stormed the city of London on Friday, May 17 2024, for the 2nd edition of Triangle Face of Africa Award.

Triangle Face of Africa Leadership Award is a yearly event that honours Nigerians and Africans who have positively impacted lives and also distinguished themselves in their areas of endeavors.

 

The 2024 event was spiced with a lecture titled, “Navigating Security Challenges in Nigeria: A Comprehensive Approach to Solutions” was delivered by the duo of Professor Ojo Emmanuel Ademola and Dr. Nathaniel Oyinloye.

Dignitaries honoured at the London event include Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Duoye Diri; the Nigerian Interior Minister, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; General Overseer of the Love of Christ Generation, Rev. (Dr) Esther Abimbola Ajayi; renowned clergy and APC stalwart, Cardinal James Omolaja Odunmbaku (Baba Eto) and the Chief of Staff to Lagos State, Tayo Ayinde.

 

Other honorees include the Chief of Staff to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rev.(Mrs) Ijeoma Ajibade; the National Director for Safeguarding Church of England, Alexander Kubeyinje and the CEO of EB Properties, Sunday Aderibigbe,Mr Kayode Adegbite,Festus Akingbaso,Hon.Bamidele salam and Abiola Oladapo and Olumide Tijani

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While welcoming the honorees and guests to the event, the publisher of Triangle Magazine, Otunba Femi Salako thanked dignitaries and guests present at the event for honoring him with their valued presence.

 

Otunba Salako emphasized that the yearly award was intended to celebrate the achievements of outstanding Nigerians and Africans that have made significant contributions to their communities and the world at large. He also added that the yearly award was a platform that would inspire Nigerians and Africans across the globe to strive towards excellence.

Salako also described topic of the event’s lecture as thought provoking and timely in view of the security challenges confronting Nigeria. He however, appreciated the two guest lecturers, Professor Ojo Emmanuel Ademola and Dr. Nathaniel Oyinloye for their robust intellectual contributions, which made the lecture quite insightful and invaluable.

 

“This award ceremony is not just about recognizing individual achievements, but also about creating a platform to inspire others to strive for excellence. We aim to bring together leaders and change-makers from various fields to celebrate African excellence and promote unity and progress”.

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While Otunba Salako congratulated the honorees for their well deserved recognition, he also charged them to continually make impacts in their communities and the world at large. He also urged the guests and the honorees to celebrate the excellence inherent in Africa. He further urged Africans to inspire one another, and work together towards a brighter future for the African continent.

 

The roll call of guests at the event include the UK Mobility Security, Compliance Vice President of EMEA, Nicanor Chavez; the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Duoye Diri, Mr. Daniel Alabrah, who represented the Bayelsa State Governor; Chief (Mrs) Simi Odunmbaku, who represented her husband and the Lagos State Chief of Staff; son of the General Overseer of the Love of Christ Generation, Emmanuel Ajayi; publisher of African Briefing,John Offei-Ansah; and the magazine’s editor, Desmond Davies; clergymen amongst others.

 

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Saudi Arabia hosts first ever swimwear fashion show

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Saudi Arabia has hosted its first-ever fashion show where women model for swimsuits without covering their heads.

 

The poolside show was held on Friday during the inaugural Red Sea Fashion Week at the St. Regis Red Sea Resort.

 

Influenced heavily by its adherence to Islamic law, Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in terms of women’s fashion.

 

In public, women are traditionally expected to wear the abaya, a loose-fitting black cloak, with a headscarf to cover their hair.

 

Although Saudi Arabia has gradually seen reforms allowing freedom in dressing and reducing the enforcement of strict dress codes, social expectations and cultural norms still maintain a conservative approach to women’s fashion, particularly in public and formal settings.

 

The Red Sea Fashion Week swimwear show featured the summer beachwear collection by Moroccan designer Yasmina Qanzal.

 

The collection included mostly one-piece swimsuits in shades of red, beige and blue.

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The Arabian models had exposed shoulders while some had their midriffs partially visible.

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Qanzal, a media report state, said it was “an honour” to be a part of such a historic fashion moment in the country.

 

“This country is very conservative but we tried to show elegant swimsuits which represent the Arab world,” the designer said.

 

“When we came here, we understood that a swimsuit fashion show in Saudi Arabia is a historic moment because it is the first time to have such an event.”

 

The Red Sea Fashion Week is part of the Red Sea Global project, a cornerstone of Saudi’s Vision 2030 social and economic reform plan.

 

The programme, championed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, aims to modernise Saudi Arabia and diversify its economy beyond oil.

 

Mohammed, who became first in line to the throne in 2017, has since initiated a series of social reforms in the country.

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Those changes include re-introducing cinemas and organising mixed-gender music festivals.

 

 

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My husband diverted medical fund, nursing mother stranded in hospital cries out

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Susan Ubangha, who was recently delivered of a baby girl, has cried for help over her deteriorating health condition after giving birth at the Alimosho General Hospital in the Igando area of Lagos State.

 

The new mother alleged that her husband used the money meant for her medical bill to buy a phone and a dog.

 

Ubangha, in a lengthy post on her X handle, stated that her ordeal started in the weeks leading to the delivery of her baby as she started to experience sudden and severe shortness of breath.

 

The nursing mother who claimed to have been rushed to the hospital alleged that her husband failed to pay for her hospital bills.

 

She claimed that her husband was opposed to a caesarean section due to the financial constraints while he suggested that would deliver the baby naturally

 

She wrote, “I got traditionally married recently and took in. I thought that was the best thing that happened to me, everything was going well until I entered the 35th week. I suddenly developed shortness of breath, I could barely walk two seconds without being out of breath. Thinking it was one of those symptoms of late pregnancy, I didn’t take it seriously until the 14th of April when I could barely breathe, and couldn’t lift my head up.

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“I was rushed to a nearby clinic, they couldn’t handle me, so I was taken to my hospital where I was admitted and placed on oxygen. The doctors told my husband we should opt for CS, as I and my unborn child were at risk. My husband said no, that I’d definitely deliver naturally. He insisted he had no money for CS and that they should work on stabilising my breathing. So for three days, I was on oxygen and feeling better. Seeing that I was responding to treatment, my husband went around and insisted I should be discharged against the doctor’s advice.”

 

Ubangha said she became weak to argue with her husband whose insistence led her to be discharged from the hospital.

 

She however noted that she developed breathing problems again after she arrived home, adding that her husband thereafter bought a herbal drink which he asked her to drink to make her baby’s head turn for natural delivery.

 

She further narrated she was in so much pain that she drank only for the pain to intensify while she struggled so much till about 1 am in the morning when she couldn’t take it anymore.

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She said, “I cried out, my neighbours came running and I was again rushed to the hospital, admitted and placed on oxygen. While my doctors determined what to do, my husband insisted he had no money for a cesarean section. All these while, I was spending my life’s savings on medications, this and that tests.”

 

“This dragged on until the morning of 29th April, I was broken, my baby wasn’t moving, my breathing wasn’t good, I couldn’t push and my baby’s position was beached. I cried out on Facebook where a kind Samaritan sent me 500k to pay for CS and whatever else I might need afterwards.”

 

Speaking on how her husband allegedly squandered the money, Ubangha said, “I immediately sent the sum of 180k and an additional 60k so he could pay for the surgery and whatever we might need. He took the money and spent it instead on a phone and bought a dog while I was battling with life, thinking he was paying.

 

She said, “We waited from 10 am when I gave him the money to about 2 pm, Doctors were shouting, time was running out, I had to call his sister, counted another N180,000 and gave her, she’s the one who paid. He came at 6 pm when I was being wheeled into the theatre. I could hear both of them fighting, the sister threatening to arrest him.”

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Ubangha who eventually gave birth through a cesarean section alleged that her husband had abandoned her, as she was left with her newborn baby girl and her aged mother at the hospital.

 

Ubangha explained that she was stranded having spent all she had on the medical bills and food, and appealed to the public for help to save her.

 

In a picture attached to the post, the nursing mother could be seen with a swollen leg

“First diagnosis was that I had peripartum cardiomyopathy. I’ve done ECKG, chest X-ray and a series of other blood tests that I’m waiting for a report on. Whatever the outcome, I will need every help I can get. I need about 500k to help with whatever treatment plan and to help facilitate my discharge process,” she added.

 

Ubangha explained that she was stranded having spent all she had on the medical bills and food, and appealed to the public for help to save her.

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