Welcome To Echo Blog

Blessing Newton Abahi, Woman Behind 'Bunch of Women' Soundtrack Launches Business. In a video shared on tiktok, Blessing Newton Abahi, the lady who while describing her ordeals from an abusive spouse, became an internet sensation after her phrase, 'Bunch of women' started being used as a soundtrack on video-sharing platform, TikTok. Blessings showed off her new line of business and thanked Nigerians who contributed towards her starting a business, while showing off her new store. "My people I thank una very much for wetin una don do for me. This time around bunch of women don start bunch of business. E don shele. I dey produce liquid soap, toilet wash. I can make like 25 products on my own", Blessing said.  Blessing revealed that she is currently into the production of chemicals including liquid soap. She received financial assistance via monetary donations from some Nigerians who were moved by her story. In a recent video, the young woman displayed her new st

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Civil Aviation Act, the Nigerian Metrological Agency, and six other bills recently passed by the National Assembly into law. The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (House of Representatives, Bashir Babale Illah, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Monday listed the other bills signed by the President as the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria establishment bill and the Nigeria Council for Management Development Act. Others are the National Institute for Credit Administration establishment act, 2022, Chartered Institute of Social Work Practitioners act 2022, Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria act 2022, and Counselling Practitioners Council of Nigeria Act, 2022. Illah said the ”Civil Aviation Act, which repealed the Civil Aviation Act, No. 6, 2006, provides for an effective legal and institutional framework for the regulation of civil aviation in Nigeria in order to promote aviation safety and security

Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader who ended the cold war, died in Moscow aged 91. “Mikhail Gorbachev has passed away. Gorbachev was the most important world figure of the last quarter of the 20th century. Almost singlehandedly he brought an end to 40 years of east-west confrontation in Europe and liberated the world from the danger of nuclear conflagration. World leaders are paying tribute to Gorbachev. The Russian president Vladimir Putin expresses his deepest condolences, a Kremlin spokesman told the Interfax news agency. US President Joe Biden described Gorbachev as a man of “remarkable vision” who led his country on the path to reform. “These were the acts of a rare leader – one with the imaginationy to see that a different future was possible and the courage to risk his entire career to achieve it,” Biden said in a statement. “The result was a safer world and greater freedom for millions of people.” French President Emmanuel Macron described Gorbachev as “a m

MEGHAN MARKLE has been met with backlash, as Nelson Mandela's grandson has hit out at the Duchess. Speaking to the Cut Magazine, in her most recent interview, Meghan recounted a trip to the 2019 London premiere of the live-action version of The Lion King.  She said a cast member from South Africa pulled her aside at the premiere, she explained:  "He looked at me, and he's just like light. "He said, 'I just need you to know: When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison.'" But Nelson Mandela's grandson, Zwelivelile 'Mandla' Mandela, questioned the remarks.                    Meghan Markle.                         Zwelivelile 'Mandla' Mandela. Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, an African National Congress MP, whose grandfather (Nelson Mandela) served 27 years in prison before going on to lead his country. Zwelivelile ‘Mandla’ Mandela said he was “surprised” by her comments in

A man, described as middle-aged, was mauled to death by a lion after he climbed into a zoo enclosure in the capital, Accra, Ghana. Unfortunately, the man died from his injuries after Sunday's attack, officials report. The Ghana authorities have began investigation on the subject, that has left many in Ghana in awe. Police have commenced an investigation to establish the motive of the intruder and circumstances surrounding the attack. Wildlife authorities suspect he may have planned to steal two rare white lion cubs which have become a big draw since their birth last November. The victim's body was retrieved from the zoo and taken to a local morgue. The Accra Zoo has been temporarily closed to the public following the incident. A lion, a lioness and their two white cubs were in the enclosure when the incident happened. "The lions have cubs so if you come too close they may feel you are trying to take away their babies," Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources B

Despite heated negotiations at a meeting which was held at the union’s headquarters at the University of Abuja from Sunday till Monday morning. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has decided to extend its ongoing strike. Today marks the 196th day since the action strike began on February 14th, 2022.

John Gabriel and Gideon Adamu, the soldiers implicated in the killing of popular Yobe Islamic cleric, Goni Aisami were dismissed by the Nigerian Army on Saturday.                                             Sheik Goni Aisami  The dismissal of the soldiers was announced at an event held at the 241 RECCE Battalion Nguru, where the soldiers were serving by the Acting General Commanding Officer 241 RECCE Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel I O Sabo. Lt Col I O Sabo told journalists that the action of the soldiers did not reflect the image of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. His statement below; “Good afternoon gentlemen. You are welcome to join the 24i RECCE Battalion Nugu. My name is Lt. Col. I O Sabo, the Acting Commanding General Officer. "You are all aware of what happened a week ago when our service personnel of this unit went out to commit atrocities where the Nigeria police arrested them. "Thanks to Almighty Allah that we were able to do what is needful. The first phase of what we d

Yesterday, the sum of $265 million was released to airlines operating in Nigeria, by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). This is in a move to check the crisis in the country’s aviation sector, by settling outstanding ticket sales. Before this development, a number of airlines had threatened to withdraw their services in the face of unremitted funds for outstanding sale of tickets in the country. Mr. Osita Nwanisobi, the Director, Corporate Communications Department at the CBN, retiterated that the CBN was not against any company interested in repatriating its funds from the country, provided that the exit is done in an orderly manner. The Director noted that the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and his team were indeed concerned about issues that affect the development of the sector and its effects, the travelers, as well as, the country in the comity of nations. "With Friday’s release, it is expected that operators and travelers as well will heave huge sighs of relief, as some airlin

Two persons have been confirmed dead after a shopping mall, a three-storey building around Hamza Abdullahi Way, collapsed in Kubwa, a satellite town in Abuja. Kubwa is Abuja’s largest satellite town. With the influx of population growth,  Kubwa has in recent times witnessed the conversion of residential buildings to commercial centres and vice versa.  The building which caved in, in the early hours of Friday was still under construction, but had some artisans living inside it.  As at 2pm on Friday, five of the seven persons earlier trapped under the rubble had been rescued by the disaster management team of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC, officials of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) and sister agencies, while tractors continued combing the rubble in search of the other two. The rescued victims were taken to the Hospital in Kubwa. Sadly, the Head of Public Affairs of FCT Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Nkechi Isa, in a statement, confirmed the de

The American multinational technology company which focuses on e-commerce, Amazon, is closing down five warehouses in Massachusetts. The facilities that are closing are in Milford, Dedham, Everett, Randolph, and Mansfield.  There are plans to renovate the warehouses in Mansfield and Randolph.  We regularly look at how we can improve the experience for our employees, partners, drivers, and customers, and that includes upgrading our facilities," Amazon spokesperson Caitlin McLaughlin said in a statement. "As part of that effort, we'll be closing our delivery stations in Milford, Dedham, Everett, Randolph, and Mansfield and offering all employees the opportunity to transfer to several different delivery stations in Massachusetts." Amazon is working with employees to offer them work opportunities at nearby sites, and to accommodate their scheduling preferences.

A Pharmaceutical war indeed as Moderna accuses Pfizer and BioNTech of patent infringement. Moderna indicts Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, of copying technology that it developed prior to the pandemic in producing a COVID-19 vaccine. A lawsuit has now been filed by Moderna against the two drug companies, on Friday.  The lawsuit, which sets the stage for a massive legal clash between between Pfizer, a global pharmaceutical titan, and Moderna, a start-up biotechnology company based in Massachusetts was filed in U.S. District court in Massachusetts as well as in Germany. Moderna is seeking an unspecified amount in damages over the alleged patent infringement. 

Human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu reacts to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) declaration that it is open for an alliance with other political parties. The National Chairman of the NNPP, Professor Rufai Alkali said the party is not averse to negotiations toward building the country and that the party was open to alliances ahead of the 2023 general elections. “Parties who want to discuss with the NNPP must do so as an equal partner and must share our views on the future of the country. “All parties are equal before the law. “We are talking about the future of Nigeria." Said Rufai Alkali. He added that parties should also agree on the level of the alliance either at the house of assembly, representatives, senate, governorship or presidential. “In politics we talk about capacity.” He said. See Aisha Yesufu's reaction below. "The Political field is getting heated indeed." 😀

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigeria Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a press briefing on Thursday, at the State House in Abuja. Advised Nigerians especially students not to travel to Northern Cyprus. Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. Recognised only by Turkey, Northern Cyprus is considered by the international community to be part of the Republic of Cyprus. She said, Northern Cyprus is not recognized by the international community (the United Nations) as a country except by Turkey. Therefore there was little that could be done diplomatically to resolve the predicament of Nigerians.  The Minister explained,  “Honestly, it’s been a lot of problems in Northern Cyprus. So, we had youths come and tell us, ‘Please tell everybody to stop going to Northern Cyprus. We did that some time ago and some people said, ‘how can you te

The United States will turn over to Nigeria $23 million taken by former military ruler Sani Abacha, officials said at an event to sign the agreement on Tuesday, CNN reports. Nigeria has reached several agreements to return stolen cash in recent years. Abacha ruled Africa's most populous nation and top oil exporter from 1993 until his death in 1998, during which time Transparency International estimated that he took up to $5 billion of public money. He was never charged. US Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard said the cash was in UK accounts but was identified and frozen by US officials. She added that including the latest deal, the United States had agreed to repatriate more than $334.7 million linked to Abacha. Attorney General Abubakar Malami said the funds would be used for infrastructure projects, including the Abuja-Kano road, the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and the second Niger bridge under the supervision of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). "The president's

Activist, Deji Adeyanju, strongly feels that the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate and former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, will lose the 2023 presidential election. The convener of Concerned Nigerians group, is staking $10,000 on Peter Obi Losing 2023 Election. Thus, Deji Adeyanju, has placed a bet of $10,000 with supporters of the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate,  On a post on his social media pages on Monday with evidence of the $10,000 sent to a neutral third party for custody, Adeyanju wrote: “$10k credited to Egbon Dele Momodu’s account…” He then challenged one of the numerous supporters of Obi to honour his words by placing his own $10,000 bet too. The activist further wrote:  “Now waiting for Ben the Obidient to do his part. We don’t display fake cash on social media here. Still ready to bet more because I’m looking for money for my PhD. next year. The Obedient guy, Ben is telling new stories now after agreeing on a call with Egbon Dele MOMODU and giving me

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, on Thursday met with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in London as part of efforts to resolve the crisis with the governor. In respect to the the ongoing reconciliation, the PDP presidential candidate has called on his supporters and all stakeholders of the party to avoid making statements that were capable of compromising the process. According to him, such reconciliation would further strengthen the party and bring all its leaders together. The former Vice President said these in a statement signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, in Abuja, on Thursday. He said, “It has become imperative to appeal to all party members, leaders and everyone related to, connected with or associated with the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar,  to desist from making comments that potentially reduce the optics of PDP’s image as a united political party. "This appeal becomes necessary in

  Kobe Bryant's widow has been awarded $16m (£13.6m) in damages over leaked graphic photos of the helicopter crash that killed the US basketball star and his daughter in 2020. Vanessa Bryant, 40, said she had panic attacks after learning images taken by Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies and firefighters had been shared. A federal jury now said the county must pay Mrs Bryant for emotional distress. Co-plaintiff Christopher Chester will be paid $15m. In the Vanessa Bryant‘s lawsuit against Los Angeles County, the jury ordered Los Angeles County to pay $31 million to the widow of Kobe Bryant and co-plaintiff Christopher Chester. The jury deliberated for less than four hours before coming to their decision, and according to multiple reports. The sum of $16 million was awarded to Vanessa and $15 million to Christopher — who lost his wife, Sarah, and 13-year-old daughter, Payton, in the same helicopter crash that killed Kobe and 13-year-old Gianna Bryant on Jan. 26, 2020. Vanessa

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has exonerated itself, saying it is not responsible for the plight of the U-20 female football team in Istanbul, Turkey. The pictures of the footballers sleeping on bare floor at the airport had sparked outrage as many criticised NFF. The latest news update on further development reveals that the girls departed their hotel in Costa Rica at 6.30am local time on Monday, and were billed to travel via Colombia to Istanbul for the flight to Abuja. Unfortunately, Turkish Air delayed their flight from Colombia to Turkey for two hours 30 minutes which led them to miss their connecting flight to Turkey. As a result, they also missed the Turkey connecting flight to Abuja. NFF had been blamed of not handling the issue professionally, with an outpouring of resentment from the public. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Federation said  FIFA failed to issue the team transit visa prior to the commencement of the tournament. "It would be recalled that th

Millions of Americans will see their student debt canceled or reduced following President Joe Biden's long-awaited announcement on student loan forgiveness Wednesday afternoon.  The Biden administration is forgiving up to $10,000 in federal student loans for those making less than $125,000 a year for individuals or $250,000 for married couples or heads of households and up to $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients who meet the income threshold. Private loan holders are not included in the plan. "In keeping with my campaign promise, my Administration is announcing a plan to give working and middle class families breathing room as they prepare to resume federal student loan payments in January 2023," Biden tweeted, adding that he will share more details of the plan Wednesday afternoon. In the same tweet, Biden announced that the pause on student loan repayment, interest and collections, which was set to expire on Aug. 31, will be extended "one final time" through Dec.

One of Nollywood best, actor and businessman, Tony Umez turned 56 years old today. The veteran actor shared photos from his birthday shoot on his Instagram page. "Happy birthday to ME, Thank you Almighty God for making me the man that I am TODAY. Thank you my wife, my DIAMOND, for investing in the man I have become TODAY. 56 sits well on me because of YOU. And to my children, thank you for all the JOY you have showered on me through the years and for making me the proudest Dad ever. I love you all to bits. And to my friends, other family members and colleagues who also contributed one way “and” another to the MAN I am TODAY, make una see una guy @ 56 o!” He wrote.

The Minister of State for Labour, Mr Festus Keyamo, during an interview on Channels TV, says he can drive from Abuja to Kaduna without security escorts. On the interview session on live TV, he was quizzed on if he could drive despite the security challenges, the minister of state for labour and employment, who is also the spokesperson of the presidential campaign of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) said:  “Some people do, I can do it. I can do it. I saw headlines last week saying that I said insecurity has been brought to an all-time low by Buhari. I didn’t say so. It’s still the season of wrong headlines. I said what we met on the ground, Boko Haram in the north-east. I was specific and so they quoted me generally to say Boko Haram and insecurity throughout the whole country. I only said Boko Haram in the north-east, it has not been totally wiped out, but we have reduced this significantly. “All the roads that lead to Chibok and Damboa in Borno, they are now passable. The iss

Na Wa is a Nigerian Statement Which Means Beyond Words!  Nigeria's Female Football Team, The Super Falconets, Were Captured On Camera, Sleeping On Chairs And On The Floor, At Turkish Airport, In Istanbul, Turkey. The team was said to be travelling from Costa Rica and on a 24-hour layover in Istanbul. Collins Udoh, Super Eagles’ ex-media officer, posted the photos on his social media pages. He captured it; "Nigeria’s #Falconets have been travelling from Costa Rica since 6:30am on Monday. “They’re now in Istanbul on a 24-hour layover and sleeping on the airport chairs and floor, or wherever they can find.”  Hmmmmm........

Prolific actress, now politician and the Peoples Democratic Party deputy governorship candidate of Lagos State, Funke Akindele marks 45th birthday. Funke Akindele is a year older today. Taking to Instagram, the mother of two boys and gubernatorial aspirant of Lagos state, Funke Akindele shared stunning photos and she penned down the following words: “Oluwaseun! Happy birthday to you OLUFUNKE AKINDELE!! The Lord will never forsake you in Jesus name! AMEN!!”.

About two years ago, one Nigerian government official whom I know visited the United Kingdom.                                    Trees Beautifully Grown In Nigeria  It was that peak period of covid crisis, where many countries had various Covid containment regulations to help reduce the spread.  On the day he was to return to Nigeria, I was one of those who escorted him to the Airport.  When we got to the Airport, we realised that he was supposed to have a Covid test done, and the result uploaded to Nigerian Govt Portal. Also, he was meant to have a day three test in Nigeria booked and have the printed copy of the confirmation of the booking with him as a condition to fly with British Airways to Nigeria.  We arrived at the Airport about 3hrs before his flight departure. This white lady, who was a supervisor with British Airways approached us and requested to see his day three booking confirmation. We didn’t have it. We started making efforts to book the test right there, Omoh, this thi

According to a report by commercial aviation news site Aviation Herald. On Monday Two pilots are believed to have fallen asleep and missed their landing during a flight from Sudan to Ethiopia. The incident took place on board an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 en route from Khartoum to Addis Ababa, the report said, "when the pilots fell asleep" and "the aircraft continued past the top of descent." Data obtained by the website shows the aeroplane was on autopilot and was cruising at 37,000 feet. Its scheduled destination was Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. It however failed to descend. The event occurred on August 15. Air traffic control were apparently unable to reach the crew despite making several attempts at contact. However, an alarm was triggered when the plane overshot the runway and continued along the route. The aircraft subsequently began to descend, landing safely around 25 minutes later. Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data sh

Cubana Chief Priest To Gift Boy He Gave A Look Of 'Disgust,' The Sum Of Five Hundred Thousand Naira Only. Nigerian businessman, Pascal Okechukwu popularly known as Cubana Chief priest is set to gift N500,000 to a young man he gave a 'disgusting' look a few weeks ago. It was reported that the celebrity barman was bashed after a video captured him giving a boy a not so appealing look. Viewers were taken aback by the demeaning look the chief priest gave to the fan while at his event centre. Chief Priest was supervising the set up of his venue for the Absolute afterlife party when a man who happens to be one of the workers and a fan moved closer to him to record a selfie video. The guy was forced to discontinue the recording, gave a salute before turning off the device. Chief priest explained the reason for his action via an Instagram post to aggrieved fans.  ”Don’t lose focus, stay committed to your job, you were paid to deliver and arrange seats. Job still undone you left

Na Wa is a Nigerian Statement Which Means Beyond Words!  Wow! Men of the Nigerian Police - constabularies, captured/seen in a street protest!  In this viral video below. Police constabularies protest over non-payment of salaries. The men purportedly protest non payment of their salaries. Right in front of the Kwara State Government House. Brave move! The Government should please resolve the issues promptly. The police is your friend they are very instrumental to the protection of life and property through the enforcement of laws and regulations. An Update On The News Above; The Vanguard News reports that the Police Command in Kwara has dismissed the viral video circulating above, regarding a protest by some purported policemen over alleged non-payment of one year salary. The Commissioner of Police in the state, Tuesday Assayomo, said in a statement issued by the command Spokesman, SP Ajayi Okasanmi, on Saturday in Ilorin. Assayomo added that the police was not owing the salary of any c

Anthony Joshua was fuming following his heavyweight championship defeat to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. The British fighter lost on split decision as Usyk defended his heavyweight titles, beating Joshua for a second time. Joshua threw two of Usyk's belts out of the ring and onto the floor at the end and headed for his changing room before storming back to shake Usyk's hand. He then picked up the microphone and went on an expletive-filled rant, discussing the fight, his career, the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, and also led cheers to Usyk. Anthony Joshua took the microphone in the ring after his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk to explain his post-fight frustrations and congratulate the Ukrainian. Joshua began by referencing his youth and troubles with police as he reflected on his career following the devastating defeat and applauded his competitor. "If you knew my story you would understand the passion. I ain't no amateur boxer from five-years-old that w

In a statement released by the Nigerian Army on Saturday. The army stated that the voluntary retirement of some its personnel was a routine in the army and therefore, not linked to low morale, corruption or poor service conditions. The Army had recently approved the disengagement of a Warrant Officer and 242 others in various formations across the country.                          Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu. The statement titled ‘Voluntary Retirement Or Discharge Is A Routine In The Nigerian Army’ was signed by the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu. It reads in part; “The allegation that soldiers of the Nigerian Army are proceeding on voluntary retirement due to alleged corruption, poor service conditions and low morale as recently reported by some media outfits in the social media is nothing but a concoction of the imagination of the unrepentant enemies of the nation and mischief makers and should be outrightly discountenanced by the public. &q

21-year-old Azurfa Lois John, a female victim of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack and a 300-level student of the Kaduna State University - may soon be married to a top commander of the bandits says negotiator Tukur Mamu.                                               Azurfa Lois John. Azurfa Lois John was abducted alongside other passengers from the Kaduna-Abuja train on the 28th of March, 2022. The Publisher of Desert Herald, who is also the negotiator of victims held hostage, Tukur Mamu, made the revelation in a statement he issued on Friday. Tukur Mamu, who is also a media consultant to Sheikh Ahmad Gumi, a Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, yesterday revealed that he gathered from reliable sources that one of the top commanders of the terrorists was planning to marry her any moment.                                          Tukur Mamu According to Tukur Mamu, “This is to alert the federal government and especially the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that I can confirm through credible

  The Sea of Galilee, Israel, despite its name, the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel is actually a freshwater lake, and it's one that has sustained life for millennia. Even today, the lake irrigates vineyards and local farms that grow everything from green vegetables to wheat and tangerines. Its archeology, hot springs and hiking trails bring tourism and livelihoods for local communities. But this place of religious pilgrimage — where the New Testament says many of Jesus' miracles were performed — is facing a bleak future, CNN reports. The climate crisis is causing huge fluctuations in the lake's water levels. Now it happens to be fairly full, but just five years ago, it hit a record low. Climate change and unsustainable water management are leaving lakes dried up all over the Middle East and beyond, but the Israeli government is hopeful it has a solution: It plans to pump water from the Mediterranean sea, take the salt out of it and send it across the country to top up th

Great Britian's Paralympic champion Kennedy faces her toughest battle to date but is tackling breast cancer treatment with tenacity, optimism and by continuing in the sport she loves. The British para rowing cox, who celebrated her 30th birthday earlier this month, was diagnosed with breast cancer in May. Anyone who goes through chemotherapy is tough. But Erin Kennedy takes it to another level. The inspirational rowing cox led her boat to gold while in the middle of a course of treatment for breast cancer. Mrs Kennedy, claimed first place alongside her Great Britain crew at the European para-rowing championships in Munich yesterday. She only received a diagnosis of breast cancer three months ago – since when she has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy – but has vowed that 'cancer won't define me or my career'. Today's been really emotional for me,' said a tearful Mrs Kennedy. 'I'm really holding it together. I'm just really proud of the team. It'