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Posts tagged as “Lagos”

All-Female Ethiopian Airlines Crew Makes Historic Flight to Nigeria

By goodblacknews on December 20, 2017

(Photo: girltalkhq.com)

by Frederick Ngugi via face2faceafrica.com
Ethiopian Airlines, the national flag carrier of Ethiopia made history on Saturday when it deployed an all-female crew for a special flight from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria.
The historic airlift, which is the airline’s first flight to Nigeria in the hands of an all-female crew, has grabbed headlines across the world, with some people lauding it as a major milestone for the womenfolk.
Under the supervision of Captain Amsale Gualu and First Officer Tigist Kibret, the 13-member crew flew 391 passengers to the Nigerian capital on Boeing B777-300 ER, an exciting journey that took approximately four and a half hours.
Speaking at the reception party in Lagos, the chairperson of the Nigerian House Committee on Aviation Mrs. Nkiru Onyejeocha thanked Captain Gualu and the rest of her crew for the successful flight, saying it was enough proof that women can achieve great things when given the chance.
Onyejeocha added that the historic flight is an inspiration to Nigerian women to venture into the aviation sector and have the courage to hold key positions in the lucrative industry.
Speaking at the event, Captain Gualu, who called on women to have passion in what they do, said flying aeroplanes was her childhood dream. “Since I was a child, I wanted to be a pilot. After my University education, I joined Ethiopian Airlines as a first officer and flew the Fokker 50 and the Boeing B737 and then became a captain,” Captain Gualu was quoted by Nigerian news portal This Day.
Since the momentous flight on Saturday, many people have taken to social media to congratulate Ethiopian Airlines, which is the most profitable airline in Africa, for giving women an opportunity to prove their potential.

Some are even calling on other airlines, especially in countries and regions with a reputation of clamping down on women’s rights to follow suit.

To read more, go to: https://face2faceafrica.com/article/female-ethiopian-airline-crew-break-gender-barriers-historic-flight-nigeria

Nigerian Government Negotiates Release of 82 Chibok Girls From Boko Haram

By goodblacknews on May 6, 2017
(photo via cnn.com)

by Stephanie Busari and Kelly McCreary via cnn.com

Lagos, Nigeria – Eighty-two Chibok schoolgirls have been released after successful negotiations between the terrorist group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government, the Nigerian President’s office said.
A government official close to the negotiations told CNN the freed girls are in military custody in Banki, a town in northeast Nigeria. They will be transferred to the capital, Abuja, where they will have medical checks and be reunited with their families. They are believed to be among the 276 girls, ages 16 to 18, forced from their beds by Boko Haram militants in the middle of the night in April 2014.
The kidnapping from a boarding school in the town of Chibok sparked global outrage and the social media movement #BringBackOurGirls.”I am very, very excited with this development. I cannot even sleep tonight,” said Yana Galang, whose daughter, Rifkatu, was among the girls kidnapped. Galang said they don’t yet know who has been released, “but we’re very happy that many have been freed.” “I hope and pray that my daughter is among these released girls,” she added.
Some Boko Haram suspects being held by the Nigerian government were released as part of the negotiations, President Muhammadu Buhari‘s office said Saturday. “The President has repeatedly expressed his total commitment towards ensuring the safe return of the #ChibokGirls, and all other Boko Haram captives,” Buhari’s office said in a statement.Buhari will meet with the girls in Abuja on Sunday, his office said.
To read full article, go to: 82 Chibok girls released – CNN.com

Mother's Delivery Kit Founder Adepeju Jaiyeoba Creates Lifesaving Supply Pack to Aid Safe Births

By goodblacknews on August 2, 2016

Adepeju Jaiyeoba (photo via blogpath.org)

article by Hadassah Egbedi via venturesafrica.com
Adepeju Jaiyeoba is the founder and CEO of Mother’s Delivery Kit (MDK), a Lagos-based social enterprise established to promote and enhance safe births, instigate behavioral change and economically empower women in Nigeria.
Her enterprise supplies birthing kits to health centres, hospitals, traditional birth attendants as well as maternal and child health organisations across the country. Prior to the establishment of MDK, the death of a friend from birthing complications in 2011, inspired Jaiyeoba to set up a non-governmental, non-profit organisation called the Brown Button Foundation.
“Her death put a face on every maternal and child death statistic I had heard,” Jaiyeoba said on the loss of her friend. “She was educated and brilliant, and she sought out health care services during her pregnancy. Yet she became one of the 13 women who die daily during childbirth in Nigeria. The health care system had failed her and her unborn baby.”
Maternal and child mortality has always been an issue in developing countries around the world. Many pregnant women are exposed to several risks and complications because they lack easy access to healthcare facilities, skilled doctors, or even an ambulance or vehicle to transport them when in labour. This is why each year, reducing infant and maternal mortality is a major part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in many countries.
To read more, go to: This lifesaving delivery kit designed by a Nigerian woman was inspired by the death of a friend – Ventures Africa

Classmates Pay for Fellow Senior Michael Tertsea's Mother to Fly From Nigeria to Attend His Graduation in Baltimore

By goodblacknews on May 27, 2016
Graduating high school senior Michael Teresa and his mother (
Graduating high school senior Michael Tertsea embracing his mother Felicia Ikpum (abc.com screenshot)

article by Breanna Edwards via theroot.com

When Michael Tertsea was 14, he was offered the opportunity to get an education and play basketball at the John Carroll School in Bel Air, Maryland.  To pursue his dreams, he left his village in Nigeria and his mother, the Washington Post reports.

Four years later, the towering 6-foot-10 teen, who has received a full scholarship to play Division 1 basketball at the University of Rhode Island, was set for graduation and holding on to hopes of making it to the NBA so that he would be able to bring his mother to the United States.
As it turns out, Tertsea’s classmates were one step ahead of him. They had decided that his mom, Felicia Ikpum, should be here for his big day and raised money to fly her all the way to the U.S. to see her son, whom she hasn’t seen in four years, graduate.
According to the Post, the amazing gesture was meant to be a surprise, but Ikpum let the secret slip in one of her weekly phone calls with her son. However, Tertsea was still in awe when he finally got to see her arrive at the Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on May 20 and give her a hug.
“I was so happy to see her,” Tertsea said. “I’ve changed a lot … she’s been amazed at the person I’ve become.”
The senior class had successfully pulled together some $1,600 for the trip, while a school coordinator worked with Ikpum to make sure she could get her visa on time. When it was finally confirmed, the school’s faculty put up another $500 to pay for the trip.
According to the Post, Ikpum had to travel some 12 hours to Lagos, Nigeria, to board her flight to London, from where she would then fly to Baltimore. It was Ikpum’s first time on an airplane.
Mother and son have been enjoying each other’s company since her arrival last week, the Post reports. Ikpum had pasta for the first time and is in awe of her son’s life in the U.S., from the paved highways to the computerized school her son attends. Tertsea plans to take her to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments and the White House before she returns to Nigeria next week. He also plans to take her to Ocean City, Md., to walk the boardwalk and see the beach, and even to Baltimore to see the National Aquarium.
Tertsea, according to the Post, is thankful for his friends for making his graduation so special. He said that the best part of his life in the U.S. is “seeing a lot of people who show love and care towards me.”
To read more and see video, go to: http://www.theroot.com/articles/news/2016/05/classmates-pay-for-teens-mom-to-fly-from-nigeria-to-baltimore-to-attend-his-graduation/?utm_content=buffera63eb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
 

EbonyLife TV: Nigerian Woman Mosunmola ‘Mo’ Abudu Launches Entertainment TV Network

By goodblacknews on July 2, 2013
In this photo taken on Sunday June 30, 2013, Mo Abudu, chief executive officer of EbonyLife TV, attends the launch of Africa’s first global black entertainment network in Lagos, Nigeria. Mo Abudu, who could be considered Africa's Oprah Winfrey, is launching an entertainment network that will be beamed into nearly every country on the continent with programs showcasing its burgeoning middle class. Mosunmola "Mo" Abudu wants EbonyLife TV to inspire Africans and the rest of the world, and change how viewers perceive the continent. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)
In this photo taken on Sunday June 30, 2013, Mo Abudu, chief executive officer of EbonyLife TV, attends the launch of Africa’s first global black entertainment network in Lagos, Nigeria. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A woman who could be considered Africa’s Oprah Winfrey is launching an entertainment network that will be beamed into nearly every country on the continent with programs showcasing its burgeoning middle class.
Mosunmola “Mo” Abudu wants EbonyLife TV to inspire Africans and the rest of the world, and change how viewers perceive the continent. The network’s programming tackles women’s daily life subjects — everything from sex tips to skin bleaching.
“Not every African woman has a pile of wood on her head and a baby strapped to her back!” the glamorous Abudu, 48, told The Associated Press from a hotel’s penthouse floor against a backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean and high-rise buildings flanked by palm and almond trees.
“We watch Hollywood as if all of America is Hollywood,” she said. “In that same vein we need to start selling the good bits of Africa.”
Months of work to provide original content includes the flagship program “Sistaz!” about two Greek-Nigerian sisters and a British-born Nigerian friend who check into the Eko Hotel for a holiday reunion and rediscover the passion of sisterhood and the vibrant city of Lagos.

Serena and Venus Williams Inspire Local Kids in Nigeria

By goodblacknews on November 4, 2012
U.S. Tennis player Serena Williams, right, in action as she plays tennis with a school child, during a clinic session in Lagos, Nigeria. Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. Tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams say they eagerly await playing in the 2016 Olympics after their third doubles gold this year. The two sisters made the comments Wednesday in Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, during their first visit to the country. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)U.S. Tennis player Serena Williams, right, in action as she plays tennis with a school child, during a clinic session in Lagos, Nigeria. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba)

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — On their first visit to Nigeria, Serena and Venus Williams want to inspire local kids to set their goals high. “We were really able to break the mold and win a lot of Grand Slams and a lot of tournaments and not only that, but kind of change the face of tennis,” Serena said Wednesday before an exhibition match against her sister in Lagos on Friday.