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Posts tagged as “Nigeria”

President Obama Says U.S. Will 'Do Everything' to Help Abducted Nigerian Girls

By goodblacknews on May 7, 2014
President Obama in Malaysia
PHOTO CREDIT: RAHMAN ROSLAN/GETTY IMAGES

President Obama has taken a stance on the kidnapping of nearly 300 Nigerian girls.

In a statement released Tuesday, he said the U.S. will do everything to help Nigeria find the girls, most of whom were taken during an April 15 kidnapping from their school. Obama has said that the first priority is to find the missing girls, however there will be a focus on the alleged kidnappers, members of extremist group, Boko Haram.

“In the short term our goal is obviously is to help the international community, and the Nigerian government, as a team to do everything we can to recover these young ladies,” said Obama during a NBC Today interview. “But we’re also going to have to deal with the broader problem of organizations like this that…can cause such havoc in people’s day-to-day lives.”

President Obama also commented about the impact that the abductions have had on him as a parent, “Obviously, what’s happening is awful and as a father of two girls, I can’t imagine what their parents are going through,” he said.

The President revealed that the U.S. has been looking to work with Nigeria to contain Boko Haram for some time now and hopes that the recent incident will, “…mobilize the entire international community to finally do something against this horrendous organization that’s perpetrated such a terrible crime.”

The U.S. is gearing up to lend a helping hand, sending U.S. military and law enforcement personnel who specialize in investigations, hostage negotiation and victim assistance among other things.

The State Department has warned U.S. citizens against traveling to Nigeria for the time being.

To get involved and keep the conversation going use the #bringourgirlsback hashtag or visit change.org to sign the petition calling for the rescue of the girls.

article by Dominique Hobdy via essence.com

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder Offers Law Enforcement Help For Kidnapped Nigerian Girls

By goodblacknews on May 6, 2014

Screen Shot 2014-05-06 at 7.59.46 AM
#BringBackOurGirls Protest in Nigeria 5/2014

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is offering law enforcement assistance to help rescue more than 200 Nigerian schoolgirls kidnapped by the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, a senior Justice Department source told The Huffington Post on Monday.
Holder has also ordered an intelligence assessment of Boko Haram, which the United States designated as a terrorist organization in November 2013. The group, whose name means “Western education is sin,” receives training from al Qaeda and its affiliates.
“Let me be clear,” Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday during a trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. “The kidnapping of hundreds of children by Boko Haram is an unconscionable crime, and we will do everything possible to support the Nigerian government to return these young women to their homes.”
On April 14, members of Boko Haram invaded a boarding school in Nigeria, pulled 276 girls from their beds and packed them into trucks. At least 53 girls have escaped, while the rest are allegedly being sold as brides to local militants for $12, according to the girls’ relatives.
Abubakar Shekau, a man claiming to be the leader of Boko Haram, took credit for the kidnapping in a video obtained Monday by Agence France-Press and said he is selling the girls as wives to prevent them from receiving a Western education.
“I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah,” Shekau said, according to a CNN translation. “There is a market for selling humans. Allah says I should sell. He commands me to sell. I will sell women.”
Shekau added, “Girls, you should go and get married.”
The Nigerian government claims to be handling the situation, but weeks after the kidnapping, Nigerian officials appear to be no closer to finding the missing girls. The government’s perceived ineptitude has inspired international protests and the globally trending Twitter hashtag #BringBackOurGirls.
“Access to education is a basic right & an unconscionable reason to target innocent girls,” former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote Sunday on Twitter. “We must stand up to terrorism. #BringBackOurGirls.”
The State Department’s annual report on global terrorism, released last week, found that Boko Haram “receives the bulk of its funding from bank robberies and related criminal activities, including extortion and kidnapping for ransoms.” The group has killed thousands of people in Nigeria since 2009, according to the report.
It is unclear whether Nigeria will accept Holder’s offer of help. CNN reported that Nigeria has not yet asked for help from the United States in finding the girls, possibly because they do not want “visible American forces in their country.”
article by Laura Bassett via huffingtonpost.com
 

African Company Oju Africa Beats Apple to Release First Black Emojis

By goodblacknews on April 2, 2014

040214-National-African-Company-Beats-Apple-To-Release-First-Black-Emojis
Black emojis have arrived. Recently, Apple executives said they would work on getting emojis of color. But Africa couldn’t wait.  Oju Africa, a division of African mobile company Mi-Fone, released 15 emojis this week on the Google Play store.
“We follow global trends but we are differentiated by our authentic African voice. So as a brand we wanted to do something that only Africa could pull off, something that could become so iconic that it would have the world talking. I believe what we have created will ensure that every African on the planet won’t be able to help but love it!” Eserick Fouché, the creative director of Oju Africa, told International Business Times.
Accordingly, Oju translates as “face” in the Yoruba language of Nigeria. The emojis, which are similar to Apple’s yellow smiley face, are available now for Android (search for “oju emoticon app” in the Play Store), and will be released soon for iOS.
article by Dominique Zonyeé via bet.com

BOOK REVIEW: Going Back to Lagos in Teju Cole's "Every Day Is for the Thief"

By goodblacknews on March 22, 2014
Author Teju Cole and the cover of his book, "Every Day is For the Thief." (©Teju Cole / Random House)
Author Teju Cole and the cover of his book, “Every Day is For the Thief.” (©Teju Cole / Random House)

Imagine a patient, observant and precise writer like the late W.G. Sebald reborn as a Nigerian exile, returning to and then wandering about that country’s teeming and chaotic cultural capital, Lagos. That, in broad strokes, is the voice of the narrator of Teju Cole‘s fine novel, Every Day Is for the Thief.

“The air in the strange environment of this city is dense with story, and it draws me into thinking of life as stories,” Cole’s unnamed narrator says halfway through the novel, as he becomes more deeply immersed in the disorder, the striving, the corruption and the inventiveness of Lagos and its people. “The narratives fly at me from all directions … And that literary texture of lives full of unpredictable narrative, is what appeals.”
Cole earned a large following in the United States for his PEN Faulkner Award-winning Open City, published in 2011. That novel told the story of a Nigerian immigrant and his wanderings in New York City and other places.  The U.S.-born Cole was raised and educated in Nigeria. Before he wrote Open City, he had written Every Day Is for the Thief, his first book, published in Nigeria in 2007, and which Random House is now issuing in the United States for the first time.

Menswear Brand Ikiré Jones Mixes High Fashion with African Aesthetics

By goodblacknews on December 31, 2013

ikire jones menswear wale oyejideIkiré Jones is the brainchild of Wale Oyejide, crowned by Esquire Magazine as one of the “Best Dressed Real Men in America.” His clothing line is a sly mix of fashion forward eclectic designs with an urban sensibility. Rather than creating beautiful garments that lack the functionality to be worn every day, Ikiré Jones designs high quality attire that’s at home in the office or after work. His dapper style can best be described as “West Africa meets Brooklyn.”
We recently sat down with Wale to discuss his clothing line, his background and his road to entrepreneurship.
BlackEnterprise.com: What made you decide to launch a line of menswear?
Wale Oyejide: I’ve always seen myself as something of a creative. Before I went to law school and entered the practice of law, I spent a few years as an independent musician. I put out a few albums before deciding to attempt to do something a bit more “respectable.”  Well, fast forward a few years later, and I have realized that none of us should try to bury who we really are. I’m very proud to be an attorney, but I’m more proud to be someone who is also bold (and a little foolish) enough to follow his passions.
The Ikiré Jones line is just another avenue for me to feed that creative spark inside me, while paying homage to my Nigerian heritage and addressing the fact that so many men are in dire need of help where their wardrobes are concerned.
The world arguably has too many lawyers. Sadly, the same cannot be said of independent thinkers who want to push society forward with their talents.
Well stated. It’s refreshing to see someone wholly accept the challenge of being an entrepreneur, especially coming from a relatively secure career as law. What obstacles have you faced since becoming an entrepreneur?
WO: No one gets anywhere on their own; and it makes very little sense to attempt to reinvent the wheel.However, as a lone gunman entering a foreign (to me) industry, part of the struggle has simply been in knowing where to get information and who to speak with about reaching the next milestone. Oftentimes, the older guard look upon new faces with suspicion and can be wary of disclosing the wealth of information they’ve amassed over the years. In my experience, one just has to knock on enough doors until the right one eventually opens. It’s hard work, but if you ask enough people, someone will usher you in the right direction.

Apple Acquires HopStop From Nigerian Entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo

By goodblacknews on July 24, 2013

Chinedu EcheruoIn a bid to shore up its mobile and Web mapping infrastructure, Apple has confirmed a purchase of Nigerian entrepreneur Chinedu Echeruo‘s (pictured) HopStop.com application. With Google buying the Israel-based Waze map application for a reported $1.1 billion, it has been rumored that HopStop’s acquisition was worth a similar amount. But thus far, Apple has not revealed the terms of the deal.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal’s “All Things Digital” blog, HopStop empowers Apple’s map program by providing access to a portion of the mapping landscape it had yet to cover: mass transit directions. The move has been seen by many analysts as the tech-giant’s largest push to compete with the industry-leading Google Maps service. In fact, Google has been providing map data to Apple since 2007.
As an entrepreneur, Echeruo has founded both HopStop and Tripology, after stints working as an analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase. Echeruo also made his mark in the hedge fund world, working for AM Investment Partners for a time. Echeruo grew up in Eastern Nigeria and was a student at Kings College in Lagos. He later came to the States to attend Syracuse University and Harvard Business School before founding his businesses.

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.

Nigeria's Space Program Is Shooting for the Stars

By goodblacknews on March 30, 2013
(Photo: Getty Images)
Nigeria is beating the drums of optimism regarding its satellite-based space program in the hopes that the data collected will help the country with securing steady agricultural production.  The country currently has three satellites in orbit, and although Nigeria boasts one of Africa’s biggest space programs with some impressive accomplishments since its start in 2003, not everyone is sold on the plan. BBC reports:
The satellites are tracking crops and weather around the country in an effort to protect long-term food supply. There is also closer monitoring of the oil-rich Niger Delta, where there has been massive crude oil theft and environmental damage from oil spills.
Elijah Oyedeji is part of the team that worked on NigeriaSatX and found the initial task of building a satellite program from scratch quite daunting. “Eventually we were able to catch up,” he says.  But not all Nigerians are convinced by these space ambitions. “These projects are always impressive to the ear,” says Akintunde Badiru, a Lagos-based banker, “that’s why they are commissioned in the first place.”
“Let’s see whether they are still functioning after four or five years, then we will see if this is worth it,” he says.
Read the full story here.
article by Naeesa Aziz via bet.com

R.I.P. Nigerian Novelist Chinua Achebe, Grandfather of African Literature

By goodblacknews on March 22, 2013

Chinua Achebe in 2008 at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y., where he was a professor at the time.(Craig Ruttle/Associated Press)

LAGOS (Reuters) – Nigerian novelist Chinua Achebe, widely seen as the grandfather of modern African literature, has died at the age of 82.  From the publication of his first novel, “Things Fall Apart”, over 50 years ago, Achebe shaped an understanding of Africa from an African perspective more than any other author.  As a novelist, poet, broadcaster and lecturer, Achebe was a yardstick against which generations of African writers have been judged. For children across Africa, his books have for decades been an eye-opening introduction to the power of literature.

Describing Achebe as a “colossus of African writing”, South African President Jacob Zuma expressed sadness at his death. Nelson Mandela, who read Achebe’s work in jail, has called him a writer “in whose company the prison walls fell down.”

Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, published in 1958, told of his Igbo ethnic group’s fatal brush with British colonizers in the 1800s – the first time the story of European colonialism had been told from an African viewpoint to an international audience. The book was translated into 50 languages and has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.

Whitney Young Documentary On PBS Tells Story Of Unsung Civil Rights Leader

By goodblacknews on February 24, 2013

 Whitney Young Documentary

WASHINGTON — Just before the March on Washington in 1963, President John F. Kennedy summoned six top civil rights leaders to the White House to talk about his fears that civil rights legislation he was moving through Congress might be undermined if the march turned violent.
Whitney Young Jr. cut through the president’s uncertainty with three questions: “President Kennedy, which side are you on? Are you on the side of George Wallace of Alabama? Or are you on the side of justice?”  One of those leaders, John Lewis, later a longtime congressman from Georgia, tells the story of Young’s boldness in “The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights,” a documentary airing during Black History Month on the PBS series “Independent Lens” and shown in some community theaters.