Oyinkan Braithwaite’s serial-killer thriller: would you help your murderer sister?

The Nigerian author’s darkly comic debut novel, My Sister, the Serial Killer, has become a literary sensation. She explains her struggle with the moral ambiguity of her writing

When Oyinkan Braithwaite sent an early draft of her debut novel to a few friends, one of them told her it was the best thing she had ever written. “I was offended,” Braithwaite says, her voice heavy with irony. “I knew how I had written it.” She might not have thought much of it at the time, but this quick draft ended up unlocking deals with publishers in the UK and the US, as well as an option from the film company Working Title.

My Sister, the Serial Killer arrived in a feverish month, from a writer in a hurry and never looking back as she poured out a novel in an attempt to break a block. She shakes her head at the memory: “I was a bit mad during that period.”

Continue reading...

Why Africa’s ageing leaders are keeping a close watch on DRC power struggle

The long-awaited and controversial election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could set the tone for the rest of the continent, with fears that democracy may be the loser

After a tumultous week, the streets of the cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo are likely to be quiet on Sunday as congregations file into churches to hear priests and preachers call for the Lord’s blessing on a troubled land.

Few doubt that the DRC is at a critical moment. The long-delayed elections that were finally held on 30 December could still be a turning point, leading the resource-rich nation to a better future. Or they could send the vast central African country, which has not known a peaceful transfer of power since it gained independence from Belgium in 1960, back into anarchy.

Continue reading...

Oil tanker explosion kills Nigerians collecting leaking fuel

At least 12 dead and many seriously injured after crashed tanker explodes in Odukpani

At least 12 people have died in Nigeria after an overturned oil tanker exploded while they and others were gathering its leaking fuel, police and witnesses said.

“We have recovered 12 corpses and taken 22 persons with serious burns to hospital,” the police spokeswoman Irene Ugbo said. She said the blast occurred on Friday evening in Odukpani, Cross River state, in the south-east of the country. However, some residents put the death toll closer to 60.

Continue reading...

NIS repatriates 75 illegal immigrants in Enugu

ENUGU State Command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has repatriated 75 illegal immigrants arrested in parts of the state during the weekend. NIS Comptroller in the state, Madam Dora Amahian who disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in her office in Enugu said they were arrested in parts of the state during a raid operation carried out by operatives of the command.

Ekiti election: Snatch ballot box, lose your hand; run with it, lose your legs -Police

Ekiti election: Fear, anxiety, intrigues as Ekiti elects governor today 4,390 soldiers; 30,000 policemen deployed No security for political office holders Ekiti election: Today, 667,064 eligible voters who have collected their PVCs out of 913, 334 registered voters are expected to file out across the 2,195 polling units spread across 177 wards in 16 local government areas of Ekiti State to elect a governor who would be saddled with the mandate of running the state for the next four years. Adequate security has been assured as no fewer than 4, 390 combined forces of soldiers and other paramilitary personnel will be deployed to complement the 30,000 policemen who have been drafted to Ekiti to monitor the election.

Fashola would take over from Buhari in 2019, says Prophet Fakolade

By Luminous Jannamike ABUJA - An Abuja-based cleric, Prophet George Fakolade, the leader of Divine Intelligence Ministry, has prophesied that President Muhammadu Buhari would leave office as President in 2019, as Nigerians would elect the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to replace him. Fakolade, who made this prophecy known in a statement issued to journalists during the weekend, also said Mr. Fashola would make his cabinet ready before assumption of office, step-up the fight against corruption, spare no sacred cows, and heal the nation of the many maladies plaguing it.

Why Trump’s remark about Nigerians and ‘huts’ is so appalling

The well-educated and well-spoken African responded: "Yes, it is true, and the U.S. Embassy is the biggest hut next to my hut!" It was funny then, until my friend was asked that same question at her school in Washington. President Trump's reported statement that when Nigerians see America they never want to go back to "their huts" is downright appalling.

Counter insurgency: FG equips NAF with modern platforms

The Chief of the Air Staff, CAS Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar , yesterday in Lagos , disclosed that the federal government had equipped the Force with new platforms that would enhance personnel ability to conduct counter insurgent operation. This is just as the Nigerian AirForce has immortalised one of its officers , a 35-year-old pilot who died in the fight against terrorists last May, in Maiduguri.

Nigeria:When Women Rule – Nigerian Lawmaker Fears Violence Is Scaring Women Away From Politics

The first daughter of a pilot from Abia State in southeast Nigeria, Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje never faced disadvantages for being a woman until she entered politics 10 years ago. In her three terms as member of parliament for Bende constituency in Abia, she has experienced discrimination, sexual innuendoes, physical threats and insubordination, mainly from male colleagues.

Why US investment in Nigeria is restricted – US Senator

T HE head of a United States of America's congressional delegation on a visit to Nigeria, Senator Chris Coons, has said that American investors have held back their investment in Nigeria due to currency regulations, saying that they would increase their investment in the country when there is a free-floating Naira. Coons told Bloomberg in an interview: "Some of the currency controls that remain I think raise the question of whether foreign direct investment, if successful and profitable, will be able to be returned to any country.

Air Force personnel to die by hanging for killing soldier-lover

A 10-man Nigeria Air Force General Court Martial, which tried Air Craftsman Kalu Bernard over the alleged killing of his girl friend and colleague, Solape Oladipupo, has sentenced him to death by hanging. Jealous Bernard, 21, had shot and killed Solape when he allegedly caught her in the arms of another man at the Air Force Base, Makurdi on March 12, 2017.

Facts Versus Fiction: Why Obama worked against Jonathan in 2015 – Omokri

By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief ABUJA- Former President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, ensured former President Goodluck Jonathan lost the 2015 as punishment for the anti-same sex marriage law. US President Barack Obama shakes hands with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria before their bilateral meeting in New York on September 23, 2013 on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly.

Solar Power May Get Boost From Africa’s Biggest Oil Exporter

Senators in the capital of Abuja are currently debating whether they'll allocate $30 million to solar projects in this year's budget, according to the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria. They're expected to provide funding for off-grid solar projects, photovoltaic manufacturing, and transmission upgrades, according to REAN Executive Secretary Godwin Aigbokhan.

Nigeria’s president apologizes for plagiarizing Obama speech

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized for plagiarizing President Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech and says he will punish those responsible. By MICHELLE FAUL Associated Press LAGOS, Nigeria Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has apologized for plagiarizing President Barack Obama's 2008 victory speech and says he will punish those responsible.

Nigeria kills a top terrorist, and the world shrugs

When the Nigerian air force claimed Tuesday that it had "fatally wounded" the leader of the Boko Haram terrorist group, the report was met with skepticism and little fanfare. Partly, that's because Nigeria's military has claimed to have killed Abubakar Shekau before - only to have the mastermind behind the kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls in 2014 resurface in one of his signature videos.