Mega Mode Media

 NIGERIA'S Minister of State for Foreign Affairs II, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, is hopeful that citizens affected by the xenophobic attacks in South Africa will be compensated. Senator Obanikoro said Nigerian High Commissioner, Martin Cobham and other delegations were taking stock of damage done to Nigerians to ensure that adequate compensation would be given to them. “We have situations where some of our people lost their shops in this attack. “We are taking stock of the damage done to them and we are going to be engaging the South African government,” Senator Obanikoro said. He stated that the South African government had been exploring different avenues to end the attacks that had claimed several lives in KwaZulu-Natal province. “One of the major stakeholders who incited the South African community has called for a meeting this morning (Monday) where some representatives of the affected countries would be addressed. “Some traditional rulers will be there to see how they ca...

The strange ailment ravaging Irele community in Nigeria's Ondo state is yet to abate. Yesterday, medical authorities in the state conducted toxicology tests but the result is not cheerful. It was discovered that the yet-ascertained disease has not exhibited any known characteristics to any known micro organism, whether virus or bacteria. This development is fuelling earlier fears stoked by community elders that the outbreak is caused by an angry deity scandalised by the desecration of its shrine by uninitiated people. Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the worrisome development arose due to exposure to harmful pesticides, this position has not doused the fire of this story. The confusion worsened when WHO denied making this declaration. The plot thickens after federal ministry of health warns that the disease arose from consumption of a local gin; the contents of the brew are said to be unwittingly laced with ethanol-inducing chemicals during production. Ondo...

Suicide BomberA suicide bomber has reportedly died in an attempt to wreak havoc on a popular mosque in Potiskum, Yobe State, north-east Nigeria.    Witnesses told Channels Television that the suicide bomber was conveying his Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to the popular Sakafa Mosque in Potiskum when it exploded. “Yes the bomber was conveying the explosive devices and in an attempt to cross the last gutter to reach his target…the explosives went off on the spot,” an eyewitness said. The source also told Channels Television that the bomber did not die on the spot as he was taken to the Potiskum General Hospital where he later died. The Yobe State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr Toyin Gbadegesin, who confirmed the incident, told Channels TV that the explosion occurred around 4:20pm at the popular Moscow line in the heart of Potiskum town. He also said that apart from killing himself and injuring eight others, the explosion also damaged a nearby car. Monday’s ...

Gbenga X Adebija I have been asked to do a strategic evaluation of the Battle of the Brands between Camp Goodluck Jonathan and Team Muhammadu Buhari leading to the March 28 presidential election. This is essentially a review of the brand building and brand communication initiatives of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party on behalf of their respective presidential candidates. You will notice the distinction I have made regarding both political parties. For Buhari, his brand managers executed a near-flawless campaign as a cohesive TEAM while President Jonathan’s people were an unwieldy assemblage of individuals in the same CAMP. I have also tried to tone down on the technical terms and speak more of “English” than “Brandlish” in order to achieve more broad-based understanding. It all started with THOSE PICTURES of Buhari last year. You remember those pictures of his showing the then APC presidential candidate in various poses and attire? (In bow and suit p...

Ayo Fayose    There was panic again in Ado Ekiti on Monday as members of the Peoples Democratic Party and supporters of Governor Ayodele Fayose laid siege   to the Ekiti State House of Assembly complex in order to halt the resumption of the 19 All Progressives Congress lawmakers. Fayose had announced in a statewide broadcast on Sunday that the   lawmakers planned to take over the assembly to commence their impeachment proceedings against him. He therefore urged transport unions, market women and workers to rise up and protect the mandate they gave him. Although there were no barricades at entry points to Ado Ekiti city as done in the previous protests, many   workers who arrived in their offices at 8am returned to their homes out of fear. Private and public schools in the state capital failed to reopen for the third term academic session as a result of the development. The governor’s supporters and the state PDP members who were allegedly m...

The Peoples Democratic Party has begun reviewing its performance in the March 28 presidential election with a view to arriving at what caused the defeat of President Goodluck Jonathan. It was gathered in Abuja on Sunday night   that top members of the party were of the opinion that some of them in the National Working Committee and National Executive Committee, especially those from the North, covertly played roles that contributed to Jonathan’s loss. A leader of the party said   that such members also connived with the All Progressives Congress to ensure that Jonathan was beaten at the polls. The source, who asked not to be named,   hinted that any indicted members might be shown the way out of the PDP. The party leader   said that many   of such members of the party seemed united in their determination   to ensure that Jonathan did not win the election. The source added   that it was surprising that strongholds...

Azuka Onwuka One statement that riles the Yoruba is that Lagos is a no man’s land, which comes mainly from the Igbo residents in the city. The impression that statement gives them is that Lagos is a land that nobody owns. They see it as an attempt to take away what belongs to them. According to Oxford Dictionaries, “no man’s land” means “disputed ground between the front lines or trenches of two opposing armies” or “a piece of unowned land or wasteland.” But Lagos State is someone’s land. Without going into the history of Lagos, one knows that there are traditional institutions and rites in Lagos that only the “sons of the soil” can participate in. For example, Lagos communities have traditional rulers called baale or oba: only sons of the soil of the respective communities can aspire to such positions. However, that is not the end of the story. Lagos is a unique state, especially given its status as a former federal capital of Nigeria cum seat of government for 77 years: January 19...

UPDATE: 6:00 p.m. EST Unfortunately, despite Bobby Brown’s declaration to the contrary, Bobbi Kristina is reportedly still in a coma. “His statements were not accurate. She remains unresponsive,” the source told the NY Daily News. Bobby’s lawyer Christopher Brown released a statement: “Bobbi Kristina’s condition has changed since moving from Emory University Hospital and there has been improvement,” his lawyer Christopher Brown said in a statement to The News. “Doctors have indicated that she will have a long life,” he said. “However, Bobbi Kristina is presently embarking on a rehabilitation process and the quality of her life will not be known for years to come.” —– Bobby Brown has received his miracle. At a concert this weekend, the “Every Little Step” singer told the crowd that his daughter Bobbi Kristina‘s health is improving. During a concert in Dallas, Bobby made the crowd roar with applause and praise when he said, “I could say today, Bobbi is awake! She’s watching me....

AFP  Steven Gerrard has accused his Liverpool team-mates of letting nerves affect them in their lacklustre FA Cup semi-final defeat against Aston Villa. Brendan Rodgers' side were well below their best at Wembley on Sunday as Villa recovered from Philippe Coutinho's opener to book their place in the final thanks to goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph. Reds captain Gerrard, who is due to join LA Galaxy in the close-season, had been hoping for a victory that would have set up the prospect of a fairytale farewell in the final on his 35th birthday next month. But that dream was shattered by Liverpool's lethargic effort and Gerrard admitted he was disappointed with the way the team seemed to shrink on the big stage. "We didn't play, we looked very nervous for some reason," Gerrard told talkSPORT. "We're a team that's built on passing and playing it quickly but we were very disappointing in that aspect and they were much better than us. ...

The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., with a staff of 80 and a daily circulation of 85,000, won the most prestigious of the Pulitzer Prizes for journalism awarded on Monday for a series on the high number of deaths resulting from domestic abuse in the state. The series, titled “Till Death Do Us Part,” was awarded the gold medal for public service that went, last year, to The Washington Post and The Guardian for their articles based on National Security Agency documents leaked by the former government contractor Edward J. Snowden. It is the first time in five years that the prize has gone to such a small newspaper. The New York Times won the prize for investigative reporting, for a series by Eric Lipton on aggressive efforts by lobbyists and lawyers to push state attorneys general to drop investigations, change policies, negotiate favorable settlements or pressure federal regulators to benefit their clients. It shared the prize with The Wall Street Journal, which won its first Pu...

t Deborah Friedell The director of Harvard admissions has said that being a ‘Harvard legacy’ – the child of a Harvard graduate – is just one of many ‘tips’ in the college’s admissions process, such as coming from an ‘under-represented state’ (Harvard likes to have students from all 50), or being on the ‘wish list’ of an athletic coach. For most applicants to Harvard, the acceptance rate is around 5 per cent; for applicants with a parent who attended Harvard, it’s around 30 per cent. (One survey found that 16 per cent of Harvard undergraduates have a parent who went to Harvard.) A Harvard study from a few years ago shows that after controlling for other factors that might influence admission (such as, say, grades), legacies are more than 45 per cent more likely to be admitted to the 30 most selective American colleges than non-legacies. Preferential admission for legacies ought to be an anachronism, not least because it overwhelmingly benefits rich white students. Harvard’s admission...

Honorees, guests and viewers at this year's TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World are in for a scintillating experience. The organisers have ensured that the gathering's musical performances would be a hybrid of entertainment that will transcend different genres of music to accommodate the differing music tastes of the audience which would span people from all the continents of the world in one room. So, they paired hip hop legend's Kanye West with iconic country music star Tim McGraw. What a performance that will be. Watching eagerly to see how Nigeria's honorees, President-elect Muhammadu Buhari and former World Bank's vice president Oby Ezekwesili will dig to the beats on that day.