Zidane resigns from Real Madrid

Zinedane Zidane has announced his resignation from Real Madrid today. The Frenchman won the Uefa Champions League three times consecutively with the Spanish team. His last Champions League triumph came last week against Liverpool.

Zidane, 46, joined Real Madrid in 2016 when he replaced Rafael Benitez before leading the team to their 11^th Europeam trophy.

He won the LaLiga and the Champions League in his second season when Real Madrid defeated Juventus.Zidane said in a news press conference that it was the right time to leave Real Madrid before he thanked Florentino Perez and the club.

“This is the right moment for everyone. It might seem strange, but it had to be done for the good of everyone, the players, the club, and myself. This team must keep winning, and it needs a change after 3 years, another voice, another method of working,” Zidane said.

“I love this club and the president who gave me the chance to play for this club and manage the club of my dreams, but everything changes and that is why I have taken the decision to leave.”

Zidane was in charge of 149 Real Madrid games, he won 104 games and had 29 draws.

Greywolf Empire Holds PVC Awareness Campaign

Just as the call for more Nigerians to get registered and collect their permanent voters’ cards gains more attention, Greywolf Empire, a media and entertainment based organisation in Lagos has expressed concerns over the attitude of Nigerian youths towards the charge, stressing that most youths are unaware of the power they behold with the PVC.

The organization took advantage of the democracy day holiday to enlighten residents of Alimosho Local Government Area in Lagos, with a ‘walk for PVC’ sensitization rally which caught the attention of residents and passer-by.

The General Manager, Greywolf Empire, Moses Obi, observed that a lot of work needs to be done by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in sensitizing the public on key issues with regards to how the registration process can be done and to also establish communications with interest groups and organisations who are interested in partnering, in order to reduce the numbers of unregistered electorates.

“Sincerely, I don’t think INEC is doing enough to sensitise the masses, if they are, we won’t have to be doing this walk for PVC, the complaints are much and the idea that they move about really does not make sense”. “It is painful to hear people say they will not vote, I noticed that the issue is about the mentality and that is what we are trying to change, let them see that there is a need for them to have their PVC’s for them to have a voice, they need to look beyond recent happenings in the government and vote”.

Corroborating the observations of Obi, fast-rising afro sensation, Frankeyz, who appeared as a celebrity figure during the rally noted that INEC can do more than what it is doing by aligning strategic partnerships in order to record massive success with the PVC. “INEC should look into all spheres in terms of partnership, collaboration to get the sensitization across.

For Greywolf, we decided to do this because we feel that there is a way we can lend our voice to let people know what is happening. There are numerous organizations who would love to buy into our initiative, only if INEC can support in passing the message effectively”.

“It was a success and I noticed that a lot of youths out there are not aware of what is happening in the society as regards who should be voted for. Basically, they don’t know what the PVC is all about, and they are not aware, while some don’t even believe in it. With this awareness, we hope to get more youths who will buy into the idea and believe in the country”


. During the rally, our correspondent enquired from some residents in the area on the status of their PVC, only to discover that a lot of complaints ranged from; people not knowing where the registration centres are located, lost or stolen PVC, relocation and reissued.

Has The Braless Fashion Trend Come To Stay?

The traditional Nigerian woman is believed to be modest in her appearance as well as her manners.

However, in this present day where most women are becoming feminist and demanding equal rights in all spheres, they believe they have the right to do as they please with and to their bodies.

The current fashion trend of going braless, which isn’t so new to the western world, is now being embraced and adopted by our Nigerian women. Nigerian women, amongst many other reasons, say they do this because they have the right to their bodies and no one has the right to tell them what to do.When asked why they go out braless, most say it’s because bras are usually uncomfortable for them. Some say it’s because some outfits don’t look good with bras. Some say they have really small breasts and wearing a bra makes no difference. Others say they just love the freedom that comes with going braless.

We all agree that everyone has a right to decide what to do with their own bodies. However, most Nigerians still consider that as indecent and provocative dressing and believe women should still appear modestly dressed amidst all trends and styles.

The popular saying of “dress how you want to be addressed” would apply here for the Nigerian woman. Dress to suit the occasion. Dress formally when necessary and dress casually when appropriate.

Has this trend come to stay? Are we ready for this?

AFRIMA entry submission opens today for Africa Day commemoration

Following the recent unveiling of calendar of activities for the 2018
edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) in Accra, Ghana, which
included a courtesy visit to the President of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo by officials of African Union, International Committee of
AFRIMA and African music stars, entry submissions for the annual
continental music awards opens today, Friday, May 25 in commemoration of
Africa Day.


From May 25 to August 1, 2018, the 5th edition of AFRIMA will be receiving
on its online portal www.afrima.org, works, songs and videos recorded or
produced by African music professionals and publicly released within the
eligibility period of August 1, 2017 to August 1, 2018. These entries will
compete for possible nomination by the AFRIMA Jury in one or more of the
36 categories of the awards.


The AFRIMA Jury, consisting of 13 members, with vast experience and
practice in African music and culture is charged with overseeing the
AFRIMA Adjudication process to ensure a thorough and fair screening,
categorizing, assessing and selecting process of AFRIMA 2018 nominees.
Nominees are expected to emerge to populate the Regional and Continental
awarding categories of AFRIMA in different genres of music ranging from
African contemporary to electro, traditional, reggae/ragga/dancehall,
hip-hop, R n B, rap and rock.Furthermore, AFRIMA uses the onset of the 2018 entry submissions to
commemorate the 55th edition of Africa Day, a day set aside annually by
the
African Union Commission to strengthen the idea of unity among African
countries. One of the objectives of AFRIMA is to celebrate Africans who
channel their energies towards various acts of dynamism in the creative
industry and contribute tremendously to the growth of the social
environment.

Music and arts have been one of the core proponents where Africans have
successfully shown immense passion. From the days of traditional folklore
to the present day transition of music into the modern studio recorded
album, Africa has produced world record holders in the music industry,
where music is not only used to promote cultural heritage, but also for
education and entertainment.

Music artistes, managers, producers, record label owners, recording
companies, video directors, publicists and entertainment/music journalist
are eligible to submit their works or submit on behalf of their clients in
any of the relevant award categories. Further details on entry submission
guidelines are available on the AFRIMA website - www.afrima.org.

In partnership with the African Union, the All Africa Music Awards is a
music property that recognises and rewards the work and talent of a myriad
of African artists from the old to the new generation of musicians.
Through its conference, AFRIMA also stimulates conversations among
Africans and between Africa and the rest of the world about the potential
of the creative arts for real humanising enterprise on the continent,
contributing significantly to social cohesion, national, regional and
continental integration as well as sustainable development in Africa.
Annually, the award show is broadcast to over eighty countries around the
world.

***END***

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UBA Foundation Launches “Read Africa” Initiative in Gabon, Mozambique

As part of its mission to improve the lives of the communities in which the United Bank for Africa operates, UBA Foundation continues to encourage African youths to adopt the culture of reading through its ‘Read Africa’ initiative.

Read Africa aims to rekindle the reading culture amongst young Africans. Designed and introduced in 2011 by the UBA Foundation, the initiative has donated hundreds of thousands of books to African schools since its inception.

This past week, The Foundation took its initiative to the francophone city of Libreville to the students of the George MABIGNATH high school in Gabon.

The launch of Read Africa in Gabon saw in attendance, the author of the selected book Sidonie, written by famous Gabonese writer Chantal Magalie MBAZOO.

It was a colorful ceremony that witnessed the CEO of the Foundation, Bola Atta reading to and interacting with the students in high energy in the presence of their Principal, Mrs. BOUDOUNGHOU BIBOUTOU Isabelle and other staff members.

Bola Atta summarized the Foundation's initiative saying "At the UBA Foundation, we are committed to improving the lives of the youths on the continent and one of the ways we can achieve this is to help you read more. I am here to talk to you a little about the importance of reading and how it can radically change your life. Reading encourages you to dream, it expands your knowledge, your vocabulary. It is a path to achieving your ambitions.". 

Chioma Mang, the CEO of UBA Gabon also reiterated the mission of UBA and emphasized the bank’s commitment to the Gabonese community. ‘ I love children and I am happy to be here with you all today. I’d like to encourage you to read very well so that you can reach great heights in your life like me. UBA is going to be there for you all the way. You can count on us’ said Mrs Mang.

The Read Africa initiative then moved on to Zambia to the Horizon Secondary School in Lusaka where the Director in the ministry of higher education in charge of Vocation, Education and Training, Mr Alex Simumba, thanked UBA and the Foundation for the good work that is being done across Africa. He said ‘To UBA Foundation, we thank you for your support to the institution today. We welcome this and many more collaborations in the field of literacy and other higher education programmes. We also further encourage other private sector organisations to take a keen interest in such programmes because the youths who are receiving these literary materials will be benefitting greatly from them.United Bank for Africa(UBA) Plc, Africa’s global bank, is committed to being a socially responsible company and role model for all businesses in Africa. UBA understands that there is a need for a social contract between the bank, the communities in which it operates, and its people. To this end, in 2006, UBA instituted the UBA Foundation. As the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the UBA group, UBA Foundation is committed to the socio-economic betterment of communities across the African continent, focusing on development in the areas of Environment, Education, Economic Empowerment and Special Projects.

Transcorp Hotels MD Laments Neglect Of Tourism Sector

The managing director/chief executive officer of Transcorp Hotels Plc, Mr. Valentine Ozigbo, has lamented the neglect of the Nigeria’s tourism sector by governments at all levels.

Ozigbo revealed that this was demonstrated by the abysmal marketing of the sector by relevant ministries and agencies of government.

Speaking at a national tourism transport summit and expo in Abuja, yesterday, he advised the relevant ministries and agencies of government at the federal and state levels to spearhead the marketing of the tourism sector in Nigeria, saying doing so would help in leapfrogging the sector into a major revenue earner.

He said: ‘‘If well harnessed,  the tourism sector,  with its vast potential, could displace oil as the nation’s highest revenue earner.’’

Ozigbo, who was a panel discussant in one of the sessions of the event on “Marketing Destinations in Nigeria: What Role for the Transportation and Tourism Sectors”,  stated that everywhere in the world, governments play the critical role of enablers and marketers of the tourism sector while the private  sector  acts as the  driver.

According to him, with the kind of symbiotic relationship between the government and the private sector in the tourism business, the former should spearhead the marketing role while the latter drives the process.

He noted that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, for instance was expected to be the chief marketing officer of the tourism potential in the nation’s capital.

According to him, doing so would equipped the minister with the challenges in the sector and propel him to seek solutions with a view to boosting it.He also explained that with the absence of a potent marketing of the tourism potential in the FCT, Transcorp Hotels Plc had gone out of the way to market and ensure that its customers are availed of the pleasure of visiting some tourism sites in the FCT.

“In Transcorp, we’re not only serving our customers, but selling the city. We’ve been putting together tourism destinations.  Our job will be made easier when the government plays their role,” he said.

He also recalled the strides of a former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke in marketing the tourism potential of that state, which eventually etched the Obudu Resort and other sites in the state on the global map.

Festus Keyamo Revolutionises Campaign Strategy

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Festus Keyamo would be opening another chapter both in his life and in the history of Nigerian politics going by his recent adventure. The brilliant legal luminary who was recently enlisted amongst Nigeria's privileged senior advocates SANs is the newest political strategist in town with his radical approach to political campaigning already sending jitters down the spines of opinion moulders, experienced big weights and political juggernauts alike.The budding politician known for his daring attitude has began to shake the political terrain, once again,  just as he shook the legal topography with his revolutionary style during his hey days as a rank and file lawyer. The gangling social media crusader of note has no doubt changed the seemingly declining image perceptions of the incumbent President, Gen. Mohammodu Buhari rtd., in just weeks of his being appointed Director, Strategic Communications for the 2019 re-election bid. Like a gallant soldier that he is, Keyamo who's always passionate about everything he does has applied his mojo and no sooner he took center stage than his goodwill and reputation begin to yield positive results for the President's reelection project.Though, the crusade is obviously far from being a child's play, the firebrand legal practitioner who has been described as a round peg in a round hole has vowed to give it all it takes to make sure the President's reelection project is a success, "everything is at stake here,  I've never failed and that's why we must give it our all,  me and my dedicated team of thoroughbred professionals drawn from relevant fields of human endeavours are up and equal to the task,  the President must come back in 2019", he declares. Soundly equipped with an overwhelming oratory prowess, legal backings and loads of goodwill garnered from years of legal practice,  it is therefore needless saying that, his formal declaration to go full blast on image laundering and unique approach for the 2019 political strategy for the President Buhari's reelection has started giving oppositions sleepless nights even though there are no clear contenders in-view at the moment.The man is leaving no stone unturned in making sure his principal,  President Buhari's image is protected and cleaned up in readiness for his second time bid by all means as he's prepared to respond to even the perceived darkest areas his enemies think they can wield any stick.In one of his monitored interviews where he was asked about the health, fitness and age of the President, Keyamo have this to say,  "what are you talking about, the man has just been declared fit by his team of doctors recently,  can't you see how he's looking of late, looking younger and fresh,  at how old was the almighty Americans voted Donald Trump as president, tell me is he the oldest President, age is just a number and as for health and life, all belongs to God, haven't we seen a younger President who died early before, was Abacha sick before he died", he challenged his host. Stating further,  this is a man who Committee of African Presidents have been dimmed fit to lead them as the anti corruption Chairman based on his impressive track records in the anti corruption crusade and as if that's not enough,  the US President has also endorsed him as one of the greatest African Presidents,  is this by mouth or by performance, please tell me,  what else do one need to support his ambition in order to complete his good plans of ridding Nigeria of bad eggs. The vocal lawyer stated further that,  the spreading and drumming of hatred messages in town are just Babbel of voices of looters,  bad losers and those the man have prevented from drawing freely and recklessly from the nation's purse, he nailed it finally.