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Nigeria’s problem not religious, ethnicity – Lai Mohammed

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Lai Mohammed said the foundation for national unity had been built a long time ago by the nation’s forefathers and what the people needed to do

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said the challenges facing the country is neither ethnicity nor religion.

The minister said some elements in the country were exacerbating ethnic and religious differences to tear the country apart for their selfish reasons.

Mr Mohammed spoke in Abuja on Saturday at the book presentation and 75th birthday celebration of Bamigboye Ogunbiyi, a re-known obstetrician and gynaecologist.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Ogunbiyi who hails from Ilofa in Kwara state is the husband to Clara Ogunbiyi, a retired Supreme Court Justice from Borno.

Unveiling the autobiography titled, “Ripples of Grace’’, the minister said the things that unite the country were more and significant than those things that the divisive elements were escalating for disunity.

He said the foundation for national unity had been built a long time ago by the nation’s forefathers and what the people needed to do was to sustain it.

Mr Mohammed gave three personal experiences to buttress his position including his days and that of the celebrant at the Government College, Keffi which he described as “a great model for the unity of Nigeria’’.

“From the book, we leant that the celebrant attended Federal Government College (FGC), Keffi and that is why I am not surprised he ended up marrying Justice Clara from Borno.

“In Keffi, we were taught at a very young age that this country is one and the same and that religion, ethnicity and social status do not matter but rather one’s academic prowess,’’ he said.

Mr Mohammed who said Mr Ogunbiyi was his senior in FGC, stressed that in his time, only the very best from the 13 Provinces in the North made it to the college and not by any other consideration.

The minister noted that the school was a leveler where children of peasants mixed freely with the children of the rich, adding that Christian students fasted along with those of them who were Muslims during the Ramadan.

He implored Nigerians to emulate and revive the ‘Keffi spirit de-emphasising ethnicity, religion and social status and co-exist as Nigerians.’’

The minister also gave another instance when he used the premises of St Andrews Catholic Church, Oro, his hometown for Ramadan lectures for three consecutive years.

“This is a shining example of religious harmony and peaceful co-existence that we know in Nigeria.

“For three years, a Church making its premises available free of charge for the annual Ramadan lecture.

“This is contrary to the acrimony and mutual suspicion that many religious leaders are promoting today.

“The lesson from this is that the religious disharmony that is being propagated today by some religious leaders is avoidable, and that adherents of the two major religions do not have to be enemies,” he said.

Mr Mohammed also gave a similar account when a Church in the heart of Lagos had to shift its Sunday service forward to enable Muslim faithful celebrate Sallah when the date fell on a Sunday.

“I have been living in GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, for almost 25 years and during annual Eid-el-Fitr and Eid-el-Kabir, we, the Muslims always have our open prayers at Arch Bishop Vining Memorial Church belonging to Anglican Communion.

“There was a particular year, Eid-el-Kabir fell on a Sunday when the venue will also be used for the usual Christian service.

“With this development, we all agreed that we should come very early to pray so as not to disrupt the church service.

“To our surprise, the management of Vining Memorial Cathedral rescheduled their own Sunday service to noon after we would have left the place.

“I have not seen better example of religious tolerance in Nigeria,’’ he said.

Speaking in the same vein, Nimi Briggs from University of Port-Harcourt said inspite of all the challenges facing the country, Nigeria was not a failed state and should not be allowed to be one.

Mr Briggs who is the guest speaker at the event said: “several nations have had worse experiences and have returned to the path of rectitude.

“We should be encouraged by their outcome because humans are remarkably good at meeting the challenges of their environment and Nigeria will meet and overcome its present predicaments.

“What we are experiencing these days has inherited various behavioural adaptation that proved useful to previous generations’’.

On his part, the Chairman of the occasion and former Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole described the celebrant as a bridge builder and an epitome of Nigeria unity.

He said besides having the best time of his practice in Kaduna and Borno, Mr Ogunbiyi established a top-rated hospital, Nakowa Specialist Hospital in Maiduguri where he married from.

Other dignitaries who spoke glowingly of the celebrants were Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum represented by his deputy, Umar Kadafar, Serving Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Mary Odili and former Minister of FCT, Mohammed Abba-Gana also from Borno.

Culled from the Premium Times Nigeria

 

 

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Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.

In the suit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Emilio Garcia said that after a night out in 2022 in Ibiza, Spain, he was in an SUV with the hip-hop star when she began having sex with another woman right next to him. He was unable to get out of the moving car, and would have been in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country even if he was able. Garcia was “embarrassed, mortified and offended throughout the whole ordeal,” according to the lawsuit.

Alex Spiro, Megan’s lawyer, said she would fight the lawsuit in court.

“This is an employment claim for money — with no sexual harassment claim filed and with salacious accusations to attempt to embarrass her,” Spiro said.

The next day Megan told Garcia never to discuss what he saw and berated and fat-shamed him, the lawsuit said. The complaint also said Garcia, who had already considered quitting because he was overworked and underpaid in a hostile work environment aggravated by Megan’s possessiveness and abusiveness, was misclassified as an independent contractor but treated as an exclusive employee.

Garcia raised those issues in the conversation with Megan, and was fired the following day after four years of working for her, the suit said. He has since filed a job discrimination complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.

The lawsuit, first reported by NBC News, names as defendants Megan, whose legal name is Megan Pete; her companies Megan Thee Stallion Entertainment and Hot Girl Touring; and her label, Roc Nation. A defense response has yet to be filed. There was no immediate response to an email seeking comment from a representative of Roc Nation.

Garcia is seeking financial damages to be determined at trial, alleging he has suffered severely both emotionally and physically because of his treatment on the job, the firing and having to witness the scene in the SUV.

Megan, 29, was previously involved in major legal drama — and underwent a torrent of online abuse — as the victim of a shooting by rapper Tory Lanez, who a jury found fired at her feet on a street in the Hollywood Hills in 2020. She testified at the trial where jurors convicted Lanez of three felonies and a judge sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Already a major rising artist at the time of the shooting, Megan has since become one of hip-hop’s biggest stars. She won a Grammy for best new artist in 2021, and she had No. 1 singles with “Savage,” featuring Beyoncé, and as a guest on Cardi B’s “WAP.”

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Body of O.J. Simpson to be cremated this week; brain will not be studied for CTE

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April 15 (UPI) — The body of O.J. Simpson, who died last week at the age of 76, is to be cremated, a lawyer representing the ex-football superstar’s estate said, adding his brain will not be donated for research.

Malcolm LaVergne, Simpson’s longtime attorney and executor, told the New York Post that his client’s body is to be cremated Tuesday in Las Vegas.

He said Simpson’s family also gave a “hard no” to scientists seeking to examine the former running back’s brain for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is better known as CTE.

CTE is a rare and little understood brain disorder that is likely caused by repeated blows to the head. According to the Mayo Clinic, CTE results in the death of nerve cells in the brain and the only way to definitively diagnose it is with an autopsy of the organ after death.

Memory and thinking problems, confusion, personality changes and erratic behavior, including aggression, depression and suicidal ideation, are among CTE’s symptoms, the Alzheimer’s Association said.

The disease has been found in those who play contact sports, including football and hockey.

LaVergne confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that at least one person has called seeking Simpson’s brain.

“His entire body, including his brain, will be cremated,” he said.

Simpson died Wednesday following a battle with cancer.

Known by the nickname “The Juice,” Simpson was a NFL superstar during the 1970s, which made him a household name that propelled him into film and television during the next decade.

But his stardom would come crashing down in the mid-1990s when he was accused of killing his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

His high-profile trial lasted months, but ended with his acquittal.

In 2008, he was found guilty on a dozen charges, including kidnapping and armed robbery, and was paroled in 2017 after serving nine years of his 33-year sentence.

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Houston’s Urban South Brewery Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

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Urban South Brewery Houston will host its upcoming Anniversary Party from Friday, April 5 through Sunday, April 7, in the HTX Taproom, starting at 11 AM, celebrating four years of crafting exceptional brews and fostering community culture. This milestone event will be an exciting day featuring live music, food, activities, and a vendor market.

Beer enthusiasts are also in for a treat with the release of four exclusive anniversary specialty beers. Highlights include “Press Start,” a crafted Czech Pale Lager brewed in collaboration with Parleaux Beer Lab. Additionally, beer fans can indulge in “Level Up,” an Old-Fashioned Cocktail Sour Ale infused with orange peel, Luxardo cherry syrup, and subtle bourbon barrel notes. The offerings continue with “High Score,” a robust Double IPA bursting with flavors of Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops, and “Game Over,” a decadent Neapolitan Ice Cream Stout layered with strawberry fruit, Tahitian vanilla bean, and milk chocolate.

To make the celebration even more memorable, fans can pre-order an Exclusive 8-Bit Beer Box featuring the four-anniversary specialty beers (Press Start, Level Up, High Score, Game Over), a 16oz can-shaped Silipint with discounted refills, and 2 tokens redeemable for draft beer.

The Anniversary Party is open to the public, welcoming families and furry friends. Urban South Brewery invites everyone to join in the festivities and toast to four years of brewing excellence.

For more information on Urban South’s Anniversary Celebration, follow the Houston taproom on Instagram and Facebook.

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