Fela brought back to life in Miami with first Afro-Caribbean lounge

 

The late legendary Abami Eda, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has been brought back to life in faraway Miami, Florida, United States of America as the first ever Afro-Caribbean lounge, Savor Lounge births with the Afro-beats creator’s mural fully in display.

The Lounge was established by US-based Nigerian DJ, Dozzy Ross originally from Anambra State, Nigeria with the real name of Dozie Udemadu

Dozzy Ross in a recent interview said the big idea behind the lounge named Savor Lounge is to have Africans and Caribbeans have a place they can call home, with their culture and tradition well in place, either in form of art or entertainment.

“It’s the only lounge in Miami owned by Africans for Africans. For us by us. Where you can come and listen to Afrobeats all day. Unlike other spots where Afrobeats are only played for 10 minutes and that’s it. It’s located in Wynwood, Miami.

“We have a big mural of Fela Kuti painted outside. It’s a huge tourist attraction. People of all races stop by to take pictures and also have the opportunity to get to taste Nigerian foods. It’s so huge for Afro-beats to finally have a place we can call ours. People aren’t looking at us crazy when we Zanku and Gbe Body E It’s home,” said the owner, DJ Dozzy Ross who also revealed he had had the plan for over two years with his wife. He actually confessed the big idea came from his wife, Kathy

Dozzy Ross who is based in Miami, Florida has been recognized as one of the pioneers of the Afro-beats movement to the United States and the world.

He has worked with the likes of Davido, Olamide, Tekno, Wizkid, Runtown, Skales, Timaya, Psquare , Tiwa Savage, Don Jazzy, to name a few. Also, he worked with Akon and went on tour with him for his USA tour 2017.

With the launch of the Savor Lounge, Dozzy Ross is only fanning the embers of the fire he had helped start by creating a platform for it to explode.

- PM NEWS

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Soyinka kicks against bill to regulate water resources, says Buhari lacks vision

 

Wole Soyinka, playwright and Nobel laureate, has condemned a bill seeking to regulate water resources in Nigeria. 

Rejected in 2018, the national water resources bill 2020 was reintroduced by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in July, and now awaiting passage by the national assembly. 

The bill seeks to bring all water resources– both surface and underground, and the banks of the water sources under the control of the federal government through its agencies to be established by the bill. 

But reacting, Soyinka called for the deactivation of the bill.

He accused Buhari and his predecessors of lacking in vision and had been unable to solve the country’s least water problems. 

“A roundly condemned project blasted out of sight by public outrage one or two years ago, is being exhumed and sneaked back into service by none other than a failed government, and with the consent of a body of people, supposedly elected to serve as custodians of the rights, freedoms and existential exigencies of millions,” he said in a statement.  

“This bill – bill on national water resources 2020 is designed to hand Aso Rock ABSOLUTE CONTROL over the nation’s entire water resources, both over and underground.  

“The basic facilitator of human existence, water – forget for now all about streams of righteousness! – is to become exclusive to one centralised authority. It will be doled out, allocated through power directives from a desensitised rockery that cannot even boast of the water divining wand of the prophet Moses. If the current presiding genius – and this applies equally to ALL his predecessors without exception – had a structured vision of Nigerian basic entitlements, Nigerians would by now, be able to boast the means of fulfilling even that minimalist item of COVID-19 protocols that call for washing one’s hands under running water! As for potable water, for drinking and cooking, let us not even begin to address such extra-terrestrial undertaking!

“What next for the exclusive list? The rains? I declare myself in full agreement with virtually every pronouncement of alarm, outrage, opprobrium and repudiation that has been heaped upon this bill and its parentage, both at its first outing and since this recent re-emergence. It is time to move beyond denunciations however and embark on practical responses for its formal deactivation and permanent internment. 

“Let all retain in their minds that, from the same source that preached the ‘streams of righteousness’ is encountered the promise of ‘no more floods, the fire next time.’ In any case, let the promulgators of this obscenity, high and low, understand that the placid waters they think to control unjustly and grotesquely, will turn to be Martin Luther King’s ‘mighty stream of righteousness’ that will overwhelm and sweep them off their complacent, and increasingly loathsome sectarian, conspiratorial heights.” 

- THECABLE

Nigeria shifts resumption of international flights, announces new date

 The Federal Government of Nigeria, on Thursday, announced that the resumption of international flights has been postponed.

The new date is now September 5, 2020.

The resumption was earlier fixed for August 29.

“Regret to announce that the international flight resumption earlier scheduled to resume on 29th August has been shifted to 5th September 2020”, the Federal Ministry of Aviation tweeted.

- DAILY POST

COVID-19: Lagos hits N432.6bn revenue performance despite COVID-19

 

The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it generated N432.6 billion in the first half of 2020 despite raging COVID-19.

This represents 81 percent budget performance in the first six month of 2020, said Sam Egube, Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning at the 2019/2020 Annual Press Conference Week Lecture, of the Lagos State Governor’s Office Correspondents (LAGOCO), with the theme “Rethinking Lagos For the Post COVID-19 Era.”

Egube was represented by Lekan Balogun, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor, on Economic Matters.

A confident Egube said despite the pandemic, government had been able to re-strategise to conform with the demands of the present realities, saying that that a good government was one which had the ability to respond when disturbances arise.

Lagos State Economy remains the largest and arguably the fastest growing economy in Nigeria. The State’s economy was projected to grow at four per cent prior to COVID-19. However, the COVID-19 has affected the possibilities of achieving such prosperous target.

According to Egube, having looked at the half of the year budget performance, it showed that despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the total revenue recorded in performance was at 81 per cent of state’s initial target.

He explained that while the State’s economy was projected to record a four per cent growth, the COVID-19 pandemic had brought in strains that demanded a contraction in the State’s budget by 21 per cent in response to constriction in economic activities.

Egube stated that review of the budget was necessitated by lower GDP growth, decline in demands for goods and services, and shortfall in revenue generation

According to him, the review in the State’s budgetary plan was effected to maintain a strong response to the effects of the pandemic on food, ensure job creation, economic stability and economic reforms for ease-of-doing business.

He added that experience of lockdown brought the state government to reality of shortcomings in State’s food storage system, which necessitated increase of allocation to Agriculture to N2.8 billion.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, in his remark said despite tCOVID-19 crisis, governance never stopped.

He was represented by Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso.

He explained that, as soon lockdown was eased, piloting of the state commenced which had led to commissioning of a number of completed projects, while those undergoing execution were set for completion.

Among projects he highlighted that were brought to completion amidst the COVID-19 lockdown included rolling out of new buses for ease of transportation, launching new boats and channel-routes for waterways; commissioning of new health facilities; housing schemes, among others.

Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Gboyega Akosile commended the Governor’s press corps for support given to Sanwo-Olu’s administration in terms of publicity of government programmes.

While urging the journalists to continue in that regards, Akosile assured Lagosians readiness of the Governor to deliver on his campaign promises.

Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Chairman, Lagos State, Dr Qasim Akinreti praised the governor for showing exemplary leadership despite the attendant challenges, saying “Lagos has excel very well to redefine the way we do things.

“It is on record that when COVID-19 came, the Governor stood up to be counted and responded appropriately. Lagos has become a reference point, other governors have come to borrow a leaf from Lagos State.”

- PM NEWS

PhD holders ‘apply’ for FG’s 20k per month job

 

At least four PhD holders in Ogun state applied for jobs under the newly launched public works programme meant for the recruitment of 774, 000 Nigerians. 

The federal government had in July kicked off the special public works programme which is coordinated by the ministry of labour and employment. 

The scheme was part of President Muhammadu Buhari’s fiscal stimulus measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 1,000 Nigerians from each of the 774 local government areas are to be engaged in the programme coordinated by constituted state committees.

The jobs, under the programme, are for unskilled labour and successful applicants are to earn N20, 000 monthly for three months. 

According to its Labour Force Statistics report released on Monday, the number of unemployed Nigerians went from 20.93 in 2018 to 21.76 million in the second quarter of 2020.

This means more than 17 million Nigerians have become unemployed since December 2014, while the total working age population has grown by almost the same number in those six years.

In an interview with PUNCH, Gbenga Obadara, Ogun state chairman of special public works, said four PhD and 200 master’s degree holders are among applicants in the state.

“Four PhD and master’s degree holders have applied. Poverty is ravaging. Unemployment is extremely on the high rise. People with master’s degrees and even PhD degrees are  applying for 20,000 jobs. That is the problem. It cannot cover everybody. We cannot blame the federal government,” he was quoted to have said.

According to him, the committee started distribution of forms four weeks ago and that almost  20,000 persons from 20 local government areas in the state had obtained the forms.

He also described the 20,000 slots allotted to the state as “a drop off in the ocean.”

Unemployment is one of the major issues under this government. In its labour force statistics released earlier in the month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said 21.76 million Nigerians are unemployed. 

- THECABLE

Transfer: Man City offer Barcelona three players, €100m in exchange for Messi

 Manchester City are so desperate to land Lionel Messi and will offer Barcelona three players plus €100million, according to Spanish newspaper, Sport.

It is understood that the three players Man City will offer Barcelona to force the deal are: Bernardo Silva, Gabriel Jesus and Eric Garcia.

Messi’s future at Barcelona is uncertain after the Argentine captain surprised Barcelona hierarchy on Tuesday night when he asked for his contract, which has one year still to run, to be terminated under an end-of-season release clause.

The 33-year-old had drawn the interest of many European top clubs including Man City, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Juventus in the past few days.

Messi, who played under Man City boss, Pep Guardiola for four years at Camp Nou, is looking to trigger a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave the Blaugrana, but Barcelona are trying to get a fee for their number 10.

Man City are now in pole position to land Messi, who increasingly looks set to end his 19-year stay in Spain.

- DAILY POST

8 Chelsea players in isolation over coronavirus scare

 

Pre-season plans for Chelsea are already being complicated as Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Fikayo Tomori are self-isolating after returning from their holiday to Mykonos.

Four other Chelsea players apart from them are also said to be staying off the training ground under COVID-19 guidelines. 

With the Greek-island, Mykonos not part of places where people must self-isolate when they return to England, the situation is an issue for England’s manager Gareth Southgate. 

The England manager has listed Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham in the England Squad for the Nations League match against Iceland and Denmark on the 5 and 8 of September respectively.

Frank Lampard’s men returned to training last week and are preparing for a friendly against Brighton on Saturday.

Chelsea having lost out on signing Lewis Dunk from Brighton announced the arrival of Ben Chiwell on Wednesday, from Leicester for £50 million.

- PM NEWS