CC™ InfoShots
Saturday
Peter Obi reacts to Buhari’s postponement of National Population Census
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| Buhari betrayed Jonathan’s Legacy |
CC™ Global News
By Gboyega Sowemimo
Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Gregory Obi, has reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to postpone the 2023 Population and Housing Census, earlier scheduled for May 3-7 2023.
Buhari in a press statement signed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Saturday, officially approved the census postponement.
Mohammed revealed that Buhari gave the approval after meeting with some members of the Federal Executive Council and the Chairman of the National Population Commission, Nasir Isa-Kwarra, and his team at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.
According to the minister, President Buhari approved that a new date would be determined by the incoming administration.
Reacting via Twitter on Saturday, Peter Obi described Buhari’s decision as a welcome development, stressing that National Census is a critical development and nation-building tool.
Obi tweeted: “FGN’s decision to postpone the 2023 Population and Housing Census, scheduled for 3-7 May 2023, to a date to be determined by the incoming Administration is a propitious and welcome development. National Census is a critical development and nation-building tool”
It is imperative that the next National Population Census is done right, with a view to addressing past concerns of the exercise being manipulated to favor a certain region of the country.
Friday
Transgender female runner who beat 14,000 women at London Marathon offers to give medal back
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CC™ Global News
By Ryan Gaydos and Chantz Martin
Glenique Frank, a transgender woman who ran the London Marathon in the female category, offered to give her medal back after controversy stirred when she beat out about 14,000 women in the race.
Frank sparked criticism after she appeared in a BBC interview and gushed about becoming a grandmother. She told the New York Post that the London Marathon was the first race she was able to pick her own name and gender. Several other races she plans on running need her name and gender given on her passport, including New York City, Tokyo and Boston, among others.
Frank told the outlet she was only sorry for "upsetting" her critics.
"If they want me to give my medal back, I’ll say, ‘OK, fine. No problem,'" Frank told the New York Post. "If they really think I’ve stolen the place [of a female runner], I don’t mind giving the medal back, because I’ll run again next year for charity.
"They’re angry because they’re saying that one of 14,000 women behind me could have had my place. Really? I did [the race in] 4 hours 11 minutes. There’s lots of women that beat me."
Frank said she understood she does not have a "womb" but insisted she did not compete as an elite runner and "didn’t steal any money."
Frank’s foray into the London Marathon irked two-time Olympian Mara Yamauchi, who finished in sixth place in the marathon at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 while representing her home country of Great Britain.
Yamauchi did not mince words when she spoke on Frank's win at the marathon over the weekend.
"Males in the [female] category is UNFAIR for females," Yamauchi wrote in a tweet.
"Nearly 14,000 actual females suffered a worse finish position [because] of him," Yamauchi wrote on Twitter.
Frank said her attention was not to try to trick anyone.
"I’ve known since I was 5 that I was in the wrong body," Frank said.
Frank said she is still planning on running marathons and planned on entering the London race next year as "other" or "male" to "just keep everybody happy."
Frank previously ran at an event in New York City while wearing a bra and a wig.
Frank, who is a British citizen, identifies as a female. After running a 17th career marathon, she excitedly spoke about using "girl power" to help get through the race.
Thursday
Nigeria Completes Gas Pipeline Without Chinese Funds
CC™ Energy News
By Charles Kennedy
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has used around $1.1 billion of its own funds so far and has completed work on 70% of a large natural gas pipeline in Nigeria even after a Chinese loan for the project failed to materialize.
Nigeria's federal government announced in July 2020 that the Bank of China and Sinosure had agreed to finance part of the costs for constructing the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline to the economic hub in the north, Kano. In the summer of 2021, reports started swirling that Chinese lenders were reluctant to increase their exposure and finance part of the gas pipeline project estimated to cost $2.8 billion.
Nigeria has started to look for alternative funding for at least US$1 billion of the pipeline's cost and has started to approach other lenders, including export-import credit institutions, sources told Reuters two years ago.
This week, NNPC Group chief executive, Mele Kyari, said on a site inspection that the AKK Gas Pipeline project was nearly 70% completed, and more than $1.1 billion has been released so far to finance the project. The pipeline is planned to run for 614 kilometers (382 miles) and is currently being financed by the NNPC.
The AKK Gas Pipeline line will flow 2 Bscf/d and will power industries and power plants and create gas-based industries, Kyari said. By the third quarter of this year, NNPC will complete the entire welding job on this line, he said while visiting a construction site along the pipeline's route.
“We have so far spent over $1.1 billion on this project from our cashflow," NNPC's Kyari said.
"We are a commercial company today. We have inter-company loans within our company now. This company can fund this project, so we do not need any support to deliver this project now."
Monday
Sunday
Saturday
Egyptian lawyer sues Netflix for depicting Cleopatra as Black woman
CC™ Entertainment News
By Adele James
An Egyptian lawyer has taken legal action against the popular streaming platform, Netflix. The lawyer filed a case with the Public Prosecutor calling for the closure of the platform after the release of the trailer for the upcoming movie, "Queen Cleopatra."
The film depicts the Greek historical figure as a black-skinned woman, a portrayal that has caused controversy and sparked outrage in Egypt.
The lawyer argues that the depiction is historically inaccurate and offensive to the Egyptian people.
According to Egypt Independent, Mahmoud al-Semary demanded that all legal measures be taken against those responsible for the documentary and the management of the streaming platform for its participation in “this crime.”
The complaint submitted against the streaming platform alleged that "most of what Netflix platform displays contradicts Islamic and societal values and principles, especially Egyptian ones.", Greek city times reported.
The case said that the documentary promotes Afrocentrism that is widely spread on social media, which have slogans and writings aimed at distorting and obliterating the Egyptian identity.
The complaint continued addressing Public Prosecution: "In order to preserve the Egyptian national and cultural identity among Egyptians all over the world… we ask and seek you to take the necessary legal measures against this platform."
It demanded stopping broadcasts showing all works aimed at obliterating and distorting the Egyptian identity, through films aimed at falsifying and distorting history in Egypt.
Thursday
T-Mobile to make major changes to its wireless plans on April 20th
CC™ Mobility Watch
By Alan Friedman
T-Mobile announced this week that it will announce its next Un-carrier move on Thursday, April 20th. The news will be released at 9 am PDT/Noon EDT. In addition, a promotional image shared by T-Mobile has the phrase "Let's Go" right in the middle which dovetails with the rumored new "Go5G" branding for T-Mobile's wireless plans.
T-Mobile is about to shake up its wireless plans according to The Mobile Report. The latter cites multiple sources who claim that the nation's second-largest wireless provider is going to rebrand its top wireless plans under the "Go5G" name. Those subscribed to the current Magenta plans (Magenta Max, Magenta) will be allowed to keep their current plans. The "Go5G" plan will be the basic plan, similar to the Magenta plan. "Go5G" Plus will match Magenta Max.
The report adds that T-Mobile will also be using the "Go5G" name for its enterprise-related Business and Business Plus plans. Also expected are "Go5G" Military and "Go5G" First Responder plans.
While it isn't known what additional features the new plans might have, one source mentioned by The Mobile Report suggests that there might be more international calling options. Another possibility is that the new plans might not include taxes and fees. As for the pricing of the new plans, when T-Mobile went from its ONE branding to Magenta, prices were the same before and after the change. While that could be the case here, we will have to wait for an official announcement to know for sure.
Besides the "Go5G" plans, the sources have apparently mentioned a plan called Essentials Savings which might be a less-loaded discounted plan similar to the carrier's current Essentials plan. The report claims that there is a company-wide meeting scheduled for this coming Sunday, April 23rd which is when the new branding and plans could be announced. T-Mobile has broken big stories on Sunday before. On April 29th, 2018, a Sunday, T-Mobile announced that it was going to acquire Sprint.
T-Mobile is supposed to announce its first-quarter results on April 27th and analysts expect it to lead the industry in one of the most important industry metrics, net new postpaid phone customers. Additionally, T-Mobile dominated the latest data speed report released by Ookla for the first quarter.
PHONE ARENA
Wednesday
Tuesday
Ooni of Ife, Kenyan president meet to discuss business and peace initiatives
CC™ Global News
By Deji Komolafe
Arole Oduduwa, Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, has recently visited Kenyan President, His Excellency, William Ruto on a state visit to discuss his Global Peace Agenda, unification of African people and Ojaja Pan-African Business Initiatives, which is currently extending to global space.
Ooni commended Ruto for his leadership qualities in making Kenya a leading stable democracy in Africa and also expressed his confidence in the president’s capacity to deliver monumental dividends of democracy to the people of Kenya.
“Africa is the most appealing continent, with immense natural fortune and untapped human capital that are altering the global workforce, trade, and investment. I am thankful for the president’s demonstration of his commitment to push for the inclusion of traditional institutions as enablers of good governance in Africa as I unveiled the Ooni Ojaja Pan-Africa Business and Investment Initiative with a large contingent of entrepreneurs across Africa. It is clear that we must consciously expand our economic engagement with unprecedented access to markets between our two countries. Nigeria needs Kenya, and Kenya needs Nigeria. Our ambition is to develop the most ambitious ties that will propel us to sell goods and services more easily across borders while our children can pursue opportunities across Africa without barriers of immigration and unfriendly movement policies.
“The borderless African continent is an unexploited asset that is critical to unlocking the economic potential of African countries. The vision of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is one of the flagships for the continent’s shared wealth and economic boom. It is a game changer that can provide a tariff-free framework that should have been in existence since 1957 when Ghana became the first African country to achieve independence from colonial rule. It is time to build the “Africa that We Want,” not as a slogan, but as an epic movement that restores Africa’s honour, pride, and reverence, from aid to trade,” he said.
Receiving His Imperial Majesty and his entourage at the Kenyan Government House in Nairobi, President Ruto lauded Ooni’s quest to ensure Africa grows in peace and unity by using his position to bridge the gap between a traditional, government institutions and the people.
Ruto said that Kenya is willing to support the Ooni’s Initiatives and strengthen partnerships due to the King’s investment in human development and business success.
“Your Majesty, I sincerely welcome you and your team on behalf of the government and good people of Kenya. We have been told of how you have consistently used your throne to work for peace and prosperity of our continent and the world at large, you are indeed a very unique Pan-African king of our time. This is what kings should be doing.
“Kenyans and Nigerians are partners in progress for the development of Africa. The two countries have enjoyed good diplomatic ties together and this visit and investment mission in Kenya will surely further strengthen the existing cordiality between our two countries.”
“Kenya is opening for big enterprises, come and set up businesses here and I can assure you and members of your Ojaja Pan-African Business Initiatives some of whom are already operating in some East African countries of the unflinching support of my government”, he said.
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