Paul Okah

Facebook has hired former UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg to lead its global affairs and communications team, making him the most senior European politician ever in a leadership role in Silicon Valley. The appointment comes at a time when the world’s largest social network is facing criticism from users and lawmakers following scandals about privacy and election meddling. Clegg was the leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrats, the minority partner in the Conservative-led coalition that ruled Britain between 2010 and 2015. He served as deputy prime minister to David Cameron, but was ousted after the Conservatives won a majority in 2015 in an election that saw Clegg’s party suffer a significant loss of support. Clegg lost his own seat in Britain’s parliament in a general election last year. Clegg, 51, succeeds Elliot Schrage and will report to Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operation officer.

Anambra State government has banned religious bodies from using either public schools or its facilities to conduct religious services across the state. The state Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr Don Adinuba announced the ban on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha. Adinuba said the ban became imperative because of the ongoing seeming ownership tussle of Bishop Crowder Memorial School, Onitsha, being contested between the state and the Diocese on the Niger, Anglican Communion. It could be recalled that the Church, through its legal Secretary, Mr Tabugbo Anaeto, is claiming ownership of the school. Members of the Anglican Church recently staged a peaceful protest and subsequently released a statement, accusing the state government of its alleged refusal from allowing it to assume ownership of its property. Anaeto, in a statement alleged that the state government had refused to make public the report of the f...

The business of fairly-used female underwear now enjoy high patronage among the womenfolk in Umuahia, Abia state, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). The dealers of the materials locally called “okrika’’, are also recording high traffic of customers daily from neighbouring communities to the state capital. Some of the women, mainly middle-aged, who shoved themselves around to enable them pick their choice of the underwear at Isi Gate Market, Umuahia, told NAN that they preferred the “okrika’’, especially pants, to new ones. One of them, who made selections of different colours and designs, said she and most women now preferred the fairly-used underwear often imported from abroad. Asked if she was not ashamed being seen buying the materials, the lady who pleaded anonymity, queried why she should be ashamed of her choice of underwear. “Ashamed of what? Ashamed of something good? Ask this seller, l am her very good customer. “As a matter of fact, she ...

Former Ekiti State governor, Peter Ayodele Fayose, has requested the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to provide him with an extra mattress in his holding cell to make him more comfortable. According to a report by The Nation, the former governor has written the EFCC to demand an additional mattress in his cell. He complained that sleeping on one mattress was too flat to accommodate his frame in the cell and that two mattresses will be more comfortable for him. "He has demanded for a second mattress from the anti-graft agency and I think they are looking into his request. They want to find out from him the type of mattress needed to make him comfortable in custody," an EFCC source told The Nation.

The Senate has asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to suspend the charges being deducted from Nigerians for the maintenance of their Automated Teller Machine (ATM) cards. Senate President Bukola Saraki disclosed this in a Facebook post after presiding over Wednesday’s plenary. He said, “Today, at the Senate, we passed a resolution calling on CBN to suspend the excessive ATM card maintenance charges being deducted from customers. For me, this is a major step that we have taken. This is because, while in the private sector, I introduced the first ATM machine, which came into Nigeria over 25 years ago. All these years later, I believe that we should have grown out of these exorbitant charges. Explaining the rationale behind the passage of the resolution, Senator Saraki said it was necessary because it affects every Nigerian, irrespective of their ethnic background and political affiliation. According to him, the resolution passed is not the first intervention of the present ...

Political parties yesterday resorted to a last minute rush to beat the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline for the submission of list of candidates for the elections. INEC scheduled the submission of parties’ candidates’ names for the Presidential and National Assembly between Oct. 10 and Oct. 18 and deadline for the Governorship and State Assemblies election on Nov. 2. The International Conference Center (ICC) Abuja venue was a beehive, as many party leaders and representatives were just arriving at the venue at about 6:00 p.m. To fast track the submission process, INEC grouped the political parties into seven teams, comprising 13 parties in each group. Some of the parties’ representatives came into the venue with some of their forms to obtain tally, while still sorting other forms elsewhere, to beat the deadline. Some were seen using torch lights at car park to sort their forms before submission. While the deadline is fixed for Thursd...

Mr Peter Obi and PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Obi, a former governor of Anambra State, following the ease of tension among South East political heavy weights occasioned by his emergence as Atiku’s running mate, seems to have found his groove as he took to twitter, yesterday, to inform Nigerians of the plan of the PDP on reducing cost of conducting government business.  Using his official twitter handle @peter_obi, the former governor wrote: “As Vice President, we will put an end to first class tickets for government officials, end medical treatment abroad for them and help Atiku to reduce cost of governance by 50 per cent in our first year. We did it in Anambra; we will replicate it in Abuja.”  On his part, Atiku, for the umpteenth time, reiterated his commitment to job creation if given the opportunity to preside over the affairs of the nation.  Writing via @atiku, the presidential candidate said the “most effective way to fight crime is to provide op...