Why I no longer participate in partisan politics - Goodluck Jonathan

   

   Former President Goodluck Jonathan has explained why he no longer participate in partisan politics.  The former President who spoke at the inauguration of the state executive council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Yenagoa, Bayelsa state on Sunday May 10, said he is shifting away from partisan politics because of his non-governmental organisation (NGO). Jonathan further revealed that his partners are skeptical about partisan leaders. He said; 

 "Don’t be discouraged if you do not see me in most party activities in the state. I decided to appear in this event so that I will not be misunderstood. 

“I’m shifting away from being an effective partisan politician because of my foundation. People who want to partner me feel that if you are a partisan leader in the country, they will eat with you with a long spoon.

“I felt that after serving as President of this country, I should go to some other areas where my services would be required.

“Through that process, I would be able to support the nation and the state in one way or the other.”

Nigerian punter dies after tweeting "I don't care to die tomorrow"

 

   Nigerians have taken to Twitter to mourn a popular punter known simply as Otunba. #RIPOtunba is currently the number 1 trending topic on the platform after Otunba's death was announced by his followers only 5 days after he revealed that his doctors had told him to take a long rest after he was rushed to the hospital again.

   He was known on Twitter as Bet2win and was popular for giving betting tips to sports bettors. He had a huge following, with 10.3 million Twitter users keeping up with him.

Grammy-winning 1970s soul singer Betty Wright dies at 66

 

Betty Wright, the Grammy-winning soul singer and songwriter whose influential 1970s hits included “Clean Up Woman" and “Where is the Love,” has died at age 66.

Wright died at her home in Miami on Sunday, several media outlets reported. Steve Greenberg of S-Curve Records told the New York Times Wright had been diagnosed with cancer in the fall.

Wright had her breakthrough with 1971's “Clean Up Woman,” which combined elements of funk, soul and R&B.

Recorded when Wright was just 17, the song would be a top 10 hit on both the Billboard R&B and pop charts, and its familiar grooves would be used and reused in the sampling era of future decades.

The youngest of seven children, Wright was born Bessie Regina Norris in 1953 in Miami, the city whose funk and soul sounds her music would always be identified with.

Georgia Eases Anti-virus Restrictions

Georgia on Monday lifted most of the restrictions on economic activity that were imposed as part of measures to contain the coronavirus spread.

Industrial production and trade were allowed to resume, with the exception of large shopping malls and clothing retailers.

Georgians celebrated the decision, with many saying opening up the economy was a matter of survival for them.

“One or two more weeks of closed business and my family would have had no money for food,” said Kote Lagidze, owner of a car service station in Tbilisi.

The Georgian capital also lifted the ban on entry and exit to the city, in place since mid-April.

People queued up outside reopened shops observing measures limiting the number of people inside closed spaces.

Niko Avaliani, one of the shoppers waiting for his turn to enter a bookstore, said ending the lockdown was long overdue.

“There were no reasons for keeping the economy on hold any longer,” the 29-year-old historian told AFP. Each day contributed “more poverty,” he said.

“We have all been waiting desperately for the return to some kind of normalcy,” bookshop assistant Lamara Sordia said.

“It’s great that people can now indulge in little pleasures such as buying books.”

The government has said the country will reopen to foreign tourists as of July 1, while domestic tourism is set to resume in mid-June.

However, restaurants, cafes, and educational institutions remain closed for the time being and public transport operations are halted.

The Black Sea country of 3.7 million in March closed all non-essential businesses, declared a state of emergency and a night curfew, which will remain in place until May 22.

The restrictions have hit Georgia’s economy which is expected to shrink by four percent this year instead of the previously projected four-and-a-half percent expansion.

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Alleged Missing N19.63bn: Ihedioha Asks Court To Stop Probe By Imo Assembly

The immediate past governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, has filed a suit to stop the Imo State House of Assembly from investigating him over allegations of missing funds.

He filed the suit at the State High Court sitting in Owerri, the state capital.

In his prayers, the former governor sought a perpetual injunction restraining the lawmakers from probing him over the sum of N19.63 billion said to be missing from the Local Government account during his seven-month tenure.

Ihedioha, through an originating summon, also urged the court to grant him a perpetual injunction restraining the Imo State House of Assembly from inviting him and questioning him about the alleged missing fund.

Listed as defendants in the suit are the Imo State House of Assembly, the Speaker, and the Clerk of the House of Assembly.

The former governor filed the suit weeks after the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, announced that the sum of N19.63 billion was missing from the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) of the 27 Local Governments Areas of the state.

Governor Uzodinma had alleged that the money got missing under the watch of the immediate past administration led by Ihedioha.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo had, however, described the allegation by the governor as mischievous and a deliberate scheme of his administration to loot the resources of the state.

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