Some Nigerians have expressed mixed reactions to the success of superhero flick, ‘Black Panther’, especially as the film hits a box office record of 1 billion dollars.

The Marvel-Disney film crossed the 1 billion dollars mark worldwide after debuting in China, which contributed 66.5 million dollars to a strong 100 million dollars international weekend.

Some respondents praised the movie and told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday, that it gave black people the chance to tell a story the way it suited them.

They also said that the featuring of African (especially Nigerian) artefacts such as the ‘Bronze heads’ from Benin gave a sense of inclusion; rewriting the stale, poor stereotypes of the African continent.

A lawyer, Kingsley Obade told NAN that he had seen the movie about four times, adding that he was almost addicted to the beauty of the almost all-black cast.

He said, “This is a different kind of Marvel or super hero film. This is one that holds so many lessons that we can teach our children and make them adore their colour and continent.

“The western world has portrayed us poorly for so long and it is only fair that we celebrate this film that has changed the narrative.”

A Chef, Chinwe Orji, said she did not feel the movie was over-hyped as speculated in some quarters, adding that the movie deserved to earn more than the current record breaking hit.

Orji said, “Everything in the movie, from the acting to the costume and the message speaks volumes. The movie deserves to make more money.”

Meanwhile, some other respondents told NAN that the producers of ‘Black Panther’ were acting on the ‘black sentiments to make more money.

They queried the fact that the producers were ‘whites’ who based the marketing on making blacks feel represented, knowing that it would make them rush to watch the film.

A copywriter, Rita Enemona, said the movie was over rated and was ‘doused in the colour of a black cast’ to make it look appealing.

“I was not too pleased with the trailer but decided to watch it because all my friends were pushing me to do so.

“To say the least, the movie did not meet my heightened expectations, it does not have the power to grip you, save the costumes and arts,” Enemona said.

A web developer, Osato Imariagbe, said the movie would have made more sense if real African scenarios were used, apart from the Chibok girls’ rescue.

“The movie wanted to paint a positive image of Africa and blacks in general, it would have used real life examples of how Africans have the upper hand, that way the inclusion will be legitimate.

“I don’t understand the hype as it is a Marvel comic that has existed for years, the story was only revised a bit for the film. There is nothing too special,” he said.

Black Panther, which is showing in cinemas, made its Nigerian debut on February 13, with an ‘African Royalty’ themed premiere.

The premiere featured celebrities and other cinema goers gracing the red carpet with African prints and attire.

It stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis.

The movie featured Black Panther (Boseman), who on his return home as king of Wakanda, a fictional country found his sovereignty challenged by a long-time adversary thereby setting in conflict of global consequences.

It received praise for the screenplay, characters, direction, costume design, action sequences, soundtrack, and performances.

‘Black Panther’ has been referred to as one of the best films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), noting its cultural significance.

Source: NAN

The Catholic Church in the Democratic Republic of Congo is mobilising the to force President Joseph Kabila to organise elections and relinquish power.

The Church is also upping the ante against Kabila for continuing to stay put despite the expiry in December 2016 of his second term.

The huge rally is also to remember those killed in last months protest.

In a statement, the church said the Catholic church in Kinshasa is spearheading what it hopes would be a huge rally on March 16 at Notre Dame du Congo Cathedral as a focal point for the struggle against Kabilas prolonged presidency.

According to the new constitution adopted in 2006, Kabilas presidency was supposed to expire on December 20, 2016, ten years after he was elected for his first five-year term in office.

The electoral authority in DRC had announced in September 2016 that elections would not be held until early 2018.

Since then talks have focused on building a census over the handling of the elections which the constitution disqualifies Kabila from contesting.

We have our heroes for democracy. They have a name, a face, an age. They are dead, they are alive. They will continue to demand a rigorous and active citizen participation to avoid falling back into a new dictatorship that will cost human lives, a statement by the church said.

The church is referring to people who died on February 25 during a mass demonstration, including young Rossy Kadima who was killed in Lemba district in Kinshasa.

The church also urged the public to continue with their civil disobedience by ringing bells in parishes across the country at 9pm every Thursday, with others encouraged to use whistles, car horns and saucepans.

In addition to their campaign of non-violence, the church also undertook to launch diplomatic overtures targeting DRCs partners through the Congolese Diaspora, to ratchet up pressure on Kabila.

At the end of three huge marches between December 31, 2017 and February 25, 2018, the church claimed a series of victories from its civil disobedience aimed at unmasking a dictatorship hiding behind democracy.

The church also claimed it has conquered its own fear, transferring it to our political and military leaders, the police and other security operatives.

Another victory it is claiming is the moral authority it commands from its congregations, a trait admired by the rest of the world.

The decision to bring further pressure to bear on the government by the church comes after Bishop Fridolin Ambongo was inducted in his position as Coadjutor Archbishop of Kinshasa.

Bishop Ambongo replaces the retired Cardinal Laurent Monsengwo as head of the Catholic church in Kinshasa.

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Source: NAN

The House of Representatives has lifted the suspension placed on the former Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin (Kano-APC).

This followed a letter of apology signed by Jibrin which was presented by the Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, at the plenary on Tuesday.

Jibrin was suspended in 2017 for 180 legislative days, for allegedly exposing budget padding scandal in the legislative arm of government.

While presenting the letter, Dogara said that the suspended legislator had met all the conditions necessary for him to resume his duties.

Dogara said that the lawmaker was free to resume his legislative duties whenever he so wished.

Source: NAN

An FCT High Court, Maitama on Tuesday ordered the police to pay N3 million to one Kingsley Efobi, for violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty.

Efobi had on May 10, 2017, filed a suit against the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, FCT Command, for violating his fundamental right.

Justice Jude Okeke, delivering judgment in the suit filed by Efobi, held that there was no basis for the court to disbelieve the evidence of the applicant, which was not contradicted by the respondents.

He held that in order to ensure that the applicant was protected from further violation of his fundamental right to personal liberty, in facts of this matter, the court would be minded in line with the provision of 46 (1) of the Constitution.

Accordingly, an order of perpetual injunction is granted, restraining the respondents, their agents or servants from harassing the applicant on account of the subject matter of this suit.

The respondents jointly and severally are ordered to pay to the applicant a sum of N2 million damages for breaking his right to personal liberty.

N1million for violating his right not to be subjected to inhuman treatment, the judge held.

Okeke also ordered that the respondents jointly and severally return to the applicant a sum of N16, 500 being the money extorted from him by the officers of the respondent.

He also ordered that the respondent pay the applicant N50,000 for emerging successful from the suit.

Okeke held that the order by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to the applicant, to remove his sandals, sit on a bare floor, seized his handset was violation of his right to dignity of his person, even his arrest and detention.

Efobi noted that he was forced to write an undertaking for the payment of the debts he owed.

There is no evidence by the respondents showing that they arrested and detained the applicant upon a reasonable suspicion of having committed criminal offence.

It is unconstitutional and, therefore, unlawful, the judge said.

Okeke said that the applicant and two others were traders at Wuse Modern Market and deal in bedspread and allied materials.

The applicant noted that the bedspread dealers bought in large quantities on debt from one Madam Normal, who supplied them from Aba.

It was the dealer who reported the applicant to the police sometimes in May 2015, for debts he owed her. (NAN)

Source: NAN

The University of Abuja (UniAbuja) branch of the Joint Action Committee comprising Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non Academic Staff Union (NASU) has suspended its four month old strike.

The unions downed tools on Dec. 4, 2017 over Federal Governments failure to pay their earned allowances.

Addressing newsmen on behalf of others, at the end of their congress meeting in Abuja, the Chairman of SSANU, UniAbuja, Malam Hassan Shallangwa, said there were positive signs from the government.

He said that governments posture might eventually lead to the final negotiated resolution of the issues that led to the action in the first place; hence the decision to suspend strike.

So far, there is a good negotiation that has been taking place. It has been intensified by the government; that is why they have been making effort to see that everything is being settled.

I assure all of you that we have fought the good fight; our effort will not be in vain; you will see our effort very soon by the special grace of God.

In view of that, the happenings in our campus which we all testify, our children have been suffering since they resumed this session; you can see that most of the things in the university have totally collapsed.

Based on the meetings held on March 6 and March 8, we were meant to understand that government are to release the sum of N8billion to JAC, including some academic staff of University of Ilorin(UniIlorin) and University of Nigeria, Nsukka(UNN).

The strike is hereby suspended to allow for full resolution of the matter, he said.

The agreement which led to the suspension of the strike was signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwukah; SSANU President, Samson Ugokwe; NAAT President, Sani Suleiman and NASU General Secretary, Peters Adeyemi.

An excerpt from the agreement reads, Government is to source for N8billion within five weeks to pay JAC of SSANU, NAAT and NASU members and members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in UNN and UniIlorin, who did not get paid in the last disbursement exercise.

Source: NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has rejected the Amended Electoral Bill sent for his signature by the National Assembly.

The bill provides for the Presidential election to come last after National Assembly and Governorship elections.

Buhari notified the Senate about his action in a letter dated March 3, 2018, which was read by the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki during plenary.

The president said he withheld his assent to the bill because the amendment to the sequence of the elections in Section 25 of the Principal Act might infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of INEC.

He stated that the section guaranteed the INEC to organise, undertake and supervise all the elections as provided in Section 15 (a) of the Third Schedule to the Constitution.

The amendment to Section 138 of the Principal Act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process.

The amendment to section 152 (325) of the Principal Act may raise constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over Local Government elections.

Please accept Mr SenatePresident the assurances of my highest consideration, the president stated.

While the Independent National Electoral Commission put the presidential election as the first to be held during the general election, the National Assembly wants it held last.

Source: NAN

Federal Government says it has supplied two trucks of assorted food to victims of the recent Mambilla plateau communal conflict in Sardauna Local Government Area of Taraba.

Mr Abbani Imam, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) head of operations in charge of Adamawa and Taraba, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yola on Tuesday.

Imam said that the food intervention was part of governments effort to ease the suffering of the affected persons.

Among the food items include; 600 bags of rice and 300 bags of maize and millet each.

The intervention is part of governments responsibility toward bringing succour to victims affected by conflict in any part of the country, he said.

He said that the agency was still compiling the data of people affected and property lost.

Source: NAN

US President Donald Trump has sacked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and immediately replaced him with the director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo.

Thanking Mr Tillerson for his service on Twitter, Mr Trump said the new state secretary would do a fantastic job.

Mr Tillerson, a former chief executive of ExxonMobil, was only appointed to the job just over a year ago.

The president also nominated Gina Haspel to become the first woman director of the CIA.

Tillerson had barely touched down in the USA after a six-nation tour of Africa, in which he pledged US support for nations, such as Nigeria and Chad, fighting terrorism.

His sack is also being linked to his recent criticism of Russia.

Source: NAN

Venus Williams has ended Serena Williams’ return to tournament tennis as she ousted her early today in the third round of Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open in two straight sets 6-3, 6-4.

Venus closed out the 29th career meeting between the two on her second match point as Serena sailed a forehand long to end the third round match.

The 10th seeded Venus moves on to the round of 16 where she will face either Anastasija Sevastova or 12th seeded Julia Georges.

It was the first meeting between the two sisters since they clashed in the final of the 2017 Australian Open, which Serena won before taking a 15-month hiatus due to her pregnancy.

It is rare for the Williams sisters to play this early in a tournament. It is the earliest they have faced each other since their first encounter at the Australian Open in 1998.

The sisters arrived outside the stadium together on a golf cart then walked through the tunnel with Serena entering the court first with many in the crowd standing and cheering.

Venus blasted six aces but had eight double faults in the one hour 26 minutes main stadium match.

Serena is still shaking off the rust after the long layoff as she hit four aces but had her serve broken four times.

This was their first encounter with Venus as an aunt and Serena as a new mother after giving birth to her baby daughter, Alexis Olympia, on September 1.

Venus’s victory also comes 17 years after an ugly booing incident led to a 14-year boycott of the tournament by the sisters.

But for some it brought closure to the once testy relationship between Indian Wells and the sisters who hail from the Los Angeles suburb of Compton.

Said Serena Williams at the end of Monday night’s match: “There’s a silver lining always for me. I have to look forward to the next match and the next time.”

Serena said she is still easing her way back into match fitness.

“It wasn’t very easy, obviously,” she said. “It was good to play and try to get in the rhythm and get into the swing again.

“I can’t really replicate the situation no matter how much I do in practice. I make those shots 10 times out of 10 in practice.

“It’s just the nerves, the anticipation you feel naturally. It’s a little bit of everything that comes in a match that just doesn’t normally happen.”

And sister Venus complemented her: “Her level was super high. It was really difficult to close out the match. She’s going to be winning tournaments sooner than later”

Source: NAN

A match between two Greek Superleague teams, PAOK Salonika and AEK Athens, was suspended on Sunday when the president and owner of PAOK Salonika, Ivan Savvidis, stalked onto the pitch while armed with a gun.

According to Reuters, the gun was holstered around Savvides waist, and he was surrounded by bodyguards.

Savvidis is one of Greece’s richest men, and a former member of the Russian Parliament. He came onto the pitch near the end of the game, after a PAOK Salonika goal was disallowed in the 89th minute. The gun was visible, but he never drew it as he complained to the referee about the goal.

It was actually the second time Savvidis had invaded the pitch during the match.

The first time he was wearing an overcoat, and AEK Athens officials claimed that Savvidis threatened a referee.

The second time the overcoat was gone, which revealed a holstered gun around his waist.

Not surprisingly, this caused a bit of a hubbub.

Savvidis had already ordered his team to leave the pitch, and everyone else was ordered to disperse once the gun was identified and the game was suspended.

Greek soccer has been beset by violence both on and off the pitch.

A match between PAOK Salonika and Olympiakos Piraeus was called off in February after the Olympiakos coach was struck by a “roll of paper” thrown from the stands. After this latest incident, Greek Deputy Culture and Sports Minister Georgios Vassiliadis stood by the suspension. From Reuters:

“We have decided to interrupt the championship … It won’t start again unless there is a clear framework, agreed by all, to move forward with conditions and rules.”
Vassiliadis also said the suspension will be indefinite until everyone involved agrees to “much tighter rules on issues of security.”

Despite the firearm, PAOK Salonika was eventually declared the winner of the match two hours after the suspension when the referee reversed his decision.

Hopefully the gun played no role in that.

Source: NAN