WELCOME TO PETER NWAMA'S BLOG

China on Monday announced a drastic cut to children’s online gaming time to just three hours a week during term time, the latest move in a broad crackdown on tech giants in the world’s biggest gaming market. Gamers under 18 will only be allowed to play online between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, state news agency Xinhua said, in what it described as a bid to curb addiction in the gaming-crazy nation. Gamers are required to use their ID cards when registering to play online, to ensure minors don’t lie about their age. On school holidays, children will be allowed to play a little longer, with the allocated time set at 60 minutes per day. “Gaming addiction has affected studies and normal life… and many parents have become miserable,” the National Press and Publication Administration said in a statement. Companies are prohibited from offering gaming services outside the stipulated hours, although the statement did not make it clear how rule-breakers would be punis...

A coach at a Bulgarian football stadium was fatally struck by lightning during a friendly match, private broadcaster   bTV  reported on Monday. Ivan Ranchev, the coach of the Bulgarian football club Hebar Pazardzhik, died on the spot at the stadium in the southern Bulgarian village of Lesichovo,  bTV  reported. He had taken part in the match between two local teams as a player. Three players were also slightly injured in the lightning strike. The stadium’s lightning protection system is now to be inspected.

Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has directed all civil and public servants to report to work on Monday despite the Sit-At-Home order issued by the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that IPOB had fixed Monday every week for its Sit-At-Home protest. Umahi gave the directive in a statement issued to reporters on Sunday by Dr Kenneth Igwe, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Coordinating Commissioner. According to him, whosoever failed to report to his duty post stands to lose his job. “Similarly, any shop or bank that failed to open for business on Monday stands the risk of losing the right to operate business or banking operations in the state. “The general public is by this announcement advised to go about their normal businesses without fear. “Security agencies have been directed to patrol 24 hours in all corners of the state. All concerned are to take note and adhere strictly to this government directive,” Umahi stated.

About 50 students of Imo State origin studying at the University of Jos returned safely to the state, at the weekend, courtesy of the state government, which provided free transport and security. Receiving the evacuees at Government House, Owerri, Governor Hope Uzodimma, represented by Chief of Staff, Nnamdi Anyaehie, said he was touched by their plight in view of the escalating crisis in Plateau State. He also thanked God for their safe arrival. The governor directed that they should be driven to their homes. He urged them to eat at the expense of the state. He also advised the students to wait until the crisis was over before travelling back to Jos. Speaking on behalf of the students, the President of the Federation of Igbo Students Association, Boniface Ebechukwu, said they were happy by the “sense of belonging” showed to them by the governor.

Legendary Nigerian musician, Victor Uwaifo, died on Saturday, August 28, 2021, at the age of 80 in Benin, the Edo State capital. The news of his death was shared on social media by his son Peter Uwaifo. “Daddy. Why Did you leave us now? Prof sir Victor UWAIFO has gone to rest. Black Saturday for me now,” the young Uwaifo wrote with 34 sad emojis. The announcement followed tributes from many prominent Nigerians including the President, Major General Muhammdu Buhari (retd.), who said the musician left a “legacy of successes in many areas of life, including academia and administration.” The President also noted “that Sir Uwaifo brought to Nigeria through his international tours and the active role he played in national development, returning to school to get a first degree at age 54 with First Class honours, Masters degree at 56, and a doctorate at 77.” No date has been announced for his burial ceremony. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Victor Uwaifo the legend: 1.) Prof. Sir Vict...

Cristiano Ronaldo is now the fifth highest paid footballer after his return to Manchester United. Messi, six-time Ballon d’Or winner who joined PSG as a free agent, tops the list as he will be going home with a whopping €35m annually. Messi’s teammate Neymar is second on the list grossing €30m while former Barcelona legend who now plies his trade in the J-League is third with Vissel Kobe with a yearly income of €25m. Ex-Chelsea midfielder Oscar who now plays for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Port earns €24m annual salary. Manchester United announced on Friday they have reached a deal to re-sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus, 12 years after he left Old Trafford for Sky Sport Italia reported that United have offered Juve 28 million euros ($33 million), agreeing a two-year deal with the superstar attacker worth 25 million euros per season. Ronaldo won the first of his five Champions League titles and was first crowned the world’s best player during six years at United between 2003 ...

The probe panel set up by the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, to investigate the erstwhile Head of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT), DCP Abba Kyari, over his links with serial internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, submitted a compromised report, reporters has gathered. Reporters learnt that the panel found Kyari guilty of some infractions after its investigations but recommended that Kyari should be demoted and not dismissed. Top sources in the Nigeria Police Force told reporters on Friday that the plot by the police authorities to hand Kyari a demotion was to frustrate his much anticipated extradition to the United States. Reporters had on Thursday reported that the probe panel set up by the IGP after three weeks of dilly-dallying turned in its report on the alleged indictment of Kyari by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Competent sources however revealed that what the panel recommended to the IGP was a demotion – the report which would form the...

A 29-year-old commercial motorcyclist, Victor Ukachuckwu, has confessed to using an online application he downloaded from the Internet to defraud Point of Sales (POS) operators in Ondo State. Ukachuckwu made the confession while speaking with newsmen after he was paraded by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on Thursday in Akure. The suspect, who claimed to be a commercial motorcyclist, said that he started engaging in the fraud about a month ago. “I saw the application online and I learned how to use it which I tried and it worked, though I used it only five times in this month. “ I made N55,000 from the fraud business before I was arrested by NSCDC operatives in Akure,” he said. While speaking on the incident, Mr Hammed Abodunrin, State Commandant of NSCDC, explained that the suspect had defrauded many POS operators with his tricks. According to him, the suspect is in habit of going to POS operators to withdraw money. “After he is done with POS operators, he will ac...

Kim Kardashian has no plans to change her last name, West, despite Kanye’s move to change his full name to Ye. According to  TMZ , the reality star has revealed that she will retain the last name of her former husband even after their divorce. This comes days after Kanye filed to change his full name to ‘Ye’. Kardashian plans to keep the last name because their four children, North, Psalm, Chicago and Saint, would not change their last names either. Though Kardashian has no plans to change her last name, she fully supports Kanye’s move to change his name to ‘Ye’, according to the report. This is because Kanye has been known with the name Ye and Kim believed that people will still call him Kanye West whether he changed the name or not. Kanye’s move to change his name According to court documents dated Aug 11 2021, West filed the request to legally change his name from Kanye Omari West to just “Ye”. The reason for the change of name was simply stated as “personal”. The rapper, who go...

  Investments in Fourth Generation (4G) in Nigeria and Africa dropped by seven per cent in 2020, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has said. This is even as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has again assured on the country’s readiness to deploy 5G technologies. The drop in 4G technologies in Africa, according to ITU, was as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, which ravaged and still ravaging the world. It noted that the pandemic has further created huge gap in bridging the globe’s digital divide. The ITU, in its latest report, tagged: “The Economic Impact of Broadband and Digitisation through the COVID-19 Pandemic,” noted that the decline was in spite of the rising need for more broadband connectivity. ITU, which is the United Nations arm in charge of the global telecommunications, disclosed that the pandemic also drove 30 per cent increase in Internet traffic worldwide with changes in time of day and geographic distribution patterns. “Telecommunication/ICT ca...

The Akwa Ibom State High Court sitting in Uyo has sentenced a 47-year-old woman, Gertrude Akpan, to 10 years’ imprisonment for trafficking in children. The convict was said to have bought a six-year-old boy in Uyo and taken him to Owerri, Imo State, where she sold the victim to one Kate Ogbonna. The court, presided over by Justice Okon Okon, found Akpan guilty and jailed her without an option of fine. Akpan, a mother of three, hails from Ikot Eyo in the Nsit Ibom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Reporters learnt that the convict, who claimed to be a retired worker of the Immanuel Hospital, Eket, where she worked as a matron in 2015, confessed that she had been in the business of trafficking in children since 2008. “Apart from the confession of the convict, the evidence of the prosecution witness that she assisted the police in the recovery of the child victim from the buyer in Owerri, remained unchallenged and therefore accepted,” the judge said. Justice Okon further held ...

Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs. Olayinka Adeyemi, has cleared Babalola Disu, Abayomi Olutayo, Oluwo Ifeoluwa and other persons, interrogated in connection with the murder of Chief Executive of Super Television,  Michael Usifo Ataga. In a legal advice issued on August 20,  the DPP recommended Chidinma Ojukwu (22), and her accomplice, Adedapo Quadri, for murder trial. Also to be prosecuted is Egbuchu Chioma, who was found in possession of the deceased’s iPhone 7, and initially refused to release the phone on demand. The DPP said a prima facie case of conspiracy to murder, murder and conspiracy to commit forgery was established against them. However, the DPP said after careful consideration of facts, she was of the view that no offence was established against Disu, Olutayo and Ifeoluwa in respect of the case. “No offence is disclosed against them and they should be released if still in custody,” she stated. The DPP said Disu, who was found at the lodg...

Former Juventus chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli has called on the club to rectify the “mistake” of signing Cristiano Ronaldo by selling him as soon as possible. Juve paid a club-record £99million to prise Ronaldo from Real Madrid in the summer of 2018,  UK Mirror  reports. The Portuguese superstar joined on a four-year contract and plundered 101 goals in his first three seasons, winning every domestic honour available to him. But the start of the current campaign has not gone to plan, with Ronaldo said to be pushing for a move to Manchester City after he reportedly requested to be on the bench for Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Udinese. Nonetheless, Ronaldo remains the biggest attraction in Serie A and Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri’s squad would be significantly weaker without the 36-year-old. Chairman Andrea Agnelli has previously justified the financial side of signing Ronaldo and handing him a contract worth €31million (£26.5m) per season. However, his predecessor sees things very...

Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, has been handed a two match-ban, following a red card offence he committed against Venezia in a Serie A game on Sunday. The Nigerian international was given a straight red card in the 23rd minute for shoving Daan Heymans, as Napoli played a corner into the box. Napoli had hoped that the striker would only miss the clash against Genoa this weekend, as they believed it was not violent conduct. However, Serie A disciplinary’s committee see the challenge, which led to his dismissal as violent conduct and has subsequently banned him for two games. It’s a disappointing outcome for the Nigerian, as he is the only player of all the seven players that saw red in the opening weekend to have his ban extended by one game. In addition, Osimhen was also fined €5000. The two-match ban means Osimhen will miss the clash against Genoa this week, but more importantly, the huge clash against Juventus after the international break next month. However, according to Di M...

Kathy Hochul became the first female governor of New York at the stroke of midnight Tuesday, taking control of a state government desperate to get back to business after months of distractions over sexual harassment allegations against Andrew Cuomo. The Democrat from western New York was sworn in as governor in a brief, private ceremony in the New York State Capitol overseen by the state’s chief judge, Janet DiFiore. Honored to be officially sworn in as New York’s 57th Governor. Looking forward to the full swearing-in ceremony with my family later this morning, and addressing the people of New York later today. pic.twitter.com/RUsDtzoW7r — Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) August 24, 2021 Hochul’s ascent to the top job was a history-making moment in a capital where women have only recently begun chipping away at a notoriously male-dominated political culture. New York Attorney General Letitia James congratulated Hochul via Twitter just moments after the swear in ceremony. Today is a histo...

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has reacted to claims by former Big Brother Naija reality TV star, Dorathy Bachor, that her house was broken into by its operatives. Bachor, in a post on social media on Monday, had stated that the operatives broke the door to her house in the name of searching for someone who ran into her estate. She said the incident left her shaken while her mother almost had a panic attack. According to her, “At 04.45am, I heard a loud sound and voices followed after. I rush(ed) out almost naked to see 5 fully armed @officialefcc men in my living room and one of them saying, ‘oh na that big brother babe be this’. “In my confused state, I’m trying to understand what in the hell was going on, why did they break my door? “Then, one of them said they were looking for someone who ran into my estate and I should lock my door, stay indoors and not say a word. “I’m shaking at this point and so confused because how exactly is this even okay? “Still shaking, I’m t...

The leadership of the Indigenous People of Biafra has warned the people of the South-East to be vigilant on Monday (today), claiming security agents may unleash mayhem on innocent citizens and blame it on members of the Eastern Security Network. This is as the secessionist group reiterated that it had no plan to enforce its hitherto weekly sit-at-home order, alleging that it had uncovered a plot by security operatives to disguise as its members and those of ESN to “attack traders who come out tomorrow for their legitimate businesses”. IPOB noted that it was expedient for the global community to be aware that it had since two weeks ago suspended its earlier weekly sit-at-home order. The proscribed group stated this in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Emma Powerful, a copy of which was made available to reporters on Sunday. The statement read in part, “The intelligence unit of IPOB has uncovered secret plots by the Nigeria security agencies, most especially ...

Cuba’s Yordenis Ugas sent Manny Pacquiao spinning to a dramatic upset defeat on Saturday, outclassing the Filipino boxing icon with a composed unanimous points victory at the T-Mobile Arena. In his first fight after a two-year absence from the ring, Pacquiao was made to look every bit of his 42 years as the younger Ugas dominated with a stinging jab and cleaner punching to retain his WBA welterweight belt. Ugas, 35, had only been drafted in to face Pacquiao earlier this month after the eight-division world champion’s original opponent Errol Spence Jr. suffered an eye injury in training. But the defending champion seized his opportunity brilliantly to win on all three cards, with one judge scoring it 115-113 and two others 116-112. “That’s boxing,” a deflated Pacquiao said afterwards. “I had a hard time in the ring making adjustments. My legs were tight. I’m sorry I lost tonight, but I did my best.” It was a sweet victory for Ugas, who had been awarded the WBA title after Pacquiao was s...