ELVIRA’S PEN

What comes to your mind when you hear “awards night”? Red carpets…flashing lights… cameras clicking from every angle…And that suspense-filled moment  “and the winner is…” Now imagine all of that… with a Nigerian twist. Because in Nigeria, we don’t just celebrate excellence…we turn it into a full experience.  Welcome to a world of Indigenous Nigerian Awards and Celebrations where culture, creativity, and community take center stage. Let’s start where the energy is loudest music. The Headies originally known as the Hip Hop World Awards has become one of the most prestigious music awards on the continent. Since 2006, it has not only celebrated Nigerian talent but helped shape the global rise of Afrobeats. From Afrobeats giants like Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy to rising stars just finding their voice, it’s more than an award show, it’s a cultural statement. And if music sets the tone, then film tells the story. The Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, widely known as the AMVCAs,...

Safety professionals from far and wide came together in Port Harcourt for the annual conference of the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Nigeria chapter, deliberating on sustainable systems in safety practices in the country.  The conference held from the 23rd to the 25th of April 2026 at the prestigious Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, with the theme “Driving Safety Beyond Compliance: To Inspire Commitment and Promote Sustainability”. The conference was aimed at shifting the paradigm of safety practices beyond mere compliance to safety requirements, focusing on safety as a commitment that drives operational excellence. In his welcome address, President of the Nigerian chapter of the ASSP, Engineer Charles Felix Osuji stated that the theme of the program aligns perfectly with the aspirations of ASSP to build a resilient community of safety professionals across the Nigerian industrial space and beyond, who will be the driving force that ensures that saf...

YOU ARE THE KEY - Elvira Jordan Good Morning Beloved! I believe it is no longer news that we all were created with a purpose and a path to follow through our lifetime. It is also not new to us that everyone has his/her own unique path of life, hence our different struggles and experiences all through life. You will realize that we meet people with different storylines about their challenges, struggles and life lessons. There may be some overlap but you will see that we all face different issues because our life paths and soul blueprints are different, but our destinations are all the same. Whether we realize it or not, our destination is towards fulfilling our divine purpose on earth. Although most people leave the earth without fulfilling, doesn’t mean life will ever stop trying to push you into aligning with your path. For most of us, this push of life and the universe tends to make our existence so difficult with every new step, because we have proven stubborn against the will of Go...

If Part 1 showed us the scale of Nigeria’s diversity, then this is where it becomes personal. Because in Nigeria, language is not just what you speak, it’s who you are. Across Edo State, the  Edo  people speak  Edo , a language deeply tied to the legacy of the Benin Kingdom where bronze art, royal traditions, and respect for hierarchy still shape everyday life. Nearby, the  Esan  people speak  Esan , carrying their own distinct expressions, greetings, and cultural rhythms. In Kogi State, the Igala people speak Igala while the  Ebira  people speak  Ebira , a language rich in royal heritage and traditional leadership structures. In Ebonyi State, the  Ezza  people speak  Ezza , a distinct dialect that reflects their strong agricultural identity and community values. Move into Adamawa, Plateau and parts of Taraba, you’ll meet groups like the Berom, Tarok, Jukun and  Bachama , speaking Berom, Tarok, Jukun and  Bachama , la...

Copyright, AFP 2007 A civil society organization known as Renevlyn Development Initiative ( RDI) has urged the Nigerian government to ban gas flaring outright, arguing that the oil companies operating in the Niger Delta are very comfortable paying the meagre penalties for flaring rather than stop the practice.  In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Philip Jakpor expresses RDI’s reaction to the recent data from the Nigerian Oil Spill Monitor, spanning the period between March 2012 and 2025 which showed that oil companies operating in Nigeria paid an estimated $646 million in gas flaring penalties in 2025, the highest payments in the last five years.  According to the data, the all-time high penalties payable was $934 million when oil companies in the country flared gas valued at $1.6 billion in 2018. After that there was a dip from 2020 till 2022. The surge in the flares began again in 2023.   The data shows that flared gas was 349.3 million Standard Cubic ...