FEATURES

FEATURES

Earlier this month, an old interview with Republican vice-presidential hopeful JD Vance resurfaced online. In it, Vance denounced vice-president Kamala Harris as a “childless cat lady” with no “direct stake” in America’s future. His words prompted outrage – and among the first to rush to Harris’s defence was her 25-year-old stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff. “How can you be ‘childless’ when you have cutie pie kids like Cole and I?” she wrote in an Instagram story.

Her comment was a testament to her and her older brother Cole’s warm bond with the woman they call “Momala” – and proved that family isn’t just about biological relationships. If Harris, who was endorsed by US president Joe Biden after he announced he’d no longer be seeking re-election, does end up in the White House, then Ella will be a very modern first daughter. An artist, activist and alternative fashion icon, she feels worlds away from the classic, cookie-cutter stereotype of a political offspring – who smiles politely in photo ops, dresses and acts conservatively, and shies away from any remotely controversial causes.

Ella was born in California in 1999, and has the jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald as her namesake (Her brother, who is five years her senior, was named after the saxophonist John Coltrane). Her parents, film producer Kerstin and entertainment lawyer Doug Emhoff, split up in 2008, but the breakup was an amicable one. “I thought we had it good compared to a lot of other people I’d seen with divorced parents,” Ella told The New York Times in 2021. “So I think I felt really lucky.” She and her brother were politically engaged from a young age, and were “really active” in campaigning against Proposition 8, the amendment opposing same-sex marriage. As a teen, Ella attended Wildwood School, a private school that also counts celebrity offspring such as Rumer Willis and Frances Bean Cobain among its alumni.

The Emhoff siblings first met Harris when Ella was about to start high school and Cole was gearing up for college. Harris has said that she and Doug waited until they were sure that their relationship had staying power before she was introduced to her future stepchildren, because she “didn’t want to insert [herself] into their lives as a temporary fixture”. Their initial meeting was at a seafood restaurant off California’s Pacific Coast Highway, and Harris recalled that “Cole and Ella could not have been more welcoming”. Beforehand, their dad had given them a heads up about his new partner’s high-profile job, telling them: “I think you just have to know, though, that she is the attorney general of California.” No pressure, then.

From that moment, it seems, the Emhoff-Harrises have managed to make the whole “blended family” thing look easy. Harris is “dear friends” with her husband’s first wife Kerstin, who has described the VP as “loving, nurturing, fiercely protective and always present”. The pair would “become a duo of cheerleaders in the bleachers at Ella’s swim meets and basketball games, often to Ella’s embarrassment”. When Harris and Doug married in 2014, she and the children agreed that they weren’t too keen on the term “stepmom”. Instead, they decided to christen her “Momala”. The name stuck – Drew Barrymore made everyone cringe when she earnestly told Harris that “we need you to be ‘Momala’ of the country” during Harris’s appearance on the actor’s touchy-feely chat show in April.

 

It sounds like the family doesn’t exactly do small talk around the dinner table. “We would just have these real conversations at dinner, almost Socratic, where we would all bounce off each other,” Cole told Glamour in the run-up to the 2020 election. If the kids invited friends round to visit, they’d warn them that they might get the full lawyer treatment from Harris and their dad. “We always joke that whenever we bring our friends over for the first time, they’re going to get grilled,” Ella told The New York Times. “Like, if you don’t have your 10-year plan, like, fully ready and outlined in a spreadsheet for them, you’re not going to survive that meal.”

Eye-catching: Emhoff’s Miu Miu coat was a standout style moment at the 2021 inauguration
Eye-catching: Emhoff’s Miu Miu coat was a standout style moment at the 2021 inauguration (Getty)

After high school, Ella studied at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York, specialising in fine art. Her senior year of college happened to coincide with Harris’s biggest job yet: running for vice-president alongside Democratic candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 election. When Biden was sworn in as president the following January, after defeating Donald Trump, Ella found herself in the spotlight for the first time thanks to her idiosyncratic sense of style.

Her inauguration day outfit consisted of a quirky Miu Miu coat with an oversized collar and eye-catching sequinned shoulders, worn over a custom-made dress from New York cult favourite designer Batsheva Hay. It couldn’t have been further from the classic “political daughter” look of sedate pantsuits, shift dresses and sensible florals (essentially, dressing at least two decades older than your actual age). Inevitably, it became a talking point on social media; according to fashion platform Lyst, six hours after the ceremony, online searches for Miu Miu increased by 455 per cent. And when Ella got caught on camera wiggling her eyebrows at former vice-president Mike Pence during the ceremony, that only won her more fans, too.

Fashion muse: Wearing a Stella McCartney design at the Met Gala in 2021
Fashion muse: Wearing a Stella McCartney design at the Met Gala in 2021 (Getty)

All of my life, I had really low self-esteem and self-confidence, so this kind of felt like a way for me to take that back

Ella Emhoff on her move into modelling

Shortly after, Ella signed a deal with modelling agency IMG, the company that represents the likes of Gigi Hadid and Ashley Graham. She’d always loved fashion, but this wasn’t a career path that she’d necessarily anticipated. “All of my life, I had really low self-esteem and self-confidence, so this kind of felt like a way for me to take that back,” she told The Washington Post. “I have body hair, I have tattoos. Like, that’s not crazy in the scheme of things today, but it is not what you’d consider, like, the most generic-type model.”

Soon, she ended up walking in fashion shows for brands like Proenza Schouler and wearing a custom Stella McCartney ensemble to the Met Gala (she was later announced as the face of McCartney’s Adidas collaboration, too). Since that flurry of publicity, though, Ella, who is in a relationship with the GQ journalist Samuel Hine, has stepped back from the catwalk. Instead, she has been focusing on her textile-based artwork, including the knitted paintings she showcases on her Instagram account. “I did [modelling] for a few years, and it helped me now to be able to afford the platform, and the comfortability to be able to do art,” she told The Times earlier this year.

Creative: Now Emhoff is more focused on her artistic endeavours
Creative: Now Emhoff is more focused on her artistic endeavours (Getty)

She now hosts the Sofa Hands Knit Club in New York, holding craft sessions around the city. Her mother taught her to knit during a childhood trip to Disneyland, and it has always been a “therapeutic practice” for her ever since. “I treat it as something to calm my anxiety and it just happens to be something that I’m also very creatively passionate about,” she has said – and she’s also keen to “expand” her club “into other places, like schools and art therapy. Because I know it helped me so much.”

 

Ella doesn’t tend to make outright political pronouncements; instead, she lets her activism do the talking. She has previously helped raise money for For The Gworls, a collective that supports Black transgender people, and more recently shared links on social media to fundraisers for relief work in Gaza (a move that inevitably proved controversial).

​​Should Harris secure the Democratic nomination, the spotlight on Ella will only intensify. We can surely expect her to become a fixture on the campaign trail. And she might just be Harris’s secret weapon: a conduit to Gen Z.

[https://www.independent.co.uk]

A new report has ranked Nigeria 92nd on the list of countries with the most visa-free access to other nations.

The report released by Henley and Partners on Tuesday is based on exclusive and official data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Countries’ rankings are monitored throughout the year, focusing on relevant visa-policy shifts for each nation.

In July 2023, Nigeria was ranked 90th on the list but fell to 97th position below African countries like Burundi, Cameroon, and Liberia, showing a significant shift in the nation’s visa policy.

 
 

In the latest ranking, Nigeria now is placed 92nd, alongside Lebanon and Myanmar — countries on the Asian continent — with visa-free access to 45 travel destinations.

Nigeria also ranked sixth lowest on the list of African countries with visa-free travel access, only above South Sudan, Sudan, Eritrea, Libya, and Somalia.

Meanwhile, the Seychelles retained its 24th position as the highest-ranked African country with access to 156 countries.

 

Mauritius improved in the ranking, moving from 29th to 28th position with access to 150 countries, while South Africa came third in Africa but ranked 47th on the global stage with access to 106 countries without a prior visa.

HOW OTHER COUNTRIES RANK

Singapore came first on the global list, retaining the top spot, while France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain occupied the second position.

Citizens of Singapore, according to the ranking index, can visit 195 travel destinations—three more than that of last year.

 

Austria, Finland, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Sweden hold the third position with visa-free access to 191 destinations, while Belgium, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are in the fourth place with access to 190 destinations without a prior visa.

Canada joins the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Malta at the seventh spot, while the United States holds the eighth position with visa-free access to 186 destinations.

Maintaining its position as last year, Afghanistan stays at the bottom of the index, with a visa-free access score of just 26 countries, followed by Syria with 28, and Iraq with 31—the three weakest passports in the world.

[TheCable]

Tragedy struck on Tuesday night as Nigeria’s legendary singer and songwriter, Onyeka Onwenu, passed away shortly after performing at a birthday party in Lagos.

The music icon, affectionately known as the ‘Elegant Stallion,’ reportedly collapsed at a private function and was later pronounced dead at Reddington Hospital in Victoria Island, Lagos. Sources close to the family confirmed the shocking news to The Guardian.

 

Onwenu was attending the birthday celebration of Mrs Stella Okoli, founder of Emzor Pharmaceuticals when she took to the stage to perform.

Eyewitnesses said she returned to her seat after her performance and suddenly slumped. Emergency services were immediately called, and she was rushed to the hospital, where she was later declared dead. The exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed.

A source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, “It is very sad. Onyeka Onwenu had just performed at the birthday of Mrs. Stella Okoli of Emzor Pharmaceuticals this night, and after performing, she slumped. She was taken to Reddington Hospital but couldn’t make it.”

Onyeka Onwenu, born on May 31, 1952, had a career that spanned over four decades.

She was not only a renowned singer and songwriter but also an actress, journalist, and politician. Onwenu’s music, which blended genres such as highlife, reggae, and pop, often addressed social and political issues.

Some of her most popular songs include “One Love,” “Iyogogo,” and “Ekwe.”

The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has grounded the aircraft of Arik Airlines over $2.5m debt owed Atlas Petroleum International Ltd.

NAMA said the grounding of the aircraft follows a Supreme Court judgment in favour of Atlas Petroleum.

 

The agency disclosed the development in a statement signed by Director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Alhaji Abdullahi Musa and obtained by THE WHISTLER on Tuesday.

The statement is titled, ‘Grounding Of Arik Aircrafts By The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency.’

NAMA said, “On the 19th day of July 2024, the enforcement department of the FCT High Court enforced an Order made by the Court regarding a debt of $2.5m owed by Arik Airline to one Atlas Petroleum International Ltd. by attaching their aircraft.

“Arik was further given a notice of Public Auction of the planes by the Court which was slated to hold on the 26th day of July 2024 if they fail to pay the Judgment debt. All these were served on our agency and also on our Supervising Minister, the Minister of Aviation.”

 

NAMA said the records show that on the 8th day of March, 2016, the Judgment Debtor (ARIK) appealed the decision of the High Court of Lagos State entering judgment against it to the Court of Appeal and on 30th September, 2021.

But the appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in a unanimous decision with cost, NAMA said.

 

The agency said, “ARIK again appealed to the Supreme Court for leave to appeal the decision of the Court of Appeal, and on the 9th day of January, 2024, the Supreme Court, per Okoro, J.S.C., delivered its Ruling dismissing the Judgment Debtor’s application for leave to appeal.”

According to NAMA, the judgment Creditor registered the Judgment of the Lagos State High Court in the High Court of FCT and On the 26th day of June, 2024, Justice O. A. Adeniyi, then sitting in Court 8, Maitama, Abuja) made an order after hearing Motion No: M/9785/2024 filed on behalf of Atlas Petroleum attaching all the moveable properties belonging to the Judgment Debtor, including the Judgment Debtor’s aircraft with Registration No: B737-700/ 5N-MJF, B737-800/ 5N-MJQ, DASH8-Q400 and 5N-BKX in satisfaction of the judgment debt.

NAMA said, “Copies of the Order and Certificate of Judgment were also served on us and the Minister. We understand too that Arik has obtained an exparte order stopping further execution of the order, though we have not been formally served. In the circumstances, since the first execution took place by attaching the aircrafts, further execution by way of sale can be halted whilst the parties go back to court to resolve the issues.

“However, in order to preserve the subject matter of the present dispute which are the aircrafts in question (the res), which have already been attached, we have decided to comply with the effect of the Supreme Court order, by grounding the aircrafts (subject of dispute) so that they are not taken out of the jurisdiction of the court or tampered with in a way as to frustrate the courts.”

NAMA said the Minister, Festus Keyamo being a Senior Advocate (SAN) understands the implication of the Supreme Court Order dismissing the motion for leave to appeal and will not risk his license as a legal practitioner or his privilege as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria by engaging in acts that will frustrate an order of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

“The parties to the dispute are encouraged to resolve their issues as quickly as possible so that the Arik aircraft in question can resume flight operations,” NAMA said.

Atlas Petroleum International is privately held and is registered in Nigeria. Stock in the companies is held by the Eze family, according to the company’s profile.

Arthur Eze is the company’s Chairman, according to the company’s profile.

Nestle Nigeria Plc has recorded another half-year loss after tax, following the foreign exchange reform introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Nestle posted a N176.9bn loss after tax which is a 254 per cent fall from the N49.98bn it lost in the same period last year.

 

This was disclosed in the company’s half-year financial statement seen by THE WHISTLER.
The company’s challenges began last year when it declared a full-year loss of N79.5bn which is 280 per cent down compared to 2022 when it posted a profit after tax of N48.96bn.

Although the company’s sales revenue surged by 55 per cent to reach N406.9 in June 2024 as against the N261.8bn recorded in June 2023, Nestle said it has continued to struggle with government policies.

The company which is famous for its brands like Maggi, Milo, Golden Morn and Nescafé posted a gross profit of N63.07bn, a rise of four per cent from the N60.79bn recorded in June 2023.

But Nestle’s profit after tax for the six months ending June 2024 was negatively impacted by the depreciation of the naira which sold nearly N1,600 per dollar earlier in 2024.

 

“The devaluation of the Naira led to the revaluation of our foreign currency obligations and had an adverse impact on the profit after tax resulting in a net loss of -N176.9bn for the first half of the year,” the manufacturer said.

The company’s net finance cost rose form N129.9bn last year to N315.6bn in June 2024.

As a result of the loss, diluted earnings per share which measures per-share profitability fell from a loss of N63.06 per share last year to N223.19 loss per share.

Nestle’s total assets grew to N868.95bn but the company’s liabilities valued N973.8bn exceeded its assets.

The Chief Executive of Nestlé Nigeria Plc, Mr. Wassim Elhusseini said, “We are confident in our ability to navigate the current challenges to deliver long-term value to our shareholders while contributing positively to our communities.”

 

Data from the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) showed that the company has a market capitalisation of N729.2bn while its shares closed at N920 on Monday, July 29,2024.

Two police orderlies attached to a former House of Representatives member, Joan Onyemaechi and her driver were on Tuesday evening killed when bandits abducted her and her children in Asaba, the Delta State capital.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the gunmen stormed Onyemaechi’s church, King Jesus and I, located at Ogajifo Street off DSB Road and shot the two police orderlies and her driver before whisking the former lawmaker and her children away.

Sources from the street told PUNCH Metro that a stray bullet also hit a passerby who died on the spot.

“The gunmen stormed the church and immediately shot at the police orderly and the driver.


“They drove the lawmaker away in her SUV and were shooting indiscriminately in the street. Unfortunately, a stray bullet hit a young man who died on the spot.”

Onyemaechi was the immediate past Commissioner for Technical Education under Governor Sheriff Oborevwori before she resigned to pave the way for her younger brother to return for the chairmanship position in the just concluded council election.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the kidnapping incident to our correspondent but said that only a police officer and one other were killed.


He said, “Only a policeman and one other were killed. I don’t know whether he was the driver. They picked only her.”

Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, writes on behalf of Incorporated Trustees of Association of Local Governments of Nigeria ( ALGON),warning the Forum of State Commissioners For Finance of Nigeria, not to tamper with funds due to the 774 LGAs of Nigeria, but to pay to them directly as ordered by the Supreme Court in its judgement dated July 11,2024. The Silk told the Forum and  Governors controlling it of the dire consequences of disobeying the clear orders of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The founder and Chief Executive Officer, Telegram Messenger app, Pavel Durov, has narrated how he had 100 biological children around the world despite being unmarried.

The 39-year-old entrepreneur made this known through his popular channel on Monday evening.

According to him, despite his preference to remain single and alone, 15 years ago, his friend (unnamed) approached him to donate his sperm in a clinic, which he acceded to and resulted in him helping over 12 families all over the world have kids due to what he described as ”high-quality donor material’.

Narrating, he said, “I was just told that I have over 100 biological kids. How is this possible for a guy who has never been married and prefers to live alone?

“Fifteen years ago, a friend approached me with a weird request. He said that he and his wife couldn’t have kids due to a fertility issue and asked me to donate sperm at a clinic for them to have a baby. I laughed my ass off before realising he was dead serious.

“The boss of the clinic told me that ‘high-quality donor material’ was in short supply and that it was my civic duty to donate more sperm to anonymously help more couples. This sounded crazy enough to get me to sign up for sperm donation.

“Fast forward to 2024, my past donating activity has helped over a hundred couples in 12 countries to have kids. Moreover, many years after I stopped being a donor, at least one IVF clinic still has my frozen sperm available for anonymous use by families who want to have kids.”


He hinted that he would plan to open-source his DNA so that his biological children could easily find him, stressing, “Of course, there are risks, but I don’t regret having been a donor. The shortage of healthy sperm has become an increasingly serious issue worldwide, and I’m proud that I did my part to help alleviate it.”

Durov further advised healthy men to donate sperm to families struggling to have kids around the world.

The Telegram founder is a Russian-born Emirati entrepreneur. In 2022, he was recognized as the richest expat in the United Arab Emirates, according to Forbes. In February 2023, Arabian Business named him the most powerful entrepreneur in Dubai.

Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) highlights a pervasive global prevalence of corruption, with significant challenges also evident across the African continent.

According to the CPI, two-thirds of countries in the world have some form of corruption issue. 

The index evaluates 180 countries and territories based on their perceived levels of public sector corruption, with scores ranging from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

 

Although North Africa has made strides in combating corruption, Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the lowest corruption index among regions. With a global average of 43, Sub-Saharan Africa has an average score of just 33.

Here are 10 African countries with high corruption. 

Somalia, Global Rank: 180th

Somalia has emerged as the most corrupt country in Africa heading into 2024. Political instability and ongoing conflicts have fostered an environment rife with corruption. The weak central government lacks effective oversight and accountability mechanisms, significantly hindering the nation’s progress.

South Sudan, Global Rank: 177th

As the world’s youngest country, South Sudan has faced persistent corruption issues since its independence in 2011. Power struggles and resource mismanagement have siphoned funds away from essential services and infrastructure, creating substantial obstacles to economic development.

Equatorial Guinea, Global Rank: 172nd 

Corruption control in Equatorial Guinea is reportedly extremely poor, leading citizens to lose faith in public officials who seem to prioritize their own interests over public service.

Libya, Global Rank: 170th

Following the revolution, Libya faces severe corruption due to weak institutions and political instability, with control over the nation’s oil wealth intensifying governance challenges and stalling economic development.

Sudan, Global Rank: 162nd

Sudan is listed among the most corrupt African countries due to widespread issues affecting nearly all sectors, especially the economy and politics, where power abuse and favoritism are prevalent.

 

Democratic Republic of Congo, Global Rank: 162nd

The DRC contends with corruption across both public and private sectors, impeding development efforts. Despite its abundant natural resources, corruption continues to be a major barrier to progress and the enhancement of living standards for its citizens.

Comoros, Global Rank: 162nd

Corruption is widespread in Comoros, undermining national progress and worsening poverty and inequality, while the island nation faces significant challenges in establishing effective anti-corruption measures and promoting transparency.

Chad, Global Rank: 162nd

 

Chad faces severe corruption, which, coupled with security issues worsened by insurgency, cripples its economy and weakens the rule of law, as many individuals engage in corrupt practices with a sense of impunity.

Burundi, Global Rank: 162nd

In Burundi, systemic issues significantly impede progress, affecting public services, worsening economic challenges, and hindering efforts to improve citizens’ well-being.

Eritrea, Global Rank: 161st

Eritrea rounds out the top 10, facing corruption challenges that obstruct progress and development, making it crucial to address these issues to ensure a brighter future for its citizens.

Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Igboho has reacted to reports that he opposed the planned nationwide #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest.
 
He denied the claim saying it is false propaganda.
 
His spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki while reacting said the news was aimed at undermining Igboho’s commitment to Yoruba self-determination.
 
Koiki clarified that Igboho remains focused on achieving Yoruba independence and referenced a letter sent to President Bola Tinubu on April 17, which called for negotiations on the Yoruba’s peaceful exit from Nigeria. This letter, also signed by Yoruba Self-Determination Movement (YSDM) leader Prof. AdeBanji Akintoye and Ola Ademola, set a two-month deadline for establishing a negotiation team, expiring on June 13, 2024.
 
 
Igboho reiterated his stance during a visit to Oba Benjamin Olanite, the Onimeko of Imeko, on July 25, where he thanked the monarch for his support during his detention in Benin Republic.
 
He emphasized that while he supports Nigerians’ right to protest economic issues, his efforts remain on achieving Yoruba independence.
 
Koiki urged the media to avoid spreading misinformation about Igboho’s stance and announced that another letter would be sent to President Tinubu and international bodies to further negotiations for Yoruba independence.