Category: DIASPORA NEWS

DIASPORA NEWS, US & WORLD NEWS October 19, 2020October 19, 2020

US-Nigerian Graduate Shot Dead At Gas Station Weeks After Starting New Job

25 year old Alexander Nwogu was killed just weeks after he started working at a consulting firm in Northern Virginia.

A police report said Nwogu suffered blunt trauma to the back of his head and a single gunshot wound to the middle of his back. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We are exploring the possibility,” said Brianna Jordan, spokeswoman for D.C. police. She said detectives “are very early in the investigation.” Police said robbery is a possible motive in both incidents.

Alexander graduated in May with a bachelors of science in industrial and systems engineering degree.

D.C. police say a $25,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Nwogu’s death.

DIASPORA NEWS, LONDON DIGEST October 10, 2020October 10, 2020

Josh Babarinde OBE: Still My Young Hero

On the 7th of July 2015, I wrote:

MEET YOUNG HERO JOSH BABARINDE

Josh came to the rescue of a 75 year old woman who had been knocked over by a drunken lout and left badly hurt with a bleeding head wound in East London last January.

Josh stemmed her bleeding using kitchen roll and stayed with her till the ambulance arrived and took her to hospital.

A few days later, the lady who was later to be known as Maureen, sent a card to Josh. Inside the card was a cheque for a large sum of money.

Josh, a youth worker is now searching for Maureen to let her know what he is doing with the money. He is using the cash to set up a youth project teaching youngsters how to repair iphone screens, aimed at preventing them joining street gangs.

!I wasnt expecting anything”, he said “But I want to show Maureen what I’ve done with her kind gift and how it’s helping youngsters in the East End.”

“All I know is her first name, that she had been out shopping with her sister in Poplar,”

What do you bet that other youngsters would have spent the money on a new car or on a holiday….

WE ARE PROUD OF YOU, SON

Today, I just read that Josh has been awarded an OBE in the Queens Birthday list.

The Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2020 is also the first honours list to have 11 per cent of recipients under 30 and no one represents this demography better than Josh.

Since setting up his iPhone repairs project, he has been named a Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur. Today, he is one of the UK’s leading social entrepreneurs who has helped rebuild the lives of hundreds of young ex-offenders from a life of crime to employment.

2018 was a phenomenal year for the young man. He was the Winner of the UK’s Social Enterprise of the Year Award. He also had a private audience with Woody Johnson the U.S Ambassador to the UK.

He was invited with a select few to Clarence House (the official residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall) to meet Prince Charles and Prince Harry to discuss Topical issues facing the UK.

In 2019 Josh stepped forward to run for a parliamentary seat to represent Bethnal Green and Bow under the liberal Democrats in the general elections.

And although he did not win his seat last year, I expect to see Josh in parliament soon….

Congratulations.

John Boyega In New Movie

John Boyega, star of Hollywood’s blockbuster franchise Star Wars, stars in Steve McQueen’s new film Red, White And Blue as former Deputy Hackney Borough Commander Leroy Logan who, in the early 1980s, was the poster boy for people of colour joining the Metropolitan Police.

The movie will be seen on BBC1 and Amazon Prime video in November

Advertising

DIASPORA NEWS, FEATURES, US & WORLD NEWS October 9, 2020October 9, 2020

High Achieving Nigerians Appointed To Top US Institutions

Established originally as the Institute of Medicine in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine addresses critical issues in health, science, medicine, and related policy and inspires positive actions across sectors. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

NAM works alongside the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding. With their election, NAM members make a commitment to volunteer their service in National Academies activities.

So far, five medical professionals with Nigerian background have been elected as members of the academy.

Prof Mrs Funmi Olopade (Oncologist)
Prof Charles Rotimi (Geneticist )
Prof Kunle Odunsi (OBGYN – Gynecologic Oncologist)
Prof Adetokunbo Lucas (International Health)
Prof Oyewale Tomori (Virologist)

New members are elected by current members through a process that recognizes individuals who have made major contributions to the advancement of the medical sciences, health care, and public health.

A diversity of talent among NAM’s membership is assured by its Articles of Organization, which stipulate that at least one-quarter of the membership is selected from fields outside the health professions — for example, from such fields as law, engineering, social sciences, and the humanities

In addition these two engineers were elected into the US National Academy of Engineering:

Prof Babatunde Ogunnaike (Chemical Engineering)
Prof Ilesanmi Adesida (Electrical Engineering)

DIASPORA NEWS, Knife Crime, LAW & ORDER, LONDON DIGEST October 7, 2020October 7, 2020

16 Year Old Charged With Anthony Adekola’s Murder

A teenager has been charged with the murder of Anthony Adekola in Colindale.

The 16 year old who cannot be named for legal reasons was arrested on Tuesday, 6 October and charged on 7 October with murder.

He has been remanded to appear in custody at Bromley Youth Court today.

This follows an investigation after police were called by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) at approximately 23:05hrs on Saturday, 5 September to reports of a stabbing on Debden Close, NW2.

Anthony Adekola, 22, was found in nearby Martlesham Walk, suffering stab injuries. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Enquiries continue by homicide detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime.

Three other males have been charged with Anthony’s murder.

Christian Medina, 19 of New Brent Street, NW4; a 16-year-old male from Hendon and Tajuan Subaran, 18 of New Brent Street, NW4 appeared in custody at Hendon Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 14 September charged with murder.

They appeared at the Old Bailey on Wednesday, 16 September and were remanded in custody to appear at the same court on Friday, 4 December.

Six other males aged between 15 and 19 have also been arrested and bailed pending further enquiries.

MetPolice Newsdesk

Advertising

DIASPORA NEWS October 6, 2020October 6, 2020

Body Of Nigerian Carer Found On Bexill Beach

The family of a 21-year-old woman whose body was found on the beach near Galley Hill has launched a appeal to find out what happened in the moments before her death.

Blessing Ayomide Adetutu Olusegun’s body was found at 6.20am on Friday, September 18.

Blessing, from London, had been in Bexhill on a one-week placement as a live-in carer for the elderly, who suffer from dementia and other mental and physical health issues

Advertising

The 21-year-old last spoke to her boyfriend and a close family friend at about 1am on September 18, when she asked them to stay on the phone to her as she went for a walk to the beach.

Her last message was sent to her family friend at 1.25am, according to her family.

Police said at 6.20am that day, her body was found lying on the beach at Bexhill, near Galley Hill. Her family said her iPhone and slippers were found just a couple of metres away from her body.

Police said Blessing’s death is being treated as unexplained, but not thought to be suspicious at this stage.

A postmortem was carried out on September 24 which was found to be inconclusive, according to Blessing’s family. Sussex Police said further forensic tests are being carried out in order for the cause of death to be established.

A spokesman for the police added: “Police enquiries are continuing in liaison with the Coroners Officer.”

Blessing’s close friend and work colleague Christiana Sofolabo described the 21-year-old as ‘beautiful, gorgeous, talented and independent’.

Christiana said she and Blessing’s family are trying to work out what caused her death.

She said CCTV cameras in the area showed Blessing walking by the beach but did not show what happened afterwards as there were no cameras covering the area where her body was later found.

Christiana said: “The police said out of all the 10 CCTV cameras in the area, only one shady camera shot shows blessing walking. We don’t know how she got on to the beach.”

Blessing’s family has launched a fundraising campaign to help ‘change the system’ so CCTV cameras can be made available to cover the beach and other local areas to help police with their investigations.

The GoFundMe page will also help the family cover costs of Blessing’s burial.

She added: “We also want the world to come together to help us find out what happened to our Blessing. We want to find out how she died.

“We are planning a march to Parliament. Let’s make noise. We can’t allow our beautiful black African women to die in vain.

NEA UK 2020

“We would like to thank everyone in advance, for helping us fund this campaign.

“As you can tell Blessing means so much to us, her friends and family who love Blessing. She shined so much light into all our lives, she was the most kind, loyal, beautiful, amazing, god-fearing, enigmatic young woman we ever had a pleasure to be around. She cared for us a lot.

“We love you Blessing Ayomide Adetutu Olusegun. We love you so much. Our angel. ️Rest in perfect angelic peace.”

To donate, click here.

Culled from Bexhill Observer

DIASPORA NEWS, US & WORLD NEWS September 17, 2020September 18, 2020

Texas Based Nigerian Woman In $1.9m Paycheck Protection Program Fraud

A Texas woman has been taken into custody on allegations she fraudulently obtained more than $1.9 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas.

Lola Shalewa Barbara Kasali, 22, of Houston, is charged with making false statements to a financial institution, wire fraud, bank fraud and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.

She is expected to make her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan in Houston at 2:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
The Small Business Administration (SBA) guarantees PPP loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The criminal complaint, unsealed today, alleges Kasali submitted at least two fraudulent PPP loan applications – one on behalf of an entity called Lola’s Level and the other in the name of Charm Hair Extensions.

Kasali allegedly received more than $1.9 million in PPP loan funds following the approval of the Lola’s Level application. The charges allege that after receiving the funds, Kasali transferred the money into four additional bank accounts. Authorities were later able to seize the funds, according to the charges.

The loan applications allegedly asserted both Charm Hair Extensions and Lola’s Level had numerous employees and significant payroll expenses. According to the charges, however, neither entity has employees nor pays wages consistent with the amounts claimed in the loan applications.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted March 29. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

One source of relief the CARES Act provides is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.
The PPP allows qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of one percent. Businesses must use PPP loan proceeds for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities.

The PPP allows the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spend the proceeds on these expenses within a set time period and use at least a certain percentage of the loan towards payroll expenses.

DIASPORA NEWS, FEATURES, LONDON DIGEST, UK September 16, 2020September 18, 2020

At Last, Black Businesses Can Join The Mainstream Market

I came across the post by Dawn from Black Economics UK on a Facebook platform we both belong to. The post was directed at black owned businesses who would wish to feature their goods in John Lewis stores and I went “Yessss, at last”!! A great opportunity for African and Black owned businesses to sell their products directly to the upmarket, mainstream audience.

Thanks to the persistence of Aurora James who called on brands, including Net-a-Porter, Target, and Whole Foods, to sign the 15 percent pledge, a commitment to buying 15 percent of their goods from Black-owned businesses.

This came after the mass Black Lives Matter protests that proceeded the George Floyd murder in the United States. It is believed that Black people which include mixed raced blacks form a modestly estimated 7 – 10% of the entire UK population, and that number whatever the real figure is, is growing daily thanks to immigration and growing families.

*Rhinestone T-shirts* by Lyrically Inspired

The time has come for the presence of the Black economy to be represented and seen in the mainstream commerce. Previously, black goods and services were underground, home based enterprises directed mostly at people within the immediate community. And most marketing strategies by many Black owned businesses are targeted to the Black or African segment of the wider community.

And it is usually erroneously assumed that such goods are second rate, unprofessional and of a lesser quality. But this cannot be any further from the truth. For example, I personally know a lot of Nigerian entrepreneurs in London, Liverpool and Manchester who produce high quality items that can be featured in any store and compete with any producers anywhere in the world.

There are several highly talented and driven individuals with personally produced and branded cosmetics lines, shoe designers, human hair producers and fashion designers and now, within the Black Community. All of them can have their products featured on top stores shelves or on major online stores such as :
Shopify Store
Woo Commerce Store
Ebay
Etsy
Amazon
Asos
Depop

Currently, there are calls for interested entrepreneurs to take up shelf spaces on a pop-up, trial basis for their products at John Lewis stores in shopping centres all over Britain.

Details

From 12th October to 19th October, interested and approved businesses can take up 1 week trial spaces to sell their products in shopping centres with high footfall.

The space would be a Pop up Store for one week at a cost of £300+vat per week. Or price could be cheaper if you share a space with another business. Products can be Fashion, Cosmetics, Art, Furnishings, Toys, Food (pre-packaged).

Interested, businesses please contact Dawn on 07960 932 860, drop an email to info@blackeconomics.co.uk