Thisday Tell:

Fed up with a rape epidemic and forced marriages, Rebecca Lolosoli created a village just for women in Kenya. Eliza Griswold on the artisan and activist whose work has reached the fashion world. Plus, 150 women who shake the world. When Rebecca Lolosoli won her right to a divorce this past December, 300 women gathered to celebrate. They roasted a goat in her village, Umoja, which the women founded 21 years ago for women only. No men are allowed to live here. "Our village has turned into a shelter," Lolosoli says. Women and girls fleeing forced marriages, or ostracized for being raped, or trying to save themselves from female genital mutilation, come to Umoja in Kenya for safety. Sons are welcome - as long as they are willing to follow the village's rules and do not try to dominate the women. The women formed the village in order to protect one another. Now, in addition to being a safe haven and a matriarchal utopia, Umoja is the center of a thriving artisa...

2019 presidential debate: Buhari will not attend – Saraki Senate President, Bukola Saraki has revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari will not be availabe for the presidential debate billed to hold on January 19, 2019. The President has been scheduled to battle the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and three others in the debate. But speaking in Abuja on Thursday, the Saraki predicted that Buhari will not attend the debate. Saraki spoke at an event where the presidential candidate of Atiku was billed to address some Civil Society Organisations, CSOs. He, however, noted that any President seeking to lead the country should be able to come forward and tell the people what he wants to do for them. He said, “I am told that one has debated and you already know the answer to that debate. On the second one, I am very sure he is not going to debate. So how do you assess somebody who is not ready to tell you what he is going to...

2019: Buhari presented hopeless budget to National Assembly – Saraki Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has described the 2019 budget proposal as hopeless. The appropriation bill was presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to a joint session of the National Assembly on Wednesday. Saraki said the budget proposal, as presented by President Buhari, failed to indicate how it will be funded. Saraki stated this in Abuja on Thursday where the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democracy Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was billed to address some Civil Society Organisations, CSOs. He spoke in his capacity as the Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation. “We all heard the 2019 budget. That is a budget that has no hope for anybody because when you look at the statistics and the figures, there is poverty. If you look at the figures based on revenues that are coming in, there is nothing left, so where is the future?” Saraki asked. “There must be an a...

13 Mysterious Statues You Can Only See Underwater From immersed saints to Greek Gods, these are the world's most wonderful underwater sculptures. 13 Mysterious Statues You Can Only See Underwater: There are many natural wonders in the vast oceans. They are also home to some amazing man-made wonders. Statues throughout the world have been drowned in the oceans for various reasons whether in the form of a memorial, or to offer protection to a delicate marine environment, or simply as art. Via: sevenwesttravelclub.com.au These sculptures are now decorated with colored algae and some of the mysterious statues have become tourist destinations in their own right. Mysterious Statues: Meet a woman underwater 1. Amphitrite statue off Grand Cayman Via: greatbigcanvas.com Keith Sahm, general manager of Sunset House Resort, says “She has two parts that are shinier than anywhere else.” This is a 272kg mermaid statue 50m offshore from the property on the i...

Nigeria’s business regulator, SEC, speaks on Access Bank acquisition of Diamond Bank Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Amid reports on Monday about merger plans between Access Bank and Diamond Bank, the capital market regulatory authority, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has given clarification on the current situation. The commission, in a statement by its spokesperson, Efe Ebelo, sent to PREMIUM TIMES said only a notice to merge has been received from the management of the two banks and not the actual merger. In the statement titled: SEC’s position on Access Bank/Diamond Bank merger, the commission said: “The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is aware of the intention of Access Bank and Diamond Bank to go into a merger. “Access Bank and Diamond Bank have both notified the Commission and the general public. It is a notice to merge. They have not merged yet. SEC is awaiting their application on the matter. “The SEC received on Monday, Dec...