News recap: Trouble in the First Family and other happenings

Just as Friday was about to end on a dour note after an interesting, high-octane Thursday [remember, 21 Chibok girls were freed that day and we are yet to know, for certain, what exactly the government gave to Boko Haram in return], Nigeria’s First Family treated us to a show, and Nigerians paid for no ticket to enjoy the drama.

This week’s news recap gives you a summary of the drama starring First Family , the release of 21 Chibok girls and some more.

Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari arrives with his wife Aisha, before taking oath of office in Abuja, on May 29, 2015 PHOTO: AFP/Pius Utomi Ekpei

After his wife, Aisha, said an interview with BBC Hausa’s Naziru Mikailu that she may not back him if he seeks reelection in 2019 because she felt the government has been hijacked from him, President Muhammadu Buhari did not wait for his wife’s salvo to cool down before firing back – from faraway Germany.

Buhari laughed off his wife’s comment while talking to reporters in Germany where he is meeting with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.

“I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room,” he said.

Some of the 21 freed Chibok girls are received at the Nigerian Vice President office in Abuja on October 13, 2016. Jihadist group Boko Haram  freed 21 of the more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped more than two years ago, raising hopes for the release of the others, officials said Thursday. PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA / AFP

Before the presidential drama of Friday, Nigerians were greeted by a heartwarming news of the release of 21 Chibok girls, one of whom returned with a baby.

The girls were freed after a negotiation was brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss government, Nigeria’s minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed said at a press conference.

DG of DSS, Lawal Musa Daura

And before the release of the 21 Chibok girls, the Department of State Service almost monopolised the attention of the media for arresting a number of judges in coordinated sting operations.

As more criticisms trail the arrest of the judges, the Senate resolved to amend the laws that establish some security outfits in the country, including the Department of State Services (DSS).

Shehu Dikko

While some judges were unceremoniously arrested at their residences, one person was lucky to escape an arrest. Shehu Dikko. And no, he is not a judge.

Dikko, who is the chairman of the League Management Company (LMC)  was in the midst of the returning players and officials from Zambia where the Super Eagles had defeated their hosts last weekend when gun-wielding security operatives opened fire in a failed attempt to arrest him at Nnamdi Azikwe Airport, Abuja.

John Podesta, Clinton Campaign Chairman, walks to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s Washington DC home October 5, 2016 in Washington, District of Columbia. PHOTO: AFP / Brendan Smialowski

Over there in Uncle Sam’s country, two leading presidential candidates – Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump – are still enmeshed in their own version of the unpresidential drama. Remember their vitriolic debate?

This time, the head of Hillary Clinton’s campaign team John Podesta slammed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday for helping Republican rival Donald Trump in the bitter White House race, while accusing Moscow of being behind the hack.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump addresses supporters during a campaign stop inside a hangar at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, Florida on October 12, 2016.<br />Gregg Newton / AFP

And of course, the Donald has spent most of this week  trying to fend off a barrage of accusations that he groped and forcibly kissed a few women in the years past. Apparently, these women are not welcoming of the idea of having a groper-in-chief in the White House.

Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele

On its part, the Central Bank of Nigeria is still trying to perfect the naira-yuan swap deal between Nigeria and China. The CBN on Monday raised the hope that the lingering Naira-Yuan swap deal will be achieved as part of strategies to reducing the huge dollar demand pressure on the local currency. If this happens anytime soon, I may finally lay my hands on that Xiaomi phone I’ve always wanted.

Technicans analise data follwong the trial of an autonomous self-driving vehicle in a pedestrianised zone, during a media event in Milton Keynes, north of London, on October 11, 2016. PHOTO: AFP  / JUSTIN TALLIS

The future is now. In Britain, driverless cars may soon become the norm. Driverless vehicles carrying passengers took to Britain’s streets for the first time on Tuesday in a landmark trial which could pave the way for their introduction across the country.

The compact two-seater cars trundled along a pedestrianised zone in Milton Keynes, north of London, in a trial by Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) which plans to roll out 40 vehicles in the city.

Healthy plates of abacha can keep the diseases away, experts say.

Dear Nigerians, do not be envious of the Britons who are enjoying driverless cars. They do not enjoy abacha, the much coveted local delicacy.

Despite being in the news a few weeks ago for the wrong reasons, health experts have said that a meal of well-prepared abacha is good for human consumption and could even help in the prevention and treatment of diseases.