Author: chicagoinquirer

by Joseph Omoremi The world stood still at the Harambee Hall, Chicago when the recently crowned Lagos monarch Oba Rilwan Akiolu was ushered into the main hall, venue of the 60th birthday party of Dr. Nurudeen Olowopopo. Long before the arrival of the king and Gov. Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos State, the main entrance to the hall was jammed by gatecrashers who were politely turned back by security men and police officers while invited guests with valid invitation cards streamed in continuously. Nigerians, nay Africans, decked in their glittering babanriga, Senegalese and other native attires and costumes were a…

Dan Anyiam planned to create a standing Feeder team to boost the Green Eagles. The idea was about bringing the best young legs from the four Regions and camp them in Lagos. Chief Eddie Enwere was one of those selected from the Eastern Region. Anyiam gave the team a name. The seniors were known as Green Eagles. The Junior Eagles became Federal Star Club. Enwere lived in Aba but was a student of National High School, Oguta owned by Chief H. P. Udom. Enwere said: “I was in the team Dan Anyiam put up in 1965 in the bid to…

In March 2004, we published an interview with Septuagenarian David Olupitan on the genesis of mistrust between recent African immigrants and African Americans as well as Blacks born outside the shores of the Black continent. A Jamaican American journalist and head of Sovereign African Diaspora Nation in New York, Neferrari Ahmose, read the interview and disagreed on some reasons adduced in the interview. She gave what she perceived as the missing links in another interview with Joseph Omoremi, editor of The Chicago Inquirer, during the meeting of Association of African Journalists in Nigerian House, lower Manhattan New York. Excerpts: Inquirer:…

by Will Weissert and Marc Levy COATESVILLE, Pa. — An election year weighted by economic turmoil, elimination of federal abortion rights and broad concerns about the future of democracy concluded with a final full day of campaigning Monday by leaders of both parties urgently appealing to their supporters. President Joe Biden was holding an evening rally in Maryland, where Democrats have one of their best opportunities to reclaim a Republican-held governor’s seat. That was consistent with Biden’s late-campaign strategy of sticking largely to his party’s strongholds rather than stumping in more competitive territory, where control of Congress may ultimately be…

by Scott McFetridge DES MOINES, Iowa — Millions of lottery players around the country will try their luck again Monday night as they vie for an estimated $1.9 billion Powerball jackpot that dwarfs all previous prizes by hundreds of millions of dollars. The jackpot is nearly $400 million larger than the previous recordjackpot and will keep growing until someone wins the prize. Only four previous jackpots have topped $1 billion, but none of those are close to the current prize, which started at $20 million back on Aug. 6 and over three winless months has grown ever more massive. A…

by Jeff Amy ATLANTA  — Big money continues to roll into Georgia’s governor’s race even as Republican incumbent Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams have already blown through the records they set in 2018. Abrams has raised nearly $98 million, according to reports filed with the state ethics commission, while Kemp has raised more than $69 million. Abrams and Kemp filed their final periodic finance reports of the campaign Tuesday, for contributions through Oct. 25, but continue to file supplemental reports of large donations. Since Oct. 1, Abrams has received more than $14 million in cash and in-kind donations,…

by Peter Prengaman SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt  — The first full day of the year’s most important summit on climate change, known as COP27, got underway on Monday with urgent calls by leaders to slash greenhouse gas emissions as the planet warms and severe weather events become more frequent and destructive. Scores of presidents, along with thousands of diplomats, climate negotiators, business leaders, activists and journalists descended on the Red Sea resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh to take part in discussions and negotiations slated to go through Nov. 18. “Climate change will never stop without our intervention,” said Egyptian President Abdel…

The problem of ancestry and original homeland is becoming a serious cause for concern for most African Americans. Courtesy of a special DNA test, interested African Americans can now trace their roots. In this interview with Editor of The Chicago Inquirer, Joseph Omoremi, an African American DNA expert and University of Chicago professor, Dr. Rich A. Kittles, bares his mind on how his research is providing opportunities for eager African Americans to trace their roots and why it is important for them to catch on this unique experience. Excerpts: Inquirer: What is the essence of DNA test? Dr. Kittles: As…

by Emeka Obasi Tears drenched Onyeka Paloma Gamero after the Flamingoes ousted the United States from the India 2022 FIFA Under 17 Women’s Championships. She wore the Stars and Stripes. While Onyeka cried, Nigerians smiled. It was pay back time. In 2012, Chioma Ubobagu wearing American colours was in their Under 20 team that beat Falconets in the semi finals of the  FIFA Under 20 Championships in Japan. The Yankees had laughed best for quite some time. Nneka Ogwumike played for the US basketball quad that stopped D’ Tigress, in the quarter finals of the FIBA World Cup in Tenerife.…

The 2004 Noble Laureate for peace Professor Wangari Maathai of Kenya has come a long way from her days as a controversial environmentalist and community organizer in Kenya to winning the Noble Prize for Peace. In this interview with Joseph Omoremi, she recalls her ordeal in the hands of security agents during the Green Belt campaign and the trouble she went through to emerge the winner of the Noble peace award. It is a must read. Inquirer: You are in parliament; you are a minister and you are engaged in so many speaking engagements besides the Green Belt Movement. How…