Thousands of mourners have paid their last respects to renowned Nigerian author Chinua Achebe in his home town in Anambra state.

A host of dignitaries attended the funeral including Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

Crowds of mourners surrounded the church, some wearing traditional shirts emblazoned with Mr Achebe’s image.

The author is widely regarded as the founding father of African literature in English.

The BBC’s Will Ross, who was at the funeral, said that Mr Achebe was given a colourful, grand send off in his home town of Ogidi.

However, much of what he abhorred was on full display at the service – political patronage and the trappings of power, he says.

Local politicians were escorted into church by men from the State Security Service wielding sophisticated weapons while a large number of men and women came dressed head to toe in political party outfits, our correspondent adds.

President Jonathan and Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama flew in by helicopter to attend the service at the packed Anglican church.

Thousands of mourners followed proceedings from huge marquees outside.

President Jonathan said Mr Achebe’s writings – which were often fiercely critical of Nigeria’s leadership – remained an inspiration for political leaders to do better.

He said he had not known Mr Achebe personally, but had admired him.

Read the full story on BBC’s website

By now you all must have heard of the gruesome killing of a British soldier by 2 young British men in
Woolwich, SE, London yesterday.

One of the young men has been identified as Michael Adeboloja
and is being refered to in ALL media reports as Nigerian/British
OR British/Nigerian (whatever3-| )

But do you also know that 16 out of the 541 British athletes at the 2012 Olympics Games were Nigerians?

They are as follows:

Phillips Idowu,
James Dasaolu,
Andrew Osagie,
Lawrence Okoye,
Abdul Buhari,
Abiodun Oyepitan,
Anyika Onuora,
Margaret Adeoye,
Christine Ohuruogu,
Marilyn Okoro,
Eniola Aluko,
Temitope Fagbenle,
Anthony Ogoro,
Anthony Joshua,
Peter Bakare
and Dami Bakare.

All represented Britain at the Olympics and WERE NEVER refered to as Nigerian/British.

Nigerians !!!

It is time we reject ALL negative being attached to US as a nation
and take pride in our tradition
and culture.

Let the world know that despite our differences and challenges we are good people with kind hearts
and love and with great respect for the human race.

We have in no small way contributed immensely to the world economy. We are energetic
and industrious and no amount of propaganda by the media can take away our PRIDE.

WE ARE NIGERIANS,

I AM A NIGERIAN & PROUD OF IT
and WE SHOULD BE PROUD TO BE……

Susie Retty

Orekunrin and her family immediately began looking for an air ambulance service to rapidly transport the girl, a sickle cell anemia sufferer, to a more suitable healthcare facility. They searched all across West Africa but were stunned to find out there was none in the whole region.

“The nearest one at the time was in South Africa,” remembers Orekunrin. “They had a 12-hour activation time so by the time they were ready to activate, my sister was dead.

“It was really a devastating time for me and I started thinking about whether I should be in England talking about healthcare in Africa, or I should be in Africa dealing with healthcare and trying to do something about it.”

Read the full story on CNN.com

In February, Kim Kardashian co-hosted a concert held by big-name local musician Dare Art Alade, and she reportedly collected US $500,000 for her 45-minute stay in Lagos. I was not shocked when I heard of the visit. What bothered me was that some genius in the Lagos State Government thought she was worth that much money for that little work.

Read the full article on Allafrica.com.

The Director General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Olusegun Runsewe had a Herculean task defending the country, as he assured the visitors of the safety and security of lives and property across the country, insisting that the Federal Government was atop the present security challenges facing the country.

Read the full story here.

The ever-expanding moonscape that stretches out behind a wall holding back the Atlantic Ocean here will one day host a project designed to help anchor Nigeria as Africa’s biggest economy.

Read full story here.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi hailed his players after they beat Burkina Faso 1-0 to win the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1994.

Ex-Super Eagles captain Keshi becomes only the second man to lift the title as a player and coach after Egyptian Mahmoud El Gohary, and the first black coach to win the trophy since 1992.

“I am so proud of what my players did in this tournament,” said Keshi.

“They played well and concentrated on the job. They have so much potential.” Read full story by clicking here.