Press Freedom: Local Importance of the Queen’s 96th Birthday And The Unsolved Murder Of A Key Editor and former New York Times Newsroom Staff
Press Freedom: Local Importance of the Queen’s 96th Birthday And The Unsolved Murder Of A Key Editor and former New York Times Newsroom Staff
By Ben Edokpayi, Special Report
On Thursday April 21, 2022 the longest reigning monarch HRH Queen Elizabeth of Britain and symbolic head of the Commonwealth of Nations turned 96. From Canada to Cameroon, the Commonwealth spans every geographical region, religion and culture across the World. #CHOGM2022. An important milestone for this reporter who in 2000 with his ex wife Debra Mackbee and son Ime, whose best friend at Vaca High was named Harry, visited Buckingham Palace to witness the traditional Change of Guards Ceremony. Interestingly I and Nigeria’s first daughter Louisa Aguiyi-Ironsi, an ex who worked with me at Newswatch, a news journal, also have the distinction to be linked to the Palace through her Dad Major General Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria’s first Military Head of State, who was also the Queen’s Equerry during her visit to Nigeria in 1959. Among the many investigative and journalism enterprise features that I and Louisa worked on was an exclusive story on how Houston Rockets Hakeem Olajuwon was discovered at a Championship in Angola, a Central African nation and an investigative report on discrimantion in Africa for Albinos titled feature article titled Children of Juju messengers. Albinism occurs when one of several genetic defects makes the body unable to produce or distribute melanin.
Popularly known as Ironsides, Louisa’s father Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi MVO, MBE was the first Military Head of State of Nigeria. He seized power amidst the ensuing chaos following the 15 January 1966 military coup, which led to a civil war in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, with a population of 212 Million people.
He ruled from 16 January 1966 until his assassination on 29 July 1966 by a group of mutinous Northern Nigerian officers and men who were led by Major Murtala Mohammed and included Captain Theophilus Danjuma, Lieutenant Muhammadu Buhari (who is now Nigeria’s Democratically elected President) Lieutenant Ibrahim Babangida and Lieutenant Sani Abacha in a revolt against his government. Muhammadu Buhari Nigeria’s current President will hand over power to a successor in the next elections scheduled for 2023.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Commonwealth-association-of-states
https://www.rct.uk/visit/buckingham-palace
https://www.royal.uk/queens-birthday
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcllJjSs30h/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CcmqbqJsr-8/
Photo: Ben Edokpayi and Louisa the daughter of Nigeria’s first leader in the Newswatch newsroom a few months before their editor was assasinated in a parcel bomb by terrorists. The 1986 murder of the former New York Times Staff (He attended Fordham University) is still unsolved and the subsequent death threats to this reporter, who was on a journalistic team that included Gani Fawenhimi, civil rights attorney, investigated his assasination is one of the reasons the US Embassy in Lagos facilitated an Einstein Visa through Carole Wilder in the State Department.
NIGERIA SEEKS THE SLAYERS OF AN EDITOR https://nyti.ms/29BvRmm
https://cpj.org/2009/10/nigerian-editor-dele-giwas-unsolved-murder/
Historically the Queen’s Christmas Broadcast in ’96 was important for key reasons. It addressed the theme of hope for the future. https://www.royal.uk/christmas-broadcast-1996
Lastly, in honor of Prince Phillip absent for the first time in seven decades this special feature!
this is the land rover hearse prince philip designed for himself
https://www.designboom.com/design/land-rover-hearse-prince-philip-04-19-2021/
A Version of This Special Report Appeared in the Earth Day edition of The Dixon Tribune. The Tribune is the newspaper of record for the city of Dixon (formerly known as Dickson.)
The Queen and Chelsea and Super Eagles Midfielder Jon Mikel Obi Share The Same Birthday, Quite Amazing :) HBD Jon Mikel Obi, Chelsea and Super Eagles Midfielder (Remember 2013 When James Webb Father Of Missing Baby Daphne Was Seen On CCTV In An Oakland Store With Obi emblazoned on his Hoodie) Who Never Played In Sam Okpodu’s Warri Wolves Team :) But whose movie credits include “The Journey” with Genevieve Nnaji https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U548__AldEo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FpNA6KR3_s https://twitter.com/mikel_john_obi/status/1003596926024024064?s=20&t=44ZnDT_cPztrPFEvEF-VEA https://twitter.com/PoojaMedia/status/1517511704422367233?s=20&t=44ZnDT_cPztrPFEvEF-VEA https://twitter.com/mikel_john_obi/status/1010126467076886528?s=20&t=zu69Z1422qO9sVLIWeIV1g https://twitter.com/mikel_john_obi/status/1011599748392996864?s=20&t=zu69Z1422qO9sVLIWeIV1g https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikel_John_Obi https://twitter.com/mikel_john_obi/photo
