Latest news with #Igbo
Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Courting athletic apparel success
Bryan Salvador and Ogo Okwumabua want you to relax, and they've got just the clothing — and multi-purpose space — for you to unwind in. The co-founders of athletic apparel brand Zueike Inc. are celebrating the grand opening of their new south Winnipeg location. In addition to serving as a place where people can purchase comfortable clothing, the Chevrier neighbourhood site includes 'the campus,' an outdoor space behind the store that features a 3-on-3 basketball court. Members of the public are invited to join the celebration at 65 Trottier Bay today from noon to 4 p.m. The event will include family-friendly yard games, a bouncy castle, music, food and product discounts. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Ogo Okwumabua (left) and Bryan Salvador, co-owners of Zueike Inc., an apparel line that specializes in comfortable clothing for athletes, at their new facility at 65 Trottier Bay When Salvador and Okwumabua started the company seven years ago, they drew on their shared Nigerian heritage to name it. Pronounced 'zu-we-kay,' the brand takes its moniker from the Igbo word for 'relax.' The company's new campus and grand opening celebration are the entrepreneurs' way of inviting the community to do just that, Okwumabua said. 'It's just a great space that allows us to have a lot of flexibility,' he added. 'We want people to have fun and say, 'This was a great day.'' The two friends were working as sales representatives at a local competitor when they started thinking about creating a brand of their own. In 2018, they left their jobs and started Zueike at 45 Trottier Bay (moving a few doors down the street this spring), with a vision of offering the kind of clothing they wore between games when they were university athletes. (Salvador played volleyball at the University of Winnipeg and Okwumabua played basketball at the University of Manitoba.) 'I'm a big sweatsuit guy. I love sweats,' said Okwumabua, 47. 'We were always in sweatsuits, so we wanted to kind of create a more fashion-forward team wear,' added Salvador, 41. Today, Zueike offers a range of clothing. In addition to shorts, pants and hoodies, the company sells leggings, jackets and trucker hats. The clothing is designed in Winnipeg and manufactured by partners in China and India. Screenprinting and embroidery is added at the company's headquarters, where the founders employ 10 people. Zueike has proudly created clothing for major local sports teams including the Winnipeg Jets, Blue Bombers, Goldeyes and Sea Bears. Additionally, the company has filled a recent Sport Manitoba order for 500 walkout uniforms Team Manitoba athletes will wear at the Canada Games next month in St. John's, N.L. Zueike has also taken over as sponsor of the 2,200-square-foot lounge in Sport Manitoba, where athletes can rest in between competitions. The sponsorship is a natural fit, given one of Zueike's slogans is 'Lounge everywhere,' said Amber Marra, brand and marketing manager at Sport Manitoba. '(They're creating) a vibe that makes it feel relaxed and will inspire athletes,' Marra said of the lounge. She discovered Zueike on social media shortly after the company got started and was struck by what it had to offer. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS The campus features a 3-on-3 basketball court for leagues, camps and community campus features a 3-on-3 basketball court for leagues, camps and community events. 'A local company doing loungewear is not something I'd necessarily seen and they were really trying to be bold and doing a lot of different activations around causes,' Marra said. 'They've picked some cool things to get involved in and they're walking the walk.' Marra is referring to a Black Lives Matter-inspired collection the company released in 2021 and a T-shirt the company manufactured a few years ago to promote mental health awareness. Zueike supports a number of causes, Salvador and Okwumabua said. The company provides scholarships and awards to high school students through local charity CanU and co-sponsors an annual block party with Black History Manitoba. Relocating a few doors down from its original location in April and gaining the campus has given Zueike a new spot to host special events. The campus will also host a 3-on-3 basketball league, upcoming basketball development camps and can double as a pickleball court. Okwumabua said one of the things he most enjoys about his work is making connections in the community. 'Including initiatives like the campus allows us to have different legs (and) keeps us thinking in fresh, new ways,' he said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. It's a welcome addition to the street, said Joe Bradbury, owner of Finish First Autobody, one of Zueike's neighbours. 'It's amazing to see a thriving Manitoba business grow,' said Bradbury, who personally owns Zueike-brand clothing. 'They have great quality and great service.' Salvador and Okwumabua plan to establish a retail presence across Canada in the years ahead. But first, they have a grand opening event to host. 'We wouldn't be where we are without the community and people who have supported us to this day,' Salvador said. 'It will just be great to show them what we've been doing.' Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Video of drug crackdown in Ghana misrepresented as xenophobic attack on Nigerian shops
A video shared on social media claims to show Ghanaians destroying shops allegedly owned by Nigerians of Igbo descent, fueling tensions surrounding the presence of Igbos in Ghana. However, the claim is false. AFP Fact Check found that local youths destroyed the stalls during a drug crackdown targeting shops allegedly involved in selling illicit drugs in Ghana's capital, Accra. 'Ghanaians destroying Igbo shops saying Igbo must leave their country,' reads the caption of a Facebook reel published on July 14, 2025 and shared in Nigeria. Screenshot showing the false post, taken July 21, 2025 The Igbo people are primarily from southeastern Nigeria (archived here). Shared more than 6,000 times, the video shows men pulling down stalls in a market. The post was published by an account called 'Efos Blog', which appears to share anti-Igbo content regularly. The video was also posted on X with a similar claim here. Igbos in Ghana In recent weeks, Igbo people in Ghana have come under public scrutiny following the activities of Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, a self-styled monarch. Ihenetu has referred to himself as the 'Igbo King' and reportedly claimed to have acquired land near the country's capital to build a cultural settlement — a development that triggered sharp backlash from youth groups and the traditional authorities in the West African country, particularly the Ga Traditional Council, which oversees the Greater Accra Region (archived here and here). In a response, the traditional leader of Ga state, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, said the council did not recognise any foreign royal claim within their domain and ordered Ihenetu and his appointed chiefs to stop presenting themselves as traditional rulers (archived here). While the incident drew widespread attention on social media, there were no reports of violence or targeted attacks on Nigerians of Igbo extraction or their properties as portrayed in the Facebook video reel. Anti-drug abuse campaign Using Google Lens to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video, AFP Fact Check was led to a Facebook post dated April 20, 2025 (archived here). The post, with the caption 'Massive Destruction At Zongo Market', was published by an account in Ghana. Using the word combinations from the caption to conduct a Google search, AFP Fact Check found a news report by a local website Citi Newsroom, published on the same day as the Facebook video (archived here). In the piece, the media reported that a group called 'No Drugs in Zongo Movement' launched a major crackdown at the Zongo market in Accra, which resulted in the closure of over 20 shops suspected of selling illicit substances. The report also stated that the campaigners seized several sacks containing marijuana, codeine, Tramadol, and other illegal drugs. AFP Fact Check reached out to Manuel Ayamah, the Citi Newsroom journalist who reported the piece. He confirmed that the 'crackdown was not targeted at any Nigerian community'. 'It was a general exercise in the Zongo,' Ayamah added. The anti-drug abuse movement, in a statement sent to AFP on July 17, 2025, clarified that 'the structures being destroyed [in the video] were makeshift wooden stalls that had been illegally erected by individuals who used them to sell drugs. 'This exercise was conducted in collaboration with local authorities to sanitise the area and protect the well-being of the community.'
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Video of drug crackdown in Ghana misrepresented as xenophobic attack on Nigerian shops
A video shared on social media claims to show Ghanaians destroying shops allegedly owned by Nigerians of Igbo descent, fueling tensions surrounding the presence of Igbos in Ghana. However, the claim is false. AFP Fact Check found that local youths destroyed the stalls during a drug crackdown targeting shops allegedly involved in selling illicit drugs in Ghana's capital, Accra. 'Ghanaians destroying Igbo shops saying Igbo must leave their country,' reads the caption of a Facebook reel published on July 14, 2025 and shared in Nigeria. The Igbo people are primarily from southeastern Nigeria (archived here). Shared more than 6,000 times, the video shows men pulling down stalls in a market. The post was published by an account called 'Efos Blog', which appears to share anti-Igbo content regularly. The video was also posted on X with a similar claim here. Igbos in Ghana In recent weeks, Igbo people in Ghana have come under public scrutiny following the activities of Eze Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, a self-styled monarch. Ihenetu has referred to himself as the 'Igbo King' and reportedly claimed to have acquired land near the country's capital to build a cultural settlement — a development that triggered sharp backlash from youth groups and the traditional authorities in the West African country, particularly the Ga Traditional Council, which oversees the Greater Accra Region (archived here and here). In a response, the traditional leader of Ga state, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, said the council did not recognise any foreign royal claim within their domain and ordered Ihenetu and his appointed chiefs to stop presenting themselves as traditional rulers (archived here). While the incident drew widespread attention on social media, there were no reports of violence or targeted attacks on Nigerians of Igbo extraction or their properties as portrayed in the Facebook video reel. Anti-drug abuse campaign Using Google Lens to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video, AFP Fact Check was led to a Facebook post dated April 20, 2025 (archived here). The post, with the caption 'Massive Destruction At Zongo Market', was published by an account in Ghana. Using the word combinations from the caption to conduct a Google search, AFP Fact Check found a news report by a local website Citi Newsroom, published on the same day as the Facebook video (archived here). In the piece, the media reported that a group called 'No Drugs in Zongo Movement' launched a major crackdown at the Zongo market in Accra, which resulted in the closure of over 20 shops suspected of selling illicit substances. The report also stated that the campaigners seized several sacks containing marijuana, codeine, Tramadol, and other illegal drugs. AFP Fact Check reached out to Manuel Ayamah, the Citi Newsroom journalist who reported the piece. He confirmed that the 'crackdown was not targeted at any Nigerian community'. 'It was a general exercise in the Zongo,' Ayamah added. The anti-drug abuse movement, in a statement sent to AFP on July 17, 2025, clarified that 'the structures being destroyed [in the video] were makeshift wooden stalls that had been illegally erected by individuals who used them to sell drugs. 'This exercise was conducted in collaboration with local authorities to sanitise the area and protect the well-being of the community.'
Newsweek
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Green Card Applicant Who Fled Human Traffickers Fears Deportation
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A married couple in Maryland is afraid they may be forced to leave the United States after immigration officials said they plan to deny the husband's green card application, even though he once worked to rescue human trafficking victims in North Africa. Emmanuel Unegbu, 51, entered the United States in June 2019 on a B2 visa after leaving his post at the Nigerian Embassy in Libya, where he worked for nearly two decades as a protocol assistant and humanitarian coordinator. During his time at the embassy, Unegbu helped rescue victims of human trafficking and coordinated efforts to return them safely to Nigeria, a role he says made him a target of crime syndicates. Despite having filed for asylum in June 2020 and later marrying a U.S. citizen, Unegbu fears deportation to Nigeria, a country his wife says "he won't even last a week" in. "I am concerned because I was in fear for my life, which is why I left Nigeria in the first place. My own government could not protect me," Emmanuel Unegbu told Newsweek. His wife, Melody Unegbu, 44, a special educator at a non-profit school for trauma-affected youth, described him as "the kind of man that women only dream about." "I'm very concerned about deportation. My husband is my whole life. I could not make it without him. He is the one that keeps me going when I feel like the weight of the world is just too much," she told Newsweek. Emmanuel Unegbu pictured here with his wife, Melody Unegbu. Emmanuel Unegbu pictured here with his wife, Melody Unegbu. Supplied The two met at a 7-Eleven in Maryland and married on August 25, 2023, in a civil ceremony in Annapolis. They submitted a range of documents to USCIS to prove the legitimacy of their marriage, including their marriage certificate, joint lease, shared bank accounts, letters from friends and family, photos, and tribal documentation. But USCIS questioned the legality of Emmanuel's prior marriage in Nigeria, an Igbo tribal union that was not documented in court, and concluded there wasn't sufficient proof that the marriage was legally dissolved before he married Melody. The couple received a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In their NOID letter, USCIS cited inconsistencies, including a claim that Emmanuel declared himself married as of May 15, 2019, during the visa process. Melody disputes this. "He never even had an interview for his visa while he was overseas," she said. "He has documentation that says his visa application had been submitted and completed by April 25, 2019. He never spoke with anyone in the office that day or had any type of interview." Newsweek has reached out to USCIS for comment via email. The couple insists Emmanuel's tribal divorce took place on January 1, 2017, when his family visited his former in-laws and collected the traditional bride price, the customary method of ending a marriage under Igbo tradition. "Both the wedding and divorce were witnessed by his family and an elder from the village, and we have sent letters from several of his family members and the elder to USCIS along with our other documentation," Melody said. The couple noted what they believe are factual errors in the NOID itself. "They said that he arrived here on June 14, 2019, when the stamp on his passport very clearly says admitted June 13, 2019, and all his documentation of that date has been correct," Melody said. "They made a mistake on his case by writing the wrong date on this letter, so couldn't they have made a mistake by saying that he said he was still married on May 15, 2019, when he never had an interview in which to state that? Their inconsistencies just don't add up; they are trying to make up reasons to deny good people," she added. The couple says they have struggled to afford legal representation and have set up a GoFundMe to help raise money for legal costs. They have consulted with three attorneys. One demanded a $5,000 retainer, another was unable to assist outside of asylum law, and the third pressured them for payment during the initial consultation. Emmanuel, the son of a pastor, currently works as a school bus driver in a public school system, transporting children, including those with special needs. Melody says he is beloved among the community. "All of his students love him and their parents appreciate him always being on time and taking great care to transport their children safely," she said. Melody has five children from a previous marriage, and Emmanuel has four children who remain in Nigeria. Most of Melody's children are now grown, but her youngest son lives with the couple in Maryland, where Emmanuel has played a central role in raising him. The couple is currently fostering a child, bringing the total number of children in their care to 10. The situation has taken an emotional toll on the family. "I can't focus on anything else anymore. All I do is research to try to help my case and worry about what comes next. I can't bear to be separated from my family. They are all I have and all I care about," Emmanuel said. "We were meant to be together, and my husband is a wonderful, kind, and loving man. He is not the kind they need to be trying to get rid of; he's the kind they need more of," Melody said. The couple maintains that Emmanuel does not have a criminal record With their future uncertain, the Unegbus continue to plead their case, hoping for understanding, clarity, and a chance to stay together in the country they call home. "If they decide to deport him, then they will have to deport me too. My home is wherever my husband is," Melody said.
Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Daniel Dubois trainer Don Charles on war, florist life and how Chisora made him a coach
Daniel Dubois trainer Don Charles is a character of many careers but now finally at the top of the heavyweight division as a leading coach of the IBF champion Don Charles has lived a few lives. A child in a war zone, a florist, working in fashion retail and now a boxing trainer to a world heavyweight champion to name just a few. The latter is thanks to a chance meeting with Derek Chisora at a petrol station. Charles, 63, will be in the corner this weekend when Daniel Dubois takes on Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed showdown at Wembley. But if his father didn't get out of Nigeria in 1974 then the crazy path he has taken may never have happened. 'I was in a civilian conflict,' said Charles. 'My country is called Biafra. We were in conflict, a three-year conflict with Nigeria. 'I was six years old when that war started and I was nine years old when it finished. And then my father was a bank worker who moved to England and was allowed to bring his family with him. So I came to England after that war.' Charles is asked about the conflict, it is uncomfortable for him. 'It's still something I probably need to get counselling for, because when I start talking about it, if I start expanding it, I'll start, I always break down,' he said. 'I saw a lot of horrible things where, forever running away from planes, shooting indiscriminately, they're not, they weren't just fighting the soldiers, they were targeting civilians. I lost close family members, I'm lucky to be alive, me personally.' Charles settled in London, boxed as a teen and he would, over time, find his way through various careers after dismissing his father's pleas to return to Nigeria to go to university. After being homeless, he lived with another family for a time to stay in England. Odd in itself but even stranger when it was the 1970s and the family was white. 'Where I come from, my tribe is called Igbo,' he said. 'We are known for making something, creating something out of nothing. I've done various things, I run a security company, my own security company. I opened a flower shop, I'm not a florist by trade, but I learnt about it. Did really well with it. 'I've done fashion retail, no matter what I turn my hand to, I always seem to make good of it. And boxing happens to be something I've excelled in as a coach.' Charles had set up a fitness class for paying customers and brought some boxing into the classes but it wasn't until he met Chisora that he really turned his hand to training fighters. 'I went to put petrol in my car and my late friend Des started talking to Derek and Des told him that the man, me, putting petrol in my car, that I'm a boxing coach, that if he wants to get better, he needs to see me,' said Charles. 'I went to pay for my petrol, at the same time he went to paid for his petrol in the shop. I said, so you're a boxer? 'He said, yeah. And I gave him my number. I'd just got the keys 10 days prior to meeting him for my first gym. It wasn't built, it was an underground, disused car park. Really horrible smelly car park, but we made good of it. And that's where Derek was born. That's where I was born, in a sense, as a boxing coach.' Charles worked with Chisora until 2019 and they split. They rekindled their relationship before he lost to Tyson Fury for a third time in 2022 in his second world title shot. He teamed up with Dubois before his first fight with Usyk in 2023. That was a defeat but since then they've been on a run of three huge wins including knocking out Anthony Joshua at Wembley to defend the IBF belt. He seems at home at Dubois' 'The Farm' gym in Borehamwood. He sometimes feeds the horses that are in the adjacent stables. Given Charles' history you wouldn't rule out an equine career.
