A Ghanaian tennis photographer has told the BBC that his career has reached new heights thanks to Serena Williams posting his pictures on her Instagram account.
“My phone was buzzing one night. Everybody was calling me to tell me: ‘Serena Williams has reposted your photos’,” Bernard Nii Bortey told the BBC Focus on Africa podcast.
“I thought ‘wow’ – it was a big surprise. It took me to another level. Kids now get their parents to call me to see if I am coming to the tournament to take photos.
“They want me to capture them because they think Serena Williams will see the photos. I want to send her a message so that she can come to Ghana again to meet these kids.”
Mr Nii Bortey started playing tennis in Accra, Ghana’s capital, aged eight after stumbling across a local tennis club.
He went on to receive a scholarship for school due to his skills on the court but was unable to play competitively due to injuries.
Unwilling to give up his passion for the game, Mr Nii Bortey began taking photos of local tournaments. He most recently travelled to Kenya to capture the Billie Jean King Cup.
“I want to shoot one Grand Slam. I want to be the first African to do that. It would be the icing on the cake,” he said.
Russian forces continued their shelling of the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia Friday, firing “kamikaze” drones and rockets at the city for the second consecutive day…
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<h2>The Alliance For The Defence of Niger Delta (ADND) has asked the <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/topic/National-Assembly">National Assembly</a> to revoke the statute offering immunity to the president, vice president, governor, and deputy governor, shielding them from legal consequences.</h2>
<p>The statement, released by ADND's leaders Johnson Mba-Ngei and Sobomabo Ikriko, was made in Abuja on Friday.</p>
<p>The NGO pointed out that the immunity clause serves as an obstacle to ensuring state governors are held accountable for misconduct and mismanagement of public resources.</p>
<p>The NGO said, "<em>By eliminating this clause, governors will be subject to scrutiny and legal action, thereby promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance at the state level</em>."</p>
<p>The statement advocated for immediate constitutional amendments to empower traditional rulers and promote higher accountability among Nigerian state governors, spurred by the urgency to address security challenges and improve governance transparency, as emphasised in a recent article titled "<em>Mohammed Ndarani Mohammed SAN Advocates Empowering Traditional Rulers: A Solution to Nigeria's Security Challenges and Governance Accountability</em>."</p>
<p>ADND emphasized the necessity for targeted amendments to enable traditional rulers to engage actively in managing security within their domains, calling on all stakeholders, including lawmakers, government officials, civil society organizations, and the public, to advocate for these constitutional amendments.</p>
<p>According to NAN, the immunity clause outlined in Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution serves to protect the President, Vice President, Governor, or Deputy Governor from frivolous litigation, allowing them to concentrate on governance without undue distraction.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.naijanews.com/2024/03/08/group-calls-for-lawmakers-to-revoke-immunity-from-president-governors/">Group Calls For Lawmakers To Revoke Immunity From President, Governors</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.naijanews.com">Naija News</a>.</p>