Obama Once Again Skips Nigeria In His Visit To Africa.

United States president Barack Obama will not be visiting Nigeria as recently speculated in the media. Obama and his wife Michelle will only visit Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania between June 26 and July 3.

A statement by the Office of the Press Secretary in the White House stated this yesterday while clarifying Obama’s visit to Africa.

A copy of the statement entitled “Statement by the Press Secretary on the President’s Travel to Africa” was made available to LEADERSHIP.

The statement reads in part, “President Obama and the First Lady look forward to traveling to Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania from June 26 - July 3. The President will reinforce the importance that the United States places on our deep and growing ties with countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including through expanding economic growth, investment, and trade; strengthening democratic institutions; and investing in the next generation of African leaders.

“The President will meet with a wide array of leaders from government, business, and civil society, including youth, to discuss our strategic partnerships on bilateral and global issues. The trip will underscore the President’s commitment to broadening and deepening cooperation between the United States and the people of sub-Saharan Africa to advance regional and global peace and prosperity.”

This is the second time that Obama is skipping Nigeria from his visit to Africa as the US president had excluded Nigeria during his first visit to Ghana on July 11, 2009.

The US president had alluded his inability to visit Nigeria during the trip to Ghana on the grounds of poor democratic credential and corruption. But the situation is now worse as the aforementioned issues have now assumed a frightening dimension.

On why he decided to visit Ghana then, Obama had said, “Ghana’s history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States.

“And I have come here, to Ghana, for a simple reason: the 21st century will be shaped by what happens not just in Rome or Moscow or Washington, but by what happens in Accra as well.

“This is the simple truth of a time when the boundaries between people are overwhelmed by our connections. Your prosperity can expand America’s. Your health and security can contribute to the world’s. And the strength of your democracy can help advance human rights for people everywhere”.

Obama Threatens “Family Tattoo” If Daughters Get Their Own.

If they were thinking about getting tattoos, the Obama daughters may want to reconsider.

Speaking on NBC’s “Today” show in a segment originally filmed before the Boston Marathon bombings, President Barack Obama revealed the strategy he and First Lady Michelle Obama have been using to keep their daughters away from tattoos.

“What we’ve said to the girls is, ‘If you guys ever decide you’re going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will get the exact same tattoo, in the same place, and we’ll go on YouTube and show it off as a family tattoo,’” Obama said.

“Our thinking is that might dissuade them from thinking that somehow that’s a good way to rebel.”

During the segment, the president also said he understood his wife’s “slip of the tongue” when she called herself a “single mother” in early April, noting that they were often apart for a week at a time when he was campaigning for the Senate and presidency.

“I tend to cut my wife or anybody some slack when it comes to just slips of the tongue,” he said.

“But there’s no doubt that there have been times where Michelle probably felt like asingle mom … She definitely, I think, understands the burdens that women in particular tend to feel if they’re both responsible for child rearing and they’re responsible for working at the same time,” he added.

Michelle Obama covers Ebony Magazine

Michelle Obama, First Lady and wife of the 44th and current President of the United States Barrack Obama is on the cover of the Mother’s Day edition of Ebony Magazine.

The mother of two daughters who dons a sleeveless blue Tracy Reese dress with a short V-neck and ruching talks about motherhood, healthy living and of course, the President.

The Huffington Post have posted excerpts from the publication:

On raising Sasha and Malia

‘Barack and I feel that our greatest responsibility is to raise two productive, respectful, kind empathetic young women’.

On counteracting negative depictions of women in pop culture for the girls

‘My husband talks to our girls about how he expects men in their lives to treat them, and he offers examples by how he treats me and how he treats them’.

On the President dealing with his daily grind

‘He functions better every day when he gets his workout in. It clears his mind–it gets him ready. I don’t think there’s anybody who can imagine just what that man deals with over the course of a 24-hour period. He is able to do it because he is mentally and physically sharp, so it’s a necessity’.

The edition will hit news stands on April 17,2012.