Author: tdpel

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has called on leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to unite to actualise the ambition of the party’s National Leader, Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu had after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on January 10, formally declared his intention to run for the country’s president in 2023.

A month later, Sanwo-Olu appealed to APC leaders and members to work together to ensure that the former Lagos State Governor succeeds President Buhari in 2023.

He made the appeal while on a working visit to Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Area and Oriade Local Council Development Area (LCDA) on Wednesday.

We have a lot to be proud of in Lagos. We have a lot to make bragging right both at the state and also at the national level.

We should see that sacrifice of our National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will certainly not go in vain and that is why I am encouraging everyone that the journey we have started at ensuring that we have Asiwaju (Tinubu) representing us at the center is on the right course,” Sanwo-Olu said.

The governor also asked APC members and Lagos residents, especially the people of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government and Oriade LCDA to participate in the ongoing voters’ registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) for them to exercise their civic responsibilities in the 2023 general elections.

He added, “I want to urge all traditional leaders to work with the government at local and state levels. We should work together for development in our communities.

I want to encourage all other ethnic nationals – the Ndigbo Community, South-South Community and Arewa Community.

I want to thank all of you for the unity, peace and progress that is enshrined in this community but I want more.
“I want us to continue to live in tolerance, peace and harmony because it is only when we do this that more community development will come to this locality and community.

So, I am going to extract that from you today, that whatever misgivings that you might have among yourselves, make sure we can resolve the issues and we can enshrine a more mutually beneficial rewarding relationship among all of us.”

As his alma mater, Odu Abore Memorial Primary School, Mushin, celebrates its 80th anniversary, Lagos Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, has offered to donate an Information Communication Technology (ICT) Centre.

The Deputy Governor, who made the commitment during a celebration at the Mushin School grounds, said that work on the ICT Centre will begin immediately, and that his decision to build the ICT Centre was influenced by the fact that ICT helped him become who he is today.

He said: “I intend to build an ICT Centre in this school because that is what made me what I have become in life today. Building an ICT Centre in the School will be a good one and I hope the school will take good care of it and maximise its potential”.

Dr. Hamzat stated further that the school is sacred to everyone in the community and must not be used for any bad activity, imploring parents and teachers to always see children as future leaders and must do everything possible to protect and take good care of them.

“It is our responsibility to take care of the children and this we must do very well. It is only God that knows what the future holds for every child.

So parents should ensure the proper care of their children. They should tell their children that there is no shortcut to success in life, rather they should be hardworking and always put in their best in whatever they do”, he counselled.

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat with the students of Odu Abore Memorial Primary School during the 80th Anniversary of the School held in Mushin, Lagos.

The Deputy Governor emphasised that parents should take adequate advantage of the free education policy of the State government to enrol their children in public primary schools as there are lots of opportunities for them in future if they are well educated.

Addressing the pupils, Hamzat urged them to take their studies seriously because the sky is the limit to what they can achieve in life.

He said, “Many of you can become Governor, Deputy Governor; Commissioner and so on. But it all depends on how committed you are to your education”.

Earlier in her goodwill message, the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folashade Adefisayo, commended the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Deputy Governor, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat for their genuine commitment to quality and qualitative education.

She advised the parents to be more responsible in taking care of their children to guarantee them a greater and better future.

Similarly, the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Mr. Wahab Alawiye-King, admonished parents to go back to those days of responsible parenting when children were well behaved.

He said: “Everybody talks about fundamental human rights but nobody talks about responsible parenting.

Parents are expected to do their best as the government is doing all it can in terms of providing basic education for the children”.

TikTok continues to play an important role in the dissemination of cross-cultural music content across Africa and the rest of the world.

The Ameno Amapiano Remix by Ghanaian record producer Nektunez, featuring musician Goya Menor, is the most recent track to garner widespread exposure and trend on the platform.

It is a stunning blend of Nigerian Afrobeats and lyrics with South Africa’s musical export, Amapiano – two of the most successful genres to come out of the continent. It is TikTok’s most-talked-about song.

Despite being released in June 2021, Ameno Amapiano Remix gained popularity on TikTok in December 2021, amassing over 4.7 million video creations worldwide.

The song has managed to climb major music charts in different parts of Africa and has become a popular global tune.

Still picking up momentum, the track is receiving massive airplay on traditional media and in entertainment destinations.

The track catalysed an #AmenoAmapianoRemix challenge on TikTok, which to date, has had over 9.5 billion views.

The ‘Ameno’ song has united the globe with its dance-inducing rhythmic flow, and TikTok content creators have taken the song to new creative heights by reimagining the sound clip and its popular lyrics: “Ha! You want to bam ba? You wanna chill with the big boys?

Armed thieves numbering roughly seven ambushed a bullion truck in Ibadan’s Idi Ape neighborhood yesterday, murdering three police officers and four people, including a child hit by a stray bullet.

The bullion vehicle was reportedly from the Iwo Road Area when it was ambushed by criminals near Testing Ground, near the Agodi Police Area Command.

The bandits, who shot randomly into the air to scare onlookers from a Sienna bus, were disguised in police gear, according to an eyewitness.

The witness said the robbers later engaged the police officers escorting the van in a gun battle, adding: “Three police officers lost their lives while others got injured during the crossfire and stray bullet also killed four other civilians that included a motorcyclist, who tried to overtake the robbers when they were strategising to attack the bullion van.”

The eyewitness added that the robbers later forced the bullion van open with their guns and carted away an unspecified amount of money.

It was gathered that those killed and the injured ones were taken to the University Teaching Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Ngozi Onadeko, who visited the scene of the crime confirmed the death of two police officers, saying they were shot in the neck.

Onadeko also said the officers killed one of the robbers but the corpse was taken away by the robbery gang. She said the state had been locked down to prevent the robbers from escaping from the state. The CP said the police in conjunction with other security agencies in the state were collaborating to arrest the robbers, adding that details would be provided to the public on the matter.

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele has announced that the CBN would stop the sale of foreign exchange to Deposit Money Banks by the end of the year 2022.

CBN Governor made this known at a press briefing during the launch of the bank’s new forex repatriation scheme, RT200, held after the Banker’s Committee meeting on Thursday, February 10, 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

RT200 stands for Race to $200bn, and is a set of policies, plans and programmes for non-oil exports that would enable the country generate $200 billion in forex repatriation, exclusively from non-oil exports, over the next 3 – 5 years, said the apex bank chief.

CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele noted that “Nigerian banks must begin to source their forex from export proceeds“, hence the need to support non-oil exporters in the country.

He said the decision was in line with the apex bank’s new commitment to boost the country’s foreign reserves through proceeds from non-oil exports.

“Today, we are also announcing the introduction of the Non-Oil FX Rebate Scheme: a special local currency rebate scheme for non-oil exporters of semi-finished and finished produce, who show verifiable evidence of exports proceeds repatriation sold directly into the I & E window to boost liquidity in the market,” Emefiele said.

“Under the programme, which is to take effect immediately, the apex bank will provide concessionary and long-term loans for business people who are interested in expanding existing plants, or building new ones for the sole purpose of adding significant value to the non-oil commodities before exporting same.

“These loans will have a tenure of 10 years, with a two-year moratorium and an interest rate of 5 per cent,” he added.

Similar to the naira-for-dollar programme, the programme would also entail a forex rebate scheme where the exporters would be paid N5 for every dollar they put into the economy.

CONCORD FARMS of Vernon, CA is recalling its 5.25oz (150g) enoki mushrooms, Lot #045633 grown in Korea, because it has the potential to be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium which can cause life-threatening illness.

Symptoms of listeria may include fever, muscle aches, severe headache, nausea, vomiting, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions.

People experiencing these problems should seek immediate medical attention.

This bacteria can be completely destroyed and the risk of infection can be eliminated by thoroughly cooking foods at temperatures of 165°F (73.8°C).

Lot #045633 was distributed from California to retail stores through produce distributors, while traces of the bacterium was discovered by CDPH sampling.

Product is packaged in a bright blue and transparent plastic packaging, with the “fresh enoki mushrooms”. Enoki mushrooms are white, stringy with small caps.

The weight of the product is 5.25 oz (150g). The UPC barcode numbers are 001958939091, with no other codes.

The distribution of the product has been suspended.

No infections or illnesses have been reported or confirmed. Consumers who have purchased our enoki mushrooms are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 323-582-6000 Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm PST.

Mushrooms are fungi, meaning they are not vegetables or fruits. Consumers should never eat mushrooms raw. All surfaces, utensils or containers that are used for preparing mushrooms should be separated from other foods

China, the runner-up in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2021, will begin their quest for a second FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup appearance when they meet Nigeria, the FIBA AfroBasket Women champions, in the first game of Group B.

China fell to arch rivals Japan in the final game of the competition, 78-73, but they will rely on Sijing Huang, Yueru Li, and Xu Han, all of whom shone in the Asia final.

Nigeria finished tops of the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2021 on a record three-straight wins of the continental title and will be on familiar terrain as they hit the court for their first win of the qualifying tournament.

Captain Adaora Elonu, who produced an MVP display, is set to lead Nigeria’s charge again alongside Ezinne Kalu and Victoria Macaulay.

Though, it is obvious that, unlike the last time the Nigerian girls were in Serbia, they had more time together as a team under Coach Otis Hughly, which is not the case this time around.

However, both sides will seek to have a win in this opening game as it will set the turn for subsequent games against France and Mali respectively.

Mali, which finished second place to Nigeria at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket 2021 will face France in the second game of Group B.

After two straight bronze medals, Mali improved and took silver as they made the Final for the first time since 2009, mainly off the back of a towering performance from center, Mariam Coulibaly.

A $165 billion drop in Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) pushed 26 million people into poverty in 2020, African Development Bank (AfDP) President Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina has said.

The AfDB chief said the dwindling economic fortunes on the continent pushed 30 million people into unemployment within the period.

Dr. Adesina spoke at the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.

Applauded by African leaders for effectively steering the continent safely from the harsh impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adesina cautioned against outsourcing security of the continent to foreigners.

He stressed the need for leaders to protect lives by building healthcare infrastructure and vaccine producing factories.

Adesina said: “It has been a global economic cyclone. Africa witnessed a decline in GDP growth of 2.1 per cent in 2020, its lowest in 20 years. Africa’s GDP fell by $165 billion.

Over 30 million jobs were lost and over 26 million people fell into extreme poverty.

“I wish to commend the leadership efforts of the African Union, and our Heads of State and Government, for the critical roles you have played in dealing with the pandemic and the socio-economic challenges in its wake.

Today, thanks to these efforts 11 per cent of the population has been fully vaccinated, and another 16 per cent has been partially vaccinated.

“However, while developed countries have moved to booster shots, Africa is still struggling with basic shots.
“Your excellences, we must learn from this experience.

Africa can no longer outsource the security of the lives of its 1.4 billion people to the benevolence of others. We must secure African lives!

“It is time for your excellences to build Africa’s healthcare defence system.

This must be based on three strategic priorities. First, building Africa’s quality healthcare infrastructure. Second, building Africa’s pharmaceutical industry and third, building Africa’s vaccine manufacturing capacity.

“Africa needs $600 million to $1.3 billion to meet its goal of attaining 60 per cent vaccine production by 2040.

Investing in health is investing in national security.

The AfDB plans to invest $3 billion to support pharmaceutical and vaccines manufacturing capacity for Africa.

“To address the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic and support economic recovery, Africa will need some $484 billion over the next three years.

To eliminate extreme poverty by 2030, the continent will need $414 – $784 billion per year.