The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Southeast Govs to meet Tinubu over Kanu, insecurity

    Southeast Govs to meet Tinubu over Kanu, insecurity

    Southeast Governors have resolved to meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over insecurity in the region and possible release of detained leader of Indigenous People of Biafra(IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. 

    The meeting, which was hosted by the Imo Governor Hope Uzodimma on Monday in Abuja attracted top political stakeholders, including  executive members of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo, Governors in the region, members of National Assembly, Speakers of South East Assemblies and other notable Southeast leaders. 

    It was learnt that top of the discussion in the meeting centred around the security challenges in the region with a view to addressing it. 

    Sources during the meeting revealed that one of the top agendas of the meeting, which was kept secret was how to prevail on President Tinubu to consider the release of Kanu as it was identified as one of the factors responsible for insecurity in the zone.

    Read Also: Kanu confirmed as new Enyimba Chairman

    “Yes, how to release Nnandi Kanu is one of the top agenda of the proposed visit to the president and as you know, it is not everything that you will say in the public,” the source said.

    The source also said that “Governor Uzodimma discussed measures being considered by the Governors in tackling the insecurity, one of which is the planned high-powered delegation to the President.

    “While we acknowledge the efforts of the Federal Government in the past, we are optimistic that under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we will receive adequate interventions necessary to nip the menace in the bud,” the source added. 

  • Muyiwa Ademola seeks GWR recognition for Baba Agbako at 100

    Muyiwa Ademola seeks GWR recognition for Baba Agbako at 100

    Popular actor Muyiwa Ademola has called on the Guinness World Record to recognise his most senior colleague, Charles Olumo aka Baba Agbako who recently turned 100.

    As Ademola and several other thespians celebrate the seasoned veteran act on his centenary anniversary, the movie star hoped Guinness World Record would do the needful .

    He stated Baba Agbako should be recognised with the highly coveted award because he’s undoubtedly the oldest and most agile Nigerian actor.

    He shared a video which captured part of the centennial’s birthday celebration where he was spotted dancing energetically with fellow veteran actress, Idowu Phillips aka Mama Rainbow and several other people that gathered to commemorate the occasion.

    Read Also: Dunsin Oyekan, Muyiwa Ademola pay tribute to Baba Olowere

    Captioning the video, Ademola wrote: “Unarguably , Baba should be the oldest and most agile Nigerian film actor at 100 years!

    “@guinnessworldrecords, we are expecting your certificate, no need to write you ahead. What a special grace.

    “Happy Birthday Once Again Charly Agbako. Your heart is filled with raw gold. Wishing you joy and good health sir.”

  • I’m yet to receive Headies award – Wurld

    I’m yet to receive Headies award – Wurld

    Singer Sadiq Onifade aka Wurld has said he hasn’t received his award from Headies Award. 

    In an interview with Naija FM, he said since he won the award in 2019, he hasn’t received the award. 

    According to him:  “I win award na but I never collect am. I got the dummy award, it is meant for pictures but they never sent the award.

    Read Also: WurlD: I’m lucky to be accepted back in Nigeria

    ” I just come Lagos that time and that was my first experience. I was in LA but they haven’t sent it till today. I would have actually loved to put it in my mother’s house.”

  • Kissing doesn’t necessarily depict affection- Erica

    Kissing doesn’t necessarily depict affection- Erica

    Reality TV star Erica has questioned the rationale behind mouth-to-mouth by individuals to show affection. 

    As with some fans who joined the actress in co-asking the question, Erica reflected on the role kissing had to play in exhibiting affection for others.

    She demanded to find out the first human that conceived the idea along with it’s implementation.

    Star girl tweeted: “Why must people put their mouths on each-others mouths to show affection? Who’s the first person to ever think of this and made it a thing?

    In another tweet, she added: “I know I do it too, don’t state the obvious.”

    Erica’s puzzling thoughts elicited quite a number of reactions from Tweeps.

    One duke of yerwa responded: “I don’t know who the first person to ever think of it was but I say a very big thank you to him.”

    Kevin said: “The fallen angels taught men how to kiss. They introduced a lot of things man didn’t know back then.”

    Read Also: Stop shaming pregnant women, warns Erica

    Tracie noted: “I’m with you on this. I honestly thought abt this too throughout my teenage years. Till now sef I Hated the idea of it as a teen.

    I like it now tho. BUT WHY?? Why is exchange of saliva an expression of feelings? It’s quite nasty!”

    Scorp tweeted: “Adam and Eve when they found out they were both naked.”

    Mrs Ril stated: “Is all part of reproduction process my darling.”

    Lucas Andrew asked: “Didn’t you enjoy it with Kidwaya during your stay in big brother’s house?”

    Eunice said: “Thinking of it always disgusts me. I know I will start doing it too but…”

  • Sometimes you use a fool’s foolishness to sell your market – Toyin Abraham

    Sometimes you use a fool’s foolishness to sell your market – Toyin Abraham

    Popular actress Toyin Abraham-Ajeyemi has recommended the exploitation of what she described as ‘a fool’s foolishness’ for the promotion of one’s business.

    The movie producer whose latest movie ‘Ijakumo’ (the born again stripper) has continued to garner varying reactions from viewers and even those yet to see it revealed how she recently deployed the strategy to her advantage.

    It all began yesterday when she invited influencers, particularly Daniel Regha for the ‘trendupp awards’ so they could share their views and suggestions about her movie 

    “My darling @DanielRegha hope to see you today face to face at trendupp awards so you can kindly tell me where you need me to improve in film making. I saw your tweet on IJAKUMO and I will be happy to see you so you can tell me where and where to work on. Hope to see other lovely influencers aswell today,” she tweeted.

    Regha who had condemned the movie some weeks ago, reaffirmed his words several hours after Toyin’s invitation.

    “Hi @toyin_abraham1, I was repeatedly told u wanted to see me, but I chose to ignore cos while I respect u as an actress, u supporting this govt after the EndSARS protests, goes against everything I stand for. That said, “Ijakumo” movie was poorly written & directed. No offense,” he tweeted.

    While Daniel and some Twitter users outrightly wrote off Toyin’s ‘Ijakumo’, many others lauded her for the movie.

    As it’s only natural to do, the film star decided to engage her fans by retweeting positive remarks from viewers about her movie.

    One Victor reacting stated: “I just wish you stop engaging yourself on what fools say on internet.”

    But Toyin Abraham held a different opinion as she noted: “Sometimes you use fools and their foolishness to sell your market.”

    Read Also: Toyin Abraham excited as ‘Ijakumo’ thrives on Netflix

    She ultimately broke the camel’s back while responding to one Timi who said: “Mummy ire don vex. But na you find trouble na. You know Daniel is all about criticism never seen him acknowledge something without adding some negativity.”

    Reacting to Timi, the mother of one said she intentionally mentioned Daniel Regha in her post because she was well aware of his dislike for her person and craft.

    She hinted seeing Regha had obvious social media presence and was one whose views many considered, she used him as a bait to push her movie and it work remarkably.

    “I knw darling, I needed him and he delivered 2 ge 4”, Toyin stated.

  • Firm seeks government partnership on housing

    Firm seeks government partnership on housing

    AS Wonder Homes and Properties has urged government to support its resolve to address the housing deficit and make home ownership more accessible. 

    It made this call during the launch of its new office at Lekki, Lagos. 

    The company, which began operations in 2016, said it was willing to partner with goveenment and key stakeholders to make housing affordable 

    The MD/CEO of AS Wonder Homes and Properties, Dr. Agbi Steven Omobamidele said: “We understand what Nigerians are facing, the housing deficit in Nigeria and how it increases over the years.

    “Individually we have been providing affordable housing and affordable land to our customers and investors in Nigerians. We have some plans that allow people to pay N50,000 every month. These are done individually but with the help of the current government now, we are going to come up with something better. 

    “As I said, it will be like a private-public partnership. At least we have been approved for 3000 housing units, and Mortgage is there to work for us and provide at least 1000 in Lagos, 1000 in Abuja, and 1000 in Maiduguri for now.

    Read Also: Excitement as firm unveils smart housing in Asaba

    “The government can help us in real estate in the area of the tax we should pay. High tax, high price; low tax, low price. Then we are good to go.”

    The company’s spokesperson, Mr. Olarenrewaju Desmond, said the firm plans to expand operations, increase workforce and tackle various housing issues. 

    He emphasised the company’s commitment to collaborating with the government, especially in resolving problems like flooding to ensure safe environments.

  • VIDEO: Tinubu returns from Guinea-Bissau

    VIDEO: Tinubu returns from Guinea-Bissau

    Tinubu returns from Guinea-Bissau

    Read Also: Tinubu will turn around ECOWAS as Chairman, says Speaker Abbas

  • Bayelsa Gov poll: Court to determine Sylva’s fate Sept 28

    Bayelsa Gov poll: Court to determine Sylva’s fate Sept 28

    The immediate past Minister of State for Petroleum Timipre Sylva will on September 28 know whether or not he is qualified to contest the next governorship election in Bayelsa State scheduled for November 11.

    On Monday, Justice Donatus Okorowo of the Federal High Court in Abuja fixed judgment for September 28 in a suit filed by an aggrieved member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Demesuoyefa Kolomo.

    Kolomo, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/821/2023, with APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as defendants, wants the court to, among others, disqualify Sylva as the APC candidate for the election

    He urged the court to determine whether Sylva is qualified to contest in the election, having allegedly occupied the office of governor of Bayelsa May 29, 2007 to April 15, 2008 and May 27, 2008 to Jan. 27, 2012, in view of the provision Sections 180 (2)(a) and 182(1)b) of the1999 Constitution.

    Before he fixed the date for judgment, Justice Okorowo took arguments from lawyers to parties.

    Arguing the plaintiff’s case, Prof. Abiodun Amuda-Kannike (SAN) faulted the arguments by lawyers to Sylva and the APC – Babayemi Olaniyan and Denis Otiotio, and urged the court to hold that the suit was properly filed, that his client has the locus standi, it the suit was not statute barred and that the court has jurisdiction to hear and determine it.

    Amuda-Kannike urged the court to grant his client’s prayers and, among others,  order INEC to delete Sylva’s name from the list of candidates for the election.

    Olaniyan contended that Sylva was never elected as Governor on two occasions.

    Read Also: Timipre Sylva: The people’s admiral at 59

    He informed the court that the Appeal Court had, in an earlier judgement, nullified the election that produced Sylva as Bayelsa governor in 2007 and ordered INEC to conduct a fresh election within 90 days.

    Olaniyan agreed that his client was a former governor of Bayelsa but insisted that Sylva had only been elected governor once.

    He prayed the court to dismiss the suit.

    Otiotio, who argued in similar vein, urged the court to dismiss the suit with substantial cost.

  • Naira rebounds to N744/$ at official market

    Naira rebounds to N744/$ at official market

    The naira appreciated to N744/$ at the Investors and Exporters (I&E) window– official market on Monday.

    The closing rate represents an N24/$ gain from Friday’s N768/$ rate.

    Market reports showed the naira exchanged at N790/$ at the parallel market, leaving the N46/$ gap between the official and parallel market rates.

    Analysts also said Friday’s low closing rate at the I&E window attracted forex buyers interested in getting the greenback at cheaper rates to that segment of the market.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) unified all exchange rates into the I&E window and allowed market forces to determine exchange rate for the naira.

    President, Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON), Dr. Aminu Gwadabe, expressed concerns about the expanding gap between the official and parallel market rates.

    He said the financial sector regulator should find ways to continually narrow the gaps, including bureaux de change operators in the forex market operations.

    He advised the CBN to ensure liquidity in the retail end of the market by de-monopolizing diaspora remittances and stronger collaboration with BDCs which control the retail end of the forex market.

    Other market analysts from FutureView Securities said forex unification hopes are also being frustrated by the sustenance of the list of 43 items restricted from accessing forex at the official market. 

    Originally compiled by the CBN in June 2015, the list of items ineligible for forex was intended to manage foreign exchange resources and encourage domestic production.

    Read Also: CBN warns against hawking, counterfeiting, spraying of naira

    On his part, former Executive Director, Keystone Bank Limited, Richard Obire, said a key attraction of the alternative market is its “hassle free”, almost zero documentation feature.

    He said it will always have that edge over the formal market for certain types of buyers and sellers.

    “When supply increases sufficiently to bring forex trades prices down to a stable range, then we may see more people moving into the formal segment of the market.

    ‘’At this point, buyers  will probably place reduced value on the “no documentation” feature of the alternative market and see more attraction in the better price they can get in the official market,” he said.

  • Osun orders contact tracing as Diphtheria kills one

    Osun orders contact tracing as Diphtheria kills one

    The Osun State Government has ordered immediate contact tracing as Diphtheria claimed a resident on Monday. 

    The government noted diphtheria infections were recorded in some parts of Osun with Governor Ademola Adeleke ordering the immediate activation of the State Emergency Response Centre. 

    His spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, in a statement, said: “The Governor’s directive was issued after a situation report from the state Ministry of Health on the outbreak which has claimed one life at Osogbo with other suspected cases under testing.

    “I have directed that the state emergency response be reactivated. As a matter of urgency, the confirmed case at Osogbo is to be immediately followed up with contact tracing to ascertain the status of those who had been in contact with the victim. 

    “Additionally, emergency treatment must be made available to the infected. We are in touch with the National Centre for Disease Control for the exchange of information and technical support. I want to assure our people that proactive steps are being taken to nip in the bud any widespread escalation of the outbreak.

    Read Also: NCDC reports 798 confirmed cases, 80 deaths from diphtheria

    “The Ministry had earlier briefed the Governor on the recent resurgence of diphtheria in the state, informing the state Governor that a suspected Diphtheria patient aged 6 years was said to have developed the sign and symptoms on the 25th of June, 2023 and died of the infection on July 7th.

    “As a follow-up to the Governor’s directive, the Ministry has embarked on a number of actions namely the production and Distribution of handbills, posters and billboards; training of health workers on case definitions and Infection Prevention and Control of diphtheria; production and airing of a jingle on Prevention of Diphtheria; training and retraining of health workers on sample collection of diphtheria; increase the awareness of immunization acceptability; building capacity of LGA Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers on case detection, sample collection, transportation and management; and risk communication of the disease should be intensified in the state and its environs for easy detection.”

    He advised the public to ensure children and wards are fully vaccinated, avoid crowded environments, consult doctors in case of symptoms and eat fruits and vegetables.