Author: The Nation

Despite going down from the English Premiership to the Championship with Leicester City in the outgoing season, Kelechi Iheanacho has become the bride of European clubs as Besiktaṣ have emerged as the front-runner, overtaking other clubs vying for the service of the Nigerian ace.

Iheanacho, who recently played a key role in Nigeria’s crucial Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) decider, has reportedly garnered interest from various Premier League teams, including Everton, Burnley, and Nottingham Forest.

However, it is Besiktas who now hold the advantage in the pursuit of Iheanacho, as the Turkish giants have tabled an offer to Leicester City, according to reports from the Star.

Read Also: Osimhen, Iheanacho’s secure Super Eagles’ AFCON ticket

With the striker’s contract with the Foxes set to expire at the end of the upcoming season, Leicester City are open to offloading Iheanacho to generate funds before his deal runs its course.

Besiktas’ proposal entails a year-long loan agreement covering the player’s annual salary of two million euros. The club’s search for a new striker has been amplified due to Cenk Tosun’s injury, further enhancing Iheanacho’s appeal to the Turkish outfit.

The 26-year-old forward is more inclined to leave Leicester City following the team’s relegation, and Besiktas offer has brought him closer to a potential move.

Iheanacho, Leicester City’s Player of the Season, is Nigeria’s highest-scoring player in FA Cup history with 18 goals.

In a recent display of his prowess, Iheanacho delivered a match-winning performance for the Super Eagles, scoring the third in a 3-2 victory over Sierra Leone in Monrovia. This triumph guaranteed Nigeria’s qualification for the forthcoming AFCON tournament, set to be held in Cote d’Ivoire next year.

The Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) has given out $255,000 cash and equity contribution prizes to MoneyAfrica and nine other winners at its maiden NSIA Prize for Innovation Programme (NIP)  held in Lagos at the weekend.

MoneyAfrica, Extension Africa and LegitCar Africa, emerged top three startups after a pitch among 10 finalists.

The $255,000 NSIA Prize for Innovation aims to support innovators, technopreneurs, and start-ups in technology-enabled businesses across various sectors of the economy with the potential to drive economic growth, create jobs, and yield other positive economic and social outcomes.

After presentations, the fate of the 10 contestations was decided by panel of judges comprising Juliet Ehimuan (Google, Nigeria), Olatunbuson Tijani (CCHub), Iyinoluwa Aboyeji (Future Africa, Andela & Flutterwave) and Amal Hassan (Outsource Global Technologies).

MoneyAfrica, a Nigerian-based Edtech startup, was announced winner of the contest with a reward of $25,000  prize and $75,000 equity contribution by the NSIA.  Extension Africa, which emerged  first runner up got $17,500 while LegitCar Africa, the second runner-up won $12, 500. 

Seven other finalists – TruQ, Capsa Technology,  Yalo Technologies, CreditChek, Vella Finance, KoboPay and Apace Technology Solutions – got  $5,000 consolation prizes each.

Chief Executive Officer of NSIA,  Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the objective of the programme is to identify, build and finance early stage innovative solutions that have the potential to catalyse growth, advance solutions to social issues and create jobs.

He said the equity investments can also be reviewed based on the needs and prospects of the company. 

Umar-Sadiq added that the impact of the programme is beyond the prices as it goes a long way to make startups ecosystem popular and open funding opportunities.

Read Also: NSIA launches firms for healthcare expansion

He explained that the impact extends beyond the cash awards or event. 

“Our core strategy of attracting third party capital will result in many of these many innovators security funding from financiers far and wide. NSIA has demonstrated it’s ability to crowd-in incremental capital from global funding partners to address infrastructure needs across sectors,” he said.

Director-General, National Information Technology Development Agency  (NITDA), Inuwa Abdullahi, said digitally transformed enterprises contribute to  growth, adding that embracing technology remains Nigeria’s easy way to developument.

According to him, talent remains the people-content of technology and development.

He advised the winners to think big and and start small and success is certain.

He said: “The global innovation ecosystem is worth more than $5 trillionWith over 1400 unicorn startups valued at over $4.5 trillion but in Africa, we are tapping only 0.5 percent percent of this value. Last year the ecosystem raised $626 billion in funding but Africa got only 3.3 percent which is about 0.5 percent of that amount

Also speaking, the star prize winner, Olaseinde said she was delighted at the feat, and promised to channel the fund to continued expansion of the company.

Olaseinde founded Money Africa in 2018 with the inspiration of turning passion into reality.

MoneyAfrica has a partnership with the United Nations to teach women with low income about how money works and how to make the most of it.

The President,/Chief Executive Officer of Ashton and Layton,, Gbenga Adebija has joined USAccelerator, a US-based professional service company that advises and supports international businesses on their entry and acceleration of market growth in the United States (http://www.usaccelerator.biz/)

According to Matthew Sawyer, Founder of USAccelerator and Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, New York, “Adebija brings business leadership and multicultural communication expertise to the USAccelerator team in accordance with our mission to be the most trusted source of strategic guidance and local support for international companies to successfully enter and scale in U.S. markets.”Adebija, a multi-disciplinary technocrat and Business Leader, joins a world-class team of business leaders at USAcclerator including Marcela Miguel Berland, CEO of Latin Insights, Tom Cotton, Founder of Marketing Agency, Protagonist and Yuntian Liu, a digitalmarketing specialist.

“The United States is undeniably the best place to do business. It has the largest economy, the wealthiest consumers, plentiful capital financing , and pro-businesspolitical and legal systems. Adebija will reinforce current initiatives by USAccelerator to help business people and entrepreneurs navigate the complexities in the American business ecosystem’’, said Sawyer.

Adebija,who is also Founder &CEO of Business in Nigeria had a distinguished career at Cadbury. He won the highest and most prestigious Award of Excellence. He served as Director General & Chief Executive at several leading international bilateral chambers of commerce including the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce.

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has ordered Governor Abba Yusuf to stop demolishing structures and property.

The government, upon assumption of duty on May 29, embarked on demolition of buildings approved by former Governor, Umar Ganduje, branding them as illegal structures.

The demolition is causing disturbances in the state. The court granted a motion ex-parte, filed by Saminu Muhammad, which prayed the court to restrain the government and its agents from demolishing some buildings on BUK road.

The court, presided over by Justice S.A. Amobeda, granted the ex-parte motion, stopping the state from further demolishing of structures.

The judge also ordered the state to stop plans of demolishing the applicant’s property at No. 41 and 43 Salanta, on BUK road.

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 Attorney-general, solicitor general, governor, government, and Kano State Bureau for Land Management are respondents in the suit.

Other defendants include: Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority, inspector-general of Police, Police, commissioner of Police, commandant general of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The court, after listening to the motion by the applicant’s counsel, Prof. Nasiru Aliyu, ordered an accelerated hearing of the case and adjourned to July 10.

“Order of this court is hereby made in the interim restraining the respondents by themselves, agents, servant or proxies whatsoever called from encroaching, trespassing, entering, invading, demolishing or revoking the applicant’s titles or doing any other act in respect of the applicant’s property, No. 41 and 43 at Salanta, on BUK Road, Kano, covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. KNMLO8228 and Certificate of Occupancy No. KNMLO8229 pending hearing and determination of the originating motion.

”That Order of this Honourable Court is hereby made granting leave to the bailiff of this Court to serve the 3rd, 4h, 5h, and 6th Respondents with all processes and all subse

NATIONAL Intelligence Agency (NIA) has debunked reports (not by The Nation) the Court of Appeal in Abuja reinstated Mohammed Dauda as director general.

Head of Legal Department, A. H. Wakili, said “Dauda was never a substantive director general of NIA.”

The statement described the reports as false and misleading.

NIA said Dauda “only acted in that capacity temporarily after the tenure of Ambassador Ayo Oke”.

The statement adds: “The matter decided by National Industrial Court and Court of Appeal relates to the dismissal of Mohammed Dauda as director of NIA for several infractions and breaches.

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“The substance of the appeal for which judgment has been passed relates only to procedural matters with respect to the dismissal.

“The case regarding the infractions and breaches is still pending adjudication.

“This false and misleading story was planted to mislead the public.

“Meanwhile, a true certified copy of the judgment of the Court of Appeal is being awaited to be studied for informed further action.”

NATIONAL Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) in Atlanta, United States, has selected a 15-year-old Nigerian, Oyinkansola Ewedemi, as its member.

Oyinkansola has had a consistent high GPA throughout her high school.

She is a freshman in the STEM programme of James Martin High School in Arlington, Texas, United States.

The NSHSS, in a statement by its Co-founder and President, James Lewis, noted it recognises top scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, scholarship, and community commitment.

Lewis said: “On behalf of NSHSS and our co-founder, Claes Nobel, a member of the family that established the Nobel Prize, I am honoured to recognise the hard work, passion, and commitment that Oyinkansola has demonstrated to achieve this exceptional level of academic excellence.

“Oyinkansola is now a member of a unique community of scholars – a community that represents our best hope for the future.

Read Also: Taiwo Mati to benefit from ITTF Scholarship

“We are proud to provide lifetime membership to young scholars to support their growth and development.

“We help students like Oyinkansola build on their academic success by connecting them with learning experiences and resources to help prepare them for college and meaningful careers.”

Lewis added NSHSS scholars automatically become lifetime members.

“Each step along the way – from high school to college career – NSHSS connects outstanding young scholars with resources they need to develop their strength and pursue their passion,” he stated.

Ewedemi plays violin in the Orchestra and her team represented her school in Robotics competitions across cities in Texas.

She wants to be an Engineering major to study Aerospace Engineering, and just got selected for the “Student Spaceflight Experiments Programme (SSEP) and Neuromaker”, sponsored by NASA.

NATIONAL  Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has urged bakers not to use expired and contaminated raw materials.

Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, who spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting with Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, admonished bakers to embrace food safety culture.

Adeyeye, according to a statement by the agency, insisted it would not compromise quality of bread, staple food produced for consumers.

It said: “The NAFDAC boss represented by Director of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (FSAN), Mrs Eva Edwards, noted the agency was sensitive to rising costs of ingredients in production of bread, but this should not be an excuse to undermine safety and quality.

Read Also: NDLEA, NAFDAC not dissolved, says Fed Govt

“The objective of Good Hygiene Practices (GHP) in food processing is to ensure safety from start to finish.

“Good hygiene practices must be adhered to from the beginning to end of production, stressing finished products should not be exposed to  rats and other pests.

“Raw materials/ingredients not properly sealed, compromised packaging, infested by rodents and not adequately labelled should not be used.

“Medical tests should be conducted to ensure personnel do not harbour diseases that could be transmitted through food. Food handlers are also not expected to work with open wounds.

“Production facilities should not be sited in locations that can compromise safety and quality, such as near a cemetery or opposite a toilet or soakaway.”