The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Grammy introduces ‘Best African Music Performance’ category for 2024 awards

    Grammy introduces ‘Best African Music Performance’ category for 2024 awards

    The Recording Academy and organisers of Grammy Awards has created a category for ‘Best African Music Performance.’

    The category was among the three new ones announced by the academy in a statement on its website on Tuesday.

    The other two newly created categories are Best Pop Dance Recording and Best Alternative Jazz Album.

    According to the statement, the new categories will receive nominations beginning with next year’s show.

    Read Also: College hails ex-student for Grammy win

    “The addition of the Best African Music Performance category reflects how African acts such as Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Tems—along with the rise of the Afrobeats genre—have become global chart-topping stars and streaming juggernauts,” according to the statement.

    The Grammy “Best African Music Performance” category is open to contemporary and traditional music from the African continent including Afrobeats, Afro-pop, Amapiano, High Life and Fuji.

  • I didn’t plan to marry a celebrity, Portable’s wife

    I didn’t plan to marry a celebrity, Portable’s wife

    Controversial singer Portable Zazu has married Yoruba actress Ashabi.

    This comes as videos from their baby’s naming ceremony surfaced on social media with Ashabi describing it as a new beginning for her.

    The actress also showered praises on Portable Zazu, who she said is very supportive, a statement which stirred reactions.

    Read Also: I want to be a billionaire, Portable prays

    Ashabi, in a video from their baby’s naming ceremony on Tuesday, said she didn’t plan to marry a celebrity as she gushed about how supportive Portable has been.

    “I didn’t plan to marry an actor or singer but God didn’t say it is the end of my journey, I can sense that it is not the end, a new beginning for me and happy because he is supportive and ready to be supportive,” she said.

  • Chef Damilola breaks silence on Hilda Baci’s Guiness World Record feat

    Chef Damilola breaks silence on Hilda Baci’s Guiness World Record feat

    Yewande Fasan

    Damilola Adeparusi aka Chef Dammy, a chef in Oye-Ekiti, has broken silence hours after Hilda Baci was confirmed as a Guinness World Records holder.

    Chef Dammy stated on her official Twitter account that Hilda was a great motivation for her.

    She tweeted: “Congratulations to the best and biggest chef in Nigeria. This is surely the beginning of greater things to come. More wins are surely coming your way ma’am. Thank you for being a huge motivation”.

    Read Also: VIDEO: How Hilda Baci broke longest cooking marathon Record

    On Tuesday, June 13, Guinness World Records announced Hilda Baci as the record holder for the longest hour an individual has cooked.

    The announcement officially made Lata Tondon, an Indian chef, a predecessor in the category.

    It should be noted that on the same day Hilda’s record was officially certified by Guinness World Records, Ekiti chef, Dammy surpassed 100 hours in her attempt to beat the famous chef’s record.

  • Let’s work for our people, President urges N/Assembly’s presiding officers

    Let’s work for our people, President urges N/Assembly’s presiding officers

    It is time to work, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu told presiding officers and members of the 10th National Assembly yesterday after their election and inauguration.

    The executive, he said, will work harmoniously with the legislature under Senate President Godswill Akpabio and will resolve disagreements without malice.

    He reminded the legislators that their constituents expect a lot from them, so they must not fail.

    According to him, they cannot afford to waste the opportunity because Nigerians want them to make every day of the next four years count.

    President Tinubu stated these in a personally-authored congratulatory message to Akpabio, House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abass and their deputies Jibril Barau and Benjamin Kalu

    The President stated: “We have all been called upon and accepted the responsibility to diligently and faithfully serve our fatherland with the oath we took.

    “It is time to get on and move swiftly with the business of governance in the service of Nigeria.

    “As your President, I am prepared to transparently work with the National Assembly.

    “Nigerians expect distinguished Senators and Honourable members to make laws and carry out oversight duties that will enhance the performance of government to achieve successful outcomes including improving their quality of life.

    Read Also: Akpabio, Abbas step in as Senate President, Speaker

    “In the course of our work together, disagreements may occur. When we disagree, it will not be out of malice, ill will and a quest to diminish the institution of the National Assembly or any individual member.

    “Our people across the length and breadth of our country expect so much from us. They want us to lift their economic burden. They want us to eliminate insecurity so our farmers in rural communities can go to their farms and produce the food we eat.

    “Our people look up to us to change the fortune of our country for good and remove all barriers that impede progress. All of these we can make happen with dedication and commitment.”

    President Tinubu stressed that campaign promises can only be fulfilled by working together in harmony and in the country’s best interests.

    He added: “Justifiably, our people want more from their government. They truly deserve progressive good governance that will improve their standards of living. We must give them our best.

    “I will remain a partner in progress for peace, stability and prosperity of Nigeria.

    “I count on the leadership of the 10th National Assembly and all members to work and walk with me on this governmental journey. Once again, I send my best wishes.”

    The President commended the contenders who lost out, noting that their participation in the election process enriched it.

    He urged them to deploy the same energy and enthusiasm in the service of their constituents.

    “I wish Senator Abdulaziz Yari, Honourable member Idris Wase and Honourable Aminu Jaji who enriched the process with their participation in the leadership election the best and a successful tenure in the 10th National Assembly.

    “I urge them to sustain the same level of enthusiasm they brought to the leadership contest in the discharge of their duties to their constituents and Nigeria.

    “My congratulations to all members of the National Assembly, across party lines, who, today, enlisted into the service of the blessed people of our great country.”

    The President congratulated the new leadership on “their well-deserved victories”.

    “Being elected by their peers as presiding officers and assuming the leadership of the National Assembly is a great honour that comes with a huge responsibility. I trust that you will justify the confidence reposed in you by your members and many Nigerians,” the President added.

  • NPFL Play-Offs: fIMC outlines conditions for Enyimba’s ₦100m prize money

    NPFL Play-Offs: fIMC outlines conditions for Enyimba’s ₦100m prize money

    Recruitment of players and development of club infrastructure is a key component of the ₦100m prize money won by Enyimba International as Champions of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) 2022/23 season.

    Chairman of the NPFL Interim Management Committee (IMC), Gbenga Elegbeleye laid the charge to the Club Chairman, Felix Anyansi-Agwu during a meeting with the NPFL Clubs Chairmen in Lagos.

    Elegbeleye explained that the prize money which would be credited to the club’s bank account within the week, has been tied to strengthening the club to compete favourably on the continent and meet infrastructural conditions set by Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) for hosting the CAF Champions League.

    “Let me again congratulate Enyimba International for emerging the champions but it has to be stated that in line with the developmental trajectories of the IMC and our investment partners, GTI, there is a portion of the money tied to certain projects.

    “Of the ₦100m, the club must spend a minimum of ₦25m on quality players recruitment to strengthen their squad and be able to represent the country well in the CAF Champions League next season.

    Read Also: Enyimba win NPFL Championship Playoffs

    “We have seen how deep the squads of clubs from the north African countries are, they recruit some of the best in their country and outside hence their strong showing on the continent. It is the reason we have ensured that a reasonable amount is provided as prize money,” the IMC Chairman explained.

    He added that the league body is intent on getting clubs to upgrade their facilities to in the long run to meet requirements for hosting the CAF Champions League.

    He said that there would be expansion of the bracket of financial rewards as more sponsors are attracted to raise the financial base of the NPFL.

    Enyimba edged Remo Stars and Rivers United to the league title on goals difference after all three were tied on nine points at the completion of games of the NPFL Championship Play-off in Lagos on Sunday. It was the ninth title win for the twice African Champions.

  • Tinubu urged to step up fight against graft

    Tinubu urged to step up fight against graft

    Executive Director, Accountability Lab Global, Blair Glencorse has urged President Bola Tinubu to step up the fight against corruption.

    He noted that the organisation, known for enthroning transparency and accountability in governance, was expecting more gains from the administration of Tinubu, especially in the fight against graft.

    Glencorse spoke with reporters in Abuja during a visit to Nigeria last weekend.

    He also challenged the new administration to increase citizens’ engagement as a means of opening up the space for accountability to thrive.

    Glencorse said the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari started well in the fight against corruption but fizzled out afterward.

    He, therefore, urged the Tinubu administration not to toe a similar path.

    The executive director of Accountability Lab Global said: “President Buhari began his tenure with significant power and potential and could have made more progress in building strong institutions- but corruption breeds distrust, and well before his second term, he had lost any credibility he may have had to fight corruption.”

    Read Also: Let’s work for our people, Tinubu urges National Assembly leaders

    He added that the fight against corruption should not be the sole responsibility of the Federal Government, but the responsibility of even the local governments.

    “We need to address and then deal with many other symptoms like poverty, lack of education, lack of health services, and so on. It’s all at its core. about fighting corruption. And that has to happen at every level and internationally as well,” he added.

    He said the goal of the organisation was to create enlightenment on issues of accountability through digital governance, hence, with a new president on board, it was expected that everyone would be seen playing their roles in building accountability as well as supporting good governance.

    Country Director of the organisation, Odeh Friday, urged the new administration to make public consultation a top priority.

    He said: “We have seen over the years what has happened with engagement with citizens where National Assembly members and bills have been passed, laws have been made at the higher level without consultation from citizens.

    “We think that should change in this current regime.”

  • Comedian Kamo solicits funds for actor Lalude

    Comedian Kamo solicits funds for actor Lalude

    Nigerian comedian, Ayoola Akinyoola, AKA Kamo has solicited support for Veteran actor, Fatai Oodua aka Lalude.

    Kamo revealed that the movie veteran did not have a car after calling him to work on a skit production.

    The skit maker urged Nigerians to help raise money for the car.

    Read Also: Promote Yoruba culture with creative works, Lalude tells writers

    He took the lead by making a pledge of N1m and explained that it would be best they buy a simple car that would not give him maintenance problems.

    After the announcement, Nigerians have started donating money for the car.

    Lalude was seen in a video confirming and acknowledging an anonymous giver for gifting him N3m while praying for greatness for the individual.

  • World Bank’s chief to focus on projects with measurable impact

    World Bank’s chief to focus on projects with measurable impact

    World Bank’s President, Ajay Banga has told multilateral financial institution to focus on more “scalable, replicable” projects across Latin America, Africa and elsewhere for transport and infrastructure and digitisation of government and financial services to speed development.

    Banga, on his first foreign trip since taking office, told Reuters that he wanted the bank to prioritise its work and “pick a few things and push them really hard, so that in my lifetime, I can measure the impact,” adding that while that may mean fewer projects in some countries, it will focus more resources on those that promise bigger improvements in people’s lives, incomes and productivity.

    He acknowledged that bank staff members have developed and implemented many successful projects, but often do not standardise them and apply the lessons learned to other countries, saying: “I’m trying to get away from bespoke stuff to scalable, replicable things.”

    He said standardisation could help draw more private-sector capital into development by making it easier to securitise groups of loans.

    Read Also: Ekiti gets World Bank N800m grant to boost primary health

    Banga has been tasked with transforming the World Bank to expand its lending capacity and revamp its business model to fight climate change, pandemics, food insecurity and other crises, in addition to its traditional anti-poverty mission.

    The bank has given a $93-million loan for a 10-km extension into some of Lima’s poorest areas. World Bank officials say the total project cost is about $10 million per km, far lower than the $182 million per km cost of an underground metro rail line now being built in Lima.

    “We should be building the BRT in 20 cities in Latin America,” Banga said, adding that only three similar projects had been launched in the region in 13 years. Other infrastructure projects that can be standardised and replicated are those concerned with water supply, sanitation, roads, bridges, hospitals, and education, he said. Banga also visited one of dozens of free government legal aid offices, partly financed by the World Bank, that are aimed largely at women. The project has benefited from a parallel effort to provide digital access to Peru’s justice system, allowing the most vulnerable to secure court filings and proceedings. Such efforts also can also be standardised and scaled up, Banga added, because they reduce poverty and increase inclusion of the poor. But there will still be room to accommodate differences among countries and projects that meet their specific needs, he said.

  • Telecom access gap dips by 53 per cent

    Telecom access gap dips by 53 per cent

    The number of identified clusters across Nigeria without access to telecoms services has been reduced by 53.1 per cent as at the end of last year, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.

    Access gaps refer to the cluster of communities or grouped areas in various parts of the country that do not have access to telecom services over two decades after the famous telecoms revolution.

    From 207 clusters of access gaps identified in 2013, the industry has witnessed a steady reduction to 97 as at the end of 2022 by bridging 110 access gaps, representing a 53.1 per cent reduction

    NCC Executive Vice Chairman/CEO, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, said by implication, the number of Nigerians who fell within the access gap which were estimated at 37 million in 2013 has been reduced to 27 million, following increased access to telecoms services by those hitherto digitally excluded.

    Represented by Head, Pre-Licensing at the Commission, Usman Mamman, at a forum in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, Danbatta said: “We have worked tirelessly to ensure we bring telecom services to people living in rural, unserved, and underserved areas of this country, totalling 37 million people courtesy of the consultancy that was conducted in 2013.

    Read Also: Operators seek NCC’s clarification on 5% telecom tax

     “By 2019, we had succeeded in reducing the clusters of access gaps to 114 through the deployment of the necessary infrastructure needed to bring services to people living in rural, unserved and underserved areas of the country. The deployment of infrastructure is in terms of base transceiver stations, which resulted in the reduction of Nigerians in those clusters from 37 million to 31 million in 2019.

     “By 2022, we have reduced the clusters of access gaps to 97 from 207 in 2013. The number of Nigerians again has come down from 37 million in 2013 to 27 million as we speak. We achieved this by deploying, from 2009 to 2011, a total of 79 new base transceiver stations.”

    Prof Danbatta said between 2013 and 2018, the telecom sector also witnessed the deployment of additional 124 base transceiver stations (BTS) while from 2019 to 2022, a total of 364 BTS were deployed.

     “So far, the total numbers of base transceiver stations we have deployed to date between the time the access gaps were identified till the end of 2022 are 567,” he said.

    While describing the reduction in access gap so far as a landmark, Danbatta, however, said the Commission will not rest on its oars as it thrives to ensure that the remaining 27 million Nigerians, who currently lack access to telecoms services, are provided with services.

    Meanwhile, the EVC said part of the regulatory interventions of the Commission to bridge the remaining 97 access across the country to provide ubiquitous connectivity in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria are the issuance of the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) Licences and the deployment of Fifth Generation (5G) networks, among others.

  • ‘Remaining National Assembly principal offices to be filled soon’

    ‘Remaining National Assembly principal offices to be filled soon’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) will soon fill the remaining principal offices at the National Assembly, National Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu said yesterday.

    Adamu, who dropped the hint after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, told reporters that the process that produced the leadership of the 10th National Assembly had left the party with some lessons.

    The remaining offices are: Majority Leader, Majority Chief Whip and their deputies in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    He attributed the successful inauguration of the 10th  National Assembly and the election of the party’s preferred candidates into the leadership positions of the two chambers to thorough consultations and according respect to those who deserved it.

    Responding to the question on how the party got its preferred choices elected, Adamu said: “Very thorough consultations and respect for all those who deserve respect; this is what took us through this very important step in the important arm of government.

    “For people who don’t know, for people who are into constitutional law, the legislature is the first estate and no government can claim to be stable without ensuring that the National Assembly is in state and that’s what we’ve achieved today.

    “It wasn’t easy coming to this point, but we thank God almighty that so much has been done and so much lessons have been learned in the course of this endeavour.

    “There’s time for everything and God is the giver of power and influence, God has chosen the gentlemen today; President of the Senate and Deputy President of the Senate and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

    Read Also: 10th National Assembly: Gombe Rep emerges PDP consensus candidate for Minority Whip

    “What is now left for us, as a party, is to sit and determine the remaining members of the …Each of these principal officers has got a deputy and of course the Majority Leader of each of the chambers.

    “We’re going to sit over this and we want to believe that we’re going to waste no time whatsoever; we’ll come up with what we’ll give the President to get his buy-in before it’s made public or before it goes to the National Assembly. This day is very historic”, he said.

    He expressed belief the leadership of the Assembly would do well and will work to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people of the country.

    The party chair hailed President Tinubu’s signing of the Student Loan Bill into law, describing it as “an extremely positive step”.

    According to him, the new law would go a very long way to alleviate the burdens of indigent students in their quest for acquiring education.

    “This law is virtually guaranteeing every child of this country an opportunity to get good education. We support it and we stand with the President shoulder to shoulder in ensuring that its implementation becomes easy,” Adamu said.