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  • How Toyin Abraham, Lizzy Anjorin fell apart

    The feud between Nollywood actresses, Toyin Abraham and Lizzy Anjorin, appears not to be ending soon.

    The hot exchange in the last couple of days came to a full glare with the actresses going back and forth with allegation(s) and counter-response(s).

    Controversially, this appears to be a tough time for their fans and perhaps sort of entertainment to neutral observers and bloggers.

    Anjorin, who has made more ‘unsavoury claims’ about Toyin with unpleasant jabs seem not to be ready to let the dust settle.

    In this piece by The Nation, Alao Abiodun x-rays the most burning drama of the moment in Nigeria’s entertainment industry.

    The Genesis

    Lizzy Anjorin allegedly accused Toyin Abraham of running the blog “Gistlover.com” alongside multiple Instagram accounts to troll her and other colleagues in the movie industry.

    Lizzy claimed that Toyin leaked damaging reports about her to blogs.

    The fight however came to a full glare with a post by a popular actress alleging that when Toyin Abraham put to bed, she didn’t send her a congratulatory message.

    This sparked a debate on her page. While her fans hurled insults on Anjorin, others said Toyin kept mute as this was going on.

    However, the issue was later watered down when Toyin went on to apologise that she saw her message.

    After this scenario, Nigerians woke up to see that the social media has been frenzied since Anjorin claimed the actress was living a fake life and didn’t even have a car or a house of her own.

    She also alleged that contrary to the rumour that she gave birth to her child abroad, she actually was delivered of the baby at a local “agbo” seller’s house.

    She also alleged Toyin had to borrow costumes for her photo shoots.

    Interestingly, the nursing mother with the help of her publicist, Big Sam of Broadway TV, released a video showing her after she welcomed her son in a hospital in Lekki, Lagos.

    On why she had her baby in Nigeria at the Vedic lifecare hospital in Lekki, Toyin Abraham said: “I got to know this place when I came to visit Princess Shyngle, that actress when I came to visit her when she had issues and I loved how nice everyone, the doctors and nurses were.

    “Since I had just moved into Lekki with my husband then, I decided to make this my family hospital.

    “It has been a great experience, trust me. I am so happy and that is why I decided to have my baby in Nigeria because I trust the people here. I actually traveled out but I came back to Nigeria because I wanted him here at Vedic hospital with trusted hands.”

    Now that things seems to have fallen apart between the duo. let’s watch as more drama unfolds.

    Taking the legal route

    Toyin Abraham’s letter

    Toyin Abraham has sent a legal warning of ‘cease and desist’ notice letter to the Lizzy Anjorin through her lawyers requesting her to forward a letter of apology via their office, and on her Instagram page.

    Her lawyer said she issued the last warning to Liz Anjorin and if she failed to reply within 24 hours, they would be forced to file a N500m damages legal action against her.

    However, in her usual controversial style, Toyin Abraham further called Liz Anjorin a ‘pig’ in the caption of the post.

    “Silence is not golden. Rather than wrestle with a pig, it might be ideal to let the pig know that it belongs in the pen. I’m no longer speaking on this, my management team and attorneys are taking this up. Cc @bbbmedia @officialsamolatunj1,” she posted.

    Lizzy Anjorin’s letter

    Anjorin replied that she has written a petition to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) to investigate them as she has been accused by Toyin of dealing in drugs.

    Meanwhile, Lizzy is of the opinion that Toyin has always being a cocaine user from the post she made on Instagram.

    Reactions

    Veteran Yoruba actors, Yinka Quadri and Bolaji Amusan (Mr Latin) speaking on the issue in a video

    Some of the veterans in the movie industry have intervened in the messy fight between the actresses.

    Mr. Latin, who is the president of the Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria (TAMPAN), lamented the uncouth attitude of the actresses and expressed his disappointment over the ongoing controversy.

    Veteran Yoruba actors, Yinka Quadri and Bolaji Amusan (Mr Latin) said they would not accept ”any act of indiscipline” from feuding actresses.

    Toyin’s husband, Kolawole Ajeyemi, waded into the war of words by reiterating the need for the actresses to stop misbehaving on social media.

    In the post, he wrote: “We ought to have use social media for more useful and impactful things and not this misbehaviour.

    “We are called celebrities because many people look up to us and want to be like us. Why are we misleading these people, we are meant to be good teachers and not a bad influence on society. Please and please let’s have a change of mindset to do good, if not for anything for the fact that people are looking up to us in so many ways of life God bless you all.”

    Sadly, these ‘social media feuds’ is not new to the movie industry scene. It has become very common among Yoruba actresses.

  • 23 benefit from Edo Govt-backed Edobits Academy training programme

    Twenty-three youths in Edo State have completed a year-long training on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, acquiring expertise in Web and Graphic Design as well as soft skills.

    The training was organised by Edo Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs) in collaboration with Edobits Academy.

    The training programme which began in September 2018 was designed to train young school leavers and empower them with skills and knowledge to make them self-reliant and employable.

    Manager, Edobits Academy, Mr. Abraham Omomoh, urged parents to encourage and support their children to learn useful skills that would complement their education.

    He said the beneficiaries must continue to aspire to do more for themselves by researching for new developments in their area of specialisation, using search engines and other self-development tools.

    Read Also: 50 students complete first phase of EdoBits’ free digital skills training

    The Overall Best Graduating Student in the 2019 cohort, Master Kelvin Edionwe, expressed appreciation to Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, for providing the needed platform for youths in the state to acquire in-demand skills.

    He said the initiative of the governor for youths will take more youths out of the streets and discourage social vices.

    He urged the governor to continue in this direction, adding that youths in the state appreciate his concerns for them.

    Mr. Kelvin Edionwe emerged the best beneficiary in Graphics Design and best overall male student.

    A parent, Mrs. Edionwe, thanked Governor Obaseki, EdoJobs, Edobits and all the instructors, who contributed to the success of the programme while urging other youths to embrace the opportunity to learn new skills.

    Highlight of the event was the presentation of awards and certificates to deserving students in different categories.

     

    L-R: Graphic Design Trainer, Emmanuel Onotiemona; Executive Assistant to Edobits Manager, Adedayo Lateefat; a beneficiary of the year-long training on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, Oshoma Victory; Manager, Edobits, Abraham Omomoh, during the graduation ceremony for 23 beneficiaries of the Edo Skills Development Agency (EdoJobs)-backed training programme, in collaboration with Edobits Academy, in Benin City, Edo State.

  • DSS says it has no official twitter handle

    The Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday said it did not own, use or operate any official twitter handles and therefore, urged Nigerians to disregard twitter messages linked to the service.

    The Public Relations Officer of the service, Dr Peter Afunanya, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

    He said the attention of the service had been drawn to messages on social media, claimed to have emanated from the official twitter handles of of the service.

    “The Service, therefore, disowns the ones, notably DSS 255 and DSS_NG_, currently in circulation.

    “These twitter handles which also bear the Service’s symbols are not only fake but designed by their creators to deceive, misinform and defraud unsuspecting persons.

    READ ALSO: Subversive forces plotting to destabilise Nigeria, DSS alleges

    “It is also believed that such handles were desperately created by subversive elements to spread fake news and falsehood,” he said.

    Afunanya, therefore, urged the public to disregard the twitter handles and any message(s) emanating from them.

    He, however, added that a detailed investigation had begun to ensure that the suspects were apprehended and prosecuted.

    (NAN)

  • CBN cashless policy’ll benefit Nigerians, says PayAttitude founder Apochi

    The cashless policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is to discourage the preference for cash in exchange of value by businesses and individuals.

    Founder and Director, PayAttitude, Agada Apochi, has said.

    In a statement, he said the implementation of the cashless policy will help the CBN in stopping subsidy of the rich by the poor adding that cash transactions are associated with huge costs.

    Under the new policy guidelines, bank customers are to pay cash handling charges for daily cash deposit and withdrawal in excess of N500,000 for individuals and N3 million for corporates. This has generated a lot of criticisms among Nigerians.

    But Apochi disclosed that less than five per cent of Nigerians have a turnover of N15 million monthly or N500,000 daily while less than five per cent of businesses in Nigeria have turnover of N90 million monthly or N3 million daily.

    “Let the few individuals and businesses that generate huge cash daily adopt electronic payments instead of placing the avoidable huge costs of cash on Nigerian government and Nigerians. If the National Assembly were to appropriate money annually for the cost of cash, Nigerians will understand how much it costs taxpayers to subsidize the avoidable costs of huge cash and the need to reduce same. It is not in the interest of the majority of Nigerians to ask  over 95 per cent of Nigerians to continue to subsidize the avoidable costs of huge cash that the very few impose on the masses. The poor should not continue to subsidize the rich. It is wrong economically, socially and morally,” Apochi stated.

    Read Also: CBN’s charges on cash deposit in banks begin

    Apochi, said the charges have been criticised by some people that do not appreciate that the cashless policy and the guidelines are in the best interests of majority of Nigerians.

    He explained that huge circulation and adoption of cash is very costly to every economy as including government, businesses and citizens. The costs, he added, include printing of notes and coins, handling and processing, high operating costs for banks who pass the costs to customers, high interest rate, lack of transparency, black market economy, violent and non violent crime, among others.

    Apochi said the adoption of electronic payments is a viable and cost effective alternative to cash. “The CBN in September, 2019 further reduced the fee that businesses pay for accepting electronic payments at Points-of-Sale (PoS) by 33.3 per cent from 0.75 per cent to only 0.5 per cent of transaction value with a ceiling or maximum charge of N1,000. This is about the lowest rate in the world.

    The CBN continues to take commendable steps to make financial services especially electronic payments available to Nigerians such as Agency Banking, Mobile Money, PoS, Instant Transfer, among others,” he said.

    The PayAttitude boss said banks and other payment service providers are working with CBN to make electronic payments available to Nigerians through instant transfer, bills payment, among others using mobile App, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

     

  • Fasoranti’s daughter’s death probe ‘poor’

    Yoruba group Afenifere spokesman Yinka Odumakin, has criticised the police over what it called poor handling of investigations on the murder of Mrs Funke Olakunrin, daughter of its leader, Chief Rueben Fasoranti.

    According to the Publicity Secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin who spoke with reporters after a meeting at the Akure home of Fasoranti, the inability of the police to fish out the killers of Mrs Olakunrin by now showed that the matter was poorly handled by the police.

    He said, “It is now over two months that Mrs Olufunke Olakunnrin, the daughter of Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti was murdered around Ore  in Ondo State and we are compelled to speak out over the lackadaisical attitude of the police over the gruesome assassination.

    “The younger brother of the deceased, Kehinde Fasoranti had stated openly a day after the incident that the police in Ore told him his sister was killed by Fulani herdsmen when he went to collect her body the day she was killed and challenged the police to bring out the statement he wrote at their station.

    Read Also: ‘Fasoranti daughter’s death, catalyst for national rebirth’

    “They have not contradicted him till date.

    “The first sign we got that there was no attempt to launch any serious investigation into  the murder was when the car in which she was killed was released to the family from Ore police station the day after the murder without any forensic investigation into the most prized evidence at the scene of the crime.

    “It was when we engaged the police high command that they came to pick the car six days later. The car has now been returned to the family with no report on the examination report.”

    The group emphasised that there was no attempt to carry out any autopsy on the corpse until they demanded it from the police before the burial, saying,  ”only that was carried out and only that report was given to the family when they went to collect the car.

    “Beyond this, the police have not made any  briefing to the family on their investigations into this dastardly act.

    “There are other bizarre developments that worry us on police investigations into this murder .

    “For instance, the driver of the car in which Mrs Olakunrin was killed has not been asked a question by the police till date.”

    “All the above put together suggest to us clearly that the police have not done any serious investigations into this murder .And it worries us that we are seeing all the signs of lethargy that usually attend high profile murders with powerful masterminds in our country”.

    Afenifere therefore called on all  those who respect human lives in Nigeria and across the world to join  in asking the police where are the killers of Mrs Olakunrin.

  • UPDATED: Messi wins 2019 FIFA Best player award

    Barcelona forward, Lionel Messi has been named 2019 The Best FIFA Men’s Player

    The Argentine beat Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo to scoop the prize.

    Messi sealed the victory after leading Barcelona to yet another La Liga title last campaign, his 10th since breaking through with the club.

    He scored 51 goals across 50 appearances for the Catalan side, marking his 10th consecutive season with at least 40 finishes.

    Monday’s ceremony signalled the fourth time the prize had been presented, having previosuly been merged with France Football ‘s Ballon d’Or, with Real Madrid’s Champions League successes dominating the award’s early history.

    Ronaldo had won the award in 2016 and 2017, having led his team to Champions League crowns, with Messi finishing second in the voting in each season.

    Luka Modric then took home the trophy in 2018 following yet another Champions League triumph, the club’s third in a row, as well as a run to the World Cup final with Croatia in Russia.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Lionel Messi crowned FIFA best player for 2019

    There was no stopping Messi, this year, though, as he was also named to the FIFA Men’s World XI alongside Van Dijk, Ronaldo, Modric, Alisson Becker, Marcelo, Matthijs de Ligt, Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe.

    It wasn’t all successful for the Barca star, though, as 18-year-old Hungarian Daniel Zsori topped Messi’s strike against Real Betis to claim the Puskas Award.

    In the women category, Megan Rapinoe won the player award – ahead of fellow American Alex Morgan and England’s Lucy Bronze.

    Rapinoe, 34, claimed the Golden Ball for being the best player at the 2019 Women’s World Cup as she helped the United States win the competition.

    Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also won the men’s coach of the year.

    Klopp beat Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino to win the prize, after leading Liverpool to winning the 2019 UEFA Champions League final in June, and finisghing second place in the English Premier League

  • OPC can tackle security in Southwest, says Gani Adams

    Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Otunba Gani Adams, has assured the police of his support in strengthening the security architecture in the Southwest geo-political zone.

    Adams also pledged to consolidate on the confidence reposed in him by state governors in the Southwest and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

    Adams, who spoke during a courtesy visit to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu, at the weekend, commended the force for extending a hand of fellowship to the Oodua Peoples Congress, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group under his watch.

    He noted that the partnership between the police and OPC was beginning to yield positive results, with other relevant groups coming on board as partners in progress.

    Adams said he had received the nod of the Inspector General of Police on security matters within the Southwest axis, adding that efforts were underway to map out effective security modalities to fight insecurity in the states.

    Part of the efforts, Adams said, was the convocation of the Southwest Security Stakeholders’ Group (SSSG), a meeting comprising all relevant security groups across southwest and the unveiling of a roadmap towards achieving set objectives.

    Read Also: OPC lost over 2,500 lives during June 12 struggle, says Gani Adams

    Adams said: “So far, we have made significant progress since the IGP had expressed the readiness of the police to work with OPC under my leadership. It is on this note that I said OPC and the Nigeria Police are partners in progress. We have started work in earnest and everybody can attest to the fact that our efforts are beginning to yield positive results.

    “It is obvious that the rate of insecurity in the Southwest has reduced tremendously in the past few weeks. We have set the pace and the signs are there for everybody to see that we are ready to secure the Southwest and make the region safe for Nigerians.”

    In his response, Muazu, noted that the foundation laid by his predecessors had helped in working out a synergy between the police and the people at the grassroots.

    The Lagos police boss said: “In recent times, the spate of insecurity has taken the centre stage across the country. However, I want to assure you that we are committed to providing the best security to Lagosians. We are committed to making the state safe for residents, and in doing our job, we are ready to partner with individuals or groups that can help the police curb the spate of insecurity in Lagos and Nigeria as a whole.

    ”We all know that information dissemination is key at all times, and the police are in the best position to dissect the information gathered. So, I think Gani Adams’ visit is timely and a sign that things are taking good shape in the country.”

  • Nigeria launches battle to quash $9.6b verdict in UK

    A spirited assault to set aside the $9.6 billion arbitration judgment against Nigeria has been launched by the Federal Government.

    A government’s high-powered team is in London ahead of Thursday’s court session in the matter against Process and Industrial Development (P&ID).

    Besides, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which secured conviction and forfeiture order against P&ID Nigerian affiliate, has filed charges against two firms linked to P&ID.

    The anti-graft agency is also set to put James Nolan, an associate of the owner of P&ID, the late Michael Quinn, on trial.

    The three suspects may forfeit all their assets in Nigeria to the Federal Government.

    The firms are Goidel Resources Limited and  ICIL Limited.

    It was also learnt that the Federal Government may seek the extradition of  Adam Quinn.

    Those on the high-powered delegation has been sent to London are the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN); Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele;   Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu; Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu and Minister of Information Lai Mohammed, among others.

    Malami on Sunday said the Federal Government had not ruled out the possibility of filing a new case in the UK against P&ID.

    He confirmed that a Nigerian delegation had left for London to discuss with the legal team on strategies of  dealing with the case.

    The minister said: “The Nigerian delegation has left for the United Kingdom to discuss with the legal team on strategies dealing with the recent development regarding the P&ID contract judgment.

    ”All cards are on table but it all depends on the potency for setting aside the award having regards to the applicable law in the circumstances.

    Read Also: Nigeria to earn fresh $6.35b in taxes, royalties

    “No possibility is ruled out, including possibility of filling new case and or using existing proceedings to seek relief of setting aside the award (of the contract) cannot be ruled out”.

    Some of those on the Federal Government team to London for the legal battle, might present documents and reports;  swear to affidavits on the investigations conducted on P&ID and the outcome. They might also serve as witnesses.

    It was gathered that the Federal Government delegation will weigh all options, either to build on existing case or file a new case against P&ID.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that, although the charges against the three suspects were filed on Friday, no date has been fixed for hearing.

    It was gathered that more Nigerian suspects and companies will face trial in the next few days.

    A source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We have a long list of suspects linked with the Gas Supply and Processing Agreement (GSPA) between the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and P&ID.

    “On Friday, we filed charges against two companies (Goidel and ICIL) and one James Nolan, who was an associate of the owner of P&ID,  the late Michael Quinn.

    “We are awaiting a date for the hearing of the charges against the two firms and James Nolan. We hope their arraignment will come up any moment from now.

    “This is the second time James Nolan will be charged to court in Nigeria. In 2006, Michael Quinn and James Nolan were charged with six others before a Federal High Court on some charges bordering on arms trade challenges and alleged  spying for the Russian embassy.

    “The charge sheet then indicated that they were contractors to the Federal Ministry of Defence.”

    The top source added: “We resorted to this option in order to enable us initiate extradition process for Adam and Cahill because they were vital to P&ID operations in Nigeria.”

     

     

  • Shekarau, others in fresh trouble over N950m PDP fund

    The Former Kano State Governor and Senator representing Kano Central Senatorial District, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau is in fresh trouble over N950m Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) fund.

    Details shortly…

  • Trial of Sowore runs against progressive philosophy, says Shehu Sani

    Former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debt, Senator Shehu Sani, yesterday said that the charges filed against the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, contradicts the philosophy of progressivism being practiced by the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Sani who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th Senate told The Nation that the country’s democracy is being hampered by the growing culture of intolerance and opposing opinions.

    He added that the President’s desire to build and leave behind an anti-corruption legacy should not be cited in the “Human rights graveyard”

    He appealed to the government to drop the charges of money laundering and treasonable felony filed against Sowore.

    Sani said “Sowore’s trial is unnecessary and uncalled for. It would only further stain the human rights record of this administration and diminish and dent the moral standing of our country.

    READ ALSO: ‘Sowore may assume status of Prisoner of Conscience’

    “There is a climate of fear, intimidation and intolerance in the country and this contradicts the philosophy of progressivism the ruling establishment purports. The nation’s democracy is imperiled by a growing state culture of intolerance of dissent and opposing opinions.

    “The President’s desire to build and leave behind an anti-corruption legacy and tower should not be cited in the Human rights graveyard. If the ruling establishment is confident of its moral standing and support base, it should defeat Sowore with superior ideas and not persecute him.

    “Sowore’s charges amounts to electrocution of freedom. The Democratic credentials of any elected Government is not simply about the legitimacy of its mandate, but about the degree of its tolerance to dissent and its compliance with the fundamental principles of freedom.

    “I appeal to the Federal Government to drop the charges filed against Sowore. Our Democracy is becoming inhabitable and inhospitable to its ideal content. When a state equates dissent to disloyalty, it progressively decays under the weight of its courtiers.”