Nigerian singer, Temmie Ovwasa, formerly known as YBNL Princess, has recounted her ordeal in the hands of erstwhile record label boss, Olamide and his wife, Aisha Adebukunmi.

The Kwara-born singer alleged that his label boss’s wife turned her to “an errand girl” while she was signed to YBNL.

She further alleged that Adebukunmi humiliated her publicly each time they went out together, and called her “poor.”

She also accused former YBNL in-house producer, Pheelz of carelessly misplacing a drive that contained her unreleased album.

Taking to her Instagram story, Ovwasa wrote, “I got into the music industry to sing, Olamide carried me on his head and paraded me as the ‘princess’ but once the cameras were off I was in a house with his disrespectful a$$ classist wife who made it her mission to remind me that I was a poor girl that they brought from Ilorin to change her life. I’d go out with this woman and she’d humiliate me publicly! When people ask for pictures she made it her mission to remind me that I was broke.

“It’s not enough to ‘help’ people, don’t add to their problems!!!! I kuku never tagged him [Olamide] on the video that he saw [that he signed me]. I never cared to be associated with you people. I really just wanted to sing!

“I recorded over 25 songs and Pheelz opened his wide mouth to tell me he misplaced the hard drive. 25 songs!!!!! [I] spent 5 years [at YBNL] and released 4 songs! I have recorded and released three albums since I left these people, and I have so many songs I could drop an album every week!”

Nigeria’s inflation surged to 25.80% in the month of August 2023, 1.72% points higher than the 24.08% recorded in the previous month.

This is according to the recently released Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for August 2023 by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). 

The significant increase reflects the impact of the removal of petrol subsidies and the devaluation of the official exchange rate on consumer prices. Month-on-month inflation rose to 3.18% in the review month from 2.89% recorded in the prior month. 

In terms of contribution to the year-on-year inflation, Food and non-alcoholic beverages (13.36%) contributed the most, followed by housing water, electricity, gas and other fuel (4.32%), and clothing and footwear (1.97%). 

On a year-on-year basis, in August 2023, the Urban inflation rate was 27.69%, this was 6.73% points higher compared to the 20.95% recorded in August 2022. The Rural inflation rate stood at 24.10%, representing a 3.98% points increase compared to the 20.12% recorded in August 2022.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has just announced the reassignment of portfolios for two of his cabinet members.

The governor revealed the designations on Friday, during the ongoing 2023 Onboarding retreat program for the State Executive Council and Permanent Secretaries.

The theme of the retreat is ‘Navigating Government Excellence: The Leadership Role in Fostering the Rise of a Greater Lagos.

The governor reassigned Dr. Oreoluwa Finnih, formerly Special Adviser, on Health, as Special Adviser to the Governor on Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).

Also, Abiola Olowu, formerly Special Adviser Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, is reassigned as Special Adviser, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (Office of Mineral Resources).

More Insights

Earlier on Wednesday, the governor swore in 37 commissioners and special advisers.

The swearing-in ceremony, which was held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Ikeja, signalled the inauguration of the governor’s cabinet for his second term in office.

The Lagos State House of Assembly conducted a rigorous assessment of cabinet nominees, involving two screening phases that witnessed the rejection of some candidates.

Ultimately, they granted confirmation to a total of 38 nominees, solidifying the governor’s cabinet for his second term.

Notably, Tolani Akibu’s confirmation came less than a day before the momentous swearing-in ceremony.

Kaduna Electric, an electricity distribution company that serves Kaduna, Kebbi State, Sokoto State, and Zamfara State, has officially confirmed that a blackout affecting its operational areas resulted from a fire incident.

In a public notice released on Friday morning, signed by Abdulazeez Abdullahi, the Head of Corporate Communications, and posted on its X handle, the DisCo explained that the power outage occurred due to a fire that severely damaged key infrastructure at a transmission center in Birnin Kebbi.

The statement,

• “The Management of Kaduna Electric regrets to inform its valued customers in parts of Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara States that the power outage currently being experienced is a result of the unfortunate fire incident that gutted some critical power supply infrastructure at the Transmission Works Centre in Birnin Kebbi last night.”

The statement further noted that TCN has been notified and is assessing the extent of the damage and is committed to working on the damage.

It said,

• “Our counterparts from TCN are assessing the extent of damage to commencing necessary repair works. We deeply sympathize with the management and staff of TCN over the unfortunate development.”
• “We regret all inconveniences which the unintended service disruption has caused our customers.”

Backstory

Recall that yesterday a collapse of the National grid occur early on Thursday which plunged the whole country into darkness. However, it was restored late yesterday after remedial works were carried out by TCN.

The Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu said the cause of the total blackout experienced on Thursday was as a result of a fire accident at the Kainji/Jebba station.

Barely a week after the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) protested against fees increase by the management of the University of Lagos, the institution has slashed its fees by an average of 10 per cent. The price review varies across departments.

Recall that the institution had increase its school fees by over 300 per cent.

But the management in a statement on Friday said it met with the executives of NANS and other faculty members on Thursday evening where the review was approved.

The NANS President Usman Barambu had put across the student’s demands which include the reversal of obligatory fees, reversal of hostel fees, and reinstatement of the Students’ Union Government in UNILAG.

The UNILAG Vice-Chancellor Folashade Ogunsola, said that the aim of the university was to deliver quality education to its students regardless of class, tribe, or creed.

It said, “Authorities of the University of Lagos led by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, on Thursday, September 14, 2023, had a meeting with the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, Comrade Usman Umar Barambu accompanied by top officers of the Association and UNILAG Faculty leaders drawn from nine faculties of the University and College of Medicine.

“After careful evaluation of the issues raised by the students and management, the following consensus was reached at the meeting: Utility Charges for all categories of students were reduced to N15,000:00 from N20,000:00.

“The obligatory fees for new undergraduate students were reviewed from N126,325:00 to N116,325:00 for Courses without Lab/Studio and N176,325:00 to N166,325:00 for Courses with Lab/Studio.

“The obligatory fees for returning undergraduate students were reviewed from N100,750:00 to N80,750:00 for Courses without Lab/Studio; N140,250:00 to N120,250:00 for Courses with Lab/Studio; and from N190,250:00 to N170, 250:00 for Medical / Pharmacy students and students in Health Professions.

“The Convocation Fee to be paid by all final year students was reduced to N27,000:00 from N30,000:00. Hostels fees were reviewed as follows: For undergraduate hostels in Akoka and Yaba campuses, the fees were reduced to N43,000:00 from N90,000:00.

“For hostels in Idi-Araba campus, the fees were reduced to N65,000:00 from N120,000:00. The fees for Sodeinde Hall were reduced to N135,000:00 from N250,000:00.”

Air Peace founder and Chief Executive Officer, Allen Onyema, has cautioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu against favouring Emirates Arline and Etihad at the detriment of local airlines.

Onyema said on Friday that he wants Nigerian airlines to be prioritized as the governments works out modalities of settling the long dispute between the UAE and Nigeria, which led to Emirates Airlines and Etihad suspending their operations in Nigeria and a subsequent visa ban in 2022.

The airlines suspended operations over trapped funds with the Central Bank of Nigeria. But Nigerian airlines also have millions of dollars trapped with the apex bank as a result of the country’s foreign exchange crunch.

Tinubu made steps to mend the diplomatic ties between the UAE and Nigeria which would normalize business relations- lifting of visa ban and resumption of the operations of Emirates and Etihad.

Onyema said on Arise TV, “I can’t say we feel shortchanged. I want to applaud first of all the fact that the president went out there to normalize relations between two countries which were hitherto friends.

“That is a very landmark achievement to me. We have a lot to gain together. On the aviation side, you see charity begins at home. It is true there are issues of trapped funds in Nigeria but the foreign airlines are not alone in it.

“The local airlines also have trapped funds with the Central Bank, not just the foreign airlines. So, the AON, we don’t want a situation where the foreign airlines are threatened in isolation. We have a case too. Just as they have trapped funds in Nigeria, we also have. These monies are in their bank accounts. They can change it though the I&E window, they can go through the Central Bank.

“We support that Nigeria should pay airlines of foreign origins their money but at the same time, the government should look into what is happening in the Nigerian government funds. Most of us have naira and dollars with the CBN and they have not given us our naira or dollars.

“So, are the Nigerian airlines different from the international airlines? We are the people that actually bring the jobs. All the foreign airlines put together about 30 of them do not have up to 100 Nigerians employed directly by them. They all use NAHCO and SAHCO. But most of us have about 6,000 workforce creating hundreds of thousands of jobs and moving the country around without these foreign airlines.

“We support the payment of foreign airlines but at the same time, the local airlines should be given their dues. Nigerian airlines are not weak what they lack is truthful government support.”

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo at the signing of the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASAL) with South Africa hinted that the Nigerian authorities are working out the details of the agreement with the UAE.

Keyamo hinted that he met with Emirate and Etihad over issues of the trapped funds and the need to give Nigerian flag carriers more flight frequencies.

“I made it clear that they will have to give our airlines reciprocal rights under our BASA. That is the point I insisted on, and they did say that any spot we need, they will give us as much as we give them those spots within Nigeria,” the minister said.

But the Air Peace boss said the Tinubu-led government should fight more to protect the interest of local airlines.

According to him, international aerospace politics is “so dirty” adding countries other than Nigeria fight to protect their flag carriers.

Onyema said, “Talking about BASA, you all were witnesses to what happened. Emirates will fly twice to Lagos and ones to Abuja. Etihad comes so it is over 20 flight frequencies.

“At the stop of the Covid issues, we wanted to go to even Sharjah and they refused us. At a time, Air Peace was begging for just one slot a week to Sharjah and they said there was no slot until I went to the Federal High Court in Nigeria to stop all the airlines from them from coming into this country before government wadded in. I then said I won’t go to Sharjah again; I must go to Dubai before they allowed us. This is international aero politics.

“It is so dirty. Nigeria is owing them, fine they should be paid. When they were pulling out, they realized if they pulled out the way they threatened, there was an Air Peace waiting behind to fill up the gap and the next thing was the visa ban.

“I applaud them because countries are supposed to protect their own and that was what they did. That is how countries function. But over here most times we sacrifice our own for other climes.”

The Debt Management Office (DMO) has disclosed that Nigeria’s total public debt soared to N87.38tn by the close of the second quarter of 2023.

This figure represents a substantial increase of 75.29 percent, equating to N37.53tn, when juxtaposed with the N49.85tn reported at the end of March 2023.

Components of Public Debt

The DMO, in its recent report, confirmed that this debt encompasses the N22.71tn Ways and Means Advances extended by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to the Federal Government.

As stated by the DMO,

• “Nigeria’s total public debt stock as of June 30, 2023, was N87.38tn ($113.42bn). It comprises the total domestic and external debts of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the thirty-six states, and the Federal Capital Territory.”

Furthermore, the DMO highlighted the significant addition to the Public Debt Stock, attributing it to the inclusion of the N22.712tn securitized Federal Government’s Ways and Means Advances.

Factors Contributing to Debt Growth

The report acknowledges that the expansion of Nigeria’s public debt is primarily due to various factors, including

New Borrowings- Both the Federal Government and sub-national entities have notably increased their borrowing activities from local and external sources.

Reforms- The report underscores ongoing reforms initiated by the present administration, along with potential reforms resulting from the recommendations of the Fiscal Reform and Tax Policies Committee, to enhance debt strategy and sustainability.

Breakdown of Debt

The report provides a detailed breakdown of Nigeria’s public debt. Domestic loans stood at N54.13 trillion while external debt was N33.25 trillion

Former Aston Villa captain, Gabby Agbonlahor, has identified Rasmus Hojlund as the player that will help Manchester United to finish in the Premier League top four this season.

Agbaonlahor also described Hojlund, who joined Man United from Atalanta over the summer transfer window, as a quick, strong and aggressive player.

“You know why I would not rule them [Man United] out yet (of the top four) is because I really like the look of Hojlund,” Agbonlahor said (via talkSPORT).

“Even against Arsenal when he came on he caused them problems. He is quick, strong, and aggressive.

“I think this could be the game against Brighton who are quite open at the back where he gets a couple of goals.”

Hojlund was recently handed his Man United debut from the bench against Arsenal and immediately gave the Gunners problems with his pace and power.

The 20-year-old is likely to become the focal point of Man United manager Erik ten Hag’s attack.

[DailyPost]