says his first time ever traveled abroad was 2015

Popular singer, Adekunle Gold has inspired his fans with his touching success story, citing how he first traveled out of Nigeria.

In a widely shared video, the singer revealed that the first time he ever traveled out of Nigeria was in 2015 and it was because of his hit song, “Shade”. He also had “Orente” at the time.

Since then, he has been to over 35 countries and his passion has been his drive. 

Adekunle Gold further encouraged and prayed for his fans and followers to never give up on their passion as it would sure make way for them. In Adekunle Gold’s words:

“The first time I ever traveled out of Nigeria was in 2015. Guess what took me out? One song, “Shade.” I had “Shade” and “Orente” then. And since then, I think I’ve been to 35 countries.

“I say this to say, your passion, the one thing that you love to do will make way for you. I always wanted to travel as a child but where I see the money.

“But look, I’m just praying for you guys that you find something, you know, that will take you places and if you have already found it, just keep at it. You will go places.”

The eldest daughter of Anambra State Governor Prof. Charles Soludo,  Adaora Soludo, has tied the knot with her fiancé Arinze in a private civil ceremony held in London.

The wedding took place on July 26, 2024, in an intimate gathering attended by close family members.

Adaora, a popular fashion entrepreneur, shared stunning photos of the occasion on Instagram, expressing her elation at marrying her “best friend.”

The couple, who announced their engagement on August 25, 2023, celebrated their union in a dreamy, family-filled celebration.

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered | 26.07.24. Married my best friend in the intimate wedding of my dreams, surrounded by family ♥️,” one of her post’s caption read.

 

Following the announcement, netizens flooded her social media with congratulatory messages, wishing the newlyweds a lifetime of happiness.

Bobrisky, the controversial crossdresser, has been released from the Kirikiri Correctional Center.

The social media celebrity was released on Monday morning.

In now-viral footage, she was seen inside a luxury car leaving the prison vicinity alongside two of her two friends. They were vibing to ‘Egwu’, a song by Chike and late singer Mohbad.

The self-proclaimed ‘Mummy of Lagos’ was also sighted in another video greeting her fans who came to welcome her.

“Hello guys, it’s your Mummy of Lagos… I have missed you guys so much. I can’t wait to have you guys, like give you guys what you have missed,” she said.

Born Idris Okuneye, Bobrisky was sentenced to six months in prison on April 12 by Abimbola Awogboro, the Lagos high court judge, for abusing the naira.

Awogboro, in her verdict, also ruled that the sentence was without the option of a fine. The judge held that the jail term commenced on March 24, the day of her arrest.

In April, the crossdresser, who was charged with four counts of naira abuse, filed a notice of appeal challenging the six-month prison sentence.

Bobrisky had hoped that the court of appeal would set aside the sentence and replace it with an option of a N50,000 fine on each count.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has called on governors unable to implement the newly mandated ₦70,000 minimum wage to resign from their positions.

Naija News reports that this statement follows recent comments from the Governor of Gombe State, Inuwa Yahaya, who declared that his administration cannot afford to meet the new national minimum wage standard.

“I cannot pay the ₦70,000 minimum wage, and I suspect many other states are in the same predicament,” he said.

Governor Yahaya, who is also the Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, made these remarks during a meeting with labour leaders, civil society organisations, and traders’ associations at the Government House in Gombe.

According to the Punch, in response to the governor’s comments, NLC’s Head of Public Relations, Benson Upah, stated, “He should quit if he cannot pay. He took an oath of office to uphold the law and not to break it.”

The Trade Union Congress has not yet issued an official statement regarding Governor Yahaya’s position.

Recall that last week, President Bola Tinubu signed the new Minimum Wage Act into law, setting the minimum wage at ₦70,000.

This decision came after nearly two weeks of negotiations with organised labour unions, who initially demanded a minimum wage of over ₦250,000 per month.

Federal Capital Territory Senator, Ireti Kingibe, has slammed the Nigeria Police for highhandness in managing peaceful protesters in the capital city.

Senator Ireti Kingibe said Abuja protesters were peaceful until the FCT Police Command personnel fired live shots and tear gas canisters on the citizens.

The FCT Senator added that there was no violence or looting of public infrastructure and shops or any act of criminality from the protesters.

Senator Kingibe’s statement on Sunday followed her earlier comment on the ongoing #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protest that generated reactions, the same day.

In her earlier tweet, Mrs Kingibe said, “My heart is shattered seeing the devastating violence and destruction unfolding between the Nigerian police and protesters, especially in our federal capital.

“It’s time for us to come together, engage in dialogue, and find alternative solutions to this senseless cycle of violence. We must prioritize protecting the lives and properties of both our government and our people.

“As the senator of the good people of the FCT and a mother, I feel the pain and anguish of our citizens, and I am deeply saddened by the injuries and loss of life. My thoughts are with those who are suffering, and I pray for the souls of the departed to rest in peace.

“Let us work towards healing, recovery, and rebuilding our beloved Nigeria. We must find a way to engage our citizens and address their concerns, ensuring that we don’t continue to lose our children to senseless violence. Let’s move forward together, with empathy, compassion, and a commitment to peace and understanding. It is time to engage for good good governance.”

Following criticism from X users that she was political in her statement, she explained that she knew protesters in Abuja, at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, were peacefully demonstrating until the FCT Police personnel fired tear gas and live shots at them.

“I have read most of the comments to my earlier tweet today and for the record let me categorically state that the protest in Federal Capital Territory remained peaceful until the police launched an attack, firing teargas and shots at the protesters. To the best of my knowledge, there were no reports of any shops being looted or vandalized in Abuja,” Senator Ireti said.

Apex Igbo socio-cultural Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has faulted the nationwide broadcast of President Bola Tinubu, saying that fuel subsidy reversal would have ended the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.

Naija News reports that in a statement issued on Sunday by its factional Secretary-general, Okechukwu lsiguzoro, Ohanaeze commended Tinubu for addressing the economic challenges facing Nigeria.

The group, however, that the economic policies outlined in the speech were promising and could potentially address the long-term economic hardship in the country.

The Igbo organisation stated that President Tinubu should have focused on an immediate challenge of addressing the protesters’ demands and preventing further chaos.

The statement reads, “The anticipation of the resumption of protests from August 5th to 10th, 2024, is a cause for worry, as the protesters are demanding immediate action from the government.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s speech had the potential to sway the protesters off the streets if there had been a pronouncement of the reversal of fuel prices or any of the demands put forward by the organizers of the protests.

“The economic policies outlined are commendable, but the immediate challenge is how to address the protesters’ demands and prevent further chaos.

“We are aware that there are local sponsors, in conjunction with international conspirators, who may be waiting for an opportunity to escalate the protests into violence.

“The Southeast region is not a target for protests, but the North, Southwest, and Niger Delta regions are vulnerable to further unrest.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has the opportunity to address the demands of the protesters through other means and prevent the situation from escalating.

“While the implementation of the economic policies may take time, immediate action is needed to quell the protests and prevent any further destabilization of the country.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo calls on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to consider making a pronouncement, through his media aides, to address the demands of the protesters.

“A reversal of fuel prices or any other gesture of goodwill towards the protesters could go a long way in restoring peace and stability in the country.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has the chance to demonstrate his leadership and resolve in addressing the concerns of the people.

“It is not too late to act and prevent any further escalation of the protests. We urge him to take swift and decisive action to save our democracy and give the government the opportunity to implement the promising economic policies outlined in his speech.”

The governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki has said that the Federal Government is responsible for the hardship in the country.

This was as hunger protesters in Edo State held a church service on the street.

Speaking via a statement on Sunday, the governor stated that his administration has implemented several people-oriented programmes to reduce the suffering of Edo people, a situation caused by various policies introduced by the Federal Government.

He listed some of the programmes to include raising the minimum wage for workers to ₦70,000 to boost their purchasing power, introducing a free transport scheme along the routes operated by the Edo City Transport Service, extending free Wi-Fi services to public spaces to help citizens telecommute and kick-starting a state-wide feeding for the vulnerable implementing partnership with Christians and Muslim institutions, among others

Obaseki said, “The protest is obviously the result of the difficult living conditions which Nigerians have had to endure particularly over the last one year, arising from various policies that have been implemented by the Federal Government.

“These policies have taken a severe toll on citizens who have had to endure astronomic high food prices, high transportation costs, galloping inflation and loss of operating capital by small business owners across the country.

“In Edo State, we have taken several actions within our constitutional authority to reduce the suffering and hardship of our people by showing empathy and supporting our people to weather and survive this trying time despite the challenges witnessed across the nation.”

An elderly woman participating in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest in Sango, Ogun State, has criticised President Bola Tinubu, over the level of hardship in the country.

The old woman who lamented that there is no job in the country, claimed that she and her children beg for alms to survive.

While calling for deliverance from the Tinubu government, she noted that the price of food commodities in the country is on the high side.

She noted that there is no job for the youths, adding that the government has failed to attend to bad roads.

The woman while speaking in a viral video recorded at the protest ground said, “I came from Owode to join the protest. Is it acceptable for we elderly to be begging for alms to survive? We beg for alms to survive. I and my children are starving.

“Our children don’t have jobs. Men and woman in Sango are unemployed. No jobs. All the roads are bad. (God) Deliver us from this government.

“Deliver us from Tinubu. What he promised to do are not what he is doing. He is suffering us. Deliver us from his government. Rice is unaffordable. Garri is unaffordable.”

Watch the video below:

D’Tigress Coach Rena Wakama and team captain Amy Okonkwo have shared insights into how Nigeria’s women’s basketball team made history by advancing to the quarterfinals of the Olympics for the first time since their debut in Athens in 2004.

Following a victory against Canada on Sunday, August 4, D’Tigress achieved a remarkable milestone as the first African basketball team, regardless of gender, to progress beyond the group stage in Olympic basketball history.

The team’s resurgence was evident as they secured two wins at the Olympics, a feat that solidified their progress in the tournament and sent Canada home.

After a challenging game against France, head coach Rena Wakama emphasized the importance of reverting to their winning strategies for the match against Canada. This tactical adjustment proved to be pivotal in securing their historic victory.

Despite Canada’s strong squad and recent success in international competitions, D’Tigress showcased their dominance with an impressive 11-0 run at the start of the second half, leaving Canada struggling to mount a comeback.

Ezinne Kalu’s impactful performance, contributing 21 points, and Elizabeth Balogun’s standout display with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, played crucial roles in Nigeria’s triumph.

Reflecting on the win, team captain Amy Okonkwo said: “I am so proud of us. The last game wasn’t good for us, and even in the first half today (Sunday), we were not doing what we wanted to come out and do. We talked with ourselves and realised it was win or go home, and we decided we wanted to stay.”

Coach Rena Wakama expressed her immense pride in the team’s achievement, emphasizing the dedication and hard work that propelled them to this groundbreaking moment.

“It’s surreal, and I don’t think it’s going to hit me yet for another couple of hours”, Wakama told FIBA.com.

“I am proud of my girls, and I have pushed them so hard. I have pushed them harder than anyone can even imagine. It’s because I know what they can do, and we did that today, and we showed them who we are.

“It’s about every little detail, and I make them start over [if not done right]. I make them do everything right for these reasons. So, in crunch time and pressure situations, we can execute when our backs are up against the wall.

“I am going to get emotional. I mean, oh jeez—trust the process, keep fighting, keep pushing.

“I have always been a fighter growing up. You tell me I can’t do something, and I am going to tell you that I can.

“I hope young girls are watching this. I wanted to be the first, but I didn’t want to be the last. If we invest in Africa, we are capable of doing really amazing things. We have to put some eyes on Africa and develop the game there, and it starts with grassroots. It will make the game so much better.

“When we are focused on something and when we all come together, we are powerful. Our whole team, support staff, and coaches have the same mindset—a winning mindset.

“I am glad we did have that loss because we were able to get back to what we do best. Also, there’s no pressure now on us, and we have shown everyone that we deserve to be playing here.”

Note that African teams have recorded just one win in a combined 37 basketball games at the Olympics before the 2024 edition of the competition. Interestingly, D’Tigress were the side that recorded the win against South Korea in 2004.

The Federal Government has released N570bn to the 36 states to expand livelihood support to their citizens, President Bola Tinubu announced on Sunday.

He also revealed that Nigeria spends N2tn monthly to import Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, and Automotive Gas Oil, otherwise known as diesel.

Tinubu stated this during his nationwide broadcast to Nigerians, as he disclosed that N9.1tn was accumulated as total fiscal revenue to the Federal Government’s coffers during the first half of 2024, marking a significant increase from what was earned by the previous administration.

“Also, more than N570bn has been released to the 36 states to expand livelihood support to their citizens, while 600,000 nano-businesses have benefitted from our nano-grants. An additional 400,000 more nan0-businesses are expected to benefit,” the President stated.

He noted that despite Nigeria’s abundant oil and gas resources, his administration met a country that was dependent only on oil, neglecting its gas resources while subsidising the cost of fuel.

As a result, he said his administration invested in Compressed Natural Gas to change the narrative.

“Fellow Nigerians, we are a country blessed with both oil and gas resources, but we met a country that had been dependent solely on oil-based petrol, neglecting its gas resources to power the economy. We were also using our hard-earned foreign exchange to pay for and subsidise its use.

“To address this, we immediately launched our Compressed Natural Gas Initiative to power our transportation economy and bring costs down. This will save over N2tn a month, being used to import PMS and AGO and free up our resources for more investment in healthcare and education,” Tinubu stated.

He said his administration would distribute one million kits of extremely low or no cost to commercial vehicles that transport people and goods, and who currently consume 80 per cent of the imported petrol and diesel.

 “We have started the distribution of conversion kits and setting up of conversion centres across the country in conjunction with the private sector. We believe that this CNG initiative will reduce transportation costs by approximately 60 per cent and help to curb inflation,” Tinubu disclosed.

While licensed individuals have been importing diesel into Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited remains the sole importer of petrol into the country.

Despite being the largest oil producer in Africa, Nigeria depends on imported petroleum products due to low refining capacity.

Also during the broadcast on Sunday, Tinubu said his administration was ready to listen to and address the concerns of protesters involved in the nationwide protest that started on August 1, 2024.

On the revenue increase in the first half of the year, the President said it was due to efforts in blocking leakages, introducing automation, and mobilising funding creatively, all without placing an additional burden on the people. 

 He said productivity in the non-oil sector is gradually increasing, reaching new levels and capitalising on the opportunities presented by the current economic environment.

He said, “In the past 14 months, our government has made significant strides in rebuilding the foundation of our economy to carry us into a future of plenty and abundance.

“On the fiscal side, aggregate government revenues have more than doubled, hitting over N9.1tn in the first half of 2024 compared to the first half of 2023 due to our efforts at blocking leakages, introducing automation and mobilising funding creatively without additional burden on the people.

“Productivity is gradually increasing in the non-oil sector, reaching new levels and taking advantage of the opportunities in the current economic ambience,” Tinubu said.

The President explained that there had been a reduction in Nigeria’s debt burden, with revenue on debt service declining from 97 per cent in 2023 to 68 per cent in 2024.

He said the country has cleared legitimate outstanding foreign exchange obligations of about $5bn “without any adverse impact on our programmes.”

According to the President, the debt reduction has provided the country with greater financial freedom, allowing for increased spending on essential social services such as education and healthcare.

He said this financial relief has also enabled state and local governments to receive the highest allocations from the Federation Account in the nation’s history.

“Coming from a place where our country spent 97 per cent of all our revenue on debt service; we have been able to reduce that to 68 per cent in the last 13 months.

“We have also cleared legitimate outstanding foreign exchange obligations of about $5bn without any adverse impact on our programmes. This has given us more financial freedom and the room to spend more money on you, our citizens, to fund essential social services like education and healthcare,” he stated.