The 2024 MTV Video Music Award (VMA) nominees have been announced with Taylor Swift leading this year’s nominations with 10 nods.

Close behind with nine nods is Post Malone while Ariana Grande, Eminem and Sabrina Carpenter got six each.

Burna Boy, Davido, Lojay, Tems, Ayra Starr, Tyla and Pheelz were nominated under the ‘Best Afrobeats’ category.

Tyla was also nominated for two other categories ‘Best New Artiste’ and ‘Best RnB’.

The MTV VMAs will be held on September 10 at UBS Arena, New York. Voting for the VMAs also opens today until August 30.

See the full list below:

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande — ‘We can’t be friends (wait for your love)’

Billie Eilish — ‘LUNCH’

Doja Cat — ‘Paint The Town Red’

Eminem — ‘Houdini’

SZA — ‘Snooze’

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — ‘Fortnight’

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande

Bad Bunny

Eminem

Sabrina Carpenter

SZA

Taylor Swift

SONG OF THE YEAR

Beyoncé — ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’

Jack Harlow — ‘Lovin On Me’

Kendrick Lamar — ‘Not Like Us’

Sabrina Carpenter — ‘Espresso’

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — ‘Fortnight’

Teddy Swims — ‘Lose Control’

BEST NEW ARTIST

Benson Boone

Chappell Roan

Gracie Abrams

Shaboozey

Teddy Swims

Tyla

MTV PUSH PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR

August 2023: Kaliii — ‘Area Codes’

September 2023: GloRilla — ‘Lick or Sum’

October 2023: Benson Boone — ‘In The Stars’

November 2023: Coco Jones — ‘ICU’

December 2023: Victoria Monét — ‘On My Mama’

January 2024: Jessie Murph — ‘Wild Ones’

February 2024: Teddy Swims — ‘Lose Control’

March 2024: Chappell Roan — ‘Red Wine Supernova’

April 2024: Flyana Boss — ‘Yeaaa’

May 2024: Laufey — ‘Goddess’

June 2024: LE SSERAFIM — ‘Easg’

July 2024: The Warning — ‘Automatic Sun’

BEST COLLABORATION

Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA — ‘Rich Baby Daddy’

GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion — ‘Wanna Be’

Jessie Murph ft. Jelly Roll — ‘Wild Ones’

Jung Kook ft. Latto — ‘Seven’

Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen — ‘I Had Some Help’

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — ‘Fortnight’

BEST POP

Camila Cabello

Dua Lipa

Olivia Rodrigo

Sabrina Carpenter

Tate McRae

Taylor Swift

BEST HIP-HOP

Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA — ‘Rich Baby Daddy’

Eminem — ‘Houdini’

GloRilla — ‘Yeah Glo!’

Gunna — ‘Fukumean’

Megan Thee Stallion — ‘BOA’

Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti — ‘FE!N’

BEST R&B

Alicia Keys — ‘Lifeline’

Muni Long — ‘Made For Me’

SZA — ‘Snooze’

Tyla — ‘Water’

USHER, Summer Walker, 21 Savage — ‘Good Good’

Victoria Monét — ‘On My Mama’

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Benson Boone — ‘Beautiful Things’

Bleachers — ‘Tiny Moves’

Hozier — ‘Too Sweet’

Imagine Dragons — ‘Eyes Closed’

Linkin Park — ‘Friendly Fire’

Teddy Swims — ‘Lose Control (Live)’

BEST ROCK

Bon Jovi — ‘Legendary’

Coldplay — ‘Feelslikeimfallinginlove’

Green Day — ‘Dilemma’

Kings of Leon — ‘Mustang’

Lenny Kravitz — ‘Human’

U2 — ‘Atomic City’

BEST AFROBEATS

Ayra Starr ft. Giveon — ‘Last Heartbreak Song’

Burna Boy — ‘City Boys’

Chris Brown ft. Davido & Lojay — ‘Sensational’

Tems — ‘Love Me JeJe’

Tyla — ‘Water’

USHER, Pheelz — ‘Ruin’

BEST LATIN

Anitta — ‘Mil Veces’

Bad Bunny — ‘Monaco’

KAROL G — ‘MI EX TENÍA RAZÓN’

Myke Towers — ‘Lala’

Peso Pluma & Anitta — ‘BELLAKEO’

Rauw Alejandro — ‘Touching The Sky’

Shakira & Cardi B — ‘Puntería’

BEST K-POP

Jung Kook ft. Latto — ‘Seven’

LISA — ‘Rockstar’

NCT Dream — ‘Smoothie’

NewJeans — ‘Super Shy

Stray Kids — ‘LALALALA’

Tomorrow X Together — ‘Deja vu’

VIDEO FOR GOOD

Alexander Stewart — ‘If you only knew’

Billie Eilish — ‘What Was I Made For (From The Motion Picture “Barbie”)’

Coldplay — ‘feelslikeimfallinginlove’

Joyner Lucas & Jelly Roll — ‘Best For Me’

RAYE — ‘Genesis’

Tyler Childers — ‘In Your Love’

BEST DIRECTION

Ariana Grande — “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” — Directed by Christian Breslauer

Bleachers — “Tiny Moves” — Directed by Alex Lockett and Margaret Qualley

Eminem — “Houdini”– Directed by Rich Lee

Megan Thee Stallion — “BOA” — Directed by Daniel Iglesias Jr.

Sabrina Carpenter — “Please Please Please” — Directed by Bardia Zeinali

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — “Fortnight” — Directed by Taylor Swif

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Ariana Grande — “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” — Cinematography by Anatol Trofimov

Charli xcx — “Von dutch” — Cinematography by Jeff Bierman

Dua Lipa — “Illusion” — Cinematography by Nikita Kuzmenko

Olivia Rodrigo — “obsessed” — Cinematography by Marz Miller

Rauw Alejandro — “Touching The Sky” — Cinematography by Camilo Monsalve

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — “Fortnight” — Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto

BEST EDITING

Anitta — “Mil Veces” — Editing by Nick Yumul

Ariana Grande — “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” — Editing by Luis Caraza Peimbert

Eminem — “Houdini” — Editing by David Checel

LISA — “Rockstar” — Editing by Nik Kohler

Sabrina Carpenter — “Espresso” — Editing by Jai Shukla

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — “Fortnight” — Editing by Chancler Haynes

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Bleachers — “Tiny Moves” — Choreography by Margaret Qualley

Dua Lipa — “Houdini” — Choreography by Charm La’Donna

LISA — “Rockstar” — Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Rauw Alejandro — “Touching The Sky” — Choreography by Felix ‘Fefe’ Burgos

Tate McRae — “Greedy” — Choreography by Sean Bankhead

Troye Sivan — “Rush” — Choreography by Sergio Reis, Mauro Van De Kerkhof

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Ariana Grande — “the boy is mine” — Visual effects by Digital Axis

Eminem — “Houdini” — Visual effects by Synapse Virtual Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysic, Flawless Post

Justin Timberlake — “Selfish” — Visual effects by Candice Dragonas

Megan Thee Stallion — “BOA” — Visual effects by Mathematic

Olivia Rodrigo — “get him back!” — Visual effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston Mohr, Karen Arakelian, Justin Johnson

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — “Fortnight” — Visual effects by Parliament

BEST ART DIRECTION

Charli xcx — “360” — Art direction by Grace Surnow

LISA — “Rockstar” — Art direction by Pongsan Thawatwichian

Megan Thee Stallion — “BOA” — Art direction by Brittany Porter

Olivia Rodrigo — “bad idea right?” — Art direction by Nicholas des Jardins

Sabrina Carpenter — “Please Please Please” — Art direction by Nicholas des Jardins

Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone — “Fortnight” — Art direction by Ethan Tobman

The Nigerian Army says a soldier who killed a 16-year-old protester in Zaria has been arrested.

In a statement on Wednesday, Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesperson, said soldiers were enforcing the 24-hour curfew imposed on Kaduna and Zaria metropolis following reports of violence during the nationwide protest.

He said the soldiers were attacked by some hoodlums while enforcing the curfew in Samaru area of Zaria.

Nwachukwu added that hoodlums were throwing stones at security personnel and burning tyres despite the curfew.

The army spokesperson said the soldier fired a warning shot in a bid to disperse the protesters but accidentally killed the boy.

“On 6 August 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call that some hoodlums gathered in Samaru in large numbers, burning tires on the road and pelting stones on security personnel,” the statement reads.

“The troops immediately mobilised and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the state government.

“On arrival at the scene, the hoodlums brazenly attempted attacking the troops, prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of a 16-year-old boy Ismail Mohammed.

“The soldier involved has since been arrested and undergoing interrogation as at the time of this report.”

The statement added that Toareed Lagbaja, chief of army staff, sent a high-powered delegation to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.

The delegation was led by Lander Saraso, general officer commanding 1 division.

The spokesperson said the deceased has been buried according to Islamic rites, adding that senior military officers attended the burial.

Team Nigeria faced a setback in their pursuit of a medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Tuesday as two medal prospects failed to live up to the expectation.

Favour Ofili’s performance in the women’s 200m final and Blessing Oborududu’s loss in the bronze medal match of the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling left Team Nigeria without a medal four days to the end of the tournament.

In the women’s 200m final, Ofili finished sixth with a time of 22.24s, as USA’s Gabby Thomas clinched the gold with a time of 21.83s. Julie Alfred secured second place with a time of 22.08s, while Brittany Brown claimed the third spot with a time of 22.20s.

Despite running a new season’s best of 22.05s in the event and making it to the final, Ofili was unable to secure a medal.

On the other hand, Blessing Oborududu lost 3-0 in the bronze medal match of the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling to Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki. This came after her narrow 3-1 defeat to Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova in the semi-finals the previous night.

With the disappointment in these events, Team Nigeria’s hopes now hinge on women’s 100m hurdles record holder, Tobi Amusan, who qualified for the semi-finals of the event earlier today, August 7, 2024.

The team is also looking to other athletes competing in athletics, weightlifting, and wrestling to secure medals for the country as the 2024 Olympics ends on August 11.

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa on Wednesday, hosted the ECOWAS Chief of Defence Staff Meeting at the Defence Headquarters Abuja.

The meeting was necessitated by insurgencies, coups, proliferation of arms, proxy wars amongst others which have threatened the peace and existence of African countries.

However, the ECOWAS commissioner for political affairs and security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Mussah, disclosed that the 42nd ordinary meeting of the ECOWAS committee of chief of defence staff was inevitably delayed due to the buildup of crisis in most African countries including coups that disrupted the democratic system of these countries.

“The 42nd ordinary meeting of The ECOWAS committee of chief of defence staff was inevitably delayed as a result of coups, security upheavals in the region and the announced withdrawal of the alliance of the Sehalian states from our community which requires special interventions,” the commissioner said.

The meeting is expected these critical issues by providing lasting solutions for the safety and wellbeing of Africans

During the first session of the meeting, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa implored security operatives to initiate ideas and strategies to be employed during the course of the meeting

“As we embark on today’s discussions,I encourage everyone to exchange ideas and strategies for the benefit of all” General Christopher said.

Former Governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, has described one of the organizers of the #EndBadGovernance protest, Omoyele Sowore, as a defeated politician.

Naija News reports that Oshiomhole, during an interview on Arise TV, said Sowore, who is still nursing his defeat from the last presidential election, can not speak for Nigerians.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain stated that he does not recognise anyone among those who called themselves organisers of the nationwide protest, which has entered its eighth day.

The lawmaker also said there was no need for the protest, adding that President Bola Tinubu was doing everything within his power to solve the economic challenges facing Nigeria.

He said, “I listen to all those names you mentioned and the others, I don’t know them. Which Nigerian does not know Wole Soyinka? Who didn’t know Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory? Who doesn’t know Femi Falana?

“I know Sowore as a defeated presidential candidate. And when you’re defeated in an election, you wait for the man who won the election.

“Give him time. Sowore cannot be seen as speaking for the people because he is still nursing the pain of his defeat.

“So, that’s not the guy to speak for people in Kano, for those people who throw bombs in Maiduguri or those people who hijack cars in.”

Minister of Finance and Coordinator of the Economy, Wale Edun, has said the actual quantity of petrol consumption in Nigeria is not known.

Wale Edun said the federal government did not make provision for fuel subsidy in the 2024 budget.

The Minister of Finance stated this while speaking on AIT Money Line with Nancy programme on Tuesday, monitored by our reporter.

Speaking on how the cost difference between the landing price and the selling price is covered, he said subsidy has gone technically.

He disclosed that some organizations are ensuring fuel availability at a lower cost than what the normal cost should have been for security reasons.

Edun said at the time the administration of President Bola Tinubu took over, fuel imported for Nigerians using subsidy was moved to other African countries. He explained that if Nigeria pays for fuel import at 40 percent, the country only gets 4 percent.

He said, “The fuel subsidy was removed on May 29, 2023 by Mr President. At that time, the poorest 40 percent, we were only getting 4 percent of the value. So basically we were not benefitting at all. It was going to just a few. Another important point to make is that nobody knows the consumption of petrol in Nigeria. We know we spend 600 million dollars every month on importation.

“The issue here is that all the neighbouring countries are benefitting. So we were buying not just for Nigeria, we were buying for the countries to the east, as far as Central Africa Republic, we are buying to the West and for the North. So we have to ask ourselves as Nigerians, how long do we want that to do that for, that is the key issue regarding this issue of petrol pricing.

“There is no fuel subsidy in the budget. That is the truth. That is the technical fact. There are organizations that have the responsibility to make sure for security reasons that there is fuel, but that doesn’t mean there is fuel subsidy in the budget. The real issue is how can we be subsidizing all our neighbours and expect the people of our own country to progress.”

When asked why government did not take action to stop fuel bought on subsidy from going to other African countries, the Minister of Finance said that would require closing the border.

“What it means is that we should block our borders. That is really it. We should block our borders,” Edun said.

An Imo State High Court has sentenced a clergyman to eight years imprisonment for raping his church member’s wife.

The pastor, identified as Desmond Eke, is the founder of Deliverance Ministry of the Good Shepherd located at Umuehieta Avu, Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State

Justice T. N . Nzeukwu found Eze guilty of taking advantage of the woman who had vested so much trust in him.

The convict was tried on three counts that bordered on raping the victim, who is also a member of his church and administering a stupefying substance on his victim, which made her dizzy and weak.

According to the prosecution counsel, Chioma Emuka, it was while in the dizzy state that Eke took advantage of the woman who woke up to consciousness while he was still inside her.

Emuka said, “On inquiry on why he had to violate her, the pastor told the 25-year-old woman that his semen is holy enough to deliver her of the marine spirit that was disturbing her.”

While delivering the judgment, Justice Nzeukwu held that Eke was guilty of the offences preferred against him.

The judge convicted Eke on count two of the charge of breaching trust and raping the woman but discharged him on the third count, which bordered on inflicting injuries during the rape

“Since the woman was not completely conscious during the incident, there was no way injuries could result since there was no resistance,“ Justice Nzeukwu held.

Before the sentence, the defence counsel pleaded with the court to temper justice with mercy that his client had been of good behaviour having been present in court throughout the trial without jumping bail.

He pleaded that instead of a full sentence, his client should be put on probation.

Tobi Amusan has made Nigerians proud again as she qualified for the 100-meter hurdles semi-finals in the ongoing 2024 Olympics in Paris on Wednesday.

Naija News understands that the track and field athlete specialises in the 100-metre hurdles

Amusan, the reigning world record holder, outpaced the USA’s Alaysha Johnson, who finished second with a time of 12.61 seconds, and Janeek Brown, who clocked in at 12.84 seconds in Heat 1.

This performance positions Amusan as the second-fastest qualifier overall, trailing only the defending Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico.

It is noteworthy that Nigeria has not yet secured a medal in this year’s Olympic Games.

Naija News reports that the semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Friday, August 9, with the final event planned for the second-to-last day of the athletics competition, Saturday, August 10.

The 27-year-old athlete has demonstrated exceptional performance leading up to the sporting event, achieving a season-best and world-leading time of 12.40 seconds (0.9) at the Jamaican Athletics Invitational held in Kingston in May.

Prior to this, she established the indoor record for the African 60m hurdles on two occasions in January and February.

In March, she secured her third consecutive title at the African Games in Ghana, while also contributing to the women’s 4x100m relay team that won gold in Accra, in addition to her victory at the African Championships in Cameroon three months later.

Throughout this season, Amusan has participated in 17 competitions, which encompass the 60m, 100m, 100m hurdles, and the 4x100m relay.

Amusan, a three-time consecutive Diamond League champion, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, two-time African champion, and three-time African Games gold medalist, has represented her country in two Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020)

The Dangote Refinery is reportedly set to divest a 12.7 per cent stake in 2024 to facilitate loan servicing.

This development was disclosed in a recent report published by Fitch Ratings, a credit rating agency.

Fitch noted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had previously intended to purchase a 20 per cent stake in the refinery.

Nevertheless, the agency pointed out that the national oil company’s choice not to pursue its option of acquiring an additional 12.75 per cent by June 2024 could adversely affect the group’s capacity to manage its loan obligations.

In 2021, the NNPC secured a 7.25 per cent stake in the refinery for $1.0 billion, with the option to acquire the remaining 12.75 per cent by June 2024. However, the national oil company has since withdrawn from this commitment.

“Since the option has not been exercised, the group plans to divest a 12.75 per cent stake in DORC in 2024.

“The group intends to service its significant syndicated loan maturing in August 2024 from the equity divestment. However, timely divestment and meeting the imminent maturity are highly uncertain in our view,” Fitch said.

Naija News recalls that in July, the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, revealed that the NNPC holds only a 7.2 per cent stake in the refinery, contrary to the common belief among many Nigerians that it possesses a 20 per cent stake.

Dangote said: “The agreement was actually 20 per cent which we had with NNPC, and they did not pay the balance of the money up till last year; then we gave them another extension up till June (2024), and they said that they would remain where they have already paid, which is 7.2 per cent. So NNPC owns only 7.2 per cent, not 20 per cent.”

In a subsequent statement, the NNPC revealed that it has decided not to invest further in the refinery.

“NNPC Limited periodically assesses its investment portfolio to ensure alignment with the company’s strategic goals.

“The decision to cap its equity participation at the paid-up sum was made and communicated to Dangote Refinery several months ago,” the NNPC said in a statement by its spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye.

In the meantime, Nigeria’s former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has advocated for an independent audit to investigate the reasons behind the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s decision to limit its investment in the Dangote Petroleum Refinery to 7.2 per cent, rather than the initial intended 20 per cent.

“Did the Nigerian government not tell us it borrowed $3.3bn from Afriexim-Bank to take a stake in the Dangote refinery?” Ezekwesili asked, calling on President Bola Tinubu to immediately launch an independent audit of the Dangote refinery-NNPC transaction to offer the public the true state of play.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) said it has accepted the apology of former Senate Chief Whip Ali Ndume, who was stripped of his position for speaking out against hardship in the country.

The Senate removed Ndume (Borno South) from the position on July 17 for criticising Tinubu’s administration and replaced him with Senator Tahir Monguno (Borno North), following a letter from APC national chairman, Dr

Abdullahi Ganduje, and the party’s national secretary, Bashir Ajibola, in that regard.
However, after addressing journalists at a meeting of the APC National Working Committee and the lawmakers, Ganduje said the party’s administrative organ is writing to the Senate about the outcome of the interface so that the Red Chamber can review its earlier position.

He said, “We are pretty satisfied with his apology. Like he said, we invited him, and you know the party is the father of everybody. As a party, we are free to ask legislators, members of the executive, and even all the appointed party members in the government.

So, that is why we decided to come. It is a family issue, and we need to resolve it.
“We are writing to the National Assembly to let you know what has happened between Senator Ndume and the party. You know, he apologised to the party, and we conveyed the same issue to the National Assembly, that we hope they can review their position.”

On his part, Ndume insisted that he did not insult the President or say anything against the party. He only left the party out when expressing his concerns and admitted his mistake of not talking to the party as a last point.

“Yesterday, I was invited to a party, and here I am to discuss family matters. The national chairman is not just a national chairman to me but a father. With what has happened, which you are all aware of, it is not surprising that I am invited to hear my side, and we had family discussions. I accepted the mistake of not talking to the party as a last point. I promised the party that all my observations as a senior family member should have terminated or ended with the party.

“I will move forward on that, but whatever I said or did was out of patriotism. Those issues may be said to be strong, but they are true. Then I should have talked to the party at the last bus stop.”The President and the

Senate have nothing to do with this; the President did not take offence, I didn’t insult the President, I didn’t say anything against the party, but I left the party out of reaching on issues, and so, please I think that is all I can say,” Ndume maintained.