Several passengers were stranded as major flights were disrupted due to a heavy flood that hit the premises of Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday.

This was also seen in a viral video seen by SaharaReporters on TikTok showing how several aircraft and passengers were struggling to move due to the heavy flood.

It was gathered that Dubai’s highways were clogged by floodwaters and passengers were urged to stay away from the airport as the glitzy financial centre reeled from record rains.

Several reports claimed that the country witnessed unprecedented rainfall with 254mm (10 inches) falling in Al Ain on Tuesday in less than 24 hours, according to the National Centre of Meteorology. That was the most since records began in 1949, before the country was established in 1971.

Although the torrential rains had subsided by late Tuesday, problems persisted on Wednesday, with Dubai's flagship Emirates airline halting check-in for customers departing Dubai Airport until midnight.

“Flights continue to be delayed and diverted … We are working hard to recover operations as quickly as possible in very challenging conditions,” an airport spokesperson told Aljazeera.

The storms hit the UAE and Bahrain overnight Monday and on Tuesday after lashing Oman, where 18 people were killed, including several children.

Climatologist Friederike Otto, a specialist in assessing the role of climate change on extreme weather events, said it was “highly likely” that global warming had worsened the storms.

Afrobeats singer Yemi Alade has urged fans and followers against poking into the business of others too often.

According to her, if it persists then one automatically becomes their problem.

She advised people not to meddle in other people’s problems because if they do it consistently, they will soon become a problem to the people they’re trying to help.

“Getting too involved in people’s problems will make you a problem in their eyes eventually,” she wrote.

The Nation reported in March, Yemi called out a certain popular blogger for spreading lies about her.

Her outrage was coming following a particular alleged interview she granted going viral.

The post allegedly said Yemi said she was faced with s3xual advances from some men in the industry.

Renowned singer Tiwatope Omolara Savage, known professionally as Tiwa Savage, says her dream was to be an actress.

In a recent interview with MTV, the Afrobeats star said she had always wanted to be in the film industry.

Riding Motorbike Alone Across Laos - Beautiful Memories from LAOS - Nếm TV

According to her, she delved into the music industry because of a man she had a crush on.

Tiwa Savage said her crush was always around musicians, so she ditched acting for music.

“I have always wanted to do acting. Acting was one of my first loves before music. I got into music because I had a crush on a guy and he was always around the musician so I said ‘yeah, forget acting and just go into music’,” she said.

Daily Trust reports that “Water and Garri,” a Nollywood blockbuster featuring Tiwa Savage in her first acting role, is set for premiere on May 10.

Meji Alabi, director of the film, made the announcement on his Instagram page.

“Always wanted to shoot a movie, so we did. D- excited to share that our new Film “Water & Garri” @WaterAndGarri Film is coming out on May 10th on @Primevideo,” he wrote.

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused a northwest Governor of writing election results instead of conducting free and fair elections.

El-Rufai disclosed that the said Governor had approached him on how to conduct free and fair elections, but instead of heeding the advice given to him, the Northwest Governor went ahead to write election results as usual.

El-Rufai stated this on Monday in Maiduguri, while delivering a lead paper at a capacity-building workshop for top officials of the Borno State government.

Speaking against the backdrop of state electoral commissions as rigging tools in the hands of the state governors, El-Rufai recalled how he used electronic voting to conduct a free and fair local government areas elections during his tenure as governor.

He narrated that it was after the success of the local government elections that the Northwest state governor approached him to use his pattern, but after availing him of the technique used in conducting the elections, he went back to his state and wrote results of the local government elections he conducted instead of conducting it electronically.

El-Rufai, during his lecture, called for the scrapping of the state electoral commissions, arguing that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) could handle all local government elections.

“While I was the Governor of Kaduna State, I introduced electronic voting and conducted local government election with it. After the election, we lost about three to four local government areas to the opposition, because of the credibility of the election. And because we were transparent in the election, some of those opposition candidates decamped to our party because of our fairness in the election.

“I remember that one governor from the Northwest who loved the conduct of the election through electronic voting asked me to assist him with the technology I used in the election, but because it has the state logo, I told him that it would not cost more than 10,000 US dollars, so that he can get the equipment to conduct his state LGA election electronically. But after that conversation, I did not hear from him again, he went back home and conducted his election by writing the results as usual,” El-Rufai said.

Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest, has entered a plea of not guilty to charges of tampering and abusing the naira during his arraignment at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Wednesday.

The socialite and businessman faced three counts of naira abuse, stemming from his actions at a social event held at Eko Hotel on February 13, 2024.

Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court presided over the case, where Cubana Chief Priest was accused of spraying N500 notes—a violation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Act of 2007, which prohibits such actions.

It was alleged that he engaged in this act for two hours during the event, while dancing.

Cubana Chief Priest, whose real name is Pascal Okechukwu, was later granted bail of N10 million by the court after pleading not guilty to the charges brought against him.

Earlier reports revealed that Cubana Chief Priest was apprehended by operatives of the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Lagos for the alleged offenses.

Following his detention, he was transported to court under heavy armed police escort and arrived at approximately 8:45 am on the day of the trial.

Judgement is expected to be passed today by Justice Kehinde Ogundare of the Federal High Court in Lagos in respect to the three count of charges against Cubana Chiefpriest.

The case comes days after cross-dresser, Bobrisky was sentenced to six-month in prison for similar offences.

Controversial Nigerian singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, has pleaded with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following the prosecution of some celebrities.

Speaking in a recent Instagram live session on Tuesday, Portable appealed to the anti-graft to forgive him if they have any evidence against him abusing the Naira.

He said it was never his intention to mutilate the Naira, stressing that he only sprays money to help the masses.

Portable noted that he respects constituted authority and will not commit such an offence again.

The ‘Zazoo Zeh’ hitmaker also encouraged his followers to open bank accounts. The singer said he will henceforth be making transfers to his supporters and “people in need” through their bank accounts.

He wrote, “I use my money to build love. I used my money to build relationships. Did I spray money at the club? I was spraying money in the area where they need me.

“I didn’t deface the naira, I help a lot of people, After God na Government, Please forgive me if you have videos of me spraying money, no more spraying of money.”

Recalls that the EFCC arraign popular socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, widely known as Cubana Chief Priest for Naira abuse, days after a crossdresser, Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, was sent to prison for a similar offence.

Ex-Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Maryam Inna Ciroma, has chided latter day leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for elevating selfish interests to the detriment of the party and democracy.

Ciroma, who was at one time National Woman Leader of the PDP, said this at a press conference and Diaspora Grassroots Engagement Parley, organized by the Directorate of Diaspora And Foreign Missions of PDP Rescue Mission International, in Abuja, on Tuesday.

She specifically lamented PDP’s departure from the ideals of its founding fathers.

According to her, the PDP was formed to promote inclusive democracy which will serve as a basis for rapid national growth; an ideal which those at the helm of affairs have since abandoned for a system which promotes selfishness and greed.

The Ex-Minister also accused Nigeria elites, particularly leaders of political parties, of putting their selfish interests over and above those of their various parties ,thus destroying the very fabric of the parties.

She said, “The basis for the formation of PDP has crashed because when the PDP was formed, it was it was called Peoples Democratic Party.

“The people that started the party were very passionate about democracy. “They stood and fought the military to ensure that Nigeria returns to democracy.

“Unfortunately, as it is now, there is no democracy, not even in Nigeria as a whole. All our political parties are not democratic.

” So, Nigerians especially the elites, will have to stand up and look at this issue of democracy in Nigeria. You can see that in some countries they hold democracy seriously as if it is their religion.

“Go to America, as far as they are concerned, democracy is Number one. But here in Nigeria we have thrown democracy away.

“We are not talking of fairness, we are not talking of justice. Our party, when it was formed, it was with the belief that Nigeria needs a united a party.

“That’s why our symbol is umbrella. People’s interest have overtaken the interest of the party and the interest of Nigeria.

Also speaking at the event, the Director-General of the PDP Rescue Mission International, Comrade Vic-Morrow Ulo explained that the mission of his group is to reform, rebuild and return PDP to its winning ways by ensuring that in the eyes of its members and public.

He said, “PDP is seen as a rules based political party, distinctively different from others and fully aligned to the provisions of her constitution and that of the country.

“The PDP Rescue Mission International has an approach which is driven by a redemptive and transformative agenda and focused on getting PDP transformed into a strong rules based political party, which is equally answerable to the yearnings of Nigerians.

“If there is anything we must be mindful about, it is the fact that the younger generation has lost confidence in the PDP of today”.

Nigerian singer, Lara George, has tackled the Senior Pastor of Dunamic Church, Paul Enenche, over the apology to Vera Anyim, a lady who testified about having a “B.Sc Law” from the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Naija News recalls that Veronica Anyim shared her testimony on Sunday of how God made her the “only graduate in her family.”

During the testimony, Veronica said she graduated with a “BSc in Law” from NOUN, but the pastor interjected her testimony.

Enenche asked what kind of degree she graduated with and she said “B.Sc in Law”, he thereafter accused the testifier of lying.

The saga irked many netizens on social media, with some asking Enenche to apologise to Veronica while others defended the clergyman’s action.

In a statement issued on Monday by his Personal Assistant, Sylvester Edoh, Pastor Enenche apologised to the lady and said he never intended to disgrace Veronica when he interjected while she was testifying.

However, Lara George, in a post on her Instagram page, faulted the statement issued regarding the testimony saga, stating that Enenche’s apology leaves room for doubt.

The singer urged Pastor Enenche to properly apologise to Vera, as his team’s write-up was an insult.

She wrote: “Erm. That’s not an apology. When it leaves room for doubt, you haven’t apologised. WWJD? Be humble enough to apologise to her properly. Let your apology be as loud and as clear as your criticism.

“Nah! It’s not nice. Doesn’t matter who you are, we should all treat others as we would like to be treated. She doesn’t speak as well as you think she should, therefore you can conclude she is telling a lie? Based on the way she speaks?

“The way she speaks is a reflection of what we have allowed in our society. Every politician that you coddled instead of speaking the truth to, who stole funds that should have gone into healthcare, or education, or any other public welfare initiative…… well…… that’s the outcome. Graduates who speak like that. And you…. contributed to the condition of that society. The contributions from people like her is what has built the edifice you sit in. And while you sit there, we don’t hear you speak for the voiceless or defend the helpless.

“Nah. It’s not nice. Apologise to her properly. Unequivocally. That write-up that you had your people do, is really an insult on top of her injury. You know this. You would never dare address the matter that way if she was from a wealthy background.

“At the end of the day, the way you treat someone who you think you will never need is the true indicator of your character.”

The government of Katsina State has shut down three petrol stations suspected of supplying fuel to bandits in the state.

The governor’s Chief of Staff, Jabiru Salisu Tsauri, spearheaded the task force established to tackle grain hoarding and unwarranted food price increases, which conducted the raid, resulting in the closure.

Speaking to newsmen after closing the petrol stations, Tsauri stated that the committee had the authority to arrest suspected individuals and detain them for up to 48 hours before initiating court proceedings.

He said the committee received intelligence that the affected petrol stations were supplying fuel to bandits during nighttime and early morning hours.

Nevertheless, one businessman affected by the situation, opting not to disclose their identity, rebuffed the allegations, affirming their commitment to operating their business cautiously and denying any involvement in activities that could threaten the state’s security.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has said his government will no longer pay ransom to bandits and Boko Haram terrorists.

He stated this in an article he wrote and published by Newsweek on April 15, 2024, in commemoration of the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls ten years ago.

The President stated that the resolution of kidnapping through ransom payment only perpetuates more abductions, saying that extortion rackets must be squeezed out of existence.

Seun Jimoh, a Nollywood actor, has alleged that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is unfairly targeting celebrities in its current crackdown on Naira abusers.

He was reacting to the news that the commission is set to arraign popular socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, aka Cubana Chief Priest for Naira abuse days after crossdresser, Bobrisky was sent to prison for a similar offence.

Jimoh said it is “unfair that certain people are being selected for a crime almost 70% of Nigerians or more are guilty of with overwhelming video evidence all over the internet.”

He argued that the “scapegoat approach to cultural reforms is quite sinister and lacks any concern for the mental health of the Nigerian citizens.”

On his Instagram page, he wrote: “It looks like scapegoats are being selected to send a message to the general populace. But then, is it not unfair that certain people are being selected for a crime almost 70% of Nigerians or more are guilty of with overwhelming video evidence all over the internet?!

“Why hasn’t anyone ever caught on video spraying money between the time the law has been in effect till now being arrested? Why celebrities? Celebrities are citizens too! This scapegoat approach to cultural reforms is quite sinister and lacks any concern for the mental health of the Nigerian citizens.”