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The Headies, Nigeria’s biggest music award, is set to return home with the hosting of two separate editions of the annual show in 2025, its organisers have said.
In a video shared on Headie’s X page, Ayo Animashuan, founder of The Headies, said the 17th edition of the award would take place on April 5, focusing on the music of 2024.
He also revealed that the nominations list for this 17th edition will be released on February 12,and the 18th edition would take place in December, celebrating music from 2024 and 2025 respectively.
He said: “This awards that is happening in April was meant to happen last year, but for some reasons, it didn’t happen last year.
“We did not want to miss a calendar year… So the next is going to happen in December. It is going to be a part of the Detty December trend.”
The Headies is a prestigious music awards show established in 2006 to recognise outstanding achievements in the Nigerian music industry.
The first edition, hosted by Darry Art Alade, was held at the Shell Hall of the MUSON center on Onikan, Lagos.
Some artistes who were on the honour’s roll at the maiden edition of the Headies include Don Jazzy, P-Square, Jude Okoye, Mode 9,DJ Jimmy Jatt, Keke Ogungbe and Dayo.
However the organisers took the 16th Headies Awards to the United States, hosting at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia on September 3, 2023.
The biggest winners of the night were Rema and Burna Boy, who took home three awards each. Other winners included Wizkid, Davido, Ayra Starr, Asake and Omah Lay.
The event was also marked by the induction of Angelique Kidjo into the Headies Hall of Fame.
In February 2024, the award organisers, disclosed that the 17th award event would return to Nigeria after hosting the 2022 and 2023 editions in the United States.(NAN)
‘It was bitter marriage experience’, Actor Boy Alinco recalls ordeal to obtain US citizenship
AFOLABI
Nigerian comic actor Bayo Bankole, popularly known as Boy Alinco has opened up about his difficult journey to obtaining United States citizenship.
Bankole, widely known for his role in the sitcom Papa Ajasco, shared his experience during a recent appearance on The Teju Babyface Show.
The 56-year-old actor revealed that he left his family in Nigeria in 2015 to pursue US citizenship through marriage.
Just seven months after meeting his partner, he tied the knot.
However, the first two years of the marriage proved to be challenging, marked by financial struggles and hardship.
Reflecting on that period, Bankole said he had to take on menial jobs to support both his family in the US and his loved ones back in Nigeria.
He attributed some of the difficulties to his joint financial arrangements with his wife and a lack of proper guidance in navigating the immigration process.
“My case was unfortunate because I had no one to advise me on the citizenship process,” he said.
Despite the hardships, the actor expressed gratitude that his life has since improved and that he now has his children from Nigeria with him in the US. He also emphasized that he harbors no resentment toward his wife and is focused on moving forward.
“I have had the opportunity of traveling way back in 1999 and 2000 frequently. But I came to the US for the first time in April 2015,” he recalled. “Then I met a lady. When I came back in October 2015, I got settled and decided to get married. But it was a bitter experience for me. Eventually, I had to stay back. Two years of an experience that I will not want to recall. It was just like what I wrote when I eventually got my green card that truly I am an Asunkungbade—one who fights to earn his crown. At the end of the day, all glory be to God.”
The actor spoke about the challenges immigrants face when seeking legal residency in the US, highlighting the various routes available and the difficulties that come with them.
“There are processes to citizenship. There are processes to getting a green card. Do you want to go through asylum? The process of immigration does not come easy. Some guys are fortunate. They get it so easily. But not all of us. If you bring 10 guys out, eight will have a nasty experience,” he said.
“You have situations that if you go through marriage, if you are fortunate to have a good woman, thank your star for it. And if you do not have a good woman, please endure and enjoy it. The situation becomes so difficult when you have your loved ones back at home who depend on you. You are struggling with their survival here and at home.”
As the ‘ganusi’ controversy between Muslim clerics and Fuji maestro, King Wasiu Ayinde continues to get Nigerians talking, his rival in the industry, Abass Akande (Obesere) enjoys public approval as he marked his 60th birthday with heartwarming donations.
Born on January 28, 1965, Akande, also known as Omorapala, commemorated his birthday by building a mosque for his former secondary school in Lagos.
The Fuji artiste also donated essential learning materials, including books and school bags, to students.
Sharing a video of the mosque on Instagram, Obesere said he won’t stop his philanthropic gestures.
“To God Be The Glory! Today, we commissioned the newly built mosque at my alma mater and also donated learning materials to the pupils. This will continue and won’t stop for a bit,” the singer said.
Obesere’s birthday celebration and donations came amid a lingering controversy that followed the burial of his counterpart Wasiu Ayinde’s mother, popularly known as K1 de Ultimate.
Recall that K1 became a subject of conversation on social media following his controversial remarks about Muslim clerics and his refusal to apologise to them.
Ahead of his late mother’s 8-day Fidau prayer, K1 was seen in a viral clip conversing with a man. In their discussion, he used the words ‘ganu si’ in reference to the clerics who visited his residence after his mother had been buried.
“Alfas will not go to my father’s house; it’s my house they will, “Ganu si,” he said in Yoruba.
Many Muslim clerics found the word ‘ganu si’ insulting as many interpreted it to mean the clerics attended social events uninvited primarily for pecuniary reasons.
During the 8-day Fidau prayer, which took place on Friday, January 24, a respected and popular cleric, Sheikh Faruq Onikijipa — who delivered a sermon at the event — urged K1 to apologise for his purported disparaging comment about the cleric, but the musician refused.
He said he didn’t do anything wrong, adding that tendering an apology would amount to admittance of guilt.
His refusal to apologise sparked reactions among the Muslim community as some supported him while others criticised him for allegedly belittling the clerics
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) says it will embark on a nationwide mass rally on Tuesday February 4, 2025, in protest of the 50 per cent telecom tariff increase recently approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
According to a communique signed by the NLC president, Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, the decision was taken at an emergency meeting convened by the union’s National Administrative Council (NAC) on Wednesday.
The NLC said the rally will serve as a warning on the dangers of imposing such an unfair increase on a struggling population earning a minimum wage of only ₦70,000; a population that has suffered outrageous hike in the price of petrol, high cost of food, hike in electricity tariff and general rising inflation.
It directed its affiliates and state councils to begin full mobilization in preparation for the nationwide protest rally, calling on willing civil society allies to also join the preparation.
The Congress as well, called on all Nigerian workers, the informal sector, and the general public to stand in solidarity against what it termed unjust policy.
The NLC said that its NAC-in-session totally rejected the 50% Telecom Tariff Hike which it considers as too harsh for citizens.
“It therefore strongly condemns the Nigeria Communications Commission’s decision to approve the increase in telecommunications tariffs.
“This decision is insensitive, unjustifiable, and a direct assault on Nigerian workers and the general populace, who are already burdened by worsening economic hardship foisted on them by Policies of government which was no fault of theirs,” the union said.
The NLC demanded an immediate suspension of the 50% tariff hike.
It called on the Federal Government, the NCC and the National Assembly to engage in meaningful dialogue with critical stakeholders to review the proposed tariff adjustment within the context of the economic realities facing Nigerians.
The Congress added that if this is not heeded, it will escalate its actions, including the possibility of a nationwide boycott of telecommunication services and further mass actions which may involve nationwide withdrawal of our service to resist policies that exacerbate poverty and inequality.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress remains committed to protecting the interests of Nigerian workers and citizens against exploitative economic policies.
“We will not relent in our struggle against policies that undermine the welfare and dignity of our people. Nigerian workers and citizens must unite and take action to prevent further economic oppression.
“We must resist any policy that prioritizes corporate profits over the well-being of the people,” the union added.
On January 20, the NCC announced its approval for a 50% tariff increase for telecoms operators in the country.
In a statement, a spokesman for the regulator Reuben Muoka said the price adjustment though lower than the “over 100% requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability”.
The regulator said the increase was pursuant to its power under Section 108 of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 (NCA) to regulate and approve tariff rates and charges by telecommunications operators.
“These adjustments will remain within the tariff bands stipulated in the 2013 NCC Cost Study, and requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis as is the Commission’s standard practice for tariff reviews. It will be implemented in strict adherence to the recently issued NCC Guidance on Tariff Simplification, 2024,” the statement read.
Nigeria has secured a $1.1 billion loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the provision of electricity for 5 million people by the end of 2026.
According to Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President, (Information & Strategy), President Bola Tinubu made this known in a speech presented by Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power, at the just concluded two-day Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Tinubu also stated that the AfDB’s $200 million in the Nigeria Electrification Project will provide electricity for 500,000 people by the end of 2025.
“I (Tinubu) acknowledged AfDB’s $1.1 billion, expected to provide electricity for 5 million people by the end of 2026, while its $200 million in the Nigeria Electrification Project will provide electricity for 500,000 people by the end of 2025.
“This is an ambitious goal, but we can achieve it together,” Tinubu said. “As Nigeria’s President, I am committed to making energy access a top priority.”
Meanwhile, the president of Nigeria is also expecting to get the planned $1.2 billion AfDB investment in the Nigeria Desert to Power programme and facility for the Nigeria-Grid Battery Energy Storage System.
“We also look forward to the AfDB’s planned $700 million investment in the Nigeria Desert to Power programme and its planned $500 million facility for the Nigeria-Grid Battery Energy Storage System, which will provide electricity for an additional two million people,” Tinubu said.
“We have equally begun making plans to ensure the effectiveness of the World Bank’s $750 million support for expanding Nigeria’s distributed energy access via mini-grids and standalone solar systems that will provide access to power to 16.2 million people,” he added.
President Tinubu thanked Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, and Akinwunmi Adesina of AfDB for their transformative vision, which he said “will light up and power Africa.”
He also applauded the contributions of the UN Sustainable Energy For All, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Global Energy Alliance for Development.
“As we all know, Africa is rich in energy resources, yet millions of our citizens still lack access to reliable and affordable energy.
Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have paid a condolence visit to Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde over the death of his elder brother, Sunday Makinde
Sunday died in the early hours of Friday during a brief illness at the age of 65.
The Chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum, Gov. Bala Mohammed, led his colleagues on the condolence visit to Makinde in his private residence at Agodi GRA, Ibadan.
The Bauchi State Governor described Makinde’s brother as a man who lived a fulfilled life and expressed the forum’s heartfelt sympathy to his Oyo colleague.
He assured Makinde of the forum’s solidarity during this difficult period.
“We are here on behalf of the PDP Governors’ Forum to commiserate with you over the loss of your senior brother. Though we have spoken on the phone, we have to come to see you directly to show solidarity,” Mohammed said.
“We know this loss is huge and we know you to be a strong character. We know we are all here temporarily and would all go back to our creator.
“You should be consoled that this man came and contributed his own quota to the growth and development of Nigeria, which has even been testified to by your emergence as a governor.
“You have personally worked hard without going through the problem of godfatherism and you have become an indefatigable governor, who is in the PDP and has been doing very well.
“So, on behalf of my colleagues, we condole with you and the family and we pray that God will grant you the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”
In his response, Makinde acknowledged the emotional and moral encouragement provided by his colleagues, thanking them for their prayers and support.
“I want to, on behalf of the entire Makinde family, thank you for this visit. Thank you all for identifying with us at this very hour of need,” he said.
“We thought our eldest brother was just about to start life, because he was just 65. We thought after going all over the world, this is the time for him to settle down, but we cannot question God. We have to accept what has happened, because God giveth and taketh without needing any form of validation from anybody.
“It is also painful for us because it was quite sudden. This visit means a lot to us, especially the presence of my brother, Governor Sim Fubara, because we have been on different sides of the spectrum politically. But politics was put aside.
“I want to also, on behalf of the people and government of Oyo State, say thank you for the visit. Our prayer is that we won’t use this kind of visit as a payback.
“We pray that in our various families, people will grow old before they are called to the world beyond. So, thank you.
A former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Head of Media and Publicity for the Commission, Dele Oyewale, confirmed this to Channels Television in a telephone conversation on Wednesday.
Professor Yusuf was arrested by EFCC operatives who raided his residence on Wednesday.
According to the Commission, he will be arraigned on Thursday 30th January, 2025.
A petition was submitted to the immediate past presidency under former President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Ministry of Health, over misconduct and fraudulent practices.
Yusuf was relieved of his appointment in 2019 by the former President Muhammadu Buhari seven months after he was recommended for dismissal by a fact-finding panel set up by the Federal Ministry of Health over alleged mismanagement of N919m
The battle for the office of national secretary of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) heightened as the two contenders, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye, clashed at the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting at the Wadata Plaza national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.
Ude-Okoye had moved into the venue of the meeting before the arrival of Anyanwu and acting national chairman of the party, Ambassador Iliya Damagum.
However, following Anyanwu’s arrival, Ude-Okoye was forced out of the BoT meeting by pro-Anyanwu elements.
The PDP National Secretary position has been a contentious issue since Anyanwu left the seat to contest the Imo State governorship position, which he lost.
In his absence, the South-East Caucus of the party endorsed Ude-Okoye to replace him.
After losing the election, efforts to reclaim his seat as the secretary has thrown the party into further crisis.
An Appeal Court sitting in Enugu had on December 20, 2024, upheld an earlier decision of a High Court removing Senator Anyanwu as the PDP National Secretary and affirmed Ude-Okoye as the authentic secretary.
Anyanwu has, however, filed for a Stay of Execution and appeal at the Supreme Court.
Details later….
A 44-year-old Nigerian-British politician, Florence Eshalomi has been appointed as the United Kingdom’s trade envoy to Nigeria.
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Eshalomi who is now the second Nigerian to be appointed as the UK trade envoy after Helen Grant confirmed her appointment on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
“It is an honour to have been appointed as the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria,” she wrote.
“I’m looking forward to building on my close ties with Nigeria to promote a strong and flourishing economic relationship between our two great nations.
“I am looking forward to building on the UK’s relationship with Nigeria, to help explore shared growth and opportunities for both countries,” Eshalomi said.
Confirming Eshalomi’s post in a statement on Tuesday, the UK’s Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds announced the appointment of 32 parliamentarians, stating that trade and investment are key to delivering economic growth.
“I’ve launched a new team of Trade envoys, who will use their experience, expertise and knowledge to unlock new markets around the world for British businesses, drumming up investment into the UK and ultimately driving economic growth,” Reynolds said.
Eshalomi was first elected as a member of parliament (MP) for Vauxhall in 2019, succeeding Kate Hoey.
She was re-elected in 2024 for the newly created Vauxhall and Camberwell Green constituency.
A member of the Labour and Cooperative parties, she previously represented Lambeth and Southwark as a London Assembly member (AM) from 2016 to 2021.
Before her new appointment, she focused on transport, housing, and equality issues as an MP and currently serves as chair of the housing, communities, and local government committee
Popular Nigerian entertainer, Ayo Makun, also known as AY, has advised netizens to stop condemning 2face for announcing his divorce without addressing the root causes of the marital breakdown.
Speaking amidst the ongoing backlash directed at 2Face, the comedian stated that no one gets married with the intention of separation from their spouse later in life.
He berated the critics for failing to critically analyse the reasons behind the divorce.
AY also urged those he referred to as ‘online in-laws’ and blogs to choose empathy over creating social media drama and sensational content.
In a post on his Instagram story, AY wrote: “The man is always the monster in every story. Until you hear the true story.”
Similarly, on his X account, he wrote: “Instead of casting blame in broken marriages, why not focus on why the institution itself is under attack? No one goes in with a plan to fail.
“It is troubling to see online in-laws and blogs revel in sensationalism, often at the expense of those who are hurting. Real lives are involved. Let’s choose empathy over drama and content. Some of you will never rest until you lead your fellow human to suicide.”
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The Federal High Court in Ado Ekiti has dismissed the defamation case brought against activist lawyer, Dele Farotimi, by the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over allegations of cybercrime.
The case arose from comments Farotimi made during an interview about his book, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, which included remarks regarding the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Aare Afe Babalola.
At the court hearing on Wednesday, the complainant’s lawyer, Samson Osobu, informed the court that a notice of discontinuance had been filed.
Osobu cited Section 108(1)(2)(a) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, explaining that the prosecution sought the withdrawal of the case following intervention by well-meaning Nigerians and a formal request from Afe Babalola to drop the charges.
Defendant counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN), did not oppose the decision to withdraw the case. In response, Justice Babs Kuewumi officially struck out the suit.
After the ruling, Olumide-Fusika told journalists that the case had been resolved in Ado Ekiti but refrained from discussing related cases ongoing in courts in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and the Magistrate Court in Ado Ekiti.
He also mentioned that he had advised Farotimi not to give any press interviews regarding the matter.
The decision to withdraw the charges was influenced by the intervention of prominent traditional leaders, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and followed Afe Babalola’s announcement that he would instruct his legal team to drop the defamation charges.
The kingmakers in Oyo, commonly referred to as the Oyomesi, have initiated legal proceedings against Governor Seyi Makinde and others, alleging the improper utilization of the Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency to intimidate and harass them, including through threats of arrest.
Naija News reports that the conflict between the two parties arose when the governor proposed a new selection process for the Alaafin of Oyo, a suggestion that was largely rejected by the kingmakers, who had already chosen a candidate.
Ultimately, the governor opted for a different candidate, selected without the majority’s approval, a decision that the kingmakers contested, leading them to seek judicial intervention.
In various submissions to the Federal High Court in Ibadan, three kingmakers—Yusuf Akinade, Basorun of Oyo; Wakeel Akindele, Lagunna of Oyo; and Hamzat Yusuf, Akinniku of Oyo—are requesting the court to safeguard their fundamental human rights and to halt what they describe as the governor’s campaign of persecution.
In their individual submissions, they claim that the governor instructed the state anti-corruption agency to summon them for an investigation on January 21st, with the invitation letter dated January 20th, the day prior to the scheduled meeting.
They are asking the court to declare that the harassment, intimidation, threats of arrest, and attempted arrests by OYACA officials acting under the governor’s direction are “unwarranted, baseless, unlawful, unconstitutional” and infringe upon their rights to liberty and dignity.
Furthermore, they emphasized that the agency’s actions are inappropriate, as the matter is already under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and is the subject of Appeal No. CA/IB/134/2024, thus constituting a violation of legal protocols
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has expressed the Federal Government’s readiness to receive Nigerians who may be deported from the United States.
The Director of Media and Corporate Affairs at NiDCOM, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, shared in an interview with Vanguard on Tuesday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be overseeing such situations.
He also revealed that an inter-agency committee has already been established to handle any cases of deportation, involving key agencies such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, and the National Security Adviser’s office.
“The Federal Government has set up an inter-agency committee, comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NiDCOM, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, should there be mass deportation of Nigerians from the US,” Balogun said.
However, Balogun clarified that NiDCOM had not received any official reports indicating that Nigerians in the US were currently being processed for deportation.
This follows reports that nearly 3,690 Nigerians in the US are at risk of deportation due to the stringent immigration policies enforced under U.S President Donald Trump.
According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), these individuals are among the many facing removal orders.
In a report from ICE, it was disclosed that by November 2024, over 1.4 million non-citizens had received final removal orders.
The data, compiled by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), revealed that Mexico and El Salvador were among the countries with the highest number of individuals facing deportation.
As part of the larger effort to combat illegal immigration and ensure national security, ICE has been leading a crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
Last week, mass arrests were made, and some deported individuals were transported out of the country via military aircraft, signaling the commencement of a large-scale deportation operation promised by the previous administration
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, says the Federal Government is determined to sanitise the nation’s educational system.
Miracle Examination Centres (MECs) are private secondary schools in Nigeria that facilitate exam fraud. They are known for promising students success in their final exams, regardless of their actual merit.
Alausa, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, said the current administration would tackle the menace of miracle centres.
“We have problem with examination malpractice which we are addressing frontally as a government,” he said.
Alausa argued that allowing students to cheat during exams is a disservice to other who work genuinely hard to earn good grades.
According to the minister, the quality of the nation’s tertiary system is better as the government has worked on a plan to train five universities that would also training the other public institutions nationwide.
“This is not acceptable because if you let people cheat, you will disincentivise the hardworking people.
“We will tackle this issue of miracle centre, this pervasive exam cheating decisively. We would bring a complete end to this menace that has really invaded our educational system,” he added