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Bitcoin the primary crypto asset dropped by 3.5% on Friday morning to $64,700 as volatility shook the asset following a humungous sell-off of Bitcoin assets by the German government.
Bitcoin in the last hour has dropped by nearly 1.2% continuing an underwhelming trend that has witnessed the asset drop by over 9% in the last two weeks.
Industry experts believe the drop in Bitcoin prices was triggered by the massive sell-off of seized Bitcoin assets by the German authorities.
German authorities resumed selling off massive portions of Bitcoin assets from a large cache of Bitcoin seized from Movie2k.to a large movie piracy website.
The cache of Bitcoin seized from the movie piracy site owners is valued at around $3 billion and was seized in 2020.
German authorities seized over 50,000 BTC from the piracy website back in 2020 and described the bust as the most extensive security of Bitcoins by law enforcement authorities in the Federal Republic of Germany to date.
German authorities have sold off about $325 million worth of Bitcoin from the seized stash in just two days. There is also a huge possibility of further sales of the Bitcoin asset by the German authorities explained Blockchain Analytics firm Arkham.
Arkham took to X to share their observation reeling out specific figures to back it up.
“UPDATE: German Government Still Selling BTC > $195M So Far. In the past 2 hours, the German Government sent $65M in BTC to 2 likely exchange deposits including Coinbase. The German Government moved $600M BTC yesterday, sending $130M BTC to 4 likely exchange deposits including Kraken and Bitstamp. Right now, they still hold $3.05B in BTC”. Arkham Tweeted
Bitcoin spiked in March to an all-time high of $73,797 before pulling back. But then it slumped to $56,527 in May before recovering.
The recent decline of Bitcoin is not solely due to the German sell-off. The bearish trend in the market came at a time when major indices such as the S&P 500 also slumped following wider negative signals in the general financial market.
What to know
- Bitcoin is the primary crypto asset and often whenever it dips in price it also affects other assets in the market. This Is a recurring trend that has become a well-known pattern in the crypto market.
- The German authorities here serve as Crypto whales as their activities are significant enough to affect the market price of crypto assets. Crypto whales are large holders of a cryptocurrency asset whose trading activities are significant enough to affect the price of crypto assets in the market.
[Nairametrics]
Nigeria’s superstar singer, David Adeleke, professionally known as Davido, has revealed that the wedding ring he presented to his fiancée, Chioma, is worth the price of two or three Rolls Royce.
Davido revealed this in an Instagram post by a socialite, Pascal Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest.
In a video, Cubana Chief Priest, who was driving the driving the car in which Davido and Chioma sat at the back, said the wedding on June 25, 2024 in Lagos, would be a gathering of billionaires.
The businessman, who told Chioma to display the ring, said the wedding would be a strict gathering of real friends and family.
He said: “We’re rolling on a Rolls Royce.
“A Yoruba man steps out and says: ‘I am coming down to Imo to pick an amazing fruit,’ and it’s happening.
“They fought it.
“They tried to stop it.
“They did everything possible to end it, but the will of God happened.”
Responding to the show of the ring by Chioma, Davido said: “That is two, three Rolls Royces right there.”
[EagleOnline]
Media personality Toke Makinwa has expressed apprehensions about reaching a significant milestone in her life which is turning 40.
In a recent episode of her show, Toke Moments, she revealed her nervousness and a shared conversation with D’Banj, who advised her against celebrating her 40th birthday, citing industry pressures and the potential risk of being “retired” due to her age.
She said: “I’m turning a very big age this year and I’m so nervous. I am so nervous. At first, I started the year by saying I didn’t want to do anything. D’Banj, I’m going to call him out. D’Banj called me and said “Don’t do birthday o! You know this industry. Did I do my birthday? Did Don Jazzy celebrate his birthday? Who shouted when they were 40? Don’t do any birthday o! They will retire you.” I was like “Dapo, what do you mean?”
“When I fill forms these days, you know when we were so excited to fill between 18 and 25, we tick fast. Between like 25 and 35, you tick. After 35, it’s like is this answer required? “
However, her show guest, IK Osakioduwa, offered words of encouragement and reassurance.
As someone who has already crossed the 40-year mark, IK shared his experiences and insights, highlighting the importance of transitioning and evolving in one’s career.
He emphasised that age is not a limitation and that Toke should focus on the impact she’s made and the lives she’s touched, rather than her age.
“Thou shall not be nervous. I am 45, I just turned 45. And I’m still doing this thing. They can’t retire you. I won’t lie to you, there is that stage you get to where you feel like if I tell them my age, won’t people feel I’m too old for this?
“But I’ve started to transition to a space where I’m just no longer a presenter, but a platform for presenters because I want to be able to create other means.
“I want to be able to sit down and look and count not how many awards or trophies I have on shelves, but I want to be able to look at the lives of people I’ve changed because our paths crossed,” he said.
[TheNation]
Stephanie Coker-Aderinokun
Media presenter and producer, Stephanie Coker-Aderinokun, is one woman that has often spoken out about her struggle with childbearing. In a recent interview, she stated that she was first diagnosed of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome at the age of 16. She has also documented her journey in a documentary series on her YouTube channel titled, ‘African and Pregnant’.
In an interview with Saturday Beats on March 7, 2020, Coker-Aderinokun noted the struggles she faced while trying to have a baby via in-vitro fertilisation. She said, “It was not only draining but life-threatening as I developed Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome. My stomach became swollen with fluids. I threw up blood and was aspirated every day for a week. This syndrome causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. It can become very serious and ultimately life threatening.”
In another interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, she spoke more about her experience battling PCOS. She stated that there was a time she did not menstruate for a year. According to her, she tried getting pregnant naturally but the wait was traumatic for her, so she opted for IVF, which was successful.
Coker-Aderinokun had her traditional wedding in December 2016, while the white wedding followed in August 2017. She had her first child in November 2019.
Nse Ikpe-Etim
Talented actress, Nse Ikpe-Etim, is the darling of many on account of how she interprets her roles in movies. However, in the real world, she had had to struggle with infertility. She stated that she had a medical condition— adenomyosis— which eventually led to her removing her womb.
She first spoke about the condition and why she had not been able to give birth at an event tagged, ‘Conversation with Nse’ in Lekki, Lagos, on May 11, 2019. She stated that she cried when she was first diagnosed with the disease in 2016. She had said, “I was told I couldn’t have kids, so, I had to have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) to make me have a life again and to stop going through what I was going through. I’m literarily telling women and men, it really doesn’t matter if you can’t bear children. What really matters is what you would do for the world, for the universe.”
She added, “Tears dropped, and my husband squeezed my hand. It was reassuring that there was someone there and it was telling me that this is reality, my reality. The ordeal made me fall into depression.
“I didn’t think there was any point anymore, because society had taught me that I had to be a mother to be appreciated. And every time I went online, a troll or two would say, ‘You haven’t given birth’? But, I’m thankful that that didn’t break me.”
In another interview with media personality, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, in 2020, she stated that she was tired of people making false assumptions, so she decided to go public about her condition. She said, “I am tired of the trolls just yapping. You know you have no idea of what goes on in people’s lives. It’s so easy to sit behind a computer or your phone and just type. The other person reading it is human; you don’t say things that are hurtful.”
In yet another interview with Chude Jideonwo in May 2022, she noted that she ad her husband were dog parents for now. When asked if adoption was an option she had ever considered, she said, “You never say never but right now, Clifford (husband) and I are dog parents.”
She married her husband, Clifford Sule, who was her childhood sweetheart, on February 14, 2013.
Biola Adebayo
Actress and producer, Biola Adebayo, welcomed her first child in her forties.
Speaking about her childbirth struggle on her YouTube page on May 30, 2023, she noted that she and her husband had agreed that if after six months, they didn’t see any signs, they would opt for either IVF or surrogacy. She added that she had a failed IVF, one cancelled surrogate circle, and three failed surrogates within two years of marriage. She noted that it was at her fourth attempt that her first child was birthed via surrogacy.
She announced this on social media after the birth of her son on April 11, 2023. She wrote, “After one failed IVF, one cancelled surrogate circle, three failed surrogate attempts in two years, God has finally blessed my husband and I with a great son through our surrogate mum.
“Through it all, God has been so good to us, and we’re grateful for this great testimony. Thank you, Abba Father. God bless our doctors; God bless our surrogate mum. It’s a new dawn. Welcome to the world, Baby TA.”
Adesua Etomi-Wellington
Having experienced decayed twin embryos, three failed IVF procedures, and PCOS, actress, Etomi-Wellington, finally opened up on her experience while trying to conceive a child for her husband, Bankole Wellington, aka Banky W.
At a programme in the Waterbrook Church, which they attend, the couple shared their struggle with childbirth.
According to them, they had both decided to give birth immediately after their marriage in 2017, but that did not happen until 2021. A year after all natural attempts failed, they decided to try IVF. The first IVF was successful, and she was said to be carrying a set of twins. But, that ended in bad news after a scan revealed that the babies had no heartbeat.
Despite the setback, the couple didn’t give up, and they went for the second and third rounds of IVF, which were also unsuccessful. At that point, the medical reports they received were not encouraging.
Etomi-Wellington said, “The doctors said I had PCOS (a condition in women characterised by irregular or no menstrual periods, acne, obesity, and excess hair growth). The medical report also indicated that Banky’s sperm morphology was not right.
“After the third attempt, I said I was not doing again. I am not taking any single drug or injection. I am not doing anything anymore. If God gives me a child, praise Jesus, but if He is not giving me any child, that’s okay.”
She later gave birth through natural means to her son, Hazaiah, in February 2021, two and half years after the first failed IVF.
Toyin Abraham
In October 2019, actress and producer, Toyin Abraham, revealed that she had her child after struggling with infertility. She made this revelation on social media in a now deleted video on how traditional medicine helped her beat the struggle of infertility. She also launched ‘Toyins Herbal Female Fertility Booster’, a root and herb concoction for women trying to get pregnant.
Though she was formerly married to actor, Adeniyi Johnson, the union was not blessed with a child before it crashed. She later got married to another actor, Kolawole Ajeyemi, and they had a baby boy in August 2019.
Etinosa Idemudia
Although married twice, actress, Etinosa Idemudia, recently recounted her struggle with infertility and PCOS. In a post on her Instagram page on January 18, 2024, she spoke about her infertility experience. She wrote, “Why is it that in this country, when a woman isn’t getting pregnant, the family of the husband, including the man, will blame the woman; even without a diagnosis. To every man/woman out there trying to conceive, just know that God has not forsaken you. If he can bless me with a child after years of PCOS, tears and shame; then, He can and He will definitely turn the tables to favour you.”
“Ten years ago, I went through hell. I thought I was the problem. I have taken a part of my life story and created a movie that I hope will minister to and entertain you.”
The actress had unveiled her daughter few days to the end of 2020. In an interview with Saturday Beats in 2021, Idemudia stated that she had been trying to get pregnant for seven years. She had said, “It was a high-risk pregnancy but God saw me through. I was two months gone before I knew I was pregnant. I would not even have known until much later if not that my long-time doctor and friend forced me to do a pregnancy test when I was busy treating ‘stubborn malaria’.”
She concluded by saying, “I waited for about seven years (before having this child). My advice to awaiting mothers is that they should take their minds off the issue and relax. It is a tough advice that almost sounds crazy, but that was the advice I got from my sister-in-law years ago. She is also a polycystic ovary syndrome conqueror. It worked back then, but I lost the pregnancies. Then, I threw away her advice and naturally became anxious. Anxiety turned to desperation and I did take in again, even with the drugs I was taking then. It was not until last year that I finally learnt to relax. Let go and let God.”
Wumi Toriola
It wasn’t until she was celebrating the second birthday of her son, Zion, in October 2021 that she revealed that she had problem conceiving. She wrote, “I think it’s about time to tell my little story, and this is to encourage someone. I wanted to rest after marriage before conception and boom, ‘my supposed rest’ finished, but no conception. I didn’t see it as a problem, until someone said, ‘Is it that easy. After all, she is married, but she has never been pregnant’. As the playful person that I am, it did not ‘hit’ until six months passed. Then, it started to dawn on me.
“I flew to a fertility hospital, but the annoying thing is that one needs to go with one’s partner. That was a tough one, because it sure sends signals like, has she damaged her womb?
“To cut the story short, I was told there was no issue, that it would come. I had intrauterine insemination (a fertility treatment that gives sperm a better chance at fertilising an egg) two times. After the last one, I started having funny symptoms of pregnancy even without a test. I thought I was pregnant and was unnecessarily careful.
“One month passed, I did a test, but alas, no conception. I was mad at myself. 30 days of injection and ‘hard work’ again. My doctor would laugh at me and assure me there was no issue with us. I lost hope in IUI, and was ready for IVF; then my miraculous conception came.
“I wish I could explain the anger and the sadness through those little times of waiting but just one day, I forgot all.”
In conclusion, she wrote, “To everyone looking for a miracle, the set time is now and it shall not tarry. Please, don’t take medicals lightly.”
[Punch]
'We thought we were voting for development, but now, hardship is worse than before' - roadside trader
AFOLABI
Miss Elizabeth Christopher Etim, switched from the business of selling fruits to selling premium motor spirit (PMS) in measured plastic kegs popularly called “black market”, by the roadside.
She was sitting behind her kegs of petrol along Ikpa Road in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State when our correspondent engaged her in a chat. According to her, since the economic hardship in Nigeria is squeezing life out of the ordinary Nigerian, ingenuity is required to navigate the ugly tide of the galloping inflation of the country.
“The government officials in this country are not treating us well oo. We thought we were voting for development and for a good government, but now, it’s worse than before.
“I mean, it was a little bit better during the Buhari government but when President Bola Tinubu came, everything has worsened. Everywhere is hard.
“The masses are complaining. I believe that it is only those in government positions that are not complaining in this country as of today,” she lamented.
Elizabeth, who hails from Ibiono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, holds a secondary school certificate; unable to proceed to the university because her parents are indigent, she ventured into selling fruits, then petrol business, rather than prostitution, to evade hunger and privation.
Having witnessed, first hand, some better days in the past in Nigeria according to her, Elizabeth ventured into the labyrinth of his journey and ongoing struggle for survival.
She tells her story:
“There has never been a time when petrol is sold for N700 in this country.
“If someone had told me two years ago that I would be buying fuel for N900 per liter in the black market, I would have cursed the person to go to hell with his misfortune but now, we are having it worse.
“A distance that one could cover for N50 before, is now up to N200. Sometimes I wonder how Keke (tricycle) drivers cope with the increase in the prices of fuel.
“I’m 26 years old. I am not married. I have parents but I believe that I am an adult so I shouldn’t depend on my parents to feed.
“Also, they are struggling and as a grown up lady, I should be the one supporting them not the other way round.
“I finished secondary school in 2015, though I had loved to have a tertiary education, there was no money to do so.
“After I finished my Senior Secondary Certificate Education (SSCE) in 2015, there was nothing for me to do since my parents did not bother about sending me to the university because of lack of funds.
“In 2020 after the lockdown, a friend of mine took me to a lady’s sewing shop where I learnt how to sew, and in 2022, I was done with my training, but there was no money to get a sewing machine so I went to stay with my elder sister who later bought me a machine after a year.
“When I was staying with her, I was helping her with her fruit business. Later, I decided to leave her to start up my business.
“Though there is profit in the fruit business, I decided not to continue because of the stress involved in going to different bush markets to buy good fruits at cheaper rates so that you can get profit after selling to consumers.
“So, I decided to sell fuel by the roadside (black market) so that I will have what to eat. With the economy of the country, I couldn’t stay idle waiting for somebody to feed me.
“If your hope is having someone feeding you all the time without doing something to earn an income, you might have problems with the person as a result of consistent dependency.
“I started this business about a week ago. Before I decided to venture into this business, I was working as a seamstress; I have a sewing machine at home. I learnt the trade after my secondary school.
“Since I haven’t been able to get a lucrative spot for my sewing business, I decided to use the small money I had with me to start this business.
“I wanted to start working as a sales girl to raise money for my sewing skills but decided to start with the fuel business first.
“I buy fuel at the rate of N750 from the petrol station and sell at the rate of N900 per liter. So far, the business has been profitable.
“I make about N12,000 to N15,000 daily. Good thing I haven’t faced any form of harassment since I started. So I like this business. If I have money, I will like to expand it.
“I think what I make from this business complements the increase in the price of foodstuffs in the market. Now, two cups of garri is N500, so selling this fuel, at least I will have money to buy the garri.
“I prefer sitting outside like this with these liters of fuel to sitting down idle waiting for a man to feed me. Men don’t pay and so does idleness.
“I can’t go into prostitution or hookup all in the name of waiting for someone to pay my bills when I have hands and legs.
“In fact, men don’t pay these days because they are also struggling with the economy of the country to survive.
“It’s better I buy a liter of fuel for N750, sell it and make a profit of N150 than to sit idle and beg for food.
“I still have plans of going back to my sewing skills and I believe that one day, I will make enough money to be able to open a big fashion house.”
src[Tribuneonline]
Governor Siminalayi Fubara has called for unity and cooperation from traditional rulers across Rivers State, highlighting the importance of collective efforts in fostering peace and progress.
Speaking to the esteemed leaders, Gov. Fubara recalled a past incident where a predecessor had issued threats to a traditional leader during a visit to Ahoada-East in Ekpeye land.
Reflecting on this experience, Gov. Fubara emphasized a different approach. “I remembered when we went to Ahoada-East, Ekpeye land, to perform an activity,” he recounted.
“A former Governor openly threatened one of you and warned that if you try it, I will do this, I will do that.”
Media
"I remembered when we went to Ahoada-East, Ekpeye land, to perform an activity, a former Governor openly threatened one of you and warned that if you try it, I will do this, I will do that."
— Emma ik Umeh (Tcee )?? (@emmaikumeh) June 22, 2024
"But, I am not going to warn you because you are our fathers. I will appeal to you to… pic.twitter.com/8xhLLkEHUV
The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has confirmed that Nigerians will begin utilising the proposed three-in-one identity card services in August this year.
Recalls that on Friday, April 5, 2024, the NIMC announced that it had launched a new card layered with payment capabilities and social service features in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Inter-bank Settlement System.
It explained that the identity solution was equipped with payment capability for all types of social and financial services.
An official of NIMC, in an interview with Punch, said the commission had been working tirelessly to meet its goals, stressing that the plan remains on track and will be launched in the upcoming months.
The official, whose name was not disclosed, added that the commission had begun the testing and deployment stage.
The source said, “We actually plan for July although there have been a few delays but we are still hopeful that it would come in July. So we are hoping to get it done between July and August. We are still on plan and if there is any shift, the public will know.
“When you are deploying a new technology, there is a lot of work to be done, you need to configure the card, enable the outlet, and enable the wallet to work. We also have to do tests and that is what is ongoing.
“The deployment is ongoing, the portal that people need to access the service has to be deployed, and we have to make sure that it is scaleable and those are the ongoing works.
“There are integrations that all the banks need to do to enable the card and all of those little details are ongoing. We have that target and we are working extra hard to make sure that we achieve that.”
Food prices in Nigeria are currently at their highest level as the country’s annual inflation rose to a new 28-year high.
All traders, consumers and producers across the food supply chains are lamenting the surge in food prices.
Market survey at the Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji Sunday market in Ogba, Lagos, shows the current price surge is evident in all classes of food consumed almost daily, leaving Nigeria’s enormous population of poor citizens to spend more to get food and key ingredients amidst stagnated income.
The survey shows that the rise in the prices of essential food items and ingredients is largely triggered by the instability of the exchange rate of naira, insecurity, unavailability of fertilizer and high cost of transportation of products within and across states in the country.
However, the government’s efforts to upscale domestic food production to force down prices have yielded little or no impact in solving the problem of price surges.
Expressing ordeal over the current situation, a trader at the market, identified as Deborah, said, the recent surge in prices of goods has led to massive debt and losses.
She said, “Before, when we buy goods, we know it is expensive but not as much as this, we are always at a loss and we hardly make a profit. Please let the government help us and do something so people don’t kill themselves because the debt is too much.”
Another trader, while complaining about the cost of fresh tomato and pepper, said, “Customers are always complaining that the goods are too expensive, and we are always at a loss. A crate of tomatoes is now 80,000, 75,000, and a basket is 150,000. We need something to be done about it.”
The economic situation is also biting hard at the onion section, as a bag of onion now sells at N85,000.
Rice, considered a staple food among Nigerians, is not different as quality rice sells between N75,000 to N85,000 while a bag of beans (100kg) sells at N200,000, and the small size sells at N180,000.
Eggs, which many households substituted for other proteins, experienced a noticeable uptick across the country as a crate sells for N4,500 while they retail at N200 each.
In an interview with Naija News, some Nigerians spoke about their ordeal and how they have navigated the situation.
Bimpe Akinbode said, “It has not been easy at all, we have to learn to adjust to situations of things. Especially in the area of pepper we have to adjust to using (atagbigbe) (Bell pepper) in place of rodo and sachets tomatoes and sometimes use black pepper to cook Egusi and that. Making fried rice in place of jollof rice because of how expensive pepper is. Subscribing to 1:0: 1. While some people only do dinner 0:0:1 just to reduce spending.”
Priscilla Segun also said, “The current price of food stuff is getting out of hand, things are very expensive is only God that will help us. A cup of rice is N450, imagine what people with five children are going through. They are selling fresh pepper at the rate of N500, four seeds of tomato is sold for N1,000. You can’t cook jollof rice even tin and sachet tomato have increased.
“Look at Dano full cream millk I usually get for my children for N3,500 or N4,000 is now N8600. N10, worth of food items is even little. Even the fish that people rarely buy the least is N3500 or N3,000. When you ask why things are currently expensive they blame it on fuel and transportation. We are buying a basket of garri for N4,000 and Nigerians are farmers.”
A man identified as Abdulazeez accused some Nigerians of using the economic situation to dupe buyers and called on the Federal Government to employ a mechanism to control the prices of food items.
He said, “A lot of people are using the economic situation to dupe their fellow Nigerians and blame it on fuel subsidy removal and Tinubu’s policies.
“Can you imagine that some sellers will keep what they bought previously at a certain amount but refuse to sell those items? They keep the items to watch when the prices go higher so they can double the price and make a higher gain.
“I will suggest that the government monitor and control the prices of goods. This will help a lot in curtailing the rising cost of things.’’
While the prices of food items have continued to increase with uncertainties about when the country will experience a sigh of relief, President Bola Tinubu, in his nationwide broadcast on June 12 during Nigeria’s 25th anniversary of democracy, urged Nigerians to endure the hardships of economic reforms, stating that the steps are required to put the country on solid economic footing.
He said, “As we continue to reform the economy, I shall always listen to the people and will never turn my back on you.”
An unidentified young man was late Friday electrocuted while vandalising a transformer near the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) centre in Otukpo, the headquarters of Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State.
Naija News learnt that the man was suddenly electrocuted when power was restored by the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC).
According to Daily Post, the lifeless body of the victim was discovered dangling from the high-tension pole on Saturday morning, with a large crowd of passersby gathered around the corpse.
A source who spoke to the publication above said the electricity distribution officials are retrieving the lifeless body of the suspect from the electric pole where he was suspended.
The source added, “We came this morning and found the body suspended from the electric pole at a transformer with tools in his hand.”
Armed Robbers Invade Delta Varsity
In other news, academic activities at Western Delta University in Oghara, Delta State, were briefly disrupted on Thursday due to an attempted armed robbery on the university’s campus.
The invasion by suspected armed robbers was halted by the prompt actions of students and law enforcement agents, preventing any injuries or significant disruption.
According to reports from PUNCH Metro, the robbers accessed the university through an unfenced section of the perimeter at the rear of the campus.
Their attempt to rob students was thwarted when students quickly detected the threat and raised an alarm, fleeing to safer areas nearby.
The Delta State Police were quick to respond to the distress calls from the university. The Police Public Relations Officer for the Delta State Command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the incident, noting that the suspected robbers had entered through a broken fence but fled upon the arrival of police forces.
In the wake of the incident, a student leader, Simeon Okpoko, emphasized the ongoing security challenges facing educational institutions
A promising new HIV prevention drug called lenacapavir has shown 100 percent efficacy in a clinical trial among adolescent girls and young women in South Africa and Uganda.
The twice-yearly injection was found to be superior to daily Truvada, the current standard for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). This is according to Gilead Sciences, the developer of lenacapavir.
In a release signed by Kay Marshall, Senior Communications Advisor for AVAC, the organization welcomes the groundbreaking results of the PURPOSE 1 study which enrolled over 5,300 cisgender adolescent girls and young women ages between the age of 16 and 26 in South Africa and Uganda.
The study evaluated injectable lenacapavir for PrEP and daily oral emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (F/TAF) for PrEP.
An independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB), at a scheduled review of the trial data, found the regimen to be safe and highly effective, with no infections seen among trial participants who received injectable lenacapavir.
Regulation
HIV prevention advocate and AVAC’s executive director, Mitchell Warren hails the lenacapavir trial results as a significant advancement. He emphasized the potential of long-acting injectables to increase adherence, improve access, and reduce strain on healthcare systems.
“We expect to see a timeline that takes into account a full analysis of PURPOSE 1 data and the coming data from PURPOSE 2 from Gilead as soon as possible, and we urge regulatory agencies to prepare to fast track regulatory review.
“We look forward to working with civil society partners, Gilead, international donors, normative agencies and national governments to ensure that this groundbreaking HIV prevention option is made available as quickly as possible and that we don’t squander this opportunity to drive down new HIV infections,” Warren said.
The Regional Stakeholder Engagement Manager for AVAC, and a member of the PURPOSE 1 Global Community Advisory Group, Nandisile Sikwana said, “We are incredibly excited about this result, especially about what it can mean for women in Africa. We applaud Gilead’s commitment to Good Participatory Practice in this and the other PURPOSE studies.
“While we wait for full data from the study, including adherence data of oral F/TAF, it is imperative that planning for rollout of lenacapavir be accelerated. We know that even with the most ambitious timeline, it will take time for lenacapavir to be rolled out”.
A companion trial, PURPOSE 2, is underway in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, South Africa, Thailand and the US, testing twice-yearly lenacapavir for PrEP among cisgender men who have sex with men, transgender women, transgender men, and gender non-binary people. Results from PURPOSE 2 are expected by early 2025.
… additional studies
Additional studies in critical populations, including PURPOSE 3 among cisgender women in the US and PURPOSE 4 among people who use injection drugs, are also underway, and it will be imperative to understand how today’s results influence these trials.
Gilead’s plans for submission to regulatory agencies and future access, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are not yet clear. But the results reported today make this urgent.
“We also call on WHO to be prepared to quickly include lenacapavir, if approved by regulatory agencies, in HIV prevention guidelines. There is no time to waste if we are to translate these exciting clinical trial results into actual public health impact and expand the toolbox of HIV prevention choices,” he continued.
“We now know that lenacapivir for PrEP is safe and highly effective among women. Even as we await the results of the trial among other essential populations and for regulatory submission and review, there is urgent work to be done now by communities, policymakers, funders and program implementers to design and build HIV prevention programmes and prepare health systems to deliver the growing array of biomedical PrEP options, including the addition of twice-yearly injectable lenacapavir.
“The full range of PrEP products – including oral PrEP – must be made feasible choices for all people who need and want HIV prevention options,” Sikwana added.
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Says, ‘The comic actor was crying like a baby and gnashing his teeth’
Stella Maris, wife of late comic actor John Okafor popularly known as Mr Ibu was visibly overwhelmed with emotion Monday, when she attended a joint night of tribute in honour of her late husband alongside two other legendary actors, Amaechi Muonagor and Zulu Adigwe. The actors died between March and April this year.
While Mr Ibu passed away on March 2, after battling with a protracted illness, Amaechi Muonagor died two weeks later, on March 24, after suffering from kidney disease, diabetes, and stroke. Similarly, Zulu Adigwe died on the 23rd of April.
The joint night of tribute was organized by the Actors Guild of Nigeria, AGN, and held in four cities across the country, including Abuja, Lagos, Asaba, and Enugu.
Mr Ibu’s widow, Stella Maris who attended the night of tribute alongside his three kids reminisced on how she lost her beloved husband to the pangs of death.
“I am feeling so sad that I am not with my husband here. I am not happy at all after all the efforts and sufferings we went through to save his life,” Mr Ibu’s widow echoed emotionally in a chat with our reporter.
She added: “I don’t know what to say! Where do I start from? It’s so painful seeing my husband cry like a baby with me, saying “Oh first class is this me?” I was watching my husband crying and gnashing his teeth. I was in the hospital with him.
According to her, their effort to fly the late actor abroad for further treatment was aborted as the four hospitals they approached abroad rejected him.
“There was a time we wanted to fly him abroad for further treatment. We sent letters to two Indian hospitals, America and Germany, but they all rejected him.
“They said he might not make it. So, we tried our best to save him from dying. I tried as a wife. And if it were to be something that money could save him, my husband wouldn’t have died.
“It’s so sad that he was not here with us. Last Sunday was Father’s Day and my children were feeling alone because their father was not there with them. We used to celebrate Father’s Day together,” the mother of three kids bemoaned.
Narrating what led to Mr Ibu returning to hospital after he was discharged initially, the deceased’s wife said he was discharged following the advice of his doctors to save cost.
“He was discharged from the hospital then, not because he was that strong. His doctors said that instead of the hospital spending money, it would be better for him to go home as they would get him a pain and caregivers at home. That was why he was discharged in the first place,” she added.
The remains of Mr Ibu will be buried on June 28, 2024, in his hometown of Amuri, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Serious tension recently took over Ojurowo, Folumo in the Isale Eko area of Lagos Island, Lagos State, on Friday.
The tension spread after members of the public caught an unidentified woman for kidnapping and selling children.
City Round reports that the woman had kidnapped the children from the Ijora area of the state and brought them to Isale Eko to sell them.
In a video clip that trending on X on Friday, people gathered around a building suspected to be where the woman was caught while conducting her illegal business.
According to the person heard speaking in the video, the woman confessed that she was going to sell the children for the sum of N250,000.
“They caught five children with her. She said she sells each of them for N50,000, making N250,000. They said she brought the five children from Ijora. If you know anyone looking for their child in Ijora, please come to Isale Eko in Ojurowo,” the man was heard saying.
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, during a chat with our correspondent on Friday, said a 20-year-old man, Maxwell Nweke, was arrested for abducting five boys in the Adeniji Adele area of Lagos Island.
It was gathered that Nweke lured the victims into following him to an unknown location after he purchased N500 worth of puff puff from them.
However, the victims raised the alarm after discovering the suspect had tricked them. This led to the arrest of Nweke by police operatives in Adenji Adele on Thursday afternoon.
Hundeyin said, “Officers of Adeniji Adele arrested one Maxwell Nweke, aged 20. In his possession were five boys within the ages of eight and 12 years.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect bought puff puff worth N200 from one of them and immediately paid for it.
“He thereafter collected puff-puff worth N500 and asked the boys to follow him to Lagos Island to collect the money.
“While on the way, the boys suspected that he was luring them to an unknown place. The boys immediately raised an alarm that warranted the suspect’s arrest. The boys have been reunited with their parents and the investigation is ongoing.”
Hazel Oyeze Onou, the popular Big Brother Naija reality star and singer, who is also known as Whitemoney, has recalled how he resisted seduction from a rich married woman during his days of humble beginning.
In an interview with Echoo Room, Whitemoney revealed that he was living under a bridge at Ojuelegba, Lagos, when a married woman offered him a blank cheque to sleep with her but he refused despite his condition.
He added that it is against his principle to sleep with a married woman.
He said, “I got a blank cheque from a lady when I was living under Ojuelegba Bridge.
“Then I was learning cosmetology, she came into the store to buy something, then she saw me and gave me her number to call her.
“I called her. She was so beautiful. We started talking and then she called me to meet her at a hotel then she put out a blank cheque for me.
“Before she put out the blank cheque, she made a mistake by sending me her family picture. She had about five boys.
“She was one of those women that their husbands are hardly around. If she had not done that, maybe I would have slept with her.
“But the fact that I know that she was married, I refused. I have a law, I can never sleep with a married woman.”
Joseph Aloba, father of the late singer Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, also known as Mohbad, has expressed suspicions regarding the toxicology and autopsy results from tests performed on his son's body, suggesting possible foul play.
Recall that in May, a pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), informed the Coroner’s Inquest that the autopsy conducted on Mohbad was inconclusive in determining the cause of death.
The pathologist attributed the inconclusive autopsy to factors such as body decomposition and potential reactions to medications Mohbad received before his death, among others.
Also, toxicology test was conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) using samples of the gastric content, blood, bone marrow, liver, kidney, and lung.
The anatomical and pathological findings revealed that Mohbad had an injury on his right forearm and his body was exhumed with moderate to severe decomposition.
The report said the cause of death could not be ascertained, however, it stated that there is a possibility of drug reaction in view of any significant post-mortem and toxicology findings.
However, Joseph Aloba and his family rejected the toxicology and autopsy results, saying that they suspect the results might have been manipulated.
Speaking on Arise News Television’ Morning Show programme, Aloba said, “I as well as the public suspect foul play on the toxicology report carried on Mohbad.
“There was a lot of delay in the process. Mohbad did not die a natural death, I saw him 2 days to his death.”
Also, Aloba family’s legal team said, “We, the legal representatives of the Aloba family, express our profound dissatisfaction and disappointment with the recent announcement regarding the toxicology test results of the late Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba (Mohbad), which have been declared inconclusive by the pathologist.
“This outcome is entirely unacceptable to us and the Aloba family and raises serious concerns about the integrity and thoroughness of the investigation by the police and the medical team into the untimely death of their beloved son, brother, and friend.
“The Aloba family and the world demand to know where the toxicology test was carried out as this has impugned the integrity.”