Award-winning American singer, songwriter and actress, has admitted that she thought she was going to be single “forever” because of fame.
The 38-year-old, who recently announced her engagement to her boyfriend, Michael Polansky, said she’s relieved that she isn’t single anymore.
“I kind of thought I was going to have to do this all by myself—forever. And that was really scary. Because it’s a big life. And I don’t think anyone really knows what it feels like unless you’re in it. And I don’t have to do this alone anymore,” she stated in an interview with Vogue.
The House of Gucci star described her fiancé as a “totally supportive, loving human being” who wanted to know her beyond being a celebrity.
“I’d been so focused on my career since I was a teenager. And the gift of that time was that I got to completely focus on my relationship. I met this totally supportive, loving human being who wanted to get to know me—outside of Lady Gaga,” she said.
Lady Gaga revealed that it was her mom who introduced her to her fiancé, Michael Polansky.
How Bandits Fed Dogs With Flesh Of My Abducted Relatives’ Driver – Sokoto Cleric Says, Appealed For Financial To Pay Ransom
AFOLABI
Sheikh Bashar Danfili, a prominent cleric in Sokoto State, has appealed for financial assistance from the public following the kidnapping of six of his relatives by bandits while they were traveling to an undisclosed village in the state.
In a short video posted on social media platforms, the cleric said the victims include a man, his mother, stepmother, two wives and sister.
He said the bandits had demanded huge amount of money which they could not raise, adding that the deadline was fast approaching.
Danfili said: “The bandits have kidnapped my close relatives. I don’t want to disclose their names.
“They were on their way to a village when they were attacked and kidnapped.
“Their driver was killed on the spot and the bandits fed their dogs with his flesh.
“But the rest are still in captivity, including a husband, his mother, stepmother, two wives and his sister.
“The bandits have demanded a huge amount of money, which runs into millions of Naira. We cannot raise it.
“I am a scholar, I don’t have anything. My job is only to teach people with the books that you can see behind me.
“And they gave us deadline within which the money must be paid or they would kill all of them.
“I know they can do that, looking at what happened recently to a traditional ruler in the state, who was killed by his abductors.
“Therefore, I am pleading for help from the general public so that we can be able to pay the ransom and get them released.”
Professor Pat Utomi, a frontline political economist, has blamed the misery Nigerians are experiencing on the political class.
Utomi the current situation in the country was an indication that the political class has failed Nigerians.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Politic Today, Utomi said called for the return of fuel subsidy regime.
According to Utomi: “The first thing to do is to recognise essential things that Nigerians need fuel for. I will subsidise those things.
“There will be a subsidy. The Americans have subsidy for Agriculture, it is a matter of where you direct it to.
“Nigeria’s political class is responsible for the Nigerian misery. The political class has failed the country.
“Look at the choices we have repeatedly made, look at the kind of National Assembly that we have. The political class needs to come out publicly before the country.
“In South-East Asia, people will come out and do a humiliation from what the public has suffered as a result of the irresponsibility of the political class in Nigeria.”
The Federal Government has announced that only those with National Identification Numbers will be eligible to buy from the 30,000 metric tonnes of milled rice available at a subsidized rate of N40,000 per 50kg bag.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, stated during the flag-off ceremony on Thursday, that the rice intervention will be sold strictly on a “one person, one bag” basis.
Kyari explained that the 50kg bags of rice, priced at a flat rate of ₦40,000, are part of the Federal Government’s effort to provide subsidised milled rice to help alleviate the ongoing food crisis in Nigeria.
“This food intervention can be said to be timely considering the times and challenges we are in as citizens of this great nation.
“As one of the numerous efforts of the present administration to cushion the effect of high cost of food commodities, kindly join me in applauding the immense efforts of the present administration such as the release of 42,000MT of Assorted Food Commodities (AFC) to vulnerable and the 30,000MT of milled rice which is being flagged-off for sales to Nigerians today September 5, 2024,” he stated.
On buyer verification, Kyari explained that a multi-disciplinary government task force has been deployed to ensure transparency, broad distribution and the overall success of the initiative.
He emphasised that the process was designed to prevent individuals from obtaining more than one 50kg bag of rice, noting that beneficiaries will be verified through identification methods such as the NIN and phone numbers to prevent fraudulent individuals from accessing multiple bags at the expense of other citizens.
“In view of the above, I urge our dear citizens to cooperate with the relevant agencies of government who will try to serve you to achieve this great initiative of government.
“It is expected that with the injection of 30,000MT (1000 trucks of 30MT each of this important staple into Nigeria’s food balance sheet, it will not only crash the price of rice but also other closer food substitutes and alternatives,” he said.
Speaking on the process Nigerians would have to follow to purchase the rice, the Director of Strategic Grains Reserve, Ministry of Agriculture, Haruna Sule, explained that civil servants can access the grains at designated points of sale by using their Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System details.
“To qualify for the one person one bag, you must have a National Identification Number, of course, you have phone numbers and those in public service are all registered under the Integrated Payroll and Personal Information System (IPPIS) platform,” he said.
“Once you have any of these three, at the point of sale, with the NIN logged into the system, a code number and a Treasury receipt will be generated, and with that, the buyer can get to the collection centre and pick up his bag. The receipt will indicate, the time and point of collection to eliminate stampede,” he added.
Sule explained that once the buyer provides the code number, a treasury receipt will be issued as proof of payment to the government, adding that the buyer will then receive a receipt indicating the collection point and time.
He further clarified that the collection point is separate from the sales point, adding, “At the collection point, you present your code to our officials, and you will be handed a bag of rice.”
In July, the Minister of Information, Idris Mohammed, announced the sale of subsidised rice.
Following this, the Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, through its Human Resources Management Department, instructed civil servants to register for the purchase of the food item.
However, the government later suspended the plan without providing any explanation for the decision.
Al Nassr of Saudi Pro League superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo fired a not-so-subtle message to archrival Lionel Messi after scoring his 900th career goal, saying Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph is ‘equivalent’ to winning a World Cup.
The 39-year-old iconic football star, who has had a near career-long rivalry with Messi, reached the remarkable milestone on Thursday’s night as Portugal opened their Nations League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Croatia.
It was a mixed night for Ronaldo’s former Manchester United team-mate Diogo Dalot in Lisbon, with the defender breaking the deadlock early on before directing the ball into his own net at the other end of the pitch.
Fortunately for Dalot, Ronaldo’s 34th-minute strike proved decisive and Roberto Martinez’s men held firm to secure maximum points from the heavyweight clash at Benfica’s Estadio da Luz.
Metro.co.uk reports that after volleying Nuno Mendes’ inviting cross beyond Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, Ronaldo dropped to his knees and broke down in tears, clearly overcome with emotion at his astonishing achievement.
Ronaldo and team will look to maintain their 100 per cent record in the competition when they play host to Scotland in their second Group A contest on Sunday evening.
Speaking to the media after becoming the first player in history to score 900 goals, Ronaldo insisted that ‘enjoying football’ was now his sole motivation – rather than winning the World Cup.
“Portugal winning Euros is equivalent to winning a World Cup,” the veteran attacker said.
‘I’ve already won two trophies for Portugal that I really wanted. I’m not motivated by that.
‘I’m motivated by enjoying football and the records come naturally.’ Ronaldo added: ‘Scoring 900 goals seems like any other milestone, but only I know how hard it is to work every day to score your 900th goal.
‘It’s a unique milestone in my career. ‘I don’t break records… they haunt me!,” Ronaldo said.
[Leadership]
Sheikh Bashar Danfili, a renowned cleric in Sokoto state, has sought financial assistance from the general public after bandits kidnapped six of his relatives on their way to an undisclosed village in the state.
In a short video posted on social media platforms, the cleric said the victims include a man, his mother, stepmother, two wives and sister.
He said the bandits had demanded huge amount of money which they could not raise, adding that the deadline was fast approaching.
Danfili said: “The bandits have kidnapped my close relatives. I don’t want to disclose their names.
“They were on their way to a village when they were attacked and kidnapped.
“Their driver was killed on the spot and the bandits fed their dogs with his flesh.
“But the rest are still in captivity, including a husband, his mother, stepmother, two wives and his sister.
“The bandits have demanded a huge amount of money, which runs into millions of Naira. We cannot raise it.
“I am a scholar, I don’t have anything. My job is only to teach people with the books that you can see behind me.
“And they gave us deadline within which the money must be paid or they would kill all of them.
“I know they can do that, looking at what happened recently to a traditional ruler in the state, who was killed by his abductors.
“Therefore, I am pleading for help from the general public so that we can be able to pay the ransom and get them released.”
[DailyTrust]
Musician Oladapo Oyebanjo, popularly known as D’banj, has treated Lagos commuters to a free concert on a BRT bus on the same day the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Blue Line celebrated its official opening.
The award-winning artist, known for his hit song “Oliver Twist,” took to the streets of Lagos to promote his latest album, The Entertainer D’Sequel, in a unique and engaging way.
D’banj’s impromptu concert began at the Leventis bus stop and continued as he traveled to the Marina train station and the National Theatre station.
Passengers greeted the singer with enthusiasm, singing along to his new tracks and dancing in the aisles.
A heartwarming moment was captured on video, showing D’banj dancing with an elderly woman and leading a sing-along of one of his new songs.
[TheNation]
Bolton Wanderers striker Victor Adeboyejo missed the team’s EFL Trophy victory against Barrow on Tuesday after suffering an unusual injury caused by a “hefty sneeze.”
Adeboyejo was forced to pull out of the squad due to discomfort in his back and ribcage, which, according to his manager, Ian Evatt, was triggered by the sneeze.
“Victor has been suffering with a nasty back injury and a sneeze set it off, believe it or not,” he told The Bolton News on Thursday.
The 26-year-old Nigerian has since undergone a scan to assess the extent of the injury.
“He felt a bit of a crack in between his ribs and we are hopeful it is just a cartilage or muscular issue but until we have a good look at the scan we won’t know,” Evatt said.
Evatt noted that the injury originally occurred after a challenge in a game against Charlton but was worsened by the sneeze.
“He was okay at the time, but then he had a pretty hefty sneeze. Victor is a powerful boy, and even his sneezes are powerful,” the manager joked. “I’ll have to start having a long look at myself when players start getting injured sneezing.”
Despite Adeboyejo’s absence, Bolton secured a 3-2 win against Barrow and currently sit 18th in League One with four points from their first four games of the season.
Adeboyejo transferred to the League One club on January 27, 2023.
[Punch]
The federal government has launched an electronic quality assurance system for basic education in Nigeria.
The platform, called the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service Cloud Server (FEQAS Collect), was unveiled in Abuja on Thursday.
Yusuf Sununu, minister of state for education, spoke at the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) digital resource centre.
He said the system is designed to streamline the collection, analysis, and reporting of data related to the quality of education in schools.
The minister said the cloud server would essentially automate the Federal Education Quality Assurance Service Department.
He said the server would better equip the education ministry to monitor, evaluate, and improve education quality assurance processes.
Sununu, represented by the director of ICT Abubakar Isa, said the server would revolutionise the operation of the FEQAS department.
He said it would enhance data capturing, streamline processes for efficiency, boost efficient reporting, and fortify data protection.
Hamid Bobboyi, the executive secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), said the manual conduct of school quality assurance evaluation and reporting has been fraught with delay and human errors, hence the need to automate the system.
He said UBEC adopted digital technology for school quality assurance evaluation to promote flexibility, accuracy, and timely reporting.
The executive secretary said the technical support the commission received from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) led to the development of “UBEC Collect” which is currently being used by Quality Assurance Officers in the Commission.
He said UBEC Collect is also used by State Universal Basic Education Boards (SUBEBs) and Local Government Education Authorities (LGEAS).
“The impact of the technological intervention in our school quality assurance evaluation encouraged us to extend the facility to the Federal Quality Assurance Services (FEQAS) in the overall interest of educational development in the country,” he stated.
Helen Okoro, the UBEC quality assurance director, said that the launch of the Federal Education Quality Assurance Services (FEQAS) and the UBEC Quality Assurance Officers (QAOs) guarantees a unity of purpose in school monitoring and evaluation of schools.
“The use of the digital tablet in conducting school evaluation is meant to simplify the work of the field officers so that all areas of whole school evaluation are effectively covered without difficulties,” she added.
[TheCable]
Popular Islamic scholar, Sheikh Aliyu Ibrahim has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the recent hike in the price of petrol.
According to him, no sane person will vote Tinubu in the next election.
Recall that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, on Tuesday increased fuel price from N617 per litre to N897.
The development has been causing chaos across the country with transportation fares and prices of goods and services skyrocketing.
In a viral video, the Islamic scholar, who lamented the situation, described the hike as madness.
According to him, the development will cost President Bola Tinubu his re-election bid in 2027, stating that no sane person would support his re-election.
He said, “The hike in PMS price is a total madness, whoever advised the president to do this is mad.
“And this is yet another sign that Tinubu would lose his reelection bid, because no sane person would vote for those who took the PMS price from N180 – N1,000”.
Media
The hike in PMS price is a total madness, whoever advised the president to do this is mad. And this is yet another sign that Tinubu would lose his reelection bid, because no sane person would vote for those who took PMS price from N180 - N1,000. ~ Sheikh Aliyu Ibrahim pic.twitter.com/146TiySU0x
— Abdul-Aziz Na'ibi Abubakar (@jrnaib2) September 5, 2024
More...
Tricycle Rider Kills His Own Mother, Severs His Son’s Private Part In Suspected Ritual Attack
AFOLABI
In the Umudosi community of Obingwa Local Government Area in Abia State, a tricycle rider named Amadi Alozie attacked and killed his mother while she was trying to save her grandson from a suspected ritual assault by his father.
According to Vanguard, community sources said that trouble started for the late woman about 10p.m. when she made an effort to rescue her grandson from his father, who severed his private part in a suspected ritual attack.
It was gathered that the tricycle rider had attacked his son, and severed his private part which made the boy give a loud shout which attracted his grandmother.
Angered that his plan had been foiled by his mother, the tricycle rider attacked the mother and macheted her to death before neighbours could respond to the attack.
A resident of the community told Vanguard that nemesis later caught up with the tricycle rider as he fell into a pit in his bid to escape from the incident.
However, the neighbours were able to rescue the injured son, who lost his private part and is now battling for survival at an undisclosed hospital in the area.
The University of Minnesota is offering significant financial support to international students including Nigerians through its prestigious Undergraduate Scholarship, also known as the Global Excellence Scholarship.
This initiative, as reported by Scholarship Region, aims to attract top talent from around the world, providing up to $60,000 in funding to help cover educational expenses for deserving students.
Details provide that international students who apply before 15 November 2024, will be automatically considered for the scholarship.
Scholarships AF reported that “this scholarship offers substance support to outstanding international first-year students and transfer students. The GES awards are also highly competitive and based on academic merit.”
The scholarship, as reported, is available to international students applying for undergraduate programmes at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
The university is reputed for its broad range of academic disciplines and its comprehensive approach to education.
“We are committed to fostering new knowledge and preparing our students to tackle global challenges,” a university spokesperson said.
For its eligibility, applicants must be an international student seeking admission into an undergraduate degree programme with full-time enrollment in the honours programme.
Prospective beneficiaries are also expected to have exceptional personal skills and academic merit; obtain a high school transcript and/or GCSE results and if the transcript is not in English, also require a certified translation.
Applicants are also required to have obtained a high school certificate or equivalent, hold an offer for a full-time programme at the university and for English Language requirements, applicants are mandated to provide evidence of meeting the University of Minnesota’s minimum English language proficiency requirements.
The institution said that they accept results from English Proficiency Tests including TOEFL, with a test score of 79, IELTS, with a test score of 6.5 in Writing, Pearson Test of Academic English, with a test score of 59, Cambridge Assessment English (CAE), with a test score of 180, and Duolingo, with a test score of 110.
To qualify, interested students are urged to apply for admission into the University of Minnesota’s undergraduate programmes.
Then upon submission of their application, they will be automatically considered for the scholarship based on an overall assessment.
Candidates are also to maintain their F-1 immigration status to remain eligible for the scholarship, noting that no separate application is required for the scholarship itself.
Operatives of the Ilorin Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested 56 persons suspected to be internet fraudsters in Ilorin, Kwara State.
The arrests were carried out between September 3 and 4, 2024, at different locations following credible intelligence on the activities of the suspected fraudsters that have thrown unsuspected citizens into tears through their dishonest operations.
A statement signed by the EFCC’s head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale listed items recovered from the suspects to include 18 different brands of exotic cars, laptops, expensive smartphones, and charms.
Oyewale added that suspects would be arraigned in court upon the conclusion of the ongoing investigations.
In a tragic turn of events, a 300-level student from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Christiana Idowu, who was kidnapped between Ikorodu and Yaba in Lagos State, has reportedly been killed by her abductor.
Christiana left her home in the Itaoluwo area of Ikorodu to travel to the University of Lagos in Yaba, where she was undergoing her industrial training when she was abducted by kidnappers.
The suspect has since been arrested after combined efforts from security agencies.
In a now-viral post on X, a user named @letter_to_jack shared that intelligence agents were able to track down the abductor using the BVN and bank account information associated with the ransom payments made by the family.
The tweet read, “On the 19th of August 2024, Christiannah Idowu was declared missing after her parents were contacted by her abductors using her own WhatsApp contact.
“The first contact with the parent was established around 8:49pm after which they sent photos of the victim in captivity to them using the WhatsApp ‘view once’ feature.
“The abductors requested for a ransom fee of N1,500,000. Christiannah’s parents raised N350,000 immediately. The abductor then requested that the money be sent to a bet account through a bank deposit channel. (Info reserved for now)
“After receiving the money, on the 22nd of August, the abductor requested that bank statement of the sender be forwarded to his email (withheld).
“On the 23rd of August, family complied. Immediately after that, the abductor stopped communicating with the parents.
“Meanwhile, on the 22nd of August, some amount was sent to the GTB account of Christiannah and the amount was then withdrawn into the wema bank account belonging to the main suspect ( Name withheld for now).
“Investigation by intelligence operatives began on the 26th to unravel details of the account number.
“By the 29th, intelligence operatives had confirmation from the bank that the BVN linked to the masked Betting account allegedly belonged to the account owner (name withheld for now) who also operates the Wema Bank (account no withheld for now).
“Further investigation revealed that he was able to withdraw the sum of 100,000 from the betting account before agents got the bet company to lock the account.
“Armed by these information, operatives began investigation into the suspect whom they observed to have a mutual relationship with Christiannah Idowu, especially judging by Instagram posts as they both commented on each other’s pages.
“The crazy thing is: the same account number used to launder some amount directly from Christiannah’s account has been posted on Twitter once to “beg for a give away free money.
“With all these information at hand, the operatives began to track down his cell phone activities and text messages. The cell phone tracking led them to his parent’s house, somewhere in IKORODU.
“Operatives then got confirmation of his presence in the building through active tracking of his mobile device. Immediately, gallant personnel of the Nigerian army 174bn swooped in on the suspect to conduct arrest.
“After the arrest, damning evidences were seen with the suspect and this includes the victim blue ITEL A56 with IMEI:35230.
“Also, in his phones are details of the money moved and also details confirming he owns the Betting account that was locked. It was registered with his phone number.
“On his phone, they found an interaction between his personal email and the email address that has been interacting with the family of the deceased.
“After reviewing the evidence, the suspect was then taken into custody to enable the operatives conduct further investigations. Upon reviewing this evidence, suspect was successful taken into custody for necessary action.
“On September 3, the suspect reportedly confessed to the father and the soldiers that he killed the girl and buried her in their house.
“There is also a new story awaiting further confirmation that in 2018, the suspect’s ex-girlfriend was killed in same manner. Also that in 2020, the suspect’s own biological sister met the same fate, and the same thing has happened to Christiannah in 2024.”
The horrifying incident has ignited widespread outrage across Nigeria, especially on social media. Many Nigerians have taken to Twitter to demand justice for Christiana, with the hashtag #JusticeForChristianah trending.