Napoli have received a €65 million offer for Victor Osimhen from Al Ahli.
The Saudi Arabian club are the first to officially send in an offer for Osimhen.
The Super Eagles striker is expected to leave the Serie A club and was again dropped for Sunday’s league clash with Bologna at home.
Posting on X football transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, said: “Al Ahli have submitted an initial bid to Napoli for Victor Osimhen for package in excess of €65m.
“Napoli are prepared to let him go but no agreement between Nigerian striker and Al Ahli so far.
“Deal still far on player side; Osimhen will consider options + not open to loan.”
Harry Kane played a pivotal role in Bayern Munich’s 3-2 comeback victory over Wolfsburg on Sunday, marking a successful Bundesliga debut for new manager Vincent Kompany.
Bayern initially took the lead in the 19th minute with a goal from Jamal Musiala, but Wolfsburg quickly turned the tide with two goals from Lovro Majer early in the second half.
Despite Bayern’s shaky defense, Kane helped rally the team. In the 65th minute, Kane’s header forced Wolfsburg’s Jakub Kaminski into scoring an own goal, leveling the match.
The English striker then assisted Serge Gnabry’s decisive 82nd-minute goal, securing the win for Bayern.
Kane, starting his first match since the Euro 2024 final, played a key role in the opener by setting up Sacha Boey, whose pass found Musiala for an easy tap-in.
Musiala now boasts six goals in eight games against Wolfsburg, making them his favorite opponent.
Wolfsburg responded strongly after halftime. A foul by Boey on Tiago Tomas led to a penalty, which Majer converted to equalize.
Moments later, Majer scored again, giving Wolfsburg the lead after capitalizing on a defensive error by Kim Min-jae.
Kane’s influence was felt again as his header, deflected off Kaminski, tied the game at 2-2. He later assisted Gnabry for the winning goal, ensuring Bayern’s victory.
Wolfsburg, Bundesliga champions in 2009, have not beaten Bayern since 2015, extending their winless streak against the Munich giants to 21 matches.
Noni Madueke was the standout player as Chelsea secured a commanding 6-2 victory over Wolves, marking Enzo Maresca’s first Premier League win as Chelsea’s manager.
After suffering a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in his Premier League debut last weekend, Maresca saw his team respond in spectacular fashion.
The former Leicester City manager, who took over from Mauricio Pochettino in the off-season, guided Chelsea to their first league victory following a UEFA Conference League play-off win against Servette on Thursday, setting the stage for a goal-filled performance at Molineux.
Chelsea wasted no time, taking the lead just 98 seconds into the match. A Cole Palmer inswinging corner was accidentally flicked on by Matheus Cunha, leaving Nicolas Jackson free to head in from close range at the back post.
Wolves equalized in the 27th minute when Matheus Cunha, who had tormented Chelsea last season with a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge, scored again.
The Brazilian took advantage of Moises Caicedo’s mistake, after Caicedo lost possession, allowing Rayan Ait-Nouri to break forward and set up Cunha for a powerful shot past Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea regained their advantage just before halftime when Cole Palmer took advantage of a flick-on from Nicolas Jackson, expertly lobbing Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa to make it 2-1.
However, Wolves leveled the score again just before the break. Chelsea failed to clear Ait-Nouri’s free-kick, allowing Toti to head the ball across goal to Jorgen Strand Larsen, who tapped it in from close range.
In the second half, Chelsea took control of the match. In the 49th minute, Palmer assisted Madueke, whose shot deflected off Ait-Nouri and found the net, putting Chelsea ahead 3-2.
Madueke scored his second goal just nine minutes later, calmly finishing through Sa’s legs after another run from Palmer.
Madueke completed his hat-trick with a similar finish, once again set up by Palmer, effectively silencing the Wolves fans.
Joao Felix, who made his debut after a permanent move from Atletico Madrid, came off the bench to round off the victory in the 80th minute. The Portuguese forward fired a shot into the top corner after being assisted by former Wolves player Pedro Neto.
Big Brother Naija ‘No Loose Guard’ pair, Zion and Chinwe, has been evicted from the reality show.
Team Zinwe are the latest pair to be evicted from the BBNaija season 9 house, on Sunday.
Recall last week marked a game-changer as housemates got to nominate each other for eviction for the first time this season.
After nomination, five pairs: Zinwe, Chekas, Double Kay, Beta and WanniXHandi were up for possible eviction.
The ultimate eviction then rested on the viewers whose votes for the nominated pairs were going to determine who stayed and who went home.
Zinwe, however, didn’t make the cut on Sunday during the eviction show as they were shown the exit door after week four.
The grand prize for this season is a spectacular ₦100 million, which includes a cash prize and an SUV, with additional sponsored prizes to be announced.
The show which is now going into its fourth week will run for 10 weeks, concluding with the finale on Sunday, October 6, 2024
Court Freezes 32 Bank Accounts Linked To #EndBadGovernance Protest - See Affected Account Numbers, Companies
AFOLABI
The bank accounts of thirty-two individuals and companies linked to the 10-day #EndBadGovernance Protest organised across the country, has been frozen by a Federal Court sitting in Abuja, pending investigation and prosecution of the case.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling on the ex-parte motion moved by counsel for the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, Ibrahim Mohammed, also ordered the banks to apprehend the account holders or any person transacting business on the said accounts.
Justice Nwite, who granted the motion dated and filed on Aug. 20, directed the banks to contact the Nigeria Police Force as soon as any arrest is made.
“That the banks are hereby directed by this honourable court to issue details of the account package(s) and to place a Post-No-Debit (PND) on the accounts, disable the ATM while allowing inflow into the said accounts as from the date of this court order,” the judge declared.
Though the ruling was made on Thursday, the certified true copy of the order was sighted on Sunday in Abuja.
The account numbers affected include 4010073491 (Fidelity Bank), 1255130019 (Access Bank), 0006084167 (Abbey Mortgage Multipurpose Bank Plc), 0821931299 (FCMB), 1012007655 (FCMB), 0000575573 (A AG Mortgage Bank Plc), 1007871587 (UBA), 2037117333 (UBA), 5421031104 (ECOBANK ) and 0024541201 (Union Bank).
Others are 1022899050 (UBA), 8755008491 (Branch International Services Ltd), 5630208636 (Fidelity), 4936992542 (Fairmoney Microfinance Bank), 8755008499 (Branch International Financial Services Ltd), 2088228208 (UBA), 2115678044 (Zenith Bank), 3041823452 (First Bank), 1011828445 (New Edge Finance), 3024402748 (Fusrt Bank), 0161502459 (GTBank) and 0040580047 (Access Bank),
They also include 0250291788 (Wema Bank), 6112464260 (Branch International Financial Services Ltd), 1000774097 (Sparkle Microfinance Bank Ltd), 3434649965 (Fairmoney Microfinance Bank), 2013556714 (KUDA Microfinance Bank), 3104962864 (Polaris Bank), 6112464267 (Branch International Finance Services Lit), 8137051249 (OPAY) and 8137051249 (PALMPAY).
The IGP, in the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1219/2024, had listed PA.LIN.HO Global Service Ltd, Chinyere Nkiru, Obidient Movement Multipurpose Cooperative Society, Innocent Angel Lovet, Great Communicators Champion Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd as 1st to 5th respondents respectively.
Others include Great Communicators Champion Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd, Opaluwa Eleojo Bob-Simon, NUEE State Chapter, Adeyemi Abiodun Abayomi, Adaramoye Michael Tobiloba, and Popoola Festus as 6th to 11th respondents respectively.
Mohammed, in his four-ground argument, said the accounts as contained in the schedule in respect of which reliefs sought are subject of investigation and are reasonably suspected to be warehousing proceeds of unlawful activities or fraud.
“If there is any dealing with the account by way of withdrawal or transfer to another account by the persons under investigation/investigator and the persons that have absolute power to deal with the account will render nugatory any consequential order(s) which the court may make at the conclusion of this application,” he said.
According to him, the accounts are used to promote the offence of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cyberbullying and cyberstalking which was illegally transferred to the account of the accused persons now at large.
“That the accused persons were involved in hosting another country’s flag in order to undermine the sovereignty of the Nigerian state,” he added.
In the affidavit in support of the motion ex-parte, Gregory Woji, a detective attached to the Force Criminal Investigation Department, deposed that preliminary investigation revealed that some suspects arrested were being recruited by some financiers to cause mayhem and destroy life and property.
Woji said preliminary investigation further revealed that the financiers were sending money to recruit the indigents and other vulnerable individuals to carry banners and overthrow a democratically elected government.
According to him, the preliminary investigation further reveals that some foreign nationals were the arrowheads in the unscrupulous act of treasonable felony and promoting terrorism financing in Nigeria.
He said the act of the accused persons is akin to the offence of criminal conspiracy, terrorism financing, treasonable felony, cyberstalking and cyberbullying.
He said it is the function of the police to stop this act by apprehending the offenders as an offence to one is an offence to all.
According to Woji, intelligence reports gathered so far reveal that the suspects are making an effort to transfer or withdraw money from the accounts and unless this court grants this order, otherwise, the investigation would be jeopardised.
“That it will be in the interest of justice to grant this request by freezing the account of the said suspects and order their immediate arrest on sighting them pending the outcome of the investigation and possible prosecution,” he said.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has urged President Bola Tinubu to put an end to the constant fuel scarcity in the country.
Oyintiloye lamented that Nigerians believed that fuel scarcity would end after the removal of fuel subsidy but reverse has been the case.
He emphasized the urgent need for the President’s intervention due to the suffering Nigerians face almost monthly as a result of fuel scarcity.
“Nigerians had hoped that the fuel scarcity would end after the Federal Government removed the fuel subsidy.
“However, instead of the situation improving, it has worsened, causing untold hardship for Nigerians who now have to purchase fuel at very high prices,” Oyintiloye stated.
He urged President Tinubu to investigate the activities of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to uncover the root causes of the persistent fuel shortages.
While acknowledging the ongoing economic challenges, Oyintiloye stressed that inadequate fuel supply should not be added to the already tense situation.
“In recent months, Nigerians have faced severe difficulties obtaining petroleum products at filling stations across the country,” he noted. “I appeal to the President to rescue Nigerians who are enduring immense hardship due to the fuel scarcity,” he added.
A Nollywood actress and film producer, Sharon Okpamen has died days after birthing her second child.
The actress had earlier announced the birth of her second child on Instagram.
However, fellow movie producer, Stanely Ontop revealed that the actress had passed on.
Speaking via social media, he wrote, “Nollywood Actress and Producer Sharon Okpamen has unfortunately passed on.
“It’s a sad day for Nollywood & the Edo entertainment industry. Sharon, who was a filmmaker, actress, entrepreneur& humanitarian, has left a significant void in the industry.
“May her soul rest in perfect peace, Amen @sharonokpamen
“It can only get better”
An Instagram user, however, claimed Sharon passed away due to childbirth complications.
Billionaire founder and CEO of Telegram, Pavel Durov, is to appear in court Sunday after being arrested at a Paris airport for offences related to his popular messaging app, sources told AFP.
Russia has accused France of “refusing to cooperate” following the arrest of the 39-year-old Franco-Russian billionaire at Le Bourget airport on Saturday night.
Durov had arrived from Baku, Azerbaijan, one source close to the case said.
France’s OFMIN, an office tasked with preventing violence against minors, had issued an arrest warrant for Durov in a preliminary investigation into alleged offences including fraud, drug trafficking, cyberbullying, organised crime and promotion of terrorism, one source said.
Durov is accused of failing to take action to curb the criminal use of his platform.
“Enough of Telegram’s impunity,” said one investigator who expressed surprise that Durov flew to Paris knowing he was a wanted man.
– ‘Refusing to cooperate’ –
Russian authorities said they had demanded access to Durov but had no response from France.
“We immediately asked French authorities to explain the reasons for this detention and demanded that his rights be protected and that consular access be granted. Up to now, the French side is refusing to cooperate on this question,” Russia’s embassy in Paris said in a statement reported by the Ria Novosti news agency.
Businessman Elon Musk, who owns the X social media platform, posted the hashtag #FreePavel and commented in French, “Liberte Liberte! Liberte?” (Freedom Freedom! Freedom?).
Former United States presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, said, also on X, that “the need to protect free speech has never been more urgent.”
The encrypted messaging app, based in Dubai, has positioned itself as an alternative to US-owned platforms, which have been criticised for their commercial exploitation of users’ data.
Telegram has committed to never disclosing information about its users.
In a rare interview given to right-wing talk show host Tucker Carlson in April, Durov said he got the idea to launch an encrypted messaging app after coming under pressure from the Russian government when working at VK, a social network he created before selling it and leaving Russia in 2014.
He said he then tried to settle in Berlin, London, Singapore and San Francisco before choosing Dubai, which he praised for its business environment and “neutrality.”
People “love the independence. They also love the privacy, the freedom, (there are) a lot of reasons why somebody would switch to Telegram,” Durov told Carlson.
He said at the time that the platform had more than 900 million active users.
By basing itself in the United Arab Emirates, Telegram has shielded itself from moderation laws at a time when Western countries are pressuring large platforms to remove illegal content.
Telegram allows groups of up to 200,000 members, which has led to accusations that it makes it easier for false information to spread virally, as well as for users to disseminate neo-Nazi, paedophilic, conspiratorial and terrorist content.
Competitor messaging service, WhatsApp, introduced worldwide limits on message forwarding in 2019 after it was accused of enabling the spread of false information in India that led to lynching.
AFP
Arsenal and Chelsea flinch as Osimhen demands wages to surpass Premier League’s highest earners - Report
AFOLABI
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen has informed potential suitors that he wants to be placed on £500,000 weekly wages, Soccernet.ng reports.
Osimhen’s transfer saga has continued to rage on, with the Nigeria striker still in Napoli’s books despite numerous links with some of the top clubs in Europe.
The Nigerian has drawn interest from clubs like Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Al Hilal, but it has been all talks.
This summer, the teams interested in Osimhen appear to have been streamlined to just three, with PSG, Arsenal, and Chelsea in the mix.
Still, the issue has dragged on throughout the summer. Three weeks ago, strong reports emerged that the Nigerian striker had agreed on personal terms with PSG, but the French champions failed to cut a deal with Napoli, who are asking for over £120 million.
Those talks have since cooled off, and it now appears like Arsenal and Chelsea are in the driving seat. Still, none of them have made headway, and it could be due to Osimhen’s massive wage demands.
According to a report from SunSport on Saturday, Osimhen is asking for £500,000 per week, which Arsenal and Chelsea consider astronomical.
£500,000 per week for Osimhen would see him displace Kevin De Bruyne, who is the highest-paid Premier League player with a £400,000-weekly pay.
If the deal goes through, it would also make Osimhen the highest paid player in the history of the English Premier League. With just five days until the end of the transfer market, Osimhen and his camp have to find a solution so he can start playing top level football again.
His Royal Highness, Alhaji Yunusa Muhammad Danyaya (OON), the Emir of Ningi in Bauchi State, has passed away.
The revered monarch was reported to have died in the early hours of Sunday in Kano, where he had been taken for medical attention due to age-related health issues.
The late Royal Father will be buried later on Sunday evening at 4pm following a funeral prayer to be held at the Emir’s Palace in Ningi.
The announcement of his death was conveyed by the Secretary of the Emirate, Alhaji Usman Sule, Magayakin Ningi, in a brief statement written in Hausa.
The statement reads, “Innalillahi Wa’innan Ilaihir Raji’un. Allah yayiwa mai Martaba Sarkin Ningi, Dr. Yunusa Muhammadu Dan Yaya (OON), rasuwa da asubahin yau, Lahadi a Kano
“IZa ayi jana’iza da karfe Hudu na yamma a kofar Fada. Sanarwa daga Sakataren Fada, Alhaji Usman Sule, Magayakin Ningi.”
His Royal Highness, Alhaji Yunusa Muhammad Danyaya, was a distinguished and highly respected first-class traditional ruler in the North East Geographical Zone.
As the Emir of Ningi in Bauchi State, he was adored by his subjects for his sense of justice, fairness, and equity. His tenure witnessed the rapid transformation of Ningi from a rural community into a fast-developing and modern town.
Born in Ningi in 1936, Alhaji Yunusa began his education at Ningi Elementary School between 1941 and 1946, and continued to Bauchi Middle School, completing his studies in 1951.
He later enrolled at the School of Hygiene, Kano, in 1951, and pursued further studies at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, where he completed a one-year course in Public Administration between 1956 and 1957. He also attended a course at the British Council, Kano, between 1959 and 1960, and earned a diploma in public administration from ABU Zaria between 1960 and 1962.
Alhaji Yunusa had a distinguished career in the Native Authority (NA) Administration, starting as a dispenser at Nasaru Dispensary, Ningi, from 1953 to 1958.
He served in various capacities, including as a member of the Ningi Emirate Council (1956-1960), Councilor of the Medical and Health Department (1958-1959), and District Head and Chiroman Ningi in 1959.
He later joined the Nigerian Tobacco Company, Zaria, in 1963 as a welfare officer and went on to work at the Northern Nigeria Marketing Board, where he held several managerial positions.
He was appointed Sub-Area Manager in charge of Gombe, Biu, and Kumo in 1970, and later became the Acting Area Manager in charge of the North Eastern States Marketing Board in 1976.
Alhaji Yunusa was crowned Emir of Ningi in 1978 and was elevated to first-class status in 1998. He played significant roles in various organizations, including Jama’atul Nasril Islam (JIN) and the National Council of States, representing Bauchi State Council of Chiefs from 1979 to 1983.
He also served as Acting Chairman, Board of Directors of Inland Bank Nigeria Plc, and Director of the Hadejia-Jama’are River Basin Development Authority.
His contributions to national development earned him numerous awards and honors, including the National Honours Award as “Officer of the Order of Niger (OON)” and various merit awards from different organizations.
Alhaji Yunusa traveled extensively to countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Namibia, and other West African nations.
His hobbies included horse riding, farming, and traveling. He was happily married and blessed with twenty-four children.
[Nigerian Tribune]
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Disclose details of Chinese loans, liabilities, repayments, others, SERAP tells Nigeria’s 36 governors, Wike
Admin
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Nigeria’s 36 state governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Mr Nyesom Wike to “disclose details of any Chinese loans, liabilities, and other external borrowing obtained, and guaranteed by the Federal Government as well the terms and conditions for any such borrowing including the provisions on collateral.”
SERAP urged them to “provide details of the repayment obligations regarding any Chinese loans, liabilities and other external borrowing obtained and guaranteed by the Federal Government, the interest rates on the loans, and any defaults, debt restructurings, and debt exposure to China and other creditors.”
SERAP also urged them to “clarify any investment agreements with Chinese companies and repayment histories of any loans, liabilities and facilities obtained from China and other external creditors and guaranteed by the Federal Government.”
In the letters dated 24 August 2024 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “We are concerned that your state and the FCT may have failed to efficiently manage your debt obligations, especially your external debt and investment obligations, as guaranteed by the Federal Government.”
According to SERAP, “The failure to uphold your obligations is contrary to Section 6 of the Debt Management Office Establishment (Etc), Act, and creates financial risks and other exposure to Nigeria with respect to these Chinese loans, liabilities and other external borrowing.”
SERAP said, “These Chinese loans, liabilities and other external borrowing by your state and the FCT may not have been used for the purposes for which they have been obtained and terms and conditions guaranteed by the Federal Government.”
The letters, read in part: “SERAP is concerned that there is a significant risk of defaults of the Chinese loans, liabilities, and other external borrowing by your state and the FCT, which are guaranteed by the Federal Government.”
“There are also significant risks of confiscation of Nigerian assets in foreign jurisdictions by multilateral and bilateral agencies and other creditors in cases of failure by your state and the FCT to satisfactorily observe and fulfil the terms and conditions of the Chinese loans, liabilities and other external borrowing which are guaranteed by the Federal Government.”
“The apparent inadequacy of safeguards and accountability mechanisms for these Chinese loans, liabilities and other external borrowing may also expose Nigeria’s assets in foreign jurisdictions to confiscation.”
“Your state and the FCT have a shared obligation to ensure that the spending and repayment plans of Chinese loans, liabilities, facilities and other external borrowing are consistent with the provisions of national and international standards, and to prevent or mitigate risks of confiscation of Nigerian assets abroad.”
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government and the FCT to comply with our request in the public interest.”
“Despite several external loans, liabilities, investment obligations and external borrowing obtained by your state and the FCT, which are guaranteed by the Federal Government over many years, millions of Nigerians in your state and the FCT continue to lack access to regular electricity supply and have been denied the benefit of renewable energy solutions.”
“A recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed that over 133 million Nigerians are living in different categories of poverty, the majority of them women and children.”
“SERAP is seriously concerned that many of the country’s 36 states and FCT are allegedly mismanaging public funds which may include Chinese loans, liabilities and other external borrowing obtained from bilateral and multilateral institutions and agencies and guaranteed by the Federal Government.”
“We urge you to disclose the spending details of these Chinese loans, investment obligations and external borrowing, including details of and locations of projects as well as the implementation status and completion reports, if any, on the projects.”
“According to Nigeria’s Debt Management Office, the total external debt for Ogun State is N168,833,006.66 as at December 31, 2023. The total public debt portfolio for the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory is N9.17 trillion.”
“Nigeria’s total public debt stock, including external and domestic debts, increased by ₦24.33 trillion in three months alone, from ₦97.34 trillion ($108.23 billion) in December 2023 to ₦121.67 trillion ($91.46 billion) as of March 31, 2024. The debt represents external and domestic loans obtained by the Federal Government, the 36 state governments and the FCT.”
“SERAP notes that the World Bank has approved several loans and other funding facilities to the country’s 36 states including the recent $750 million credit line meant to the states to carry out reforms to attract investment and create jobs.”
“The World Bank on 15 December 2020 approved a $1.5 billion loan for Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT for social protection and strengthened state-level COVID-19 response. The loan aims to help the states build a resilient recovery post-COVID19 and to reduce poverty.”
“SERAP is concerned that the Chinese loans and other external borrowing obtained by your state and guaranteed by the Federal Government are vulnerable to corruption and mismanagement.”
“Publishing details of the Chinese loans, liabilities, investment obligations and other external borrowing obtained by your state and the FCT which are guaranteed by the Federal Government would allow Nigerians to scrutinise them.”
“Section 39(1) of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], section 44 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Nigeria is a state party impose legal obligations on your state and the FCT to disclose the details sought.”
“Section 41 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act provides: ‘1) The framework for debt management during the financial year shall be based on the following rules: a. Government at all tiers shall only borrow for capital expenditure and human development, provided that, such borrowing shall be on concessional terms with low interest rate and with a reasonable long amortization period subject.’”
“Section 44 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act provides: ‘1) Any Government in the Federation or its agencies and corporations desirous of borrowing shall, specify the purpose for which the borrowing is intended and present a cost-benefit analysis, detailing the economic and social benefits of the purpose to which the intended borrowing is to be applied.’”
“According to section 21(1)(2) of the Debt Management Office Establishment (Etc), Act, ‘No external loan shall be approved or obtained by the Minister unless its terms and conditions shall have been laid before the National Assembly and approved by, its resolution. (2) The Federal and State Government or any of their agencies shall not obtain any external loan except with a guarantee issued by the Minister.’”
[Vanguard]
Onofiok Luke, a former member of the house of representatives, has congratulated Kudirat Kekere-Ekun on her swearing-in as the acting chief justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Kekere-Ekun was inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu as the second female CJN in the country’s history, after Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, who served from July 2012 to November 2014.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the former chairman of the house of representatives committee on judiciary, said he is confident that Kekere-Ekun will embark on judicial reforms.
Luke, who represented Etinan/Nsit Ibom/Nsit Ubium federal constituency in Akwa Ibom, said Kekere-Ekun’s appointment is a “well-deserved recognition” of her “outstanding contributions and unwavering commitment” to the legal profession in Nigeria.
“I am confident that, with Your Lordship’s experience, the Nigerian judiciary will reach new levels of efficiency,” the statement reads.
“I have no doubt that you will usher in reforms that will empower the judicial workforce and improve working conditions.
“The recent assent by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, to the bill for an upward review of the salaries and emoluments of judicial officers is a milestone that I believe will have an even greater impact under your leadership.
“This commitment by the Executive underscores the persistent advocacy efforts over the years, including those during my tenure as Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary.
“As you embark on this new chapter, I pray that God grants you the wisdom, courage, and strength to lead the judiciary to even greater heights.”
[TheCable]
Controversial cross-dresser Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has said that he does not mind returning to Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
He explained that he considers his time in jail as a vacation.
The entertainer explained that he has being working hard and rested while he was in prison.
Recall that Bobrisky was released on Monday, August 5, 2024, after serving six months imprisonment for abusing the naira, by spraying it at parties.
He was sentenced to six months imprisonment on April 12, 2024, without the option of a fine by Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos.
Appearing on the ‘Curiosity Made Me Ask’ show, hosted by content creator Bae U Barbie, Bobrisky said he would love to go back to jail.
According to him, “I see my jail term as a vacation. You know, on vacation, you go and rest. I’ve been working so hard, and I think their decision was okay for me.
“The decision was to break me, but sadly, nothing happened to Mummy of Lagos. I’m still fine, I’m still good, and I will continue to be fine and good.”
The host, Bae U, asked, “Prison fit you o! Would you like to go again?”
Bobrisky replied, “I would love to go, maybe for a short term like that again. Short term, not long-term.
“The reason why I would love to go again is that these people really want to break me. I have never seen anywhere you are going to sentence someone to prison for spraying money.
“It’s funny to me. Everything happened like a movie. Spraying of money? It’s my money. I’m not owing anybody money. I did not steal money. I did not kidnap, I did not rape. I did not kill anybody. I spent my own hard-earned money, and I was sentenced to where we have a lot of criminals.
“But like I always say, I’m a very strong person. If I have chosen this lifestyle to be who I wanna be, then I should be ready for the worst. And the worst that has happened is sending me to prison because, obviously, I did not do anything, I did not kill anybody.”
However, he insisted that he is not an ex-convict, arguing that he can’t be convicted for spraying money.
“I’m not an ex-convict because I can’t be convicted for spraying money. So I won’t accept it,” he said.
Former Nigerian ambassadors have said the new upward review of the fees for Nigerian passports would not reduce the japa syndrome but rather worsen the hardship afflicting the people.
The Nigeria Immigration Service recently announced that a 100 per cent price increment for the passport would begin on September 1, 2024 to ensure the quality and integrity of the Nigerian Standard Passport system.
The NIS said a 32-page passport booklet with five-year validity previously charged at N35,000 has increased to N50,000, while a 64-page passport booklet with 10-year validity which was N70,000 will be N100,000.
But speaking with Sunday PUNCH, a former ambassador to the Philippines, Yemi Farounbi, explained that although the increment might be necessary given the upsurge in inflation rate, the move would only worsen the hardship in the country.
The former ambassador said, “There is nothing whose price has not gone up in the last one year. Unfortunately, the poor people are the carriers of this burden so rather than ease the burden on the common man or the average Nigerian, we have only added to it. Increasing the cost of passports by almost 100 per cent or thereabouts will not discourage those who want to leave because they are being pulled by stronger forces than the cost of passports.”
Also speaking, a former Nigeria Consul to Cameroon, Rasheed Akinkuolie, noted that there were important issues the government should concentrate on rather than increasing the passport fees as more people were currently suffering from insecurity and the high inflation rate affecting prices of items.