The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II has taken to social media to celebrate his daughter, Adeola, who turns 30 today May 20.
In his post, the revered monarch prayed for God to be with his daughter and took it further by asking her to go and bring a man home for marriage.
His post reads;
‘’Princess Adeola, Aanuoluwapo, Atutunini, Bamdefe Ogunwusi, Omo Ojaja II. I am truly grateful for the fulfilling life you have lived. May God Almighty continue to be with you in all your endeavors. Amen!
When you turned 10, your father would talk to you about school and your future. At 20, he encouraged you to listen and understand the importance of morals and well-being, even as you sought independence.
Now that you are 30, you are a grown woman. Your father senses that you no longer wish to be advised as independence has finally set in.
I talked 10 to you and I got your subtle independence behaviour in return, I talked 20 to you and still got your near obvious independence behaviour in return. Now I’m talking 30 to a grown woman, so go and bring husband to daddy o...
With love from the throne of Oduduwa.
Congratulations, and may God continue to guide you in all your pursuits.''
A Nigerian pastor, Sam Odeg, has advised men to not be afraid of approaching any unmarried lady even if she has a boyfriend.
He gave the advice in a Facebook post on Sunday, May 19, while narrating how he ‘snatched’ his wife from her thwn boyfriend.
"My Open Confession. The first day I saw my wife, she was with her boyfriend. They were watching a movie in one particular phone (which I later found out belonged to the boyfriend). That same day, while she was giggling and laughing with him, I called her out," he wrote."Excuse me please. Can I see you?"
The boyfriend looked up to know who was calling her. When he saw me, his eyes were full of anger. But I didn't care. I no send.
Oh I forgot to tell you that the guy was from Imo State (I think so. Maybe I'll ask my wife when she comes back today). He travelled down to my village that year just to see my wife (his girlfriend then). And they landed right in my compound in the village, watching movie in his phone. So he travelled down from Imo State to Abiriba just to watch movies with a girl. And he didn't see any other place to stay and watch the movie except my compound in the village. Some guys dey take risks shaAnd I kinda liked that risk though.He probably was interested in doing "girlfriend" thing. Me, I wanted a "wife". In my mind, I was like,
“Enyi, stop looking at me like that abeg. I don see wetin I dey find since.”
She took permission from him and came to answer me.
After that very day, the rest was history. Today she's my wife
And the guy? I mean, the boyfriend? He's still very much unmarried as I write this, doing playboy. Saw him few months back.
Moral of the story:
If you are a girl, don't let any "boyfriend" stop you from meeting your "husband" oh.
If you are a man and you have seen a girl you are genuinely falling for, go and shoot your shot.
Even if she has a boyfriend, no fear to approach her. Go with your full chest. Na me send you. I dey your back.
The supposed "boyfriend" may just be a "boyfriend" and nothing more. Who knows, you might be the "husband".No let anyone hold your wife for long in the name of boyfriend.
The Lagos State Police Command has rescued two infants who were locked up in an apartment on Adelakun Street, in the Iju Ishaga area of Lagos State.
The toddlers, PUNCH Metro gathered, were found in a state of neglect when the rescue operation took place.
A rights group, Advocate for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, alleged that the mother of the infants had been grappling with substance abuse.
The Chief Operating Officer of the group, Ebenezer Omejalile, who disclosed this to our correspondent on Sunday, said the residents in the area alerted the group to the development.
He said, “According to the informants, the mother, purportedly struggling with substance abuse issues, would lock her children inside their apartment and remain absent for the entirety of the day.
“These two minors were left to fend for themselves. They eat, defecate, sleep and wake up locked up in the room yet nothing was being done. The DPO of the Red House Police Station was duly informed about it and the infants were rescued.”
In a video watched by our correspondent, one of the infants could be seen crying in the locked-up apartment. In a separate video, the children were seen eating after the rescue operation.
Meanwhile, Omejalile said it was the second time the police would rescue the toddlers in such a situation.
According to him, the rescue operation was carried out by the former Divisional Police Officer but the children were returned to their mother after being placed under the care of government authorities.
He said, “The incident was initially reported at the same police station several months ago. The then DPO promptly responded to the distress call and rescued the babies from their mother’s custody.
“Shockingly, despite the initial intervention by law enforcement, it has come to light that the children were subsequently returned to their mother’s care. This decision has left many baffled, including the former DPO who ensured the babies were placed under the care of government agencies.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development.
He said, “The children were rescued. They are now in safe hands.”
A man, Taiwo Badejo, has allegedly stabbed his friend, identified simply as Monday, to death over N2,500 debt in the Oko Oba area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Badejo and Monday were arguing over the money when the argument degenerated into a fight between them on Friday.
Communicating with our correspondent on Saturday, a resident, Tope Ajise, who lives on Egbatedo Street along the Old Oko Oba area where the incident took place, told our correspondent that people tried to pacify the duo but the matter was further escalated.
Ajise said, “It started just as arguments a night before Friday until we heard in the morning that he (Taiwo) had stabbed Monday. It was just because of N2,500.
“He borrowed the money from Monday, and the man came to ask for his money. That was how he picked a knife and stabbed him. The man could not make it, he bled till death. I know the suspect to be a twin, he bears the name, Taiwo.”
Another resident, who gave his name simply as Taofeek, said the culprit was one of the guys who sat around in the area and had no “serious source of income.”
“They just move around, tax people, eat and that’s all,” Taofeek said. “There are so many people like that in this area with no tangible source of income. So, when you hear of issues like this, you can first trace it to joblessness. You know an idle hand, they say, is the devil’s workshop,” he added.
Another resident who craved anonymity because he is close to the family of the deceased told PUNCH Metro that Taiwo was immediately arrested by security operatives of the Yoruba vigilante organisation, the Oodua People’s Congress.
The source said, “They were friends, it’s just unfortunate how things got that bad. The guy died early in the morning. The guy who stabbed him was picked up by members of the Oodua People’s Congress and was taken to the nearby police station. The Abattoir Police Station covers our area, so I believe that must be where he was taken to.”
When contacted on Saturday, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.
The PPRO said the suspect had been arrested and the police were probing the case.
“The suspect’s name is Taiwo Badejo. He has been arrested. The case is now at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti,” the police spokesman told our correspondent in a chat.
Similar cases of suspected murder have taken place in Lagos and left residents in shock.
Last December, a man, Eboh Joshua, lost his life after his friend, Adeyeye Adedolapo, allegedly stabbed him in the Baruwa, Ipaja area of Lagos.
The incident occurred around 6:30 pm on a Friday, according to residents who also told PUNCH Metro the accused had spent the night at the deceased’s apartment before the incident took place.
A man identified simply as John also lost his life after his friend, Akinola Adeleye, allegedly stabbed him to death following an argument about who was to foot the bill for a plate of food eaten at a restaurant.
The incident happened in the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos.
It was gathered that the two men had a misunderstanding over who should pay for the plate of meal Akinola had eaten and in the course of the argument that degenerated into a fight, Akinola stabbed John to death with a knife.
The police, after arresting the suspect, arraigned him in a court.
The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Annett Gunther, says her country is working to improve the visa issuance process for Nigerians seeking to study in Germany.
Gunther, who said her country is not against Nigerians coming, said already there are no less than 4,000 Nigerians schooling and working in Germany.
Gunther made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.
According to her, the German Academic Exchange Service gives out not less than 1,000 scholarships yearly.
She said that the German government was working on improving visa approvals for intending Nigerian students to Germany.
“At the moment, we have approximately 4,000 Nigerian students in Germany, coming and going in and out of the country and, also engaging in other things.
”I know we are not yet in a position to issue the visas for the students on time, but we are working on that. We are not interested in preventing people from coming to Germany.
”We want them to come. So there is also something to do on our side to improve our capacities on visa issuance,” she said.
She explained that though many courses in Germany were taught in English, it was imperative for international students to have a certain knowledge of the German language.
She said university studies in Germany were either free or not very expensive compared with other countries with English official language.
According to the envoy, there is a keen interest for students to come and study in Germany mainly because German universities are top-class and internationally renowned.
“That is why the German Academic Exchange Service gives out not less than 1,000 scholarships yearly,” she said.
The envoy said that there were many programmes to support German culture and language training in Nigeria, with the most famous being the Deutsche Institute.
She explained that the institute was basically about language courses, and also the corresponding language tests.
”It is a cultural exchange; it is also about scientific cooperation, exhibitions, interaction of artists, music and others.
“Basically, what they do is to interact with Nigerian artists and connect both countries’ artists in the various fields.
“For language training, probably the best known German language is also taught at a number of universities and the German Academic Exchange service,” she said.
According to Gunther, not less than 80,000 Nigerians live and work in Germany and are contributing meaningfully to its economic growth.
“It is also in our interest because our population is shrinking and we are lacking a workforce. We are happy with everybody who comes to support us.
“Most of them have come to work and live in Germany to make a living, to earn money, support their families and also send money home.
”Nigerians have made meaningful contributions in Germany, just like many other foreigners from other countries,” she said.
Gunther added that the trade relations between Germany and Nigeria stood at about €3bn.
She said, “I think agriculture is a very good area for cooperation, not only because we can help in the area of food security, which is important to Nigeria, but also in improvement of export of processed products.
“Instead of selling more raw products, we will have more value creation within the country to create more jobs.
“As part of our development cooperation, we have a programme in agriculture that also focuses on exactly that value chain, which supports small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector,” she said.
As high operating cost forces investors into service sector
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the impact of multiplicity of taxes imposed on the manufacturing sector in the country may hinder the sector from maximizing the potential gains in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Director General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, stated this in a paper he presented at the just concluded annual tax conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Abuja.
This is even as Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer at Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), says that many manufacturing investors are now migrating to the services sector due to high operating costs.
According to Ajayi-Kadir, taxes from federal, state, and local governments impact manufacturing, hindering the development and competitiveness of the sector.
“The imposition of overlapping taxes has created compliance burdens, operational inefficiencies, and reduced profitability for manufacturers. Duplication of taxes increases production costs and final prices of goods and services, eroding profit margins and hindering investment incentives,” he stated.
He noted that a survey conducted by MAN in 2023 reveals numerous taxes with overlapping effects that add complexity and burden to businesses.
His words: “Sales tax and Value Added Tax (VAT), mobile advertising charges, education levies, tenement rates, Land use charges, and parking fees contribute to financial burdens for manufacturers.
“Multiple taxes discourage investment, stifles entrepreneurship, and hampers economic growth, affecting small and medium industries (SMIs) disproportionately,” he said.
He said that the competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturers in the global trading environment has declined due to the multitude of taxes.
“This tax burden may hinder the sector from maximizing potential gains in AfCFTA,” Ajayi-Kadir added.
In his remarks, Coordinating Director, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Matthew Gbojubola, said there are ongoing moves to simplify the tax laws in the country to ensure easy compliance.
According to him, the Presidential Tax Reforms Committee was specifically established to rewrite and simplify the tax laws, adding that efforts were ongoing to produce a new law for the entire tax system.
“The government wants businesses to grow but it needs the tax revenues to create a better operating environment,” he added.
Meanwhile, also speaking at the CITN conference, Muda Yusuf reiterated that manufacturers in Nigeria were overburdened with high cost of operation, such as energy costs, huge logistics costs, supply chain challenges, forex volatility, and customs duty exchanges.
Yusuf noted that most manufacturers have had to provide the road to their factory, provide security, water, electricity and other amenities that are supposed to be provided by the state governments.
“I’m saying this to underscore the point that the manufacturing sector needs some empathy in this economy. And that is why many investors are now migrating to the services sector. The economy now is about 57 percent services, because if you are in the service sector, you don’t need a 100 KVA generator, you don’t need clearing containers from the ports,” he stated.
Oritsefemi, the singer, has claimed Caroline Danjuma, the actress, was married to Tagbo Umeike, Davido’s late friend.
Tagbo passed away in 2017. Danjuma had revealed she was dating Tagbo.
She also accused Davido of involvement in Tagbo’s death, a claim Davido denied in his song ‘Fia’.
Oritsefemi, who was married to Nabila Fash, faced martial troubles in 2021 due to alleged infidelity.
In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, the media personality, Oritsefemi claimed he wanted to marry Danjuma.
He said he settled for his ex-wife after learning of Danjuma’s marriage to Tagbo.
He added that Danjuma, after the purported marriage to Tagbo, pressured Nabila to secure a marriage with him.
“I never intended to marry her. It was Caroline Danjuma. Caroline went and did a court wedding with the late Tagbo,” Oritsefemi said.
“After the wedding, she told Nabila that she had married Tagbo and urged her to make sure I marry her.
“It was Caroline who advised Nabila to get married to me. She said I was a rough diamond and that Nabila’s success was lying on me.
“So that was it. When she asked me that she wanted to marry me, I accepted because she has had about three miscarriages for me.”
Danjuma, as at the time of this story, has not yet addressed Oritsefemi’s claims.
Erling Haaland has finished as the English Premier League (EPL) top goal scorer for a second consecutive season as Manchester City beat West Ham 3-1 to win a fourth consecutive title.
The Norwegian striker was absent for two months of the season through injury and struggled to match the heights of his debut campaign at City when he struck 52 times in all competitions, including a Premier League record 36.
The 23-year-old failed to add to his 27 Premier League goals on the final day but still proved decisive in the run-in to help City secure an unprecedented fourth consecutive English top-flight crown.
Haaland scored nine times in his final seven Premier League appearances of the season to help City edge Arsenal to the title by two points.
Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who himself started the season at City, was second in the top scorer standings with 22 goals, one ahead of Newcastle striker Alexander Isak.
EPL Top Goal Scorer Chart
27: Haaland (Man City)
22: Palmer (Chelsea)
21: Isak (Newcastle)
19: Foden (Man City), Solanke (Bournemouth), Watkins (Aston Villa)
18: Salah (Liverpool)
17: Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
16: Bowen (West Ham), Mateta (Crystal Palace), Saka (Arsenal)
14: Jackson (Chelsea), Wood (Nottm Forest)
13: Havertz (Arsenal)
12: Cunha (Wolves), Hwang (Wolves), Trossard (Arsenal), Wissa (Brentford)
11: Alvarez (Man City), Eze (Crystal Palace), Gordon (Newcastle), Morris (Luton), Nunez (Liverpool), Richarlison (Tottenham)
10: Adebayo (Luton), Bailey (Aston Villa), Fernandes (Man Utd), Hojlund (Man Utd), Jota (Liverpool), Olise (Crystal Palace)
Manchester City are champions of the 2023/24 English Premier League season after defeating West Ham 3-1 at the Etihad on the campaign’s final day.
The Citizen clinched the title after finishing just two points over Arsenal, who defeated Everton 2-1 at the Emirate Stadium.
The latest title triumph is Man City’s fourth consecutive title, a record-setting achievement for Pep Guardiola’s side.
It is also the club’s 10th EPL title and the sixth since Guardiola took over the team in 2016.
A Phil Foden brace and Rodri’s shot in second-half ensured Man City ended the season with 91 points over Arsenal’s accumulated total of 89.
The two teams’ performances took the title race to the season’s final day, and the Citizens executed their plans to perfection.
Arsenal had to come from a goal down against Everton, but their effort proved short of the indefatigable champions.
Idrissa Gueye put Everton ahead early in the first half after his freekick was deflected past David Raya by Declan Rice into the net. The Gunners struck back three minutes later when Takehiro Tomiyaso stroked the ball home after Martin Odegaard teed him up.
Kai Havertz completed the come-back for Mikel Arteta’s side with one of the final kicks of the game.
Elsewhere, Jurgen Klopp got a winning farewell in his final game at Anfield, thanks to a Liverpool 2-0 victory over ten-men Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Chelsea confirmed their return to European football next season with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth, while Manchester United will hope to win the FA Cup for a chance to play European football next season after finishing eighth in the league despite a 2-0 win at Brighton.
Luton join Burnley and Sheffield United to be relegated from the EPL following a 4-2 loss to Fulham at home.
RESULTS
- Arsenal 2-1 Everton
- Brentford 2-4 Newcastle United
- Brighton 0-2 Manchester United
- Burnley 1-2 Nott. Forest
- Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth
- Crystal Palace 5-0 Aston Villa
- Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
- Luton 2-4 Fulham
- Manchester City 3-1 West Ham
- Sheffield Utd 0-3 Tottenham
Eleven suspected pipeline vandals opposite the depot of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited at Apir, a suburb of Makurdi, Benue State capital, have been apprehended by the Anti-Vandal Unit of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Yakubu Ibrahim, the State Commandant of the corps, who disclosed this on Saturday, said that following an intelligence report, the command dispatched its team to the area opposite the NNPCL depot at Apir.
According to Ibrahim, the team discovered an illegal vandalization of an NNPCL pipeline, also known as the Yola line, at the location.
Ibrahim explained that the eleven persons were apprehended at the crime site and would be taken for questioning and profiling. While describing the activities of the vandals as an “act of terrorism,” the commandant further explained that the destruction, which stretches over 10km, was an economic sabotage.
The commandant said, “This is my first time; I’ve never seen a thing like this before. It’s disheartening that these excavated pipelines, which may have cost so much, would be sold for a pittance, indicative that the well-being of the Nigerian people was never in their consideration.”
He expressed sadness over what he described as a conspiracy of silence by the residents and traditional rulers of the community near the scene of the incident and promised to investigate if they were found complicit.
He enjoined the people of the state to be more vigilant and more conscious of activities in their environment, stressing that the items recovered at the site were the vandals’ working equipment, with 16 cut pipelines.
Men of the Benue State Community Volunteer Guards, in late April 2024, arrested two pipeline vandals in Yakyor, Apir, a suburb of Makurdi. According to Joseph Har, the Special Adviser to Governor Hyacinth Alia on Security and Internal Affairs, the culprits were trailed and arrested at the weekend after they had sold the first batch of the loot for N400,000 and shared the money.
More...
The Kaduna Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended Abdullahi Yahaya and Ibrahim Haruna within Kaduna metropolis on charges related to currency counterfeiting.
The commission disclosed that upon their arrest, a total sum of $81,700 all in fake $100 denomination, was found in their possession.
A statement made available to newsmen in Kaduna at the weekend by the commission’s head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, stated that Haruna, upon interrogation, claimed that the counterfeit dollars were delivered to him some months ago for safe-keeping by one Babangida, said to be at large.
It further explained that Yahaya on his part claimed that he got to know that Haruna possessed fake dollars when one Kabiru, also said to be at large, connected him to Haruna for the purpose of collecting the fake dollars for delivery to a buyer who was waiting at an agreed location.
The commission also disclosed other items found in their possession as at the time of the arrest included a small quantity of colourless substance, suspected to be mercury, a chemical allegedly being used to aid the production of fake dollars.
According to the statement, the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations are concluded.
Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been commended for the professionalism and dedication it brings to the fight against corruption, economic and financial crimes.
It received the commendation when the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Kaduna State Branch paid a courtesy visit to the Kaduna Zonal Command of the EFCC.
70-Year-Old Nigerian Grandpa Arrested In Borno For Drug Trafficking; China-Bound Cocaine Hidden In Bolts Intercepted In Lagos
AFOLABI
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has announced the apprehension of a 70-year-old man named Adamu Mohammed by its operatives.
Mohammed was arrested at Mbulamel in the Biu Local Government Area of Borno State for allegedly dealing in illicit drugs.
The anti-narcotic agency also said that its operatives intercepted China and UK-bound consignments concealed in steel bolts and shea butter in Lagos and recovered 2,025 explosives in Niger, Kano and Sokoto states.
The NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, in a statement issued on Sunday said that NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigations (DOGI), attached to a courier firm in Lagos on Wednesday intercepted two parcels containing cocaine and amphetamine concealed in steel bolts and shea butter.
Babafemi stated that while the cocaine weighing 587 grams was concealed in eight steel bolt screws going to China, the amphetamine consignment packed in vape pens and hidden in shea butter was going to the United Kingdom.
He further stated that NDLEA operatives also thwarted an attempt by one Emeka Nwadiaro, also known as Mega, to export 3.6kg of Loud, a strain of cannabis concealed in 36 water flasks to Dubai, UAE at a logistics company in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, on Thursday.
He said a follow-up operation led to the arrest of the owner of the consignment, Nwadiaro in Onitsha, Anambra state on the same day.
Babafemi also stated that while NDLEA operatives in Lagos intercepted a Mercedes Benz bus loaded with 840kg cannabis and arrested the driver, Samuel Henry, at Olojo in the Ojo Local Government Area of the state.
He said another suspect, Lawal Adam, was arrested along Otukpo Road, Aliade in Benue State on Friday with 75,000 pills of opioids including tramadol and exol-5.
Also, two suspects identified as Olisa Etisi, 32, and Jonathan Umeh, 25, were arrested along Owerri-Onitsha Road in Imo State following the discovery by NDLEA operatives of a big gas cylinder used to conceal six blocks of Loud, a strain of cannabis weighing 3.85kg.
He also said that on Thursday, 27-year-old Gaddafi Sani was arrested with 30 kilograms of cannabis, 2kg cannabis and 33.55grams of diazepam, along Abuja-Kaduna Road in Kaduna State.
Babafemi said in Yobe State, a consignment of 91.1kg opioids and 13kg cannabis going to Maiduguri, Borno State, was recovered from the hidden compartments of a petrol tanker along Potiskum-Damaturu Road by NDLEA operatives who also arrested the driver, Ismaila Ali.
The NDLEA spokesperson said, “No fewer than four suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 2,025 pieces of improvised explosive devices (IED) materials intercepted in a Toyota hummer bus marked AGL 905 XX by NDLEA officers along Agaie - Lapai Road, Niger State.
“While the duo of Abdulrauf Shitu Adeyemi, 46, and Asmiyu Rahim, 45, conveying the IED materials were arrested on the spot, follow-up operations led to the arrest of Husaini Abdullahi, 25, at Sokoto main market, Sokoto and Nazifi Abdullahi, 37, at Naibawa Motor Park, Kano on Friday 17th May.
“The Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has directed that all four suspects and the explosive materials be transferred to the appropriate security agency for further investigation.”
He noted that in another operation, 42-year-old Muhammad Lawal was arrested at Central Market Motor Park, Katsina State with 1,000 ampoules of pentazocine injection.
He said, “A total of 105kg cannabis was on Friday recovered from a house at Obola community, Owan West Local Government Area, Edo State and a suspect, Gloria Oris, was arrested when NDLEA officers raided the area.
“In Kwara State, two suspects: Abdulganiyu Karaman, 55, and Sunday Abel, 37, were on Saturday 18th May arrested with 83kg cannabis and tramadol at Boriya, Baruten LGA, and Offa respectively.”
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria penultimate Friday to champion mental health for young people affected by conflicts and to promote the Invictus Games, which the prince founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick service members and veterans.
Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, says it was “humbling” to find out through a genealogy test that she is partly Nigerian as she met with women in the West African nation penultimate Saturday. On her second day in Nigeria, according to AP News, she acknowledged Nigeria as “my country.”
The Duchess at an event on women in leadership co-hosted by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian economist and head of the World Trade Organization (WTO). “It’s been eye-opening to be able to know more about my heritage.
Never in a million years would I understand it as much as I do now. “And what has been echoed so much in the past day is, ‘Oh, we are not so surprised when we found out you are Nigerian.
“It is a compliment to you because what they define as a Nigerian woman is brave, resilient, courageous, beautiful”. Meghan had announced on her podcast in October 2022 that she found out through DNA-based test that she was “43% Nigerian.”
Her first reaction after finding out was to tell her mother, she said at the event held in Abuja. “Being African-American, part of it is really not knowing so much about your lineage and background … and it was exciting for both of us,” she said.
Mo Abudu, program anchor and Chief Executive of EbonyLife Media Group, then asked the audience to suggest a Nigerian name for Meghan. “Ifeoma,” someone shouted from the excited crowd, a name from Nigeria’s Igbo tribe which means ‘a treasured thing.’
“Omowale”, another suggested, from the Yoruba tribe, which means ‘the child has come home.’ Meghan joined female leaders such as Okonjo-Iweala to discuss the importance of mentorship for young women and the career challenges women face in a country like Nigeria, where it is not common for women to be in top leadership and political positions.
Asked by the anchor about how she feels about becoming the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, Okonjo-Iweala said it was long overdue.
“When I will feel right is when we stop saying, ‘the first woman to do this … to do that’. I have very mixed feelings about being the first woman because I think women should have been there already.” She also spoke about mentors who have helped her career, including as Nigeria’s former finance minister.
One way to mentor young girls is by “returning home” to be closer to them, Meghan said, citing the case of Okonjo-Iweala as an example.
“You need to come back home, you need to, at least, be a familiar face for the next generation to say, ‘Oh she looks like me and I can be that’,” she added.
Earlier in the day, Meghan watched as Harry and his Invictus Games team lost to the Nigerian military’s team in a sitting volleyball game. It featured soldiers recovering from injuries sustained in the country’s fight against Islamic extremists and other armed gangs in the country’s conflict-battered north. After the match held at the Nigerian Armed Forces’ Mess in Abuja, Harry and Meghan were surrounded by players, their families and a group of women who gifted Meghan a Nigerian fabric.
“We are friends and family supporters of Harry and Meghan,” said Peace Adetoro, 57, a member of the group. “They are a beautiful couple and we love them so much. We support them 100%.” Nigeria’s fashion and dancing styles were in the spotlight during the visit.
The family of David Ukpo, who was taken to the United Kingdom by the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, for a kidney transplant has cried out as they have not heard from their son David, following the conviction and sentencing of Ekweremadu.
The former deputy senate president and his wife, Beatrice, were sentenced on March 23, 2023, at the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, United Kingdom.
Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months in jail for organ trafficking.
Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor who acted as the middleman, were alleged to have attempted to convince doctors at the Royal Free Hospital in London to perform an £80,000 transplant on 21-year-old David Ukpo, who was presented as the cousin of their daughter Sonia Ekweremadu.
Speaking with family members in their village in Ndioffia Ishieke of Ebonyi State, where David Ukpo hails from, they stated that they have not heard from their son since the incident broke out and they don’t know if their son is dead or alive.
The 46-year-old mother of David Ukpo, who gave her name as Mary Ukpo, stated that the last time she saw her son was in November 2021, when he visited the village and since then, she has not heard from him or seen him.
Speaking to our correspondent at the family compound in Ndioffia Ishieke village in Ebonyi State, she said, “I don’t know if my son is alive or not because I have not heard from him since 2022.
“The last time I saw him was in 2021 when he came to the village. I am begging anyone who knows where my son is to please grant me access to speak to him.
“We heard Ike Ekweremadu has been sentenced to prison, but until this very moment, we have not heard from our son. It’s been years now, and I don’t know if he is alive or dead. David is my son and first child. I just gave birth to another child in his absence, which makes it seven younger ones that are next to him.”
With tears, the stepmother of David, who gave her name as Ukpo Felicia, said since David’s departure, the father has been sick with his leg swollen.