Nollywood actor Pa Zulu Adigwe reportedly passed away on the evening of Tuesday, April 23rd.
Movie producer Stanley Nwoke, aka Stanley Ontop, posted the news of his demise on his Instagram page.
He announced the death of the actor and mentioned that the cause of his passing is still unknown.
Stanley wrote: “I regret to announce the passing on a veteran actor. What caused his death is yet to be reviewed. Rest in peace, good actor.”
Adigwe began acting at the age of seven. He made his earliest television appearance in Baci and Company, taking over the lead role from Albert Egbe.
His debut movie, Blood of the Orphan, earned him praise. In 2004, he starred in Living Abroad alongside Ernest Asuzu, Emeka Enyiocha, and Anne Njemanze.
In 2019, he portrayed Pascal Nworie in Living in Bondage: Breaking Free.
The death of Adigwe would add to the growing list of actors who have passed away.
Over the past four months, Nollywood has lost six of its own, including Sisi Quadri, Mr. Ibu, Amaechi Muonagor, Andy Best, Jumoke Aderounmu, and Junior Pope.
Junior Pope drowned in the Anam River in Anambra State while returning from a movie shoot.
Actress Jumoke Aderounmu, known for her role in Funke Akindele’s TV series, passed away at age 40.
Veteran actor Amaechi Muonagor succumbed to kidney disease after a year-long battle. Nollywood producer and marketer Ikechukwu Nnadi, also known as Andy Best, passed away after a prolonged illness.
Yoruba actor Sisi Quadri died from kidney-related issues and was laid to rest in his hometown of Iwo, Osun State.
Concurrently, veteran actor Mr. Ibu passed away at Evercare Hospital following a prolonged illness, leaving the industry mourning the loss of a beloved figure who had played a significant role in many childhood memories.
Lead British International School in Abuja has been shut down for three days following a viral video depicting a disturbing incident of bullying within the school premises
The announcement was made during a press briefing attended by concerned parents on Tuesday at the school premises.
The decision to temporarily shut down the school comes in the wake of public outrage sparked by the circulating videos, which captured a female student being subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her peers.
The disturbing footage depicted the victim being repeatedly slapped by another female student in what appeared to be an interrogation session.
The incident prompted widespread condemnation and calls for swift action to address the issue of bullying within the school community.
Abraham Ogunkambi, the Head of Lead British International School, issued a statement on Tuesday, in response to the incident.
He stated the school’s disapproval of the incident and confirmed the launch of an investigation into the matter.
“The school management is treating this matter with the utmost seriousness,” Ogunkambi asserted.
He mentioned that the school has already reached out to the victim and her parents, providing them with necessary support and counseling services to manage the emotional and psychological consequences of the incident.
In a courageous act, the family of a bride-to-be and a group of passengers thwarted a kidnapping attempt by killing a terrorist in Zamfara State.
PRNigeria reports that the incident unfolded when the family of the bride-to-be and other travellers were ambushed by bandits along the Talata Mafara-Gusau highway.
The bride’s family had embarked on a journey to purchase clothing and other wedding materials in Kano. However, their plans took a harrowing turn when armed bandits targeted them.
An eyewitness, who spoke to PRNigeria, revealed that the response was spontaneous once the bandits had selected their victims.
Despite one of the bandits managing to escape, the brave passengers captured two AK-47 rifles.
Narrating how the events unfolded, the eyewitness said: “A few kilometres away from the Fangal Tama checkpoint, the travellers heard gunshots echoing all around.
‘’To their shock, they encountered two well-armed bandits on motorcycles, blocking the road and halting vehicles.
“The bandits immediately ordered the young woman (the bride-to-be), her father, mother, and two other relatives to exit their car.
‘’With guns pointed at them, the terrified family members were coerced to follow the bandits into the nearby forest.
“Realising the grave danger they faced in forced abduction, the passengers decided to act swiftly. They rallied together and launched an attack on one of the two bandits.
‘’In a fierce struggle, they managed to overpower him, resulting in his instant death. The other bandit, however, escaped, leaving behind his firearm.
“The courageous group retrieved the two guns and emerged from the forest. They promptly handed the weapons over to the military at a nearby checkpoint.’’
PRNigeria further gathered that amidst the courageous effort of the group, one of the passengers suffered a sudden heart attack due to the traumatic experience and later died in
Nollywood actor, Olanrewaju James, popularly known as Baba Ijesha, has asked the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, to set aside his conviction by a Lagos State High Court over the sexual assault of a minor.
Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo (retd.) of the Ikeja Domestic Violence and Sexual Offences Court, on Thursday, July 14, 2022, sentenced Baba Ijesha to five years imprisonment over the sexual assault of a minor.
But dissatisfied with the judgment, Baba Ijesha approached the appeal court to challenge his five-year jail term.
Baba Ijesha through his counsel, Kayode Olabiran on Tuesday, April 23, told the appeal court that his client was set up and that he acted according to a script that he was invited to act on by his colleague.
“The Appellant was set up. The Appellant is an actor. He acted in a script that he was invited to act by his colleague (PW1), Damilola Adekoya,” he said.
But the Director of Public Prosecution, Dr Babajide Martins, urged the court to dismiss the appeal for lacking in merit and also a misconception.
He urged the court to affirm the judgment of the lower court.
The Naira yesterday depreciated in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, NAFEM, to N1,300.15 per dollar exceeding the parallel market rate by N45.15.
Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for NAFEM rose to N1,300.15 per dollar from N1,234.49 per dollar last week Friday, indicating N65.66 depreciation for the naira.
Similarly, the Naira depreciated to N1,255 per dollar in the parallel market, from N1,1250 per dollar on Monday.
Consequently, the margin between the parallel market and NAFEM rates widened to N45.15 per dollar from N15.51 per dollar the previous day.
Maryam, the student of the Lead British School caught on tape bullying her classmate, Nassita Bwala, has tendered a heartfelt apology.
In a video she made, Maryam said
‘’I am sincerely sorry. I wish this never happened''
A video of Maryam assaulting Namsita sparked national outrage after it surfaced online. The school has now been closed for three days during which a detailed investigation will take place.
Watch her apology video below
Media
Pop star Rihanna has shared her reflections on past decisions, expressing a newfound perspective shaped by motherhood.
The 36-year-old singer, who shares two sons, RZA Athelston Mayers and Riot Rose Mayers, with her partner A$AP Rocky, opened up about certain outfit choices she now views with mild regret.
During an interview with British Vogue at the Tobacco Dock launch of Fenty X Puma’s new brown creeper shoe, Rihanna discussed her past fashion “icks.”
She admitted to feeling regretful about instances where she went topless in public and allowed her “panties to be out” at red carpet events.
“It’s going to sound hypocritical because I did so much s**t in my life, I had my nipples out, I had my panties out.
“But now those are the things, I guess as a mom, and an evolved young lady, emphasis on young, it’s just things that I feel I would never do, or I’m just like ‘oh my god, I really did that? Nips out?'” she confessed.
In a recent cover story for Interview Magazine, Rihanna shared insights into her relationship journey with A$AP Rocky, her partner and the father of her children.
Rihanna revealed that although she first met Rocky, 35, in 2012, their romantic relationship began to blossom in 2019.
“We saw fashion the same. We saw creative the same. We ended up in the same circles a lot.
“And past that, when we grew up, we ended up supporting each other’s brands and products and creative all the time.
“We’ve known each other for a long time. I’ve seen him in relationships. He’s seen me in relationships. We’ve seen each other outside of relationships.
“We knew what we’re capable of, and the trouble that we could bring to each other’s lives. We can make or break each other’s hearts.
“And so, we started dating with a lot of caution … I just let whatever was supposed to happen, happen. It was just, ‘This is a flower. It’s either going to die or blossom. But I’m going to let it decide itself,'” she recalled.
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, has said he did not apply to be the team’s next head coach because of two reasons.
Since Jose Peseiro’s contract elapsed, several former Nigerian players have been linked with the job.
Enyeama has admitted he would have also applied if he had secured his coaching certificate and wasn’t focused on his hotel business.
He told Afrik-Foot: “For you to be able to coach the Super Eagles, you must be certified. That’s the minimum standard.
“That’s the number one reason, and then for the fact that I have been very busy developing and managing my hotel has taken a lot of my attention, and that business is the most important thing for me now.”
[DailyPost]
The ongoing drama at Lead British International School, Abuja, took a new dimension, on Tuesday, when a parent slapped the student involved in the video which has gone viral.
An X user, @mooyeeeeeee, posted two videos where the victim she identified as Maryam Hassan was repeatedly slapped by another female student.
The video generated thousands of comments by netizens who called on the school authorities to investigate the matter.
On Tuesday, some parents stormed the school with the hope to resolve the incident.
However, the student, who was captured slapping her colleague, was seen walking into the premises accompanied by elderly males.
A lady identified as one of the parents walked up to the student, asking her, “She is proud of what she did. You are proud of what you did! You are proud right? Someone’s child; innocent child, you beat her, did you give birth to her? I am asking you, did you give birth to her?”
The student was trying to walk away so as to avoid confrontation, but the angry parent shoved her, saying, “I’m asking you: did you give birth to her?” The student muttered some incoherent words and the angry parent responded with a slap, before other elderly person around moved in to douse tension.
Meanwhile, the student who was slapped went down on her knee.
The Lead British International School had earlier said it has launched investigation into the matter.
In a statement issued earlier on Monday, it said the counselling unit of the school is helping the victimised student overcome the emotional and psychological impact.
The statement read, “We are committed to providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all our students. Hence, upon learning of the incident, we initiated the process of reaching out to the victim and family with a view to providing support, including access to counselling services to help them cope with the emotional and psychological impact of the incident.
“Additionally, we will be working with the perpetrators and their families, offering counselling and disciplinary measures to address their behaviour which has no place in society.
“We have also immediately initiated an investigation, appointing a dedicated team to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter. The team has been gathering information, including reviewing video footage and interviewing witnesses, to understand the full scope of the incident and identify the immediate and remote causes.”
The school also said it is providing a safe environment for students to learn and working against bullying of students through its policies.
It also appealed to the general public to stop sharing and posting of the videos to help the students in stabilising their emotional consciousness.
It continued, ““In line with our commitment to preventing bullying and ensuring a safe school environment, we will be reviewing and updating our extant Anti-Bullying Policies and procedures to determine areas requiring improvement, with a focus on prevention and early intervention. LBIS will also be implementing educational programmes and workshops for students, staff, and parents to raise awareness about bullying and its consequences.
“Lead British International School Abuja, established since 2007, is a renowned education brand with a proud history of producing thousands of alumni who continue to make the institution proud through their accomplishments around the world. These achievements testify to the sound academic and moral grounding they received during their formative years in the school.
“We want to reassure our school community and the public that we are taking all necessary steps to address this isolated incident and prevent a recurrence. We are committed to fostering a culture of kindness, respect, and empathy at Lead British International School Abuja, where every student feels safe, valued, and respected.”
Media
Take a look at Maryam, the face of the bu!!y , she was brought to the school just now by her parent, the school has also been shut down for three days and minister of women affairs is there to address the issue#JusticeForNamtira #LeadBritishSchool pic.twitter.com/U1zP9uivVF
— Studentconnect (@Studentc0nnectv) April 23, 2024
The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has reacted to the statement credited to the Inspector General of Police on the formation of state policing.
Recall that IGP had earlier declared that Nigeria isn’t yet ripe for state police despite the readiness of President Tinubu’s administration to implement it.
In a statement signed Tuesday, Primate Ayodele stated that Nigeria is ripe for state police because it will help complement the efforts of police officers in the country to curb insecurity.
He explained that if the government utilizes the process properly, state policing will assist the NPF tremendously in terms of providing local intelligence to protect the lives of Nigerian citizens.
The prophet made it known that it would create more employment opportunities and if well utilized and used for citizens, it would improve insecurity.
‘’Nigeria is having so many security issues but the state police will add value to the police. If we utilize the process properly, state police will help. It will help to provide local intelligence and create faster means to curb insecurity in the country.
‘’Apart from creating employment, state security will assist in curbing insecurity. It will complement the work of policemen; it will improve our insecurity if it is used for the generality of humanity.’’
However, he advised the federal government to ensure that the process is managed properly to avoid being used to oppress ordinary citizens by politicians and state governors
‘’All the government needs to do is work on funding and manage the process properly by ensuring they are not used for selfish needs by politicians and state governors.
‘’Nigeria is ripe for state police; they should do the funding well and put necessary things in place and not oppress people,” he added.
More...
..may peg age for intake into university, others at 18 years
The Federal Government has revealed that only 20 per cent of the candidates sitting the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) might be offered admission into universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.
The government is also contemplating a review of the current age requirement for entry into tertiary institutions in the country, which is likely to be pegged at 18 years.
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman made the disclosures on Monday in Abuja while monitoring the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), alongside the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof Ishaq Oloyede.
More than 1.9 million candidates registered to participate in the examination that commenced on 19th April and is expected to end on 29th April 2024.
Mamman expressed concerns about about some parents who exert unnecessary pressure on their children, warning them against pushing the children and wards “too much,” to allow them to attain some level of maturity to be able to better manage their affairs.
There have been concerns about the carrying capacity of the existing public tertiary institutions while private institutions always find it difficult to fill their admission quotas because of high tuition fees.
Mamman, while commenting on the high number of candidates seeking admission into the limited slots available in tertiary institutions, said skills acquisition remains a critical component in preparing the youths for a brighter future.
“It is not a question of being employed but how many will be admitted from this set. I think the figure overall on average is about 20 per cent; universities, polytechnics and colleges of education.
“The question you ask is where are the 80 percent? They are our children, our wards living with us. This is why the issue of skills acquisition is terribly important because any student who is not being able to proceed to tertiary education, should be able to have a meaningful life even after secondary school, even primary education actually.
“The only solution to that is skills; by taking skills right from the time they entered school, for the primary right through the educational trajectory. Somebody should finish with one skill or another. That is part of the assumption of the 6-3-3-4.
“It is assumed that by the time a student finishes up to the JSS level, he will have acquired some skills. If he does not proceed to the senior secondary level, he will have acquired some skills that will help him navigate life and cease to be a burden on his parents and society.
“That’s why this skill is just the most important skill for us now that we are going to drive through the education sector for both public and private sector to empower the young ones.”
Speaking on the age requirement for intake into tertiary institutions, he said: “The other thing which we notice is the age of those who have applied to go to the university. Some of them are really too young. We are going to look at it because they are too young to understand what a university education is all about.
“That’s the stage when students migrate from a controlled environment where they are in charge of their own affairs. So if they are too young, they won’t be able to manage properly. That accounts for some of the problems we are seeing in the universities.
“We are going to look at that. 18 is the entry age for university but you will see students, 15, and 16, going to the examination. It is not good for us. Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards, or children too much.”
The Minister commended the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for a seamless examination process, noting that the adoption of technology had helped in reducing the cases of examination practices.
“Right from screening to those who are here, the examination process is seamless. The environment is comfortable for students. That’s how it should be, especially the use of technology in our affairs and the educational system. It makes life easy for everybody and seamless.
“As we know this examination is going on throughout the country. It is being monitored everywhere seamlessly and from the report I have heard, the malpractice level is very low. Just a 100 out of the 1.2m. It has gone down drastically and I believe that it is the use of technology that has made that happen so this is very good.”
Minister of State for Education, Dr Tanko Sununu, who was excited the UTME was also ongoing in Saudi Arabia as a result of the standards set by JAMB’s management, noted that the examination has transcended to a very high level of objectivity and reliability of results.
“Right from when the candidates arrive, they would be seated comfortably in the waiting room, screening and other necessary instructions will be given and they will proceed to do biometrics.
“There are some instructions that will be pushed that even if you are just coming into contact with a computer for the first time, provided you have been using the handset or smartphone, that will properly guide you to have access.
“One of the major things I see here, which is a major characteristic of online exams, is the speed. The speed in the centre is really excellent; pages are turned as at when candidates need them without any delay of booting.
“Also in the exam, there are lots of steps to prevent examination malpractice, candidates that are adjacent will be taking different subjects and even when you are answering the same questions, question number one will be different from question number two from the next person.
“The standard of the examination is commendable. I am not surprised that JAMB has to go outside Nigeria to go to other countries to conduct exams, they were in Saudi Arabia and right now the exam is also going (on) in Saudi Arabia.
“I have not heard people complaining of answers leaked, it shows that with online exams we can do a lot.”
The governor of Niger State, Mohammed Umar Bago, has come under heavy backlash after a video of him throwing naira notes at his supporters surfaced online.
In the video, he was spotted standing through the roof of a moving vehicle and throwing the notes in the air as his supporters scrambled to pick them up.
His actions have infuriated citizens of the state, including civil society, opposition political parties, and clerics.
They described his action as unacceptable, wrong, dehumanizing, and constituted the abuse of the naira.
Speaking on the development, the North Central Zonal Chairman, Campaign for Democracy, Human Right Advocacy Civil Society of Nigeria, Mohammed Abdullahi Jabi, told Daily Post that the governor seemed unaware of the consequences of his actions.
Jabi noted that though the governor had immunity, his actions could breed potential beggars in the state.
The activist said, “His action is sad and unfortunate. It is dehumanizing, shameful, and making a mockery of an already bad situation.
“There is the need for Governor Bago to show maturity like his counterparts in other states in learning the rudiments of governance and decorum. It is on this note that we are calling on him to desist from this zealousness that is negatively affecting his image and that of the state.”
Also, the Niger North Zonal chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Yahaya Ability, while speaking with newsmen, condemned the governor’s public spray of money and blamed his Special Advisers on Security and that Political Affairs who he claimed were not adequately performing their responsibilities as they ought to.
According to him, “We condemn in strong terms the unrepentant action of degrading the masses by Governor Bago. It’s unfortunate that because he has access to the public fund he has decided to use it to the detriment of those who elected him.
“We believe this is not the only way to make himself popular among the people as a sitting governor of the state. He should treat people with dignity, respect as well as have listening earsears to their cries”.
Lambasting Bago, a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, the Tambarin Kagara, Umar Danladi Abdulhamid, observed that Bago had violated the nation’s constitution.
“Let the Governor look for better ways of sharing public funds in a more mature manner rather than endangering the lives of the people as they struggle at once for the money he throws around, ” he said.
The former director-general of the Labour Party (LP) presidential campaign, Doyin Okupe, has spoken about his and Peter Obi‘s relationship with the Labour Party, describing it as a “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) for the presidential election.
This statement was made during his appearance on Arise Television on Tuesday.
Okupe, who stepped down from his role in the party in January citing ideological differences, elaborated that neither he nor Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate in the last year’s election, were fully aligned with the party’s ideologies.
According to Okupe, his association with the LP effectively ended when Obi lost the presidential race, indicating a strategic rather than ideological commitment to the party.
He said, “The LP for us — for Peter Obi and I — and those in the leadership of the movement… the party was a special purpose vehicle (SPV).
“I have never been a labour person, I have never operated on the left before but we needed a platform and this was the only platform readily available to us.
“We thought that if we won the election… there are no fast and hard rules about ideologies. You can always find a shade between the left and the right. You can always move to the centre.
“We were hoping and praying that if we won we would find a way to come to some consensus with the labour.
“Peter Obi is not a labour person. He is not a leftist person, he is a trader, he is a businessman just like me. I am a liberal democrat, I believe in liberal democracy, I believe in free enterprise.
“I am not a social worker. As far as I’m concerned, my membership of labour expired the moment we lost that election.”
Okupe added it was “unreasonable” for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his former party, to present a northerner as its candidate in the buildup to the 2023 election.
Videos capturing a distressing scene of a female student being subjected to bullying by a group of her peers have circulated widely across social media platforms, igniting a wave of outrage and demands for justice.
The victim, identified as a student of the prestigious Lead British International School located in Abuja, has become the focal point of a disturbing incident that has drawn widespread attention online.
The alarming footage came to light when a concerned individual took to Twitter on Monday, sounding the alarm and urging action to address the violent behavior witnessed in the videos.
“I need you guys to help me get justice. She was bullied in her school by her classmates at Lead British School, Abuja,” the tweep captioned.
The user shared two videos depicting the female student being struck on the face amidst an apparent discord.
In the first video, the victim endures repeated slaps from a female classmate, who is heard questioning, “who broke my heart?”
In a second video, the victim sits beside a male classmate who confesses, “I spoilt her relationship.”
Nigerians have flooded the comments section, denouncing the incident and sharing their own experiences, underscoring the widespread concern and outrage sparked by the footage.
Media
Pls repost ?#justiceformaryam. https://t.co/JUt0Wr8mbD pic.twitter.com/K8pRkH5dxo
— Pinkypromi3s?? (@mooyeeeeeee) April 22, 2024