Ekiti’s first lady, Olayemi Oyebanji, has appealed to market women for compassion and not to exacerbate the sufferings of Nigerians due to the current economic crisis.
Ms Oyebanji made the appeal on Thursday during a meeting with female market leaders (Iyalojas) from the 16 local government areas in her office in Ado-Ekiti.
She said Governor Biodun Oyebanji was worried about the high cost of food and other essential items in markets.
The governor’s wife, therefore, asked the market women to lower the prices of food and other goods that do not depend on foreign exchange to help the ordinary citizens who are struggling with the situation.
She also urged the market women to cooperate with the current administration in the state by implementing policies that would alleviate hunger and poverty.
Ms Oyebanji urged the market leaders to spread the message to all the traders in the state and encouraged them to find ways to reduce the burden on the people, in line with the government’s efforts to ease their hardship.
“My mothers, I beg you, you are the leaders in your markets. For those goods that are not affected by the dollar, please reduce their prices. We should not use this situation to take advantage of our people.
“Let us go to our markets and talk to other market women. We have to find ways to ease the suffering of our people. This storm will pass, but the little we can do to make it easier, let us do it for our people to have some relief,” she said.
Ms Oyebanji said her husband had recently introduced some palliative measures, including a N12 billion economic stimulus package and payment of arrears of salaries and pensions.
Others are increasing funding for tertiary institutions, approval of N331 million for the purchase of food items for distribution in all the local government areas, free transportation for workers and students, and others.
She further said her recent visit to the Irona Market in Ado-Ekiti, where she gave cash and food items to poor traders and elderly people, was part of the measures to cushion the effects of the economic downturn.
Ms Oyebanji announced her plan to start a market outreach programme called ‘Aya Gomina N Be Oja Wo’ (Governor’s Wife Visits Markets), where she would visit all the markets, buy from local market women, and empower needy traders.
The Iyaloja General of Ekiti, Habibat Ogunjobi, who spoke earlier, said market women in the state have always supported Mr Oyebanji’s developmental programmes.
She assured that the market leaders would take the message to the traders in the local markets and ensure they follow the government’s advice to benefit the masses.
(NAN)
X, the microblogging platform formerly known as Twitter, has introduced a new feature enabling audio and video calls.
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Elon Musk, X’s CEO and owner, earlier announced the feature in August 2023, highlighting its compatibility with Android, iOS, PC, and Mac.
He also said it would allow users to make calls without sharing phone numbers.
In a recent post, X officially announced the availability of the feature and prompted users to connect with their friends.
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“RING RING time to call your bestie. Audio and video calling are now available to everyone on X! Who are you calling first?” the post reads.
Doge Designer, an X creator, explained the process of enabling audio and video calling on the platform through the settings menu.
“You can make calls on this platform now without sharing your phone number,” he wrote.
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“Go to Settings ➤ Privacy & Safety ➤ Direct Messages ➤ Enable Audio & Video Calling.”
Since Musk took over the microblogging platform, X has introduced several features and changes.
In August 2023, the platform commenced its monthly advert revenue payment scheme for verified content creators.
Musk also announced the removal of the block feature, saying it made “no sense”.
He however added that the feature will remain for direct messages.
“Block is going to be deleted as a ‘feature’, except for DMs,” he wrote.
Nigerian actress and filmmaker, Ini Edo, is embroiled in a clash with colleague Chinenye Nworah regarding the rights to their 2023 Netflix series, ‘Shanty Town’.
Edo has reportedly issued a cease and desist letter to Netflix, urging them not to proceed with a deal with Nworah for the series’ sequel.
The crux of Edo’s argument lies in her statement that the producers, not solely Nworah, are entitled to five percent of the proceeds.
Edo contends that Nworah’s previous agreements with two additional companies imply shared ownership, thereby extending rights to three individuals.
In response, Nworah refutes Edo’s claims of joint ownership, denouncing them as false and malicious.
Nigerian football star, Victor Osimhen equalled late legendary Argentina captain Diego Maradona’s scoring feat at Napoli, after bagging a hat-trick against Sassuolo.
Osimhen got his second-ever hat-trick in Serie A as Napoli thrashed Sassuolo 6-1 away on Wednesday night, February 28.
The Super Eagles striker has now scored in his last three games for the Italian league champions.
Also, he has taken his tally for the league campaign to 11 in 15 games.
His second goal against Sassuolo which put Napoli 3-1 ahead took his goals in the league to 10.
Osimhen is now the only third Napoli player in the club’s history to have scored 10 or more goals for four consecutive seasons.
Maradona did that between 1984 and 1988 and one has to go as far back as 1929, when Attila Sallustro achieved the same feat for the Partenopei, between 1929/30 and 1932/33).
Skit maker, Lord Lamba, confirms he is the father of BBNaija star, Queen Atang, hours after she announced her engagement to another man
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Skit maker, Lord Lamba, has shared photos of himself and the child he welcomed with BBNaija star, Queen Atang.
He shared the photos on social media hours after Queen announced her engagement to another man.
This is the first time Lamba will be posting their child’s photos on social media. There were rumours that he is the father of Queen’s baby, Keirah, who was born December 25, 2022, but he never confirmed or denied it initially.
He, however thought to confirm the rumours today, hours after Queen announced her engagementy to David.
He posted photos from Keira’s 1st birthday shoot wrote;
‘’PRINCESS KEILAH KELVIN ANAGBOGU ADA NNEWI''
Nigerian music sensation, Asake has ignited a firestorm of outrage on social media with the unveiling of his latest visuals for the chart-topping single ‘Only Me’.
The singer announced the music video’s release on Thursday.
Directred by TG Omori, the visuals unfolded with Asake donning priestly garb, distributing communion in a setting reminiscent of a sacred church space.
Adding to the spectacle, his ensemble of video vixens mirrored the solemn attire of altar servers — those dutiful assistants who aid priests during religious ceremonies.
The video has ignited a storm of condemnation on social media, particularly on platform X, where users have vehemently accused Asake, who identifies as a Muslim, of persistently disrespecting the Christian faith.
Some users referred to a scene from his ‘Bandana’ video, wherein black goats infiltrate a church, as further evidence to support their claims.
“Asake keeps disrespecting the Christian faith in his music videos. Dramatizing giving the Eucharist, robed up in priestly regalia for a music video that has no connection with Christianity is disrespectful,”
“In his Bandana video, he depicts black goats troping into the church, with cloven tongues of fire above weird men. Asake, I think, is a Muslim. Why doesn’t he go above and beyond to embarrass his Muslim faith in this same way?
“Why do Christians even listen to these musicians who bluntly disrespect Christianity?” Solomon Buchi, the life coach, wrote
Asake keeps disrespecting the Christian faith in his music videos. Dramatizing giving the Eucharist, robed up in priestly regalia for a music video that has no connection with Christianity is disrespectful. In his Bandana video, he depicts black goats troping into the church,…
— Solomon Buchi (@Solomon_Buchi) February 29, 2024
Another user wrote: “Christianity has lost it’s value untill even Muslims are condemning what Asake did in this video”.
Asake is a Muslim but can mock the Catholic Church.
David can't post a video he didn't make which had a mosque.We saw Tinubu run a Muslim Muslim ticket and hired fake "bishops".
The religion of peace won't tolerate this. pic.twitter.com/b1YE6Mu1NC
— DISTINGUISHED KPMG LinkedIn Everest (@novieverest) February 29, 2024
Asake, a Muslim. The last time, carried goat inside church. This time he’s in the church again. When davido posted logos olori, muslims burnt his posters & were telling him to put out a public apology.
I don’t understand why he can’t do with his religion.
— Veinzell???????? (@V3INZELL) February 29, 2024
Asake is a Muslim…
See what mockery he is doing to the Christian and Catholic Faith by displaying a charlatan.
Christians don’t fight to be the Religion of Peace.
We always know what we’re doing… https://t.co/YeNMc9aW5N
— Kes IZODUWA ⚡ (@Kestim_) February 29, 2024
SEE MUSIC VIDEO BELOW
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Big Brother Naija star Queen Mercy Atang is now off the dating scene and is getting set to marry her longtime lover in a talk-of-the-town ceremony.
The reality show star and mother of one blew a lot of fans away with the news of her engagement after taking to social media to make an announcement.
Queen Mercy Atang took to her official Instagram page to first share a photo of herself holding hands with a mystery man while flaunting her huge engagement ring. Mercy then accompanied the photo with a caption explaining that she had found love.
She wrote:
“I said yes to my forever love ❤️ #taken #countingdown”
In a fresh post she made just few minutes ago, Mercy Atang who revealed her fiancé’s face in cute photos from the proposal wrote:
“God acted according to his timing. I’ve consistently prayed for guidance in building a loving family, fulfilling roles as a wife, mother, and follower of his teachings. His response came in due time.
To my dear husband to be @Giam_kingdaivid I thank you deeply for choosing me, for loving me, and for embracing my family as your own. Your presence has brought immense joy into my life. May God bless you abundantly. I promise to continually pray for blessings upon your life. I love you dearly. ❤️
Truely what God cannot do, doesn’t exist. Thank you pastor Jerry Eze. We Dey pray, E Dey show ???? God is here.
Dear Sisters @dr_brightie @singhniniofficial @thejackiebent, we have wedding to plan ???????? #Countingdown.”
Big Brother Naija reality star, Cynthia Nwadiora also known as CeeC has debunked rumors of being in a relationship with Ike Onyema.
Recall that CeeC came under heavy backlash following a hangout with the ex-lover of Mercy Eke, Ike in a fancy restaurant.
The duo looked happy together in the restaurant as CeeC was seen playing with her boobs when the camera was placed on her by Ike.
Taking to her X, formerly Twitter page, CeeC debunked rumours that she is dating the ex-lover of Mercy Eke. According to her, her relationship with Ike is platonic adding that she is still single.
In her words;
“As a public figure, I understand that my personal life often becomes subject to scrutiny, but I believe it’s important to set the record straight. I am currently single, and if and when I choose to enter into a romantic relationship, it will be my decision whether to share that with you all or not.
“I want to make it clear that Ike and I are simply close friends. In a world where friendships between a man and a woman are often misunderstood, I want to emphasize that platonic relationships are not only possible but also valuable.”
On Wednesday, the widely used cryptocurrency trading platform Binance excluded the Nigerian currency, Naira, from its peer-to-peer feature.
The feature, known as the P2P market, allows users, buyers, and sellers to transact without the intervention of a third party.
It became widely known among Nigerians in 2021 after former president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration banned crypto trading in the country.
SaharaReporters learned that many Nigerian users can no longer enjoy the feature because of the removal of their currency.
The removal of Naira by Binance from its P2P market came amid claims by Nigerian authorities that the platform contributed to the devaluation of Naira.
A Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday said if not stopped, Binance would destroy the Nigerian economy because of the way it arbitrarily fixes foreign exchange rates.
Financial Times reported on Wednesday that two employees of Binance were detained by the office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu in Abuja as part of an investigation into the cryptocurrency exchange's operations in Nigeria.
Their detention in Nigeria was in an attempt to curb naira speculation and steady its free fall by clamping down on cryptocurrency exchanges.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are in talks with the coach of the senior national team, Jose Peseiro over a new contract.
The NFF, according to reports have offered the Portuguese the same €50,000 monthly he was earning before he helped lead the Super Eagles to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Peseiro previously earned $70,000 monthly but agreed a pay cut to $50k to lead the Super Eagles to the tournament.
The 63-year-old’s last contract ended at the end of the AFCON 2023 finals.
The former Saudi Arabia and Venezuela coach has been linked to several coaching jobs since the end of the AFCON with the Algeria Football Federation said to have strong interest in him.
The Portuguese revealed this week that he has “received at least seven offers from different national teams and clubs and will decide his future in the coming days.”
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France World Cup winner, Paul Pogba, has been banned from football for four years because of doping.
The punishment effectively ends Pogba’s career as the Juventus midfielder turns 31 years old in March.
Pogba, who has been suspended since last September, was tested in August and the results showed elevated levels of testosterone, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.
The tribunal said Pogba had violated anti-doping rules when they found the prohibited substance “non-endogenous testosterone metabolites”, a hormone that increases athletes’ endurance.
Meanwhile, a second test sample has now been checked and the former Manchester United star has been handed a four-year ban, considered among the strongest possible punishments for the offence.
The Federal Capital Territory FCT Police Command has apprehended two suspects for allegedly selling fake dollar notes to Abuja residents.
The suspects, one Abdullahi Yahaya of Nasarawa State and Gold Ebere of Jabi were arrested at Tin Can Resort Garden in the Jabi area of the territory.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh made the disclosure on Thursday while parading about five suspects at the command’s headquarters.
The CP revealed that the suspects were in “possession of thirty-six (36) bundles of fake hundred (100) US dollar($) notes”.
“They confessed to being members of an eight (8) man gang who specializes in the interstate sale of fake dollar notes and have sold several of the fake notes to unsuspecting residents of FCT before they ran out of luck and were apprehended.
“The suspects are currently assisting the Police to apprehend other gang members on the run”, Igweh said.
The city of Boston in Massachusetts, United States, has declared March 2nd as “Burna Boy’s Day” in honour of the Nigerian singer.
This was contained in a document of the Boston City Council signed by Councillor Ruthzee Louijeune.
According to the document, Burna Boy was honoured in recognition of his “performances and advocacy works.”
The document read inter alia: “Boston’s commitment to recognizing and celebrating culture and diversity is evident in the range of cultural events, festivals, and community initiatives that showcase the city’s multicultural landscape and:
“Whereas, Burna Boy’s legacy serves as a reminder of possibility, reminding us to continue amplifying voices that have long been silenced or overlooked, now, therefore be it resolved: That March 2, 2024 is designated Burna Boy Day in the City of Boston.”
Burna Boy has held so many soldout shows in Boston since breaking into the international scene in 2018.
Man remanded for absconding after eating two plates of peppersoup, 5 buckets of 'burkutu' at local joint
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An area court in Yola, Adamawa state's capital has remanded a driver identified as David Donald in prison for cheating a woman of over five buckets of local alcohol, burkutu.
Police prosecutor, Sgt Kabiru Abubakar told the court that the defendant ordered five plastic buckets of burkutu and two plates of fish pepper soup at a local joint in Yola on February 21, 2024, worth N6,600, refused to pay and attempted to escape.
He was arrested after Felicity Sunday and Linda Ali, the complainants, reported the matter to the police.
Before being remanded, Donald who is from Karim Lamido LGA in Taraba State, pleaded guilty to cheating contrary to Section 302 of the Penal Code.