Actress, Doris Simeon, has said that she was not ashamed doing menial jobs in the United States of America, because she needed to pay her bills.

Speaking in an interview with her colleague, Kunle Afod, Simeon said, “This (US) is where my child is with his father, and that is one of the reasons I decided to stay back here. I have been here since 2018, and I really miss home (Nigeria). What I miss most about Nigeria are those street foods, such as roasted yam and corn. I also miss my friends and family.

“It was not easy starting all over, because in this place, only the tough will last. If one is lazy, one will be hungry. People who have been here for 20 to 50 years don’t find it easy, because with the kind of system they have, one cannot avoid paying bills. If one does not work, one won’t eat, and one won’t be able to pay bills.”

Simeon also stated that she still got a lot of admirers. She said, “A lot of men still send me messages on social media to ask about my relationship status. Those who know me know I don’t like to make a noise about my private life. The fact that I don’t post online does not mean I don’t have a man in my life. I have a man in my life, but I don’t reject gifts.”

Recounting some of the menial jobs she had done in the US, she said, “I have lost count of the number of jobs I have done here. I once worked as a delivery person, and even met people who recognised me, but what could I do? After all, they won’t pay my bills. I worked as a personal shopper as well, and hairdressing is something I still. Currently, I work for the government as a social worker.”

The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency has temporarily shut down no fewer than five churches and 19 hotels over noise pollution between March 23 and April 26, a tally by Saturday PUNCH has shown.

Calculations by our correspondent also showed that no fewer than four markets and shopping complexes were also shut down over noise pollution and other environmental infractions.

The churches that have been temporarily sealed include St Monica’s Hall of Our Lady of Lord’s Catholic Church, Christ Rock of Fire Ministry, Wonderful Bible Prayer Ministries, God’s Porch Ministries, and an unnamed Catholic Church

Some of the hotels affected are School2bar, Blue Seasons Hotel and Suites, Sulerious Lakeside Hotel, Monero Hotel and Suites, and Lekki Hotel and Suites.

A post shared by the state Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, on his X account on Friday, said various establishments, including churches, bars, and hotels, in areas like Ifako-Ijaiye, Abule-Egba, Alagbado, Command, Abesan Estate, and Dopemu, were also sealed due to noise pollution.

The statement read, “In a significant effort to address noise pollution and other environmental breaches, LASEPA conducted a comprehensive enforcement operation today in strategic areas of lfako-ljaiye, Abule-Egba, Alagbado, Command, Abesan Estate, and Dopemu within Lagos State.

“Among the affected establishments are the Catholic Church, Seventh Heaven Bar and Lounge, 1602 Hotel, Lourita Hotel and Suites, Wonderful Bible Prayer Ministries, God’s Porch Ministries, White Pavilion Hotel, Quest Hotel and Suites, Honey Comb Confectioners Limited, and Excel Hotel and Suite.

“These establishments have been temporarily closed to compel compliance with environmental regulations. LASEPA emphasised the vital importance of businesses adhering to environmental standards.”

The Oyo State Government has announced a restriction on movement throughout the state to facilitate the smooth conduct of Saturday’s local government elections.

The movement will be restricted from 8 am to 3 pm, during which elections for councillorship and chairmanship positions will take place in all 33 local government areas of the state.

This measure, endorsed by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), is intended to ensure the elections are free from disruptions and to enhance the safety and effectiveness of the electoral process.

In an update on its verified ‘x’ handle on Friday evening, it said, “Please note this important announcement regarding movement restrictions in Oyo State on Saturday 27, April 2024

“The Oyo State Government has declared total restriction of movement tomorrow, Saturday, 27th of April 2024, the restriction will be in place from 0600 hours to 1600 hours.

“Only providers of essential services are exempted from these restrictions.”

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled in favor of Mr. Patrick Arueze in a long-standing breach of contract case against the popular music duo P-Square, consisting of Peter and Paul Okoye, and their brother Jude Okoye. The court has ordered the Okoyes to pay Arueze approximately N25 million in damages.

The case dates back to 2011 when Arueze invited P-Square to perform at a show in Benin City, but the team failed to show up. Arueze subsequently filed a lawsuit against them in the Edo State High Court, presided over by Justice Esther Edigin, for breach of contract.

The Okoyes attempted to reverse the judgment through a motion dated October 3, 2016, but the court dismissed their appeal. Dissatisfied with the decision, the artistes filed a motion for stay of execution at the Court of Appeal, Benin Division, which was also dismissed. The musicians later issued a cheque through a commercial bank to settle the matter.

However, when Arueze presented the cheque to the bank, the Okoyes instructed their lawyers to file another motion at the Court of Appeal, Benin Division, to stop the payment. The court dismissed this motion as well, deeming it frivolous.

Undeterred, the Okoyes then filed a motion at the Supreme Court, seeking to appeal against the ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had dismissed their motion to stop the payment of the cheque they had issued. They also joined the bank in the motion, a decision that was faulted by opposing counsels, as the bank was not a party to the suit at the Court of Appeal.

Justice Uwani Musa Abba-Aji concurred with the arguments presented by Mr. Patrick Arueze’s legal team, led by E. O. Afolabi, SAN, Dr. Samson Osage, Mrs. Nosa Festus Ajayi, and others. The Supreme Court struck out the Okoyes’ application and awarded an additional one million naira in costs against them.

Commenting on the judgment, Afolabi stated, “Arueze got judgment against them, and they now sent a cheque, but when we wanted to cash the cheque, they went to court to stop it. The court refused, they went to the Court of Appeal, which also refused their stay of execution.

They went to the Supreme Court, and the lawyer now joined the bank, which is not a party to the suit at the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court was not happy and awarded N1m cost against P-Square. Their lawyer did not appear.”

Popular Nigerian singer ad songwriter, Tiwatope Savage, widely known as Tiwa Savage, has said she paid an Information Technology expert to remove her explicit video from the internet.

 ‘Kele Kele Love’ crooner stated this in a revealing interview with Angie Martinez on Power 105.1 in New York on Wednesday.

Tiwa stated that her biggest fear about her sex tape leaking was that her son might one day see it, hence the need for her to remove it from the internet.

She said: “My biggest fear about my sex tape leaking was that my son might one day see it.

“But I got in touch with an IT expert who hacked the video from the internet and everyone’s mobile device. Right now, you can’t find it anywhere. Even if you had it stored on your phone.”

Recall that the singer’s personal ordeal began in October 2021 when she first announced she was being blackmailed with the sex tape, recorded with a person she was dating at the time.

She stated that the incident had significant repercussions on her career, including the loss of several ambassadorial roles.

Joseph Aloba, the father of late singer, Ilerioluwa Oladimeji Aloba, popularly  known as Mohbad has announced that he has served a notice of the pending DNA test application on his son’s wife, Wunmi, by substituted means.

Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ikorodu granted the order last week Monday.

Odumosu said, “The law required that an application to use other legal means to effect service on the respondent be adopted. So as a result of the order granted by the court in this regard, we have served the notice and it was posted at her last known address on Friday morning.”

“We expect her to be in court or his legal representation on May 14, 2024,” the lawyer added.

The Aloba family, through Mohbad’s father, filed a suit seeking a DNA test on the deceased son, Liam.

The family sought an order from the court directing that the test be conducted in a recognised and accredited government or private medical facility within the state at the expense of the applicant.

It also sought an order directing Wunmi to submit herself and Master Liam Aloba for the DNA test.

The application filed by the family also sought an order granting leave to the chief pathologist in charge of the remains of Mohbad presently at the Military Hospital, Yaba Lagos, to take samples of the body of the deceased to conduct a DNA test for Liam.

The family’s lawyer however revealed that an attempt to serve the court process on Mohbad’s wife on Friday, March 8, at her Lekki home was not successful.

The Nigerian movie industry has again been thrown into mourning after the news of the death of another veteran Yoruba Actor Ganiyu Oyeyemi popularly known as Ogunjimi, surfaced on social media on Friday.

Ogunjimi’s death was announced by a Yoruba actor, Kunle Afod, in a post on his Instagram page.

Mourning the actor, Afod wrote, “We tried our best but God loves you more.

“May his soul rest in peace. Baba Ogunjinmi, RIP, Sun re oooo.”

At the time of writing this report, the cause of death has not yet been ascertained.

The President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Government of Nigeria received an additional N3.8 trillion in Ways and Means Borrowing from the Central Bank of Nigeria in the last six months of 2023.

According to Nairametrics, this is the provisional data published in the latest Statistics bulletin for the fourth quarter of 2023, which the central bank recently released.

The CBN’s provision data showed that the total figure rose from N4.4 trillion at the end of June 2023, meaning that the cumulative Ways and Means balances due by the government now stand at N8.2 trillion as of December 2023.

The figure contradicts claims by the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, that Tinubu’s government has yet to borrow from CBN.

Edun said this when he spoke with journalists at the recently held Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington DC, United States.

Meanwhile, the Total Ways and Means balance as of May 2023, when the Tinubu administration took over, was N26.95 trillion.

However, the balances were securitized as part of the federal government’s domestic debt profile.

Further analysis showed that at the end of June 2023, it was N4.36 trillion, indicating that the prior month’s balances may have been moved to the Debt Management Office, the custodial of the country’s debt record.

However, from July 2023, the balances increased monthly to N4.5 trillion in July, then N5.1 trillion in August, crossing the N5.1 trillion mark for the first time.

By September, the total was N6.4 trillion, representing the largest monthly additional borrowing with about N1.3 trillion.

It climbed to N7.2 trillion in October before rising marginally to N7.6 trillion in November.

At the end of the year, in December, the total hit N8.21 trillion, suggesting that Ways and Means increased by 88 per cent in 6 months.

The National Parent- Teacher Association of Nigeria (NPTAN) has expressed support for the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman’s recent pronouncement to peg the tertiary education admission age limit in Nigeria to 18 years instead of the current 16 years.

The national president of NPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, expressed his backing on this on Wednesday during an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune.

He, however, urged the Federal Government to co-opt the three major examining bodies in the country, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), and the National Examination Council (NECO) to make the proposal a policy that would work effectively.

He said the three examination bodies have significant roles to play on the matter.

He said parents, who rush their children’s education are mostly the rich and the educated ones, who can afford to send their children to private schools which usually admit underaged children without considering their emotional maturity.

Danjuma explained that for the minister of education to have aired his view again about the 18 years age limit for tertiary education admission is a way of reminding parents of the risk to rushing their children’s education.

He said the Federal Government should in that case, compel WAEC, NECO and JAMB to henceforth register only students, who are in the appropriate class and have attained the ages required for the examinations they are conducting.

He said, based on the national policy on education, each examination targets certain students at a specific level of education.

He said, for example, “NECO and the state government examination boards which conduct common entrance examinations into Federal Government colleges and other secondary schools for primary six pupils as applicable should no longer register pupils below 11 years and they must not be in terminal class and likewise, WAEC and NECO should not also register students who are below 17 years or in SSS3 class for the senior school exams.

Similarly, he suggested further that JAMB should not also register/allow students below 17 years to sit for its Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

He pointed out that children need to be six-year-old to start primary school education and spend another six years before going to secondary school, where they will spend additional six years to reach age 18 to become fully matured to go to tertiary institutions where they are expected to live independently.

While noting that all these examining bodies usually request for ages of candidates during registration, Danjuma wondered why such a request should be a mere request rather than to be a gatekeeper to block underaged registration.

He said once the underaged were not able to scale through those stages of examinations right from primary, secondary and then to the UTME level, it would be difficult for them to secure admission into universities, be it public or private.

He added that JAMB as a clearing house for university admissions in the country for example had greater opportunity to block any underaged from sitting for its examination or issuing an admission letter.

He said the money these various examination bodies are making from their candidates through registration could be largely responsible for them not to bother to block the underaged sitting for their examinations.

He said the supply of candidates’ National Identity Numbers (NINs) as part of their registration alone is enough to aid the implementation successfully.

Danjuma, therefore, emphasised that the bulk of the work is more on the hands of the government and the various examining bodies and lesser on the parents.

He stressed that it is the government and its agencies that will implement such policy and not the parents.

He, therefore, urged the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, to without delay work the talk by tabling the matter with appropriate quarters to make it become a national policy and not a mere political statement.

Meanwhile, the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNUs) says it can’t react on the matter now.

The secretary general of the committee, Professor Yakubu Ochefu, gave this position on Tuesday in an exclusive interview with Nigerian Tribune when he was asked for the committee’s reaction to the subject.

He said: “The committee has not discussed this matter you raised.

“There is no official communication from the ministry of education yet; when there is, we shall review it and make an appropriate response.”

The Naira has slumped seven times in recent days against the US dollar at the foreign exchange.

FMDQ data showed that the Naira recorded a seventh drop against the Dollar, quoting N1309.88 per Dollar on Thursday from N1308.52 on Wednesday.

This represents a N1.36 loss on a day-to-day basis.

At the parallel market section, the Naira dropped between N1,300 and N1,370 on Thursday from between N1,250 and 1,300 the previous day.

In the last four days, Naira has recorded depreciation against the Dollar in the FX market.

Last week, the Naira dropped three times against the Dollar in the foreign exchange market.

Accordingly, the Naira had lost N237.14 since April 17, 2024 when it traded at N1,072.74 per Dollar at the FX market.

The development comes despite the Central Bank of Nigeria releasing 10,000 dollars each to BDC at N1,021 to a dollar with a caveat to sell at most 1.5 per cent above the bought price.

This is the third recent intervention for BDCs amid the bank’s effort to defend the Naira.

BDC operators blamed peer-to-peer cryptocurrency platforms like Binance for the recent depreciation of the Naira against the dollar in the foreign exchange market.