On Thursday, social media giant, Meta, revealed that Nigerian creators can now monetise their content starting from June 2024.

Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Sir Nick Clegg, said this when he led a delegation of Meta Platforms Incorporated to visit President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.

“Sir Clegg also said Meta will introduce in June 2024 a feature on its Instagram app that will allow Nigerian creators to monetize their content to enable them to earn a living using the app,” presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, said in a statement.

Quoting Clegg, Ajuri said the Meta chief thanked Tinubu for an executive order he issued which enabled the landing of the Meta-backed deep-sea cable in Nigeria.

“It is an extraordinary infrastructure project. When it comes on stream in the first quarter of 2025, it will be twice as much as the capacity of all subsea cables that exist,” he said.

“We buried the cable 50 percent deeper than any other subsea cables under the seabed. It is more powerful and more extensive in terms of its geographical connectivity. It could yield up to 37 billion dollars worth of increase in economic activity in the next two or three years across the African continent.”

Sir Clegg was not the only one who spoke during the event. President Tinubu wants Meta to invest more in Nigeria, especially young people.

“For us in Nigeria, we have a vibrant, gifted, and resourceful youth population. Recognizing that the future is most likely to be AI-enabled, we have to prepare our youths and make them ready to compete and participate in the global economy,” Tinubu said.

“I can assure you that Nigeria is open for business. We want to lead the African continent in digital technology. Data is valuable to our development. We are ready to cooperate on technological advancements. It is the only way to go. We need a collaboration that will be a win-win for all."

No fewer than two Nigerian students have been arrested for allegedly faking their own kidnap.

The Lagos State Police Command confirmed the arrest on Thursday.

The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, told NAN that the suspects also demanded $100,000 (about N150 million) ransom from their parents.

He gave the names of the suspects as Ayodele Balogun, 21, a 200-level student of Education at the Lagos State University, Ijanikin, and his friend, Dennis Okuomo, 21, a student of NIIT Lagos.

According to him, both faked their kidnap and demanded N150 million to assist Ayodele, who is from a poor family.

“It was Dennis’s idea because Ayodele is from a poor family and his best friend; he wanted to use it to raise money for him so that he can be able to take care of his family,” Hundeyin said.

The command’s spokesman said that on Feb. 2, Ayodele disappeared from home, while Dennis used his (Ayodele’s) phone to inform his father, Mr Balogun, of his son’s faked kidnap and demanded $20,000 (about N30 million) ransom.

Hundeyin said the suspects had directed Ayodele’s father to pay the ransom through Bitcoin, which wallet they had sent him while Ayodele was hiding in Dennis’s room in his (Dennis’s) father’s hotel.

“Ayodele’s father, a driver with a private company, received the message with many worries, wondering where to raise $20,000.”

Hundeyin said when Balogun could not raise the money, Dennis decided to also fake his own kidnap and demanded for 100,000 dollars (about N150 million) from his own father.

According to him, both suspects decided to leave the hotel to hide in a bush and remained there for five days while the negotiation and investigation were ongoing.

“On March 16, as no money was paid and the suspects were not comfortable with the condition of the bush, they decided to return to Dennis’ s room in his father’s hotel.

“They told everybody that they just escaped from kidnappers’ den, and quickly called Ayodele’s father to inform them about their purported escape from the kidnappers’ den.

”They took Ayodele to the hospital believing that he just came from the kidnappers’ den.

“Investigation so far revealed that the suspects faked their own kidnap.

“They are in our custody, two perpetrators of self-kidnap,” he noted.

Some yet to be identified armed men have carried out a deadly attack in Madaka community, located in the Rafi local government area of Niger State. The incident resulted in fatalities and the abduction of an unspecified number of individuals.

Daily Post reports that the bandits stormed the community’s market in the area at about 3pm on Thursday and opened fire on the people.

Sources from the area stated that the gunmen announced their presence at the market at its peak by shooting sporadically in the air resulting in the death of many people.

It was also learnt that during the attack, the bandits whisked away a number of villagers to an unknown location.

The attack, Daily Post reports, occurred barely two days after gunmen invaded Pangu Gari, and killed the district head and four other persons in the area.

When contacted, the state Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Brig Gen. Bello Abdullahi Mohammed (rtd), confirmed the incident.

TheC ommissioner also explained that the state government was not resting on its oars but was working along with security agencies on how to end the series of attacks being launched by bandits on farming communities in the state.

Habeeb Okikiola, the famous Nigerian singer, who is popularly known as Portable, has stunned his many fans.

He stunned many following his recent revelation about the number of his cars and houses.

During a recent interview, the music star disclosed that he owns an impressive fleet of almost cars, including a Range Rover and a G-Wagon.

Additionally, Portable shared that he possesses 10 houses; some are completed, others under construction, including the construction of a hotel.

He specified that the hotel is being built in Ogun State and mentioned having completed and ongoing construction projects, including a market.

Furthermore, he emphasized that despite living in modest circumstances, he leads a genuine life without resorting to pretence or fake displays of wealth.

In his words; “It’s the bad roads that spoil my cars. I have bought many cars, I bought a G-Wagon and, a Range Rover, I bought plenty cars. I bought like 20 cars, it’s the road.

“This governor and president should fix Ogun State roads. Let us be able to drive smoothly from Lekki to Abeokuta. I’m building my hotel here. I have about 10 mansions here, both completed and uncompleted. I built a market.

“I live in the trenches, but I don’t live trenches life. There is no fake life here”.

Watch the video below …

The immediate-past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed rumours that he plans to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Recall that the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) made an unexpected appearance at the SDP National Secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday. 

The National Chairman of the SDP, Shehu Musa Gabam, and other chieftains of the party received the former Kaduna governor.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday issued by his spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said he only visited the SDP headquarters to return a visit to the party’s chairman.

The former Minister said Gabam was among his friends who took part in the break of the Ramadan fast (Iftar) at his house in Abuja on Tuesday.

El-Rufai said he is known for being open and forthright, adding that his political decisions would not be subjected to speculation.

The statement reads: “I consider the most recent speculations about Malam Nasir El-Rufai as reflecting an unhealthy obsession with politics.

“People have personal histories and relationships that predate political affiliations. It cannot be a hallmark of civilisation to have friends from within only your political party. When people visit each other or mingle across party lines, it is because human relationships exist, distinct from the political or the partisan.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai is a senior member of the APC, one of the signatories to its merger documents, and a significant contributor to the party’s demonstrated viability. These contributions do not require that he treats friends as anathema on account of politics or maintains an antiseptic distance from them.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai hosted some friends to Iftar on Tuesday, 19 March 2024. NSA Nuhu Ribadu was at the Iftar with a senior APC figure like Alh. Kashim Imam. SDP National Chairman Shehu Musa Gabam was among the friends who partook in the Iftar. Gabam was not accused of considering crossing over to the APC on account of that.

“When Malam Nasir El-Rufai visited Gabam the next day, he was merely returning a visit to a friend who happens to be the SDP chairman.

“Malam El-Rufai is known for being open and forthright. If he had any political decisions to make, it would not be in character to let them be subject to speculation.

“Unfounded speculations about Malam Nasir El-Rufai have become an industry that has delivered tons of lies and clickbait in the last 18 years. This is unlikely to abate anytime soon, given the persistent obsession of its purveyors who relish in negativity and their tireless indulgence in conflating assumption with fact.

“A recent instance was when he visited former presidents late in 2023 to explain his Nigerian governance study book project covering each of their tenures, the speculators said it was about politics! That is why it is sometimes necessary to clarify matters lest the unwary be taken in.”

Canada, for the first time, is planning to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers it welcomes, officials announced Thursday, after years of lofty immigration levels.

Ottawa is proposing to reduce the number of temporary residents to five per cent of the population over the next three years, down from the current 6.2 per cent (2.5 million people).

That target will be firmed up after consultations with Canada’s provinces, some of which have been pushing back on large migrant inflows amid a housing crunch and soaring demands for services.

Restrictions on temporary foreign worker permits will start on May 1.

This follows a recently announced cap on new permits for international students and visa requirements for some Mexican travellers.

“Canada has seen a sharp increase in the volume of temporary residents in recent years, from a rise of international students to more foreign workers filling job vacancies to those fleeing wars and natural disasters,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a news conference.

However, Canada’s labour market is now much tighter, with its population growth, fueled by massive immigration, outpacing job creation.

According to government data, job vacancies fell 3.6 percent to 678,500 in the last three months of 2023, marking the sixth straight quarterly decline from a record high of 983,600 reached in the second quarter of 2022.

“Changes are needed to make the system more efficient and more sustainable,” Miller said.

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault urged employers to consider hiring refugees before seeking to bring in temporary foreign workers.

He said businesses that are currently allowed to have temporary foreign workers make up to 30 percent of their workforce will see that proportion drop to 20 percent, except in the health care and construction sectors.

Canada’s immigration department, meanwhile, has been ordered by Miller to conduct a review of existing programs that bring in temporary labourers to better align them with labour needs and weed out abuses.

Ferdinand Uzodinma, the brother of Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has been appointed as Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of General Services.

This is as the governor also reappointed Cosmos Iwu as the Secretary to the State Government; Nnamdi Anyaehie as his Chief of Staff and Sydney Agbor as the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations.

The three officials served in the same capacities in Uzodimma’s first four years as governor.

Also appointed are Patrick Ekeji as the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Administration and Sam Nwaobasi named as the Special Adviser on Programme and Policy Implementation and Monitoring.

A statement issued on Thursday by the governor’s spokesman, Oguwike Nwachuku, disclosed that the appointments took immediate effect.

The statement read, “The Governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, has reappointed Chief Cosmos Iwu as the Secretary to the Government of Imo State.

“In the same vein, Nnamdi Anyaehie, Chief Patrick Ekeji and Olisaemeka Sydney Agbor have been reappointed as Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration) and Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) respectively.

“Also, the governor has approved the appointment of Chief Ferdinand Uzodimma, a one time Councillor, Transition Committee Chairman and Sole Administrator of Oru East Local Government Area as his Deputy Chief of Staff (General Services) with Mr. Sam Anyalewechi Nwaobasi named as Special Adviser on Programme and Policy Implementation/ Monitoring.

“The appointments take immediate effect.

“Governor Uzodimma, who congratulated the new appointees, urged them to bring to bear their professional competence in the efforts to drive the vision of the Shared Prosperity 3R Government of Imo State.”

A Zimbabwean woman based in South Africa has reportedly taken her own life after she was caught pants down with her husband’s colleague.

H-Metro reported that the woman identified as Mai Aisha was captured in a viral video having s3x with her husband's coworker. The pair faced a violent confrontation from Mai Aisha’s husband, referred to as Baba Aisha, and his friends upon being caught.

Baba Aisha recounted that the incident unfolded after receiving a tip-off while Mai Aisha tried to justify Madzibaba’s presence by claiming he was there to fix a light.

Following the confrontation, Mai Aisha took her life the next day. Baba Aisha, devastated by the turn of events, shared his account, revealing that he had physically confronted his wife and discussed her infidelity, agreeing that she should return to her family’s home. He even arranged a bus ticket for her, intending for her to leave, only to return from work to find her deceased.

Baba Aisha described the scene, recalling discovering an empty bottle of poison beside her lifeless body, along with a note indicating her actions. He expressed his overwhelming sense of loss and confusion, unsure of how to proceed.

He said;

“I assaulted her when I caught her with my friend. We talked about her cheating and agreed that she goes back kumba kwavo. I then booked her a bus ticket but found her dead when I came back from work. I saw an empty bottle and a note by her side saying she (swallowed) the poison, I don’t know where to start now.”

An attempt by a seven-man syndicate to rob three banks in Irele LGA of Ondo State has been thwarted by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, popularly known as Amotekun.

The Commander of the Corps, Akogun Adetunji Adeleye, who disclosed this to journalists on Thursday March 21, 2024, at the headquarters of the security group in Akure, said the gang also plotted to kidnap a businessman in the state.

Parading 36 other suspected criminals for various offenses, Adeleye said the 7-man armed robbery gang came from Sapele, Delta State for kidnapping and robbery of the bank.

Adeleye further informed me that 6 of the armed robbers were at large, but Amotekun operatives were able to apprehend the mastermind who accommodated the robbers.

“We were equally able to get to the root of the target that they intended to kidnap to give the officers of Amotekun the feeling that it was mere robbery, whereas it was a dual operation,” he stated.

"The manhunt for the leader who escaped to Delta State is on. We are liaising with relevant government and security authorities to assist us in apprehending this runaway gang

“The Intel available to us shows that they intend to rob three banks and kidnap the Managing Director of a supermarket. Investigations showed that they liaised with a staff of the supermarket who declined to join the group,”

He further explained that among the suspects are specialists in vandalism of critical government assets.

"They went with a trailer to load pipes meant for a World Bank-financed water project and successfully offloaded it but our operatives followed them and apprehended them where they offloaded at a different location,” Adeleye said.

He appealed to the residents of the state to continue to support the security network with timely and actionable information while pledging to always secure the lives and properties of the residents in conjunction with other security agencies in the state.

A bill for the amendment of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Act to increase its funding from the consolidated revenue from 2 per cent to 4 per cent has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.

Chairman House Committee on Basic Education and Services, Honourable Bako Useni, made this known on Thursday, March 21 during the committee oversight function at the Digital Resource Center built by UBEC in Abuja.

UBEC’s Digital Resource Centre is to provide quality digital educational content for schools across the country as well as contemporary capacity building to relevant actors in the Nigerian education sector.

Useni said the 10th Assembly saw the need to increase financial resources to the Basic education sub-sector for set objectives to be further met, hence the amendment bill sponsored by Honourable Muktar Shagaya to increase revenue accruing to UBEC from 2% to 4%.

“The amendment bill which passed the second reading Yesterday (Wednesday) when concluded will make UBEC stronger.

“Since UBEC was established in 2004 to date, a lot has been achieved. However, the House felt that if UBEC is motivated with more funding, it will go a long way in achieving more of what it has achieved.

“It was on this basis that one of us, Honourable Mukhtar Shagaya proposed an amendment to the UBEC Act to increase funding to UBEC from 2% to 4%/from the consolidated revenue fund.

“It is going to bring a new approach to basic education in Nigeria. It is going to improve teachers’ training and content,” he said

“We have also assured the center of our collaboration and support through budget allocations and oversight functions to make sure that whatever funds that are provided are used for the betterment of Nigerians.

“We will continue to visit to monitor the kind of training that is being given to our teachers and other resource persons because it is a center for Nigeria to develop its education sector.

Executive Secretary of the UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi said it was gladdening to have taken the House Committee members on a tour of the facilities of the center, which includes: the digital Museum, Library, Artificial Intelligence Center, the Studio, Micro-labs, lecture halls, accommodation among others.

“It is fruitful to bring the Honourable members to come and see what UBEC is doing in the area of digital education in the Basic education sub-sector of the country.

“The facility will ensure that our teachers are trained on the new pedagogy. We have brought in many teachers, school administrators, and quality assurance officers.

“For them to understand what is digital. learning and also to prepare them to be real participants and not just copycats in the class, where they can develop their digital resources and also take advantage of digital resources already on the ground.

“This is an experiment that we have started and believe that it will be a game changer in our basic education sub-sector,” he said.