No less than 58 soldiers selected from various units of the Nigerian Army in Jos were rewarded with cash gifts and bicycles, in recognition of their hard work, dedication to duty, and good conduct.
The General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander of Operation SAFE HAVEN, Major General Abdulsalam Bagudu Ibrahim, made the presentation at Headquarters 3 Division Auditorium, Jos, Plateau State.
Photos from the event were shared on the Facebook page of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday.
The embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa said the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi and the party’s suspended National Chairman, Julius Abure allegedly sponsored thugs against him (Apapa) at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, venue of the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC.
Recall Vanguard had earlier reported that Apapa was mobbed by some angry youths who were at the court to witness proceedings in the petition that Obi filed to challenge the outcome of the presidential election that held on February 25.
Speaking on the development, in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, said he surprised this was how Obi, Abure and their supporters intended to come at them.
He said, “They attacked some police. They were fighting with press men. It was the security operatives that saved us. They came there to kill today (Wednesday) and we will definitely petition the police.”
When asked to provide evidence, Arabambi said, “We have the video now, the man that removed the cap of Apapa we know him. We know them. We know all of them.
“We were together in the court when they started attacking us. Are they not Obidients, are they not shouting Obidients, shouting: Thief Thief on us!”
“It shows that character of who that man is. He can not even govern a local government,” he added.
The spokesperson of the Labour Party, has, however, insisted that they will petition the Inspector General of Police over the incident.
Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, will be officially welcoming Opeoluwa Akinmuda, his sixth wife, to the palace on May 20.
In a chat with Channels TV on Tuesday, Moses Olafare, the palace spokesman, said Akinmuda has been Ooni’s wife since last year.
He said the marriage took place just after Ogunwusi tied the knot with Mariam, his fifth wife.
The spokesperson added that Akinmuda has been living abroad and is now being formally welcomed into the palace through a Thanksgiving ceremony this weekend.
There is nothing like latest wife; Dr Opeoluwa Elizabeth Akinmuda has been (Ooni’s) his wife since last year,” he said.
“The wedding took place last year right after Olori Mariam’s, she was not based in Nigeria; she was based abroad.
“What is happening this weekend is a thanksgiving ceremony in line with the cultural tradition of the palace so that she can formally get a seat at the palace.
It’s just a formal traditional rite that will usher her into the palace. It’s a Thanksgiving ceremony at the palace.”
Ooni was married to Adebukola Bombata in 2008 but the union crashed.
The traditional ruler also had two other failed marriages.
His marriage to Zaynab Wuraola Otiti in 2016 didn’t work out due to “irreconcilable differences.”
The monarch would later marry Naomi Silekunola in October 2018. But Naomi announced their separation in 2021.
Ooni tied the knot with his six wives; Mariam, Tobi, Ashley, Ronke, Temitope, and Opeoluwa in 2022.
The Presidential Election Petition Court has adjourned to Friday, May 19, 2023, the pre-hearing of the petition against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, by the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
The court headed by Justice Haruna Tsammani fixed the date, following the failure of parties in the petition to agree on documents among other reasons.
Four staff members of the United States Embassy in Nigeria on a humanitarian mission in Anambra State have been shot dead following an attack on their vehicle on Tuesday.
The incident happened late on Tuesday in the Amiyi/Eke Ochuche communities in Ogbaru Local Government Area of the state.
No reason has yet been ascertained, but a source in the area said the assailants ambushed and immediately gunned down the victims.
But a source said the assailants caused panic in the area as they invaded the arena where some of the residents in the community had gathered and were waiting to receive medical treatment from the UNICEF officials.
Among the victims were whites and blacks officials who were on a medical outreach to the rural riverine areas.”
However, reacting to the development in a statement following an inquiry by our correspondent, the spokesperson for the Anambra Police Command, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, said, “The joint security forces have embarked on a rescue/recovery operation in Ogbaru LGA, following an attack on a convoy of staff of US Consulate today May 15, 2023 by 3:30 pm along Atani, Osamale road.
Nigerian music star, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has made it to the Guinness World Book of Records.
The singer’s hit song, ‘Calm Down’ made history as the first No.1 Hit on The Official MENA Chart (the world’s first regional streaming chart).
This was made known in a post shared on the singer’s statistics Twitter account on Saturday.
The statement read, “Calm Down by #heisrema marks entry on the Guinness Book as it has won the First No.1 Hit on The Official MENA Chart (the world’s first regional streaming chart) Record.”
Rema’s ‘Calm Down’ debuted at No. 1 when the MENA Chart was launched by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry on November 29, 2022.
Rema was recognised for securing the first number 1 hit on the world’s first regional streaming chart and first-ever official chart in the Middle East and North Africa.
Beyond Passion and Inspiration to enhance creativity in the Nigerian movie industry, award winning movie producer and CEO ZFMOVIES, Gilbert Owan has attributed film making as a medium to reach the wider audiences and positively influence the world.
Owan in an exclusive interview with LEADING REPORTERS over the weekend in Abuja stated that he had always loved to influence people around him positively using the art and craft of film making.
“I decided to use film making as a medium to reach a wider audience so I can influence the world at large positively through my art works”
Owan who further described his passion and inspiration as his drive for movie production stated that lots of people make films but only those who are inspired to make a difference will stand out.
Meanwhile, the movie producer opined that Nigeria movie industry (Nollywood) is growing at a fast pace hence the coming of Netflix Nigeria and creativity affirm that the country is doing well in the Nigerian movie industry to catch the attention of foreign investors & organizations.
ZFMoviez is an award winning movie production company/Casting agency that trains actors, cinematographers,writers,directors and film makers in general from scratch, use them for film productions and also manage them as well(source for gigs for them from other production companies).
ZFMoviez build dreams of becoming a film maker and make them come through…
As the crisis in Sudan rages on, the federal government has assured the safe evacuation of willing Nigerians following safety by Sudanese Government and safe passage of Nigerians by road.
Meanwhile Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, says the federal government is working assiduously to ensure the safe evacuation of Nigerians in Sudan.
Onyeama spoke during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday.
The minister said about 5,500 Nigerians are in Sudan and over 80 percent of them are students.
He said unlike other countries trying to evacuate their diplomatic staff first, Nigeria would want diplomatic staff to coordinate the evacuation of its citizens.
Speaking on the efforts made by the government, the minister said the major goal was to get the approval of the Sudanese government to undertake the long convoy and also provide security.
He said the Sudanese government has been reached for authorisation.
“We have been working round the clock for the last two days to try and get the Nigerians out. You know, first of all, of course, we have an embassy there. So that’s already a good thing,” Onyeama said.
We’ve told them to put up a platform, where all the Nigerians in Sudan can, you know, log into and information will be available and to coordinate the process. Obviously, what you need in a situation like this is a place where everybody can congregate before you start moving them out.
“The only viable way out is by road. And of course, it’s not safe. So we are going to require the government to provide some security and a safe corridor out.
And our situation is particularly challenging because the numbers are so great. Now, you know, we’ve heard that the US and some other European countries have started evacuating, but they’ve been evacuating the diplomatic staff. They haven’t been able to start evacuating their citizens there.
“We can’t evacuate all our diplomatic staff at the moment because they need to also coordinate the evacuation of all those students. So we’re going to also evacuate them.
“So essentially, where we are at the moment is trying to get the authorisation from the Sudanese government to undertake this long convoy journey and for them to provide some security.
“We don’t want to expose our citizens to that danger as well. So we’re doing everything we can to get the requisite approval from the Sudanese government at the very highest level.
“So we are not going to stop at that, we are going to keep on the options available to us. The Egyptian border is closed. Port Sudan is another place where we understand that some of the international diplomatic people have been congregating and the Ethiopian border.”
Violent clashes between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, have killed over 400 people, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that the peaceful outcome of the 2023 general elections “will go down on record as one of the proudest achievements of my administration in addition to our neutrality in the conduct of the elections.”
In his goodwill message to Muslims on the occasion of the Eidel kabir celebration to mark the end of the 30-day Ramadan fasting season, President Buhari explained that “the outcomes of the elections were in line with my pledge to leave a legacy of free and fair elections.
“I’m proud that I have created a level playing field for all contestants regardless of party affiliation in order to produce a fair outcome for all.”
According to the President, “free and fair elections are the only principles that give credibility to our democracy, because the subversion of the will of the people undermines democracy itself.”
“The elections were so transparent that even members of my own party were routed and unseated. At no point did I interfere with the process in order to give unfair advantage to anyone,” the President added.
On the Ramadan fast, President Buhari congratulated Muslims on successfully completing this demanding spiritual obligation.
While praying to Allah to reward the Muslims for their sacrifices during the fasting season, President Buhari advised that “we shouldn’t forget the important lessons of the Ramadan which includes improving our bond with the underprivileged and poor members of society.”
According to him, “abstention from food and drinks during the fasting period had made it possible for us to appreciate the situation of those who go without eating every day.”
Veteran Nigerian producer and singer, Don Jazzy has turned down a male admirer who proposed marriage to him.
The Mavin boss received a marriage proposal from a male fan during a question-and-answer session with his Instagram followers recently.
The 40-year-old music executive turned down the proposal, maintaining that he exclusively prefers women.
Will you marry me?” the male admirer asked.
Responding via a video shared on his Instastory, Don Jazzy said, “Uncle sorry I’m not attracted to men. I like pussy.. toto in pidgin English”.
The laws in Nigeria prohibit same-sex relationships. It is an offense punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment.
