News & Announcements

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples DemocraticParty’s (PDP) presidential candidate,has hailed efforts by the supporters of Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike,saying that he is prepared to settle all disputes.

Stated below by his media assistant Paul ibe;
“The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar welcomes reports that the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and his group are favourably disposed to the resolution of the issues with the PDP candidate.”
“Atiku Abubakar also expresses his commitment to a negotiation that will resolve the crisis of confidence and pave the way for a much stronger and united PDP.”
“The former Vice President of Nigeria, notes that never at any time of the differences that ensued has the doors been shut to Governor Wike and his group.”
“He enjoins every leader of the party and their supporters irrespective of their leanings to be open-minded and support the process of resolution of the extant issues.”

Furthermore,it brings to mind how Wike and four others governors have been at odds with Atiku ever since the presidential primaries a few months ago.

When Chuck Palahniuk said “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will” little did many understand what he meant but in reality, the camaraderie and show of love shown during the burial ceremony of late nonagenarianMadam Osaruyi Obasogie is one that is capable of making “death” bow in shame if it is human, seeing how the living made a caricature of its famed sting. 

As the families of the late Madam Alice Osaruyi Obasogie of the Oregbeni community in Ikpoba Okhia local government area of Edo State turned out in large numbers to express the depth of their love and how they would miss the matriarch of the Obasogie family.  

The late Madam Alice Osaruyi Obasogie, during her lifetime, was a staunch Christian and community leader who affected several lives positively with her values and show of motherly affectation to everyone around her.

When news of her death was announced at the age of 90, it came as a rude awakening to many. Howbeit, she was eulogized by everyone in attendance during her lying in state as she was finally laid to rest in the most befitting manner at a well-attended burial ceremony organized by her children and kinsmen.  

The week-long burial ceremony was capped with an eye-popping reception held in one of the popular event centers in Benin City with guests, mostly the movers and the shakers of the society from across the country.

The late Madam Obasogie, fondly called “Mama” as a result of her matronly disposition and care, whether to an outsider or otherwise, is survived by seven children, 21 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.

 One after the other, in an emotion-laden voice, full of sorrows and trying to overcome the shock loss of a confidant, her children, beginning from the eldest to the youngest among them, poured encomiums on her.

Mr. Monday Nosayaba Obasogie, Mama’s eldest son and second child described her as “compassionate and peaceful”. Mr. Raphael Obasogie used several eulogies to describe his late mother, saying she was sweet, kind, loving, and accommodating. 

Also, Mr. Wilson Obasogie painted a picture of the closeness between the two of them despite the distance, noting she was so generous with her time that she would not fail to call to check on him, adding he will most certainly miss her northerly love. 

In her eulogy, Comrade Mary Edowaye Obasogie, Mama’s fourth child and second daughter, said she was her best friend, stressing that her memories will forever live with her. She went on to describe the late mother as a perfect homemaker who invested a lot in the children to ensure they turned out right.

Others spoke glowingly about the late Madam Obasogie, including Mr. Felix Egbe Obasogie and Mr. Edwin Obasogie, the fourth and last son respectively, and described her as a hard-working, patient, and not quick-to-judge kind of person who will be missed.

We at La Fete, commensurate with the Obasogie family in this moment of grief and pray that the Good Lord will the family the fortitude to bear the loss of Mama; may her gentle soul rest in peace.

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards general claimed Thursday that the Islamic republic has developed a hypersonic missile capable of penetrating all defence systems, raising concerns from the UN nuclear watchdog.

Hypersonic missiles, like traditional ballistic missiles which can deliver nuclear weapons, can fly more than five times the speed of sound.

“This hypersonic ballistic missile was developed to counter air defence shields,” General Amirali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace unit said, quoted by Iran’s Fars news agency.

“It will be able to breach all the systems of anti-missile defence,” said the general, adding that he believed it would take decades before a system capable of intercepting it is developed.

“This missile, which targets enemy anti-missile systems, represents a great generational leap in the field of missiles.”
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi expressed concerns about the announcement.

“We see that all these announcements increase the attention, increase the concerns, increase the public attention to the Iranian nuclear program,” Grossi told AFP on the sidelines of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

But he added that he does not see this as “having any influence” on negotiations over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.

The announcement comes after Iran admitted on Saturday that it had sent drones to Russia, but said it had done so before the Ukraine war.

The Washington Post reported on October 16 that Iran was preparing to ship missiles to Russia, but Tehran rejected the report as “completely false”.

– Stalled nuclear talks –It also comes at a time of protests that have rocked Iran since the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest for allegedly flouting the Islamic republic’s dress code for women.

Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles fly on a trajectory low in the atmosphere, potentially reaching targets more quickly.

North Korea’s test of a hypersonic missile last year sparked concerns about the race to acquire the technology, which is currently led by Russia, followed by China and the United States.

Both Iran and Russia are targeted by stringent sanctions — Iran after the US unilaterally pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal, and Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February.

The two countries have responded to the sanctions by boosting cooperation in key areas to help prop up their economies.

Iran on Wednesday hosted Russia’s security chief Nikolai Patrushev for talks on subjects that the Russian side said included “the fight against terrorism and extremism” as well as measures to counter Western interference.

A hypersonic missile is maneuverable, making it harder to track and defend against.

While countries like the United States have developed systems designed to defend against cruise and ballistic missiles, the ability to track and take down a hypersonic missile remains a question.

Thursday’s announcement comes against a backdrop of stalled talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal.

The deal reached with six major powers — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the US — gave Iran relief from sanctions in return for guarantees it could not develop an atomic weapon.

Iran has always denied wanting a nuclear arsenal.
The deal collapsed after the US’s unilateral withdrawal in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump.

– Warning to Saudi Arabia –Iran’s claim to have developed a hypersonic missile also follows its announcement on November 5 of the successful test flight of a rocket capable of propelling satellites into space.

The United States has repeatedly voiced concern that such launches could boost Iran’s ballistic missile technology, extending to the potential delivery of nuclear warheads.
In March, the US government imposed sanctions on Iran’s missile-related activities.

Iran on Wednesday warned its neighbours including Saudi Arabia that it would retaliate against moves to destabilize it amid the protests sparked by Amini’s death.

“I would like to say to Saudi Arabia that our destiny and that of other countries in the region are linked to each other,” Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib said.

“Iran has so far adopted strategic patience but it cannot guarantee that it will maintain this strategic patience if hostilities against it continue.

“If the Islamic republic decides to punish these countries, their glass palaces will collapse and they will no longer enjoy stability,” said Khatib.

The minister has also warned Britain it would “pay” for harbouring hostile Persian-language media reporting on the Amini protests.

37-year-old Zimbabwean man last weekend gruesomely hacked his wife on the neck, shoulder, chest, and mouth with a machete after she took his cell phone and unlocked it without his consent, hardly three months into the couple’s marriage.

Mirriam Joni (27) died on the spot from the injuries sustained during the brutal and heartless attack.

Police confirmed the murder which happened in Matsapa Village in Chief Mutasa’s area last week on Saturday.

Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson, Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the incident and said the suspect, Gwaramba Jimu, disappeared from the scene soon after committing the heinous act.

It is alleged that a few minutes before vanishing from the scene, Jimu instructed his mother, Ms. Kandala Maluwiza (72), to take care of his children when he was gone.

“The two who were customarily married for three months had a domestic dispute after Joni took Jimu’s phone without his consent. After a heated altercation, Jimu went to his aunt, Ms. Netsai Jolomile (48) of Mhandire Village, to ask her to solve the dispute.
“Ms Jolomile accompanied Jimu back to his home and she counseled the couple, advising them to live in peace. Ms. Jolomile left the couple and went back home.

“On October 28, at around 2 am, Jimu woke up and armed himself with a machete. He hacked Miriam several times on the shoulder, neck, chest, and mouth,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.

He said after the heinous act, Jimu proceeded to his mother, Ms. Maluwiza’s homestead in the same village, and told her to take care of his children. He then disappeared.
“Ms. Maluwiza became suspicious and proceeded to Jimu’s homestead. Upon arrival, she saw Joni’s body lying in a pool of blood. She alerted other villagers.
“A report was made to the police who attended the scene,” said Assistant Inspector Chinyoka.

50 Cent has announced plans to release a movie series based on infamous Nigerian internet fraudster, Ramon Abass-Hushpuppi.

In June 2020, Hushpuppi was detained inDubai, United Arab Emirates, for scammingmore than 1.9 million people, the majority of them were Americans.

After he was found guilty the US District court sentenced him to 11 years and 3 months in prison.

50 Cent announced on his Instagram account that he was producing a movie based on the life of Hushpuppi by posting images of the convict .

He wrote;

“For my scammers I gotta do this one. Hushpuppi series coming soon! GLG, Green Light Gang I don’t miss. #Bransoncognac #lecheminduroi #gunitfilmandtv

Ghanaian actress, Juliet Ibrahim, has decried the high cost of living in Ghana as she recounts how much she spends fuelling her car weekly.

In a series of tweets, Ibrahim described Ghana as the “most expensive West African country right now.”
She stated that the amount she spent weekly on fuel was more expensive than what will be spent in the United States or Nigeria.

She tweeted, “Ghana is officially the most expensive West African country right now! No joke! Someone driving a car of 3.0 / 3.5 fills their fuel tank to use within 5-7 days with fuel worth 1300/1400 cedis.

“Currently, $100 = 1,400 cedis. Even in the USA, fueling the same type of car can and will NEVER cost that much! Yet we are all going through the same economic crisis.

“$100 = 1400 cedis; 1400 cedis = 72,000 Naira. Is there any Nigerian on my timeline that spends 72,000 Naira to fuel his car and use it for a period of five to seven days?
“Let’s have this discussion and make it make sense to me.”
She further cleared the air that the post was not a political one.
Ibrahim said, “This is not a political post. Everyone’s affected, and talking about our concerns/worries only helps us stay sane. Thanks.

“I pray we all can survive this and double up our hustle. Because it looks like things aren’t going to go back to normal. This is the time to strategize and focus on multiple streams of income.
“We need to double our hustle very well. God help us all as we adjust to the new standards of living.”

Facebook owner Meta will lay off more than 11,000 of its staff in “the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history,” boss Mark Zuckerberg said on Wednesday.

He said the cuts represented 13 percent of the social media titan’s workforce and would affect its research lab focusing on the metaverse as well as its apps, which include Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.The tech industry is in a serious slump and several major firms have announced mass layoffs — Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk fired half its staff last week.
“I want to take accountability for these decisions and how we got here,” Zuckerberg said in a note to staff.
“I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted,” he added.

Zuckerberg told staff he had expected the boost in e-commerce and online activity during the Covid pandemic to continue, but added, “I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”

The downturn has affected companies across the sector, with Apple and Amazon also recently announcing results that disappointed investors.

But Meta also faces some unique problems of its own.
 Zuckerberg’s decision to devote billions of dollars to developing the metaverse, an immersive version of the web accessed via virtual reality headsets.

Zuckerberg renamed the company to Meta a year ago to reflect his commitment to the project. Still, the division working on metaverse technology has since made losses of more than $3.5 billion.

He has hinted several times this year that belt-tightening measures were just around the corner and said in his letter on Wednesday that staff layoffs were a “last resort”.

He said that meta would also keep a hiring freeze going into next year, and other spending cuts were envisaged.
“Fundamentally, we’re making all these changes for two reasons: our revenue outlook is lower than we expected at the beginning of this year, and we want to make sure we’re operating efficiently,” he wrote.

Last month, Meta announced profits of $4.4 billion in the third quarter, a 52 percent decrease year-on-year, causing its stock price to fall 25 percent.

The slump in profits comes despite its platforms dominating the world in terms of users — Facebook alone claims to have around two billion people who log on daily.

Several news platforms have it that Senegal’s top football player, Sadio Mane might miss out on the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The Senegalese player is reported to be undergoing medical as a result of an injury incurred in last night’s match with his club, Bayern Munich against Werder Bremen.

It would be recalled that Mane was listed in the recently released list of Senegalese players to participate in the World Cup.

Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo,says funds found to be linked to Bola Tinubu in the United States were tax deductions — not drug proceeds.
Keyamo spoke on Wednesday during an interview with Channels Television.

BACKGROUND
Over the past few months, there has been public scrutiny of the background of Tinubu, APC presidential candidate.
The former Lagos governor has also been accused of alleged involvement in drug trafficking in the US — an allegation that has elicited varied reactions on social media.

On Tuesday, the social media was awash with what appeared to be certified true copies of a settlement order issued by a US court domiciled at the northern district of Illinois regarding forfeiture of funds in some bank accounts linked to someone named “Bola Tinubu”.

According to the court documents, there was probable cause to believe that the funds in bank accounts linked to the named Tinubu were proceeds of narcotics trafficking.

The court ruled that the sum of $460,000 in one of the accounts be forfeited to the US government.
The court document also shows that the case was heard in the US court in 1993.

‘TINUBU WAS NOT SUED‘
Speaking on the court documents, Keyamo said the former Lagos governor was not sued or indicted for any charge in the case, adding that the case was regarding the funds in 10 bank accounts linked to Tinubu.

“These processes are mere presumptions. They found money in his (Tinubu) accounts and they said he needed to come forward,” he said.

“In that affidavit of Kevin Moss, they said they interviewed Mobil and Mobil said this man is a treasurer in Mobil. Mobil said the funds are not for them.
“They confirmed his status not as a criminal but as a respected employee of Mobil. It is in that affidavit.
“After all the rigamarole trying to find out whether the accounts where the money came from are linked to drugs, they came to the conclusion that the deposits he made — what these bankers called investments — they said he had not paid tax on these interests. That is all.
“Look at paragraph 38. They said it is tax. They took what belonged to them.”

Davido has decided to push back his highly anticipated A.W.A.Y (Are We Africans Yet?) festival to November 2023,a difficult but essential decision.

After the sad passing of his adored first son,Ifeanyi Adeleke,this new development has occurred.According to reports,on October 2022 Ifeanyi drowned in the swimming pool at his father’s home on Banana Island.

The official statement, which was released by his team, emphasized the need for the bereaved to spend time with his family at this difficult time.

Davido‘s management also apologized for disappointing his fans and promised to come back with a bigger and better show on Saturday, November 18, 2023.