News & Announcements

Retired world heavyweight boxing champion, Evander Holyfield, fondly called “The Real Deal” or “The Warrior” is 60years old today. 

He remains the only professional fighter to win the heavyweight championship four separate times and thereby surpassing the record of Muhammad Ali, who won it three times.
Born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama, U.S.A.  American boxer, Holyfield stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 metres) tall and weighs 218 pounds (98.9 kg), 

He retired in 2014 with a career record of 44 wins (29 by knockout), 10 losses, and 2 draws. Holyfield was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.

He has marital challenges, as he is separated from his third wife Candi, with whom he has two children. 
Holyfield has eleven children with six different women. One of his sons, Evan, followed in his father’s footsteps and became a professional boxer. Another son, Elijah, played college football at the University of Georgia.

He is reported to be a born-again Christian.
He founded Real Deal Records which signed the briefly successful group Exhale.
In 2017, a statue of Evander Holyfield designed by sculptor Brian Hanlon was commissioned by the city of Atlanta for installation in Downtown Atlanta.

Retired world heavyweight boxing champion, Evander Holyfield, fondly called “The Real Deal” or “The Warrior” is 60years old today. 
He remains the only professional fighter to win the heavyweight championship four separate times and thereby surpassing the record of Muhammad Ali, who won it three times.
Born on October 19, 1962, in Atmore, Alabama, U.S.A.  American boxer, Holyfield stands 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 metres) tall and weighs 218 pounds (98.9 kg)

He retired in 2014 with a career record of 44 wins (29 by knockout), 10 losses, and 2 draws. Holyfield was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2017.
He has marital challenges, as he is separated from his third wife Candi, with whom he has two children. 
Holyfield has eleven children with six different women. One of his sons, Evan, followed in his father’s footsteps and became a professional boxer. Another son, Elijah, played college football at the University of Georgia.

He is reported to be a born-again Christian.
He founded Real Deal Records which signed the briefly successful group Exhale.
In 2017, a statue of Evander Holyfield designed by sculptor Brian Hanlon was commissioned by the city of Atlanta for installation in Downtown Atlanta.

For 16-year-old John Oseni from Ogun State, providence has been kind to him. At 15 years old in 2021, he made his first million through the use of technology. However, there was no instant miracle to his early success.  A cocktail of events ‘conspired’ to lead him to what now appears like divine providence.  His story is as paradoxical as it is intriguing.

His present success with computer programming was not a deliberately choreographed affair. There seems to have been some element of the proverbial phoenix narrative to his little journey to success.  A company, Green Garage, had before the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown organised a computer competition for about 80 students and Oseni and another girl had come first. They expected their prizes which never came, so he decided to get to the company himself.

A visit to the company revealed not his prize but a pile of dusty computers that inspired him to action. He pleaded with the management for a chance to use one of their old computers to practice his passion, coding. They agreed, he did and his knowledge and hunger for more programming knowledge blossomed and he ended up learning and teaching others in the same company.

For the teenage tech guru, the lockdown period had its blessings; he was able to deviate from his childhood dream of joining the military having attended Command Secondary School, Akure, Ondo State, for his high school. He got more interested in programming and today he is making headlines as a teenage millionaire who works for more than a dozen start-up companies across the globe.
A comic angle to his blossoming tech life is the fact that his professor of biochemistry father and a retired civil servant mother initially thought their young son was possessed by some evil spirit. They are however very excited today at his progress and bourgeoning fame and fortune.

We commend the Green Garage company, the parents and the teenage wiz kid himself for the encouragement and dedication that brought the boy to the global limelight. His success brings pride and hopes to not only his family but Nigeria as a country. It is the miracle of technology that despite the lack of deliberate policy direction to stir Nigerian students to the science and technology world, individuals and corporate bodies are investing in the field and the young people are changing the narrative in the field of technology despite all odds.

It is encouraging to know that the young boy is not carried away by the sudden fame as he is known not to be jumping into offers from across the globe. He seems to be focused on expanding his knowledge through education which he says might be strictly online to allow him to do his work. It is good that he values education. He says he wants to multitask and possibly get a PhD in Engineering.
It is equally commendable that despite his age, John has also been invited to different global events as a guest speaker and has also won numerous awards to his name. We hope Nigeria puts as much value to his talent as the global community as a way of encouraging other young people.

His beautiful dream of a future powered by nature is very enchanting and should be supported. He said he plans to use nature to power cars, phones and other things.  In a world battling the serious effects of climate change and global warming, he might just be the answer to a confused world.

John’s success has many lessons for both governments and parents.  Governments must invest more in education and parents must be careful not to insist on their career choices for their children. It is always good to allow children to make their choices based on their interests. Success must not always be about pure academics and the acquisition of certificates. Ironically, many of global billionaires do not bandy strings of certificates. Late Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos,  etc. are either college dropouts or just managed to get one degree. Ideas and technology rule the world and those who understand would always progress. Nigerian governments must see the value in education and fund it adequately to encourage the young ones to reach their full potential and help the country prosper.

A former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, has alleged that Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate collapsed in Abuja on Monday.However, Atiku’s Media Aide, Paul Ibe, quickly reacted to the information, saying the PDP flag bearer travelled on a scheduled trip.
Fani-Kayode had earlier written on his Twitter page that Atiku collapsed after he arrived in Abuja from his rally in Kaduna State.

He added that Atiku was flown to Paris for medical care.
He wrote, “After his outing in Kaduna yesterday @atiku fell ill. He complained of dizzy spells & severe pains in his head & all over his body throughout the flight to Abuja. After landing at Abuja airport he collapsed.
“He was flown to Paris for medical attention immediately. God be with him.“For the purposes of damage control they took pictures of him with others the following morning from Paris but please do not be fooled.

“There is something very wrong with the PDP presidential candidate in terms of his health & they don’t want the Nigerian public to know. Pray for him.”
But a statement by Ibe said the former Vice President travelled out on a scheduled trip.
According to the statement, the PDP presidential candidate is billed to meet with the technical partners of one of his business entities that were impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown and the consequent economic downturn.

It added, “The meeting will also focus on conclusive discussions for a planned expansion of its production facility.”

First-time Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema said anything is possible if one never gives up on his dreams.

Real Madrid’s France forward Benzema won the 2022 Ballon d’Or award for the best men’s player in the world on Monday.

Benzema, who played a pivotal role in Madrid’s run to the Champions League title last season, was the first French player to win the trophy since Zinedine Zidane in 1998 and the fifth after Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini and Jean-Pierre Papin.

“This prize in front of me makes me really proud. When I was small, it was a childhood dream, I never gave up. Anything is possible,” Benzema said on stage at the ceremony.

“There was a difficult period when I wasn’t in the French team but I never gave up. I’m really proud of my journey here.
“It wasn’t easy, it was a difficult time for my family as well.”

Benzema beat Poland’s Robert Lewandowski, Sadio Mane of Senegal and Belgium’s Kevin De Bruyne after Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the award for a record seventh time last year.
Benzema had a stellar season with Real, scoring 44 goals in 46 games in all competitions as he helped guide them to a LaLiga and Champions League double.

His 15 goals in the Champions League guided Real Madrid to a record-extending 14th title.
Real Madrid made remarkable comebacks from losing positions in the last-16, quarter-finals and semi-finals against Paris St Germain, Chelsea and Manchester City respectively — with Benzema scoring in each of the second legs.

 Oshoala nominated for 2022 Ballon d’OrThe highlight of their European campaign was the 3-1 win in the second leg against PSG when the Spanish club were 2-0 down on aggregate, with Benzema grabbing a 17-minute hat-trick in the second half to stun the Ligue 1 side.

Meanwhile, Spanish international and FC Barcelona’s midfielder Putellas won the women’s Ballon d’Or for a second straight year, beating England’s European Championship winner Beth Mead and Australia’s Sam Kerr.

Putellas, who was also named FIFA Best Women’s Player earlier this year, was the top scorer in the Champions League last season with 11 goals and scored 18 in the Primera Division.
The 28-year-old missed the Euros for Spain, however, after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury on the eve of the tournament in England.

Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois won the Lev Yashin award for the best goalkeeper last season, with the towering shot-stopper making nine saves in the final to keep a clean sheet against Liverpool in a 1-0 victory in Paris.

However, the teams in the Champions League final lost out on the Best Club award, which went to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who won a fourth Premier League title in five years.
FC Barcelona’s 18-year-old midfielder Gavi picked up the Kopa Trophy for the best under-21 player, while Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane won the inaugural Socrates award, with the Senegal international recognised for his humanitarian efforts.

Lewandowski did not go home empty-handed either as he picked up the Gerd Muller Trophy for the best striker after scoring 50 goals in all competitions for Bayern last season.

A waste compactor PSP Truck has fallen into the Lagos lagoon inward Iyana-Oworo in the early hour of (Tuesday) today in Lagos . The truck was said to veer off the bridge with the driver and motor boy inside while in motion.
Confirming the incident, the Permanent Secretary, of Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Dr Olufemi Damilola Oke-Osanyintolu, in a statement issued on Tuesday said ” The Agency responded to distress calls at the above scene and discovered that a waste compactor TRUCK, registration unknown, while in motion had a burst tyre, veered off the bridge and subsequently plunged into the Lagos lagoon.
”Fortunately the two occupants of the truck (driver and motor boy) were rescued alive by the agency marine team (divers ). They have been provided with first aid treatment”.

Science, literature instruments of national development – Obasanjo

The Advisory Board for The Nigeria Prize for Literature, sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited, today announced Nomad, authored by the poet, Romeo Oriogun, as the winner of the $100,000 prize for the 2022 cycle on Poetry.

Professor Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, Chairperson of the Advisory Board, made the announcement at the Grand Award Night ceremony in Lagos, themed “Touching the Stars”. She also announced Dr. Sakiru Adebayo as the 2022 winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism, which comes with One Million Naira (N1,000,000) prize money.

2022 joint winner of The Nigeria Prize for Science, Dr. Shehu Ado; NLNG’s Deputy MD, Olalekan Ogunleye; joint winner Dr. Muhydideen Oyekunle; former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; joint winner Dr. Sesan Peter Ayodele; NLNG’s MD Philip Mshelbila; and joint winner Dr. Emmanuel Olatomilola at the NLNG Grand Award Night in Lagos…on Saturday.

Four winners of The Nigeria Prize for Science were also jointly awarded the prize money of $100,000. Muhydideen Oyekunle and Shehu Ado, as well as Sesan Peter Ayodeji and Emmanuel Olatunji Olatomilola, won the prize for their respective works titled, Gains in Grain Yield of Released Maize (Zea Mays L.) Cultivars under Drought and Well-Watered Conditions, and Development of Process Plant for Plantain Flour.

The winners were awarded after the former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR), in the keynote address stressed the critical roles science and literature play in national development. Chief Obasanjo said Nigeria could reach greatness through a strong will to change the prevailing narrative, adding “Nigeria is, as we all know, blessed beyond measure in talents, capabilities, and resources.”
“The world has always been fast spinning into areas of scientific breakthroughs and innovations that aim to maintain high standards of living, while sustainably preserving the earth for generations yet unborn. But now, more than ever, there is a sweeping tide of energy transition and climate change mandates, medical advancements and applications, food security interventions to combat hunger, as well as measures to sustain life on earth.

“Who is truly listening, and willing? Reaching and indeed, touching the stars which are light years away, is in retrospect, very much possible. In fact, there are several Nigerian citizens that occupy positions of merit, as global patriots. A national meteoritic rise can happen within the blink of an eye. Just like a space launch, a scientific breakthrough can shoot our nation to those seemingly unattainable heights where we can touch the stars.

“We can adopt world-class best practices, and leap with giant strides into the future. We can collaborate on exchanges of ideas and invest in research and development. We can focus on the education and mental development of our people so that we position the nation in the direction it should go.
“I speak to the political class, the administrators, business institutions and organisations, small and medium scale enterprises, the creatives and content developers, leaders across all spheres of influence, the man or woman whose heart burns with passion for Nigeria’s good, and to the boy or girl, who is discovering his or her talents and gifts. May we all rise to that place of willingness and do so, collectively,” he said.

In his welcome remarks, NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, said the Company sponsored the prizes to ensure that excellence takes a prominent position in creativity and innovation in the country.

Speaking on the 2022 theme of the science prize, Innovations in Sustainable Food Security, Dr. Mshelbila stated that the prize and the winners were a wake-up call for the country and Nigerians to take responsibility for food sustenance.

“From the mangroves of the Niger Delta, through the rain forests, to the grassy plains and savannah terrains, the nation pitifully boasts of poverty, yet it is bountifully endowed with arable lands and agricultural treasures. Including its aquatic wealth. This is a wake-up call! We must take responsibility for food sustenance, at the very least, and scale up to foreign exchange revenue drive from food/agriculture export once our people are assured of their daily meals. What’s more, we must shun wastages, arising from poor handling or preservation of agricultural produce,” he said.

On literature, he stated that leading publishing experts indicate that poetry submissions have been unprecedented the world over. He stated further that the entries for the 2022 Nigeria Prize for Literature were the most ever in the history of the prize.

He said NLNG, as a world-class company, was actively seeking its place in the future, adding it is focused on gaining strength within the energy transition landscape.
“It really is the future of the world, and one for which NLNG should be rightly positioned, to bring Nigeria into that realm,” he stated.

The winning book beat two other books on the Shortlist of Three, the Call of Water by Su’eddie Vershima  Agema and Your Crib, My Qibla by Saddiq Dzukogi to clinch the prize. The book competed against 287 books submitted for the competition in 2022.

According to the judges, the winning book, Nomad, stands out as the most technically accomplished, rendering the topical subject of migration in a language laced with lyrical figurations. They stated that “the 67 poems in the collection were held together by a travel motif, marshalled in each poem with equal intensity, and linked to the African past, including the Middle Passage, and the African future.”

The panel of judges include Sule Emmanuel Egya, who is the Chairman of the panel and a professor of African Literature and Cultural Studies at Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State. Other judges are Toyin Adewale-Gabriel and Dike Chukwumerije. Adewale-Gabriel is a poet and fiction writer. Dike Chukwumerije is a spoken word and performance poet, and an award-winning author. Professor Susan Nalugwa Kiguli was the International Consultant for this year’s Prize.  She is a Ugandan poet and an associate professor of literature at Makerere University.

Nigeria LNG Limited remains committed to responsible corporate citizenship, and The Nigeria Prize for Science, The Nigeria Prize for Literature and The Nigeria Prize for Literary Criticism are some of the company’s numerous contributions towards building a better Nigeria.

The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division Thursday evening declared as illegal and unlawful, the abduction of the Biafra nation agitator, Nnamdi Kanu from Kenya to Nigeria and quashed the terrorism charges brought against him by the Federal Government.

The Court held that the Federal Government breached all local and international laws in the forceful rendition of Kanu to Nigeria thereby making the terrorism charges against him incompetent and unlawful.
In a judgment by Justice Oludotun Adebola, the charges by the Federal Government against Kanu were voided and set aside.

The Appellate Court proceeded to discharge Kanu from the alleged offences. Justice Adebola held that the failure of Nigeria to follow due process by way of extradition was fatal to the charges against Kanu.

Britain’s new finance minister warned Saturday of tax hikes to come as he admitted to “mistakes” made by his short-lived predecessor in a disastrous budget.
Jeremy Hunt was making his first comments to the media following his appointment as chancellor of the exchequer by Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose own future is in doubt mere weeks after she took office.
“We will have some very difficult decisions ahead,” Hunt told Sky News, warning that “all government departments” face spending restraint.

“And some taxes will not be cut as quickly as people want. Some taxes will go up,” he added.
Tax cuts were the centrepiece of the budget announced by Hunt’s predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng on September 23. But they were financed through billions in more borrowing, causing panic in financial markets which have fed into higher costs for British households.

Truss fired Kwarteng on Friday and rowed back further on the planned tax cuts, but is facing threats of being toppled by senior Conservative MPs aghast at the party’s collapse in opinion polls since she replaced Boris Johnson on September 6.

“There were mistakes,” acknowledged Hunt, a former health and foreign secretary who is seen as a centrist Tory brought in by Truss to steady her listing ship.

Kwarteng and Truss had initially wanted to cut taxes for the highest earners and had presented their budget without independent forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility, Hunt noted in summarising two key mistakes.
“The prime minister’s recognised that, that’s why I’m here.”

Singer Harry Okiri, popularly known as Harrysong, has been arrested by the police in Lagos State.
In a post on his Instagram Story on Tuesday, Harrysong said that he was arrested when he landed in the state.

The terse statement signed by his management noted that the singer’s phone was seized at the point of arrest. The post read, “I got arrested as I landed in Lagos. My phone has been seized and they won’t allow me to communicate with my people.”

This is coming barely a week after Harrysong accused music executive, Soso Soberekon, of trying to kill him. In a talk show published last Monday, Harrysong tagged Soberekon as his enemy who attempted to assassinate him (Harrysong).

Reacting to the accusation, Soberekon, through his lawyers, sent a defamation notice to Harrysong, where he demanded N500m as compensation. The notice partly read, “Our client has consequently directed us to request for a retraction of the said publication and an apology to be published in two newspapers and several online news millets not later than seven days of the delivery of this letter and also the payment of the sum of N500,000,000.00 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as damages and compensation for the malicious publications made against our client.

“TAKE NOTICE that if you fail to heed the request of our client within seven days of the receipt of this letter, we shall be constrained to proceed to the court of law against you for exemplary damages for injurious falsehood and malicious publication made of and concerning our client.”
Harrysong’s arrest may not be unconnected to the suit as today (Tuesday), marks the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum meted out to the singer.