News & Announcements

The Big Brother Naija season 7 held its fourth live eviction show on Sunday evening and Modella, a fake housemate, said goodbye to the rest of the contestants.
The show host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, made the announcement during the live show, which also featured an electrifying performance from Alpha P.

Before the live show, Big Brother had issued Amaka a strike for breaking the house rules on microphone infringement.
Earlier in the week, Chomzy became the first female Head of House and chose Eloswag as her deputy.
Following the merging of both levels, Big Brother reversed the HOH’s veto power to nominate housemates for possible eviction.
As a result, all housemates were asked to nominate a male and a female contender for possible nomination.

In an unexpected twist, Big Brother cancelled the nominations and announced that all housemates, except the HOH and the DHOH, would be up for possible eviction.
However, Biggie had other plans as it turned out that there was no real eviction for the week, but the eviction of a fake housemate, Modella.

During the live show, Ebuka asked the fake housemate to step forward and when Modella stepped forward, the entire house was thrown into surprise.
Thereon, Ebuka announced that Modella has been evicted from the show.
So far, Christy O, Cyph, Khalid, Ilebaye, Kess, and Pharmsavi have been evicted from the BBNaija season 7 show.

Big Brother disqualified ex-Miss Nigeria, Beauty Tukura after she received three strikes for breaking the house rules.

With Modella’s eviction, only 17 real housemates are on the show.
While Deji is a fake housemate, Rachel and Chizzy are Riders.

Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit by the Federal Government seeking to extradite the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police DCP, Abba Kyari to the United States of America.

The Judge in a judgment on Monday held that the Extradition request filed by the Attorney General of the Federation AGF, Abubakar Malami SAN on behalf of the Federal Government lacked merit and was liable to dismissal.

The Federal Government filed the extradition charges against Kyari to pave way for his extradition to America to answer fraud allegations in the United States of America.
Justice Ekwo, however, held that the Federal Government has no basis to file the Extradition request having put Abba Kyari on trial in Nigeria in relation to the allegations against him in America.
The Judge specifically held that the Federal Government’s request for Extradition was “strange, incompetent and bereft of merit”.

“Malami being the Chief Law Officer of the country, ought to be aware that the Extradition Act, forbids the surrendering of a defendant that is already facing trial before a competent court in the country,” Justice Ekwo said.
The court wondered why the AGF approached the court with the extradition application when he was equally the one that issued Fiat to the National Drug Law Enforcement, NDLEA, to prosecute DCP Kyari on drug-related charges.

“The AGF could not say that he was not aware of the pending proceeding against the defendant which was entered against him by the NDLEA”, Justice Ekwo added.
He said the law was clear that Kyari, having been put on trial before a court of competent jurisdiction in the country, “shall not be surrendered until the such case has been discharged either by his conviction or acquittal”.

Consequently, the court held that the extradition request was incompetent and deserved to be dismissed.
Justice Ekwo had on June 3, reserved the matter for judgment, after he heard from the Federal Government’s lawyer, Mr. Pius Akutah, and that of Kyari, Mr. Nureni Jimoh, SAN.

While the Federal Government maintained that it had met all conditions precedent for the suspended DCP to be extradited to the US to answer to a criminal charge that is pending against him, on the other hand, Kyari, challenged the legal competence of the extradition request against him.

Kyari, who is currently in prison custody for drug-related charges, had told the court that contrary to the allegation against him, he had some months before Hushpuppi was arrested, sent a letter to both the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Inspector General of Police, IGP, notifying them that he had opened a channel of communication with the suspected internet fraudster, in furtherance of an ongoing investigation.

Kyari is wanted in the U.S. to stand trial for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and identity theft.

On April 29, 2021, a grand jury filed an indictment against him with the approval of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, after which a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Hushpuppi had earlier pleaded guilty to the alleged $1.1million fraud charge against him, even as the US Attorney’s Office for Central District of California, Los Angeles, revealed that he would be sentenced on September 21.

The Nigerian Medical Association has lamented the perennial brain drain in the country’s health sector.
The association noted that the number of doctors practicing in the country currently is around 30,000 making the doctor-patient ratio 1 to 5,000.

Although, the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, recently said Nigeria has a sufficient number of medical doctors despite the brain drain.
The minister during a briefing on Tuesday stated that there were enough medical doctors in the country and that the number of doctors produced annually exceeds the number leaving the country.
But the NMA and other stakeholders in the health sector said the claim by the minister was far from the truth.

The NMA insisted that just about 30,000 medical doctors were currently practising in Nigeria out of the about 80,000 registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria from 1960 to date.
The NMA also revealed that the country currently has a doctor-to-patient ratio of one doctor to 4000-5000 patients instead of the one doctor to 600 patient ratios recommended by the World Health Organisation.

It was gathered that the spate of brain drain in the health sector which has led to a shortage of manpower with attendant burnout, payment of hazard allowance, and outstanding Medical Residency Training Fund, was part of the reasons the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors issued a two-week ultimatum to the federal government to address or it would embark on industrial action.
Findings also revealed that many doctors in the country continue to troop to recruitment interviews or centres by foreign governments to leave the country for greener pastures.

A large number of those seeking to leave the country are consultants with different specialities in the field of medicine, thereby causing manpower shortages in the health facilities.
The minister of health had said, “At the moment we have heard complaints of doctors who are now leaving the system but there are actually enough doctors in the system in the country because we are producing up to 2,000 or 3,000 doctors every year in the country, and the number leaving is less than 1,000. It is just that the employment process needs to be smoothened.”

He said the ministry was working with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation to have a one-for-one policy of employment.
“So if one doctor resigns today and goes abroad, we will employ one doctor. If it is one nurse, we replace it with one nurse. So, if we adopt a one-for-one replacement we are not likely to have a shortage.
The President of NMA, Dr Uche Ojinmah, however, said there are only 20, 000 to 30,000 medical doctors currently practising in Nigeria out of the about 80,000 registered with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria since 1960 to date.

He said that Nigeria has a doctor-to-patient ratio of one doctor to 4000-5000 patients instead of the one doctor to 600 patient ratios recommended by the World Health Organisation.

He said out of the about 80,000 on the MDCN register since inception some have died, retired, joined politics, emigrated, are no longer practising, or had joined other careers.
He said if there were enough doctors in the country, primary health care centres in the country would not have been empty of doctors.

Nigerian film producer and CEO of EbonyLife Group, Mo Abudu, is about to see one of her cherished dreams come true. She is billed this month to debut as director. Since her first full-length feature, Fifty, in 2015, she has guided the storytelling process as an executive producer and visionary, as she always sought experienced directors to work on each project. Abudu attended London Film School in 2017 and completed a course in directing, with the aim of improving her filmmaking skills. In a statement, she said; “I believe in learning and understanding any major assignment I undertake.

Directing is an art form that takes years to master, so I’m beginning with baby steps. I have written two short films that I will be directing – Her Perfect Life and Iyawo Mi (My Wife); predominantly Yoruba language films. “Although these stories are fictional, they highlight mental health challenges hardly spoken about in Nigerian society that many people deal with all over the world. Mental health issues can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, income or social class, and they are on the increase.” As CEO of EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu oversaw the production of more than 1,000 hours of content annually.

As an executive producer, she has created some of the biggest blockbusters in Nigerian cinema, including The Wedding Party, Chief Daddy, Your Excellency and The Royal Hibiscus Hotel. As part of a major deal with Netflix, her successes include Castle & Castle, Oloture and Blood Sisters. Her Perfect Life stars Pearl Thusi and Joseph Benjamin, supported by Omawunmi Dada, Uzo Osimpka, Christian Paul and Mary Lazarus. The cast of Iyawo Mi (My Wife) includes Adedimeji Lateef, Bolaji Ogunmola, Segun Arinze and Jude Chukwuka.

Nigerian-born multifaceted artist-dramatist, poet, essayist, musician, philosopher, teacher, human rights activist, and scholar who ranks among contemporary Africa’s greatest writers, Professor  Wole Soyinka has joined NYU Abu Dhabi as Arts Professor of Theater.

Soyinka becomes the first ever Nobel prize winner to be part of the NYUAD faculty as an integral part of NYUAD’s Academic Strategy, and its mission as an educational institution.
The NYUAD Theater Program is a full-time faculty member, thereby offering the community direct access to one of the world’s greatest thinkers.

Soyinka’s appointment as Professor of Theater is an integral part of NYUAD’s Academic Strategy, and its mission as an educational institution in and of Abu Dhabi. 
He will play a key role in building the University’s deep strength within the arts and its growth as a preeminent research and teaching university and world-class leader in global higher education.
“It is a great honour to have Wole Soyinka, a world-renowned artist, academic, and activist, a true citizen of the world and a Nobel laureate join our NYUAD community,” said NYUAD Vice Chancellor Mariët Westermann. 

“Our location in Abu Dhabi, a transnational crossroads for the exchange of cultural and artistic traditions, positions NYUAD uniquely to catalyze new creativity and discourse. We are excited to provide a home in the UAE for the beauty and power of Soyinka’s contributions to our understanding of our histories and our humanity.”
NYUAD Provost Arlie Petters said: “Soyinka has built an impressive legacy in his home country of Nigeria as well as Africa and the entire world. The students he has taught and mentored, and the legion of teachers, who have translated, developed and extended his ideas, remain the most tangible and long-lasting legacy. Our community is privileged to be part of that journey and his ongoing work that will impact generations to come.”

Soyinka has published 90 pieces of intellectual work that often reflect on culture and tradition, creativity and power, activism, and the artistic process. He has held university professorships and lectured at many higher education institutions, including Harvard, Emory, Loyola Marymount, and Yale in the United States. He is also an active member of international, artistic, and human rights organizations.
Soyinka first became a part of the NYUAD community as a Writer-in-Residence in 2019. His visit then was through a joint invitation from the African Studies, Film and New Media, History, Literature and Creative Writing, and Theater programs, hosted by the NYUAD Institute and supported by other offices across the University.

The NYUAD Theater Program is an academic and artistic laboratory dedicated to theatre research, scholarship, and practice. 
For NYUAD’s theatre majors, the making, thinking, creating and articulating of culture are inseparable, and the overall aim is to develop artist-citizens whose theatrical contributions will expand the limits of the field and make a difference in the world. 
NYUAD Theater Program graduates collaborate with other artists, scientists, and scholars across disciplines and invent new and hybrid cultural practices that will define and influence theatre in the UAE and beyond.

Late Muhammad Morsi, ex-president of Egypt was one of the most read African leaders and the country’s first democratically elected president.
He died in 2019  after collapsing during a session in court and was buried in Medinat Nasr, in eastern Cairo, with his family present,” according to Abdel Moneim Abdel Maksoud, one of his lawyers.
Late Morsi was an engineer, a doctor (PhD), a Hafiz of the Quran, and a university professor and a department head.

Late Morsi was responsible for the Islamic movement. He was the chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (a political organization created by the Muslim Brotherhood).
His last wish: ” I asked them for a copy of the Qur’an inside the prison, but they did not give it to me. They do not know that I memorized the Qur’an 40 years ago. I just wanted to touch the Qur’an for once.”
Morsi was on trial for espionage and had just addressed the court when he blacked out, reports said. 
He was taken to a Cairo hospital but could not be revived. Local media reports suggest that Morsi died from a heart attack.

The UN human rights office called for a “prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation” into the death of Morsi, who had been in prolonged solitary confinement.

When Dejan Stojanovic said, “Knighthood lies above eternity; it doesn’t live off fame, but rather deeds. He was apt in identifying the embodiment of this title for any individual bequeathed with such honour in recognition of their tireless efforts to mankind.

For the first time in the history of Blessed Micheal Tansi Catholic Church 7^th Battalion located at Goderich, Freetown Sierra Leone Sir Christopher Ahonkhai attained one of the highest offices in the Catholic mission as the first Knight in the Blessed Micheal Tansi Catholic Church.

As he was presented before the congregation comprised of friends well-wishers and family members who gathered to relieve the joy of the day with him, by the officiating Clergies Rev, Father Leonard Bangura and Rev. Father Peter Conteh who both preached the need to be each other, brother’s keeper. He also used the opportunity to highlight the virtues of “Knighthood” in Christendom.

He also elaborated on the close knitted relationship the church shares with Nigerians from its inception and enjoined members to always seek the interest of one another. He further described Sir Christopher Ahonkhai as one member who had always presented himself for service and development of the church.

In response, Sir Christopher Ahonkhai, expressed his gratitude to the congregation and thanked them for accepting him as part of their family, and promised to uphold the values of his Knighthood in the service of humanity.

Thereafter, light refreshment was served to entertain guests, friends, and members of the congregation to mark the day in honour of Sir Christopher Ahonkhai.  

The United States Department of State has honoured slain Sokoto student, Deborah Samuel.
Deborah, a 200 Level student of Home Economics at Shehu Shagari College of Education, Sokoto, was murdered by Islamic extremists and set ablaze after she advised her classmates against posting religious materials on their WhatsApp page.

In marking the US International Day Commemorating the Victims of Violence Based on Religion or Belief, on August 22, Deborah’s picture was uploaded on the website of the US Office of Religious Freedom.
The office promotes universal respect for freedom of religion or belief for all as a core objective of U.S. foreign policy.

It also monitors religiously motivated abuses, harassment, and discrimination worldwide, and recommends, develops, and implements policies and programs to address such concerns.
Honouring Deborah, the office wrote, “In May, a mob brutally stoned, flogged, and burned to death college student Deborah Samuel in Nigeria, in an attack fueled by hatred and blasphemy allegations, even as authorities attempted to stop it. We honour her life as we continue the work to end such vicious violence.”

The Ogun state command of Nigeria has arrested a 49-year-old man, Amoda Bola for allegedly impregnating his 14 years old biological daughter (name withheld).

The suspect, according to a statement by the command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Oyeyemi, SP said Amoda Bola,  a resident of Idi Oro street, Ode Remo was arrested following a complaint received from the victim, who reported at Ode Remo divisional headquarters that her father with whom she has been living with for some years now have been having carnal knowledge of her.

She stated further that her father has also been inviting men to the house to have sex with her after which the men will pay him money.

Upon the report, the DPO Ode Remo division, CSP Olayemi Fasogbon detailed his detectives to the scene where the suspect was promptly arrested. 

On interrogation, the suspect, who first denied the allegations later confessed when the victim confronted him. His confession led to the arrest of five others who have slept with the victim at different times at the invitation of the father.

The other suspects are; Ahmed Ogunkoya 30yrs, Muyiwa Adeoye 48yrs, David Sunday Solaja 69yrs, Emmanuel Olusanya 50yrs and Joshua Olaniran 50yrs.
All the suspects have confessed to having carnal knowledge of the 14 years old girl and paid money to the father.

The victim, whose mother had separated from the father years back and had been living with with the father was practically turned into a prostitute by her father.
She has been taken to state hospital Isara Remo where it was confirmed that she is pregnant.

The victim has insisted that it was her father who is responsible for the pregnancy and was the only person who slept with her during the period she got pregnant.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole has ordered the immediate transfer of the suspects to the anti-human trafficking and child labour unit of the state Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation and possible prosecution.

Eighty-five students of the 2022 class stepped out of the Total Education Development Academy, (TEDA) Eke-Owerri in Obingwa, Abia State, on Sunday, 14 August 2022, charged with counsel and wisdom nuggets from a rector, a vice-chancellor, and two other educationists.

Counsel for the Emeralds class of the TEDA School came from Prof Chimezie A. Omeonu, Vice Chancellor of Clifford University, Owerrinta, and Prof Lawrence Chigbu, Rector of the Abia State College of Health Sciences and Management Technology, Aba.

They also heard from Shepherdess Helen Ihuoma Agharanya on “Building emotional competencies and resilience as adolescents” and received a charge to “sail on” from Dr. Flora Chinwe Anyim.

In his Keynote Speech, Clifford University vice chancellor Omeonu asked the graduands to work collaboratively with others in life’s journey and build a network for all seasons. He commended to them the counsel of Proverbs 6 against indolence and praised their dedication and hard work.

Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.
How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler.

Omeonu said the youngsters would face many challenges and temptations but should remain focused on developing the mindset to acquire the necessary skillsets for success in today’s world.

Chigbu, chairman of the occasion, urged the students to build on the solid foundation of learning at TEDA School. He described TEDA as “the fastest growing secondary school east of the Niger and one of the best-equipped in infrastructure, materials and human resources to deliver on secondary education.”

Omeonu and Chigbu elicited laughter as they canvassed their institutions suitable for the graduands. The VC of Clifford University used the occasion to announce that beginning in October 2022, Clifford would add six more courses. Medical Laboratory Science, Public Health, Environmental Health Science, Law and Social Justice, Guidance and Counselling, Library and Information Science Management, Personnel Management, and Computer Science Education.

TEDA School Founder Dr. Godson Dinneya commended the outgoing students for their diligence and good results. He said the school’s faculty was exceptional and dedicated to the success of their students. The West African Examinations Council named TEDA School the best in Nigeria in 2020 based on its students’ performance in its examinations.

The Emeralds of TEDA School are the third graduating class. TEDA commenced in 2013 with only six students and 23 staff members but now boasts 750 students and 117 staff.

TEDA School recently introduced more courses and workshops to add practicality to its curriculum. They include an Information and Communication Technology workshop to add to its six workshops for technical subjects. It now offers Phone and Computer Maintenance (PCM) classes “designed to empower the students in ICT-based entrepreneurship and self-reliance after secondary school.”

Five well-equipped workshops offer practical experience in automotive technology, woodwork, metalwork, electrical and electronics, and more.

TEDA also offers Early Science Education for its junior school students. It offers JSS1-3 students “the opportunity to discover their true potential early” by exposing them to Basic Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Economics, and Further Mathematics.

The Total Education Development Academy (TEDA) emerged Best School in Junior Science in the International Olympiad Competition in 2019/2020. Its students placed first, third, fourth, fifth and seventh out of the best ten.

TEDA also won overall first and third position in junior sciences and Best Girl in Junior Sciences (Queen of the Junior Sciences).

The Abia State Ministry of Education named TEDA the best government-approved Junior Secondary School for 2020/2021 and the second position among Government-approved Senior Secondary Schools in the state.

 Significantly, TEDA was the best overall school in the Senior School Certificate Examination by WAEC in 2020 for producing the best aggregate result.