Education, news
Omoshalewa Adenike Babalola a student who just graduated from the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), has made history as the first student to graduate with the maximum Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.0.
Omoshalewa, a Science Laboratory graduate, emerged valedictorian and was showered with gifts at the ceremony with a number of dignitaries in attendance including Deputy Governor of Lagos state Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule representing Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Ayangburen of Ikorodu Oba Kabiru Shotobi, Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi and former Group Managing Director of Chams Plc Ademola Aladekomo, among others.
The governor urged the graduands to be innovative and practise the entrepreneurial skills acquired from the school. He said: �There is no gainsaying the fact that we are in a challenging time, especially the current unemployment rate. It is time to bring out your innovative and entrepreneurial skills. You must look and explore other options to engage yourselves.�
The Rector, Dr. Samuel Sogunro who led the procession of graduands and the principal officers at the ceremony, said Omoshalewa is the first student to graduate with the maximum CGPA and the school would offer her a job after her National Youth Service.
Omoshalewa, who attributed her success to group reading and hard work, spoke on behalf of other graduates and hailed the polytechnic staff for their guidance. She described her feat as unbelievable, saying: �I never had it so easy.�
The ceremony held at 10am in the schools auditorium with a graduating set of 8,519 students. 263 of the graduating students were awarded a distinction.
Government, news
The Federal Government has now given reasons why Presi�dent Muhammadu Buhari travels outside the shores of Nigeria frequently.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Af�fairs, Ambassador Bulus Lolo, told newsmen on the side�line of President Buhari�s visit to China that Nigerians owe him a great debt of gratitude for travelling abroad where he deploys goodwill for the benefit of Nigerians.
Lolo maintained that those criticising the president are rather uninformed, saying Nigeria has benefited a lot from the president�s frequent trips.
On Tuesday, the Governor of the Central Bank of Ni�geria signed an agreement with China, providing us a $5 billion window, which is like we have added to our reserve by about five billion because any goods you buy today, either from China or elsewhere, and you want to pay, you don�t have to draw from our national reserve.
We can use this window that has been provided. That is one advantage the president brings from his frequent travels.
Doors were locked against Nigeria, but, now, they are putting red carpet for him to walk through, and as he walks through, Nigeria businessmen are behind him, opening new opportunities. The second advantage of Mr President�s travels comes from the fact that he is trusted around the world. This is not a commodity you pick from a shelf in a shop. It is personal to him, but, he is expend�ing it for the good of the country.
The third benefit of his travels is his integrity. Where there is trust and there is integrity, people believe you. They are ready to do business with you,� Lolo said.
Lolo added that because the president travels, things that Nigeria was denied are presently thrown open to the country. Talk of three, four years ago in our fight against Boko Haram; with money in our hands, we were looking for equipment to buy, we couldn�t buy. Today, there is not a single country that he has visited where he is not being invited to tell them what he wants to buy, including the very equipment we were denied before. It is ours to ask, and, sometimes, even at subsidised rate.
In a nutshell, the answer is very simple: we owe him a great debt of gratitude for expending his goodwill, his integrity and trust that he enjoys��
Entertainment
A new season of popular Friday night comedy programme �The Bigger Friday Show� is set to premiere in the coming weeks � with a twist.
Previously hosted by comedian, Basketmouth as �The Big Friday Show�, the show is now revamped and it will be hosted by rapper and widely-admired internet sensation, Falz The Bahd Guy.
�The Bigger Friday Show� is one of the revamped entertainment shows on MTV Base as the channel seeks to make young African audiences the centre of its content and deepen audience participation and interaction.
The past edition of the show featured parody videos, celebrity pranks and entertainment news highlights.
Viewers can also be part of the new season editions and participate in the #BFSChallenge by submitting personalized content on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter using the hashtag #BFSChallenge
The show will premiere on MTV Base Channel 322 on Friday April 29, 2016.
Religion
The fear and panic following increasing terror threats heightened by a doom prophecy by T.B. Joshua, prevented over 600 foreign nationals from attending an international programme being held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), Ghana.
The prophet by T.B. Joshua, founder and leader of Synagogue Church of all Nations, according to organisers, has put fear in the international participants from Europe, America, Asia, and even other African countries, hence, the cancellation of their flights to Ghana.
The daily heritage was reliably informed that the spouses and relatives of some of the participants stopped the foreigners from travelling to Ghana for fear of being attacked by terrorists.
The programme, �Africa-Israel initiative, Ghana� which began on Wednesday, April 13 and will end today had an incredibly low turnout on the opening day though organisers had assurances of participation weeks ago.
The food, drinks and water meant for the invited guests had to be sent to the Osu children�s home to avoid wastage.
On Saturday April 10, Prophet T.B. Joshua during a live church service aired on Emmanuel TV channel warned of possible terrorist attack in Ghana and Nigeria.
I am seeing Thursday, Friday and Saturday � if I may say Thursday � because these evil people they are very funny.
Anything can just happen. You will be very shocked to see what will happen, because when the prayer is going in this direction them (attackers) change to (another) direction.� He predicted.
While stressing that the attack would happen this month, the prophet urged the congregation to pray for Ghana and Nigeria.
Confirming the effects of the prophecy on the programme, the country director of the Africa-Israel initiative, Rev. Perey Gilbert Apreala told the daily heritage that indeed the prophecy was responsible for the low turnout.
He has caused fear and panic among the foreigners so they could not attend the event for fear of any terrorist attack,� Rev. Apreala stated.
The three day conference seeks to strengthen Ghana-Israel relationship, as well as promote Israeli technology and how to tap into the new trends to drive businesses in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
At the conference grounds, security was very tight. Individuals were screened at the main gate and before entering the AICC.
Some of the Ghanaian participants the paper spoke to expressed disquiet about the development, but noted that the programme was educative and the knowledge they have acquired would be utilized to transform their various work places.
Entertainment
The on-going war between Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji and pop star, Wizkid has taken a new turn.
For starters, Wizkid and Linda Ikeji aren�t best of friends.
Wizkid continues to express his haughtiness for the blogger and never fails to take shots at her at any opportunity.
Ikeji, who�s developed a thick skin, after years of multiple celeb spats, hasn�t let the singer�s attitude debar her from covering his misdemeanours.
She joined other blogs to report on his alleged second baby mama. But their beef got worse early April when Linda Ikeji�s blog alleged that Wizkid had been served a quit notice from his Lekki residence in Lagos.
Wizkid who was at Congo at the time took to social media to lash out at the blogger. He was loud-mouthed in his rant, even threatening to arrange to have the blogger beaten.
If I ever see you, I�ll get my 16 year old cousin to beat the poo out of you� he said.
Many pundits told THENETng at the time that there are legal implications should the blogger report to the police.
We can now confirm that Ikeji has reported the threat to the Lagos State commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni.
A source with details told Nigerian Entertainment Today a summon has been issued to Wizkid, with an invitation letter sent to the Surulere office of his manager, Sunday Are.
He was instructed to show up today but he did not�, a source told TheNetNg
His manager, Sunday Are didn�t pick our calls or respond to our messages.
According to a legal source, Section 323 of the criminal code states that:
Any person who, knowing the contents thereof directly or indirectly causes any person to receive any writing threatening to kill any person is guilty of a felony, and is liable to imprisonment for 7 years�.
news
Several people were injured while two houses were burnt at Alor Uno in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State following crises between the Ejuona people and their Ugbene neighbours over which of them were the aborigines or slaves.
Although the crises started several years ago, the latest trouble began when the Ugbene people discovered that their Ejuona neighbours allegedly wrote a constitution secretly and deposited same with the state government without their knowledge.
Under the secret constitution, the people of Ugbene were barred from taking any title including the traditional ruler ship of the area as they were considered as sub-humans who should not associate with real human beings.
Investigations by Vanguard showed that the Ugbene people were also barred from passing through some track roads in the community as such places were reserved for the true sons and daughters of the land.
A young Ugbene man who passed through the road on Monday was reportedly chased by youths from Ejuona who inflicted serious machete injuries on him. The man who was simply identified as Sunday was said to be still lying critically ill in hospital due to machete cuts on his head.
Some of those who spoke on condition of anonymity told Vanguard that the Ugbene people decided to challenge the obnoxious practice as their youths also carried out reprisal attacks on the Ejuona people following the attack on Sunday, leading to destruction of houses and vehicles on both sides.
The traditional ruler of Alor Uno, Igwe Ngwu Nweze and other leaders of Ejuona, including Mr. Gilbert Omeje and their counterparts in Ugbene were said to be holding a meeting with the Area Commander, Nsukka Police Command, ACP Sunday Kuryasi, even as policemen had already been deployed to Alor Uno to maintain peace.
Labour, news
Labour, yesterday, described government failure to rescue the over 200 schoolgirls abducted in Chibok, Borno State, in April 14, 2014, as an assault on humanity, saying the girls were not just statistics but wives, daughters, teachers, doctors, lawyers and leaders.
At a briefing in Lagos, Mr. Issa Aremu, General Secretary, National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, NUTGTWN, who was represented by one of his deputies, Mr. Sylvester Chimezie, said:
Whoever kidnaps a girl child kidnaps a future. 219 in captivity for 639 days is an assault on the future of humanity.
Social dialogue and negotiated settlements are tested mechanisms for resolving social conflicts, not senseless violence in which innocent Chibok girls are victims.�
Aremu, who is also the Chairman of IndustriALL Global Union, Sub-Sahara Africa, lauded the #Bringbackourgirls group and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to apply same dedication with which he tackled Boko Haram to rescuing the schoolgirls.
Earlier, second Deputy President of NUTGTWN, Mr. Babatunde Yusuf, who represented the President, Mr. John Adaji, said:
Each time we look at our daughters; we must remember the fate of the Chibok girls and put their rescue on the front-burner always.�
