FRESH FM TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

The hottest and most trending news articles for this week in all categories are captured in one shot. Find articles ranging from News to Sports, to Politics, to Entertainment, to Economy, to Metro plus, and many other categories. See below the top news for the week:

 

 

NEWS

• FG plans supplementary budget over rising inflation, depreciation

The Federal Government may present a supplementary budget to the National Assembly due to a further depreciation of the naira and galloping inflation that have made the 2023 budget nearly unrealistic. The 2023 budget benchmarks the foreign exchange at N435/dollar and inflation at 17.10 per cent but the severe scarcity of dollars means that the local currency may head for N500/$ in the NAFEX market and up to N1000/$ in the parallel market in 2023.

Dollar closed N895 on both Lagos and Abuja parallel markets, spiking fears that the doomsday prediction of N1000/$ by December may come to fruition. Similarly, floods and global crisis due to Russia-Ukraine war could further worsen inflation and poverty in the country, making the projections untenable.

Meanwhile, the National Assembly is billed to go ahead with consideration and passage of the budget as proposed in the Appropriation Bill laid before it by President Muhammadu Buhari despite the major difference in the exchange rates. The federal legislature may advise the executive to forward a supplementary budget to reflect the recent sharp fall in the value of naira against United States dollar, it was reliably learnt on Thursday.

At the House of Representatives, top officials who are working on the money bill told our correspondent that the lawmakers might not tinker with the parameters of the budget, which, according to them, were based on the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper passed by the parliament.

• NDLEA intercepts N420bn drugs, Marwa seeks personnel’s protection

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has said between January and September 2022, it arrested a total of 19,341 suspects involved in illicit substances, of which 28 are drug barons. The NDLEA also intercepted and seized drugs weighing 5,451,000 kilogrammes, while the narcotics and cash recovered are worth over N420bn within the period.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd.), made this known to the House of Representatives Committee on Drugs and Narcotics in Abuja on Thursday while defending the agency’s proposed budget in the 2023 Appropriations Bill.

Marwa also noted that the NDLEA had recorded 3,111 convictions within the nine months, with over 3,232 cases still in court, while the agency had counseled and rehabilitated 12,326 addicts. The retired general put the total size of cannabis farms so far destroyed at 714 hectares.

Marwa, however, lamented that drug barons and their sympathisers were going after officers of the agency, with some of them killed and injured. He, therefore, urged the committee to allocate more funds to the barracks project proposed by the agency.
He partly said, “We urge this committee to kindly look into other challenging areas of our administration and operations, like training, publicity, rents, uniforms, vehicles, welfare and consider increasing the allocation.

• NEMA seeks special budgetary allocation for flood victims

The National Emergency Management Agency has called for a special budgetary allocation for the recently-designed National Flood Response Plan to relieve the victims of flood disasters across the country in the future. The Director-General of the Agency, Mustapha Habib, in Maiduguri, on Thursday, described such budgetary allocation as the required political will and investment in disaster risk reduction activities.

Represented by a Deputy Director at the Agency, Mohammed Kanar, the DG was in Maiduguri to present donations by NEMA to victims of the 2022 flood disaster in Borno State. The donation was packaged with support from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development.

Handing over the relief materials donated to Governor Babagana Zulum at the Zonal office of the Agency in Maiduguri, Habib noted with grief: “Several states in the country, including Borno, have suffered series of floods, including other natural and human induced disasters.” The donation was packaged with support from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development.

Handing over the relief materials donated to Governor Babagana Zulum at the Zonal office of the Agency in Maiduguri, Habib noted with grief: “Several states in the country, including Borno, have suffered series of floods, including other natural and human induced disasters.”

He explained, “Already the agency is inundated with reports of flood disaster in more than 450 local government areas from 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT and still counting, causing colossal loss of lives, livelihood, properties and infrastructure.

• Flood: FG to partner World Bank on post disaster rapid impact assessment

Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, says the Federal Government will partner the World Bank to conduct a post disaster rapid impact assessment. Farouq, who stated this at a Ministerial briefing, said that the assessment would use the Global Rapid post-disaster Damage Estimation (GRADE).

This is contained in a statement signed by Farouq’s Special Assistant on Media, Mrs Nneka Anibeze, on Thursday in Abuja. “This exercise is intended to give an immediate understanding and estimation of the extent of damage and loss caused by the flood. This rapid estimation is needed, because the physical Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) will take between 6 to 8 months. The minister also called on all stakeholders and partners to work towards early recovery and stabilisation of affected communities.

She explained that the ministry had to also seek for durable solutions towards the return and resettlement of affected communities, continue to provide lifesaving emergency assistance, prevent the spread of diseases and ensure food security. She highlighted the importance of coordination and partnership in national emergencies, adding that it was the core objective and scope of the National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan.

• Flooding: FG Relying On Bogus Data That Contradicts Reality – Bayelsa Govt

The Bayelsa State Government has faulted the Federal Government’s claim that the state is not one of the top ten states affected by the recent flooding recorded in many parts of the country. Humanitarian affairs and disaster management minister, Sadiya Farouk, on Thursday said Jigawa was the most affected state and that Bayelsa was not in the top ten.

She made the remark in reaction to claims by elder statesman and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, who implored the Federal Government to act to save flood victims in the Niger Delta and not abandon them. The minister said the criteria used to arrive at the conclusion were based on the following indices: the number of deaths recorded and displaced persons per state, number of injuries, partially damaged, houses totally damaged, and farmlands partially and totally damaged.

But in a statement on Friday, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ayiba Duba accused Ms. Farouk of relying on bogus data. Accusing the Minister of neglect, Duba said she is becoming a party to the disaster she was appointed to manage. The statement read, “The attention of the Bayelsa State Government has been drawn to the spurious claim by the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq that Bayelsa State is not one of the ten most impacted states by the 2022 flood.

“The Minister’s claim is disheartening but not surprising. The slow response to the humanitarian crisis arising from the flood despite the President’s directive for her to come to the aid of the state is indeed a confirmation of our belief that the Federal Ministry and its agencies have abandoned their responsibility and are not interested in managing the disaster. “Indeed, the Minister is already turning into part of the disaster she was appointed to manage.

“She had earlier claimed that only four Local Government Areas of the state were impacted by the unprecedented flood. She was obviously relying on a bogus data in contradiction of the clear reality that every local government in the state is impacted by the flood in varying degrees. The way the minister has treated our state is so unfortunate that our people are beginning to doubt that we are part of Nigeria. She sat comfortably in Abuja to determine the most flooded!!!

“Is it not curious that since the devastation occasioned by the flood occurred a month ago, no representative of the FG has visited our state to assess the situation?
The Federal Government has not shown the minutest of empathy since this monumental devastation hit our state. And we are asking, is Bayelsa State still part of Nigeria? Are we only important when it is time to exploit the resources in our land?

“If the humanitarian minister is sincere, let her tell Nigerians the relief materials brought to the state and who received them. The Minister and Indeed the Federal Government are not fair to our people who have undergone trauma of losing loved ones, homes and livelihood. In fact, the minister’s bogus data with which she came to the conclusion that Bayelsa was not even one of the ten most impacted contradict basic science, common sense, concern and kindness.

“By the reality on ground, over 300 communities were impacted by the flood and almost a million people were displaced from their homes, many of them losing their livelihood, in Bayelsa State. And no other state in the Federation is so impacted. If the Minister is desirous of doing a good job, she should leave her cozy office in Abuja and come to Bayelsa State to ascertain the truth, even as the flood began to recede.”

• Floods displace 19m children in Nigeria, 4 others

The lives of no less than 19 million children have been thrown off course in Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Chad, and South Sudan, as extreme floods rage globally between August and October this year. Save the Children International, SCI, is calling on governments at COP27 to support the creation of a new loss and damage climate finance mechanism to help address the cost of the impacts of the climate crisis on children’s rights, including supporting communities already hit by climate impacts.

In a statement ahead of next week’s COP27 summit to get the climate emergency under control, Save the Children revealed that flooding ending between August and October 2022, affected about 38.7 million people in the top five most impacted countries, including about 19 million children, using World Population Prospects 2022 data to calculate the total number of children per country.

Regretting that children have witnessed the most extensive flooding according to The International Disasters Database, the statement observed that in Nigeria, about 2.5 million total population including about 1.25 million children are affected.

“The five countries most affected by flooding with available Acute Food Insecurity Data all suffer from high levels of food insecurity, meaning they are all in the grips of a hunger crisis that is being accelerated by climate disasters – with at least 10 per cent of the population experiencing crisis levels of hunger or worse: Pakistan (26 per cent), Nigeria (12 per cent), Chad (14 per cent), and South Sudan (54 per cent).

“In Nigeria, where about 19 million people were already experiencing crisis-levels of hunger or worse, extreme flooding has destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, more than 1.25 million children have been affected by the worst floods to hit Nigeria in a decade. At least 250 schools are destroyed and millions of people forced to flee their homes, flooding has taken a serious toll on children’s learning,” the statement noted.

• Reps summon Armed Forces for shunning locally-made ammunition

The House of Representatives Committee on Defence has summoned the Armed Forces, especially the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force for shunning arms and ammunition produced locally by the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria and importing them instead.

The committee issued the summons in Abuja on Thursday at the budget defense session held with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria, where the Director-General, Major General Hassan Tafida, decried that products manufactured by the corporation were not being procured, except by the Nigerian Army. The chairman of the committee, Babajimi Benson, asked Tafida how many products DICON had exported.

The DG noted that the corporation was meant to service the Nigerian Armed Forces, saying, “By design, DICON was limited to only provide products to the Armed Forces and security agencies and not beyond the borders of Nigeria.” When asked about those who patronise DICON, the DG said, “We only have the Nigerian Army as the major customer of DICON’s products, not any other. The others are just doing it because of exigency now.”

He added, “The perception and notion by most of the security agencies is that DICON was only meant for the Army, so they go outside. Even the Army goes outside to augment what they get from DICON because of the state of the machines. The machines installed since 1964 have not been upgraded. So, right now, the production capacity is just about 5 million rounds instead of about 20 million rounds annually.” The committee consequently resolved that the Armed Forces be summoned to explain why they shun DICON.

• EFCC Secures Interim Forfeiture Order, Moves To Claim 40 Ekweremadu Properties

Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court Abuja, has ordered an interim forfeiture of 40 landed properties belonging to a former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who is currently in custody in the United Kingdom. Justice Ekwo made the order following an ex-parte motion by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

In a short ruling on the motion, the Judge ordered the anti-graft agency to publish the interim forfeiture order of the properties in a national daily within seven days from the date the order was given. Justice Ekwo specifically asked anybody interested in the properties covered by the interim forfeiture order to indicate within 14 days of the publication of the interim forfeiture order of the court. He subsequently adjourned till December 5, 2022 for a report, if there is any objection from any member of the public regarding the properties.

The interim forfeiture order covers 10 of Ekweremadu’s properties in Enugu, three in the United States of America (USA), two in the United Kingdom (UK), one in Lagos, nine in Dubai and 15 located in the Federal Capital Territory.

By the ruling, members of the public interested in the properties, covered by the interim forfeiture order should, within 14 days of the newspaper publication, inform the court why the properties should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government. The former Deputy Senate President and his wife are currently standing trial in the United Kingdom over alleged organ harvesting.

 

 

 

 

POLITICS

• Afenifere senior chiefs to settle Fasoranti-Adebanjo row

Leaders of the apex Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, have agreed to resolve the crisis in the organisation following the contentious endorsement of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and his All Progressives Congress counterpart, Bola Tinubu, by the two leaders of the association.

Newsmen gathered on Thursday, a four-man committee comprising a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae; Senator Femi Okurounmu; an ex-Minister of Communications, Chief Cornelius Adebayo and the Afenifere Secretary-General, Bashorun Sehinde Arogbofa would meet with the Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti and the acting leader of the group, Pa Ayo Adebanjo to resolve the rift.

The National Organising Secretary of Afenifere, Kole Omololu confirmed the peace move to newsmen in a telephone interview in Lagos. But while Omololu asserted that a reconciliation meeting would be held at Fasoranti’s residence in Akure, an Afenifere chieftain and former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, said she was not aware of any meeting scheduled for Akure. The schism in the socio-cultural association emerged when Adebanjo, one of the leaders of Afenifere, endorsed the LP presidential candidate, saying it was the turn of the South-East to rule the country.

He said, “It is only Peter Obi that can rule independently without the influence of these criminals in the government. Tinubu will only give continuity to Buhari’s incompetence. We know Peter Obi very well, that’s why we endorsed him. He will not disappoint Nigerians, let’s put tribal differences apart and vote the right leader in.’’ But last Sunday, the APC presidential candidate visited Fasoranti’s home in Akure, the Ondo State capital, where he presented his manifesto to the Afenifere leader and also secured the endorsement of the elder statesman.

• 2023: Apologise, stop grandstanding, Utomi advises APC

All Progressives Congress (APC) should be organising rallies to apologise to Nigerians rather than grandstanding and positioning itself for another electoral contest following “its abysmal and woeful performance,” professor of political economy, Pat Utomi, has advised.

In a statement, he personally signed and made available to The Guardian, yesterday, the Delta State native, while recalling how the ruling party’s manifesto was drafted in his Lagos home, bemoaned the “shared dishonesty of APC stalwarts, who rather than adhere to the document, shamelessly jettisoned it without any form of remorse.”

The leader of Big Tenth, a political consortium pushing for the election of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, explained that due to the “degradation of governance by APC and Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) support for transactional politics, handing over power to either of the two parties would spell disaster for Nigeria.

Utomi explained that the intention of Big Tenth was to rescue Nigeria from the transactional politics of APC and PDP. On Obi’s long-awaited manifesto, Utomi said the Presidential Campaign Council was being painstaking.

His words: “The fact that whenever we put out a document, those people will go and grab it and put one sentence there and we heard that the spokesperson for the PDP already said that the APC went and stole the Hope 93 document and called it their manifesto. They are not only doing that, but they are also adding from whatever we put out.” So we are not in a rush to put out for them to go and take and sell it. That is why Obi made that statement. So, after their own is out, you will formally see ours, not giving them the opportunity to still respond against it.”

 

 

 

 

ECONOMY

• CBN’s naira redesign policy political — Obaseki

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has described the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, policy to redesign the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes as a political agenda. Obaseki stated this while inaugurating the Edo State Peoples Democratic Party Women Campaign Council at the Presidential Campaign secretariat in Benin City, Edo State.

He said: “How can we sit down? They say we should not bring our naira and give it to them again. That they want to change it. Is that our priority? How does change of currency reduce the price of food in the market? They say they want to change Nigerian currency, how much is the dollar today? They should have left our currency for us.

“Now they say that they want to change it. We can’t buy dollars. I am an economist. I can tell you that this policy by the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria has no basis. There is no basis for it. This is purely political. When you decide to change a currency in such a reckless manner, 30 days before an election, all you can deduce is that it is purely political. There is nothing urgent in changing our currency today.”

He noted that such urgency in redesigning the naira should be focused on feeding the nation and managing its foreign exchange rate. “The urgency for us is how to get food for our citizens so that we can remove the starvation of the land. The urgency is how to maintain discipline in our monetary policy so that we can manage our foreign exchange rate because we are so import dependent.”

 

 

 

 

BUSINESS

• Twitter Says Layoffs To Begin Friday

Twitter said it will start laying off employees on Friday, as the new billionaire owner Elon Musk moves quickly after his big takeover to make the messaging platform financially sound. A company-wide email seen by AFP says Twitter employees will receive word via email at the start of business Friday, California time, as to what their fate is. It does not give a number but the Washington Post and New York Times reported that about half of Twitter’s 7,500 employees will be let go.

“In an effort to place Twitter on a healthy path, we will go through the difficult process of reducing our global work force,” the email said. Twitter employees have been bracing for this kind of bad news since Musk completed his mammoth $44 billion acquisition late last week and quickly set about dissolving its board and firing its chief executive and top managers.

A workplace and employee review and other projects ordered by Musk were reportedly so exhaustive and grueling that some engineers slept at Twitter headquarters over the weekend. The email sent Thursday told workers to go home and not report for work on Friday. The email acknowledged that Twitter is going through “an incredibly challenging experience.”

Saddled with the purchase of Twitter, for which Musk has said he overpaid, the tycoon is looking for ways for Twitter to make money – and fast. His most recent idea was to charge $8 a month to anyone on Twitter who would receive a blue “verified” badge assuring the public that the account is authentic. A news report this week said Musk wanted to charge $20 a month but faced a backlash, including from bestselling novelist Stephen King, who tweeted: “$20 a month to keep my blue check?” It was followed by an expletive.

Musk responded on Twitter, seemingly bargaining with King: “we need to pay the bills somehow! Twitter cannot rely entirely on advertisers. How about $8?” Musk has said he wants to increase Twitter’s revenue from $5 billion last year to more than $26 billion in 2028.

Top global companies, including General Mills and Volkswagen, suspended their advertising on Twitter on Thursday as pressure builds on Musk to turn his platform into a successful business. US auto giant General Motors last week was the first major advertiser to suspend advertising following the takeover.

• Elon Musk Laments ‘Massive Drop’ In Twitter’s Revenue

New Twitter owner Elon Musk has cried out over the massive drop in the microblogging site’s revenue which he claimed is caused by activist groups pressuring advertisers.
He said this is happening even though nothing has changed with content moderation on the platform since his takeover.

“Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease the activists. Extremely messed up! They’re trying to destroy free speech in America,” Musk tweeted on Friday.

He became Twitter’s sole director after finalizing his $44 billion purchase of the social media site and dissolving its corporate board earlier in the week. After the purchase, for which Musk has said he overpaid, the billionaire has been looking for ways for Twitter to make money – and fast.

His most recent is the proposal to charge $8 a month to anyone on Twitter who would receive a blue “verified” badge, assuring the public that the account is authentic.
Musk has said he wants to increase Twitter’s revenue from $5 billion last year to more than $26 billion in 2028.

General Mills and Volkswagen are some of the top global companies that suspended their advertising on the platform on Thursday as pressure builds on Musk to turn his platform into a successful business. The first major advertiser to suspend advertising following the takeover was US auto giant General Motors.

Officials and civil rights groups have expressed worry that Musk will open the site to uncontrolled hate speech and misinformation as well as reinstate banned accounts, including that of former US president Donald Trump. Twitter’s major revenue comes from advertisers and Musk has tried to calm the nerves by reassuring that the site would not become a “free-for-all hellscape”.

• Ex-Twitter CEO, Dorsey, launches new social media platform

Founder and former CEO of microblogging website, Twitter, Jack Dorsey, has launched a new social media platform, “Bluesky”. This came barely a week that a United States business tycoon and owner of Tesla vehicles, Elon Musk, acquired the ownership of Twitter for $44 billion on April 14, 2022, and completed it on October 27, 2022.

Dorsey’s Bluesky has garnered over 30,000 users in just two days after the announcement of the new app. Report has it that Bluesky gives creators independence from platforms and developers and the freedom to design, allowing users to choose their experience as it gives users control of their algorithms.

 

 

 

 

EDUCATON

• ASUU summons NEC meeting over half-salary

The Academic Staff Union of Universities is set to summon an emergency meeting of the National Executive Council following the decision of the Federal Government to pay the lecturers half salaries for the month of October, 2022, newsmen reliably gathered. Though no date has been fixed yet, newsmen gathered that the decision to convene a meeting followed the drama which erupted when members of the union received half salaries in their accounts.

A source who spoke to newsmen in Abuja noted that half salaries were paid, “I was shocked when I received an alert from my bank and I noticed that I got half salary; they didn’t even talk about the backlog of the eight months of the strike. Another source said, “It is true, I received half, In fact, some professors received salaries of N121,000; this is the fact, we are waiting for the decision of the national body, our members are very angry right now.”

Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, ASUU National President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, confirmed the development. “Half salaries were paid, no reasons were given whatsoever. We learnt that Ngige wrote the office of the Accountant General and Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system and told them to only pay us for the period when we called off the strike. We heard there was a letter to that effect but we haven’t gotten it yet. We are going to summon a meeting.”

• Salaries: UNIJOS ASUU issues stay-at-home order to members

The Academic Staff Union of Universities, University of Jos chapter on Friday ordered its members to stay at home indefinitely, pending the payment of withheld salaries by the federal government. The ASUU branch made this known in a statement made available to newsmen and signed by the branch chairperson, Professor Lazarus Maigoro.

It had on Thursday been reported, how the government had paid half salaries to the striking university lecturers. The statement partly reads, “One of the issues agreed at the meeting was that 50% of the backlog of eight months arrears of our withheld salaries will be paid to our members immediately but as at the time of writing this press release, only 17 days prorated October salary was paid to our members by the office of the Accountant General of the Federation.

“Having stayed for about nine months running now, our members in the University of Jos considered this an insult to them by the Accountant Gereral of the Federation. Is the Accountant Gencral of the Federation actually answerable to the Minister of Labour? So, if today the Minister of Agriculture directs the Accountant General of the Federation to withhold the salaries of the staff of the Agricultural Research
Institutes who have been on strike for over a year, will he obey that?

“We wonder why Ngige is keen about withholding the salaries of ASUU members because staff of some Agricultural Research Institutes have been on strike for almost a year but they have been receiving their salaries regularly. Is this policy only
for ASUU members? We are also aware that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, wrote a memo to the Accountant General asking him to pay our members only from the day we suspended the strike.

“By this singular act, the Minister of Labour and Employment has casualised the work of the University Lecturers unfortunately. This further creates doubts on our minds as to whether the understanding reached with the leadership of the House of Representatives on some of the issues will be implemented at all
by those who are saddled with the responsibility of doing so in order to avoid further needless strikes.

“From all indications, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has personalised the matter between him and our union and is on a mission for vendetta. It has become crystal clear now that he wasn’t happy that the House of Representatives brokered a truce on some of the issues we went on strike for and has gone behind to undermine it.

 

 

 

 

WORLD

• Seoul Scrambles Jets After Detecting 180 N. Korea Warplanes

South Korea’s military scrambled stealth jets on Friday after detecting the mobilisation of 180 North Korean warplanes, Seoul said as it conducted large-scale joint air drills with the United States which have infuriated Pyongyang.

North Korea has launched a record-breaking blitz of missile launches this week, including a failed intercontinental ballistic missile test on Thursday. Seoul and Washington extended their largest-ever joint air drills through Saturday in response to the North’s flurry of projectiles.

Shortly after South Korea announced the decision to extend the joint drills on Thursday, Pyongyang launched three more short-range ballistic missiles, calling the move “a very dangerous and wrong choice”. Hours later, the North fired 80 artillery rounds that landed in a maritime “buffer zone”, Seoul’s military said.

The barrage was a “clear violation” of the 2018 agreement that established the buffer zone in a bid to reduce tensions between the two sides, Seoul’s Joints Chiefs of Staff said. The artillery fire came after Pyongyang fired about 30 missiles Wednesday and Thursday, including an intercontinental ballistic missile and one that landed near South Korea’s territorial waters for the first time since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin described Pyongyang’s ICBM launch as “illegal and destabilising”, and Seoul and Washington vowed to pursue new measures to demonstrate their “determination and capabilities” against the North’s growing threats. Experts and officials have said Pyongyang is ramping up its tests in protest over the US-South Korean drills. Washington and Seoul have repeatedly warned that Pyongyang’s recent launches could be a precursor to a nuclear test, which would be its seventh.

• Museveni Rules Out National Lockdown As Ebola Cases Rise In Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni on Friday reiterated his refusal to impose a nationwide Covid-like lockdown to contain the spread of Ebola despite a worrying increase in cases. Since the health ministry first declared an Ebola outbreak in the central district of Mubende, the disease has spread across the East African nation, including to the capital Kampala.

But Museveni ruled out any plans for a nationwide lockdown, instead urging citizens to “be more vigilant” and observe measures put in place to control the spread of Ebola. “There will be NO LOCKDOWN. Therefore, people should go ahead and concentrate on their work without any worry,” he said on Twitter.

The death toll from the highly contagious disease currently stands at 49, according to the Ugandan government. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday said the country had registered over 150 confirmed and probable cases, including 64 fatalities.

Ebola is spread through bodily fluids, with common symptoms being fever, vomiting, bleeding and diarrhoea. Outbreaks are difficult to contain, especially in urban environments.

• EU approves preventative treatment for common infant virus

The European Union has approved a preventative treatment for the very common virus that causes the chest infection bronchiolitis in infants, the companies that developed the drug said Friday. The green light from the European Commission comes as several countries have seen surging cases of bronchiolitis put pressure on hospitals.
British-Swedish pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca and France’s Sanofi said their approved drug nirsevimab, marketed as Beyfortus, was the first treatment to prevent severe illness from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in all infants.

RSV infects nearly all children by the age of two, the companies said. It is the most common cause of bronchiolitis, a respiratory infection that is normally mild but in some cases can make infants seriously ill. While not a vaccine, nirsevimab has a similar aim: to give protection against RSV with a single injection. It is a monoclonal antibody treatment, which directly arms the body to fight against the disease, rather than a vaccine that triggers the immune system’s own antibodies.

The drug will not be available to help fight this season of bronchiolitis in the Northern Hemisphere, which has spurred the highest rate of hospitalisations for the disease in years in France. “Beyfortus will be available for the next season – 2023 – of bronchiolitis,” Sanofi told AFP. Another preventative treatment, also produced by AstraZeneca, already exists, though it is only advised for children born premature or who are considered at risk. While there is no RSV vaccine currently available, several are in development.

Earlier this week US pharma giant Pfizer announced positive results for its RSV vaccine from a Phase 3 trial, paving the way for future approval. Pfizer’s vaccine was nearly 82 percent effective at preventing serious illness from RSV in the first three months of a baby’s life, the trial found. More than 30 preventative treatments – either vaccines or monoclonal antibodies – are undergoing clinical trials, according to a review published in the journal Lancet Infectious Disease in August.

 

 

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT

• Entertainers condole with Davido, Chioma over son’s death

Nigerian entertainers have sent condolences to singer, Davido and his lover, Chioma Rowland, over the death of their three-year-old son, Ifeanyi. Ifeanyi reportedly drowned at their home in Banana Island, Lagos State. Following the sad news, entertainers have taken to their social media pages to mourn the child and pray for his parents. Singer Paul Play Dairo said, “I’m really lost for words. This is really painful. Take heart, David.”

Actor Williams Uchemba wrote on Instagram, “I said I won’t believe anything on social media until I personally confirm myself. I prayed for it to be a lie. I am upset, pained and confused. Nobody deserves to feel this pain. “Please say a prayer for David, Chioma and the entire family. Nobody deserves this kind of pain. Rest up little one.”

Muyiwa Ademola wrote, “It is one of the saddest thing when kids are being buried by parents. We really wish it never happened! May The Almighty gives the parents and the entire Adeleke family the strength to bear this loss.

Actress Iyabo Ojo, mourning, said, “I don’t even know how to react to this rude shock. I was hoping it wasn’t true. My God!!! This is so shocking, sad, devastating and extremely painful. Olorun!!! Ikun le abiamo.”

• Wizkid reportedly postpones ‘More Love, Less Ego’ amidst recent tragic event

Nigerian megastar artist Wizkid is reported to have postponed the release of his upcoming album ‘More Love, Less Ego’. Wizkid’s fifth album ‘More Love, Less Ego’ was set to be released at Midnight Thursday, 3rd November 2022. The album has seen the release of two singles ‘Bad To Me’ and ‘Money & Love’, which was released a week before the proposed album release. However, amidst the bleak clouded hovering around the entertainment space, Wizkid is reported to have postponed the album release.

The postponement is in honor of the recent painful loss of the son of Davido’s son Ifeanyi whose sad passing has generated wide condolences from Nigerians, fans, colleagues, politicians, and individuals around the world. It’s uncertain the new date for Wizkid’s ‘More Love, Less Ego’.

Wizkid reacted to the sad news by deleting some of the album promotional tweets he posted hours before the news and he was also reported to have canceled some performances in the wake of the toddler’s passing.

3-year-old Ifeanyi recently celebrated his third news and the fans celebrated the lively son of one of Africa’s most loved artists. Ifeanyi was reported to have drowned in a pool after he was left unattended to by his caregivers. The police confirmed that 8 domestic staff were brought in for questioning in response to his passing. In the latest development, it was reported that 6 of those brought in questioning have been released while two were kept back for questioning.

• Mavin Records postpone release of next single in response to recent events

Mavin Records were set to release the first single ‘Won Da Mo’ off their upcoming compilation album on Friday, 4th November 2022. However, they have announced a change in plans following the passing of Davido and Chioma’s son Ifeanyi Adeleke.

According to the post, the release has been postponed to 9th November, 2022. “Mavin All Stars’ Won Da Mo release date has now been moved to Wednesday 9th, November. The road still leads to the dynasty!!!” the post reads. This sees Mavin Records join the list of artists who have postponed their upcoming releases in the wake of the painful passing of 3-year-old Ifeanyi Adeleke who was reported to have drowned in a pool at the family house in Banana Island.

Earlier on 3rd November, Wizkid also revealed the postponement of his upcoming album ‘More Love, Less Ego’ amidst recent tragic events. Condolences have continued to pour in from Fans, colleagues, Nigerians, and personalities around the world over the painful loss of the toddler whose passing has cast a dark cloud over the Nigerian music industry.

• Ruger postpones release of next single following tragic events

Nigerian Dancehall maestro Ruger has revealed that he will be pushing back the release date of his next single in response to the loss of Davido and Chioma’s son.
Ruger was scheduled to release his next single ‘Red Flag’ on Friday, 4th November 2022 but he has revealed there will be a change in plans.

According to a post on his Instagram story, he has decided to push back the release over what he described as an unsuitable time for the release. “RED FLAGS was scheduled to be out tomorrow but I have decided to push the release date further coz this is not actually the best time for its release. I’ll announce a new date next week when the whole team has decided. I love you guys so much and I appreciate you all for looking out for me,” he said in the post.

• Burna Boy, Tems, Fireboy, Rema, and CKay feature in ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ soundtrack

The soundtrack of the soon to be released second installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbuster ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is set delight listeners as it features some of the finest artists around the world. Nigerian sensations Burna Boy, Tems, CKay, Rema, and Fireboy all appearing on the album. Nigerian producers also worked on some tracks on the project including P.Priime who worked on three tracks.

Rihanna’s lead single “Lift Me Up” makes history this week as it becomes the most-added song in U.S. radio history, amassing the most ever single day spins and the largest ever single day audience.

The Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By soundtrack features over 40 international artists recorded in Lagos, Nigeria, Mexico City, London and Los Angeles. Featured artists include Rihanna, Tems, Fireboy DML, OG DAYV Ft. Future, CKay Ft. PinkPantheress, E-40 and many more.

For their fourth cinematic collaboration, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’., Coogler and Göransson set out to create an innovative soundscape where Göransson says, “The songs and score are one.” The two artists have talked about this approach since their days attending USC Film School, and finally made it a reality with ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’.

Given the story is inspired by both Nigerian and Mesoamerican cultures, recording sessions were set up in both Lagos, Nigeria, and Mexico City, Mexico, as well as Abbey Road Studios in London. Producers worked with popular artists from Lagos including Tems, which has become a hotbed of musical innovation. In addition, emerging rappers and artists from Mexico City are featured on the soundtrack including rapper Pat Boy, who raps entirely in Mayan.

While in Mexico City, Göransson worked closely with music archeologist Alejandro Rojas to explore and research Mayan music. Instruments native to both Nigerian and Mesoamerican cultures were featured in the creation of the soundscape.

• Chadwick Boseman’s wife opens up about keeping the actor’s health private in new interview

The Black Panther star died on August 2020 after a four-year battle with colon cancer. Simone Ledward Boseman, the late Black Panther actor’s wife, has finally shared the reason for keeping Chadwick’s four-year battle with colon cancer under the radar. She revealed this in a conversation with Whoopi Goldberg for Good Morning America, which was her first official interview since her husband’s passing in August 2020.

“It was COVID, when things were really starting to spiral. And that meant that everybody was in their house, and there was no pressure for anybody to go outside. It seemed like, ‘Is this a crazy coincidence that we get to actually be inside, that we get to be here with family — together? And everybody in the world is also experiencing this togetherness in the midst of this awful, scary, unpredictable time?’ We kept that circle real — our circle was basically a dot.”

Simone revealed how she has been keeping her husband’s legacy alive since his tragic passing and revealed that the past few years have been really challenging for her. “It has been the most challenging two years I’ve ever had in my life. Some days I’m doing worse than I’m really willing to acknowledge and other days I’m doing better than I feel comfortable admitting. The grief really, it moves in”, she admitted.

Simone further detailed that she considers herself extremely lucky to have been Chadwick’s partner and that they shared each other’s love, even though it was for a short period of time. “I can’t believe that I was so lucky, I can’t believe that I got to love this person. And I also got them to love me too.” ” Simone said teary-eyed. Since Chadwick passed away, Simone has accepted several posthumous awards on his behalf. They include a Golden Globe for his work as Leeve Green in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, an Emmy award for his voice in What if?, and a Critic’s Choice award for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

 

 

 

 

SPORTS

• Barcelona’s Pique Retires From Football

Barcelona’s Gerard Pique announced his retirement on Thursday after a decorated career. “Saturday’s match (against Almeria) will be my last at the Camp Nou,” the 35-year-old posted on Twitter. The veteran defender bows out with three Champions League titles for his childhood club and the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 with Spain.

“I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided the moment has come to end this journey,” he said in a video clip of the star watching images of himself as a small boy wearing the Barcelona shirt, or chasing after autographs. There’s no other team after Barca,” he added. I’m going to become a super fan, I’ll be supporting the team and pass on my love for Barca to my son.” And sooner or later, I’ll be back,” he concluded.

Arriving at the Camp Nou aged 10 Pique left his home city for Manchester United’s academy in 2004, winning a first Champions League trophy under then manager Alex Ferguson in 2008. He then returned to Catalonia, helping Barca to eight La Liga crowns, seven Copas del Rey, and three Champions League titles in 2009, 2011, and 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

METRO PLUS

• Nigerian-born woman, Azubuike, becomes US Army General

The United States Army has promoted a woman of Nigerian descent, Amanda Azubuike, from Lieutenant Colonel to Brigadier General at a military base in Fort Knox, Kentucky, USA. Born in London, United Kingdom, to Nigerian parents, Azubuike joined the US Army in 1994 and became an aviator after passing the Army Aviation Officer Basic Course. Commenting on her leadership qualities, US Army Futures Command Commander, General James Rainey, stated that Azubuike “makes everyone around her better.”

After her aviation career, which spanned 11 years, she continued her career in the Army as a public affairs and relations officer. Azubuike currently serves as a Deputy Commanding Officer at the US Army Cadet Command and previously served as a Chief of Staff/Senior Military Advisor at the Office of the Secretary of Defense. She was also Chief of Public Affairs at the United States Southern Command, Fort Lauderdale Area, and the Director of Public Affairs, Joint Force HQs-National Capital Region/Military District of Washington.

• Nigeria’s population is its greatest asset – NPC

The National Population Commission (NPC) says Nigeria’s population remains its greatest asset in national development and must be harnessed to make life worth living for the people.

NPC’s Federal Commissioner for Katsina State, Engr. Bala Banye, made the declaration on Thursday in Katsina at a two-day state level workshop on compendium of localities for the 2023 population and housing census. He said the compendium of localities would be presented to President Muhammad Buhari before the 2023 exercise.

He said the objective of the workshop was to compile all the localities demarcated during the EAD on a local government area basis showing the coverage and location on interactive maps.

He assured Nigerians that the Commission was irrevocably committed to positively rewriting the history of censuses in Nigeria. He said the NPC would deliver accurate, reliable and acceptable census figures that would be purposefully relevant in the drive toward sustainable national development. The commissioner pointed out that preparations for the 2023 exercise were on course and the NPC is confident of discharging the function effectively.

• We’re monitoring three govs over stashed cash – EFCC

Three serving state governors are under monitoring over moves to launder cash through table payment of salaries to workers, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, said on Thursday. Bawa, who did not give the identities of these governors, said two of them were from the North, while the third one was from the southern part of the country.

He said intelligence at the agency’s disposal revealed that the three governors had concluded plans to inject the money into the system through table payment of their state workers’ salaries. “Let me tell you something; the Intel that I have yesterday and I would want you to take this thing very seriously. Already, some state governors have some of this cash stashed in various houses and the rest are now trying to pay salaries in cash in their state,” he told Daily Trust.

When quizzed on whether the commission would summon the said governors, Bawa said they were closely monitoring them. “I don’t know how they want to achieve that but we have to stop them from doing that. Well, we are working, they have not paid the salaries in cash yet but it is a very serious thing,” he said, noting that the act was against section 2 of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act.

The development is coming amid moves by the Central Bank of Nigeria to redesign the naira notes, particularly the N200, N500 and N1000 bank notes. The CBN had on October 26 announced that the country’s currency would be redesigned to address many issues that had negative effects on Nigeria’s economy. The development has since generated mixed reactions among Nigerians

• Fire Guts NYSC Headquarters In Abuja

Fire has gutted a section of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s capital. The incident happened on Friday on the third floor of the six-storey building edifice, with no loss of anyone. It cannot be ascertained if documents were lost to the inferno.

This was contained in a statement on Friday by the Corps’ Director of Press and Public Relations, Eddy Megwa. He said no life was lost in the sudden fire outbreak, adding that the fire was immediately put out by the Federal Capital Territory and Federal Fire Service Departments.

It is gathered that the affected floor is occupied by Planning, Research and Statistics and the General Service Department with the fire affecting only a particular room with electronic gadgets. “Fortunately, enough, no life was lost and all vital documents were promptly evacuated and safeguarded,” the statement read.