The United States President, Joe Biden, has announced that he will be running for re-election as president of the US in 2024.
This is as he said the “battle for the soul of the nation isn’t yet complete” in his new 2024 Launch video Tuesday morning.
Biden made his re-election announcement four years after he announced his bid to run for the US presidency for the first term on April 25, 2019.
Details later…
Smartphone brand TECNO hosted their fans and customers to a festival yesterday at the Ikeja City Mall to celebrate the release of their new TECNO SPARK 10 Series.
The party witness an amazing turnout of fans and celebrities. Present at the event is popular singer Fireboy DML, Reekado Banks, Ice Price, Berri Tiga and a host of others.
The SPARK 10 FESTIVAL is the celebration of art, innovation and technology all brought under one roof.
Below are pictures from the event:
The much-anticipated concert by Davido, ‘Timeless’, was held on Sunday night at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos.
The concert had in attendance artistes such as Spyro, Asake, Inyanya and other music makers. His uncle, Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State was also in attendance.
The show was hosted by Mr Macaron and Kie Kie.
Taking to his social media page, Mr Macaroni said that the show was “a timeless experience to cherish forever.”
He recounted the first time he met Davido in 2020 and how his father assisted him.
He wrote on his Facebook page, “Omo!!! Yesterday was a Movie!!! A Timeless Experience to cherish forever!!!!
“First day I met Davido, sometime in 2020, I told him how his dad, Dr. Deji Adeleke was our First Elder in SDA Magodo then… and how his dad bought me my first ever laptop which I used in school.
I was always calling him from school to send me money and he never said ‘No’, neither did he block my Number 
That Day, Davido said “make we dey go my house.
“So, if you saw me jumping anyhow yesterday, na the joy and happiness cause am 
Beyond Davido’s gracious heart, his music lifts my soul!!!!!!!
“@toroec call me a million times and I will answer!!!!
Queen of the  @kie_kie__ Thank you for always making it easy!!!!!!”
The concert follows the release of the super star’s latest album by the same name.
The album was released the afternoon of March 31, and it instantly amassed over a million streams on music platform, Boomplay six hours after release.
The album release announced the return of Davido to the scene after a long break, following the death of his three-year-old-son, Ifeanyi, who drowned in the family pool in November.
Upon the album release, it topped Nigeria’s Top Albums Chart, the UK’s Top Albums Chart and also on Apple Music.
Within 24 hours of release, the album broke Spotify’s record by clinching the number one spot of the biggest first day streams for albums on Spotify NG, with a whooping 4.91m streams.
The President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Monday, returned to the country after holidaying in Paris, France, for 34 days.
Tinubu who was accompanied by his wife, Remi and son, Seyi, arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport at 4.40 pm to a rousing welcome by All Progressives Congress governors, National Assembly leaders and scores of party loyalists.
The ex-Lagos State governor departed the country on March 21, a few weeks after he was declared the winner of the presidential election.
According to a statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, the trip would enable Tinubu to rest and plan his transition programme ahead of his inauguration on May 29.
Rahman added that the President-elect would also head to Saudi Arabia from Europe to partake in the Lesser Hajj and Ramadan fasting period.
Weeks after his departure, there were speculations that he was admitted to a hospital in France for an undisclosed ailment.
But addressing the mammoth crowd which thronged his Asokoro home, the president-elect debunked the rumour that he was rushed abroad for treatment, saying he was strong after his vacation.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; APC Deputy National Chairman for North, Senator Abubakar Kyari; Deputy National Chairman for South, Emma Enekwu, and National Woman Leader, Dr Betta Edu.
There were also a considerable number of Senators such as Barau Jibril, Adeola Yayi, Opeyemi Bamidele, Dayo Adeyeye, Sabi Abdullahi and Adelere Oriolowo as well as the Director of Media and Publicity in the recently-dissolved Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga.
Other loyalists at the airport included a former APC governorship aspirant in Ondo state, Chief Olusola Oke; former PCC member, Dr Ene Ogbole, and veteran actor, Zack Orji.
Prior to his arrival, Tinubu’s campaign office in the Central Business District was a beehive of activities on Monday morning as hundreds of party faithful rushed to get accredited in preparation for his arrival.
Party loyalists
As the accreditation of supporters and journalists commenced at about noon, stern-looking operatives were seen manning the entry and exit point of the campaign office.
Addressing the tumultuous crowd who followed him home from the airport, Tinubu urged them to ignore the speculations making the rounds in the last month that he was rushed abroad over alleged ill-health.
According to him, he left the country on March 21 for a vacation after a hectic campaign and election season.
He said, “I am happy to be back. I have rested, I’m refreshed and I’m ready for the task ahead. Forget about what the rumour mill may have told you. I’m strong, very strong.”
He also reassured that while in Paris, he never stopped working as he was ‘consulting and planning’ in order to put together a strong team so he could hit the ground running once he assumed office on May 29.
The former governor also teased his supporters and party loyalists, saying, “Allow me some rest, to eat Amala and sleep. Work will commence tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, a close ally of the president-elect and the Secretary of the defunct APC Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, disclosed that the former Lagos governor spent more of his time consulting with stakeholders.
He stated that the majority of the party faithful were excited to see him.
Continuing, the lawmaker representing Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives disclosed that the campaign team lost a number of undisclosed supporters.
He said, “We are excited about his arrival. As you can see, everybody wanted to go to the airport to receive him. Why? Because there was a restriction at the presidential lounge. But those who had access to the place were at least happy to see him looking very refreshed and ready to actualize the ‘Renewed Hope’ campaign slogan.
“For me, I think that the president-elect had time to think over all the issues that we raised during the campaign and all the issues that are germane to Nigerians for the survival of this country.
“We give God the glory that he has come back to meet all of us. In between (when he travelled and returned), we lost some people and we pray that God will accept their souls.
“Remember that Asiwaju said that he has yet to finish consulting with the people. You know that he’s a man of consultation. Before the primaries, he consulted. Before the election, he repeated the same thing and he is still willing to consult. You know, nobody can fault Asiwaju when it comes to consultation.
“He’s not going to start telling you that I am consulting Mr this and that. I’m sure while he was there resting, he was also making consultations on issues and things that are before him that he wants to execute. I think that we should just wait until after May 29 to see how this agenda will roll out.”
In a related development, the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on National Social Investment Programme, Ismaeel Ahmed, has berated critics speculating about the ill-health of the president-elect.
While stating that Buhari was subjected to the same treatment, the APC chieftain maintained that there was no evidence that Tinubu was flown out in an air ambulance or placed on life support.
He said, “How often do you get a president-elect coming back to the country that people do not go to visit or welcome? I think that is the question you should be asking.
‘’How many presidents-elect that travelled abroad and people do not welcome them? I will give you an example. In 2015, we went out and cheerfully welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari before he was sworn in and nobody said anything.
“Now Tinubu said he was hale and hearty. Of course, he is hale and hearty and we always know that he is. I think you heard people who are high up in the campaign, for example, the minister of works and housing (Fashola) spoke on your show and also said that he had spoken to the president-elect who was fine, hale and hearty. Tinubu just needed to take some time off and take stock of what was going on.
“I cannot be responsible for people’s speculation. People just speculate because there are people who are naysayers, always wanting to bring negative stories to certain situations. His health issue has always been something people talked about even in the campaign. So, I cannot be responsible for people who want to speculate on certain things that do not have a basis or fact. He is hale and hearty. You have seen him when he left. He left in a way that he didn’t leave in an ambulance. There is no evidence anywhere that the man was sick. He came back hale and hearty and the party people went to receive him.”
Ahead of the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly, Tinubu and the APC National Working Committee members are expected to meet the lawmakers-elect over the National Assembly leadership.
The planned meeting is against the background of the jostle for the president of the Senate and the post of the Speaker of the House of Representatives by interested aspirants.
New Dawn
On Monday, a pressure group known as ‘New Dawn’ expressed the intention of its members to contest for the leadership of the House.
It said it was profiling all the aspirants for the position of Speaker and other positions and would thereafter consider giving bloc votes to its favourite candidates.
The PUNCH reports that the group is being spearheaded by the newly elected members of the House with membership across political divides.
The ‘New Dawn’ was convened by a House of Representatives member–elect for Esan West, Esan Central and Igueben federal constituency and Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Marcus Onobun.
A notice of the meeting of the group signed by the member-elect for AMAC/Bwari federal constituency, Joshua Obika, indicated that the members held a meeting at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
In a related development, members-elect have said they would allow the APC to decide the zoning of the leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly.
The aspirants for the Speaker positions, who spoke in separate interviews with our correspondent on Monday, stressed the supremacy of the APC in this regard.
The lawmakers, who called for fairness and equity in the distribution of offices and positions, noted their willingness to abide by the decisions of the party on the 10th National Assembly leadership.
So far, the aspirants for the speakership, many of whom have yet to officially declare their ambitions, are now over 10.
The contenders include the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase; Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa; Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi; Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Aliyu Betara; Chairman of the House Committee on Science Research Institutes, Olaide Akinremi; Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu; and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Land Transport, Tajudeen Abbas; Chairman of the House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Abdulraheem Olawuyi; Chairman, House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli; Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Makki Yalleman; and Sani Jaji.
An aspirant from Plateau State, Yusuf Gagdi, dismissed the calls to jettison zoning, recalling how the Peoples Democratic Party zoned offices when it was in power and was the majority in the Senate and the House.
Committee chairman
Gagdi, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, stressed that it is the party that should determine which zones should get what offices, and not its members.
He said, “I am a party man. I want the party to zone (the positions). If the party zones, I will respect the zoning. But it is not within the powers of the aspirants to say whether they like zoning or they don’t want zoning. The party produced the aspirants; it produced the members.
“So, the party is supreme. Confirm from the party whether they want to zone (positions) or not, not from the aspirants.”
The lawmaker, however, noted that an aspirant from another zone could contest against candidates from the zone in which an office was allocated.
“At every point in time, there are aspirants that have rejected zoning. Even if a party zones (a position), those that don’t want to respect zoning should go ahead and disrespect it,” he stressed.
Another aspirant from Abia State, Benjamin Kalu, also backed zoning “as long as it is done without diversity insensitivity but with all national inclusion elements well factored in, to inspire and stimulate national loyalty, cohesion and non-coerced patriotism.”
Kalu, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Publicity, said, “The party gave us a platform to become who we are today or will become after the inauguration of the House. They stood by us during the primaries because they wanted to work with us as a team for nation-building.’’
Football legend, Austin Okocha, says he is confident that clubs will pay around €150m to secure his services in today’s transfer market,
Okocha joined Fenerbahçe from Eintracht Frankfurt in 1996 in a deal believed tobe around £1m after the German outfits were relegated from topflight football.
The Nigerian dazzled during his two years with the Turkish club and an impressive performance at the 1998 FIFA World Cup was enough to convince French giants, Paris Saint Germain, to pay an African transfer record fee of £14m to lure the player to France.
In an interview with hurriyet, Okocha believed he would have cost around €150m going by the current transfer market.
Maybe 1 billion should have been paid for me,” he said.
They paid £106m for their defensive midfielder Chelsea. To a player from Portugal. I would have cost around €150m. My assists, dribbles… World football started to pay a lot of money. Such would be the numbers of players of this quality.”
The 49-year-old also expressed his sadness at leaving Fenerbahçe, where he was loved by the fans.
He added, “It was a really difficult decision. I left very sadly. I was very happy in Fenerbahçe. Moreover, I married my wife in Turkey. My children were about to be born.
“When I went to the World Cup, I had no such thing in mind. After the matches in the World Cup, an offer came from PSG. Aziz Yildirim was the president. He didn’t want to send me. He didn’t even interview the PSG Club. This process has been very difficult. Despite my sadness, when such an offer came, I wanted to make money for Fenerbahçe.”
Davido’s Timeless Concert Will Definitely Go Down As One Of The Best Concerts To Ever Happen In Africa & Here Is Why;
– The concert took place at the second Biggest stage in Africa; Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) with a capacity of holding 50,000 fans.
– Tickets for Davido’s concert ranged between 20,000 naira to millions of Naira and still he was able to sell out the 50,000 capacity venue… No one has done that before!
– The timeless concert gave young artistes the opportunity to advertise & sell their songs. Wizkid’s signée, Terri was one of the beneficiaries of this kind gesture from Davido.
– Davido was packed with energy as he was able to perform for a jaw dropping 2 hours 30 minutes, 36 songs in just 1 night.
– All arguments on if OR not Davido’s TIMELESS album was a no skip album were answered yesterday as fans present could effortlessly sing all songs from the album… This is quite impressive given that the album was released just last month.
-Davido brought out some other Nigerian artistes like; Asake, Adekunle Gold, Ckay, Skibii, Fave, Cavemen, Pheelz, Mayorkun, Skepta, Tion Wayne & more to perform on stage.
– Worthy to note that no casualties were recorded at Davido’s album, no deaths or injuries. Davido & his team did everything possible to make sure all fans present were free from harm.
This man called Davido is indeed a legend!!!
Review by Fuchor
Curvy Nollywood actress, Destiny Etiko, has disclosed that she is still a virgin.
She revealed this in a recent interview with Oak TV.
According to the 33-year-old thespian, she is celibate because of her crippling social anxiety.
She said she hasn’t been in a relationship that got to the level of sexual intimacy.
“I’m still a virgin because of my crippling social anxiety. I still have not been in a relationship that has gone to that level,” Etiko said when asked about her body count.
Her revelation has left many bewildered online with some fans expressing their shock.
Popular business mogul and socialite, Opeyemi Falegan, has publicly declared his intention to marry Nollywood diva, Destiny Etiko.
Falegan, a former partner of actress Nkechi Blessing revealed his intention after Etiko disclosed in a recent interview that she is still a virgin at 33.
Reacting via his Instagram page on Sunday, Falegan said he would marry the curvaceous thespian if only she is truly a virgin.
He claimed Eitko has the “best shape in Nollywood and quite outspoken and well educated,” adding that she is his kind of woman.
He said before people think the actress was lying about her virginity status or “can’t fit into Ekiti First Lady”, they should remember that he “had a purpose before anyone had an opinion.”
Falegan said should the dream wedding come true, it would be officiated by Daddy Freeze.
The Federal Government has commenced the payment of withheld salaries of teachers who benefited from the elongation of service tenure extended by the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to teachers under the employment of the Federal Government,
The PUNCH had earlier in 2020 reported how Buhari during World Teachers’ Day announced some incentives for teachers, including a new salary scale and raising their retirement age from 60 to 65 years.
However, some of the teachers who benefited had their salaries withheld from 2021 to March 2023.
Top officials of the Federal Ministry of Education, Finance, Budget and National Planning on Sunday confirmed that the payment of the withheld salaries has commenced.
I can confirm to you that they have started receiving their salaries. They also received the arrears of the peculiar allowances. All arrears of salaries will be paid in full”.
Confirming the development, one of the benefiting teachers in Ilorin the Kwara State capital said, “It is true.
“We have started receiving. Though we only got the one for April 2023, we have been reassured that the arrears will be cleared.”
Movie Review: JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole): Conflicting interpretation of good, evil
Movie Title: JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole) 1 & 2
Release date: March 2023
Cast: Mercy Aigbe, Adeniyi Johnson, Funso Adeolu, Abiodun Adebanjo, Afeez Eniola, Ibrahim Yekini, Jemilolu Olumbe
Director: Adebayo Tijani
Run-time: 1 hour
It is a well-known fact that the lifestyle of people influences the themes of their stories. So it is unsurprising that Nigerian movies, even those of the indigenous language genres, are replete with stories about insecurity.
From kidnappings to banditry or outright terrorism, Nigeria has been in the spotlight in the past decade for rampant insecurity.
However, what may not be in the public domain is the use of spirituality to fight insecurity. And no, we are not talking about going to church to pray.
Deploying incantations, charms and the workings of traditional religion have been used to fight insecurity. These and more are some of the thematic explorations of the movie JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole).
JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole)
A scene from JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole)
Plot
There was a prison break, and the government had to take high-profile prisoners to secure facilities. Meanwhile, the police convoy conveying Susan Adekanbi, aka JBO (Mercy Aigbe), to a detention facility called Sambisa was intercepted by Silent (Ibrahim Yekini) on Damaturu Road using bombs and an assault rifle.
All but one Police officer dies. As the police launch an investigation
Upon her rescue, JBO embarks on a journey of vengeance. She consorts with a native doctor who conjures up her twin sister to go on raids with them to set her up for arrest.
The daring raids she embarks on with Silent, her sergeant at arms, and his crew leave a lot of dead police officers in their wake.
Things take a turn when Officer Shina (Afeez Eniola) resorts to consulting his father, a spiritualist, to match the robber’s charms with his.
After a diamond heist, JBO sets it up so her twin goes home with the diamonds so the police can find them on her. But her husband stows it away. This puts a strain on JBO’s relationship with Silent.
Finally, they go their separate ways leading to a robbery gone wrong.
JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole)
A scene from JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole)
Review
While JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole) seems to be new turf for the Yoruba Nollywood genre, the move is a daring interpretation of some of the high-profile criminality Nigerians have witnessed.
The late Shina Rambo quickly comes to mind.
Flops
JBO’s case with Silent is one of one good turn deserving another. She once saved him, so during her prison transfer, he saw the need to free her from her captors.
On the other hand, her twin sister, a judge, is responsible for sending her to jail. The movie doesn’t establish this until much later, confusing the storyline.
A little backstory between JBO and her twin sister would have helped. We only got a hint that JBOs twin sister is the judge who sent her to jail. Before then, viewers had to guess.
Also, the film has a streak of a faulty timeline. Their mother ran mad because she trusted the wrong person in business.
The flashback scenes of their jilted mother and her fraudulent lover were anything but in the past. The settings do not establish that it was a flashback. Again, viewers have to decipher for themselves.
Also, except for the YouTube streaming income, there is no point in making a two-part film one hour a piece.
In addition to that is the fact that the movie ends on a cliffhanger. This gives a hint that another one-hour third part is on the offing.
Props
It is a fact that Yoruba movies come with great storytelling. JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole) reinforces this.
Mercy Aigbe playing the dual role of twins further positions her as a method actor.
Very few people have been able to pull this off in the Nigerian movie industry. Ramsey Nouah’s ‘Dangerous Twins’ is a good example.
In Ms Aigbe’s case, playing a classy High Court Judge and switching to a husky-voiced personality with piercings, is no mean feat.
Verdict
Nigerian movies portray the police as either bribe-collecting, trigger-happy low life or the hero that saves the day.
The case is different from JBO.
The movie is a conflicting interpretation of the duality of good and evil.
The villains in the movie resort to charms, or jazz, to succeed in their operations.
To beat them in their game, Officer Shina had to resort to their methods.
Overall, JBO (Jaguda Baba Ole), available on YouTube, is an excellent watch with excellent entertainment value.
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