Osinbajo receives London-Lagos biker, cautions against polio complacency

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says there is need to sustain the campaign against polio, warning that the disease is “very crafty.”

Osinbajo handed down the warning on Thursday at Presidential Villa, while receiving the Nigerian Biker, Kunle Adeyanju, who embarked on a polio-inspired charity ride from London to Lagos.

Adeyanju, who arrived in Lagos on May 29, was accompanied to the Presidential Villa by a retinue of bikers and members of the Rotary Club.

The vice president said he was pleased to receive Adeyanju on behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that a trip of 12,000 kilometres of uncertain terrain and 12 countries was no mean feat.

“ I am really also excited about the fact not only that you have done this for the adventure because I am told you are an adventurer; that you do sky diving, bungee jumping, cycling, all sorts of other adventures but more for a very worthy cause which is the Polio crusade.

“And I must say to you that the whole polio campaign is one that we have taken quite seriously; the Federal Government of Nigeria, especially in the past couple of years, has taken it very seriously indeed which explains why now we have an end.

“But I am sure the District Governor  will let you know; polio is a very crafty disease and I  think you have also pointed that out when you think you have conquered it, if you are not careful, if you are complacent, it will come back, very quickly; which is why we must keep a sustained attack against it.’’

Osinbajo said the National Economic Council (NEC) had also made polio one of the central public health issues.

According to him, NEC has a committee which deals with polio alone while the council also receives reports on polio from relevant agencies.

“The World Health Organisation and several other Organisations, including local organisations, will come and give us a report of the status of the drive against polio in the country and so, it keeps us well-informed.

“So, I think that this is an area where there is a lot of work and I really want to commend again the Rotary International, Rotary Club for all the work that they are doing.

“I think that this is something that we must continue to support as well as other very significant public health issues,’’ he said.

The vice president said that Adeyanju’s voyage resonated the African/Nigerian story of resilience, hard work and intelligence. 

Ovaioza, MMM and three of the world's biggest Ponzi schemes and the lost

Early in April this year, Nigerians woke up to the news that one of the fastest-rising businesswomen, popularly called Ovaioza, operated a bubble which she called Ovaioza Farm Produce Storage Business (OFPSB) and made away with over N4 billion in investors' money.

Ovaioza was said to have hoodwinked her victims with bogus and attractive returns on investment with her farm produce business.

The world's biggest Ponzi Scheme operators Source: UGC

She allegedly bought a house in the US worth over $400,000, exotic cars and did numerous giveaways on social media.

Before Ovaioza was Chinmark Investment Group which was said to have lured victims with mouthwatering real estate deals.

While the likes of Chinmark Investment and Ovaioza Farm Produce are Ponzi schemes of recent times, history is, however replete with people who have pulled off huge investment scams on unsuspecting victims.

What these scammers do is look for loopholes and nudge people in order to pull off a scam and earn millions in a short time.

A Ponzi scheme is a form of fraud that is performed by a dummy organisation, built with the sole purpose of defrauding people by luring them into good schemes to get the money and vanish.

These are the biggest Ponzi schemes of all times

Bernie Madoff was a popular American financier who executed the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding thousands of investors of tens of millions of dollars for 17 years.

Madoff was the chairman of Nasdaq in the 90s. He died in prison, serving a 150-year jail term after defrauding victims of $64.8 billion.

What he did was to deposit funds from new clients with which he paid old ones who wanted to cash out.

Sergei Pateleevich Mavrodi was a fraudster who founded the infamous MMM scheme in the late 80s and later in 2017 in Nigeria and parts of Africa.

The MMM scheme was established by Mavrodi with his brother Vyacheslav Mavrodi and Olga Melnikova, who used the initials of their names for the business.According to reports, they operated a network of businesses importing computers. In 1992, tax police accused the company of tax evasion, which led to the collapse of a part of the scheme, which was a bank, cutting off the company’s financial lifeline.

It promised investors a 3000 return on investment by offering American stocks to Russian investors.

The international organisation known as Stanford Financial Group was privately owned.

It had 50 0ffices around the world and its head office in Houston, Texas. The company was seized by the US authorities in 2009. It managed $8.5 billion of assets for about 30,000 clients from 150 countries on six continents/

The Romania-based Ponzi scheme known as Caritas was active for two years - 1992-1994, defrauded victims of about $450 million while leaving a huge debt.

It attracted millions of investors and depositors from around the country.

It lured victims into investing in what they called ‘mutual aid’, showcasing itself as a business aimed at helping people and offering eight times the capital they invested.

The CEO of Ovaioza Farm Produce Storage Business (OFPSB), is being called out on social media by myriads of people who say they invested millions into her buying and selling business but have been scammed by the businesswoman.

Social media is awash with the news of Ovaioza, the Chief Executive Officer of OFPSB of her, scamming investors and sending fake alerts to them.

Some who spoke with Legit.ng say she picks up a fight with them at the slightest provocation and dares them to do their worst. 

Souce legit 

Court sends Rivers PDP guber aspirant back to correctional facility

  A high court in Rivers on Monday, May 16, scheduled Friday, May 20, for the hearing of a bail application filed by Farah Dagogo, a gubernatorial aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

In its ruling on Monday, the court ordered Dagogo, a member of the House of Representatives, to be returned to the Port Harcourt Maximum Correctional Centre.

 Governor Wike (Photo: @GovWike) Source: Twitter

The verdict was read by the presiding judge, Justice Chinwendu Nworgu.

Earlier, it was reported that Dagogo had been arrested by the police.

The arrest was made barely 24 hours after Governor Nyesom Wike accused Dagogo of sponsoring the attack on the PDP's secretariat in the state and declared him wanted.

Dagogo, who represents Degema-Bonny Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, was arrested at the PDP zonal secretariat in Port Harcourt.

Governor Wike had alleged that Dagogo sent suspected cultists to attack the secretariat during the screening of National Assembly and State House of Assembly aspirants. 

Dagogo, however, denied the allegation.   He said he was never at the PDP Secrtariat where aspirants for National and State Assembly were being screened since he is a governorship aspirant. 

Supreme Court to hear suit by Buhari, Malami Thursday

 

The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for May 19 in the suit by President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation) AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

The scheduling is not only reflected in the court’s case list for the week but it was gathered that parties have since been served hearing notices.

The plaintiffs are contending among others, that the said section of the Electoral Act 2022 is in conflict with constitutional provisions.

Section 84(12) has been a subject of intense litigation and political debate in Nigeria since President Buhari signed the amended Electoral Act 2022 into law. Photo credit: Femi Adesina Source: Facebook

They noted that the Constitution has made provisions for qualifications and disqualifications for the offices of the President and Vice President, Governor and Deputy-Governor, Senate and House of Representatives, and House of Assembly, Ministers, Commissioners and Special Advisers.

Buhari and Malami added that the same Constitution has equally “the qualifying factors for election into the office of President, Vice President. Governor, Deputy Governor, Senate, House of Representatives, Houses of Assembly and Ministers.”

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, vacated the judgment of the Federal High Court in Umuahia, Abia state, which voided the provision of section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel of Justices led by Justice Hamma Akawu Barka, held that the high court acted without jurisdiction.

Jaw-dropping N12.4 billion white diamond extracted in SA to be auctioned

 A stunningly huge diamond is going on auction and has caught the eyes of the world with its unique beauty. 

The 228.31-carat diamond, the size of a golf ball is set to go on auction in Geneva and is estimated to sell for about N12.4 billion.

A 228.31-carat diamond is set to go on auction and rake in over N12.4 billion. Image: Getty Images Source: UGC

The Magnificent Jewels auction at the luxury Hotel des Bergues in Geneva is set to attract the big spenders who have taste for the finer things in life and love a one-of-a-kind piece.

ECR reported that Max Fawcett, head of the jewels department at Christie's auction house in Geneva, explained that this is the first diamond of its size and carat to go on auction.

It is a stunning pear shape with little to no imperfection. Max described it as, "a truly exceptional pear-shaped diamond."

Now that’s a statement that is sure to catch people’s attention.

The jaw-dropping diamond was extracted from a mine in South Africa back in the early 2000s. It was then displayed in Dubai, Taipei and New York ahead of the sale in Geneva to attract attention to the auction.

The huge diamond is not the only show-stopper being auctioned.

There are also a bunch of other stunning pieces, such as a tiara that belonged to princess Irma of Furstenberg from 1867 to 1948.

It is sure to be an exciting auction filled with many beautiful and pricey items.

Beer parlour business booms as Nigerians consume N246bn worth of drinks in 89dys

 There are four drink manufacturers listed on the Nigerian exchange with the Nigerian breweries leading the market.

Champion Breweries Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, International Breweries Plc, and Nigerian Breweries Plc show top drink makers in the country smiled home to the bank as Nigerians increased their consumption of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Data obtained from the drink markers audited financials submitted to Nigerian Exchange shows from January to March over N245.61 billion was spent by Nigerians to consume their favourite drinks.

The amount spent is a 31.17 per cent increase more than what they paid for the drinks in the same period of 2021.

Nigerians' jolly nature is evident in how much is spend on entertainment Credit: kileas Source: Facebook

Nigerian Breweries maintained its grip over the market, accounting for N137.77 billion of the total amount generated by the three largest brewing companies in the first quarter of this year, surpassing the N105.67 billion posted in first quarter of 2021.

The Company's brands include Star lager beer; Gulder lager beer; Maltina, which is a nourishing malt drink; Legend Extra Stout; Amstel Malta; Heineken lager beer; Maltina Sip-it; Fayrouz, which is a non-alcoholic soft drink; Climax, a herbal energy drink; Goldberg lager; Malta Gold; Life Continental lager; Ace Passion; Star Lite and Star Radler, among others.

The second-largest market shareholder earned N57.5 billion in revenue from its Nigerian loyal consumers who bought its products which include Trophy Lager, Budweiser, and Hero from January to March 2022.

Nigerians also spent N50.3 billion in three months in 2022 buying Guinness Nigeria brands compared to N42.6 billion in the same three months of 2021.

Guinness Nigeria, a subsidiary of Diageo Plc of the United Kingdom, was incorporated in 1962 with some of its brands including Smirnoff, Malta Guinness, Orijin, and Guinness among others

Champion breweries which is located in Akwa Ibom state also posted a significant increase in its revenue to N3.32 billion from January to March from N2.37 billion recorded in 2021

The main brands in its product portfolio are Champion Lager Beer and Champ Malta.

A bill from the Nusr-Et Steakhouse London has got many talking on social media after a table of four spent £37,023.10 (N20,798,808.19) at a restaurant in London.

The table of four ordered bottles of 1996 Petrus, baklavas, and golden tomahawk, amongst other things; their service charge was £4,829.10 (N2,713,897.03).

Nigerians couldn't believe their eyes when the bill was shared on social media and they soon flooded the comment section to react to it.

Source: Legit.ng

Wiebe Boer: Dutch Nigerian declares interest in Plateau guber race

 

Wiebe Boer, a Dutch man who naturalised as a Nigerian, has taken a bold step and declared his interest to run for the governorship in Plateau state come the 2023 general elections.

Boer or Yohanna Maigona (as he is fondly called) has his campaign poster all over the internet, even if his political platform, All for All Peoples Party is yet to be registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The Dutch man is very fluent in Hausa language (Photo: All On) Source: UGC

 Maigona has lived in Jos all his life, the state capital, and is said to be as fluent in Hausa as he is in English, having attended a secondary school in the city.

Apart from having an affiliation with Pan African Writers Association (PAWA), Maigona is the CEO of All On Energy, which is into renewable energy, like solar power.

Back in 2021, the Dutch Nigerian interviewed Professor Wole Soyinka, the first guest of PAWA’s Conversation Series.

A ThisDay publication had once described him in 2018 as a black man in white skin.

All will be well with Nigeria – Obasanjo

 

Chief Obasanjo.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed optimism that whatever the situation and condition is, all will be well with Nigeria.

Obasanjo, who said this at a Global Crusade organised by the Deeper Life Bible Church, in Abeokuta on Tuesday, urged Nigerians to have faith in God.

The former President said that considering the situation of things, Nigeria and the entire world required God’s visitation, urging all children of God to seek His face for visitation.

“If you consider what is going on in our cities, our states, our country, our region of West Africa, our continent and indeed our globe, our world required crusade of this nature.

“Some people accused us, Christians of `religiousity’ without spirituality. Yes that has been the position of the world even in the time of Jesus Christ, but should we lose hope? No.

“There is no time in the world that things have been bad that it is not the children of God that stood out,” he said.

He said that Noah stood out in his time and also Job, who God described as a man who feared God and shun evil and a man of great integrity.

“Nigeria needs such men of integrity at this present moment.

“I believe that because of this kind of men and women of such virtue in Nigeria, God will open his eyes and have mercy on this country.

“Unless those who don’t want to be honest with themselves will say that all is well, but if we trust in God and believe in Jesus Christ all will be well.

“Children of God, whatever may be our situation, whatever may be the condition, let us have faith in God, and all will be well,” Obasanjo said.

The General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi, who had earlier paid a visit to  the former president, prayed God to grant him many more years to contribute to the progress of the country.

Kumuyi stated that his visit was to show respect to Obasanjo and to also invite him to the crusade where he could share his words of wisdom with the people and the global community.

The general overseer, in his message, said that God had prepared complete dominion over circumstances of the world through Jesus Christ.

Kumuyi said that the only way to have complete dominion over problem and other circumstances was to live in holiness and consecration to God through Jesus Christ.(NAN)