₦airaland Forum

Abu Salami, the businessman, who recently called out Nigerian singer, Davido, for failing to fulfill his ₦218 million contract obligation, has further disclosed that he paid a sum of ₦5 million to Larry Gaga, who's also a recording artiste, to meet with the Unavailable lyricist.

In an exclusive interview he had with AfroWorldNews, the Abu Salami Media founder, stated that he agreed to pay Larry Gaga the ₦5 million he requested, as he couldn't secure an agreement with Davido's sister, whom he earlier met.

''I won a contract of $500,000 USD for my company. It was for a football show, which I have been doing for six years. When I was negotiating with the company that came with the funds, part of the promises I made was that I would get Davido on board as our ambassador. They told me I would have to negotiate with Davido myself, which I went ahead to do.

''I contacted his friends, and people close to him to get his attention. I eventually got to his sister, whom I negotiated with at the time. What she wanted then was ₦200 million naira upfront payment, and 35% of my company because they believed I would be making quite a lot of money, which was true. But I didn't have the requested ₦200 million,'' Salami told AfroWorldNews.

''The company that gave me the contract was only going to make part payment first to me, and it was ₦167 million.

''So, I eventually met Larry Gaga, who's a renowned person in the industry as well. Larry Gaga charged me ₦5 million to take me to Davido, which I agreed to. He took me to Davido's place, and the day we met, we spoke and had an agreement. We shook hands, took a picture together as well, and he asked for a deposit to make. I told him yes, and he then asked me to go and make the deposit in the bank with one of his aides by the name, Lati. 40 minutes after meeting Davido, I transferred ₦100 million to him.

''Two days later, I sent the contract to Davido to sign, and he said he was going to share it with his lawyers. So, I waited. I reached out to him a week later to ask about the contract, and he said his lawyers were at it. He further stated that he wasn't going to sign the contract until the money agreed was fully paid. The money to balance him was N76 million. Then we agreed that I would be paying him N15 million on a monthly basis. I was keeping up with the payment for the first two months.

''The third month I asked for his availability to shoot a commercial for the show. But on the first day of the shoot, Davido didn't turn up even after I had rented N8 million worth of equipment. He said he had a flight to catch, so I lost my ₦8 million. I didn't complain, I kept on working with him. When he got back, I reached out and said we were going to set up for the shoot again, and he said fine. David said he couldn't make it to the stadium, and I lost ₦9 million that day. So I called Larry Gaga I couldn't continue to live like that. He promised to talk to him.

''I now decided to shoot bigger stuff this time around, with presenters and big generators at the stadium. Davido called me while I was there that he couldn't make it to the stadium and that I had to come to his house and shoot it in his garden. I protested against it, and he said it's either I do that, or I forget about it, as he was travelling that night. We took all the equipment and ran there, Obviously, they were too big for a garden, we couldn't use them. We lost the money, but we managed to shoot that day.

''After editing it, I called Davido that he needed to come and do sound, and he said, I needed to make another payment. I then told him that I had given him N130 million already, and I couldn't give him more until we had some content to show the sponsors. He now said if I don't have any money to give him he wasn't going to do anything. I begged him for a month and a half to get the sound from Davido.

''I paid another ₦15 million and told Davido we wanted to do a press conference. He then said he didn't know that was part of the package, and I needed to pay another N30 million. To cut a long story short, a day before the press conference, his son died, which stopped the project for six months. When he came back and started doing things, I reached out to him again, and he asked for money to kick off. So, I paid him another ₦15 million.

''We eventually agreed on another day for the press conference, and I have been in his house for three days, making sure he will be available. A day before the press conference, Davido sent me a message that he would not be available because he wanted to take his wife to dinner. At that point, I lost my mind. I went and did the press conference myself, and when I got back, I went to see him, and he was angry that I went ahead, trashing the N10 million I spent on it.''

Salami further revealed that Davido threatened him, and said he would show him that he's bigger than him in the industry.

When asked about Larry Gaga's role in ensuring that Davido fulfilled his obligation of their agreement, Salami stated, ''I can't lie, he tried his best to get Davido to do the right thing. He even spoke with him in my presence, but the person I was dealing with was just who he is.''

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How much is naira to dollar exchange rate today?
The exchange rate, according to the data released on the FMDQ Security Exchange the official forex trading portal showed that the Naira opened at ₦789.89 per dollar on Friday, October 20, 2023, and closed at ₦808.27 per $1 on Friday, October 20, 2023.

Naira traded as high as N789 to the dollar at the investors and exporters (I&E) window and closed at on N808 on Friday.

Dollar to naira exchange rate today black market (Aboki dollar rate):
The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players buy a dollar for N1160 and sell at N1170 on Monday 23rd October 2023, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).

Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.

Black Market Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Buying Rate N1160
Selling Rate N1170
Please note that the rates you buy or sell forex may be different from what is captured in this article because prices vary.
Factors Affecting the Naira to Dollar Exchange Rate
The exchange rate is affected by various factors, including:

Economic stability: A country’s economic stability is a major determinant of its exchange rate. Nigeria’s economy is largely dependent on oil exports, which makes it susceptible to fluctuations in the global oil market.
Political stability: The political climate of a country also affects its exchange rate. Nigeria has a history of political instability, which can affect investors’ confidence in the country’s economy.
Inflation: Inflation rates can also impact the exchange rate between two currencies. Nigeria has had a history of high inflation rates, which has contributed to the devaluation of the Naira.
International trade: The exchange rate can also be affected by international trade. Nigeria is a major importer of goods, and its imports are largely paid for in foreign currency, such as the US dollar.

Barely five months after President Bola Tinubu ascended to power, Nigeria’s local currency, naira has soared to ₦1,040 per dollar under his watch.

AfroWorldNews understands that Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari manifested poor economic management style in the value of naira, which traded from ₦157 per dollar to ₦439 at the official rate. At the parallel market, Nigerians saw naira soared to ₦720 per dollar at the black market from ₦200 before he took over.

While the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s rate appeared to stabilize at ₦768 per dollar over the past week, the currency value has sunk to critical depths for those trying to access it at the parallel market, where most foreign exchange transactions are conducted in the country.

According to Abokifx, a website that aggregates daily rates for Nigerians using parallel market sources, the dollar sold at ₦1,040 in the early hours of Wednesday, October 19, 2023.

Meanwhile, this development emerged after the central bank authorized financial institutions in the country to sell foreign exchange freely at market-determined rates, aligning with Tinubu’s commitment to a single exchange rate regime.

What does floating the naira mean?
The Tinubu-led government enabled market forces to determine the exchange rate of its currency by floating the naira in June.

Previously, the CBN set the interest rates. The floating exchange rate allows buyers and sellers in the formal FX market to quote prices that are convenient for them.

This decision expands access to the dollar and decreases the requirement for foreign investors to conduct currency transactions through the CBN.

How much is naira, pound, and other currencies in the black market today?
1 GBP >>>>> ₦1,314.768
1 EUR >>>>> ₦1,123.734
1 CAD >>>>> ₦810.609

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When compared to Bitcoin mining, Oduwacoin mining stands out due to its distinct consensus mechanism. While Bitcoin relies on the traditional Proof of Work (PoW) system, which demands substantial computational power and energy consumption, Oduwacoin adopted a Proof of Stake (PoS) framework, revolutionizing the mining process.

In Bitcoin’s PoW, miners compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles to validate transactions and add new blocks to the blockchain. This energy-intensive process has led to concerns about its environmental impact and the centralization of mining power in the hands of a few large players.

Oduwacoin’s PoS model, on the other hand, offers a stark contrast. Here, miners are chosen to create new blocks and validate transactions based on the number of Oduwacoins they are willing to stake as collateral. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive mining rigs and significantly reduces the environmental footprint. It also opens the door for a more diverse range of individuals to participate in mining since they don’t require any hardware, thus lowering the barrier to entry.

This shift towards energy efficiency and accessibility makes Oduwacoin mining a promising option for those seeking to diversify their cryptocurrency portfolios, increase their assets, or enter the mining space without substantial resources. The PoS system aligns with sustainability concerns, reflecting the growing trend toward environmentally conscious practices within the broader cryptocurrency community.

In conciseness, Oduwacoin mining offers a forward-thinking alternative to Bitcoin mining by embracing a more environmentally friendly and inclusive approach, making it an attractive opportunity for miners and investors alike.

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When you look at how Bitcoin became a big deal today, you will realize that Oduwacoin is a smart choice for you, especially if you are looking to diversify your investment portfolio.

It is low, currently selling less than $1 per unit. Now is even the best time to invest in it.

Renowned Bauchi-based media personality, Andi Bature has landed in the police net over the civil unrest that happened during the 21st Baba Gonto memorial event that was held last year in Bogoro, the headquarters of Bogoro local government area of the state.

It would be recalled that some yet-to-be-identified hoodlums stormed the venue of the memorial event that was held at Government Day Secondary School, Bogoro.

In the course of the civil unrest, the assailants reportedly destroyed and set ablaze items, including multimedia equipment secured for the memorial event.

Gonto’s Memorial: Andi Bature Arrested Over Civil Unrest In Bauchi
However, almost a year after the attack, Bature, who was in charge of the concert, according to reliable sources, has failed to restore, refund, or compensate the vendors he secured the multimedia equipment from.

“Knowing fully well that all these equipment are his responsibility to transport and secure, he has been unable to restore, refund, nor compensate the vendors. This has caused untold hardship, pain, and embarrassment to them, as their source of daily bread is forcefully taken away. Many of them are depressed, and sick. At the moment, one of the vendors is seriously sickand battling for her life,” a source who spoke on a condition of anonymity was quoted as saying.

Noting that Bature and the chairman of the planning committee, Dr. Yusuf Abarsh was yet to reach out to the victims, the source added that many of the multimedia equipment vendors have since been facing one arrest to the other.

“Bature alongside the event organisers were aware of the uprising in the community, and the threats, but went ahead to put innocent vendors in a situation that made them lose their source of livelihoods,” he stated.”

When called to confirm Bature’s arrest, SP Thomas Goni, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Bauchi, didn’t answer his phone calls.

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Pastor Emmanuel Iren of Celebration Church International in Lagos, has slammed people that are homophobic, saying they are not better than those who engage in same-sex affairs.

He made this submission while fielding response to one of his audience, who wanted a way out from being gay, on his YouTube live programme monitored by Newsrand.

Responding to the question, Iren described homosexuality as a temptation, adding that those that criticises the act are hypocrites battling other temptations one way, or the other.

‘The first thing I want to say is that temptation is not uncommon. It may be different, but it is common. I may not know what it means to have a same-sex attraction, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t have my own share of temptation…even Jesus Christ was tempted.

“As long as you are a human being, you’ll be tempted. The fact that we face temptation differently doesn’t make one superior to the other. Why the general public and the church are vehemently against same-sex marriage, is not really because many of them honour the word, it is just because it is traditionally and culturally wrong.

“Just the fact that you don’t understand what it means to have same-sex attraction doesn’t mean you are better. I’ve seen many people who are struggling with porn addiction, and they are the first to give homophobic responses. You are a hypocrite!”

He, however, advised gays against getting married if they are not ready to inform their spouses about their sexual orientations.

Read more https://newsrand.com/2022/10/20/pastor-emmanuel-iren-slams-homophobic-people/

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This is a falsified report as Dangote himself advised members of the public to report any driver caught engaging in illegal haulage. Read the link to the story here.>> https://newsrand.com/2022/06/20/how-dangote-urged-nigerians-to-report-truck-drivers-caught-engaging-in-illegal-haulage/

Popular singer David Adeleke otherwise known as Davido, has revealed that while he was in secondary school, his French teacher once told him that he would never make it in life.

In the course of a chat on Tea With Tay, Davido said the teacher made the statement because he was quite a bad boy as a kid.

According to him, while his peers at British International School (BIS) would go to ShopRite after their school activities, he would rather go to Shogunle, a residential area that shares a boundary with Ikeja Along and Bolade, to have a good time.

“My French teacher in secondary school told me I won’t be anything in life. I’m not going to lie, I was a bad kid, but one with good intentions… I went to BIS, which is one of the most expensive in Lagos. So, after school, all the students would go to Shoprite, but I would head to Shogunle. He was my mum’s driver, and my mum passed away, and he then went with his thing -gyming. I went to America and came back. I saw him when I returned to Nigeria… I didn’t plan to be famous, I was only hoping so, but God did it,” the Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) boss stated.

Read the rest of the story via https://unmaskng.com/my-french-teacher-told-me-i-wont-make-it-in-life-says-davido/

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Music executive Micheal Collins Ajereh otherwise known as Don Jazzy has revealed that most record labels don’t thrive in Nigeria because their leaderships are too figure-driven.

During a live conversation with UK-based Nigerian broadcaster Adesope Olajide, the Mavin Records label boss said in the course of exploit, quite a number of investors from different sectors of the economy, including banking, and oil and gas, have worked up to him to express their interest to set up record labels.

According to Don Jazzy, he usually laughs each time that happens because most of them don’t have “the balls” to put their monies and resources into music.

“When I sit down, look at bankers, and those in the oil and gas sector, expressing their interest to invest in the music business, I just laugh. They usually come, telling me that they have a certain amount of money and they want to float record labels with it. I just look at them and laugh. I do this because most of them don’t know what the business requires to make it thrive,” he said.

Referring to the potential investors, Don Jazzy noted that they are too figure-driven, and with that, their chances are slim to make their ventures thrive. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but it would, eventually,” he added.

The highly-revered music producer, therefore, advised that anyone seeking to invest in music must be very passionate about the art, and he or she should be someone who’s care-free about returns.

“If you don’t have the mind of spending and not get your money back, you can’t run a record label in Nigeria. You are going to have to spend, be selfless, and if not, you would pack up one day. The demand from your artiste per the success you want to have and keep up with industry competition will require you to go very deep into your pocket. So, if you don’t have a passion like mine, you would suffer.

“With Mavin Records, I just did not care; as long as I’m eating, I’m fine. I invest every other money I have in music projects for my signees,” he counselled.

When asked why he floated Mavin Records after running Mo’Hits Records alongside D’banj, Don Jazzy said he noticed that back in the days, there were no record labels established to help talents.

“All I knew then was that I wanted to build a beautiful record label and an entertainment company that is a powerhouse for developing artistes in Africa. We didn’t have one. There was none in Nigeria at the time aside from one… I felt like there should be one that discovers people and send them out to the world. This is still the goal for me -to find the young people and take them global,” he explained.

Read the rest of the story here >>> https://unmaskng.com/why-most-record-labels-dont-thrive-in-nigeria-don-jazzy/

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President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that Nigerian artistes, filmmakers, and other creative industry stakeholders will contribute no less than $10 billion to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Speaking on the sidelines of the Dubai UAE Expo 2020, tagged ‘Arise Fashion 2021’, Buhari expressed the pride he has in the creative industry, saying that there are increasing job opportunities for young people.

“There’s no doubt that Nigeria’s creative sector holds tremendous potential to unlock Nigeria’s economy and increase employment opportunities for young people.

“The projections are promising as the sector is expected to deliver over $10 billion by the end of 2021, making a tremendous contribution to the country’s GDP,” the President was quoted as saying by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, who represented him at the occasion.

Citing a recent report on Nigeria’s creative sector, Buhari further revealed that the industry is poised to become the second-largest employer with a potential to produce 2.7 million new jobs by 2025.

“After agricultural, the creative sector is the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria today,” he added.

It would be recalled that in March 2021, the Bank of Industry (BoI) collaborated with the National Council for Arts and Culture, to provide a loan facility for creative industry stakeholders.

The loan facility is a N300 million loan package that was put in place to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s creative sector.

Read other stories here >>> https://unmaskng.com/buhari-artistes-filmmakers-others-will-contribute-10bn-to-gdp/

Popular singer, David Adeleke otherwise known as Davido, has vowed to make the just-concluded N1 million donation challenge a yearly commitment.

It would be recalled that a few days ago, the Davido Music Worldwide (DMW) boss challenged his music industry friends to donate N1 million each to him for his birthday.

“We rise by lifting others abi? Me I don dey rise dey lifting others for the past 100 years. So, I want to know who my friends are. All of my friends one one million Naira. They said we are 30BG. If you don’t send your own, you out of here. You are gone (sic),” he stated in a video posted on his verified social media pages.

In a matter of hours, hundreds of millions were quickly garnered by the likes of Adekunle Gold, Teni, Zlatan, Mayorkun, amongst others.

However, contrary to the claim he made that he needed to raise N100 million to clear his newly-purchased Rolls-Royce car with Nigeria Customs Service (NSC), Davido, who said he was able to realise N200 million through the challenge, disclosed that all the money is going to Nigerian orphanages, irrespective of their geographical entity.

Saying he has added N50 million to the money donated, Davido said N250 million would be shared among the orphanages, adding that the donation challenge would continue on a yearly basis.

“My goal is to do the fundraising every year to celebrate my birthday and give back to people in need,” he said.

In the statement seen by unmaskng.com, the music star, while expressing gratitude to everyone, added that “it is my hope that my friends, fans, colleagues in the industry, and the public will continue to support me as I drive this course.”

Source: https://unmaskng.com/davido-to-make-n1m-donation-challenge-yearly

Nigerians may soon start to pay more for the purchase of petrol. This is according to marketers of the commodity.

In the latest development on the possible increment of petrol, oil marketers under the aegis of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) warned that the rising cost of petrol at depots would definitely warrant a commensurate increase in pump price if not checked.

According to the petrol dealers, going by the market challenge and reality, the commodity is projected to rise from the current N162-N165 per litre to N170 per litre for consumers.

The dealers also hinted that the commodity’s depot price is projected to increase from N159 per litre to N165 per litre.

On the possibility of a hike in the pump price of petrol soon, the National Public Relations Officer, IPMAN, Chief Ukadike Chinedu said it was inevitable if the current increase in depot price persists.

Read the rest here >>> https://unmaskng.com/petrol-price-may-increase-soon-heres-why/

Source: unmaskng.com

The Federal Government (FG) would by next month (December 2021) increase electricity tariff. This development came as the price of cooking gas continues to soar.

In a notice addressed to members of the public and power industry stakeholders, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) expressed its intention to commence two key reviews.

Read the rest via this link >> https://unmaskng.com/fg-to-increase-electricity-tariff-as-cooking-gas-price-continues-to-soar/

Source unmaskng.com

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has maintained silence as Wema Bank on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, flouted the Twitter ban.

It all started when singer Davido appealed to his fans, and friends to donate N1 million each to him in celebration of his fast-approaching birthday.

Shortly after making the post across his verified social media pages, the music star’s friends and fans started to donate N1 million individually to his Wema Bank account.

The money donated was surprisingly much, such that over N90 million was donated to the Wema Bank account in less than four hours.

The donation caused the bank to trend across all social media platforms, including Twitter.

Ecstatic about the free publicity, the financial institution took to Twitter for the first time in over six months that the federal government disclosed the controversial ban.

However, when Unmaskng.com put a call through to Director of Corporate Communications, Osita Nwanisobi, for reaction and possible sanctions on the bank for floating the Twitter ban, he didn’t answer his phone, neither did he respond to the message from our correspondent.

https://unmaskng.com/cbn-keeps-mute-as-wema-bank-flouts-twitter-ban-because-of-davido/

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Sani Dangote, the late Vice President of Dangote Group, and brother of the African richest man Aliko Dangote has on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, been laid to rest.

Unmaskng.com had reported that Sani died on Sunday, November 14, in a Miami hospital in the United States after a protracted illness.

However, while many people had thought Sani to be buried immediately as it relates to the religion he practised, which was Islam, he couldn’t be buried immediately as his body arrived in Kano State from the United States on Tuesday, November 16.

But two days after Sani passed away, his burial event which was led by Imam Sani Muhammad and attended by thousands of Muslims, was conducted at the palace of the Emir of Kano at about 11 a.m.

Unmaskng.com learnt that the deceased was buried at Sarari graveyard, where deceased members of Dantata family are buried.

Following the burial, Sheikh Tijjani Bala-Kalarawi, who led the prayers at the event, described the deceased as a humble, generous, and nice gentleman during his lifetime.

He stressed the need for people to judge themselves based on their deeds every day before going to bed, to enable them to do more good deeds while alive.

Dignitaries in attendance at the burial of Sani Dangote
The Minister of Aviation, Alhaji Hadi Sirika, led the Federal Government’s delegation, while Senate President Ahmad Lawan led the National Assembly members.

Some others who attended the funeral included Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero.

Others were Borno Governor, Babagana Zulum, Sen. Bukola Saraki, Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Magaji-Bichi, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Alhaji Abdussamad Isyaka-Rabiu, and captains of industries from within and outside the country, among others.

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Governor Godwin Emefiele of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has clarified that the ban on cryptocurrency in the country has nothing to do with #EndSARS, the nationwide against brutality by the citizenry.

Unmask NG understands that last year (2020), the Nigerian citizenry took to different parts of the country to express their displeasure at the way men of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), especially those of the defunct Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit of the police force known for wanton arrests, extra-judicial killings, assaults, and harassments, were making life unbearable for them to live.

As part of their demonstration, the #EndSARS protesters secured funding from donors through various channels, amongst which is cryptocurrency.

Shortly after the infamous Tuesday, October 20, 2020, massacre, the apex bank started to clamp down on #EndSARS protesters, as it froze the bank accounts of the campaign leaders.

However, speaking on the clampdown in an interview on Arive TV monitored by Unmask NG, Emefiele explained that CBN’s disapproval of cryptocurrency transactions in Nigeria is because of its illegality, and not #EndSARS as widely claimed.

While maintaining that Nigeria’s banking space would not support cryptocurrency, Emefiele noted that even in most developed countries, the digital asset was yet to be fully adopted.

His words: “As you said, the #EndSARS issue came up in October 2020 and we came up with the issue of saying that we would not make our banking and payment system space available to those who were involved in cryptocurrency business because we feel that a substantial portion of the transactions going on there are illegal.

“Look at it this way: what is there to hide? Why are the transactions so hidden? Why are they encrypted? If I conduct a transaction and a regulator or security authority wants to see the nature of the transaction, those (transactions) can’t be encrypted for people to know what happened. It means that cryptocurrency is a product that is embedded in high level of illegality.

“ENDSARS has nothing to do with it. It so happened that some people used their cryptocurrency to fund it but it has nothing to do with it (CBN’s stance).

“In fact, I have not seen more than one or two countries that have supported cryptocurrencies. You will not find developed economies or economies where high level of payment standards is put in place where the government is serious about tackling money laundering; you won’t find central banks in those climes supporting cryptocurrency.”

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For Allen Onyema, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Peace, cancellation of flights is what its customers face due to unforeseen circumstances.

In an interview, where he explained why that happens sometimes, Onyema said Air Peace doesn’t joke with the safety of its customers, adding that climate change also influences the airline’s decision to cancel scheduled flights.

His words: “Flight cancellations or delays happen for several reasons. I don’t think any airline will cancel flights for the sake of canceling flights. And for Air Peace, other airlines may be doing about 20 flights or 25 flights in a day and if they cancel three flights or two flights, nobody will know about it. In Air Peace, we are almost doing 100 flights a day. So, if you cancel four, it will be all over the place. But the thing is that we fly more than any other person. And if we start flying at full capacity, we will be flying over 130 flights daily. So, there are so many reasons for cancellation, like yesterday (Monday, November 8, 2021) on the brand new plane, Embraer E195-E2, we had a bird strike and this is the second time we are having a bird strike on the brand new plane and that grounded the aircraft. Now, one of them is grounded, we have called on the manufacturers and they are sorting it out. Now, waking up during operations and a bird struck and flew into your engine, you can’t recover from it. You must have disruptions; some of the disruptions might go into cancellations, not only delays. When it happened yesterday, already people have bought into today’s schedule, what are we going to do? We now decided to bring out our Boeing B777 to mop up everywhere in order not to get people stranded. So, the good thing about Air Peace is that we can play with aircraft. If anything goes wrong, we bring in another one.

“So what we did today was to roll out our B777 to take over some flight destinations because the other one had a bird strike. But it comes with some changes. So, these are some of the reasons why you have delays or cancellations. Nobody will cancel a flight for the fun of it.

“And one thing in Air Peace is that we don’t joke with safety. If we notice any problem, we ground that plane. Maybe it is something that could be managed elsewhere, but we ground our plane if there is any reason to do so. It is not as if the tech might be so serious, but you don’t know when it becomes more serious. We don’t joke with such. One thing you can be sure of with us is that when you go with us, you come back with us. Again, you talked about weather, rains, and thunderstorms. If you wake up in the morning and you want to go to Abuja by 6:30 am and the meteorologists now report thunderstorms en-route and thunderstorms on the destination, you have to wait. So, if you waste two hours or so, the whole day must be affected and every other place that the aircraft is programmed to operate to will be affected. But one thing I discovered is that Nigerians are highly critical of their airlines, especially Air Peace. Maybe it is because it is growing into a big airline, but I am aware that the way Nigerians attack their airline and say bitter things about them is not the way they complain about foreign carriers that come into this country. When they are flying with international airlines and you ask them to wait for five hours, they will wait without complaint. But two hours wait with Nigerian airline; they will start fighting the airline staff. Why is it so? There seems to be so much bitterness and antagonism against Air Peace, which is very disturbing and very worrisome.

“Recently I saw an airline, a foreign airline skid off the runway, some five months ago, here in Lagos, nobody published it. And I was happy that nobody published it because writing about it would overheat our system. The aircraft ran into the grass, no publication on it. Nobody saw it on social media. But if Air Peace is moving and a nail enters the tyre, they will use the word crash. In everything about Air Peace, there is sustained negative publicity against the airline.“

Read the rest of the story here https://unmaskng.com/air-peace-explains-why-cancellation-of-flights-is-inevitable/

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Fraud-accused Nigerian pastor Dapo Adegboyega, who’s based in the United Kingdom (UK), is no doubt having a good time, as he celebrated his 41st birthday in what is understood to be a yahoo-boy style.

Unmask NG understands that in Nigeria, the country Adegboyega hailed from, Yahoo-boys are young people who make earnings through fraudulent activities.

Amongst other offensive lifestyles they live, is the lavishing of their money on frivolous things, and display of the wealth they acquired through their fraudulent doings.

This is exactly what Adegboyega may have done considering the fact that he recently made news headlines, for allegedly defrauding one Rachael Daniel, who identified herself as his church member.

According to Daniel, Adegboyega, who headed the Board of Trustees of Salvation Proclaimers Army Church (SPAC), a Nigerian Pentecostal church based in the UK, took a loan of about £106,264 with interest amounting to £195,940.44 with her name and refused to pay everything eight years after.

Daniel said a total of £85,000 was paid back in a piecemeal fashion, leaving about £110,000 yet to be paid.

Read the rest of the story here >>> https://unmaskng.com/fraud-accused-nigerian-pastor-celebrates-birthday-in-yahoo-boy-style/

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Libya overtakes Nigeria as Africa’s biggest oil producer

Nigeria has lost its Africa’s top oil producer status to Libya as its crude oil production fell further last month amid lingering supply disruptions, according to a new report by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

Nigeria told OPEC that its oil output fell to about 1.23 million barrels per day in October from about 1.25 million bpd in the previous month, the cartel’s latest report released on Wednesday revealed.

Libya, which overtook Angola as the second-biggest producer on the continent in December last year, saw its oil production rise to 1.24 million bpd in October from 1.16 million bpd in September, based on direct communication, according to OPEC.

OPEC uses secondary sources to monitor its oil output, but also publishes a table of figures submitted by its member countries.

According to secondary sources, Nigeria’s production declined by 45,000 bpd to 1.35 million bpd in October from about 1.40 million bpd in September.

Nigeria recorded the second biggest drop in output in October among its peers in OPEC, after Iraq, based on direct communication. The country’s production fell the most in the month, according to secondary sources.

The 13-member oil cartel said its total crude production averaged 27.45 million bpd in October, higher by 220,000 bpd month-on-month, according to secondary sources.

“Crude oil output increased mainly in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, the UAE, and Kuwait, while production in Nigeria, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea declined,” it said.

OPEC said crude differentials of light and medium sweet crude rose in the Mediterranean and West African markets in October on good buying interest from European buyers, strong refining margins, supply disruptions in Libya and Nigeria.

“However, soft demand from Asian refiners for Atlantic Basin crude amid unfavourable west-to-east arbitrage capped the rise. Crude differentials of Bonny Light, Forcados, and Qua Iboe rose firmly on a monthly average in October by 70¢, $1.06, and 75¢, respectively, to stand at premiums of 10¢/b, 27¢/b, and 4¢/b,” it added.

A London-based economic research firm, Capital Economics, said in a note that the increase in OPEC’s oil output in October was below its target of 400,000bpd.

“Once again, Angola and Nigeria were largely responsible for this undershoot. Operational issues brought about by a lack of investment in oil-producing facilities continue to plague output in both countries, while Nigeria is also grappling with recurring militant attacks on key pipelines,” it said.

The firm said with these issues unlikely to be resolved soon, OPEC would probably continue to undershoot its planned increases in output in the months ahead.

It said, “This will do little to alleviate the signs of undersupply in the oil market. For example, the price spreads between front-month futures and longer-dated futures are now as negative as any time in recent years, which normally indicates a lack of near-term supply.

“Despite persistently undershooting its target, we doubt OPEC will make any major changes to its output policy at its next meeting on December 2. Admittedly, external pressure on the group has continued to grow, with the US now reportedly considering a release of oil stocks from its strategic reserve.”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/punchng.com/libya-overtakes-nigeria-as-africas-biggest-oil-producer/%3famp

There is panic in Computer Village, Ikeja area of Lagos State, and its environs, as gas leaks on Wednesday, October 3, 2021.

Unmask NG learnt that the incident started in the early hours of the day around Computer Village, Awolowo Rd, Oba Akran, Medical Road, Anifowoshe, Ikeja.

Confirming this development on a TV programme monitored live by this publication, Ibrahim Farinloye, the acting coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) therefore advised Lagosians to seek alternative routes and avoid the area pending the time the issue is resolved.

“I want to assure everyone that all necessary agencies are on ground to ensure safety at the site. We want to implore people to stay away from the scene,” he added.

https://unmaskng.com/breaking-panic-in-computer-village-over-gas-leakage/

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Sokoloan, a popular online lending platform in Nigeria, would soon face serious sanctions from the federal government, as many of their customers continued to report them over harassment.

Unmask NG understands that Sokoloan, and many other online lending platforms in the country, are known for threatening and harassing their customers whenever they default.

To shame and harass these customers in the public domain, Sokoloan, and other lending financial institutions, go as far as sending messages to their contacts list, and informing them that a certain person is owing.

Not only that, but they would also describe the person as fraudulent, such that they would lie that the customer is on the run because of the loan collected.

This common practise Sokoloan and other lending platforms often engage in, has now caught the attention of Babatunde Irukera, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), who promised that they would all be severely dealt with.

According to Irukera, the commission is working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to address the matter and punish Sokoloan and other lending platforms that would threaten and harass any of their customers.

Read more >>> https://unmaskng.com/sokoloan-others-to-face-sanctions-over-harassment-of-customers/

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For Edet Mareme, a Nigerian porn star, who’s otherwise known as Uglygalz, there is no better investment than featuring in adult films.

In chitchat with Unmask NG, where she discussed the business side of her art, the adult filmmaker explained that she does not only enjoy having sex with the light on, and camera capturing her intimate moment, but also to earn a living.

According to Uglygalz, there is so much money in pornography, and in view of that, she would always cheer up people to put it into consideration.

“porn is very profitable, but consistency is key. you need to incorporate a lot of other things to make money from adult films. when I started porn, I wasn’t making enough money and I just had to keep it there to accumulate, and I was still making videos.

“acting porn is like an investment. there is no fixed price for adult films and individually, we have our price rates in the adult film industry. but overall, I think it’s a smart thing to consider for money-making purposes,” she added.

In the course of this chat, Uglygalz, who became famous after her tell-it-all interview with Pulseng, expressed her disappointment in people, especially aspiring porn actors.

The pornographer said they are always disturbing her for featuring, adding that most of the time after an adult film’s production has been concluded and the video is out, they (the aspiring porn actors) would come back and beg her to bring it down.

Read more >>> https://unmaskng.com/acting-in-adult-films-is-a-smart-investment-says-porn-star-uglygalz/

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Muhammadu Sanusi ll, a former Emir of Kano State, has lamented how Nigerian politicians often campaign, even after they had won their elections.

In a live interview on Arise TV monitored by Newsrand, Sanusi said Nigeria is a country governed by those who are always on the campaign mode.

“So, for the last eight years, we have been on campaign mode. Decisions that should be taken in the interest of this country are not taken because the time frame and horizon of the leadership is four years.

“I think we’ve got to change the way we see politics. We have to move from the situation where we are in permanent campaign mode. Our politicians campaign for elections and when they win, instead of transiting into people that would govern, they continue campaigning, and it has been like this year after year,” he lamented as he felicitate with other Nigerians on Independence Day.

According to him, until politicians plan to plan far beyond their tenure in public offices, not much would be achieved.

“In Nigeria, we are not thinking about the next 20 years, 50 years, and until we have leaders across the board that are ready to think about the next generation and not the next election, we won’t be able to progress,” Sanusi added.

While expressing optimism that Nigeria can be great, the former Emir cited some of the challenges that the most populous African nation has been battling, particularly in recent times.

“There is a decline in export, we have wrong policies that have brought us untold hardship, there are security challenges in the southeast, middle-belt, and the northwest region. These are a few of our challenges today.

“But I think we’ve gone through a lot of crises as well in our early days. We’ve gone through civil war, and I think to that extent, even in this dark period, I am optimistic that things can change, which boils down to the kind of leadership the citizenry chooses, and the kind of attitude these leaders take to power,” he added.

https://newsrand.com/2021/10/01/nigerian-politicians-campaign-after-elections-says-sanusi/

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Anthony Joshua has lost his much-talked-about match against Oleksandr Usyk. Hence, he’s no longer the world heavyweight champion.

Newsrand reported that the Nigerian-Briton put his WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO world heavyweight titles on the line against Usyk, a fellow London 2012 gold medallist in front of an expected 67,000 raucous fans in N17, a London city.

Joshua appeared to have some health-related issues, which led to a unanimous decision being made.

See below the unanimous points decision for the Ukrainian:
117-112
116-112
115-113
As seen in the match monitored by our correspondent, Joshua was outboxed and outclassed. He started slowly and grew into the fight, but Usyk kept coming forwards and mixing up his angles of attack.

Read more https://newsrand.com/2021/09/25/anthony-joshua-loses-heavyweight-belt-after-being-beaten-to-pulp/

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Dollar to naira exchange rate is another intriguing news that again excites Nigerians.

As seen on Aboki fx rate, naira today (Tuesday, September 14, 2021) traded at N557.00 per $1 at the parallel market otherwise known as the black market.

With naira extending its decline after it traded N557 per $1 as against N543.00 it traded on Monday, September 13, the Nigerian local currency exchanged in the forex market in an all-time low of its free fall.

Read the rest of the story here >> https://newsrand.com/2021/09/14/dollar-to-naira-aboki-fx-today-tuesday-14-09-2021/

Eatrich Farms, an agrotech business, recently made news headlines, after the arrest of its six staff and investors.

Information reaching Newsrand has it that the staff members and investors of the company were arrested for physical assault, a charge levelled against them by Bisi Dazuza, Eatrich Farms’ Group Managing Director, for daring to demand their almost N1 billion arrears.

“When they came to my office yesterday, they beat me and I even had a seizure in the process,” Dazuza stated as she justified the reason she reported the case to the Police. “One of them threatened to kill me. After vandalising my property, they stole my money and laptop.”

However, while controversies have continued to trail the ineptitude of Eatrich Fams to pay its staff and investors, Newsrand learnt how the company manipulated its employees to open accounts with Sterling Bank.
The accounts which were mandated to be opened with Sterling Bank, according to our sources, was with the aim of using it to access loans.

It was gathered that Eatrich Farms needed the loans in order to fund its businesses and the company’s leadership asked its staff to get the loans on behalf of it.

“While I was working with Eatrich Firms, Sterling Bank came up with an agro project which was brought to us. In order to access this loan, Sam Afolabi said all employees should open accounts and request loans, after which we should submit all the details to one of the heads of departments.

“But considering my smartness, it just didn’t make sense to me. How will I open a bank account and give you the details? To worsen the situation, he told us his company would access loans via our accounts and just give us stipends. I refused to do it because of the risks I sensed. I couldn’t think of paying another person’s loan. It was just nonsense to me, “former assistant operations manager of the company Ayeni Dolapo stated.

Corroborating Dolapo’s claims, a middle-aged man who worked with Eatrich Farm’s founder as his personal photographer, said although he’s no longer with the company, his bank account with Sterling Bank was used to collect a loan facility.

“One of the many issues am into with Eatrich Farms is the loan Afolabi used his staff members to apply for from Sterling Bank, and as I tell you this, there is N2.3 million in my account with the bank on behalf of the company.

“I cannot access the money, and I have already written several mails to Sterling Bank to declare that I was no longer interested in whatever Afolabi wanted to use that money for. I honestly don’t want to recount the awful things the company had me done during my stay there,” he added.

Read more >>> https://newsrand.com/2021/09/14/exclusive-how-sam-afolabis-eatrich-farms-manipulated-employees-to-collect-loans-on-his-behalf/

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Value Added Tax (VAT) in Nigeria has made news headlines in the last few days, as Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State dragged the federal government to court over the allocation of revenue generated from the tax type.

Having dragged the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to court, Wike eventually triumphed over the matter, as Justice Stephem Pam of a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, ruled that Rivers State government had the powers to collect VAT within its territory.

Wike’s court victory over the matter generated mixed reactions among economic experts, public officials, and members of the public, with many of them expressing their views on the matter.

While some expressed opinions that VAT revenue sharing among states by the federal government is unjust, others thought otherwise.

However, while the matter is still in the public domain, Newsrand cited Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The data revealed how much was paid to each of the states in Nigeria for the months of January 2020 through to February 2021.

As seen in the data, the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Government shared N1.09 trillion as VAT revenue from FAAC in the period under preview.

While Lagos got the highest share of the revenue, Nassarawa secured the least of the allocation.

Read more here >> https://newsrand.com/2021/09/13/vat-in-nigeria-see-what-lagos-kano-other-states-collected-from-faac/

The Nigeria Jubilee Fellows Programme (NJFP) 2021 is the latest empowerment programme by the federal government. It is a follow-up to N-Power, a scheme set up to increase social development in Nigeria.

As reported on Newsrand, just recently President Muhammadu Buhari floated NJFP 2021 for members of the public to apply.

There have been questions regarding the eligibility of N-power beneficiaries for the NJFP 2021 programme.

Newsrand understands that in view of the effectiveness of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS) under Buhari’s watch, it may not be possible for N-power beneficiaries to be accepted for the NJFP fellowship.

The IPPIS, which was floated to check ghost workers and corruption in the civil service, may disallow one from receiving payment under NJFP 2021 and N-power at the same time.

Read more >>> https://newsrand.com/2021/09/09/njfp-2021-are-n-power-beneficiaries-eligible/

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Popular singer 2Baba has finally broken his silence six days after wife Annie Idibia called him out and accused him of infidelity.

As reported on Newsrand, Annie revealed that 2Baba and one of his babymamas Pero, passed a night together.

The mother of two also disclosed that 2Baba and his family members were never in her interest.

According to her, the singer’s family members were always up against her as she said they never liked her.

Addressing the controversies that trailed Annie’s social media rant, the father of seven took to his social media pages, and admit that his family issues should not have made their way to the internet.

While maintaining that he won’t watch people have a free for all battle in the name of solidarity or love, 2Baba urged his family members and that of his wife to respect his privacy and that of his children.

Read more >>> https://newsrand.com/2021/09/08/2baba-breaks-silence-on-wife-annie-idibias-infidelity-claims/

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