₦airaland Forum

Early June 2020, Commissioner Gbolahan Lawal of Lagos State was installed as the latest King (Oba) of the Oniru Royal Family (Read Here: How Did Gbolahan Lawal Become Oba Oniru?). Since becoming Oba, Lawal’s throne has been fraught with expected protests. Fiery protests are emerging from the Abisogun ruling house led by Alhaji Surajudeen Durosinmi. Durosinmi and members of the ruling house protested fiercely at Igbosere High Court on June 8th 2020. Additionally, they have appealed to President Buhari to intervene as they believe Lawal has no current rights to the throne. Read below quotes from the Abisogun ruling house.

Statements From Abisogun Ruling House of Oniru Royal Family Protesting Against Oba Lawal:

“We reject Lawal and see it not only as a brazen desecration of tradition but also a suppression of the clear extant laws of the land in respect of the procedures for choosing a new king.”

“For the record, the imposed Lawal was not even in contention as he is only connected to the Oniru Royal House through his mother side, by which he is forbidden by tradition to even seek election to the throne in the first place.”

“Since the demise of Oba ldowu Oniru, we have noticed a handful of strong arm tactics by unscrupulous elements to hijack the Oniru stool for personal and political gains. As elders of the Abisogun family, we were approached and cajoled with money and other material trappings by these elements to waive our right to the throne as if the stool of Oniru was for the highest bidder.”

“We call the attention of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to the fact that this imposition is an illegality that will not stand and one that shall be resisted and fought by ever lawful means. We are also saddened that the pursuit of truth, the dispensation of justice and the rectification of injustice have all left the citadel of integrity that government should represent. We call on the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to retract this brazen injustice. This is injustice, to take advantage of the lockdown of COVID-19 to install a stranger. There is a courtcase ongoing with suit number is LD/6681/JCMW/ 2020 before Justice Owolabi Dabiri of Lagos State High Court, Igbosere.”

https://olatorera.com/oniru-royal-family-abisogun-rulers-reject-gbolahan-lawal-as-oba-oniru/

Agriculture is an integral part of the Nigerian economy and clearly, holds the key to future economic growth and development. Although starting-up can be rough owing to the issues of capital and profitability, the best part of agribusiness is that as long as people are eating there is room for possibilities. These Top 5 Most promising Agriculture Companies in Nigeria have not only ventured into the road least traveled but have crossed the threshold of profitability and are on their way to economic impact.

Simply Green
Simply Green Juices is Nigeria’s first farm-to-bottle, organic, cold-pressed juice company. The company owns a farm situated in Oyo state where it produces all the fruits and vegetables used in its various juices. The CEO of Simply Green, Sola Ladoja, was motivated to start-up the company after he noticed that the green Juice he took as regularly in New York was unavailable on his return to Nigeria. More importantly, the agriculture entrepreneur stated that the company’s purpose is to reduce the importation of fruits and vegetables into Nigeria, since most of them can be grown locally. The company was started with N250,000 (US$700) in 2014 and the business has now grown into millions of naira.

Honeysuckles PTL Ventures
Founded by Cynthia Mosunmola Umoru, Honeysuckles PTL Ventures started out with the aim of selling processed agricultural produce to food retail chains and restaurants. However, the agropreneur encountered hindrances mainly inadequate supply and low quality of such food items. These hindrances led her to start her own farm and food supply chain. Today, Honeysuckles produces high quality food products that are well packaged from its own farms and ponds. The HoneySuckles CEO  is currently devoted to training and mentoring young Nigerians who want to venture into agricultural food production.

Kerekusk Rice
Lagos-born-and-bred Rotimi Williams ventured into Nasarawa state and brought forth Kerekusk Rice. Thanks to a partnership with his host community, which provided him with 45,000 hectares of land,  Kerekusk Rice is the second-largest rice farm in Nigeria.The company produces about 8,000 metric tons a year, Kereksuk has plans to expand production and contribute its own quota to reduce the weight on the economy to keep importing rice.

Mebo Farms
Mebo farms is an indigenous agricultural trading arm of Adrena Media which is involved in the export of a gamut of product such as Maize, Sorghum, Sesame Seeds, Cashew Nuts, Millet, Soya Beans, Palm Kernel Seeds, Molasses, Bran Wheat Offal, Cavendish Banana, Coin Product e.t.c Situation in Abuja, the farm has the capacity to store and supply capacity of over 15,000 Metric Tonnes of agricultural commodities, in-house technical team, experienced agronomic, quick transport / logistics company and a stand-by warehouse capacity of 100,000 bags of commodities.

Ladi Integrated Farms
Ladi Integrated Farms is an agro farm situated in Akure, Ondo state. It produces Vegetables, watermelon,tomatoes etc in commercial quantities for local and international consumption. The farm prides itself in being organic and providing the freshest produce.

https://olatorera.com/top-5-most-promising-agriculture-companies-in-nigeria/

If politics is a game of chess, then some are to be named grandmasters. One of such people is the former minister for petroleum resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke who fled Nigeria for the U.K as soon as Jonathan lost the 2015 election to Muhammadu Buhari. The recent discovery of her appointment as the Trade and Investment Commissioner of the Dominican Republic has taken the Intelligence community and the Nigerian press by storm.

Diezani, who is still on trial for corruption in Nigeria, reportedly lobbied to become Trade and Investment Commissioner of the Dominican Republic. It is believed that this move was made before she left office on the 28th of May 2015. The Prime Minister of the Island country, Roosevelt Kerry approved not just her appointment but her citizenship of the country and she secured a diplomatic passport from the government to seal the deal. Using her British Citizenship and unconfirmed reports of cancer treatment in the UK, EFCC sources believe that she was able to buy more time and evade arrest/extradition before her successful diplomatic appointment.

EFCC Operatives report that with the diplomatic passport, she is immune to arrest by any law enforcement agency, including the Interpol. Moreso, the documents contain a restraining order which demands that the bearer is allowed to pass freely without let or hindrance and afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary by the authority of the President of the Commonwealth of Dominica requests in the Name of the Government of Dominica.

Among other acts of corruption, the former minister has been accused of fraudulent ownership of 76 luxurious property worth about N23 billion in choice areas of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt. She is also charged with 14 counts bordering on theft and concealment to the tune of $153 million filed against her by the EFCC. Furthermore, raids on some of her homes in Nigeria have revealed gold jewellery and wristwatches worth millions of dollars.

https://olatorera.com/how-did-diezani-allison-madueke-become-a-commissioner-in-dominican-republic/

The rich are getting richer and the exclusive group of the super-rich are even richer than they were two months ago. From the wealthiest people on Forbes’ list of world billionaires, twenty-five have gained a whopping $255 billion more in their fortune than when the U.S. stock market hit a mid-pandemic low on March 23. This stands to say that not a singlet Top 25 Fortune has fallen since March 23. These 25 billionaires altogether are worth nearly $1.5 trillion, which is about 16% of the total wealth held by the world’s billionaires. Of these 25, here are the top 4 billionaires with growing fortunes amidst Covid-19.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the biggest dollar gainer among this rare group. Facebook shares rose by nearly 60% over the past two months, reaching a record high on Friday May 22. Zuckerberg, now worth $86.5 billion, has progressed from no. 7 to become the fourth-richest person in the world. The 36-year-old tech-preneur is now richer than Warren Buffett, Inditex founder Amancio Ortega and Oracle cofounder Larry Ellison.

The richest man in the world, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos is the second-largest gainer in dollar terms. Shares of the e-commerce giant have skyrocketed amid increased demand since coronavirus disrupted physical retailers. Amazon stock is up 29% since March 23. Thus, making Bezos worth $146.9 billion, up $30 billion and 26% since March 23.

The biggest percentage gainer is founder of China’s second largest online marketplace behind Alibaba. Colin Zheng Huang, 40-year-old founder and CEO of Pinduoduo is now China’s third-richest person. With his recent addition of $17.9 billion to his fortunes, making him worth $35.6 billion.

Another notable gainer: Mukesh Ambani, who became Asia’s richest person after his $5.7 billion investment partnership with Facebook. The company, Reliance Jio, has since raised a lot more capital including $1.5 billion from private equity giant KKR, $750 million from investment firm Silver Lake and even, $10 billion of fresh capital in less than one month. Ambani is now worth $52.7 billion, up nearly $20 billion to his fortunes since the market crisis.

https://olatorera.com/top-4-billionaires-with-growing-fortunes-amidst-covid-19/

Buhari has withdrawn the candidacy of Yonov Frederick Agah, Nigeria’s permanent representative to the World Trade Organisation and World Trade Organisation’s Deputy Director-General. Thus, the presidency has resolved for Agah to be replaced by the prolific Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Okonjo-Iweala served as minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy under Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.

Roberto Azevedo stepped down from the DG position a year before the end of his second term, in the wake of the global financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The election for the office of Director-General of the World Trade Organisation will be held in Geneva, Switzerland in 2021. The winner will head the Organisation for a four-year tenure running from 2021 to 2025.

Due to her remarkable career in global economics and finance, Okonjo-Iweala has recently been on the receiving end of several appointments and responsibilities across borders. The former minister currently chairs the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), a public-private global health partnership to increase access to immunisation in poor countries.

She is also a board member of Twitter and a former Managing Director (operations) of the World Bank.

On March 7, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa appointed her a member of the country’s economic advisory council. A month after, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva, appointed Okonjo-Iweala as a member of the fund’s external advisory group. Furthermore, she was one of four special envoys appointed by the African Union (AU) to mobilise international support for its coronavirus response effort.

https://olatorera.com/president-buhari-approves-okonjo-iweala-nomination-for-wto-head/

It was extremely disheartening and unbelievable that murderer derek chauvin was not immediately arrested for murdering George Floyd. A clear daylight murder, caught on tape, lasting several minutes and causing a storm of outrage across America and the world. Such a barbaric incident calls for every human being with a voice to speak out and for every human being, voiceless or not, to never tolerate injustice. Influencers must not only verbally demand justice, they must work to ensure justice.


Top 10 Influencers Speaking Up Against Racism and The Unfortunate Death of George Floyd:
1. Colin Kaepernick “When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction. The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back! Rest in power George Floyd.”

2. Ava Duvernay “You deserved your breath, your dignity, your life. Not to die in the street, murdered by a white cop’s knee on your neck. You deserve our tears, our prayers, our rage, our action. We must act – for you – and for all of those [where] no cameras are present. We must.”

3.Cardi B “Enough is Enough! What will it take? A CIVIL WAR? … Seeing people looting and growing extremely outraged, it makes me like, yes, finally, finally motherfuc*ers are going to hear us now.”

4. John Boyega “This just burns. Seems to be a never ending cycle. The murderers need to be charged severely. Even in the face of death this man was given zero empathy.”

5. Taylor Swift “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence? ‘When the looting starts the shooting starts’ “We will vote you out in November.“

6. Don Lemon “I kept saying, as I’m watching this, ‘is this some sort of a joke?’ How much more video do they need? … People are sick of it!”

7. Justin Beiber “THIS MUST STOP. This makes me absolutely sick. This makes me angry this man DIED. This makes me sad. Racism is evil We need to use our voice! Please people. I’m sorry GEORGE FLOYD.

8. Dorothy Tucker “It is unfathomable and upsetting to witness this structural racism in real time. We are closely monitoring this situation.”

9. Chance The Rapper “Swift dramatic change only comes via revolution.”

10. Barack Obama “This shouldn’t be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can’t be normal.”

Push Your Dreams
“Push Your Dreams” is an Electronic Non-Fiction Book of inspiring and powerful educational extracts authored by Olatorera Oniru. “Push Your Dreams” has 365 pages filled with powerful sparks to help you grow fast into an influential master of business and life. Available now on Olatorera.com and on Amazon.com.

About Olatorera Consultancy (OC):

Olatorera Consultancy is a modernistic venture combining deeply-rooted knowledge on Africa’s culture and challenges plus close relationships with topmost leaders to promote development. We provide consultancy, business development and advisory services to notable companies and high net-worth individuals.

https://olatorera.com/top-10-influencers-who-have-spoken-up-loudly-against-racism-wickedness-and-hate-in-justice-for-george-floyd-kaepernick-lemon-obama-clinton-beiber/

You outraged over a billion people when you murdered George Floyd, Derek Chauvin. You heartlessly murdered an unarmed, handcuffed man who was pleading desperately for his life. This warrants no further investigation. You are a criminal murderer and the world would accept nothing less than the death penalty as justice for our powerful George Floyd. His death has awoken a necessary mandate for human equality worldwide.

George Floyd may be gone but you empowered him into a symbol for justice and zero tolerance for racism moving forward. 3rd degree murder charge unacceptable. Protesters are demanding nothing less than the obvious charge of 1st degree murder. Rest in heavenly power, George Floyd. The power in your passing will vibrate worldwide for centuries ahead.

Push Your Dreams[/size]
“Push Your Dreams” is an Electronic Non-Fiction Book of inspiring and powerful educational extracts authored by Olatorera Oniru. “Push Your Dreams” has 365 pages filled with powerful sparks to help you grow fast into an influential master of business and life. Available now on Olatorera.com and on Amazon.com.

[size=8pt]About Olatorera Consultancy (OC):

Olatorera Consultancy is a modernistic venture combining deeply-rooted knowledge on Africa’s culture and challenges plus close relationships with topmost leaders to promote development. We provide consultancy, business development and advisory services to notable companies and high net-worth individuals.

https://olatorera.com/global-outrage-ignites-war-against-derek-chauvin-injustice-hate-and-racism-in-justice-for-george-floyd/

Every industry in the world has been somewhat affected by covid-19 in 2020. The top 10 industries most affected by coronavirus/covid-19 have dived, swam or jumped through the pandemic in terms of financial and economic impact.

Positively affected industries with financial gains in green are top 5 and negatively affected industries with financial losses in red are bottom 5.
1. Pharmaceuticals – Johnson and Johnson recently announced their plan to produce over 1 billion vaccines to combat covid-19. The industry is considered one of the most essential in combating the pandemic.
2. E-commerce & Digital Services – only the biggest e-commerce, digital media, food delivery and social media companies will positively grow during the pandemic i.e. Amazon, Google, UberEats, Instagram and Paypal.
3. Healthcare – Most of the healthcare industry has remained open and profitable through covid-19 as many fight to save lives and protect people from covid-19 and other illnesses.
4. Manufacturing – Mostly of essential products such as food and healthcare supplies, manufacturing industries have remained open and profitable through covid-19.
5. Insurance – The biggest insurance companies pre-pare and pre-insure themselves against major events such as pandemics. Losses to the insurance sector is projected to be minimal especially in relations to the 4 essential industries listed above.

INDUSTRIES WITH DECLINE
6. Banking & Finance – Loan defaults, currency devaluations, interest rate pressures and falling equity markets will negatively affect the balance sheet of many financial institutions.
7. Oil & Gas – Oil & Gas investments are significantly low as oil prices hit a historic negative in April 2020. As demand for oil dried up during the lockdown, US oil prices dropped below zero at negative $37.63 a barrel. Oil & Gas prices are expected to rebound as economies open up again.
8. Travel – The industry at the center of the global spread of the virus has been highly impacted by the downturn of events surrounding the virus. International non-essential travel came to a halt in many parts of the world. Over 60% of airlines are at risk of bankruptcy without government bailout.
9. Retail & Wholesale Trade – Non-essential trade has been at a stand still with hundreds of highly notable companies at risk of bankruptcy. Neiman Marcus, JC Penney, J Crew and other big brands filed for brankruptcy in Q2 2020.
10. Tourism – From Disney World to Trump Towers, from event centers to nightclubs, from restaurants to casinos, many tourist venues have remained closed with revenues at standstill and net losses accumulating.

https://olatorera.com/top-10-industries-most-affected-by-covid-19-in-2020-top-5-gainers-top-5-losers/

Wealth ethics is the process and manner of finding joy in one’s path to wealth. Most of the world’s most successful people have enjoyed good health, long-life and comfortable wealth by ensuring their career path is fun and worthwhile. Your journey to wealth ought to be fulfilling, enjoyable and meaningful. People who understand wealth ethics grow into financially enriched lives. Wealth ethics is work ethics with fun, joy, happiness and a lot of passion.

3 Mogul Quotes That Very Well Define Wealth Ethics:
“For my father, and now me, the essence of a good work ethic starts with meeting a challenge of self-discovery, of finding something you love to do, so that … even when it’s very difficult and arduous …becomes joyful. Maybe even sacred.” – Peter Buffet, Son of Billionaire Warren Buffet
“Have fun. The game is a lot more enjoyable when you’re trying to do more than just make money.” – Tony Hsieh, Founder of Zappos.com
“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.” – Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin

https://olatorera.com/what-does-wealth-ethics-mean/

According to the World Health Organisation, the chances of dying from a coronavirus infection are 4% globally. In light of this, several factors determine the category of people that fall under said 4%. Basically, the general health of the infected person and their access to medical care are most important in determining those who live or die. However, 3 major factors also determine those most likely to die from the coronavirus.

Men
It has become increasingly apparent that Covid-19 discriminates by sex. Men are more likely to test positive and more likely to die from the disease. The trend was first seen in China, where one analysis found a fatality rate of 2.8% in men compared with 1.7% in women. Since then, the pattern has been mirrored in France, Germany, Iran, Italy, South Korea and Spain. In Italy, men comprise 71% of deaths and in Spain, data shows twice as many men as women have died. Although the exact cause is unclear, some distinguishing factors have been identified.

Smoking was suggested as a likely explanation. In China, nearly 50% of men but only about 2% of women smoke, and so underlying differences in lung health were assumed to contribute to men suffering worse symptoms and outcomes. A research paper found smokers made up 26% of those who ended up in intensive care or died.

Furthermore, Behavioural factors that differ across genders may also have a role. Some studies have shown that men are less likely to wash their hands, less likely to use soap, less likely to seek medical care and more likely to ignore public health advice. Moreso, previous research has revealed that men have lower innate antiviral immune responses to a range of infections including hepatitis C and HIV. Hormones can also play a role as oestrogen is known to increase antiviral responses of immune cells. And many genes that regulate the immune system are encoded on the X chromosome. Whereas men have one, women have two X chromosomes. Possibly, some genes involved in the immune response are more active in women than in men.

The Elderly
It has been well-publicised that older people are most likely to get infected with Covid-19. They make up the majority of death rates as well. According to current estimates from Imperial College London, the death rate is almost 10 times higher than average for those over 80 and much lower for those under 40. Nevertheless, medical advisors also warn that its age discrimination does not make it a trivial infection for younger people. They emphasize that young people have ended up in intensive care too.

People with previous health conditions
It’s not just age and gender that determines the risk of death. More than 44,000 cases from China were studied in the first major analysis. Deaths were at least five times more common among confirmed cases with diabetes, high blood pressure or heart or breathing problems.

https://olatorera.com/who-is-most-likely-to-die-of-coronavirus/

The Coronavirus is no respecter of borders. As it makes its sensational entry into any country, questions are immediately raised about its potential intensity. According to CNN, experts say that coronavirus could hit African countries the hardest. Moreso, it is anticipated to have graver effects on Africa’s smallest and poorest economies. The question is, why will Africa bear the brunt of the pandemic more than their global counterparts?... www.olatorera.com

The field of Law and legislation is a compelling one. Now, career options in the legal sector are showing strong signs of growth with increasing areas of legal innovation. The earning potentials in the legal sector are tremendous as well, which experts say, make it second only to investment banking. Non-law graduates could pursue a postgraduate degree in law for many reasons; a new job that requires legal knowledge, specialisation or a change in professional direction. Moreso, the increasing number of international agreements, makes legal knowledge a huge asset. Although it is relatively possible to pursue a postgraduate degree in Law, institutions’ admission requirements usually have the final say. These requirements usually demand some experience working with the legal department or a current career that is connected with Law. Therefore, the need to meticulously choose the degree and institution cannot be overemphasized. Firstly, let’s talk about degree options... https://olatorera.com/what-are-the-best-global-options-for-non-law-graduates-who-want-to-study-law/

First ladies across 15 countries of sub-Saharan Africa are coming together to raise awareness for Coronavirus and to alleviate the impact of the deadly disease on the continent. Merck Foundation, a German company, is credited with organizing the initiative. Merck Foundation is the philanthropist arm of Merck Group, a healthcare technology company.

The 15 First Ladies are from the following countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Malawi, Namibia, Niger, Guinea Conakry, Burundi, Central African Republic (C.A.R.), Chad, Zimbabwe, Zambia, The Gambia, Liberia and Congo Brazzaville.

The First Ladies are supporting Merck Foundation’s “Stay At Home” Media Award Competition. Awardees can win a maximum of $500 for a tedious application. It is unsure what other role the first ladies will play.

In the words of a Merck Foundation representative, “This unsettling period due to the coronavirus scare is difficult for everyone – both physically and mentally. While most countries are under complete lockdown or restricted movement, people do not know how to handle this situation. Social Distancing is our Social Responsibility and the only way to kill Coronavirus, however, it will take a lot of courage and discipline to practice it. Taking good care of your mental and physical health is important during this period. So, we decided to initiate these awards in order to reward the journalists who are raising awareness in most effective and creative way on how to keep safe and keep physically & mentally healthy during this phase”.

Culled from www.olatorera.com