Category: 📈Trends

The chess master aiming to break a Guinness World Record, Tunde Onakoya suffers a health setback during his marathon but refuses to give up.

The New York-based non-profit organization, Gift of Chess revealed that Tunde endured severe vomiting and stomach pain during his ongoing marathon but remained determined not to give up on Thursday.

Onakoya, alongside his United States counterpart Shawn Martinez, is striving to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon at New York City’s renowned Times Square, with the event set to conclude on Friday, April 19.

Despite concerns about his health, they initially believed he might not continue the record-breaking endeavour, but Tunde Onakoya proved relentless in his determination.

Gift of Chess reported this in a post via the X platform while urging his supporters not to give up on him.

“That’s @Tunde_OD curled over in pain. Yesterday we did not think we could continue, as he was experiencing intense vomiting & stomach pain.

When given the choice to quit, he said I will play on for the dreams of millions of children.

Tunde has never quit on the kids, let’s not quit on him. Everyone who has liked a photo we ask you now to donate. $5 dollars is way more than enough.”

Nigerian Wema Bank has launched the fifth edition of its flagship youth and startup-focused tech competition, Hackaholics.

The launch of the competition was announced at a press conference held at the bank’s Head Office in Lagos on Thursday.

Hackaholics is an annual tech and innovation competition birthed by Wema Bank in 2019 to provide a platform for young Nigerians with tech-driven ideas to bring their ideas to life, scale their ventures and access a wider market for these tech-enabled solutions.

The fifth edition of the competition is themed ‘Meta-Idea: DigiTech Solutions for Africa’s Prosperity.’

The bank has pledged a total cash prize of over N70m for top innovators across Africa.

Reaffirming the bank’s commitment to championing innovation and empowering innovators, Wema Bank’s Executive Director of Retail and Digital Business, Tunde Mabawonku, emphasised the role of Hackaholics in bridging the gaps in Africa’s macroeconomic landscape through innovation.

He said, “Our mission as a bank is very clear, ‘Empowering Lives Through Innovation’ and this is the exact purpose behind Hackaholics. Within the bank, we have transformed the status quo and redefined the standards with cutting-edge solutions and technology, hence our position as Nigeria’s most innovative bank, but we didn’t end there. With Hackaholics, we have taken our innovation drive outside the bank, empowering youth for success and facilitating the development of transformative solutions tailored to the needs of diverse Nigerians and even the African populace.

“By embracing innovation, fostering a culture of collaboration, and prioritising customer-centricity, we have and will continue to transform and position Wema Bank as a digital leader, in action, products and services. Our aspirations are not merely about implementing new technologies; they are about fundamentally transforming how we operate.”

He added, “Hackaholics aligns with the sustainability vision of the bank of developing digital solutions for societal impact. Over the years, we have been privileged to not only peek into some very insightful ideas, life-changing products and companies that have been created via this platform but also drive sustainable growth in every vertical of the Nigerian economy. This year, we aspire to expand into Pan-African frontiers, taking the magic from the Hackaholics train beyond Nigeria.”

Providing details of Hackaholics 5.0, Wema Bank’s Head of Innovation, Solomon Ayodele added, “The theme for this year is anchored on two principal factors, the Meta Idea and African Prosperity. We are challenging the youth to develop extraordinary ideas that will proffer practical solutions to our local problems as Africans. This year, we are widening our scope across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria, and we are also touching Africa. As you may know, we launched the Hackaholics Digital Summit last year, culminating the Hackaholics 4.0 journey in grand style. This year, you’re going to experience the Coachella of the tech industry at our Hackaholics 5.0 grand finale tech festival, and the journey begins today.”

For this year’s Hackaholics, we are not limiting entries to any specific verticals. Any verticals you can think of will be accepted. Our focus for Hackaholics 5.0 is the brilliance of your mind so we leave it to you to discover a problem area that matters and develop an innovative solution that will drive a positive impact. Our goal is to birth solutions that address diverse aspects of real-world challenges, and you have the opportunity to be a part of this transformative journey.”

Man set himself on fire Friday outside the court where Donald Trump is standing trial in Manhattan, with officers rushing to extinguish the flames.

Burning clothes were strewn in the park, which was locked down by authorities, while ambulances lined up nearby on standby, an AFP correspondent at the scene saw, describing a strong smell of burning chemicals.

The scene unfolded moments after the full panel of 12 jurors and six alternates was selected for the trial of the former president in a hush money cover-up case.

“A male did light himself on fire outside of the Supreme Courthouse. We’re still gathering details from the field,” said a New York Police Department spokesman.

The fire department did not respond to a request for comment, but media reported the man had been taken away for medical treatment.

The incident happened in a park opposite the 100 Centre Street courthouse, which has been used by authorities to corral protesters, both pro-Trump and anti-Trump, as well as by some members of the media.

The park, which is close to several courthouses and other buildings, is a popular local lunch spot.

Trump’s criminal trial, the first of a former president, is being conducted amid tight security in a 15th-floor courtroom swarming with Secret Service officers as well as court police.

New York’s police department had promised a major deployment to ensure the trial passes off safely, with the force’s head of intelligence John Hart calling it a “major challenge.”

AFP

A human rights lawyer, Deji Ajare, has urged the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Umar Yusuf, to begin impeachment proceedings against the Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, over allegations of misconduct and abuse of office.

Ajare made the call in a letter addressed to the speaker, through the clerk of the House on Friday.

According to him, the use of the governor’s motorcade to ferry away the embattled former governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, amounted to the harbouring of a fugitive, obstruction of justice, and the misuse of state resources.

The PUNCH reported that the Governor had whisked away his predecessor at about 4:20 pm on Wednesday, after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission besieged the latter’s Abuja residence, to arrest him in connection with an N80.2bn money laundering case.

The Federal Government FG on Thursday put the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello,  on its watchlist to prevent him from escaping from the country.

The Nigerian Immigration Service, in a circular dated April 18, 2024 and signed by Assistant Comptroller of Immigration DS Umar, for the Comptroller-General, Kemi Nandap, alerted the police and the Department of State Services to effect the former governor’s arrest.

This came hours after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission declared Bello wanted in connection to an alleged case of money laundering to the tune of N80.2bn.The EFCC declared Bello wanted on its official Facebook page after failed attempts to arrest him on Wednesday in Abuja.

Also, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) and Abdulwahab Mohammed (SAN), Bello, on Thursday, disagreed over the foiled attempt by the EFCC  to arrest the former governor.

But the NIS, in its circular, copies of which were sent to the DSS and the police,   detailed the name, nationality and passport number of the former Governor (B50083321).

The circular sighted by The PUNCH,  was signed by Assistant Comptroller of Immigration DS Umar, for the Comptroller-General, Kemi Nandap.

Nanadap stated,  “I am directed to inform you that the above-named person has been placed on the watch list.

“Suffice to mention that the subject is being prosecuted before the Federal High Court Abuja for Conspiracy, Breach of Trust and Money Laundering vide letter Ref; CR; 3000/EFCC/LS/EGCS.1/ TE/Vide/1/279 dated April 18, 2024.

“If seen at any entry or exit point, he should be arrested and referred to the Director of Investigation or contact 08036226329/07039617304 for further action.”

Bello declared wanted

On its part, the EFCC in its Facebook post, stated, “The public is hereby notified that Yahaya Adoza Bello (former Governor of Kogi State), whose photograph appears above, is wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in connection with an alleged case of Money Laundering to the tune of N80,246,470,089.88

“Bello, a 48-year-old Ebira man, is a native of the Okenne Local Government of Kogi State. His last known address is: 9, Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.”

The notice asked anybody with useful information about the former governor’s whereabouts to contact any of the commission’s offices across the country.

The latest development followed Bello’s absence from the Federal High Court in Abuja, where he was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday.

Bello’s altercation with the EFCC began on Wednesday when the operatives of the anti-graft commission laid siege to his Benghazi street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja residence in a bid to arrest him ahead of his planned arraignment for money laundering on Thursday.

The EFCC operatives barricaded the street, preventing vehicular traffic in the area.

But the ex-governor refused to grant the operatives access to his residence or give himself up, leading to a stand-off which lasted for several hours.

Amidst the tense situation, the governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo, drove to his predecessor’s compound with heavy security operatives.

About two hours later, he drove away with Bello in his car, thus helping him to evade arrest.

About 10 minutes after the governor and Bello left, the EFCC operatives retreated and went back to their office empty-handed.

Miffed by the development, the EFCC in a statement warned that it would no longer condone the obstruction of its operatives in the course of their duties.

In a Wednesday statement signed by the spokesperson for the EFCC, Dele Oyewale, the commission said, “The EFCC wishes to warn members of the public that it is a criminal offence to obstruct officers of the commission from carrying out their lawful duties.”

While quoting the provisions of the law, Oyewale noted that culprits were liable to a jail term of not less than five years.

In his reaction to Bello’s refusal to surrender to the EFCC, the AGF condemned in strong terms the trend where citizens ganged up to obstruct officials of the EFCC while on lawful duty.

The AGF in a statement described the situation as bizarre, saying it would not be tolerated.

Fagbemi said, “The bizarre drama confronting the EFCC in the course of its efforts to perform its statutory duty has come to my notice as a matter of very grave concern.

“It is now beyond doubt that the EFCC is given power by the law to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigation into any matter regardless of status.

“Therefore, the least that we can all do when invited, is not to put any obstruction in the way of the EFCC but to honourably answer their invitation.

“A situation where public officials who are themselves subject to protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is, to say the least, insufferably disquieting.”

The AGF maintained that he would not hesitate to rein in any law enforcement agency violating the citizens’ fundamental human rights.

Warning Bello against his flight from the law, Fagbemi noted, “A flight from the law does not resolve issues at stake but only exacerbates it.

‘’I state unequivocally that I stand for the rule of law and will promptly caution the EFCC and indeed any other agency when there is an indication of any transgression of the fundamental rights of any Nigerian by any of the agencies but I also tenaciously hold the view that institutions of State should be allowed to function effectively and efficiently.”

But defending his client’s action, Mohammed explained that the ex-governor had on February 9 secured an order from a Kogi State High Court, restraining the EFCC from inviting, arresting or prosecuting him over the subject matter of the instant charge against him.

He added that the EFCC had appealed against the order which was still pending.

Addressing Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who was meant to preside over the money laundering charge slammed against the ex-governor during the proceeding on Thursday, the ex-governor’s lawyer,  Mohammed, said his client had already filed a preliminary objection to challenge the legal propriety of his planned arraignment and trial.

The arraignment of the ex-governor could not go on as he did not show up in court.

Bello’s lawyer

Addressing the court, Bello’s lawyer said, “What they are trying to do is to bring this court in collision with the Court of Appeal by rushing to this court to obtain an ex parte warrant of arrest for someone that is already a defendant.

“Our position is that this court has no jurisdiction to do any other thing than to take our motion challenging its jurisdiction to entertain this charge.

“What happened at Zone 4 Abuja yesterday (Wednesday), where they laid siege to the house of the former governor while he was in Lokoja waiting for judgment in his fundamental right enforcement suit, was unfortunate.

“A bloodbath was avoided. You don’t issue a warrant against a defendant who is already before the court and who has also briefed lawyers to defend him.

“They wanted the Court of Appeal to vacate the restraining order but the Appeal Court refused.”

Nwite adjourned the matter till April 23, 2024.

Meanwhile, some civil society organisations have advised the EFCC not to desecrate the courts in the course of carrying out its constitutional role of fighting corruption.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the CSOs and human rights crusaders cautioned the EFCC and other anti-graft agencies against trampling on the rights of supposed suspects of corruption to avoid breaking a law to enforce another law.

The media briefing was attended by the Executive Chairman, the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran; Sina Loremikan, (Campaign Against Impunity); Declan Ihekhaire, (Activists for Good Governance); Gbenga Soloki, CADOV; Ochiaga Ohaneze, (Ohaneze Youth Council); Funmi Jolade, (Women Democratic Vanguard); Kola Abe, (Centre for Socioeconomic Rights); Ologun Ayodeji, (Transparency and Accountability Group); Femi Lawson, (Centre for Public Accountability) and Gbenga Ganzallo (Media Rights Campaign) and others.

The activists noted specifically that the public face-off between the EFCC and the ex-Kogi state governor was “both unnecessary and unfortunate.”

Adeniran argued that the rush by the EFCC to make an arrest when the Court of Appeal hearing on its application to vacate the restraining order was just in a few days might lend credence to the allegations of political persecution.

“Mr Olukoyede (EFCC chairman) is my friend. But if he begins to trample on the rule of law, then that’s the terminal point of our friendship,” Adeniran said.

Speaking further, he said, “We do not consider Yahaya Bello a saint, but even the devil deserves his rights under the law. Court documents at our disposal show that the former governor had obtained a high court restraining order against the EFCC not to arrest or prosecute him pending the determination of a case of the enforcement of his fundamental human rights, which the commission has rightfully appealed with the intention of vacating it

“The commission has done very well up to this point following the due processes of law because without vacating that order, it cannot proceed with arresting the suspect.’’

Citing court documents, the activists pointed out that a hearing on the appeal has been slated for April 22 in Abuja.

‘’However, suddenly yesterday (Wednesday) the news of the foiled arrest of the former governor by the commission went viral. One would have expected the commission to wait for the determination of its own appeal before going after the suspect.

“We think it is an abuse of court processes to ignore a court order still on appeal at the instance of the commission and to obtain a warrant of arrest from another court on the same suspect,’’ he asserted.

The CSOs noted that the EFCC’s action on Wednesday was “tantamount to the agency pre-empting the outcome of its appeal and also violating a subsisting and valid court order to pause action pending the determination of the case before it.”

“Our layman’s understanding is that a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot assume superiority over another,” they further noted.

Gbenga Soloki of the Centre Against Injustice and Domestic Violence, said civil societies in Nigeria would protest vehemently against any attempt to use the military to arrest an individual who had not been accused of treason.

“It is extremely disappointing to hear this afternoon that EFCC is threatening to involve the military in their desperation to forcefully or violently arrest an individual who has not been alleged of treason.

“Should that happen, we will be a laughing stock globally. Civil society will be active in protesting against such an unforgivable infraction on our democracy should it happen as threatened. It should better not happen,” he warned.

The CSOs urged the EFCC to fight, prevent and prosecute corruption cases strictly within the ambit of the law set up to regulate the interaction between them and corruption suspects.

They noted that laws, including the Nigerian criminal justice system regulations and court processes, were meant to be obeyed non-selectively by both state and non-state actors.

The CSOs recalled that when the Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, came on board last year, one of his promises was to operate strictly within the rule of law.

“For those who are likely to misinterpret this intervention as it is their regular trademark, this goes beyond Yahaya Bello. Injustice to anyone should not be allowed to stand because it may be your turn tomorrow,” they noted.

The activists, therefore, urged the EFCC to revert to the status quo pending the determination of its appeal and a vacation of the restraining order placed on it, saying “That is the way and dictate of the law.”

The Federal Government FG on Thursday initiated sporadic enforcement raids at multiple supermarkets and markets within the Federal Capital Territory to ensure adherence to price display and quantity regulations, aiming to reduce the cost of food commodities nationwide.

It also said it would continue unannounced inspections at super and open markets in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Ibadan in the coming weeks to probe the abnormal price surges and take firm measures against any companies caught engaging in unfair market practices like price manipulation, excessive pricing, or cartel formation.

The Executive Secretary of The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, Dr. Adamu Abdullahi, said this when he conducted an enforcement exercise to eliminate grocery store price gouging and illegal pricing schemes.

During the exercise that lasted several hours, the FCCPC sealed 4U Supermarket and evacuated 33 bags of fake stallion and caprice rice filled with weevils from one of the branches of the same supermarket located at 58 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II.

Earlier on Wednesday, the commission had ordered its operatives to intensify monitoring of both formal and informal markets to identify businesses engaged in unnecessary inflation of prices for required enforcement action.

This move is a direct response to concerns raised by consumers about the rising costs of goods, which go against the recent strengthening of the naira.

Food inflation has been a recurring issue influencing the steady increase of Nigeria’s headline inflation of 33.2 per cent, recording an unprecedented food inflation rate of 40 per cent in March 2024.

It was exacerbated by the extensive fall of the naira against the dollar in January and February leading to the soaring prices of essential goods and services, raising the costs of living costs to an all-time high.

Although the presidency had vowed to continue its campaign against racketeers, urging Nigerians to expect a stronger naira, a significant drop in the prices of essential commodities was elusive.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, told The PUNCH that the president had directed consumer protection agencies to ensure that the local prices reflect the rising value of the naira.

“But there is still much work to be done and this is not a time for celebration. It is a time for doubling down and working harder to ensure that inflation is sustainably brought down in short order.

“Consumer protecting regulatory agencies must step up enforcement to ensure that our people are not short-changed by enterprises that fail to reflect the prevailing exchange rates on the pricing of goods and services across the board.

“As our private and publicly-owned refineries resume operations between now and the first quarter of 2025, the nation’s cash position will dramatically improve to the extent that Nigerians can rightly expect a stronger Naira and a fair reflection of its strength in the prices of commodities in the market place,” said Ngelale.

The Presidency also assured Nigerians of the better days ahead saying the benefits of the reforms will be “more evident” as the administration progresses.

“Once you join the rising spending power of Africa’s largest population with the historic availability of trillions of naira for consumer credit that will bolster the real sector, you will see why Nigerians will be most pleased that they elected a financial engineer and businessman as president by the end of his first term in office, even as the signs are increasingly more evident today,” the Presidential spokesman stated.

Responding to the charge, the FCCPC boss in an interview with PUNCH Online stated that the commission was deeply concerned and that the practices of the supermarket were injurious to the consumers despite a stronger naira and reduced cost of production.

He said it was specifically uncovered that a supermarket, 4U, was selling rice from Stallion and Caprice, although these companies ceased rice production in August 2022.

It was also discovered that the prices of some products on the shelf were different from the prices at the selling point, while some products had no price tag at all.

Abdullahi further explained that necessary sanctions would be meted out to culpable persons after investigations.

On February 16, FCCPC sealed Sahad Stores, a supermarket located in the Garki area of Abuja for engaging in “misleading pricing and lack of transparency in pricing.”

He said, “This exercise is in continuation of our efforts to ensure that prices in the market reflect what is displayed. Nowadays we have found out that there is a lot of pretence in what’s happening especially for markets around the major cities in the country.

“You have seen what we have done earlier with other supermarkets and sealing them but despite these efforts, some supermarkets still engage in this practice. You go to a shelf, and the product displayed is different from what appears when you come to pay at the counter.

“That is not acceptable because you have frisking consumers, and some of the items don’t have price tags attached to them at all. So, you are at the mercy of whoever is operating the counter. You can input whatever price you want there, and that’s not acceptable.

“In addition, we found out another thing that baffles us. Nobody knows that stallion group which has been comatose for a very long time is still in the market. What’s happening is that some people bag their local rice in the pretence that it is the same stallion or kappa that people are used to that people are buying, which is wrong. You are still frisking consumers, you’re collecting from them what is not due because what you pretend to be selling is not what you’re selling and that is bad.

“Essentially, we are evacuating all the rice and they would come to explain to us how they got that rice and we would get to the root of it, we would take necessary sanctions as appropriate with the Act establishing FCCPC.”

A cursory look at the 2018 Act (section 69) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection stated that any person or company found culpable will pay a fine of N50m or 10 per cent of its annual turnover.

Section 69 read, “A person who violates any of the provisions of this part commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding N50m. A Body corporate that violates any of the provisions of this part commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding 10 per cent of the turnover of the Body corporate in the business year preceding the date of the commission of the offence.”

Continuing, the FCCPC boss announced plans to introduce a price tracker to put an end to the extortion of Nigerian consumers by major supermarkets in the country.

According to him, the Commission has also concluded arrangements to raid some open major markets in the country beginning from the FCT this Friday to checkmate the arbitrary increase in prices of consumables by some traders through their Market Unions and Associations.

“We can’t go to the all supermarkets at the same time due to our staff strength. We will be going to other general markets from tomorrow (Friday) and you will see us in the open market what we want to do is find out what associations are doing about it.

“Cartels are not allowed in our law and we will make sure that food and commodity prices come down in this country this is part of the effort to ensure both formal and formal markets comply with the rules of engagement. The dollar has come down and prices of goods must also come down.

“Yes, this is happening in Abuja in the meantime but the last time we carried out the operation in Port-Harcourt and Lagos. This time around, Kano is on our radar. We would go to Kano, Port-Harcourt again, Lagos, Ibadan, and Kaduna and these are places that we have to check out first and other states would follow.

“There is going to be what we call a price tracker and it will be domiciled with the Bank of Industry and it will take off at the beginning of next week. In that way, we can track the prices of commodities across the country and whenever there is any hike in products we would find out why and if it is not worth it, we would know that there is hanky panky and we can stop it fast,” Abdullahi added.

In an interview with newsmen after the raid, the General Manager of the Supermarket, Yunusa Yusuf, who took responsibility for the fake foreign rice promised to expose the suppliers.

Yusuf, however, pledged to henceforth abide by FCCPC regulations on consumer rights to avoid future occurrences.