XWAYCOMEDY

one dead, two injured in road crash on Lagos-Abeokuta expressway The Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), on Sunday, said that one person died, while two others sustained injuries in a road accident that occurred at Onihale area, near Owode-Ijako, on the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway. Mrs Temitope Oseni, the TRACE Unit Commander, Owode-Ijako, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ota, Ogun, that the accident occurred at about 6.15 am. on Sunday. She explained that a truck, with no registration number, heading to Sango-Ota from Abeokuta, lost control due to tyre burst. Oseni said that the vehicle somersaulted twice, resulting in the death of the motor boy, while the driver and one other sustained injuries. READ ALSO: Auto Accident: One died, nine injured in Anambra Oseni explained that the motor boy was trying to jump out of the vehicle when he hit his head on the road, which resulted in his death. “The corpse of the victim has been taken for burial by the family me...

Brain Drain: Vice-Chancellors, industrialists counsel Nigerian physicians Prof Bomi Ogedengbe, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, LUTH; Dr Abayomi Ajayi, Founder/CEO Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos, Asaba & Abuja, and Mrs. Funmi Babington-Ashaye, MD /CEO, Risk Analyst Insurance Brokers Ltd., Lagos, who are all mentors of the Physicians Mentoring Programme during the formal presentation of the programme weekend in Lagos. By Sola Ogundipe A group of professionals including the Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun; the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, and Nigeria’s first female Minister of Industry and former President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Nike Akande (CON), are mentoring young Nigerian doctors and emerging physicians towards stemming brain drain in the country. They are part of an 8-member group of mentors in a newly launched free Physicians Mentoring Programme designed to r...

Okowa rejects death penalty for hate speech Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, on Sunday, rejected the proposed death penalty clause in the Hate Speech Bill currently before the National Assembly. Okowa, who repudiated the clause during the 2019 General Harvest at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Anglican Communion, Abuja, stressed that the whole world was moving away from capital punishment for an offence. He noted that it would not be right for the country to resort to the death penalty at this time and age. The governor said: “I condemn hate speech in totality but we shouldn’t be moving in that direction. It is not the right path, more so, when people could misjudge the intentions of whosoever is making a speech. READ ALSO: Get closer to citizens, Okowa advises leaders “We may not know who will be the determinant at the end of the day and what will constitute the entirety of the hate speech. “So, you may just find innocent souls dying for nothing and these are souls creat...

Anti-social Media Bill: Senator defends alleged Plagiarism of Singapore Statute  By Henry Umoru  Chairman, Senate Services Committee and sponsor of the Protection from Internet Falsehoods and Manipulations Bill, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, All Progressives Congress, APC, Niger East came out on Sunday to defend very strongly, allegations of plagiarism that have been levelled against him. Senator Sani, sponsor of the bill which is described as anti-social media bill, Senator Sani Musa in a Whatsapp message yesterday explained that the similarity between his draft bill and the Singaporean Statute on the same subject was in order. Recall that a copy of the Singaporean legislation on the same subject matter, which surfaced on social media weekend revealed that the title and most of the contents of Musa’s bill currently undergoing debate at the National Assembly were the same. READ ALSO: Civil Society Organisation calls for immediate stoppage of Social Media Bill A statement fro...

Poor Salary: Unions give Kaduna govt. 21 days ultimatum Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai A Joint Unions of Tertiary Institutions of Kaduna State has given 21 days’ notice to Kaduna State Government to settle their outstanding demands lingering for 10 years. This is contained in a statement signed by the Joint Chairman of the unions, Mr. Noah Dallami and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria on Sunday. READ ALSO: Customs seizes N43m smuggled goods within one week in Kaduna NAN reports that the unions included Academic, Non-Academic as well as Senior Staff Associations in the state-owned tertiary institutions of Nuhu Bamalli Polytechnic, Zaria and College of Education, Gidan waya, Kafanchan. The unions said having waited patiently for government to respond on the lingering issues which started since 2014, the unions had no other alternative than to resort to the last option of industrial action. “Having waited patiently on government for ...

Heavy shooting in Rivers as police recovers remains of woman from water well By Davies Iheamnachor There was heavy shooting on Sunday at Rumuosi community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, by yet to be identified persons, after operatives of the Nigerian Police recovered remains of a woman who was killed and dumped in the well. It was learned that the lady identified as Wada Oluchi, who hails from a community in Emohua LGA, had been missing since 20th of November, but was later found dead Sunday, in a well in the area. The police which recovered the remains yesterday evening upon investigation has taken the remains of the victim to the mortuary. READ ALSO: Sporadic shootings leave scores injured, goods destroyed in Onitsha The police have, however, arrested three suspects including a boyfriend of the victim during the operation. Meanwhile, there was heavy shooting on the area after the police had removed the corpse of the lady from the well. It was alleged that the...

NSITF Scam Allegation: We won’t compromise investigations – ICPC Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, ABUJA-THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission, ICPC, has said it will not compromise on the investigation of the alleged N2.3 billion scam at the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF. Some of the management staff of NSITF were accused of spending N2. 294,161,025  without the approval of the board and the supervisory ministry which is the Ministry of Labour and Employment. READ ALSO:Alleged Extortion: Another 26 FRSC officials arrested, says ICPC(Opens in a new browser tab) Vanguard investigations revealed that the ICPC has written the Managing Director, Pastor Adeboye Sonefun and three Executive Directors of the Fund to appear before it to answer questions for alleged financial infractions. Aside the MD, the three Executive Directors according to the letter signed by Akeem Lawal, Director, Operations, IC...

Opeke, others push for broadband penetration beyond Lagos, Abuja By Juliet Umeh The Chief Executive Officer of a data company, MainOne, Funke Opeke, joined other stakeholders to push for broadband penetration beyond Lagos and Abuja for economic prosperity in Nigeria. I’m leaving Kwara better than I met it — Gov Ahmed(Opens in a new browser tab) Opeke who presented a keynote speech at the Startup South Conference held in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State recently, on the theme “Unlocking the Next 60 Million: Making Broadband Accessible and Affordable,” said broadband connectivity is the bedrock of a thriving digital and national economy and needs to be expanded beyond Lagos and Abuja. She said: “In this digital age where broadband connectivity is the bedrock of a thriving digital and national economy, we need to focus on increasing access to broadband penetration beyond Lagos and Abuja for our shared economic prosperity, job creation and digital security. “We will need to take advantage of the oppo...

Techplus to create tech inclusive platform for stronger digital economy By Juliet Umeh Technology Conference and Expo platform, Techplus, has revealed that henceforth, it will focus more in creating inclusive platform that will help build a stronger digital economy in Nigeria. UKINEBO DARE: Combating illegal migration through job creation(Opens in a new browser tab) General Manager of the organisation, Eniola Edun, who explained the new focus at a pre-event breakfast  meeting, recently said that the organization decided to take an assessment of where they are in the eco-system and how they can best re-invent themselves. She said: “We started a journey early this year that is evolving our organisation into a platform for tech inclusion, positioning, connecting and enabling innovators in the eco- system for social change. “We believe we can function as a voice that can project commendable social innovators so that they can attract quality partners and assistance  that can g...

Vivo’s new smartphone, V17Pro sparks competition in mobile photography By Prince Osuagwu Smartphone maker, Vivo has sparked off competition in the world of innovation with the invention of the first of its kind Dual Pop up Camera and AI Quad Camera. The company said it wants to make sure that its customers are satisfied with the quality of their pictures. Lampard hails Efe Ambrose’s inclusion in Derby County(Opens in a new browser tab) It said the new V17Pro brings brilliant camera systems on both the front and back of the smartphone to empower consumers to redefine their photography experience. The Country Manager,  Felix Lu, said,”V17 Pro is a masterpiece that we are extremely proud of, as it reinforces our position as a pioneer in bringing best-in-class mobile experiences to the Nigerian market.” Highlights of the phone include the 6 high-end cameras positioned in the front and rear of the device. The 32MP Dual Pop-Up camera and complimentary 8MP wide-angle front cameras also ...

9mobile gives loyal customers bonus airtime, data By Juliet Umeh Loyal subscribers of the telecommunication network, 9mobile, have expressed excitement as the telco rewarded them recently for staying with it over the past 11 years it came into Nigeria. BREAKING: 9Mobile gains 14, 469 subscribers from big operators in Q2’19 porting activities(Opens in a new browser tab) 9mobile demonstrated its delight by giving the customers different gifts which include bonus airtime and data as well as special ‘9nniversary’ cakes. Sharing their happiness after receiving the gift of special 9nniversary cakes in Lagos, two of the lucky customers, Teslim Gbajabiamila and Destiny James, expressed gratitude to 9mobile for the thoughtful gesture and pledged their continued loyalty to the brand. 9mobile delights customers with gifts in Magic Hour promo(Opens in a new browser tab) James said: “I didn’t expect it, I really appreciate the cakes. I commend 9mobile for its quality of service.

Infinix thinks youth in new S5 smartphone By Prince Osuagwu Smartphone brand, Infinix, has designed a new smartphone, Infinix S5. The smartphone according to the phone company is for the young generations. HUAWEI P30 lite, Triple-Camera Smartphone with a 48MP Main Camera(Opens in a new browser tab) The tag comes as a result of its big Infinity-O Display and a 32MP AI front camera, AI quad rear camera and strong memory options. Managing Director of Infinix Mobile, Benjamin Jiang, said: “At Infinix, we’re committed to bringing the latest technologies to young consumers in global emerging markets, keeping them trendy and up-to-date, whilst empowering them to be out standing in their communities. The launch of the S5 is a great manifesto of our brand purpose, as well as the mission of the S series for great selfies and placing consumers at the center of attention. With so many ‘bests’ in this price range, we’re confident that our customers will be able to stand out from the crowd!” Dir...

YouTube unveils plan to support local Creators By Juliet Umeh Video Sharing Platform, YouTube has unveiled two new initiatives to support the growth of YouTube Creators in Nigeria. Sexual harassment: Centre unveils online student help desk(Opens in a new browser tab) The first is a YouTube-driven promotional campaign that features upcoming content from top local YouTube channels and Creators. The second is a partnership with MTN, which will see Creators provided with free data for three months’, and MTN launching new packages to enable Nigerians to watch more of their favourite YouTube content. Creators were presented with MiFi devices and free internet access for the next three months to help them share more content conveniently. MTN also introduced new offerings for consumers to take up so they can watch more of their favourite YouTube channels. This announcement builds on the first YouTube Week, hosted in Lagos in June, and the support for 10 Creators through Mr Eazi’s emPawa Af...

Interswitch partners Visa to advance financial inclusion across Africa By Juliet Umeh Technology-driven company,  Interswitch Limited and a digital payments company, Visa, have announced a strategic partnership that will further advance the digital payments ecosystem across Africa. Interswitch moves into e-health with eChat acquisition(Opens in a new browser tab) According to the partners, Visa will acquire a significant minority equity stake in Interswitch. The investment makes Interswitch one of the most valuable African FinTech businesses with a valuation of $1 billion. Visa will join globally renowned investors, Helios Investment Partners, TA Associates and IFC, as shareholders in Interswitch, alongside Company management. Founder and Chief Executive of Interswitch, Mitchell Elegbe, expressed delight over the partnership and said the move will drive the next phase of transformation in the African payments landscape. Elegbe said: “Sub-Saharan Africa is the fastest-growing pa...

Renewable energy: SUNBOX Paygo solar targets electricity for all Nigerians By Juliet Umeh Renewable Energy Solutions provider, Cloud Energy, has said it is set to supply electricity to Nigerians living in rural and semi urban communities as it launches SUNBOX Plus PAYGO solar home system. 9th House: Gbajabiamila’s candidacy threatened by N/Central candidate, Hon Bago(Opens in a new browser tab) The company said SUNBOX Plus PAYGO solar is a pay-as-you-go system. Managing Director of the company, Engr. Theophilus Nweke, at the launch said the system will set Nigerians free from lack of electricity. According to him, access to solar is impaired by the inability of people living in the rural and semi-urban communities to purchase solar equipment out rightly. He said: “Cloud Energy has created an affordable Pay-as-you-go solar home system that allows people in the rural areas to pay for electricity usage on a monthly basis. “People in the rural communities and semi urban communities can, ...

Why Nigeria’s IoT market may hit $1bn in five yrs …As IoTAfrica,Sigfox make way for IoT job boom By Prince Osuagwu, Hi-Tech Editor THE internet has brought everyone together and created a common world without borders. But the internet of Things, IoT promises to make this world more secure. DSS ready to free Sowore, denies using live bullets on protesters(Opens in a new browser tab) The IoT is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. It is a totally new industry which is estimated to worth about $1 billion in the next five years. The global IoT market is currently estimated to worth about $1 trillion and Nigeria is one of the emerging markets with appreciable potentials to make a kill from the huge pervasive market For instance, there are estimated 40 million homes i...

OPPO’s new Reno2 series to empower users’ creative possibilities By Juliet Umeh Smartphone manufacturer, OPPO, has  launched new Reno2 Series to empower users with creativity abilities. According to OPPO, the new Reno2 series including Reno2 and Reno2 F models are the latest of OPPO’s Reno series. OPPO’s new smartphones rock 19 hours battery power(Opens in a new browser tab) It said the new series will change the boundaries of users’ creativity because it is packed with photography-enhancing features. Public Relations Manager of OPPO Nigeria, Joseph Adeola, said: “The latest iteration presents our users with even more creative possibilities, empowering them to discover new perspectives. “Its advanced camera technology performs superbly in a range of environments and scenarios, from busy cities to natural landscapes to broad daylight to dark nightlife,” Adeola said. The phones’ highlights are the quad-camera setup which includes 5x Hybrid Zoom, allowing users to get far clo...

Court Restrains NAFDAC, Others From Releasing Banned Chemical A Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos has restrained the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and eight others from deploying for public use, a banned chemical, methyl bromide. Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo gave the order after a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olukayode Enitan who is representing a retired judge of the Osun State High Court, Justice Olamide Oloyede, told the court that NAFDAC had released the alleged dangerous chemical to the importer, Toon Consolidated Company Limited. Justice Oloyede and a Non-Governmental Organization, Virtues Unlimited Restorative Justice Initiative (VURJI), are before the court, seeking an order to compel the Defendants to investigate, identify and destroy in a healthy and safe manner any methyl bromide-an odourless, colourless gas used to control pests in agriculture which has serious negative effect on humans and the environment. They are also ur...

N25m Fraud: Court Jails Two Ex-Bankers After 10 Years Trial Justice Adama Iyami- Lamikanra of the Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has convicted and sentenced a former manager of Diamond Bank Plc (now Access Bank), Chinyere Oti, and a former account officer of the same bank, Odigboh Okechukwu, to two years imprisonment. The duo were jailed on Monday for defrauding the bank the sum of N25,018,467, the spokesman from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement. The convicts were arraigned on November 19, 2009, by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the EFCC on seven charges bordering on conspiracy and stealing. READ ALSO :  Kaduna Poly Rector Seeks Joint Action Against Kidnappers The charges were amended on April 25, 2019. Count four of the charge read, “Odigboh Okechukwu and Chinyere Oti on or about the  23rd day of October, 2008 at Diamond Bank Plc  Port Harcourt within the Port Harcourt Judicial D...

Lecturers’ Abduction: Kaduna Poly Rector Seeks Joint Action Against Kidnappers The Rector of Kaduna Polytechnic, Professor Idris Bugaje, has called for a joint action to tackle the rate of kidnapping in the state. Professor Bugaje made the call in a statement by his special adviser on media, Bala Aliyu, following the abduction and subsequent release of two lecturers in the state. The two lecturers, Dr Umar Chinoko and  Adamu Chinoko, both brothers from Kebbi state, regained their freedom on Sunday, six days after they were abducted in the Mahuta area of Kaduna metropolis. READ ALSO : Court    Jails Two Ex-Bankers For N25m Fraud After 10 Years Tria l Professor Bugaj e stressed the need for synergy and inter-agency cooperation among institutions, security agencies, and the public in the fight against criminality. He also appealed to the security agencies to redouble their efforts to rid the society of all forms of criminal elements. The rector commended the...