Being a Nigerian is a curse – BBNaija star, Khloe

Reality TV star, Khloe, real name Oluwabusayo Abiri, popularly known, has stated that being a Nigerian is a curse both at home and abroad.

The former Big Brother Naija 2018 housemate took to her Snapchat story to state that though she felt being a Nigerian was a curse, she was going to change it.

She said; “Being a Nigerian is a curse home and abroad. I’m going to change that.”

Reacting to her post, music video, Unlimited LA said that he disagreed with her comment.

He wrote; “I disagree. Though there’s a way they see us(green passport). But trust me, if you have an honest job, and you’re in a foreign country for a genuine purpose with all your documents intact, you won’t have any problems.”

In response, Khloe gave details of an ordeal she went through with a Nigerian bank card.

“Yah all Nigerian bank cards stopped working on you in the middle of nowhere and you get stranded? I don’t think so because most of you never even crossed the border. Abeg make una leave me o,” she said.

Unlimited LA said that he understood how she felt and that’s why he has an American bank card.

“I know that feeling. That’s why I have an American bank card,” the music video director said.

How a Nigerian returned from Canada to vote Buhari and went back – Man recounts

A man has taken to microblogging platform, Twitter to recount how a Canada-based Nigerian returned to show support for Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

According to the Twitter user, @ogaten10, the supporter of President Buhari flew down to Nigeria to vote for him and he traveled back after.

He noted how the man happily went back to Canada where electricity is stable.

A Nigerian living in Canada, entered plane, flew back to Nigeria, voted for Buhari and went back to a sane society, with 24/7 electricity.

2015 was hooge”, he tweeted.

See his post:

In other news, one Malik Oluwatobi, on Tuesday appeared before an Ota Magistrates’ Court in Ogun State for assaulting four police officers.

Police prosecutor, E.O Adaraloye told the court that the 32-year-old defendant assaulted Adesoye Aduratayo, attacked Sokunbi Seun, Sodiya Ajani and Oguntoyinbo Femi.

Mr Oluwatobi was accused of conducting himself in a manner likely to breach the peace by obstructing the policemen and engaging them in a physical fight.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge and was granted the sum of N50,000 bail with one surety in like sum by the Magistrate, A.O Adeyemi.

The case was adjourned until November 19 for further hearing.

Nigerian emerges President of World Medical Association

A former President of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Osahon Enabulele, has been elected as the President of the World Medical Association (WMA).

Members of National Medical Associations across the world took part in the voting that lasted one week.

Enabulele’s opponent defeated the President of Pakistan Medical Association, Prof. Muhammad Ashraf Nizami, to win the coveted seat.

The WMA said in a statement on Thursday that Enabulele’s victory was a recognition of his years of hardwork in the association.

Enabulele, who is currently the President of the Commonwealth Medical Association (CMA), will oversee the WMA activities during the 2022 – 2023 Executive year.

The statement read: “With this historic development, Enabulele, has once again attained another milestone by being the first-ever Nigerian and West African physician to be elected President of the World Medical Association since the global body of all physicians in the world was established in the year 1947.”

‘Stop cursing leaders over hardship,’ Sanusi counsels Nigerians

Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on Tuesday advised Nigerians to desist from raining curses on the country’s leaders over the current hardship in the country.

Sanusi, who addressed members of the Tijjaniyya Movement in Nigeria at an event in Sokoto, urged Nigerians to constantly pray for the country’s leaders.

He said: “What is expected of us now is patience, fervent prayers and we must stand up to get things better in our own way through legitimate ways.

“We must desist from abusing or cursing our leaders over hardship because the Holy Prophet discouraged that.

We shall not involve ourselves in corrupt practices and other atrocities because our religion preaches against it.

“We must change for the better and remain committed to peace and development of our societies.”

The deposed Emir of Kano also urged the group followers to be politically active as the 2023 election approaches.

“When you are approached during elections, you need to ask for recognition in terms of school construction, health facility, and other services,” he added.

Why Nigeria’s economic challenges persist – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday expressed concern about the country’s economic challenges.

He listed high population, COVID-19 pandemic, and separatist agitations as major factors fueling the country’s economic challenges.

The President, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated this during a meeting with members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) at the State House, Abuja.

He said the challenges exist despite the five percent economic growth recorded in the second quarter of 2021.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had on August 26 announced a 5.1 percent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth for Nigeria in the second quarter of this year.

He said: “The global economy has been seriously affected by the pandemic, and despite recent pleasing news of more than five percent economic growth for Nigeria in the last quarter, we are still having fiscal challenges to deal with like most other countries.

“The source of revenue that Nigeria has depended on for so long experienced global decline, our population is rising fast and the tension arising from both is fuelling agitation among our youth. Organizations like the NMA could play a very useful moderating role in society.”

Lai Mohammed cautions prominent Nigerians against divisive utterances

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has admonished political, religious leaders, and opinion moulders to stop spewing incendiary rhetoric capable of setting the country ablaze.

Muhammed gave the admonition during a conference on Wednesday in Sal Island, Cape Verde.

The minister was in Cape Verde to attend the 64th Conference of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Commission for Africa and the Second Edition of the UNWTO Global Tourism Investment Forum.

Speaking on the responsibilities of the media, the minister warned broadcast stations, which are the purveyors of incendiary rhetoric, to abide by broadcast codes and other regulations guiding them.

In the last few weeks, the country has been awash, especially from the broadcast media, with very incendiary rhetoric which has created a sort of panic in Nigeria.

The incendiary rhetoric that comes from political, religious leaders and some opinions have the capacity to set the country on fire.

“This is because the rhetoric is pitting one ethnic group and religion against the other and overheating the polity.

“Our serious counsel to stakeholders is that they should understand and remember that leadership comes with a lot of responsibilities, tone down the hateful rhetoric because they are harmful to the country

“They should remember that every war is preceded by these kinds of mindless rhetoric, especially when it comes from otherwise responsible people who the people have the tendency to take seriously,’’ he said.

Nigerians lucky to have Buhari as President -Shehu of Borno

The Shehu of Borno, Abubakar El-Kanemi says Nigerians, and indeed the people of Borno State, are lucky to have Muhammadu Buhari as the President of Nigeria as he has significantly changed the tide against insurgency and insecurity in the country.

The first class traditional ruler who said this on Monday when the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, paid him a condolence visit over the loss of his elder brother, said his people had “seriously suffered as a result of Boko Haram crisis,” but that they were “lucky” to have the Buhari government, which eventually changed the tide.

According to El-Kanemi, all the local government areas in the state, which were under the control of Boko Haram had been taken back by the troops, adding that normal business activities had also returned in the state.

He also rejoiced at the news that Boko Haram elements were surrendering, saying, “it’s a welcome development”, because “Borno is a home of peace and we are for peace.

We are lucky to have President Muhammadu Buhari as our leader as he had done what nobody thought would be possible to do.

“Before his coming to power, we could not sleep, we could not go out to do our businesses.

“Our people were fleeing to neighbouring countries because of Boko Haram but today, peace has returned because Buhari has lived up to expectations. We are lucky to have such a dedicated man as President,” the Shehu added.

Why Nigerian govt is rehabilitating refineries – Sylva

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, on Thursday, explained why the Federal Government is working hard to rehabilitate the country’s refineries.

Sylva, who featured in a Channels Television programme, Politics Today, said the federal government is not in the best position to manage the refineries.

He, however, assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would hand over the refineries to professional managers.

The minister’s statement came just 24 hours after the federal government approved contracts worth $1.4 billion for the rehabilitation of the Warri and Kaduna refineries.

He said: “I will agree with you that government is not the best manager of refineries and that is why this time, we are actually going to have professional managers to manage the refineries. We are not going to manage the refineries at all.”

Sylva dismissed claims that the government planned to sell the refineries in their present state.

He added: “We believe that we should get the refineries back to life before we decide on the option of whether we are going to privatise or sell all the refineries.

“If we try to sell the refineries which you call dead refineries, you will be the one first person to say we are selling dead refineries to people.

.“We want to sell live refineries; refineries that are working and I think that is the fairest thing for the government to do. This is why we have decided to get all our refineries working. We want to prove to you that we can get these refineries working.”

Nigerian, Uruemu Adejinmi becomes first black African woman elected as Mayor in Ireland

A Nigerian woman, Uruemu Adejinmi, has emerged the first African and the first black female to be elected as Mayor in the Republic of Ireland.

With her new election as Cathaoirleach of the Longford Municipal District, she also becomes the first female African mayor in the country, Irish Times reports.

Reacting to her victory, Adejinmi who is the current Councilor of Fianna Fail, said in a statement that she was deeply honoured to assume the new position.

This is a historic day for Longford and I am delighted to share this moment with my family and friends.

I look forward to working with my council colleagues, council exec and all stakeholders to continue the growth and development of our municipal area and county,” she added.

After migrating from Nigeria to Longford in 2003, Adejinmi in 2016 joined Fianna Fail before assuming the post of local councilor in 2020.

She attributes her involvement in politics to her neighbour who asked her to join Fianna Fail saying, “If it wasn’t for my neighbour asking me to join his party, I wouldn’t have considered politics.”

Speaking to the Irish Times on the challenges faced by migrants who try to get involved in politics, Adejinmi admonished political parties to “engage more actively” with migrants, noting that, “there is no shortage of talent in the migrant community but there is a shortage of community leaders from migrant backgrounds.”

The Masters of Business Administration holder from Athlone Institute of Technology highlighted jobs and housing as her key priorities.

“I am hoping to lobby for an influx of industry. Hopefully businesses will take a look at starting in Longford and that would help a lot of people who are leaving or commuting because of the lack of jobs,” she said.

Nigeria moves to sell electricity to four West African countries

Nigeria is in talks with four West African countries expected to buy unused electricity from it.

The deal will be done through a planned $570 million Northcore Power Transmission Line.

The acting Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Chairman, Executive Board of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), Engr. Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, stated this on Wednesday during the WAPP meeting on the Northcore project in Abuja.

According to Daily Trust, about 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity is said to be unutilised daily across the Generation Companies (GenCos) in Nigeria and could be exported.

“The power we will be selling is the power that is not needed in Nigeria. These generators that are going to supply power to this transmission line are going to generate that power specifically for this project. So it is unutilised power,” Abdulaziz said.

He also noted that Nigeria is expecting new generators to participate in the energy export for the 875 kilometre 330 kilovolts Northcore transmission line from Nigeria through Niger, Togo, Benin to Burkina Faso.

“In addition, there are some communities that are under the line route, about 611 of them which will be getting power so that there won’t be just a transmission line passing without impact.”

The project is funded by World Bank, French Development Council and the African Development Bank.

Speaking on the benefits, the WAPP chairman noted, “Nigeria has the greatest advantage among these countries because the electricity is going to be exported from Nigerian GenCos. So from that, the revenue is going to be enhanced and a lot of people will be employed in Nigeria.”

The Secretary General of WAPP, Siengui Appolinaire Ki, said: “The cost is about $570 million and the part of the investment in each country is funded by the country and they are supported by the donors, and Nigeria is taking its own.”

He also said the funding agreement is ready as they await the disbursement.

If Tinubu becomes president, I’ll cease to be a Nigerian – Bode George

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, says he will cease to be a Nigerian should national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, become president.

Although Tinubu has not expressed his interest in running for presidency in 2023, many of his supporters have been urging him to contest.

George who spoke during an Arise TV programme on Friday, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Tinubu’s tenure as Lagos state governor and his alleged involvement with Alpha Beta Consulting, a tax firm.

He said: “I’ve talked about it and I’m still saying publicly that the EFCC should go urgently and investigate Alpha Beta Company owned by him.

Let me say it in very clear language, to me it’s an insult to de-civilise the people of this country who are committed to national development that the likes of him want to run this country.

“We must make sure that they investigate him. He’s junketing all over the place, an insult to the civilised minds who work so hard in this country. If, by whatever yardstick, he becomes the head of state, I will cease to be a Nigerian and I’m not joking.”

Speaking on the security situation in the country, the PDP stalwart described it as “very heart-wrenching”.

Nigerian arrested with 169 grammes of cocaine, ecstasy pills in India

A 28-year-old Nigerian identified as James Morrison, has been arrested by the Excise Enforcement officials in Hyderabad, India, for allegedly dealing on drugs.

According to officials of the Excise Enforcement, Morrison was arrested on Tuesday following a tip-off and a search on him revealed 153 grammes of cocaine and 16 grammes of MDMA (methylenedioxymethamphetamine), a party drug commonly known as ‘Molly’ or ‘Ecstasy,’ from the suspect during a raid on a house at MS Makhtha area of Khairatabad.

According to a report filed by news agency PTI, it has gathered that the Nigerian national who claimed to be residing in India on a student visa, was a repeat offender as he had earlier been arrested on similar charges last year but was able to secure a bail.

According to investigations, one Daddy Boy, alias John Mike, from Bengaluru appointed Morrison as his agent to sell drugs in the city.

The Assistant Prohibition & Excise Superintendent, N. Anki Reddy, who led the team, said Morrison was earlier arrested on charges of drug trafficking and six grammes of cocaine seized from him then.

“This James Morrison was arrested in the month of August 2020 in a drugs case wherein six grammes of cocaine was seized from him and two more accused Nelson Samuel Smith and Abdul Kareem Abdullah.

“He is telling us that he came to India on a student visa around four years ago. As of now, there was no evidence of him having any visa. He further said his passport was deposited in a court case in Mumbai and only a photocopy of the passport was seized from him.

Items recovered from the suspect include: one Galaxy J7 prime mobile phone, one small weighing machine, a red tape and empty polythene covers weighing (86) gm and one long notebook showing transactions related to drugs.”

Nigerian national arrested for drug peddling in Hyderabad; officials seize over 150 gm of cocaine.

NIDCOM secures retrial for Nigerian wrongfully jailed in Cote d’Ivoire

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has revealed that the retrial of a Nigerian, Itunu Babalola, said to have been wrongfully incarcerated in Cote D’lvoire, is to commence under a new, unbiased prosecutor.

This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Gabriel Odu, the commission’s Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit officer, in Abuja, on Friday, March 19.

According to him, following painstaking investigations by the commission and the Nigeria Mission in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, it had now been confirmed that Babalola, a Nigerian living in Abidjan, was wrongfully charged and incarcerated for a crime she did not commit.

Also, the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the Charge D’Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Côte D’Ivoire, Mr Mohammed Gana, had sent officials of the mission to Bondoukou, a city eight hours away from Abidjan when the case was first brought to his attention.

Gana was quoted as saying that plans were underway to engage the services of a lawyer, to prove the innocence of Babalola at the Court of Appeal.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that the accused had spent two out of the 10-year jail term passed on her, for an offense she did not commit.

“Reports indicate that the new prosecutor, assigned to the case, has given assurances of a fair and unbiased review and retrial of the case, to secure the release of Babalola.

“The reports also indicate that the former prosecutor, in collaboration with the police, allegedly twisted the case and accused Babalola of human trafficking hence her conviction for 20 years, although the sentence was reduced to 10 years from which she has served 2 years so far.

“Babalola, whose family is from Oyo State, Nigeria, has been living in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire, for a long time but got entangled in a legal battle, when she reported the burglary of her house to the police.

On efforts made to secure her bail, the prosecutor said it is only the court that can grant her bail, as she has already been convicted, we will continue to monitor the case as it unfolds,” he said.

Nigerians are not preparing for God’s Kingdom- Obasanjo

A Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said developments and happenings in the country at the moment do not show that the people are preparing for the Kingdom of God.

Obasanjo, who made the assertion while speaking as the guest of honour during the dedication of the St. Moses Orimolade Holy Land, the cenotaph of the Cherubim and Seraphim (C&S) founder, also revealed how his intervention helped to preserve Orimolade’s tomb in Ojokoro area of Lagos during the construction of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

Obasanjo, at the occasion, expressed worries that most Nigerians were acting as if everything starts and ends on earth.

Woman Crush Wednesday (WCW).

Our WCW For Today Is Olabanke Meshida Lawal.

Olabanke Meshida Lawal is a Nigerian make-up artist and the founder and CEO of BMPro Makeup Group, a make-up and cosmetology firm in Nigeria. She was born on 21st of August , 1978 in Ile-Ife , Osun state , Nigeria.

Banke Meshida began taking Fine Arts classes in high school and by the time she was accepted by the University of Lagos, she had already begun practicing work as a makeup artist for friends and acquaintances.She graduated in 2000 with a second class bachelor’s degree in English.

Banke Meshida got married to her heartthrob, Lanre Lawal on 10th of February , 2007.They are blessed with two children.

Banke Meshida has won a number of awards, including; Make-Up Artist of The Year (City People Awards 2005), Make-up Brand of The Year (ELOY Awards 2009),Make-up Artist of The Year (FAB Awards 2010), Best Make-up Artist (The Nigerian Event Awards 2012) and Makeup Brand of the Year(APPOEMN 2017).

Nigerian Bride Rocks Ankara Dress To Her White Wedding.

A Nigerian fashion designer, Chioma has got social media buzzing after she wore a lovely custom made Ankara dress to her white wedding. 

 
Friends and former classmates shared photos of the bride and her groom at their wedding ceremony which took place on Saturday, January 30, in Lagos. 

Reacting to the photos which have since gone viral online, the beautiful bride said that the wedding dress was made by her friend and colleague. 

“Initially, I thought she would laugh at the idea of an Ankara wedding dress but she loved the idea and made sure I looked great” she said. 

“I didn’t bother to tell anyone about it. It wasn’t even up for debate . I just told my friends not to wear ankara. I am sure if I had mentioned it to people, they would have tried to discourage me because human preferences are different.” she added.

Three Nigerians Deported From India Over Illegal Stay.

10 Nigerian nationals were picked up by the police from Uttam Nagar in Dwarka district on Wednesday, January 6.

Three Nigerians have been deported from India for overstaying their visas, bringing to nine the total number of Nigerians expelled from the country since the beginning of this year, Delhi Police said on Monday.

According to a statement released on its official Twitter page, the Dwarka Police said the Nigerians were arrested and deported by officers from Mohan Garden police station, after they were found to be living in India without valid visas and passports.

They were said to be among 10 Nigerian nationals picked up by the police from Uttam Nagar in Dwarka district on Wednesday, January 6.

‪“#PersistentActionAgainstIlleglstay‪ 3 Nigerian Nationals, who were found living without any valid papers were #deported by the staff of PS Mohan Garden during area #Patrolling duty,” the police said.

Over the years, several Nigerians residing in India have been arrested and deported over illegal stay, internet fraud, online romance scams and drug peddling.

Two Nigerians – a male and a female – were deported on January 11, 2021 while two Nigerian males were deported from the country on January 13, 2021.

Another two were expelled back to Nigeria on January 21.

Some Nigerians dislike Buhari for his perceived identity, not incompetence, says El-Rufai’s son

Bashir, the son of Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has risen to the defence of President Muhammadu Buhari over his alleged incompetence.

Bashir, who has been vocal in his opinions, said on his Twitter handle on Monday that President Buhari is not hated by some Nigerians because of incompetence but because of his “perceived identity.”

The younger el-Rufai, however, noted that the perceived enemies of Buhari are too shameless to admit why they dislike the president.

He wrote: ”They do not dislike President Buhari for his ‘alleged’ incompetence, they hate the president for his perceived identity and they are too shameless to at least admit that on a basic level so we can all fundamentally recognize the beast staring at us as a nation.”

Many Nigerians particularly members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other opposition elements have continued to accuse Buhari of incompetence over his alleged inability to effectively address the country’s security and economic challenges.

SERAP gives Nigerian govt seven days to disclose details of N729bn payment to 24.3m poor Nigerians

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk, Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development to “publish details of proposed payments of N729bn to 24.3 million poor Nigerians for six months, including the mechanisms and logistics for the payments, list of beneficiaries, and how they have been selected, projected payments per state, and whether the payments will be made in cash or through Bank Verification Numbers or other means.”

SERAP also urged her to “explain the rationale for paying N5,000 to 24.3 million poor Nigerians, which translates to five-percent of the country’s budget of N13.6 trillion for 2021, and to clarify if this proposed spending is part of the N5.6 trillion budget deficit.”

Ms Sadia Umar-Farouk had last week disclosed that the Federal Government would pay about 24.3 million poor Nigerians N5,000 each for a period of six months to “provide help to those impoverished by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In the Freedom of Information request dated 23 January 2021 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Publishing the details of beneficiaries and selection criteria, as well as the payment plan for six months would promote transparency and accountability, and remove the risks of mismanagement and diversion of public funds.”

SERAP said: “Transparency and accountability in the programme would improve public trust, and allow Nigerians to track and monitor its implementation, and to assess if the programme is justified, as well as to hold authorities to account in cases of diversion, mismanagement and corruption.”

SERAP also urged Ms Umar-Farouk to: “invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to jointly track and monitor the payments.”

The FoI request, read in part: “We would be grateful if the requested information is provided to us within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions under the Freedom of Information Act to compel you to comply with our request.

“Providing support and assistance to socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians is a human rights obligation but the programme to spend five-percent of the 2021 budget, which is mostly based on deficit and borrowing, requires anti-corruption safeguards to ensure the payments go directly to the intended beneficiaries, and that public funds are not mismanaged or diverted.

“SERAP notes that the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 [as amended], UN Convention against Corruption, and African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party require the government to set the highest standards of transparency, accountability and probity in programmes that it oversees.

“The government has a responsibility to ensure that these requirements and other anti-corruption controls are fully implemented and monitored, and that the payments are justified in light of the huge budget deficit and borrowing, and whether there are better ways to spend N729bn to support poor Nigerians.

“Several questions remain as to the implementation and monitoring mechanisms for the payments, and whether this is the best and most effective way to spend N729bn to support socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.

“Our requests are brought in the public interest, and in keeping with the requirements of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Freedom of Information Act, and UN Convention against Corruption, African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, and African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Nigeria is a state party.

“By Section 1 (1) of the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act 2011, and Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, SERAP is entitled as of right to request for or gain access to information, including information on details of beneficiaries of the direct payments of N729bn.

“By Section 4 (a) of the FoI Act, when a person makes a request for information from a public official, institution or agency, the public official, institution or urgency to whom the application is directed is under a binding legal obligation to provide the applicant with the information requested for, except as otherwise provided by the Act, within seven days after the application is received.

“By Sections 2(3)(d)(V) & (4) of the FoI Act, there is a binding legal duty to ensure that documents containing information including information on details of payments of N729bn to N24.3 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians are widely disseminated and made readily available to members of the public through various means.

“The information being requested does not come within the purview of the types of information exempted from disclosure by the provisions of the FoI Act. The information requested for as indicated above, apart from not being exempted from disclosure under the FoI Act, bothers on an issue of national interest, public concern, interest of human rights, social justice, good governance, transparency and accountability.”

Three Nigerians make Forbes list of top ten African billionaires

Aliko Dangote for the tenth straight time is Africa’s richest person, with a net worth pegged at $12.1 billion according to Forbes 2021 African billionaires’ ranking.

Dangote was joined by Mike Adenuga of Globacom, and Abdulsamad Rabiu of BUA Group as the 5th and 6th richest persons in Africa respectively.

Forbes in its report released on Friday, stated that Dangote, despite the pandemic, made $2 billion in 2020 thanks to a 30 per cent increase in the share price of his Dangote Cement.

Also, the report revealed that the biggest gainer this year is Rabiu who added $5.5 billion, an extraordinary 77 per cent in fortune last year.

The billionaires’ list by country is however led by South Africa and Egypt each having five billionaires in the top 10, followed by Nigeria with three and Morocco with two.

According to forbes, the second richest person in Africa is Nassef Sawiris of Egypt, whose largest asset was a nearly six per cent stake in sportswear maker Adidas.

At number three was Nicky Oppenheimer of South Africa, who inherited a stake in diamond firm DeBeers and ran the company until 2012, when he sold his family’s 40 per cent stake in DeBeers to mining giant AngloAmerican for $5.1bn

It added that while some got richer by the billions, two from the 2020 list of Africa’s richest dropped below the $1bn mark.

In fact, the only two women billionaires from Africa had both fallen off the list.

Forbes calculated that the fortune of Folorunsho Alakija of Nigeria, who owns an oil exploration company, dropped below $1bn due to lower oil prices.

It said Isabel dos Santos, who since 2013 had been the richest woman in Africa, was knocked from her perch by a series of court decisions freezing her assets in both Angola and Portugal.

“In all 18 billionaires from Africa hailed from seven different countries. Altogether they were worth $73.8bn, slightly more than the $73.4bn aggregate worth of the 20 billionaires on last year’s list of Africa’s richest people.”