After what looked like a rumour during the week, it has been confirmed that pop star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido and his wife, Chioma are now proud parents of a set of twins.
In a viral video yesterday, the couple was seen stepping out of the hospital in the United States, holding their newborn twins. The were driven home in a Beantley, belonging to grandfather, Deji Adeleke. Davido was all over the moon as pictures were taken outside the hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.
Chioma was seen seated on a wheelchair cuddling the twins with Davido standing by her side.
In an Instagram post, Davido wrote “I love this moment.”
It was gathered that the singer was not happy with his friend, Samklef when he allegedly leaked the video of the singer and Chioma with their newborn twins.
Recall that Davido had earlier asked fans to stop circulating old images of them in a hospital during the birth of their late son, Ifeanyi Adeleke, which surfaced online.
The three-year-old died after drowning in a swimming pool at their Lagos residence last year.
The death of the lad left the pop star and his wife heartbroken and inconsolable, until now that God has wiped away their tears and made their joy full.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, emotions ran high yesterday when the remains of the mother of another Nigerian superstar, Wizkid were laid to rest.
Wizkid’s mother, Mrs Jane Dolapo Balogun, died on August 18, 2023 in London. A candlelight procession in honour of the singer’s mum was held on Wednesday with Wizkid making his first public appearance following a month-long period of silence as he grieved the loss of his mother.
Speaking at the burial ceremony, an emotional Wizkid said “I know everyone in my family shares this pain with me, and I know God in his infinite mercy is going to…it is impossible for the pain to go away, but I pray God to comfort us to be able to get on with the rest of life. God will comfort every one of us. The pain is profound. It hurts deeply, the deepest pain I’ve ever felt in my life. I’m lost and I pray God will comfort everyone of us. I’m lost without you, mum. I love you so much “
Wizkid grew up in a polygamous home with a Muslim father and a Christian mother. His father married three wives.
Abuja (Flowerbudnews): China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), an initiative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, marks its 10th year of existence this October.
As part of the activities to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the BRI, over 100 world leaders signatories to the initiative and cooperation partners are to assemble in Beijing between October 17 and 18 for the 3rd Belt and Road Forum with a theme: “High Quality Belt and Road Cooperation: Together for Development and Prosperity”.
BRI, also known as “New Silk Road” is a programme aimed at building a Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, in cooperation with related countries.
The Initiative was unveiled by President Xi Jinping during his visit to Kazakhstan and Indonesia in 2013 and so far, there are 152 active signatories to the cooperation agreements of the initiative from all corners of the globe.
The Initiative focuses on promoting policy coordination, connectivity of infrastructure and facilities, unimpeded trade, financial integration and closer people-to-people ties via consultative processes and joint efforts with the overall goal of bringing appreciable benefits to all.
Meanwhile, the Initiative and its core concepts have been incorporated into the schemes of the G20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
The BRI has become an important platform for achieving the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
It is pertinent to note that since its debut in 2013, the initiative has progressed with remarkable vigour and vitality, while benefiting many countries among its members and other partners around the world through joint efforts and participation.
At the moment, the BRI has become one of the most popular international platforms that are specifically designed to promote all-round multilateral cooperation.
China’s President Xi Jinping attends a summit at the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 15, 2017. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged world leaders to reject protectionism on May 15 at a summit positioning Beijing as a champion of globalisation, as some countries raised concerns over his trade ambitions. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / THOMAS PETER (Photo credit should read THOMAS PETER/AFP/Getty Images)
China and its cooperation partners have foregrounded and upheld the principle of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. They have also remained committed to the vision of open, green and clean cooperation, while pursuing excellent, people-oriented and sustainable development, so as to explore new opportunities and stimulate growth in the world.
In the first decade of its existence, perceptive observers have noted that the achievements of the BRI are multifaceted.
The perceptible feats include the development of cooperation partners and the promotion of the people’s well-being, among others. The Initiative has also helped to foster new energies for economic development.
For instance, a report of the World Bank disclosed that the BRI had increased the trade of participating partners by 4.1%, attracting 5% more foreign investment and levelling up the GDP of low-income countries by 3.4%.
Similarly, as part of the accruing benefits, the GDP share of emerging and developing economies in the world has increased by 3.6% from 2012 to 2021.
The World Bank further estimated that by 2030, the BRI would generate $1.6 trillion in global revenue each year, accounting for 1.3% of global GDP from 2015 to 2030, while not less than 40 million people would be lifted out of poverty under the auspices of BRI.
Another notable achievement is that by the end of 2022, the investments of Chinese enterprises in the cooperating countries have created 421,000 local jobs, with more than 3,000 projects being executed; thus fulfilling the development aspirations of the people in many participating countries of the initiative.
In terms of financing, multilateral financial cooperation institutions such as the Asian Infrastructure Bank, Silk Road Fund and the New Development Bank were established to address potential funding challenges that could inhibit the provision of the needed infrastructure in the developing countries.
In the last 10 years, the BRI has also facilitated connectivity between China and countries along the Belt and Way route in the five priority areas.
As of the end of June 2023, China has signed more than 200 contract agreements on jointly ventures under the BRI with 152 countries and 32 cooperating partners. And from all indications, trade has grown exponentially between China and its partners in the BRI in the past decade.
Through the BRI platform, China has been able to establish a connectivity framework involving six corridors — a unique kind of routes that significantly promoted the connectivity of landlocked countries in the Asian region such as Kazakhstan, Nepal and Laos with the world — by building roads and railways.
Besides, there is an intercontinental China-Europe freight railway, which is currently hauling goods from China to many European countries at a minimum period of time. This freight rail express has opened up a novel channel of trade between Asia and Europe by land, thereby becoming an anchor of stability for global supply chain.
As regards the African continent, there is no gainsaying the fact that in the last 10 years, the continent has benefited from BRI’s projects massively.
This is probably due to the fact that China believes that Africa is part of the history and natural extension of the BRI.
The declaration of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in 2018 in Beijing and its 2019-2022 African Plan emphasised that Africa occupied an important position in the BRI Cooperation. Today, many African countries witnessed the emergence of infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, dams, airports, seaports, health facilities and sports facilities, among others.
Although the initial focus of the BRI was on Asia, Africa later received the particular attention of the Initiative with major investments in East Africa, where Beijing, under the BRI platform, initiated a range of infrastructure development projects in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
In Kenya, the multi-million dollar Nairobi-Mombasa Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) was built for passengers and goods on that route. In Ethiopia, a similar SGR project was executed and completed and it is known today as Addis-Djibouti railway. In Tanzania, there is TAZARA railway linking the port city of Dar el Salam in Tanzania with Zambia’s central province.
On the other hand, Nigeria in West Africa has had a fair share of the BRI infrastructure projects in the last 10 years. Some of the projects include Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge rail line, Abuja metro rail system, Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line, Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos, five new airport terminals in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Enugu, Zungeru Hydro Power Plant as well as Abuja township roads.
In spite of the growing incidence of trade protectionism and unilaterism across the world, trade and infrastructure development projects involving China and African countries have continued to flourish significantly, thereby signifying deepening economic relations between the two sides.
President Xi Jinping, in his address in 2019 on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, said that China and Africa had become strategic partners, while assuring that the fundamental aspirations of China and Africa for a robust cooperation and development would remain unchanged regardless of any external influences and extraneous factors.
The Chinese leader then reiterated that the concerted resolve of China and Africa to jointly build a closer community with a shared future would not waver. (Flowerbudnews)
Lawal Sale is an Abuja-based Global Affairs Analyst. (lawalmaida1@yahoo.com)
President Bola Tinubu has appointed the Chief Executive Officer and Editor-in-Chief of PM NEWS and TheNEWS magazine, Bayo Onanuga as his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.
A statement issued by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale on Friday said Onanuga’s appointment was part of efforts to prioritize effective and efficient working synergy between the Presidency and Federal Ministries.
He said “President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointments of professionals who have prior working experience within the architecture of the Federal Ministries they will be coordinating with, in addition to duties that will be carried out at the President’s discretion: Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy — Mr. Bayo Onanuga.”
Also appointed as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation is Ms. Delu Bulus Yakubu.
“The President wishes the new presidential aides well in the discharge of their duties,” he said.
Onanuga, 66, was a former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of the Governing Board and Management team of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA, for a renewable term of four four years.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale in Abuja, Friday said the appointment was in accordance with Section 2(3) of the FERMA Amendment Act, 2007:
According to the statement, Engr. Imam Ibrahim Kashim Imam is appointed Chairman of the Board, while Engr. Chukwuemeka Agbasi is the Managing Director.
Other members are, Yusuf Lawal Othman, representing NARTO, Engr. Ibi Terna Manasseh, Federal Ministry of Works, ACM Shehu Mohammed, (FRSC), and Babatunde Daramola-Oniru, (Finance).
Other Members are Hon. Preye Oseke,
(South-South), Hon. Oye Ojobe, (South-West), Dr. Kenneth Ugbala, (South-East),
Sen. Timothy Adudu, (North-Central), Engr. Abubakar Bappa, (North-East) and Aminu Adamu Papa, (North-West).
The statement further added: “President Tinubu expects the new appointees to achieve integrous and competent service delivery, given the central role that the institution will play in the sustainable health of growth-enabling infrastructure nationwide.”
Abuja (Flowerbudnews): Members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), also known as the Shi’ites, on Friday, again staged a solidarity rally to protest against the Israeli’s attacks on Gaza, Palestine.
The rally, which kicked started from the popular Annur Mosque in Wuse 2 along Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) Way immediately after the Juma’at Prayer, terminated at the traffic light at Ahmadu Bello Way with the burning of the American and Israeli’s Flags.
In a statement released by Sheikh Sidi Munir Sokoto on behalf of the Islamic Movement shortly after the protest, the group said it condemned the ongoing attack on female and children in Gaza.
“We are protesting to condemn the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Reliable reports confirmed that hundreds of Palestinians were killed and thousands were wounded. In February, 2019 the United Nations Commission of Inquiry (COI) published a damning indictment against the state of Israel.
“According to the COI, Israel soldiers have been deliberately shooting civilians, killing and maiming unarmed people including children as well as journalist and medics in Gaza.
“Israel is in breach of the International law and the Palestinians are fighting to liberate their homeland from 75 years of Israeli oppressions,” he said
According to him, Gaza has been under the Israel siege since June 2007, which caused a decline in living standards.
“Supporting the oppressed people is human, as such, Supporting The People of Palestine a duty upon all humans.
“Israeli soldiers should stop launching Missiles and Rockets against innocent female and Children in villages, they should face the Hamas fighters who are fighting to defend their People.
“Islam taught us that human beings are either our brothers in religion or in humanity,” he said.
Sokoto said calling on people to support justice everywhere and oppose tyranny and oppression everywhere is part of the teachings of their leader, Shaikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky (H).
“For more than three decades, the Islamic movement under the leadership of his eminence, Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) has been organising programmes and protests in support of the oppressed people of Palestine.
“We are urging all in Nigeria to break the deafening silence and raise voices to support the oppressed Palestinians.
“Pray for Palestine, there are both Christians and Muslims in Gaza,” he said. (Flowerbudnews)
Abuja: (Flowerbudnews): A major political player in Ondo State, Dr Abbas Mimiko, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have failed the state in terms of delivering the dividend of democracy to the people.
Mimiko made the remark on Friday in an interview with newsmen ahead of the governorship election slated for November 16, 2024 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The more pertinent question now is: why are those in the APC government who stood their ground when Aketi cancelled the free school shuttle bus service, the free Maternal Care and Childcare service, among a myriad of lofty, people oriented programmes of Olusegun Mimiko, saying they want to succeed Arakunrin Akeredolu?
“Again, that is for the people of Ondo State to decide.
“If performance is the factor upon which the people will decide, neither APC nor PDP will fly.
“A third force is anyone’s best bet. People are tired of being lied to by the long-existing political establishment in Ondo State.
“They need something new and promising. They want to look out for their common good by themselves, instead of surrendering their franchise to those they believe impoverish them using the instrumentality of power,” he said.
According to him, though Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has played his part, the people of Ondo State are in the best position to judge the performance of the present APC government.
The people will be the judge. What I personally admire in him is that he is a man of conviction.
“He demonstrated courage under fire on the formation of Amotekun.
“He led the Southwest Governors’ Forum to establish Amotekun, our regional security apparatus, at a time when it was risky for him to do so.
“Remember, he had his faith hanging in the Supreme Court and could easily have lost his governor’s seat.
“And we all know what the then Cabal in Aso Rock felt about the idea of Amotekun at that time. Yet Aketi stood his ground,” he said.
On what the people of Ondo State need from the next governor, Mimiko said: “Ondo State is richly endowed by God in human and natural resources. We have no excuse to continue to wallow in poverty. And our people are not asking for the moon.
“They need food security, portable water, vibrant business and investment environment to prosper, access to good education and vocational training, affordable mass housing projects, comprehensive and affordable healthcare services and a secure environment within which to prosper,” he said.
On whether he plans to contest in the election, he said he is stil keeping all the options open.
“As the political season nears, speculations are rife all over the place as per who and who are going to run or not run.
“A lot of people have approached us to consider a rescue mission for Ondo State.
“We keep all our options open, while praying for the best for our dear Sunshine state,” he said.
Mimiko, however, commended President Bola Tinubu’s efforts at changing things for the better.
“I believe President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is the right man for the job of President and Commander-in-Chief of our country at this critical moment of our existence.
“Our economy has been so badly mismanaged over these years and we were in the doldrums.
“The man was handed an economy where 90% of revenue was going into debt servicing alone!
“In short, he was handed a country that could virtually pass for a failed state.
“But in his short time as president, he has demonstrated uncommon courage.
“Take for instance, his unification of the exchange rates, that will ensure that scarce foreign resources go to real importers of essential goods.
“He announced removal of oil subsidy on assumption of office to stem the hemorrhaging of our scarce resources in the hands of a very powerful few.
“He could simply have positioned himself to be the primary beneficiary of those scams but he put his foot down in order to resuscitate our moribund economy in the immediate and ensure its resurgence in the near future.
“He understands that we have to undergo a painful process of rebirth of a new Nigeria and he is not shying away from the tough decisions.
“He is focusing on FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) to jumpstart our economy.
“I will plead that we give him time and our wholehearted support as citizens,” he said
He also advised Tinubu to look more inward to grow the economy as well.
“He must also, without delay focus on restructuring the country in order to unbundle and unleash the latent strength of the component nations that make up this country, which for too long has been caged and suppressed by this disingenuous unitary system that we operate.
“In summary, I see President BAT as the man for the tough job and I gave no regret to have campaigned and voted for him in the last presidential election,” he said. (Flowerbudnews)
The Kogi State Chairman of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Kingsley Oga, and other members of the party across the three senatorial districts have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The ADC chieftains and members, on Friday, collapsed their entire structure into the APC and endorsed the party’s candidate, Usman Ododo, for the November 11 governorship election.
The only ADC State Assembly member, Hon. Idowu Ibikunle, representing Yagba West State Constituency at the Kogi State House of Assembly, also declared his support for the APC candidate, saying her would campaign widely for him despite being an ADC House of Assembly member.
Addressing party members during the defection on Friday, Oga affirmed his position as the state chairman of the ADC but noted that the ADC members in the state had decided to abandon the ADC candidate and work for Ododo.
According to him, among all the governorship candidates for the November 11 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, the APC candidate, is the most suitable for the seat.
He said a five-man committee was previously set up to assess all the candidates contesting, and that the committee’s report concluded that Ododo was the right candidate to vote for in the upcoming election.
He emphasised the need to consolidate on Governor Yahaya Bello’s sterling achievements across all sectors, noting that Ododo would continue from where he would stop.
The ADC Chairman commended Governor Bello for the remarkable achievements across the state during his seven-and-a-half-year tenure.
He also pointed out that, from what had been seen and heard about the APC gubernatorial candidate, he would undoubtedly perform well when he becomes the next governor of the state.
Hon. Idowu Ibikunlen, representing Yagba West State Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly, said he contested as an ADC candidate and won his election.
He added that, despite being a member of the ADC, he and his supporters had all decided to vote for the APC candidate in the governorship election.
All three senatorial chairpersons of the ADC also spoke, affirming their commitment to mobilising their people in the ADC to vote en masse for the APC candidat
Abuja (Flowerbudnews): The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has declared Chike Moss Agada wanted.
Agada was declared wanted by EFCC through a public notice on the Commission’s official Twitter handle.
Though the suspected crime for which Agada was declared wanted was not specified, EFCC urged ”anyone with useful information as to his whereabouts should contact the EFCC or the nearest police station.
EFCC urged Nigerians to ‘:#SayNoToCorruption #TowardsABetterNigeria” (Flowerbudnews)
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, on Friday, swore in 20 commissioners and 22 special advisers into his cabinet.
The appointees were sworn in at the Obas Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, following the approval of the Ogun State House of Assembly.
Abiodun, who did not announce the portfolios of each of the appointees during the swearing-in ceremony, mulled the creation of new ministries to accommodate more people in his cabinet.
Speaking shortly after the appointees took the oath of office, the governor charged them to prepare for the challenges ahead and to see their appointment as a unique privilege and a call to service.
Abiodun also charged the cabinet members to be professional and prudent, urging them to pay constant attention to their jobs.
He enjoined them to work together as a team to achieve his administration’s set goals.
You new commissioners and special advisers have been chosen and found worthy among many others. You must see your appointments as a clarion call to continue to render selfless service, dedication, cohesiveness, inclusivity, and visibility with the new team.
“You must always have it at the back of your mind that your appointments are opportunities to prove your mettle,” the governor advised.
