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NCC chair, Akande hosts holiday party, doles out cash gifts to media managers, influencers
Media managers, publishers and social media influencers were excited as Chairman of, the Board of Commissioners, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Adeolu Akande held end of a year get-together last Thursday in Ibadan.
The well–coordinated annual event, held at his Aerodrome residence in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, had about 100 guests in attendance, comprising New Media experts, political analysts, activists, students and members of the Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) among others.
In the spirit of Christmas and new year’s celebration, Akande equally doled out cash gifts to the practitioners as part of his appreciation, just as he vowed never to undermine their significance.
The Event Diary Crew of Mega Icon Magazine reliably learnt that the classy get-together party which lasted for about three hours was to appreciate the support provided by the media throughout 2022. The memorable gathering was an evening of fun, celebration and networking.
They expressed delight with the success and development the NCC boss facilitated to Oyo state, especially in the area of youth empowerment through relevant digital skills acquisition in the last few years, adding that the development comes with high enthusiasm and laudation.
Addressing the gathering, the APC chieftain expressed deep-felt appreciation to the media, stressing that 2022 was a year to be remembered as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) under President Muhammadu Buhari celebrated numerous milestones.
Akande, a political scientist and lawyer further noted that the successes have been recorded because of the incredible support given to him and his team by the media across all platforms.
“As is our tradition, we celebrate and recognize the phenomenal role you continue to play across the areas we operate. This gathering is only for us to show appreciation to all of those who for different reasons stood by us and to thank God for keeping us alive. We are here to celebrate and not an interactive session”, the NCC chief said.
He, however, appealed for the support of the media to ensure the success of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and others at the polls.
A tragic incident occurred on Saturday morning in the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos State, as a building housing a popular local restaurant on Oremeta Street collapsed, leaving many feared dead.
The building was said to have given way at about 8:00 am, causing panic among residents and passers-by. Eyewitnesses reported a loud rumble before the structure came crashing down, trapping several individuals inside.
Emergency responders, including residents and rescue officials, have since commenced search and rescue operations at the site. As of the time of filing this report, the exact number of casualties remains unconfirmed, but several persons are believed to be trapped beneath the rubble.
Authorities are yet to issue an official statement regarding the cause of the collapse or the number of victims. However, efforts are ongoing to clear the debris and reach those who may still be alive underneath.
More details to follow.
Grief hung heavily in the air as the Zike community in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State laid to rest 51 of its residents brutally murdered in a pre-dawn attack that has once again cast a dark shadow over the troubled region.
The victims, mostly women and children, were gunned down in the early hours of Monday when yet-to-be-identified assailants stormed the sleepy village, firing indiscriminately. The massacre is the latest in a string of violent assaults that have plagued Plateau State in recent times.
At the mass burial held in the community, emotions ran high as families, friends, and sympathizers wept uncontrollably. Traditional mourners draped in black wailed as the victims’ coffins were lowered into the earth — a harrowing scene that has become all too familiar in the region.
Speaking at the funeral, a visibly distraught community leader, Davidson Malison, described the attack as “disheartening” and lamented the scale of the devastation.
“I can tell you the situation is very disheartening,” Malison said. “We are still searching for more corpses. Something needs to be done to put an end to this.”
The Irigwe women leader, Mary Dikwa, echoed similar concerns, calling on the government to step up its responsibility in securing lives and property.
“They have been killing us in this our community,” Dikwa said in tears. “Several times they will come and attack us. This situation has gone out of hand.”
Monday’s carnage came barely two weeks after another deadly assault left over 50 people dead and several others severely injured, despite repeated reassurances by the government to restore peace to the North-Central state.
Reacting to the renewed wave of violence, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered security agencies to track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“I have instructed security agencies to thoroughly investigate this crisis and identify those responsible for orchestrating these violent acts,” the President said in a statement released by his spokesman, Bayo Onanuga. “We cannot allow this devastation and the tit-for-tat attacks to continue. Enough is enough.”
As the Zike community mourns yet another loss, residents are left clinging to hope — that someday soon, peace will return to their land and they can finally bury their dead without fearing for the lives of the living.
At least forty people have been confirmed dead following a brutal attack by unidentified assailants on Zike community in Kimakpa, located within the Kwall district of Bassa Local Government Area in Plateau State.
According to local sources, the assault took place in the early hours of Monday, with the attackers storming the village and opening fire indiscriminately. Residents, startled by the sound of gunfire, fled in panic, but many were caught in the hail of bullets.
A community leader in Kwall, Wakili Tongwe, revealed that he and a group of vigilantes, along with some security personnel, were on patrol in a nearby community when the assault occurred.
“We were on routine patrol in a different area when the attackers struck. By the time we arrived, they had already done significant damage,” Tongwe said.
He added that while the joint team of vigilantes and security operatives engaged the assailants and eventually repelled them, the casualties were already high. Thirty-six people were confirmed dead at the scene, with four others succumbing to their injuries later in hospital.
Several other villagers sustained gunshot wounds and are currently receiving treatment in medical facilities nearby.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies in Plateau State are yet to issue any official statement regarding the incident.
This latest massacre comes barely two weeks after a similar attack in the Bokkos Local Government Area of the state, where over fifty people lost their lives in coordinated assaults on several communities.
