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Tiwa Savage signs Rotary celebrity ambassador for polio eradication.

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NIGERIAN singer/songwriter Tiwa Savage is the newest face to join Rotary’s ‘This Close’ public awareness campaign for polio eradication. A paralyzing and life altering disease, polio is on the verge of becoming the second human disease ever to be eliminated worldwide after smallpox.

Savage, who has been described by CNN as Nigeria’s biggest pop star, will help Rotary achieve its goal of a polio-free world by raising awareness about the vaccine-preventable disease. Savage administered a vaccine to children in Lagos in late April. Nigeria regularly conducts mass immunization campaigns to vaccinate every child under the age of five in the country.

The singer’s participation in this program comes at a critical juncture. Last year, Nigeria experienced a polio outbreak that paralyzed four children after passing nearly two years without a case of the disease. Her involvement in the campaign will raise important awareness that will help ensure the outbreak is stopped.

“This is a cause that hits close to home for me, not only as a mother of a small child, but as a proud Nigerian, whose country has been battling this disease for many years,” said Savage.

Savage’s musical career began when she was 16 years of age as a backup singer for George Michael. Before going out on her own, she worked with many other well-known musicians, such as Whitney Houston, Kelly Clarkson, Andrea Bocelli, Mary J Blige and many more. Tiwa Savage is also a successful songwriter. She was signed to Sony/ATV Music before establishing her own label 323 Entertainment which teamed up with Marvin Records in 2012.

“To date, Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio”

Last year, Savage signed with Roc Nation as a management client. Already a superstar in her home country, her social media has amassed to a staggering 2.9 million followers on Instagram, 1. 8 million on Facebook, and 1.7 million on Twitter.

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Savage announced her new partnership with Rotary last week in New York City at a World Immunization Week event. As part of the ‘This Close’  campaign, Savage will be featured in ads raising her thumb and forefinger in the ‘this close’ gesture with the tagline ‘we’re this close to ending polio.’ Since the initiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to less than 37 cases in 2016.

The Nigerian music star joins other public figures and celebrities participating in Rotary’s public awareness campaign, including Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; actress Kristen Bell; Supermodel Isabeli Fontana; Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu; action movie star Jackie Chan; boxing great Manny Pacquiao; pop star Psy; golf legend Jack Nicklaus; conservationist Jane Goodall; premier violinist Itzhak Perlman; Grammy Award winners A.R. Rahman; Angelique Kidjo and Ziggy Marley; and peace advocate Queen Noor of Jordan.

Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus in 1985 and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative  with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and more recently the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

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Rotary’s roles within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, raising awareness and mobilizing volunteers. To date, Rotary has contributed more than $1.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to fight polio.

Through 2018, every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year. To date, more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized against polio, a paralyzing and sometimes deadly disease.

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Entertainment

Portable Granted Bail After Night in Police Cell Over ₦14m Debt

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Habeeb Okikiola popularly known as Portable. Photo: @portablebaeby/Instagram

 

The Lagos State Police Command has freed renowned street artist, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable, following a night spent in police detention.

Portable was apprehended on Tuesday in Lagos’ Abule Egba vicinity for purportedly defaulting on the balance payment for a G-Wagon vehicle he had purchased from an auto dealer.

Reports suggest that although the ‘Zazoo Zeh’ maestro acquired the vehicle valued at ₦27 million, he only disbursed ₦13 million, leaving a ₦14 million outstanding balance.

In footage that went viral, Portable was observed scaling a gate as law enforcement officers approached him with an arrest warrant.

Subsequently, another video emerged depicting him being restrained, handcuffed, and conveyed by approximately four policemen into a waiting vehicle.

During the altercation, a female voice, purportedly that of the car dealer, was heard in the background, issuing profanities and recounting Portable’s alleged threats when confronted about settling the debt.

The Police spokesperson in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed that Portable was released on bail on Wednesday after spending Tuesday night in police custody.

He further disclosed that both Portable and the car dealer are expected to reconvene at a later date.

“He (Portable) has been released; he was granted bail on Wednesday to come back with the complainant later,” Hundeyin stated, stressing that “the outcome of that meeting will determine our next line of action.”

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This incident marks not the first encounter between the singer and law enforcement.

In April 2023, Portable was detained by the police in Ogun State and arraigned on five charges related to alleged assault and theft at the Ifo Magistrate Court, in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

Subsequently, he was held at the Ilaro Correctional Centre before being released upon meeting bail conditions.

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Autopsy Results Fail to Determine Cause of Mohbad’s Death

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In a recent inquiry into the untimely demise of Nigerian musician, Ilerioluwa Aloba, better known as Mohbad, held at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof. Sunday Osiyemi, a Forensic Scientist and Pathologist, revealed that the results of the autopsy conducted on the deceased failed to unveil the cause of death.

Speaking before Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi, who presided over the coroner’s inquiry, Prof. Osiyemi cited various factors contributing to the inconclusive findings, notably the significant decomposition of the body due to the extended delay of 21 days before the autopsy was performed.

Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Wahab Shittu, representing Mohbad’s family, emphasised that according to the pathologist, the body should have been exhumed within 12 hours post-burial to prevent decomposition, a critical factor in determining the cause of death.

Shittu further elucidated that the pathologist referenced the administration of certain drugs to Mohbad before his demise, suggesting a potential correlation between the drugs and the difficulties encountered in pinpointing the cause of death.

“He also went further to say that it may be attributed to reactions to certain drugs administered on him before he died. Again he then qualified that to say he does not know whether it is those drugs that actually led to his death,” Shittu stated.

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With the cause of death remaining elusive, the coroner adjourned the proceedings to June 11th for further examination and cross-examination of the pathologist’s findings, signaling a continuation in the quest for answers surrounding Mohbad’s untimely passing.

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Nollywood actress, Shan George in distress as ₦3.6m allegedly cleared from her Zenith Bank account

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Renowned Nollywood actress, Shan George has raised an alarm, alleging that a person identified as Cecilia Chiagoziem Okoro has drained her Zenith Bank account of ₦3.6 million.

The distress call was made public by George herself via her Instagram account on Friday.

Alongside a screenshot of the debit alert, the actress expressed her desperation, stating, “I need help cos I’m dy!ng. This person has just cleared my account. Pls my pple, everyone pls help. Pls Zenith Bank, Reverse it. I can’t access my app. I’m De@D.”

https://www.instagram.com/shangeorgefilms?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

In a video shared on her Instagram, George pleaded for assistance in recovering her lost funds, revealing the perpetrator’s identity and the transfer destination.

“Cecilia Chiagoziem Okoro, that is the name of the person that has just wiped all the money in my account, 3.6 million into an Opay account,” she exclaimed.

With palpable anguish, she implored various entities for intervention, including Zenith Bank, Opay, and law enforcement agencies like the EFCC and Nigerian police.

“I don’t have any kobo anywhere again, what will I eat? I no fit beg, I beg una, make una help me,” she lamented.

George emphasised the urgency of the situation, stressing that the incident occurred just hours before she made the plea.

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“It’s just today, the 3rd of May, it’s not even up to an hour ago from now that I am doing this video,” she disclosed.

In an appeal, she beseeched Opay to reverse the unauthorised transaction, reiterating the magnitude of her loss.

“From Opay please help me reverse the money, N3.6 million. That is everything I have in my whole life,” she confessed.

 

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