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Yemi Alade joins UNDP’s call for urgent action to protect those hit hardest by COVID-19 surge

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Yemi Alade
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) joined by key voices in international development, reiterates the importance of protecting the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people hit hardest by the socio-economic impact of COVID-19. This call comes under the auspices of the 2020 UN High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in the event “Half the World: The Many Faces of Social Protection”. Half the world refers to 55 percent of the world’s population that are not covered by social insurance or social assistance, according to ILO data.

Joining the event from Lagos, Nigeria, globally acclaimed Afropop star Yemi Alade shone a spotlight on those suffering the direst consequences of the pandemic, such as young women who are self-employed and are the sole providers for their families.

“We are here to talk about half the world, the half that wakes up every morning to go to work despite and because of the global pandemic,” Alade said. “It’s about the young woman who is struggling to make ends meet and risking her health to provide for her family.”

“Let’s not let billions of the world’s poorest, most vulnerable people fall through the cracks in our society,” she said.

The event was hosted by UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, who reiterated UNDP’s responsibility for integrated action and called on all development partners to step up on social protection.

“We cannot afford to become inured to poverty, hunger and jobs figures that keep getting worse. We cannot sleepwalk into a new normal. Unprecedented action is needed, and it is needed now,” Steiner said. “There are some great examples of how developing countries are addressing social protection challenges—from cash to supplements income to in-kind assistance that supplements nutrition, to care systems geared towards working women.”

Steiner added: “Unless we bring fresh perspective and ideas to the table, successful action will depend on an uneven patchwork of social assistance, social insurance and systems of care around the world.”

Among other featured speakers at the event were UNDP’s partners from governments and the international development sector, including HE Cina Lawson, Minister of Postal Affairs and Digital Economy of Togo; Reema Nanavaty, Director General of SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association); Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dr Guy Standing, Professor at SOAS University of London and co-founder of Basic Income Earth Network; and Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), who joined via a video message.

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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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