Social Commerce and Product Discovery Network

5 yrs

Lagos Enters Guiness Book Of Record By Producing Largest Logo With Cupcakes

Lagos breaks Singapore’s record; puts Nigeria on world record
Lagos State on Thursday put Nigeria on the world record by celebrating the 60th Independence Anniversary with 60,000 cupcakes.

The state produced the largest anniversary logo in the world, made with cupcakes mosaic.

The initiative by the Lagos State Government in conjunction with Fly Africa aimed to put Nigeria in the Guinness Book of World Record as a holder of the world’s largest anniversary logo made with cupcakes mosaic in the world.

Speaking at the event held at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noted the state through the laying of the largest cupcakes mosaic, has sent a message to the world that Lagos remained a land of creativity and innovations.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the wife of the State Deputy Governor, Mrs Oluremi Hamzat, at the event monitored by officials of the Guinness World Records, said that the last largest cupcakes in the world were 30,400 cupcakes made in Singapore in 2015.

“’I am sure that with this largest cupcakes mosaic today, we have sent a message to the world that Lagos State is a land of creativity and innovations.

“It is my belief that Lagos State and indeed Nigeria would continue to strive and record greater achievements.

“I call on everyone here today to join hands with our administration to build a Lagos that we will all be proud of,” he said.

The governor commended all the founding fathers of Nigeria, independence icons, and those who had worked tirelessly to ensure that Nigeria remained a united nation.

The Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs. Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, said that the world’s largest anniversary logo made with cupcakes mosaic was very unique to Lagos being the trail-blazer in every lofty initiative.

Akinbile-Yussuf said that the government, through the event was putting itself before the international community, especially tourists, to see what the state could offer in terms of breaking new grounds and in creativity.

She said that the relevance of Lagos State in Nigeria could not be undermined as the state had been channeling its efforts into activities that had strengthened the nation economically, culturally and socially.

According to her, Lagos State has been serving as the melting pot for Nigeria’s tradition and culture.

“The coming together of Fly Africa and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture for this event which is one of its kinds in the history of this nation underscores Lagos’ rich attractions that have earned the nation a global voice and respect across the continent.

“It is also commendable that we are equally using this event to eye World Guinness Record through the laying of the Largest Cupcake Mosaic in different colors, being the first-ever in the world.

‘“I appreciate the almost 150 volunteers who came together to make this Largest Cupcakes Mosaic possible, as well as the various partners for this event,” she said.

Akinbile-Yusuf also said that the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture had used the period of the lockdown in the tourism and entertainment industry to rethink a workable direction for the post-COVID era.

She said that going forward, efforts would be channeled toward the development of the state-local tourism sites and the promotion of local creativity.

“Rather than enriching the economy of other countries through international tours, we want to change the narrative by making our state a more beautiful city to behold, where international tourists can visit and invest their resources,” the commissioner said.

The Lead Aviator of Fly Africa, Mr Wole Olagundoye, said the record-breaking event would inspire Nigerians and Africans to rise above the odds and strive for positive actions toward achieving great and transformational feats.

Olagundoye, who is also the Managing Director of Outori Ltd., said that only Africans could make Africa succeed.

“Our own destiny is not in the hand of other nations but right in ours and we must seize this moment to make the necessary changes,” he said.

#nairaland

See more photos from the event below

5 yrs

FG Introduces New Visa Policies For UK, U.S, UAE, France, 147 Others.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has introduced a new visa regime for citizens of the United Kingdom, United States, United Arab Emirates (UAE), France, and 147 other countries.

The service said that the new regime, which consists of transit, business (single), business (multiple), tourism, visiting (single), visiting (multiple), journalist, cleric, medical tourism, religious, study tour, academic exchange, cultural exchange, humanitarian, emergency, Staff of NGO visas, Temporary Work Permit (TWP) and others attract different fees and it is based on the principle of reciprocity.

The new regime, which commenced on Thursday, October 1, Mr. Sunday James, the Service Public Relations Officer (PRO), said was approved by Ogbeni Ra’uf Aregbesola, the Minister of Interior.

According to the new regime, citizens from the United Kingdom on transit visa would pay the sum of $84, multiple visa attracts $801, visiting (single), $125; study tour, $250; academic exchange, $250.

For the United States’ citizens, transit visa attracts $160; business (single), $160; medical tourism, $250, while TWP visa now goes for $460.

For citizens of the UAE, transit visa is now $15 and $25; tourism visa, $87; visiting (single), $166; visiting (multiple), $425.

For French citizens, business visa (single), $71; business (multiple), $177; tourism, $71; visiting (single), $71; visiting (multiple), $117; journalist, $71; cleric, $71; medical tourism, $71; religious, $71; sports, $71; emergency, $71; study tour, $71; academic exchange, $71; cultural exchange, $71; humanitarian exchange, $71; staff of INGO, $71; while TWP visa attracts, $117.

Countries that attracted different visa regimes included Dominica, Dominica Republic, DR. Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, and Belgium.

Others are Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Iraq, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Libya, Mexico, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Slovenia, South Africa, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and many others.

Citizens from West African countries like Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ghana, Gambia, Togo, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and others are exempted from visa fees, while Mauritius and Sri Lankan citizens are visa free.

James in the statement said that the new visa regime is based on the principle of reciprocity and urged stakeholders, concerned authorities, and individuals to visit the official website of the service for more information on the new policy.

Part of the statement read: “The Comptroller General is inviting stakeholders, concerned authorities and individuals to visit the official website of the service via www.nigeriaimmigration. gov.ng for full details of the new visa fees for all countries and categories of applicants.

“Equally, the service will commence the implementation of the Nigeria Visa Policy 2020 (NVP 202, launched on the 4th February, 2020, by President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The implementation of the new visa fees and Nigeria Visa Policy 2020 (NVP 202 commences on 1st October, 2020.”

#nairaland

5 yrs

Kidnapped Catholic Priest Regains Freedom In Delta, 3 Days After

Rev. Fr. Jude Onyebadi, the abducted Catholic priest in Aniocha North local government area of Delta state, has been released.

Fr Onyebadi was allegedly kidnapped by unknown gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen at his farm around the Isele-Uku/Issele-Mkpetime Road in Aniocha council on Saturday.

According to a community source, who preferred anonymity, Fr. Onyebadi was freed by his abductors around 4:30pm on Tuesday, September 29th.

Orient Weekend learnt that upon the priest’s release, he was rushed to a hospital around the Asaba axis of the state capital for medical treatment.

It was not clear if the cleric sustained any injury during his ordeal in the hands of his captors.

The source, however, could not confirmed if any ransom was paid to secure his release.

Reports added that this was the second time the priest was kidnapped by gunmen. The priest was forcefully taken away at his farm at the Isele-Uku/Issele-Mkpetime Road on Saturday alongside three of his workers.

He was previously abducted in 2018, which led to protest by Catholic priests in the Isele-Uku Catholic Diocese.

He is the parish priest of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church, Issele-Azagba, a neighbouring community to Asaba, the state capital.

When contacted, the State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, could not immediately confirm the release of the victim. Onovwakpoyeya, however, promised to investigate the development as at the time of filing this report.

#orientdailynews

5 yrs

Relief As EEDC Reverses Tariff Hike, Compensates Customers

The Enugu Electricity Distribution PLC (EEDC) has confirmed its reversal to the old electricity tariff following an order issued by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), suspending the Multi Year Tariff Order (MYTO) 2020, for a period of 14 days, with effect from September 28, 2020, to October 11, 2020.

The reversal followed the suspension of proposed strike action by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).

The order, which was signed by NERC chairman, James Momoh, and Commissioner, Legal, Licensing & Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, is in compliance with a joint communique issued by the federal government of Nigeria (FGN) and the labour unions, where it was agreed that the recently reviewed tariff be suspended by the Commission for 14 days to further consult and finalise negotiations between the parties.

According to a release issued by the Head of Corporate Communications, EEDC, Mr. Emeka Ezeh, on Thursday, EEDC has already complied with the directive.

With this development, prepaid customers of EEDC who experienced immediate impact of the reviewed tariff during their recharge between 28th to 30th September, 2020, the difference between the reviewed tariff and old tariff for the 3 days will be credited to the customers wallets, which they can use to recharge their meters in future; while for the remaining 11 days (1st to 11th October, 202, all vending activities will be at the old tariff.

In the same vein, for postpaid customers, the difference between the reviewed tariff and the old tariff for the 14 days period will be computed and credit adjustment effected for the affected customers (that is crediting their respective accounts with the difference).

It will however be noted that some category of customers were not affected by the reviewed tariff, as their tariff was frozen and they were still paying their bills using the old tariff. These are customers that fall under Bands D and E. They will continue paying/vending with the old rate.

The Order issued by NERC further directed that “all tariffs for end-use customers and market obligations of the distribution companies during the 14-day suspension shall be computed on the basis of rates applicable as at August 31, 2020.”

EEDC assures her esteemed customers of its unrelenting commitment towards consistently improving its infrastructure to deliver efficient, reliable and quality services.

#orientdailynews

5 yrs

Benin Landlady Locks Evangelist Out, Cites Late Night Habit

An angry landlady, identified as Mrs Felicia Amegor, around Anti Maria School Road in Benin City, Edo state, on Monday night, allegedly locked out her tenant, an evangelist, for coming home late.

It was gathered that the tenant habitually kept late nights and that this was a source of problem to the landlady who claimed that all efforts to ensure that she, the evangelist, stopped it had proved abortive. She said she had given her a quit notice before but the she refused to leave the house.

Sources said that the landlady, on the fateful Monday night, waited till 1am at the entrance door to the house without the tenant coming home but that she, rather, returned at about 2am, singing and accusing the landlady of being wicked.

The tenant was said to have slept outside with her 18-year-old son, but was rescued by members of the vigilante group in the area who provided her and the son with a place to sleep till morning when she moved in to the house.

The tenant, a widow who had lived in the North for several years before returning to her home town in Benin City, claimed she embraced God in full swing and had been preaching the gospel over the years, including selling fairly used clothes at Oloku town near the University of Benin, (UNIBEN). She added, with regrets, that she had never had peace with the landlady since moving into the house.

Speaking to our correspondent, the landlady, Amegor said “I have severally begged the tenant to always come home on time, but she refused and continued to come home late in the night, most times, wee hours in the name of evangelism and I took the decision to lock her outside on the fateful day and instead of apologising, she threatened to report to the police. I am waiting for the police”.

In response, the tenant said “I am just being attacked for nothing because I told my landlady that I do the work of God when I was coming into the house; and she will not see reasons with me. I will rather pack out and go elsewhere for my evangelism.”

Meanwhile, the Edo state government has warned officials of the Public Works Volunteers (PUWOV) scheme, empowered to enforce regulations on public safety and order, against extortion and maltreatment of traders and commercial vehicle drivers.

The state coordinator of PUWOV, Mukhtar Yusuf Osagie, in a statement in Benin City, however, urged members of the public to report any officer of the scheme found extorting money or manhandling street traders or drivers to the appropriate authorities, disclosing that all commercial motor vehicle drivers were expected to operate in their different designed parks, adding that the street traders had been mandated to go back to their respective markets. He urged all commercial bus drivers, car drivers, tax or cab drivers not to pick or drop passengers in prohibited areas.

#orientdailynews

5 yrs

Crisis In Onitsha Electronics Market, Chairman, Secretary Bicker

Crisis is brewing at the Onitsha International Electronics Market (OIEM) resulting in the reported suspension of the secretary of the market, Comrade Damian Ogudike. According to the secretary, his suspension was as result of his refusal to endorse plans by the chairman, Mr. Izu Okoye, to change the market’s constitution in his [chairman’s] favour.

Ogudike said that “he (chairman) wants to change the constitution to become the chairman of board of trustees, (BoT) so that, after his tenure, whenever there is vacuum, he will continue in office as chairman pending when an election will be conducted. I said ‘no’ to that and said that he should consult the entire traders to air their view on that issue, and not impose it on the traders through amendment of the constitution. He suspended me and threatened to kill the chief provost general, Chief Ifechukwu Emmanuel Anozie, for supporting me.

He also suspended me for demanding due process in the allocation of shops to prospective buyers and accused me of fraudulently embezzling the proceeds of the shops allocated. However, he was the one that brought the buyers and told them to meet me, claiming that we worked together and that it was just all for formalities. I, however, insisted on due process and that did not go down well with him as he was interested in collecting the money without due process.”

“Because I refused, he brought the assistant secretary and worked with him, accusing me of using a platform, Abia Parliament Forum, to endanger the market.

The truth is that when we wanted to open an account for the OIEM, the bank account officer said that, as a corporate market, we should have an electronic mail (e-mail) address. The chairman said he did not have one and asked me to use my own, which is Abia Parliament Forum. Even when I told him that we had to use that of the traders, he said it did not matter and insisted I should use mine. So, mine was used.”

The secretary also accused the chairman of making a withdrawal without the knowledge of the other signatories to the account, and alleged that he had also placed other executive committee members under close watch with a view to suspending them “if they opened up on his fraudulent activities.”

Contacted, the chairman, Izu Okoye, denied all the allegations levelled against him by the secretary and described them as figments of his [secretary’s] own imagination and a plot to incite the traders against him (chairman) with the intention of causing chaos in the market.

According to the chairman, “he is only diverting attention because what he did is criminal. Exposing the in-flows and out-flows of the market [bank account] to Abia Parliament Forum, coupled with his conspiracy to siphon the sum of N21million stallage fees. These are the reasons he was called upon by the executives/screening committee to answer questions with respect to the alleged issues and he has not come to answer them [on those issues] up till now and they suspended him.

Also, on the alleged change of constitution, it is false. We raised the issue of constitution amendment in the executive but did not go further on it.

On the issue of stallage fees, he collected about N21million and because the buyers were worried over non-allocation after payment to him, we waded in and he started paying them back N300, 000 each until he pays them off,” the chairman said.

On the allegation that he threatened to kill the chief provost general for opposing the change of constitution and his alleged fraudulent role in the stallage financial scam, Okoye said that “the chief provost feels (that), because he is an executive member, he stays in the market up to 8 pm and I said ‘no’ and asked him to leave the market.”

He is running away from 12 people he is owing and the police is looking for him.”

Contacted, the chief provost corroborated the position of the secretary adding that “the chairman said he will kill me for opposing him on change of constitution and the role he played in the stallage financial scam.”

#orientdailynews

5 yrs

Transporters Flay Fuel Price Increase, Lament Onitsha Bridge Gridlock

The chairman of Upper Iweka/Asaba route of the Bus Drivers Welfare Association, under the umbrella, Urban Bus Drivers Welfare Association (UDWAAS), Mr. Sunday Ogoegbunam, has expressed dismay at the recent increase in the price of petroleum motor spirit, PMS, as recently announced by the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency, PPPRA, and described it as untimely.

Ogoegbunam said the increase was untimely because Nigerians were yet to recover from the more than seven-month lockdown in the course of the effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic.

He called for a reverse of the increase, stressing that Nigerians had sacrificed enough in the interest of the country, tracing the sacrifice right from 1985 up to 1993, the days of the former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, when the federal military government introduced the controversial Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).

In another vein, the union leader also drew attention to the continued traffic gridlock experienced at the Onitsha end of the River Niger Bridge which, according to him, is now a source of worry to travellers plying the Onitsha/Asaba/Benin/Lagos expressway. The gridlock has, of recent, been observed to extend to the Upper Iweka axis of the city.

Speaking to newsmen in Onitsha during the week, the transporters and travellers lamented the long hours they had been made to spend crossing that inter zonal and inter-state bridge which links the south south and south east zones of the country.

In Ogoegbunam’s words, “we call on the federal government to persuade the contractor handling the 2nd Niger Bridge, Julius Berger, to expedite action on the bridge to help decongest the traffic gridlock we experience on daily basis.”

He, however, commended both the federal government and the construction firm for displaying patriotism and competence on the project. He explained that the frequent traffic jam experienced by motorists on the expressway had heightened the need to complete the said 2nd Niger Bridge project in record time.

The transporter said that commercial bus drivers were most hit by the situation given the revenue losses to them as expected returns to the bus owners after close of work has decreased drastically.

#orientdailynews

5 yrs

Proscribed Group Membership Not Death Penalty Offence – Lawyer

An Onitsha lawyer, Ejike Efobi, has stated that belonging to a proscribed group like Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, is never an offence punishable by death or shoot-on-sight. Rather, he said, it is an offence that could be handled by a court of competent jurisdiction.

He noted that by shooting and killing people on mere suspicion of committing an offence, like was alleged to be the case with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB, law enforcement agents appeared to have abolished the court system, an act he tagged “the height of tyranny.”

On the recent killing in Emene, Enugu, Efobi declared: ‘The Nigerian situation is very complex. We claim to have laws guiding us but the law does not permit the killing of Nigerian citizens as animals. It is not an offence punishable with death to belong to a proscribed organisation. The due process of arrest and investigation, if there is an alleged commission of offence, must be followed. It is after trial that the court will issue a decree sentencing the suspect, if found guilty.

By killing someone for merely suspecting that he or she committed an offence, you have abolished the court system as a height of tyranny. The court is an entitlement to an accused person, no matter the weight of such an accusation. Therefore, the killing of IPoB members, or any other person, without trial, is not justifiable and cannot be justified in any circumstance. The worst would have been to arrest them.

He added that “even an armed robber cannot be shot at, except where his arrest will put you in great danger. The proscription order against IPoB was procured from Abuja High Court. but I am aware that IPoB is currently in an Appeal Court to challenge it.”

#orientdailynews

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