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Anita Alaire Afoke Asuoha, the Nigerian comedienne and actress, who is popularly known as Real Warri Pikin, has revealed she underwent weight-loss surgery.
Recall that Real Warri Pikin flaunted her new looks on social media last year after undergoing weight-loss surgery.
Speaking at a recent function, the comedienne explained that she made the decision after she was embarrassed with an automated bank security.
She said, “When I was plus-sized, one of the reasons I decided to do weight-loss surgery was an embarrassing situation at the bank. I entered into the bank door and the next thing I heard was, ‘Step back, one at a time, one at time’.”
She, however, admitted that she is suffering from the side effects of the surgery.
“Everyone is saying I look better and younger after the surgery but they don’t know what I am passing through. My breasts have become sloppy,” she lamented.
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Why I decided to do a weight-loss surgery
— @????????????? (@OneJoblessBoy) May 31, 2024
- RealWarriPikin pic.twitter.com/ivIR0JTKtE
A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress, Joe Igbokwe, has slammed Nigerian activist Aisha Yesufu for what he perceives as disrespectful behaviour towards the new national anthem.
Yesufu, known for her activism, refused to sing the national anthem “Nigeria we hail thee” at an event, opting to sit down while others stood up to honor the anthem.
In a video she posted on X on Friday, the co-convener of the BringBackOurGirls advocacy group, could be seen seen sitting while the new national anthem was being recited.
Captioning the video, she wrote: “#NotMyNationalAnthem.”
Reacting, on his Facebook page on Saturday Igbokwe criticized Yesufu’s behavior as “nonsensical” and warned that her actions may harm her and her family.
He wrote, “Aisha Yesufu cannot respect the National Anthem. Let us see where all the nonsensical behaviour will take her to.
"She may not understand the damage she is doing to herself and her family. Continue.”
President Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law on Wednesday, restoring ‘Nigeria we hail thee’ as the national anthem.
Story highlights
- The African Development Bank (AfDB) has made several financial pledges towards Nigeria’s socio-economic development since 2023.
- The financial commitments relate to infrastructure, and agriculture development among others.
- Amid these multi-billion commitments, Nairametrics digs into the status of the bank’s pledges to Nigeria for the past year.
When it comes to Nigeria’s multilateral creditors, the African Development Bank (AfDB) stands out as one of the country’s largest and most reliable sources of credit.
According to data from the Debt Management Office, Nigeria’s loans from the AfDB have increased from approximately $3 billion in 2022 to $3.2 billion by the end of 2023.
This is up from $2.8 billion in 2021, demonstrating steady growth in the extension of credit to Nigeria.
The World Bank is the only multilateral creditor to have extended more credit to Nigeria than the AfDB.
Support from the AfDB has grown significantly since the Tinubu administration, with numerous pledges made over the past year to both public and private institutions, supporting various initiatives.
AfDB’s Financial Commitments to Nigeria
We looked at the AfDB website and from their records, between 2023 and March 2024, a total of 372.3 million UA has been approved for Nigeria.
For this year, its website showed only 37,548,813 UA was approved on March 15, 2024.
According to the AfDB, the Bank uses a unit of account (the “Unit of Account” or “UA”) equivalent to the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Right (SDR) as its reporting currency.
The value of the SDR, which may vary from day to day, is currently computed daily in U.S. dollars by the IMF.
We also looked at the entirety of projects and amounts that have been approved for Nigeria since 1971 and as per their records, a total of 6.1 billion UA has been earmarked for Nigeria out of which 4.5 billion UA has been approved or completed while 1.4 billion UA is under implementation or ongoing.
186.5 million UA has been cancelled so far while the bulk of the cancellation occurred in 2016 at an estimated 173.8 million dollars.
Nairametrics also collated official press releases from the AfDB on pledges made to Nigeria in the form of financial support.
Some of these amounts may be part of the 372 million UA, but Nairametrics cannot independently verify.
However, these are the pledges that we have collated.
AfDB’s Financial Commitments to Nigeria Since 2023
As part of Nairametrics’ review of the government’s first year in office, we take a closer look at the various pledges from the AfDB over the past year, detailing the beneficiaries and the intended uses of the funds.
Here are the pledges made since last year per Nairametrics collation:
$1.44 billion investment in Nigeria
The African Development Bank (AfDB) had on May 22, 2024, announced an investment of $1.44 billion to aid the development of energy and power, transport, water, and sanitation infrastructure in Nigeria.
- Director-General of the AfDB’s Nigeria Country Department, Lamin Barrow, said Nigeria is having a huge infrastructure deficit problem, at the Nasarawa Investment Summit 2024, held from 15 – 16 May in Lafia, Nasarawa state.
- “To address this problem, the African Development Bank is supporting the federal and state governments to improve the national and state infrastructure. As of April 2024, 31 per cent of the Bank’s active portfolio, valued at $1.44 billion, is supporting infrastructure development in Nigeria,” Barrow stated.
$75 million loan with Nigeria’s Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited
On March 28, 2024, AfDB stated it signed a $75 million loan agreement with Nigeria’s Indorama Eleme Fertilizer and Chemicals Limited.
It explained the loan will enable Indorama to increase its fertilizer production and develop a port terminal for exports, supporting food production and food security across regional and international markets, while fostering job creation in Nigeria.
$50 million loan to Yobe State Government
On March 26, 2024, the Board of Directors of the AfDB stated it approved a $50 million loan for the Yobe State Environmental and Climate Change Action Project (ECCAP) to enhance climate change resilience, boost food security, and improve livelihoods for over 3.5 million people in northeast Nigeria.
While the project cost was estimated at $101.34 million, the African Development Bank pledged a $50 million loan.
$80 million To Ekiti Knowledge Zone Project
On February 22, 2024, AfDB stated it committed $80 million in loan financing to the Ekiti Knowledge Zone (EKZ) project in Ekiti State, describing the project as a hub for digital innovation and knowledge economy in Nigeria.
The Ekiti State Government was expected to commit $14.8 million towards the $94.8 million project.
$175 million financial package for UBA
On December 15, 2023, the AFDB said it approved a $175 million financial package for United Bank for Africa (UBA), comprising $100 million in long-term senior debt, $50 million of trade finance medium-term senior debt and a $25 million risk participation program.
According to its statement, the long-term senior debt will enhance UBA’s capacity to finance projects in Nigeria in the key sectors inclusive of agriculture and related value chains.
$20 million Trade Finance Facility Agreement with FSDH Merchant Bank
On December 8, 2023, AfDB said it signed a $20 million Trade Finance Facility Agreement with FSDH Merchant Bank to support small- and medium-sized businesses in Nigeria’s industrial and manufacturing sectors.
$115 million for Abia state road rehabilitation
On June 30, 2023, AfDB stated it had approved a loan of $115 million to support a major road rehabilitation project in Nigeria’s Abia State.
“Financing for the project, estimated at a total cost of $263.80 million, will come through an African Development Bank loan of $100 million; a Canada–African Development Bank Climate Fund (CACF) loan of $15 million; and a $125 million co-financing loan from the Islamic Development Bank,” AfDB said in a statement.
$15 million loan to InfraCredit
On May 18, 2023, AfDB stated it approved a $15 million subordinated loan to Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company Limited (InfraCredit) to strengthen its capital base and help close Nigeria’s infrastructure financing gap.
The financing was aimed at enabling InfraCredit to leverage domestic capital markets to bolster access to long-term local currency infrastructure financing in Nigeria.
$525,000 grant to AFN
On April 26, 2023, AfDB said it signed a $525,000 grant agreement with Africa Fintech Network (AFN) for the setup of the Africa Fintech Hub(link is external), an online portal that will serve as a one-stop shop for all fintech activities in Africa.
The agreement was signed on 4 April 2023, according to AfDB.
€362,000 to Yobe Basin-Trust Fund
On March 23, 2023, AfDB, signed a €362,000 grant agreement with Hadejia Jama’are Komadugu Yobe Basin-Trust Fund to prepare additional studies for the development of a strategic plan for managing water resources in the Komadugu-Yobe Basin in northern Nigeria.
“Specifically, the grant will support the preparation of a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the Challawa Gorge Dam Watershed Management Project; a stakeholder engagement plan; a grievance redress mechanism, and stakeholder consultations involving riparian communities and the Lake Chad Basin Commission comprising Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger Republic.
The project will be implemented over eight months,” AfDB revealed in a statement.
How many pledges came in?
Nairametrics has been unable to confirm whether the pledges made to extend credit to institutions in Nigeria have been disbursed.
- Ahead of this publication, a Nairametrics analyst sent an inquiry to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. seeking details on the financial commitments made to Nigeria by the African Development Bank Group since 2023.
- Specifically, Nairametrics requested information on which pledges had been fulfilled.
Nairametrics faced challenges in obtaining a response from the AfDB. Efforts to reach Christin Roby, an official in the AfDB’s Communications Department, were unsuccessful.
Eventually, Ms. Roby explained that the team was busy with the Annual Meetings and a response would likely come next week.
As of this publication, Nairametrics has not received a response from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. regarding the inquiry.
FG’s perception of AfDB’s interventions
- On June 24, 2023, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed an investment of $520 million in specialised agro-processing zones by the AfDB.
- According to a statement from the presidency, Tinubu had praised AfDB’s president, Dr Adewunmi Adesina for further opening up the economy for investments that provide job opportunities and reduction in poverty.
- President Tinubu had assured Dr Adesina that the Federal Government would provide all the necessary assistance to ensure the sustenance of the projects, adding that electricity remained a priority area that needed urgent attention.
- The $520 million pledge was launched by AfDB and partners, as disclosed on its website on October 24, 2022.
- The Nigerian presidency notes the AfDB President’s visionary and noble endeavour to transform agriculture in Africa and ensure food security on the continent.
Nairametrics previously quoted the AfDB stating that its funding for development projects in Nigeria is worth around $4.4 billion.
[Nairametrics]
Nigerian activist and politician, Aisha Yesufu, has openly opposed the newly adopted national anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’.
Naija News reported that President Bola Tinubu signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law on Wednesday, reinstating the old anthem, “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”
A video making the rounds on social media shows the activist sitting while others stood during the recitation of the new anthem at an event.
Most guests at the event were visibly astonished by Aisha’s display, as seen in the video.
Aisha shared a video clip of the moment on her official X handle with the caption, “Not my anthem.”
Similarly, Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw, has frowned at the decision of the administration of President Bola Tinubu, to reinstate the old national anthem.
In a post via X on Thursday, Kate Henshaw faulted the timing of the change and questioned how returning to the old anthem would tackle the country’s hardships.
According to the movie star, the country is facing “excoriating hardship and lack of good governance on every level.”
She sarcastically wrote: “In the midst of excoriating hardship & lack of good governance on every level but not to worry, going back to a colonial anthem will be a soothing balm and inject patriotism back into our veins, a much needed drug.”
In another post, Henshaw wrote, “The labour of our heroes past… o ti lo [is gone].”
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She’s a septuagenarian. She was sighted comfortably sitting beside her wares of biscuits, sweets, groundnuts and other articles under a broad canopy right opposite the popular Traffic Light, Ikpa Road, Akwa Ibom State.
From a distance, one could see the widow gazing at the vast, endless, and ever-changing canvas of the sky colors. Her eyes were locked onto an imaginary object. She was simply lost in deep thoughts. Thoughts of life after her husband departed, thoughts of the good old days and thoughts about what life has apportioned her since inception and a drab business atmosphere flooded her subconscious!
The mother-of-three thus appeared idle, as she had no customers in sight to patronise her when Saturday Tribune walked up to her for a chat.
Like several struggling folks across the Niger Delta, the current economic debacle has taken its heavy toll on her. She has three mouths to feed! Life is simply tough; her voice betrayed this assertion. However, in the midst of the distressing atmosphere, she still betrayed some smiles and was willing to engage in a chat with our correspondent. She obliged a slice of her eventful life story and how she’s navigating the present reality:
“My name is Ekaite Akpan from Okono Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State. I am 60 years old and my mother is still alive at Ikono.
“I am a widow, as my husband died some years ago when I was in Lagos, hustling. When my husband died, I left Lagos for Port Harcourt.
“I have three children. Before my husband died, I was selling cooked food at an Air Force Base in Ikeja, Lagos.
“Everything changed when my husband died because even though I was hustling to take care of some of the family bills, he was a support system; but when he died, the responsibility of training my three children fell solely on me.
“It was during that period that my family members asked me to come back to Port Harcourt where my children started and finished secondary school.
“When I was there, I was selling the same petty things I am selling here, but the difference is that the business was booming there and it was the proceeds I used in training them through secondary school.
“However, I left Port Harcourt because my first daughter wanted to start a job here. She complained of the discomfort and risk of Port Harcourt life as she was kidnapped twice when we were there.
“She was kidnapped because her paternal grandmother was a white woman and she got her complexion so the kidnappers thought that she was an American.
“She was taken to Aba from Port Harcourt by her kidnappers but by the Grace of God, she was brought back to Port Harcourt through prayers and fasting without paying a dime.
“It was because of this that my family insisted on us relocating back to Akwa Ibom State.
“So when I came back here, I started my business selling sweets, biscuits and other petty things because that was what I was selling in Port Harcourt.
“But the market here is very bad as people hardly patronize me. I think the problem is with the location so I have told my daughter to look for another place for me.
“The challenges I am facing here is lack of sales. Two of my children are in the university and if not that my eldest daughter is working to support us, I have no idea how I would have coped with life here. Sometimes, I still think that it is because I am just starting.
“Another challenge is the continuous increase in the prices of foodstuffs. If the prices of foodstuffs remain as they are, people working honestly to make money won’t complain, but imagine you are making N20,000 from your business at the end of every month and a basket of garri is N3,600, how much are you going to spend for feeding in taking care of yourself and your children in a month?
“The country is suffocating us; they want to choke us out of this life, we’ve never had it this bad, but with God, we will pull through.”
Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State has cancelled Civil Service jobs approved by his predecessor, Nyesom Wike, ordering a fresh recruitment process.
Making the announcement on Friday, May 31, Fubara claimed the beneficiaries of the scheme which he phased out were smuggled in for political patronage. He added that a more transparent process would commence soon.
The Rivers state Governor said;
“On the 10,000 jobs, when we came on board, we already had details that were submitted to us from the 23 local government areas. You will agree with me that when we subjected those names to proper scrutiny, most of those names, in fact, 60 per cent of those names were over-aged. They were names that people brought for political patronage.
“But what we are talking about today is employment for the future. I, personally after the analysis of those things, said ‘How will you employ somebody who is 52 years old as a civil servant?’
“How many years is the person going to work before retirement?
Suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari, has been released from the Kuje Custodial Centre in the Federal Capital Territory after spending 27 months in detention.
Naija News reports that Kyari was detained after being arrested on February 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for his alleged involvement with an international drug cartel.
Alongside four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team, Kyari was arraigned on March 7, 2022.
Two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were apprehended at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, were also charged.
While Kyari and the IRT members pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty and were convicted.
However, despite numerous applications, Kyari’s requests for bail were consistently denied until a recent ruling by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
On May 22, 2024, Judge Emeka Nwite granted Kyari bail to allow him to complete the burial ceremonies for his late mother, Yachilla Kyari, who passed away on May 5. As part of his bail conditions, Kyari was required to surrender his passport to the court and report to the nearest NDLEA office during the bail period.
The court has scheduled a hearing on Kyari’s primary bail application for drug trafficking charges for May 31, 2024.
In a statement, the mouthpiece of the Nigerian Correctional Service for the Federal Capital Territory Command, Adamu Duza, told journalists that on Friday evening, Kyari fulfilled his bail requirements and was set free.
“DCP Kyari has perfected his bail conditions, and has since been released today,” Duza told The PUNCH.
The Gombe State Police Command, on Friday, paraded a 13-year-old suspect over the rape of an eight-year-old girl in Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
The police also paraded 18-year-old Usman Husseini and 45-year-old Mohammed Yaya for allegedly defiling their victims on different occasions.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Buhari Abdullahi, during a press briefing at the command’s headquarters in Gombe, the 13-year-old suspect was said to have dragged the victim to a lonely path where he had his way.
He said, “On 24th May 2024, a formal complaint was received at Akko Division that on the 22nd May 2024, the suspect dragged an eight-year-old girl to a corner and had canal knowledge of her.
Meet Samuel Odugbesan who lost his arms working with an electricity company
“On the 26th May 2024, a formal complaint was received from one Musa Saleh of Hammadu-kafi quarters Gombe that Husseini carried his daughter aged 4 to a corner near his house and put his finger inside her private part.
“On receipt of the complaint, detectives from Pantami Division rushed to the scene and arrested the said suspect and took both the suspect and victim to Specialist for medical examination. The case is still under investigation and will be charged to court upon the completion of investigations.
Abdullahi said Yaya from Tumu Akko Local Government Area of Gombe allegedly defiled a 10-year-old girl after offering her N100 and N50 on two different occasions.
He said, “On the 27th of May 2024 the suspect lured a 10-year-old girl into his house and had canal knowledge with her. Upon preliminary investigation, the suspect confessed to having carried out the act on two separate occasions. He disclosed that he gave her 100 and 50 naira respectively. The case is under investigation and will soon be charged to court for prosecution.”
Commenting on the implementation of the Child Protection policy in the state, Abdullahi said “Issue of rape has serious attention of the government. The Department of Public Prosecutions is taking it up on itself to tackle rape and other forms of abuses.”
The Rivers State Police Command said it has arrested one suspect, Emeka, who was suspected to have raped a pregnant woman, Mrs Chigbewejim Steward, to death.
The suspect was said to have come with a gang of men who raped the victim to death in Abarikpo community of Ahoada East Local Government Area of the state.
Our correspondent gathered that the suspect had a disagreement with the deceased on February 12, 2023, after which he led his gang to break into the victim’s house at midnight to kidnap her.
City Round learnt that Chigbewejim who was five months pregnant at that time was taken to an unknown location where Emeka and his gang were said to have raped her to death.
Emeka was said to have fled from the community after discovering that the police were on his trail.
However, he was arrested 15 months later following police discovery of his whereabouts.
He said, “Emeka, the masterminded of the death of my wife, quarrelled with her because he said that my wife called him a wicked man. He told my wife that she would see wickedness that day.
“That night around 1 am on Sunday, February 12 2023, those bad boys came to my house and broke the door and took my wife away.
“My wife was five months pregnant. Emeka and his gang raped and strangled her to death. The Police arrested him on Thursday. Now he is in the Police Custody. I have gone to the station to give my statement. I want the Government to intervene so that justice will prevail.”
He noted that the corpse of his late wife was discovered around a fishing pond hours after her abduction with multiple bruises and bleeding from her private parts.
Contacted for reaction, the spokesperson of the Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said investigations were ongoing adding that, he (Emeka) has been arrested and the matter will be transferred to the State Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department.”
How village head collected N700K bribe from bandits, allowed invasion, killing of 30 villagers
AFOLABI
We arrested him, 364 others, killed 35, and rescued 565 kidnap victims – Katsina Gov. Diko Radda
When the Katsina State Governor, Dr Umaru Dikko Radda recently described banditry as a business venture for some highly placed individuals in the country, some felt the governor of the Northwestern State was merely exaggerating issues out of context.
But he didn’t stop there as he also said poverty and injustice are major factors fuelling insecurity in the country.
At an interface with Saturday Vanguard sometime in October last year, Dr Radda had said with his newly launched Katsina Community Watch Corps, he was determined to rid the state of banditry.
Recalling how bandits had killed his biological brother, the governor said he wouldn’t spare anyone, including state appointees who connive with Fifth Columnists to destabilize the state.
He said: “In our efforts, we have come up with the intelligence unit within the Katsina Community Watch Corps. This intelligence unit, even the Corps members don’t know them. The reason for setting it up is to check the excesses of the Corps and also to gather information.
“There are some traditional rulers who are identified and those ones are already under scrutiny. So, we are not sparing anybody even commissioners in my regime, we are not going to spare anybody found to be involved in one criminal activity or the other. We are talking about the lives of over 10 million people not one single individual. No single individual is more important than 10 million people or the lives of an innocent person in the village. We are trying as much as possible to gather a lot of information together with the intelligence we are getting from the DSS so that we can build a network that we can arrest and prosecute any person found wanting”.
Seven months later when Saturday Vanguard took him up on the issue, the governor who gave an account of his stewardship in the last year, explained how a village head was paid N700,000 by bandits, to allow free access to his village, and the consequent killing of about 30 of his subjects.
He said his administration was fiercely addressing poverty having discovered how it fuels insecurity. According to him, it was disheartening that for as little as N2,000, some persons would volunteer information to bandits about their neighbours or relatives.
On the village head, the governor said; “I will say yes, that we have arrested a village head in Guga village in Bakori local government of the state because of his involvement with the bandits.
“He was given N700,000 to allow bandits access into his village to kill over 30 people.
“The government deployed so many approaches but the notable ones are the kinetic and non-kinetic approaches and within, there are tangible approaches that have gone a long way in tackling security problems”.
Gov. Radda who said some of his statements had been misrepresented, said; “I hold the security agencies in high esteem because they too are being killed daily in their pursuit to curb the insecurity in the state. But the point is, there is no set category of people who are not involved in this. What are we hiding here? Who was not arrested? Different categories of people were arrested on allegations of being involved in banditry, criminality, and many other vices even here in Katsina.
“I don’t know why people should be bothering themselves with why I said this other than the fact that some people want to fuel it. I still maintain that different categories of people, whether in government or anywhere, are involved. That is because there are several arrests and security reports we have. Even in prisons now, you will see the people we arrested from the security operatives, government officials, and traditional rulers.
“But the issue we should understand is that we have bad eggs, good people everywhere, but we can’t get away from the bad ones, and bad eggs are with us. Why should we be here and then you hear the information from the discussion we had after an hour or 30 minutes? Someone from those people who attended the meeting must have leaked the information.
“You must ask yourself who told them that. It is not rocket science but logic. We don’t want to tell the truth because we don’t want to get to the root of the problem. We are shielding ourselves from the consequences of wrongdoing. We must tell ourselves the truth. We have to examine ourselves. No organization doesn’t have bad eggs in it. We should deal with it so that we get out of it.
“But, when we keep hiding things that we don’t want to blackmail, it continues and there will be no time that it will end. So, it is high time we told ourselves the truth. When we do that, we will correct it. Somebody can challenge me for doing something wrong, and that may be the basis for my correction. Why should we be hiding things from ourselves? And that is one of the major problems affecting this country”, he declared.
On how far his administration has been able to tackle insecurity in the state, Dr Radda said 35 bandits were neutralized by the state joint security taskforce in the last year.
At the same time, 363 bandits were arrested and subjected to the state’s fair judicial system, while 565 kidnap victims were successfully rescued.
More...
Former President of the United States, Donald Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on all 34 felony counts.
The verdict was read in the Manhattan courtroom, where Trump had been on trial since April 15.
Trump is first former president to be convicted of criminal charges in US history and will be sentenced in July
As the world eagerly await what will befall ex-US president, this piece examines a few former presidents who were either charged or jailed.
Below are a few of the recent ex-presidents who were convicted and the reasons behind their convictions.
1. Nicolas Sarkozy, France
Nicolas Sarkozy was the President of France and co-prince of Andorra from 2007 to 2012.
The 69-year-old was charged with corruption by French prosecutors in two cases, especially concerning his alleged Libyan interference in the 2007 French elections.
In 2021, Sarkozy was convicted of corruption in two separate trials.
His first conviction resulted in him receiving a sentence of three years, two of them suspended and one in prison; but, however, appealed against the ruling.
For his second conviction, he received a one-year sentence, which he is allowed to serve under home confinement.
In May 2023, Sarkozy lost an appeal to his corruption conviction.
2. Jean-Claude Duvalier, Haiti
Jean-Claude Duvalier ruled Haiti from 1971 to 1986 when he was overthrown.
Duvalier unexpectedly returned to Haiti on 16 January 2011, after twenty years of self-imposed exile in France.
The following day, he was arrested by Haitian police, facing possible charges for embezzlement of state funds.
On 18 January, 2011, Duvalier was charged with corruption. He, however, pleaded not guilty on 28 February 2013, to charges of corruption and human rights abuse.
He died of a heart attack on 4 October 2014, at the age of 63.
3. Lee Myung-bak, South Korea
Lee Myung-bak served as the 10th president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction, and the mayor of Seoul from 2002 to 2006.
On 22 March 2018, Lee was arrested on charges of bribery, embezzlement, and tax evasion alleged to have occurred during his presidency.
Prosecutors accused Lee of receiving bribes totaling 11 billion won and channeling assets of 35 billion won to an illicit slush fund.
Shortly before his arrest, Lee posted a handwritten statement on Facebook denying the charges.
He was arrested nearly a year after the arrest of former president Park Geun-Hye, who was arrested on charges stemming from the 2016 South Korean political scandal.
Lee was convicted on 5 October 2018 and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
On 29 October 2020, the Korean Supreme Court upheld a 17-year sentence against Lee given to him by an appellate court.
However, on 27 December 2022, President Yoon Suk-yeol granted Lee a special pardon, cancelling the remaining 15 years of the sentence.
4. Pedro Castillo, Peru
José Pedro Castillo Terrones was the President of Peru who had a stint in the office between 28 July 2021 and 7 December 2022.
When he sensed impeachment proceedings, on 7 December 2022, Castillo attempted to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.
But, in response, the Congress of the Republic of Peru impeached him.
After his impeachment, he was detained for sedition and high treason.
5. Jacob Zuma, South Africa
Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma served as the president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018.
Shortly after his resignation, on 16 March 2018, the National Prosecuting Authority announced that it would reinstate corruption charges against Zuma in relation to the 1999 Arms Deal.
He pleaded not guilty on 26 May 2021, but the trial was not slated to take place until early 2023.
The trial has since been set for April 2025.
In a separate matter, in June 2021, the Constitutional Court convicted Zuma of contempt of court for his failure to comply with a court order compelling his testimony before the Zondo Commission.
He was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment and was arrested on 7 July 2021 in Estcourt, KwaZulu-Natal.
However, he was released on medical parole two months later on 5 September. The high court rescinded his parole on 15 December.
The parole was declared unlawful by the Supreme Court of Appeal, but it allowed the Department of Correctional Services to consider whether to deduct the time spent under it from his sentence.
On 11 August 2023, the Department of Correctional Services granted Zuma remission of his 15-month sentence.
.. appeal to govt for bailout to distressed construction sector
…to declare industrial action if FG,Federation of Construction Industry, stakeholders fail to resolve differences within 21 days
The Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association,CCESSA, and the National Union of Civil Engineering Construction Furniture and Wood Workers,NUCECFWW,both affiliates of Trade Union Congress of Nigeria,TUC and the Nigeria Labour Congress,NLC,disclosed yesterday that over 52,000 construction and furniture workers have lost their jobs in the past one year.
The two unions respectively ,are representing the senior and junior staff in the construction and furniture industry.
The unions which attributed the development to total slowdown in the industry due to disagreement between the contractors handling various civil construction projects for the federal government and the Federal Ministry of Works as a result of unilateral imposition of new standard conditions of contracts by the minister, appealed to the government for a bailout to the distressed construction sector.
National President of CCESSA,Comrade Engr. Ayodeji Adeyemo and the National President of NUCECFWW, Comrade Stephen Okoro,at a joint press conference in Abuja, said the
unilateral imposition of new standard conditions of contracts by the Minister of Works,Engr. David Umahi,was contrary to the existing conditions as approved by the Bureau of Public Procurement,BPP.
A joint text of the media conference,read to newsmen, said:”The construction industry as you are aware is the second largest employer of labour in Nigeria after the Government, but with the recent development in the industry, we deem it necessary to let the world know of our plight in order to avoid a total collapse of an already distressed sector.
“This joint press release is to alert and inform the appropriate quarters and the public at large of the developments in the construction industry and the subsequent effects.
“Today, there is a total slowdown in the industry due to disagreement between the contractors handling various civil construction projects for the Federal Government and the Ministry of Works as a result of unilateral imposition of new standard conditions of contracts by the Minister, contrary to the existing conditions as approved by the Bureau of public procurement (BPP).
“This has affected employment in the industry, leading to mass sack of Nigerian workers who are members of our unions.
“This is in contrast to the Renew Hope Agenda of the present regime of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The unions said,”Currently ,we have lost over fifty percent of our members as a result of the disagreement; this situation is bound to further increase poverty and insecurity that the country is grappling with.”
“We are using this medium to appeal to the Honourable Minister of Works that what is needed now is a form of bail out to a distressed construction sector rather than any form of conflict.
“The two unions are also concerned about the effect of a prolong unresolved conflict on investor confidence in the stability of the country’s business environment. Moreover, the Federal Government should as a matter of urgency come up with a clear policy of strict adherence to payment terms,”the prepared text read by the union leaders said.
Arising from the foregoing, the unions called on the federal government to among others,”mmediately resolve the conflict in the industry by involving all stakeholders in contract awards like Bureau of Public procurement (BPP), Ministry of Justice, Ministry of works, Council for Regulation of Engineers in Nigeria (COREN), Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI);put an end to banditry, kidnappings and killings that have been going on in the country, and ensure the safety of our members and all Nigerians in any part of the country.”
Besides,they tasked the government to curb inflation that makes the meagre salary of workers worthless as regards its purchasing power. “
“The cost of commodities in the market has constantly been on the rise with workers salary depreciating in value. Government should do more to stabilize the economy,”they added.
The unions insisted that “government must device means of stabilizing the Naira against foreign currencies and encourage local productions and consumptions.”
“Finally,we urge the Minister of Works; the Federation of Construction Industry (FOCI) and all concerned to amicably resolve the current conflict within twenty one days. Otherwise, the two unions will be compelled to declare industrial actions in the construction industry in Nigeria to address these issues to prevent further lose of jobs of our members,”the two unions warned.
Marian Robinson, the mother of former US First Lady Michelle Obama, has died at the age of 86, the Obama family announced in a statement on Friday.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Mrs Obama said, “My mom Marian Robinson was my rock, always there for whatever I needed.
“She was the same steady backstop for our entire family, and we are heartbroken to share she passed away today.”
In a separate tweet, Mr Obama said, “there was and will be only one Marian Robinson.
“In our sadness, we are lifted up by the extraordinary gift of her life, and we will spend the rest of ours trying to live up to her example.”
Robinson was born in Chicago in 1937 and raised her children, Michelle and Craig, on the city’s South Side. She later moved to the White House to support her daughter’s family during Barack Obama’s presidency.
The Obama family’s statement reads in part:
“Marian Lois Shields Robinson — our mother, mother-in-law, and grandmother — had a way of summing up the truths about life in a word or two, maybe a quick phrase that made everyone around her stop and think.
“Her wisdom came off as almost innate, as something she was born with, but in reality it was hard-earned, fashioned by her deep understanding that the world’s roughest edges could always be sanded down with a little grace.
“At every step, as our families went down paths none of us could have predicted, she remained our refuge from the storm.
“On Election Night in 2008, when the news broke that Barack would soon shoulder the weight of the world, she was there, holding his hand.
“With a healthy nudge, she agreed to move to the White House with Michelle and Barack. We needed her. The girls needed her. And she ended up being our rock through it all.”
Media personality and actress, Stephanie Coker Aderinokun has revealed that she battled with PCOS and failed IVF for years.
According to her, the condition made her lose her baby.
In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, she revealed that she nearly took her own life after her second round of IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) failed after spending over $40,000 and travelled to Los Angeles for the procedure.
Following the failed IVF, she recounted how she confided in a friend, expressing her feeling that the baby had rejected her.
Stephanie Coker explained that IVF was her only option due to her diagnosis of PCOS, a condition that caused her to bleed excessively to the point of fainting and being rushed to the hospital last year. She described being confined to a wheelchair and, at one point, having to sleep outside in the garden because of severe internal heat.
Adding to her difficulties, that same year, her husband lost his election amid intense public scrutiny.
“I didn’t have my period for a whole year. PCOS made me choose IVF because mine was very severe. My doctor told me mine was life-threatening; I ended up in a wheelchair and was vomiting blood.
“I got pregnant on the first IVF, the second one failed and actually I was standing in front of a car just to let the car hit me,” she said partly.
Watch the video below
Media
This was a #WithChude classic, and usually those only happen with veterans. But this one was.
— Chude Jideonwo (@Chude) May 31, 2024
In between the most beautiful tears, cool kid and It-girl Stephanie Coker tells me about the heartbreak from her second IVF operation just last year, after spending over $40,000 and… pic.twitter.com/Nhmpaj6PjD