Below The Headlines - 73
Breaking News: Rich kids are marrying other rich kids and Abiola is on his way to Nebraska
Remember Covid-19? It was a thing that started 5 years ago if that helps to jog your memory. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu who was at the forefront of managing Nigeria’s response to the pandemic has written his memoirs. I reviewed them here.
Enjoy the usual selection below.
Inside Nigeria
Fun(ny) article about how the wealthy (mainly in northern Nigeria) retain their wealth through marriage using several examples. There is of course a name for this but let us remain polite:
The influential, wealthy and prominent members of the society always want to remain ‘up there’, and marriage is one of the ways to achieve that. So, sometimes they give out their children in marriage to people of the same social class. This unions strengthen political and business relationships and other forms of alliances. While many view this as an act of fostering elitism, others see it as a way to sustain socio-cultural relationships. Some say, it is just love.
Here are a few marriages of the sons and daughters of the elite that took place between 2023 and 2024.
Ashraf Adam Lamido and Sultana Nazifi
Ashraf Adam Lamido is one of the sons of Muhammad Sanusi II, the recently restored Emir of Kano, who is also a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He served in that capacity from 2009 to 2014, when he was suspended by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
He later became the Emir of Kano in 2020, but was deposed by the Abdullahi Ganduje’s administration for allegedly “disrespecting lawful instructions.”
He was, however, reinstated by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf amidst controversies.
The bride, Sultana Nazif, is the daughter of Bauchi politician, Senator Suleiman Mohammed Nazif. She is also a social media personality as well as event planner.
The wedding was held at the National Mosque, Abuja. The wedding began to gather attention when the groom’s sister, Fulani Siddika, shared the pre-wedding photos and video via her Instagram handle. The wedding was a grand celebration.
I’m not sure that a N1m fine option was appropriate here:
A Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, sitting in Jabi on Wednesday convicted and sentenced one Internet fraudster, Praise Humphrey Igbo, alias Jessica Allen, to one year imprisonment for $115,000 fraud.
Justice H.L Abba-Aliyu, sentenced him after finding him guilty of the offence.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had arraigned him on a count bordering on Internet crime, criminal impersonation, obtaining money under false pretence, and money laundering.
The EFCC prosecution counsel, M.K Hussain, told the court that the convict posed as a lady by pretending to be Jessica Allen, a successful cryptocurrency trader in the United States of America. In that assumed character, the convict fraudulently obtained 5.26 Bitcoins worth $115,000, the property of Aaron Baker, by false pretence.
Hussain said the incident took place sometime in 2022, in Abuja.
[…]
However, Igbo pleaded guilty to the charge against him.
In view of his plea, Hussain prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly.
Consequently, Justice Justice Abba-Aliyu convicted and sentenced him to one-year imprisonment, but gave him an option of N1m fine.
The judge also ordered that the sum of $16, 110 and $67,487.79 worth of cryptocurrency recovered from him and the money in his bank account be used to restitute his victim through the American embassy.
In related news:
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission have arrested a suspected online fraudster, Osang Otukpa, for allegedly duping 139 Australians to the tune of $8,000,000.
Otukpa was arrested at Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos upon arrival from the United States of America on Friday, December 6, 2024.
A statement signed on Friday by the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said Otukpa used five names which are Ford Thompson, Oscar Tyler, Michael Haye, Jose Vitto, and Kristin Davidson, to scam the victims.
He added that the suspect lured his victims on social media to invest in his rogue cryptocurrency investment platform, Liquid Asset Group.
Oyewale said, “Operatives of EFCC have arrested a suspected online fraudster, Osang Usie Otukpa, for allegedly duping 139 Australians to the tune of $AUD8,000,000.
It’s that time of the year. Please don’t make yourself an ATM for the Police:
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command has warned against the use of firecrackers (knockouts) during the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations.
In a statement on Saturday, the spokesperson for the command, SP Josephine Adeh, said the ban is implemented to ensure the safety of all residents and to protect lives and property throughout the festive season.
She said the Commissioner of Police, CP Olatunji Disu, emphasized that the use of knockouts can lead to unnecessary panic and anxiety within the community.
The CP also stated that knockouts present significant risks, including fire hazards and other preventable incidents.
Adeh warned that violators, including sellers and users of firecrackers and fireworks, will be subject to arrest and prosecution under the law.
The thing that continues to amaze me about this story is that a musician like Portable somehow ended up with the former Queen of one of the most prominent Yoruba Kings. A real head scratcher:
Damilola Adeyemi, the girlfriend of singer Portable, has announced the end of their relationship after he insulted her during a TikTok live session.
The incident occurred on Wednesday when Portable criticised Damilola for being online late at night. He also accused her of engaging in “polygamy and prostitution”.
“What are you doing online at this time? Do you want to be practicing polygamy. Do I not tell you not to be coming online at this time?” he asked.
“Are you a prostitute? What is a housewife doing online at the time? Are you a prostitute?”
Reacting via an Instagram post, Damilola expressed her frustration and humiliation, stating that she was “done” with the relationship.
“I’m done. This is too much for me. I can’t take this embarrassment again. Oloriburuku somebody,” she wrote.
“I’m gone for good. Go and eat your house.”
Hard to believe these numbers:
The Kano State Police Command, on Tuesday, arrested three suspects in possession of N129.5 billion in counterfeit currencies.
The Commissioner of Police, Salman Garba Dogo, disclosed the major crackdown while parading the suspects alongside others arrested in connection with other crimes at the Bompai headquarters.
Dogo, represented by his Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna, said the counterfeit currencies were in different denominations.
They comprises $3,366,000; CFA51,970,000, and N1,443,000.
According to him, “we arrested three suspects and recovered in counterfeit currencies equivalent to a total sum of N129.5 billion.
“They were $3,366,000; CFA51,970,000 and N1,443,000.
“We had earlier arrested some suspects in connection with similar activities of counterfeit currencies. We will not condone this,” Dogo said.
Outside Nigeria
Gbemi Okunlola’s bridal wear business is doing rather well:
With short, dark and damp days, December isn’t a terribly popular month for couples to marry in Britain, but that doesn’t mean that London-based bridal designer Gbemi Okunlola has time to kick back and relax.
Alonuko, the bridalwear business she launched in 2012, is busy all year round, thanks to having customers in other parts of the world. Brides in Africa, who account for about 10 per cent of Alonuko’s annual £1.3 million sales, generally plump for December and January weddings. “It’s peak season for them now, whereas in the UK it’s between April and September,” said Okunlola, 30. It’s a similar story of summer seasonality in the US, which now accounts for 70 per cent of Alonuko’s sales.
International expansion was something of a happy accident, after she received her first order from an American bride in 2017 after spotting the brand on social media. On that occasion, Okunlola and her assistant flew to New York for a fitting, with their travel costs covered by the customer.
Realising that going back and forth to the US to see each individual bride wasn’t a scalable export model, Alonuko hosts trunk shows, similar to pop-ups, up to four times a year. “The first ever trunk show we did in America as a tour, we went to three states on one trip. It was a three-week event and we saw 100 brides. That’s when we learnt there’s a market there for us,” said Okunlola, who has run the temporary stores in New York, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, LA and Florida.
In more recent years, her team focus on one location for each trip, often Houston, chosen due to its relatively central location. Most customers hear about the brand on social media. Alonuko has 638,000 Instagram followers and videos featuring Okunlola’s designs regularly get hundreds of thousands of views and likes on TikTok.
[…]
The designer, who taught herself to sew aged 11, started out as a designer of women’s dresses using African Ankara fabrics. She then moved on to making bridesmaids’ dresses, before making her first wedding dress in 2013, investing her £15,000 savings to get Alonuko started. “What really stood out to me was how excited and how involved brides were, and how much it meant to them to have the dress that they had dreamed of. It made it very rewarding for me,” said Okunlola, who employs a team of 20 people, including seamstresses, pattern cutters and social media managers.
It was also a smart business decision to move from evening wear into wedding dresses, which are considerably more expensive. Okunlola’s designs start at around £3,500, with the most intricate designs coming in at up to £25,000. “The fact it’s a wedding dress means immediately that even at the lowest price point it’s way more than that of the evening dresses that I had been working on. So from a financial standpoint it just made more sense.”
A rather ‘interesting’ story:
A PhD student has had her tuition fees refunded due to the distress caused by being unable to pay for her studies.
Sue Agazie, a former Newcastle University student from Nigeria, made a complaint when she faced removal from the UK for not paying her fees while being treated for stage five kidney disease.
According to the complaint outcome, seen by the BBC, the university reimbursed Mrs Agazie £13,285, waived rent arrears and awarded £5,000 for distress and inconvenience, but found no evidence to support parts of her complaints about her treatment.
It said it could not comment on individual cases but said complaints were "investigated thoroughly" and reimbursement of fees was a possible outcome.
Mrs Agazie previously said her PhD supervisor promised her funding when she was recruited which did not materialise and resulted in her being unable to pay her fees and facing removal from the UK.
The complaint outcome found no evidence she was promised funding, but said the financial communication she received from the accommodation and tuition fee teams was "regrettable".
Abiola Kayode has been extradited to Nebraska:
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced the extradition of Abiola Kayode, 37, of Nigeria, to the District of Nebraska on a Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud Indictment, filed in August 2019 in Omaha, Nebraska. In April 2023, law enforcement authorities in the Republic of Ghana arrested Kayode pursuant to a U.S. request for his extradition. Ghanaian authorities ultimately granted this request and surrendered Kayode to FBI special agents who brought him to the District of Nebraska. Kayode had an initial appearance on the Indictment on December 11, 2024. United States Magistrate Judge Michael D. Nelson ordered Kayode remain detained pending trial.
Kayode, who was on the FBI’s Most Wanted Cyber Criminal List, is alleged to have participated in a business email compromise (BEC) scheme from January 2015 to September 2016. The BEC scheme defrauded businesses in the District of Nebraska and elsewhere of more than $6 million. According to the indictment, Kayode’s co-conspirators posed as the chief executive officer, president, owner, or other executive of the targeted company. Using e-mail accounts spoofed to make it appear as though they were from the company’s true business executive, Kayode’s co-conspirators directed business employees or recipients of the e-mail to complete wire transfers. The business employees, believing the requests were legitimate, complied with the wire transfer requests and wired the money as instructed by Kayode’s co-conspirators.
It is alleged Kayode provided bank account information to the co-conspirators who sent the fraudulent e-mails, and which directed business employees to wire money to accounts controlled by Kayode and others. These bank accounts largely belonged to victims of internet romance scams, who were instructed by co-conspirators to transfer the funds to other bank accounts.
Tems is up for 3 Grammys which means we get a nice write up of her:
Back in October, the Nigerian singer Tems locked eyes with a handsome fella in the front rows at the Greek Theatre in L.A.
“This guy is winking at me. At least you’re confident,” she laughed as she clambered over the railing to sing directly to the dude, who said his name was Toby. “I’m gonna make this special,” Tems told the crowd. “I’m gonna try to freestyle with your name but you have to look me in my eyes.”
She crooned his name in a coquettish melisma, inviting him to “tell me how you want me, you look like you want it” while he melted into a puddle. Suddenly aware of her powers, she cracked up. “Now I’m shy,” she said. “I’m not good at freestyling.”
Toby would beg to differ. But the moment was emblematic of a world that’s fallen for Tems.
With striking appearances on singles like Wizkid’s “Essence” and the Grammy-winning “Wait For U” with Future and Drake, Tems became one of the most important voices in modern African music, traversing regional sounds, R&B, hip-hop and pop. “Born in the Wild,” her 2024 debut LP, was sprawling yet deeply personal, covering her broad influences with incisive, emotional songwriting.
Up for three Grammys at next year’s ceremony — a rangy haul of nods for global music album, R&B song and African Music Performance — Tems is carrying a new era of Nigerian music around the world. But this tier of stardom hasn’t always sat easily with her, and she’s fought hard to keep her peace amidst it.
“My whole 2024 mantra has just been ‘Hold On,’ Tems said, referencing the hopeful, valedictory track on “Born in the Wild.” “In that song, I was talking to myself in the past, present and future self. It’s me encouraging myself to, no matter what, stay on the path.”
News from Toronto:
Police said the victim of a cryptocurrency fraud complaint has had more than half of the stolen funds returned.
The initial complaint was filed in the fall of 2021 and over three years, Toronto Police worked with the OPP, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, the RCMP and Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to get $225,000 worth of the funds returned as of this month.
The victim began communicating with someone named Moshe Theodor McNigh on Facebook in June 2021, who allegedly encouraged the GTA-based victim to invest in bitcoin through the website Legacyfxtraders.online.
In the fall of 2021, Nigerian law enforcement officials confirmed to the victim that they had been defrauded in a cryptocurrency investment scheme, losing an estimated $355,000.
Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arrested and charged Omonkhoa Precious Afure and the proceeds of crime were subsequently seized by Nigerian officials. Nigerian courts determined the proceeds to be the victim’s assets and ordered them to be restituted to the victim.
Houston Rockets recently celebrated Nigerian heritage:
The Rockets recently hosted a series of flagship events to celebrate Nigerian heritage. Current head coach Ime Udoka is of Nigerian descent, while former center Hakeem Olajuwon — who led Houston to its only two NBA championships in 1994 and 1995 and is now a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — was born and raised in Nigeria.
Olajuwon was also a two-time NBA Finals MVP and won Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the NBA's 1993-94 season, which ended with Houston's first title.
At Houston's Dec. 1 home game versus Oklahoma City (which ended in a memorable win for the Rockets), the team celebrated its annual Nigerian Heritage Night. A post-game question-and-answer session moderated by Dr. Seun Adigun featured Olajuwon, Udoka, and WNBA star Nneka Ogwumike speaking to fans on topics related to heritage, sports, and culture.
"They shared powerful insights into their journeys, the richness of their Nigerian heritage, and how sports and culture beautifully intersect," the team wrote in its recap.
Access Bank is going east:
Africa’s top lenders are opening branches in major Chinese cities in a race to tap into growing trade ties between China and Africa amid Beijing’s push for yuan-based transactions.
This is despite threats from the US, where president-elect Donald Trump has said he will impose 100 per cent tariffs on Brics countries that pursue de-dollarisation.
In October, The Access Bank UK, a subsidiary of Nigeria’s Access Bank, opened a Hong Kong branch to “foster stronger economic ties between Asia and Africa” under China’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, according to bank executives.
Another day, another guide to Detty December:
Detty December is a sweet time of year, but I need not sugar coat it: it's also a complicated one. Getting to these places in December is a massive expense, especially as flights into Africa jump into the thousands for roundtrips - and have only gotten more expensive since Covid dramatically slowed travel in 2020. On the ground, cities like Lagos and Accra see price gouging in December as commerce targets the influx of much wealthier visitors than most folks living in these cites. Last year, Chance the Rapper and I discussed concerns that while festivals like the one he threw in 2023 create business and employment opportunities in the area, those undertakings could be marginalizing locals, too. However, in a report for OkayAfrica, Rolling Stone contributor Nelson C.J. noted that events businesses in Lagos and Accra are seeing opportunities and revenues scale back this year amidst ongoing economic crises.
American universities are warning foreign students to get back to campus before Trump takes office:
With students at many colleges wrapping up final exams this week and preparing for their winter break, a number of schools, including Harvard, U.S.C. and Cornell, are advising their international students to return to campus before President-elect Donald J. Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20.
During his last administration, Mr. Trump imposed restrictions on entry to the United States from seven majority-Muslim countries, a policy that stranded thousands of students who were abroad at the time. Later in his term, Mr. Trump added more countries to the restricted travel list. And he has spoken of wanting to reimpose those restrictions once he is back in the White House.
“A travel ban is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration,” Cornell’s Office of Global Learning warned students on its website late last month, advising them to be back in the United States before the start of spring-semester classes on Jan. 21. “The ban is likely to include citizens of the countries targeted in the first Trump administration: Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia. New countries could be added to this list, particularly China and India.”
The NYT does a list of the best songs of 2024 and the Nigerian influence is fascinating. The only explicit mention of Nigeria in it is for a song that does not feature a Nigerian. But there are Nigerians on the list nevertheless:
8. Leon Bridges, ‘Peaceful Place’
Leon Bridges, a singer steeped in the vintage soul of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye, embraces the grooves of Nigerian juju and Afrobeat in “Peaceful Place,” an extended sigh of relief sandwiched between pentatonic guitar melodies.
15. Joy Oladokun, ‘Drugs’
It seems lighthearted at first, with a hand-clapping gospel choir joining the complaint that “I can’t get high.” But then come larger problems; Joy Oladokun sings that she’s been “running on empty and calling it strength,” and she can’t numb herself anymore.
16. Usher featuring Pheelz, ‘Ruin’
“You ruined me for everybody,” Usher laments over an Afrobeats track produced by Pheelz, who also adds a brief rap. He sings about feeling broken, angry, sleepless and full of regrets — but even in his misery, he humble-brags about all the other women waiting to console him.
An Irish mother based in Dublin got caught up in an Albanian drug gang’s web. She has been interviewed:
In addition to drugs, Amelia was also made responsible for collecting money from various locations across Ireland. When asked where the money would be delivered, she remained vague, suggesting the complexity and secrecy of the network in which she had been entangled. She collected money on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at rendezvous points in towns and cities across Ireland.
“For example, on Monday I was doing collections in Cork. Then Thursday, I used to do Galway, and then the rest of that area,” she said.
She met a mixture of Irish and immigrant gangs on her travels. “Most of them were Irish. One in Cork was Nigerian. There were Travellers. I collected money from them. When they asked me to start delivering, they bought a car with a hidden compartment that could hold 20kg. It was fitted with a button and a magnet to open the back of the seat,” she said.
[…]
Her interview provides a rare insight into organised crime in modern Ireland. The gang was formed of a mix of nationalities, including Albanian, Irish, Romanian, Nigerian and Lithuanian, ranging in age from their late teens to late forties. The outfit was structured with a clear hierarchy, ultimately reporting to a mysterious figure known as “the old man” from Belfast, whom she believed to be Catholic.
> The thing that continues to amaze me about this story is that a musician like Portable somehow ended up with the former Queen of one of the most prominent Yoruba Kings. A real head scratcher <
I believe that's what the kids of today call 'rizz'.
Portable's got it.
Headscratcher solved?