As usual, the show is hosted by Bolanle Olukanni and Joseph Benjamin.
For the event, Joseph Benjamin was styled by @thestyleinfidel in a lovely burgundy blazer from Nigerian menswear brand T.I Nathan. Not one to be left out, Bolanle Olukanni looked absolutely amazing and was styled by Jane Michael in a floor length dress with sheer details from Nigerian womenswear brand Weizdhurm Franklyn.
The night was off to a great start after the hosts invited the judges and faculty members to their seats– Joke Silva, Tee Y Mix, Bibie Brew, Miss Ige and Ben Ogbewi.
The judges had the difficult task of
selecting 14 out of the 18 remaining semi-finalists. Trust us when we
say it was not an easy task because all the finalists were super
talented with unique voices.
To get the gala started, comedian Kenny Blaq
took to the stage to deliver some of his jokes with songs and his usual
aesthetics. He made use of one of the guests, veteran actor Olu Jacobs, who was part of the audience, in some of his jokes.
After this, Jeffery Akoh,
winner of the MTN Project Fame season 8 graced the stage to remind us
of why he was the winner of the last cycle. His performance was
spectacular.
The anxious moment of the night came
when the hosts called the 18 semi-finalists on stage in 3 batches of 6
for the judges to decide who will be going straight into the academy and
who will be singing at the gala to redeem themselves.
It was immediately clear that the 18
semi-finalists made it this far because of their singing prowess that
stood out of the thousands of that showed up for the auditions that held
in different locations. However the hard choice of selecting 14
contestants had to be made by the judges. This was obviously not an easy
task. While 12 contestants got automatic qualification into the
academy, the remaining 2 slots was keenly contested by the remaining 6
contestants. The process made the night intense, emotional, and fierce
in competition. Perhaps, this is what makes the show truly exciting.
The final 14 that made it to the academy are: Steve
Adebayo, Solomon Williams, Winner Egbo, Yusuf Kuforiji, Oladapo Ayoola
Arogundade, Eli Letsa, Elizabeth Jolade Eromuwa, Favour Koroma, Gabriel
Ankrah, Kitay Okotete, Mirabel Ayavoro, Oluchi Obasi, Pere Davies Atie and Okiemute Ighorodje.
It was truly a wonderful night and we
can’t wait to keep you updated on all that goes on in the Academy in the
course of the coming weeks.
The show will run for a total of 10
weeks, during which one contestant will be evicted every week for the
duration of the show. One winner will emerge and win the star prize,
while first and second runners up go home with consolation prizes.
The first prize winner of the coveted
title will walk away with N5 million, a brand new SUV, multimillion
naira worth of recording deal, etc. First runner up would smile home
with N3 million and a saloon car. Second runner up will take home N2
million and a saloon car. Third runner up will collect N2 million and
the forth runner up will get N1 million
The naira fell to 378 against the dollar
at the parallel market on Monday, down from 375 on Friday as scarcity
of the greenback continued to weigh on the local currency at both the
interbank and black markets.
The dollar liquidity crisis at the
interbank market has led to a continued pressure on the naira, causing
consistent drops on the value of the naira at both the interbank and
parallel markets.
At the interbank market on Monday, the naira slipped by 2.5 per cent to a new closing low of 310 per dollar.
Foreign exchange dealers said the local
currency fell after the Central Bank of Nigeria failed to lure in local
investors or foreign players to the interbank market.
They said trading at the interbank
market dried up on Monday in anticipation of an interest rate hike by
the CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee on Tuesday.
The MPC is due to make some policy announcements at the end of its two-day bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday.
The naira opened at a record low of
302.10 on Monday and traded a total of just $8.64m by the close, far
less than $100.54mn on Friday, when the CBN spurred the market by
selling some of its dollars, Reuters reported.
On Thursday, the naira fell through 300
against the dollar at the interbank market, a month after the CBN lifted
its controls on the currency.
On Friday, it hit an all-time intraday low of 331 before recovering ground by the close of trading.
The CBN had hoped that scrapping the
dollar peg and letting the currency fall by a third would help attract
investment and erase the need for a black market, where the naira trades
another 17 per cent weaker against the dollar.
But some foreign players have stayed out of the market, according to traders.
Analysts expect the MPC to raise interest rates, which should make the currency more attractive to foreign investors.
The CBN ditched its 16-month-old peg of
N197/dollar in June to allow the naira to trade freely and lure back
foreign investors who fled both the equities and bond markets in the
wake of the plunge in crude prices.
On Friday, the CBN settled $697m of
one-month outright currency forwards it sold in June at an exchange rate
of 280 naira per dollar, to help quell dollar demand, Reuters reported.
Outstanding forwards it sold include $1.22bn of two-month contracts and $1.57bn due in three months.
In non-deliverable forward markets, the
one-month naira-dollar forward was quoted at 328 while the one-year
contract fell as low as 368 per dollar.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to increase the tempo on crude oil exploration activities in the Northern part of the country, Vanguard reports.
The Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) GMD, Maikanti Baru made this known when Governor
Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi state paid him a courtesy visit on Monday in
Abuja.
Baru said that the NNPC is currently
exploring the Frontier Basin in Chad and also in some areas close to the
Kolmani River, located in Bauchi State, where Shell had made some
indicative discovery of hydrocarbons.
He said that the president has directed them to continue exploration in those areas.
“We are taking steps to
re-strategise and get into those regions. We will re-invigorate the
Frontier Exploration Services and see how they collaborate with the
Northern Nigeria Development Company, NNDC.
NNDC is holding bloc 809 where we have some of the finds and also the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR), for the other blocs that have not been assigned and work towards proving the prospects of that region,” Baru said.
GENERAL
SECRETARY, NIGERIA FOOTBALL FEDERATION (NFF), DR MOHAMMED SANUSI (L);
FIFA PRESIDENT, GIANNI INFANTINO (2ND-L); NFF PRESIDENT, FIFA
SECRETARY-GENERAL, FATMA SAMUORA, AMAJU PINNICK AND OTHER NFF OFFICIALS
AT THE NNAMDI AZIKIWE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO WELCOME THE FIFA
PRESIDENT IN ABUJA ON SUNDAY (24/7/16).
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has said that there is no leadership crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) because the federation has a president, who was elected two years ago.
Infantino stated this on Monday while answering questions from State House Correspondents after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“I don’t think there is leadership
crisis in the Nigeria Football Federation. There is an elected President
who was elected two years ago.
The situation in a country like
Nigeria is that you face some opposition from some persons who are not
happy with the results, but democracy has spoken.
The Court of Arbitration, which is the Supreme Court in football, has spoken as well.
So, I think what is to be done is the work to be carried out.
The president of the Nigeria
Football Federation, as well as the president of FIFA have to be judged
based on their work not based on situation that might be created,” he said.
The FIFA president, who described
Nigeria as “a great football country” pledged the association’s
continued support in the provision of state-of-the-art facilities to
boost the development of football in the country.
According to him, FIFA will look into the possibility of providing football training centres across the country.
In his contribution, the President of NFF, Amaju Pinnick, solicited for the support of the media through objective reportage of the activities of the federation.
According to Pinnick, the NFF cannot do without the media.
One of the dreams of veteran juju
musician, King Sunny Ade, is to float a radio station. And indeed, that
dream has materialised as he inaugurates his MandC FM tomorrow after a
three-week test run.
According to the Executive Director of
the radio station, Mr. Clement Ige, the Board of Directors of the
station is mindful of its national vision in putting together a
professional team headed by Mr. Donald Falayi to achieve “ a reference
outfit” in the history of broadcasting in Nigeria.
“We took enough time on the drawing
board because M&C FM is strategically different from the pool in
terms of orientation and goal. You are going to listen to a medium that
will reflect Nigeria in many aspects that are conceptually designed to
inspire practically everybody, young and old.”
On the Board of the station which has
King Sunny Ade as Chairman, are eminent professionals which include Dr.
Yemi Farounbi, respected media administrator and diplomat, Engr. Dejo
Olugbodi and Mr. Clement Ige, a veteran journalist.
The station, Ige said, will be commissioned few days after the commencement of its full operation.
Known as the weird one, Denrele, has
hardly been seen wearing clothes that normal people wear and that has
been his brand identity. In a recent chat with Saturday Beats,
the young man who is known for wearing crazy hairdos said that the
thought of someone shaving his head has played across his mind but it
would spell serious trouble because his hair is his saving grace.
He added that without all his costume, he is physically challenged.
“The thought that I would wake up in the
morning, look in the mirror and find no hair on my head has played in
my mind a few times. If it ever happens, there would be a big problem
but it only means that I will just invest in a lot of wigs. It would be
very painful to me because I love the hair but I always try and turn
every negativity into positivity. My hair is my saving grace because I
am really tiny. I am physically challenged if I remove the shoes, take
off the clothes, pack my hair, you will not see me. You will begin to
wonder where I went; in fact breeze can just blow me away. So this holds
me firm to the ground,” he said.
Currently warming up for marriage anytime from now, the weird entertainer told Saturday Beats that he would send packing any woman that tries to change him because that would be counterproductive for their family.
“Marriage is all about cordial
communication. Anybody that I have found and want to marry that tries to
change me would just be sent back to their family house and I will
collect my bride price. It cannot happen because at the end of the day,
we would be hungry at home and we would be looking at ourselves. It
cannot happen. Marriage would definitely not tone me down and I would
still remain the person that I am. I know that there is always that
factor of staying true to one person which we are working on but we are
getting there,” he said.
Denrele
Known as the weird one, Denrele, has
hardly been seen wearing clothes that normal people wear and that has
been his brand identity. In a recent chat with Saturday Beats,
the young man who is known for wearing crazy hairdos said that the
thought of someone shaving his head has played across his mind but it
would spell serious trouble because his hair is his saving grace.
He added that without all his costume, he is physically challenged.
“The thought that I would wake up in the
morning, look in the mirror and find no hair on my head has played in
my mind a few times. If it ever happens, there would be a big problem
but it only means that I will just invest in a lot of wigs. It would be
very painful to me because I love the hair but I always try and turn
every negativity into positivity. My hair is my saving grace because I
am really tiny. I am physically challenged if I remove the shoes, take
off the clothes, pack my hair, you will not see me. You will begin to
wonder where I went; in fact breeze can just blow me away. So this holds
me firm to the ground,” he said.
Currently warming up for marriage anytime from now, the weird entertainer told Saturday Beats that he would send packing any woman that tries to change him because that would be counterproductive for their family.
“Marriage is all about cordial
communication. Anybody that I have found and want to marry that tries to
change me would just be sent back to their family house and I will
collect my bride price. It cannot happen because at the end of the day,
we would be hungry at home and we would be looking at ourselves. It
cannot happen. Marriage would definitely not tone me down and I would
still remain the person that I am. I know that there is always that
factor of staying true to one person which we are working on but we are
getting there,” he said.
Although the rain maker has had his fair
share of bad press, he is currently unhappy about the falsehood peddled
about him in the media. Some media portals have reported that the
singer has had a relapse and is back to using illicit substances.
In an exclusive chat with Saturday Beats, the musician said that he has not relapsed, instead he is working on his album in the UK.
The singer said, “I am currently in
London working on my album. Sammie Okposo was with us during the week,
he made some positive comments about my work and I. The stories flying
about me are false, I love my fans, I love Africa and anybody is free to
say anything they like about me. God will help Nigeria and I will come
back to support everyone. Azuka was my friend, he is always in Nigeria
most times but in America, he is a cab driver and I used to give him
money all the time. Why is he betraying his brethren? That is not good.”
The veteran singer could not talk much
on the telephone because he was busy working in the studio so he handed
the phone to his music business consultant, Omenka Uzoma, who shed light
on the musician’s health.
He said that Majek has been in the studio working tirelessly on his album.
“Majek is here in London working on his
album to please his fans. You spoke with Majek and you see that he is
fine. He is in London and people can watch him on some channels on
YouTube. According to the false report about Majek, they said he
misbehaved on stage but AY show was one of his best performances so far.
It is on YouTube. Every artiste differs in their level of creativity. I
was the one that signalled to Majek Fashek to remove his shirt on
stage. Majek did not misbehave on stage, he entertained the crowd and
went straight to his room. Tuface, Sound Sultan went to his room to chat
with him. We had to bounce a lot of people because about 25 people
wanted to enter his room with him. AY calls me regularly to thank us for
Majek Fashek’s performance during his show. Majek is here working in
the studio in London. Even when we arrived in the UK, some television
stations came to welcome us at the airport. Why is it that people like
to condemn? Majek is doing very fine, he has his house in England, he
has work permit, his song, Send down the rain, was made here.
“We entered the studio during the week
and under an hour, he had made a song, the producer was very shocked.
Things can happen to anybody, anybody can fall, but do not capitalise on
that. Let them talk but no one can stop God. We did about five tracks
before leaving Nigeria after the single with Tuface. We would do another
five tracks in London, then have a song with one of Bob Marley’s
brothers,” he said.
Kelechi Iheanacho will miss the Olympics because new Manchester City
manager Pep Guardiola wants him to stay at the English club for
pre-season training instead.
The 19-year-old striker was selected in Nigeria’s 35-man provisional
squad for the football tournament at next month’s Games in Rio de
Janeiro.
That was despite the fact that City had written to the Nigerian
Football Federation to tell them that Iheanacho would not be available,
and had a letter back acknowledging that decision.
The forward has indicated that he would love to play at the Games
given the chance, but City has made clear that their stance has not
changed.
Going to Brazil for the Olympics for the football tournament, which
takes place between August 3 and 20, would have resulted in him missing
the opening weeks of the Premier League season.
City believe that he will benefit more from spending a full
pre-season working with Guardiola as he seeks to establish himself as a
first-team regular at the Etihad Stadium.
Iheanacho, who joined City from the Taye Academy in his native
Nigeria in January 2014, broke into the club’s senior side last season
and scored 14 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions.
His displays have seen him move above Wilfried Bony, the experienced Ivory Coast international, in the pecking order.
Speaking at a fan event at City’s Academy Stadium, Iheanacho said:
“If your country wants you to play for them you surely have to do so,
but it’s not up for me to decide.
“I don’t know if they have decided – my team and my country, I don’t know if they have concluded or not.”
City have indicated that they are standing by their decision to keep Iheanacho in England during the Games.
Iheanacho will meet Guardiola at training on Monday morning, and says he is happy to play anywhere for the new manager.
He said, “Everyone knows Pep and what he can do. I think he is a
great manager and I think he will bring many things to this team.
“I can play number 9, 10, 7 and 11 as well so I can play in different positions. Anywhere I can fit in, I will play.
“I am happy with what I did last season and now I have to work really
hard this season to get something for the team and work for the team as
well.”
Iheanacho faces heavy competition to win a regular place in City’s
line-up, with new £13.8m signing Nolito able to play in attack, as well
as Bony and first-choice forward Sergio Aguero.
But the teenager believes that he can persuade Guardiola to give him a
chance as City seek to improve on last season’s fourth-place finish.
He said, “Everyone wants to start games and work hard. I need to work
extra hard and I will get a chance. It will be a big season for me, and
for every player.” AFP
The Nigerian is expected to join the Foxes having turned down offers from the Saints, Hammers and the Toffees
Ahmed Musa is set to complete a £16.6m move to English champions
Leicester City having rejected offers from Everton, West Ham United and
Southampton.
The Nigerian starred for CSKA Moscow last season and helped them
win their 13th Russian Premier League title, dusting off challenge from
FC Rostov.
The 23-year-old who boasts of 54 goals in 168 appearances for the
Red-blues since his move from Kano Pillars in 2012 is expected to be the
Foxes record signing. There, he will feature for Claudio Ranieri’s men
in their quest for a good outing in next season’s Champions League.
"Everything has been finalised and Musa will be in England for his medical on Wednesday," Musa’s agent Tony Harris told BBC Sport.
Earlier, CSKA Moscow boss Leonid Slutsky confirmed that the Super
Eagles’ vice-captain is on his way out to the King Power Stadium.
"He'll be leaving on Tuesday," Slutsky told the Russian media.
"If you look at the way things are done over there, you'll see he is a player just made for English football."
President of the Nigeria Football Federation Amaju Pinnick
Pius Ayinor
The Nigeria Football Federation
officials have stated that they will release a shortlist of candidates
for the position of Super Eagles coach on Friday. The confirmation of
the release date comes amidst reports of a stormy session when the
Executive Board members held a joint meeting with the Technical
Committee members on Friday.
For the shortlist, the federation’s
Technical and Development Committee has set a deadline of Wednesday, 6th
July for interested candidates to apply for the position.
Chairman of the committee, Chris Green,
told the nff.com that applications are expected from all persons who
feel they are qualified for the position.
“We encourage applications from all
highly -qualified persons, whether they be Nigerians or expatriates.
Applications are welcome until Wednesday, and the Technical and
Development Committee will meet on Friday to look through all
applications and release a short-list,” Green stated.
The Super Eagles are away to Zambia’s
Chipolopolo on October 3 in their first match of the 2018 World Cup
qualifiers and will then host Algeria on November 7. They will then host
Cameroon’s Indomitable Lions on August 28, 2017 and visit the Lions
five days later, before hosting Zambia a month after and then rounding
off the series by visiting Algeria on November 7, 2017.
The Nigerian met with the Citizens boss after he was unveiled to supporters at the club's training ground on Sunday
Nigeria international Kelechi Iheancho met with new Manchester City gaffer Pep Guardiola on Sunday.
The former Barcelona boss greeted the youth prodigy during his
unveiling ceremony at a fan festival at the club’s training ground, and
after the event, the pair posed for a picture together which Iheanacho
posted on his Instagram page.
The meeting has sparked speculation that the Super Eagles forward
will feature prominently in his plan owing to his brilliant debut last
season.
He recently made it clear that he will be staying with the Citizens
for pre-season rather than participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics
despite being named in Nigeria U23 35-man preliminary squad.
Manchester City commence begin their pre-season campaign against
Bayern Munich on 20 July at the Allianz Arena before travelling to China
for the International Champions Cup.
The Manchester United and England defender was pictured on a drip in an Indonesian hospital with a neck brace also evident
Manchester United have announced that Chris Smalling has suffered food
poisoning on holiday in Bali following the emergence of reports he had
been injured in a surfing accident.
The 26-year-old, who was a
part of the England squad which crashed out of Euro 2016 to Nordic
minnows Iceland less than a week ago, was photographed wearing a neck
brace and with a bandage around his head as he signed a United shirt
from a hospital bed.
Smalling had headed for the Indonesian
hot-spot following the end of England's run in France, but the
photographs which surfaced on Monday were accompanied by claims that the
defender came off a surfboard. It was also alleged that he may have
been stung by a jellyfish following his fall.
But United moved to clear up the issue soon after, explaining that Smalling had merely contracted food poisoning.
"Manchester
United can clarify Chris Smalling has had food poisoning during his
holiday which resulted in him fainting on Sunday," read a club
statement.
"The 26-year-old defender was taken to the hospital and is now feeling fine.
"Smalling is currently on vacation in Bali following his time with
England at Euro 2016 before reporting back for pre-season training later
this month.
"Chris would like to thank everyone for their well wishes."
The defender, who played 55 games for Manchester United last season but
was sent off in the FA Cup final win against Crystal Palace, was an
ever-present for England during the Euros.
He is due to return to United training before July 19, when the club
jets off to China for clashes with Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City
as part of the International Champions Cup.
Sunday Aborisade, Abuja
The member representing Anambra North Senatorial District in the
upper chamber, Senator Stella Oduah, has described as false and
malicious, an on-line media report which alleged that the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission, discovered N2.5bn in the bank account of
one of her maids.
Oduah, in a statement by her media aide, Francisca Onyeisi, and made
available to our correspondent in Abuja on Monday, maintained that the
report was a mere figment of the reporter’s imagination.
The statement reads, “We will like to state unequivocally that this
report is totally false, baseless and at best the imagination of the
platform who is only set out to extort and blackmail leaders in its
continuous attempt by their paymasters to break the rank of Senators of
the 8th Assembly.”
The senator said the report contradicted itself when it claimed that
the EFCC operatives said N5.6bn must have been stolen, before claiming
that the agency had determined it was N3.6bn and later reduced it to
N2.5bn in the same publication.
She challenged the online platform to follow up its report with the
update on the action already taken or being taken against the housemaid,
if truly such account existed as claimed by the online platform.
She said, “Why has the so called housemaid not been called in for
questioning when the agency is freezing accounts and going after
opposition governors who enjoy same level of immunity as the president.
“Oduah made a name for herself during her tenure as a minister
instituting serious reforms in the aviation sector and in the last one
year as a distinguish senator has raised series of important Bills and
Motions to help strengthen the Nigerian Economy and our institutions.”
Oduah argued that at no time did she ask or try to meet with the EFCC
Chairman because she is currently in her constituency since the Senate
is on a two-week recess.
Donald Trump at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver on Friday.Credit
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
The Star of David imagery used in a Twitter post by Donald J. Trump
this weekend had previously appeared on a message board known for
anti-Semitism and white supremacy, as well as on a Twitter account with a
history of racially charged comments, according to a report.
It is unclear where the Trump campaign discovered the image, which placed the shape of the Star of David beside a picture of Hillary Clinton
with text that read, “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!” and a background of
$100 bills. The post on Saturday by Mr. Trump prompted immediate
criticism, fueling accusations that Mr. Trump was playing to stereotypes
of Jews.
Later on Saturday, Mr. Trump deleted the post and added another image
with a circle covering the star, though tips of the star were still
visible. While Mr. Trump’s campaign has been silent on the episode, and
did not respond to requests for comment, some of his defenders have argued that a six-pointed star is a symbol used by many sheriff’s departments.
Photo
The post that Donald J. Trump deleted from his Twitter account.
But a report on Sunday by the news website Mic
traced the image to a website for the “alt right,” an internet-based
movement associated with white nationalism, where it appeared as early
as June 22. The origin of the image appeared to be a Twitter account
that has frequently criticized Mrs. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic
presidential nominee, and has posted caustic and violent messages about
Muslims, refugees and race.
For
much of his campaign, Mr. Trump has been criticized for appearing to
accommodate fringe groups and making comments that heartened them. He
has also reposted encouraging messages from white supremacists.
Mr.
Trump received criticism this year after he initially declined to
disavow the support of David Duke, the white nationalist and former
member of the Ku Klux Klan, before eventually distancing himself.
“I
do not know that there’s a precedent for this,” Jonathan Greenblatt,
the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, said in an interview.
“I think it’s certainly long overdue for Donald Trump as the presumptive G.O.P.
nominee and as a person in the public square to reject — to flat-out,
to firmly, to forcefully reject — the anti-Semites and the racists with a
clarity and energy he’s brought to the campaign trail when going after
other candidates,” Mr. Greenblatt said.
Mr.
Greenblatt added that research had shown that white supremacists
interpret Mr. Trump’s “hesitant disavowals” as a “green light” for their
views.
Conservatives
opposed to Mr. Trump have shuddered at what they consider to be
unsubtle dog whistles, a term for coded messages to a political
subgroup, from the candidate.
“A Star of David, a pile of cash, and suggestions of corruption,” Erick Erickson, a conservative commentator, posted on Twitter. “Donald Trump again plays to the white supremacists.”
Mr.
Trump’s supporters have cast such reactions as examples of excessive
sensitivity and political correctness. The fallout from this flap has
been no exception.
On Sunday, on CNN, Corey Lewandowski, Mr. Trump’s former campaign manager, called the reaction “political correctness run amok.”
“A tweet is a simple tweet,” he said. “The bottom line is, you can read into things that are not there.”
Aides to Mrs. Clinton, who is a Methodist, have so far declined to comment.
Mr.
Trump often speaks of his close ties to Jewish people. His daughter
Ivanka converted to Judaism when she married Jared Kushner, who has
become a close campaign adviser.
On Sunday, Mr. Trump called Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner who died Saturday, a “great man.”
“The world is a better place because of him and his belief that good can triumph over evil!” Mr. Trump posted on Twitter.
At a funeral service for Mr. Wiesel on Sunday, Ted Koppel
revealed that Mr. Wiesel recently had lunch with Mr. Trump at the
candidate’s invitation, according to two people at the memorial.
“I
am sure he did not love Donald Trump,” said Francine Klagsbrun, an
author and a friend of Mr. Wiesel’s. “I am sure he would not be voting
for Trump,” she said. “But he was just an open person who was open to
everybody.”
A Federal High Court in Lagos has granted bail in the sum of N250m to
a former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, who is being
tried by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for an alleged
fraud of N4.9bn.
Justice Muslim Hassan granted the bail with two sureties in like sum
and ordered Fani-Kayode to deposit his passport in the custody of the
court pending the outcome of the case.
The sureties, the court said, must be owners of landed properties within the court’s jurisdiction
They were also to present evidence of tax clearance in the state.
Also admitted to bail in the same conditions were a former Minister
of State for Finance, Nemandi Usman, and one Danjuma Yusuf, who were
standing trial along with Fani-Kayode.
Joined as the 4th defendant in the charge was a company, Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited.
The accused were on June 28, 2016 arraigned before Justice Hassan on
17 counts bordering on conspiracy, unlawful retention of proceeds of
theft and money laundering.
Fani-Kayode, who was the spokesperson for former President Goodluck
Jonathan’s campaign organisation in the 2015 general elections, was
accused of conspiring with the others to directly and indirectly retain
various sums which the EFCC claimed they ought to have reasonably known
were proceeds of theft.
The accused persons were said to have allegedly committed the
offences between January 8, 2015 and March 25, 2015 in the build-up to
the general elections.
In one of the counts, the EFCC alleged that Fani-Kayode, who it
listed as the 2nd defendant in the charge sheet, and his co-defendants
conspired among themselves to “indirectly retain the sum of N1,500,
000,000.00, which sum you reasonably ought to have known formed part of
the proceeds of an unlawful act to wit: stealing.”
The EFCC prosecutor, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo, had told the court that the
said conspiracy and indirect retention of the N1.5bn constituted an
offence under Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition)
(Amendment) Act, 2012, punishable under Section 15(3)( 4) of the same
Act.
In another count, the EFCC alleged that Fani-Kayode “directly
retained the sum of N350m,” which the anti-graft agency claimed that he
ought to have “reasonably known formed part of proceeds of an unlawful
act to wit: stealing.”
Fani-Kayode was accused of directly using parts of the money at
various times, including between March 20 and 25, 2015, when he
allegedly used N250,650,000.00 out of the money.
Fani-Kayode was also accused of making a cash transaction of N24m
with one Olubode Oke, said to still be at large, on February 12, 2015
“to Paste Poster Co of 125, Lewis Street, Lagos Island.”
The duo were said to have made the transaction without going through
any financial institution, an act the EFCC claimed was contrary to
sections 1(a) and 16(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition)
(Amendment) Act, 2012 and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same
Act.
But the four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The EFCC has, however, listed 17 witnesses it intends to call during trial to substantiate its allegations.
Justice Hassan adjourned till October 19, 2016 for the prosecution to open its case.
The intersection in Tupelo, Miss., where Antwun Shumpert was pulled over by the police.Credit
Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times
TUPELO,
Miss. — The blue lights flashed in the rearview mirror of the Ford
Focus. The man behind the wheel, a 37-year-old African-American, pulled
over, opened the door and sprinted into the Mississippi night.
Soon, a white police officer was giving chase on foot, accompanied by his police dog.
The
officer would eventually find and fatally shoot the man, Antwun
Shumpert, here on the evening of June 18, plunging this small city —
famous globally as the birthplace of Elvis Presley,
but known regionally as a beacon of relatively progressive racial
attitudes — into what has become a tragically common American morass of
anger, racial division and hard questions about the treatment of black
men at the hands of the police.
Mr.
Shumpert’s death poses another question: how to extract the truth from
the familiar story lines and racial narratives that can alternately cast
light on what happened or obscure it.
The
controversy here has also been amplified by assertions, made by Mr.
Shumpert’s defenders and repudiated by city officials, that his killing
echoes some of the cruelest episodes of the South’s past.
The
lawyer for Mr. Shumpert’s family, Carlos Moore, said that Mr. Shumpert
was unarmed and that an attack by the police dog left his groin area
“mutilated.” Mr. Shumpert’s hospital records describe damage to his
groin as a result of a gunshot wound.
Even
so, Mr. Moore last week displayed photos of Mr. Shumpert’s corpse in a
news conference, including one that appeared to show a yawning tear
where his scrotum met his inner thigh. Mr. Moore invoked the lynching of
Emmett Till and the legacy of the Ku Klux Klan, and criticized the city
for not taking down the Mississippi state flag, which incorporates the Confederate battle flag.
“They
have declared open season on us, and they are killing us with
impunity,” said Mr. Moore, who is black. “And the question is: Are you
going to sit there and allow them to do it?”
Photo
Carlos Moore, the lawyer for Mr. Shumpert’s family, last week at the Temple of Compassion and Deliverance.Credit
Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times
Tupelo’s
mayor, Jason Shelton, a 40-year-old white Democrat, said that the
police have told him that the dog never bit Mr. Shumpert. And an
Atlanta-based doctor who specializes in emergency medicine and reviewed
the photographs of Mr. Shumpert’s body for The New York Times said on
Friday that he saw little evidence of a dog attack.
Mr.
Shelton said on Thursday that the police told him Mr. Shumpert had
attacked the officer, maneuvering on top of him and repeatedly punching
him in the face. The mayor initially declared the shooting “justified” —
a statement that outraged many black residents here who note that the
Mississippi Bureau of Investigation may not complete its investigation
for months.
By
Friday, Mr. Shelton — who was elected with significant black support in
2013 — was standing among dozens of peaceful protesters in City Hall,
telling them that he should not have used the word “justified.”
But
in a separate interview, he said, “There has been no evidence to
contradict the Tupelo Police Department’s version of the events in this
case.”
Some here said they would withhold judgment until the outcome of the investigation, which is being monitored by the F.B.I. and the Justice Department. But the battle lines in this city of 36,000 are hardening.
“Well,
I mean, why did he run? That’s my question,” said Justin Cook, 24, a
white man who was shopping at a Walmart last week. Mr. Cook said he had
little reason to doubt the city.
On
Thursday, Mr. Moore filed a $35 million civil rights lawsuit in Federal
District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi. That evening,
hundreds of anguished residents, nearly all of them African-American,
packed into the Temple of Compassion and Deliverance church for a
community meeting. Some wore T-shirts that declared “Justice 4 Ronnie,” a
reference to the name Mr. Shumpert commonly used. A number of attendees
said in interviews that they could not imagine that the officer’s use
of deadly force was justified.
The
speakers, many of them prominent local ministers, said the Tupelo
police had a history of engaging in racially discriminatory practices.
Black residents said that racial profiling was a problem here, an
assertion that was also made in a “Cultural Diversity Assessment”
commissioned by the city and released in 2008.
Photo
Mr. Shumpert’s mother, Dollie Jones, was consoled last week at a community meeting.Credit
Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times
Mr.
Shelton said the report examined the city’s government under a previous
administration, at a time when the Police Department was run by a
different chief. And he noted that he and other elected officials had
recently created a task force with the goal of encouraging peace and
communication between the races and avoiding the kind of conflagration
that engulfed cities like Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo.
James Hull, a pastor who hosts a local radio show, said it was “half-true” that “we’ve got our own Ferguson.” Like Ferguson, he said, there was a killing that he believed to be unjust. But unlike Ferguson, he said, the protest here would be peaceful.
Some,
like Doyce Deas, 71, pray that will be true. Ms. Deas, a former City
Council member, is one of a number of residents who have worked to help
the city live up to the example set in the 1960s by black and white
leaders who managed to guide Tupelo through school desegregation
peacefully and without triggering so-called white flight. It is part of
what locals call the “Tupelo Spirit,” local shorthand for a
civic-minded, racially tolerant culture that many here, even black
critics of the Police Department, believe has helped Tupelo attract
industry and set it apart from other Mississippi towns.
Ms.
Deas, who is white, spoke as though some fragile, precious edifice
might crack. “I just don’t want to see our community torn apart,” she
said.
Mr.
Shumpert had been driving his friend Charles Foster’s car that Saturday
night. The two men played together on the local semipro football team,
the Lee County TiCats, and they were going to pick up a shirt that Mr. Foster wanted to wear to a team party.
Football
was Mr. Shumpert’s passion. He was a fast, agile, broad-shouldered man
who had little problem competing with players who were much younger than
him.
Mr.
Shumpert, who worked in construction, dreamed of being a coach, but his
dreams may have been hampered by a criminal record. In 2006, he pleaded
guilty to burglary and larceny here in Lee County, Miss. He was also
under indictment on a 2013 charge of theft by deception stemming from an
episode in Midland County, Tex. Tupelo officials said he had an
outstanding warrant.
Mr.
Foster said he was surprised when Mr. Shumpert told him he was going to
run away after being pulled over last month. Mr. Foster said they had
been driving the speed limit and otherwise obeying the law.
Photo
Mayor Jason Shelton of Tupelo
initially called the shooting “justified.” Although Mr. Shelton later
said he should not have used that word, he said no evidence has
contradicted the Tupelo Police Department’s account.Credit
Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times
Mr.
Shelton said that according to the Police Department’s account, Mr.
Shumpert hid in the crawl space of a nearby home after running from the
car.
“My
understanding is that the canine was sent in to try to get Mr. Shumpert
out from underneath the home,” Mr. Shelton said. Then, he said, “Mr.
Shumpert essentially jumped out from the crawl space” and was soon on
top of the officer, “repeatedly punching him in the face.”
The mayor said the officer was on his back when he shot Mr. Shumpert four times.
Mr.
Shelton said he was unaware of any witnesses other than the officer,
whom he identified as Tyler Cook. On Friday, city officials released a
photo of what they said was Officer Cook about an hour after the
episode. It shows him with cuts on his nose, his face discolored.
City
officials would not release much other information about Officer Cook.
Mr. Shelton said he was unaware “of any blemish” on the officer’s
record, except for one episode in which he tackled a white teenager
during a burglary call, which turned out to be a house party, and broke
the youth’s tooth. Officer Cook, who has been placed on paid
administrative leave, could not be reached for comment.
Mr.
Shelton dismissed Mr. Moore, whose main law practice is based in
Grenada, Miss., roughly 90 miles from Tupelo, as an “outsider” who had
“come in with a clear agenda to do harm to the city.”
He
also said that the photos of Mr. Shumpert’s body that Mr. Moore has
shown to the public were taken after Mr. Shumpert had undergone a
surgery in an attempt to save his life, and after his autopsy. Mr.
Shelton said he had reviewed photos of the body taken the night of the
shooting and saw no evidence of the injuries that Mr. Moore says were
caused by the dog.
Mr. Moore, a former candidate for the State Senate, made headlines this year when he filed a lawsuit
arguing that the state flag, with its embedded Confederate banner,
“incites private citizens to commit acts of racial violence.”
Mr.
Moore provided The Times with Mr. Shumpert’s medical records from the
North Mississippi Medical Center, where he was taken after he was shot. A
“physical summary” of Mr. Shumpert written by a doctor notes, “There
was a gunshot wound to the right groin that separated the scrotum on the
left side and entered the upper thigh.”
Photo
Charles Foster, a friend of
Mr. Shumpert’s, was in the car when a police officer pulled them over.
He said that they had been obeying traffic laws and that he was
surprised Mr. Shumpert ran.Credit
Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times
Dr.
Hany Atallah, the chief of emergency medicine at Grady Memorial
Hospital in Atlanta, reviewed photographs of the body that Mr. Moore
provided to The Times. Because he had not viewed the body in person, Dr.
Atallah said his opinion could not be definitive. But he said the
wounds did not seem consistent with a dog attack.
The
wound in the groin, he said, seemed too linear, and devoid of tissue
damage, to have been caused by bites, which, he said in an email, “tend
to cause jagged, irregular wounds with multiple punctures.”
Mr. Moore said he had identified an eyewitness who would attest that the dog “attacked Mr. Shumpert in his groin.”
In
his lawsuit, Mr. Moore also claims that the dog “severely clawed Mr.
Shumpert on his back and inflicted other injuries and bruises,” and that
the officer punched him in the face and “kicked or stomped” his mouth,
knocking his teeth toward his throat.
Though
the photos Mr. Moore provided show what appear to be long, deep
lacerations on Mr. Shumpert’s back, the hospital records say there were
“no abrasions/lacerations noted on the back” on the night he was
admitted. They also note bruises on his bottom gums and a missing tooth,
and lacerations under one eye and the bridge of his nose.
On
Thursday afternoon, Mr. Moore stood on the steps of the Lee County
Justice Center in a suit and sunglasses, flanked by Mr. Shumpert’s
family members, to announce the $35 million lawsuit.
He
removed the glasses with a flourish, and looked into a bank of news
cameras. “Make no mistake about it,” he said. “I’m coming after you,
Tupelo.”
While some white residents here are worried about Mr. Moore’s tone, many African-Americans have welcomed it.
“I
think he had to come in here with that kind of message,” said Quiana
Bouldin, 38, a hairstylist at the A Plus Barbershop & Salon. “His
job is to make people think about what’s going on, and bring light to
the Police Department.”
