Good morning! In today’s trending news stories:
1. The federal government announced Wednesday as a public holiday for the celebration of the Eid-el-Maulid. The Minister of the Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced that the holiday was to honor the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. He urged the Muslims across the country to emulate the deeds of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, abiding in peace with their neighbors.
2. Awele Elumelu, wife of billionaire businessman Tony Elumelu has seen a surge in the market value of her shares in Transnational Corporation plc (Transcorp). As of Monday, September 26, 2023, the Nigerian Exchange shows that over the past 71 days, the value of her shareholdings has increased to N12.75 billion, representing a 56 percent increase in the value of her shareholdings which was N7.45 billion as of July 16, 2023. She is currently the third-largest shareholder in Transcorp with 2,070,794,804 naira shares.
3. The United Bank of Africa (UBA) has launched a $6 billion financing initiative to boost the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Agro-processing, Pharmaceuticals, Automotive, Transport, and Logistics sectors throughout Africa. The initiative will be launched in partnership with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) secretariat and will run within the next three years. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 30th Afreximbank Annual Meeting (AAM) held in Accra, Ghana.
4. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has filed an appeal against an order of the court to release his academic records to Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). On September 19, Jeffery Giolvert a US magistrate judge, granted the request and ordered CSU to release Tinubu’s academic records within 48 hours. However, on September 21, Tinubu filed an appeal to extend the deadline and carry out the execution of the magistrate’s order on different grounds. He filed a fresh appeal on Monday, September 25, claiming that Atiku did not meet the jurisdictional requirement for the court to grant him his academic records.
5. Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has apologized to manager Rudi Garcia over his extreme outburst after he was taken off during Napoli’s 0-0 draw with Bologna last weekend. Osimhen had missed a penalty in the second half of the match before he was withdrawn from the game, four minutes additional time.
6. Up-and-coming Nigerian Comedian Layi Wasabi, wins the Revelation of the Year at Nigerian Comedy Awards. The comedian bagged a prize money of 1,000,000 naira. Layi who started making skits in 2020 has grown in popularity amassing 1 million followers on Instagram with thousands of views. The Awards Ceremony was held on Sunday at the Eko Conference Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos State, and also highlighted many high-profiles in the comedy world.
7. Popular Nigerian dancer, Poco Lee, has raised reactions due to the extreme transition of his skin. In the viral clip, Poco Lee was seen dancing to Burna Boy’s City Boy with a group of friends. The dancer looked fairer in complexion than normal. It appeared the star had been bleaching.
