Author: Akintayo Adams

Boosted by a 3.8% rise in Tesla’s stock on Friday and a new funding round that valued his AI startup, xAI, at $50 billion, Elon Musk, the world’s richest person now has a net worth of $347.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This surpasses Elon Musk’s previous record of around $340.4 billion set in 2021. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has seen his net worth increase by an unmatched $117.8 billion this year, putting him over $128 billion ahead of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is currently worth $219 billion. Tesla’s stock has surged since Donald Trump’s victory…

A fire incident at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, has resulted in the destruction of property worth millions of naira. The incident occurred early on Saturday, with sources within the hospital indicating that the fire gutted the Emergency and Accident Unit. Office equipment, books, engines, electronic gadgets, as well as the roof and ceiling, were among the items destroyed. The fire reportedly began at around 5 am in a pediatrics consultant’s office and an electrical spark is suspected to have started it. The fire caused the quick evacuation of about 16 patients…

Nigerian singer Crown Uzama, popularly known as Shallipopi, has stated that he doesn’t smoke, even though he is often seen with cigarettes in his photos and videos. He explained that the cigarettes are purely for aesthetic purposes. The ‘Oba Pluto’ artist shared this in a recent interview with Soundcity. “One thing that my fans don’t know about me is that I don’t smoke. It’s just aesthetics,” he said. On what inspired him to do music, Shallipopi said, “What influences me to do music is hardship. You don’t want to go through hardship in this country.” Get instant and latest news…

In an extraordinary tale of survival and human ingenuity, NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for over six months. Originally planned as an eight-day mission, the astronauts found themselves in an extended stay due to significant technical issues with their return spacecraft. With their stay unexpectedly prolonged, Williams and Wilmore have had to adapt to the limited resources aboard the ISS. Their diet now consists of carefully rationed food supplies, including dehydrated casseroles and freeze-dried soups. The latter is particularly remarkable as it involves water sourced from the station’s advanced…

A recent survey by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has highlighted a concerning issue: two-thirds of Nigerian households cannot afford healthy and nutritious food. The “Nigeria General Household Survey–Panel (GHS-Panel) Wave 5 (2023/2024)” report found that 71 percent of households were struggling with the rising costs of major food items, leading to significant food shortages. This issue was particularly severe during June, July, and August, exacerbating the country’s food insecurity crisis. “Approximately two out of three households indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money in the last 30 days”, the survey…

The naira saw further appreciation against the dollar in both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets, ending the week positively thanks to rising FX supply. According to FMDQ data, the naira strengthened to N1652.62 per dollar on Friday, up from N1658.57 per dollar on Thursday, marking a gain of N5.95. Over the past 48 hours, the naira has appreciated by N35 against the dollar. Similarly, in the black market, the naira appreciated to N1750 per dollar on Friday, up from N1755 per dollar the previous day. FX transaction turnover also increased significantly, reaching $243.05 million on Friday from $163.66…

The Kulen Allah Cattle Rearers Association of Nigeria (KACRAN) has voiced concerns over the proposed state police, deeming it too costly and risky to implement. The Association’s National President, Alhaji Khalil Bello, stated in Damaturu, Yobe State’s capital, that the establishment of state police could cost between N10 billion to N30 billion, depending on the state’s population. Additionally, he highlighted that the monthly salaries and operational costs would amount to about N3 billion. “These expenditures could divert critical resources from essential public services such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure, which are vital for the development and well-being of the region.…

Nigerian singer Crown Uzama, also known as Shallipopi, stated that being wealthy is crucial for manhood. He believes that men who lack wealth should be categorized alongside women. He made the claim on his X handle on Friday when he wrote, “Na money make u be man, if u nor get join the ladies set.” In another post, Shallipopi slammed poor men who fall in love instead of chasing money. “If u like no get money, dey find babe, u fit say life na 2014,” he wrote. Get instant and latest news updates via our WhatsApp Community, X/Twitter, or Google News online channel.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has presented N3.005 trillion before the state House of Assembly as a proposed budget for the year 2025. The government has tagged the budget “Budget of Sustainability”. Sanwo-Olu stated that N1.7 trillion was proposed for capital budget, while N1.2 trillion was set aside for the coming year’s recurrent budget. “Total revenue comprises our internally generated revenue of N1,970,897,000,000 and total federal transfers of N626,137,000,000,” the governor said. Get instant and latest news updates via our WhatsApp Community, X/Twitter, or Google News online channel.

The naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market at the close of business on Thursday. According to FMDQ data, the naira strengthened to N1,658.57 per dollar on Thursday, up from N1,687.52 on Wednesday. This represents a gain of N28.95 against the dollar. However, in the black market, the naira fell to N1,755 per dollar on Thursday, down from N1,750 the previous day. This decline comes as FX transaction turnover dropped to $163.66 million on Thursday from $173.29 million on Wednesday. Get instant and latest news updates via our WhatsApp Community, X/Twitter, or Google News online channel.