The premiere of Kayode Kassum‘s new movie, “Ajosepo,” was all shades of beautiful. The theme was owambe, and members of the cast and guests didn’t fail to show up in the Nigerian flamboyant style and elegance. From the flowy agbadas matched with caps to the corset-fitting laced gowns with geles, and the adire asoebi, the red carpet was turned into a runway of stunning native attires.
The movie ‘AJOSEPO’ portrays A young couple on the brink of their dream wedding. Set against the backdrop of a luxurious hotel gathering, what starts as a celebration quickly spirals into a dramatic clash of family secrets, tensions, and shocking discoveries that threaten to unravel their future together. Ajosepo is a Family friendly movie with a lot of drama, comedy and intrigue. AJOSEPO is distributed in UK by EvrotFilms & FilmOne in Nigeria. Watch a few moments from the Premiere night below.
AJOSEPO’S grand opening in the UK April 19th, 2024.
The star studded film premiered in Nigeria first and celebrities gathered for the premiere of Kayode Kasum’s ‘Ajosepo’ on Sunday, April 4, 2024. The theme of the event was aso-ebi extraganvaza, and for sure, many celebrities looked regal. The film was released in Nigerian cinemas nationwide April 10th, 2024. The movie is slated to be released in UK cinemas from April 19th,2024. Below are the lists of UK cinemas that ‘AJOSEPO’ will be showing with full details on the websites of VUE, Odeon & CineWorld across UK nationwide.
List of UK Cinemas ‘Ajosepo’ will be shown in
Odeon Cinemas from 19th April
Streatham
Surrey Quays
Manchester Great Northern
Birmingham New Street
Braehead – Glasgow
Greenwich
Vue Cinemas from 19th April
Croydon Grants
Harrow
Shepherds Bush
Romford
Thurrock
Westfield
Westfield Stratford
Cineworld Cinemas from 26th April
Enfield
Luton
Basildon
Milton Keynes
CAST
AJOSEPO boasts of a myriad of talented actors such as: Timini Egbuson, Mike Afolarin, Tomike Adeoye, Ibrahim Itele Yekini, Kanaga Jnr, Mercy Aigbe, Ronke Oshodi, Bolaji Ogunmola, Muyiwa Ademola, Oluremi Akintola-Samuel, Zaza, Saliuokeola Adewale Ayuba, Pelumi Buari, William Benson, Lizzy Jay and Bisola Aiyeola.
A Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) employee has disclosed how he collected $3m cash for EmefieleThe witness, Mr Monday Osazuwa, on Friday told an Ikeja Special Offences Court how the former apex bank governor,
Godwin Emefiele, on different occasions, directed him to collect three million dollars cash in tranches.Osasuwa, while being led in evidence by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Mr Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), said he was a dispatch rider in Zenith Bank in 2001 before he joined the CBN in 2014.
Osasuwa said he joined the apex bank as a senior supervisor in 2014.He said Emefiele was the Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc while he was working as a dispatch rider in the bank.The witness said he knew Emefiele, who was his boss, while in Zenith Bank and that he later joined him at the CBN.
The witness said he was later appointed as a senior supervisor (full time) in recording and filing of documents while working in the CBN governor’s office in Lagos.“I was still working in the CBN governor’s office while I was appointed as a full staff member and we usually communicated through Whatsapp and email.
“I function as a senior supervisor, recording and filing with other official roles.“I recall that in 2020, when he was outside Lagos, he called me that he would give me a number that a man had something I should collect from him and that the man would give me the number of another person.“When I got to the man’s office, I was given an envelope. I counted the money and the man said I should give it to my boss,” he said.
The witness further told the court that the first defendant used to collect money by himself anytime he was in Lagos but anytime the defendant was not around, he would tell him to give the money to the second defendant.Osazuwa added that Emefiele sent him to MINL Ltd. when he was with Zenith Bank.
“This company is situated at Isolo, the first defendant did send me to collect cheques from the company from Mr Monday and when I collected the cheque from Mr Monday, I would give it back to Emefiele and he would lodge the money into Dumies Oil and Gas.
According to him, Emefiele’s co-defendant, Henry Isioma-Omoile, lived in the residence of the former CBN Governor. He stated that when he collected money for his boss, he would take it to his residence at Iru Close, Ikoyi.
“Whenever I received the money and take it to my boss’s residence, Mr Emefiele would tell me to give it to the second defendant whenever he was not at home.“I did not keep a record of transactions because the instruction he gave me was that I should collect the money and bring the money to his house.
“The highest amount I collected was one million dollars all in cash and some weeks later, the businessman also called me to collect $850,000, $750,000 and $400,000 cash in tranches.
“I have never been rewarded, paid or given anything because I am doing it out of faithfulness and he knows it but he has never for once said, ‘take this’,” he said.Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Mr Abdulakeem Labi-Lawal, the witness confirmed to the court that he had been working with the defendant since 2002.
According to the witness, Emefiele passed instructions to him through the second defendant and that he had been collecting cheques for Dumies Oil and Gas.He, however, told the court when he was made to confront the second defendant during investigation but the second defendant failed to admit it.
“I started collecting cheques for Dumies Oil and Gas when I was in Zenith Bank.“I cannot calculate the exact year I have been collecting the cheques but it all started when the first defendant was the Managing Director at Zenith Bank and I was working at Zenith Bank,” he said.
Controversial cross-dresser, ldris Olanrewaju Okuneye, popularly known as ‘Bobrisky, has been sentenced to six months imprisonment without any option of fine, for abusing the Nigerian currency,(Naira).One can recall that Bobrisky was arrested and kept on remand by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) for abusing and mutilating the Naira notes. Afterwards, Bobrisky pleaded guilty to a four-count charge of tampering with the currency at an event.
However, the High Court judge, Justice Abimbola Awogboro in her pronouncement, said the sentencing will serve as a deterrent to others who are fond of abusing and mutilating the naira note. Also, according to reports, drama erupted in the courtroom when the judge asked about Bobrisky’s gender, and he quickly replied that he was a man.
In the fast-paced and ferociously competitive airline sector, price wars have become like Siamese twins that can not be separated by the actors, as a surviving strategy.
While price wars are a common occurrence in the airline sector, they represent intense competition that sees airlines cut prices in an attempt to snatch passengers from their competitors. The subsequent implication may automatically trigger reduced margins and profitability.
To thrive amid these price wars, airlines need strategy and competitive intelligence, specifically competitive flight price data to survive.This is what is presently playing out in Nigeria’s air transport sector with focus on international flights since Air Peace, a Nigerian carrier, commenced flights to London Gatwick on March 30, 2024.
Prior to the entrance of Air Peace to the Lagos/London route, foreign carriers had, for many years, not only monopolized the lucrative route, but exploited the Nigerian travelers who were made to pay the costliest fares in the region while neighboring countries like Ghana, Togo and Benin Republic enjoyed very low fares.
The exorbitant fares by the foreign carriers reached its peak following the over $800 million of their proceeds trapped in Nigeria with the mega carriers withdrawing their lowest inventory fares, leaving the highest inventory fares for Nigerians to grapple with.
The withdrawal of low inventory fares by the foreign carriers saw airlines like Virgin Atlantic increase fares on the economy class to N2.353,200 for just a seat while the business class skyrocketed to N5,345,700 on the Lagos-London route.
For Turkish airlines, the economy class ticket for the Lagos-Istanbul route rose to N874,661 while the business class ticket jumped to N1,980,876.
This was the same situation Nigerian travellers experienced with other foreign carriers like British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, KLM/Air France, Air Maroc and Ethiopian Airlines.
Before the foreign carriers ganged up to increase their fares, economy class tickets on the Nigeria-UK route was between N400,000 and N650,000, depending on the booking period while business class was between N800,000 and N1.2 million.
The financial pressure the exorbitant fares inflicted on the Nigerian travelers became so unbearable that those who could not afford it were forced to suspend international trips while some like students shifted their patronage to the neighboring countries where low inventory fares were available.
The rip off continued even after the federal government had paid the substantial part of the trapped funds with the outstanding funds now put around $29 million.Relief however came with the commencement of Air Peace flights to London.
Immediately Air Peace announced its fares which have been found cheaper and more affordable for Nigerians, the foreign carriers, out of fears of losing their Nigerian, passengers to Air Peace have engaged in price wars for survival.
According to investigations, majority of the foreign carriers operating on the Nigeria/London route have conspired to drastically slash fares to the point of charging fares lower than Air Peace fares.
Apart from introducing new incentives and more friendly marketing strategies, the foreign airlines are neck deep in dangerous battles for market share that is capable of sending weaker airlines out of business and equally wreak havoc on profit margins or even challenge the very survival of Air Peace.
A price list sighted by Saturday Tribune showed Air France luring passengers to book between May 15 and June for economy class seat on the Lagos/London route with N907,782 fares as against the over N2 million for the economy it charged before now. British Airways has also slashed its fares on the Abuja/London Heathrow to N1,394,536 as against the over N3 million it was formerly charging.
Now, an economy class ticket on Virgin Atlantic from Lagos to London has been brought down to N980, 654,000 as against the N2.353,200 it used to charge. The ongoing price wars and other gang ups by the foreign carriers which has raised concerns amongst key players have been attributed to the desperation of the mega carriers to push out Air Peace out of the Lagos/London route.
The price war strategy adopted by the foreign airlines has been described as one of the unjust engagement of the use of international Aero politics to frustrate any African carrier they see as competitive like Air Peace.
Many of the foreign carriers are said to be uncomfortable with the presence of Air Peace in view of its capacity in the areas of modern day aircraft in its fleet that can compete favourably with those of the foreign carriers.
The global record of the Nigerian carrier as a carrier that had in the past engaged in flight operations between Nigeria and other countries like China, UAE, Israel Brazil and South Africa during the pandemic seamlessly may have caused sleepless nights for the foreign carriers.
Many key players while reacting to the foreign airlines price wars described the market as extremely agile and impatient. They advised Air Peace to urgently change its game plan by making “the world taste what it means to be a truly Nigerian brand. You could see the presence of intentionality in their campaigns. It shows a clear understanding of the market. They are unleashing on Air Peace products of insights derived from the algorithm in their passengers platforms. They know where these customers are, they have their details, they may even be engaging passengers directly.
”The sudden reduction in the fares the key players said will be for the benefit of the Nigerian travelers who are the brides. They, however, expressed surprise at how the foreign airlines that refused to reduce their fares ab initio suddenly slashed the fares just to get at Air Peace.
The movie Premiered and Screened in the UK on Friday April 5, 2024 at Odeon Cinemas. Distinguished personalities such as Uche Oduputa, DJ Abass, Damola Olatunji, Marc Adebesin, Ruke Amata.
Aiyefele is a riveting feature film that follows the journey of a community always on the brink of desolation; it struggles to find a cure for the plague killing its citizens as its beliefs and practices confict with the new faith brought by missionaries. The people are threatened by a self-destructive culture, assaulted by an endemic disease and oppressed by some evil forces until an unexpected visitor arrives to lead them from the drumbeats of sorrow to a vibrant tune of freedom.
Aiyefele features a respected ensemble cast in the industry, including Odun Adekola, Mercy Aigbe, Femi Branch, Bimbo Oshin, Biola Adebayo, Rotimi Salami, Lara Aiyeomoni and Akinola Akano. It is directed by the award-winning Seun Olaiya.
Set in 18th Century Nigeria and England, Aiyefele takes its audiences on an emotional journey of sacrifice, reflection, and redemption. Feedback from the Premiere has been hugely positive, with the audience describing the movie as interesting, funny, emotional, with a wow effect and an immersive experience.
Aiyefele is in all ODEON Cinemas in U.K and would be release from 8th April in Nigeria in selected Cinemas
Distributed by EvritFilms
Overall people agreed they got more than their money’s worth after the whole movie. Check out a few highlights from the event
https://www.instagram.com/p/C5fFRsxoV19/
Overall, the premiere was a huge success, and it is clear that Aiyefele has generated a lot of buzz and anticipation.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has issued an apology to Christians following backlash over an Easter message ad deemed disrespectful to Christian beliefs.
In the advertisement, FIRS stated, “Jesus paid your debt, not your taxes,” sparking outrage from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) for its perceived insensitivity.CAN’s National Director for National Affairs and Social Welfare, Commodore Abimbola Ayuba (retd), expressed concern over the provocative nature of the message and demanded an apology from FIRS.
Acknowledging the public outcry, FIRS Special Adviser (Media), Dare Adekanmbi, clarified that the agency did not intend to demean Jesus Christ or undermine His sacrifice. The message was aimed at encouraging taxpayers to fulfill their civic duty. Despite the apology, FIRS emphasized its commitment to engaging taxpayers while respecting religious sentiments and promoting national unity.
The controversial post has since been deleted by FIRS, with the agency expressing regret for any offense caused to CAN and the Christian community.
Troops from the 35 Artillery Brigade of the Nigerian Army, stationed in Alamala, Ogun State, have intercepted 441 parcels of Cannabis, each about the size of a pawpaw.
The interception occurred last Friday at Mologbede village in Odeda Local Government Area of the state. Brigadier General Mohammed Tajudeen Aminu, the Brigade Commander, handed over the seized cannabis, weighing a total of 223 kilograms, to the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency
Representing General Aminu, Major Gadzama Abdullahi, the Officer Commanding 35 Provost Company, reiterated the Brigade’s commitment in collaboration with other security agencies to root out crimes and social vices within the state, pledging a sustained efforts in this regard.
In response, Commander of Narcotics Jane Ibiba Odili from the NDLEA Ogun State Command expressed satisfaction with the cooperation received from the Military and other security agencies.
She praised General Aminu’s steadfast support towards NDLEA operations, highlighting the military’s crucial role in dismantling drug syndicates and achieving major progress in the ongoing fight against drugs.
Faye and Sonko were among a group of opposition politicians freed from prison 10 days before the March 24 presidential ballot under an amnesty announced by former president Macky Sall, who had tried to delay the vote.
“I have painful memories of the martyrs of Senegalese democracy, the amputees, the wounded and the former prisoners,” Faye said Tuesday, referring to the past three years of political unrest that left dozens dead and hundreds arrested.
“I will always bear in mind the heavy sacrifices made in order never to disappoint you,” he added.Faye also reiterated to foreign partners “Senegal’s openness to trade that respects our sovereignty and meets the aspirations of our people, in a mutually beneficial partnership”.
Commonly known as Diomaye, or “the honourable one”, his promise of radical change won the election with 54.3 percent of the vote.– Reconciliation, sovereignty –Working with his populist mentor Sonko, Faye’s campaign set out priorities of national reconciliation, easing the cost-of-living crisis and fighting corruption.
He has also vowed to restore national sovereignty over key assets such as the oil, gas and fishing sectors.Senegal is due to start hydrocarbon production later this year.
Faye also wants to replace the CFA franc, which he sees as a French colonial legacy, with a new common regional currency, and to invest more in agriculture with the aim of reaching food self-sufficiency.
After three tense years in the traditionally stable nation, his democratic victory has been internationally hailed, by Washington, Paris, the African Union and the European Union.On the international stage, Faye seeks to bring military-run Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger back into the fold of the regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc.
On Tuesday, he urged “more solidarity” between African countries “in the face of security challenges”.The military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea all sent representatives to Diamniadio, including Guinean president General Mamady Doumbouya.
Burkina Faso’s leader Captain Ibrahim Traore wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that Faye’s mandate represented a “symbol of a new era for an uninhibited, free and sovereign Africa”.
He added he was ready to work together on “the renovation of sub-regional and international cooperation”.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the inauguration “a testament to the Senegalese people, that they fought for their right to vote”.
A practising Muslim from a humble background with two wives and four children, Faye represents a new generation of youthful politicians.He has voiced admiration for US ex-president Barack Obama and South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela.
However, Faye and the government he will shortly lead face major challenges.The biggest appears to be creating enough jobs in a nation where 75 percent of the 18-million population is aged under 35 and the unemployment rate is officially 20 percent.
Faced with such dire economic prospects at home, many young Senegalese have chosen to risk their lives to join migrants trying to reach Europe.
Forbes, the renowned financial publication, has unveiled its latest ranking of Nigeria’s wealthiest individuals for 2024. Leading the pack are Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Abdulsamad Rabiu, and Femi Otedola.
The collective wealth of Nigeria’s top three richest magnates experienced a slight decline of 11.23 percent, totaling $25.3 billion, according to the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires release on Tuesday. This marks a decrease of $3.2 billion from the previous year.
At the forefront of the ranking are Aliko Dangote, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and Mike Adenuga. Dangote’s fortune saw a modest reduction from $14.2 billion in 2023 to $13.4 billion in 2024. Rabiu’s wealth decreased marginally to $5.2 billion from $8.2 billion the previous year.
Conversely, Adenuga’s net worth experienced a slight uptick from $6.1 billion to $6.7 billion within one year.Joining the billionaire roster is Femi Otedola, emerging as a newcomer with a net worth of $1.4 billion.
Dangote who ranks 144th on the Forbes list, maintains his status as Africa’s richest man and the wealthiest Black man globally. His conglomerate, the Dangote Group, stands as one of Nigeria’s largest private-sector employers and the most valuable conglomerate in West Africa.
Adenuga is positioned at number 409, known for investments in telecommunications, notably through Globacom, Nigeria’s second-largest telecom operator, and ventures in oil exploration through Conoil.
Rabiu, ranked 581, is recognized as a Nigerian billionaire and philanthropist, credited as the founder and chairman of BUA Group, specializing in manufacturing, infrastructure, and agriculture, with revenue exceeding $2.5 billion.
Otedola is listed at 2,152, and boasts a diverse portfolio across sectors like petroleum, shipping, real estate, finance, and power generation.
Forbes also provides insights into the global billionaire landscape, noting a record-breaking count of 2,781 billionaires worldwide, with combined wealth reaching $14.2 trillion.
The publication highlights the resilience of billionaire fortunes amidst global economic uncertainties, attributing much of the gains to the top 20 billionaires, particularly in the United States and China.
Notable newcomers to the list include individuals from various industries, showcasing the dynamic nature of wealth creation on a global scale.The “World’s Billionaires list” compiled by Forbes used stock prices and exchange rates from March 8, 2024, offering a snapshot of global wealth distribution and economic trends.
