A Nigerian-born teenager, Tobechukwu Phillips has shattered the 125 academic history of her high school in Texas, US.
Phillips, a student of Alvin High School boasted a 6.9 GPA, after she earned A’s throughout her stay in the school. She emerged the first Black valedictorian in the school’s history.
Alvin High School was originally established in 1894. African-American students were allowed to join the school in 1965.
Speaking to Because of Them We Can, Phillips said, “Maintaining the highest GPA in my class is a difficult task. It truly takes time management but more importantly acknowledging what you do it for. I know that I am no longer just representing myself.”
Phillips had a word of advice for other students. She said, “My biggest advice to other scholars of colour is to truly adopt the mindset of Rosa Parks — ‘No.’ Do not conform to the stereotypes that have held us under thumbs for so long,” she explained. “Do not be discouraged when someone speaks out against you, simply allow what they say to fuel your fire. But more than anything, do not remain tight-lipped. Stand up for what you believe in and take it upon yourself to be the change you’ve always wanted. Say ‘No’ to the ways of the world and stick out.”
Phillips will attend the Nursing School at the University of Texas on full scholarship later in the year. Her plan is to one day own her own clinic as a pediatric nurse practitioner.
A smartphone user shows the Facebook application on his phone in the central Bosnian town of Zenica, in this photo illustration, May 2, 2013.
Facebook Inc's mobile advertising revenue growth gained momentum in the first three months of the year as the social network sold more ads to users on smartphones and tablets, partially offsetting higher spending which weighed on profits. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - Tags: SOCIETY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS) - RTXZ81J
Facebook on Thursday said it had removed 265 Facebook and Instagram accounts, pages, groups and events linked to an Israel-based firm due to what it called “inauthentic behaviour” targeting users in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.
The move is part of wider efforts by Facebook to address concerns over privacy lapses and hate speech in social media.
Facebook said the “inauthentic” activity originated in Israel and focused on Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Angola, Niger and Tunisia as well as in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
“The people behind this network used fake accounts to run pages, disseminate their content and artificially increase engagement,” Nathaniel , head of cyber security policy at Facebook said in a statement.
He identified Israel’s Archimedes Group as the source of some of the activity.
“This organisation and all its subsidiaries are now banned from Facebook, and it has been issued a cease and desist letter,” said Gleicher.
Archimedes was not immediately available for comment
Gleicher said Archimedes had 65 Facebook accounts, 161 pages, 12 events and four Instagram accounts. Some 2.8 million accounts followed one or more of these pages.
He said that the individuals involved also represented themselves as locals, including local news organisations, and published allegedly leaked information about politicians.
“The page administrators and account owners frequently posted about political news, including topics like elections in various countries, candidate views and criticism of political opponents,” Gleicher said.
“We’re taking down these pages and accounts based on their behaviour, not the content they posted.”
He added that around 812,000 dollars was spent for advertisements on Facebook paid for in Brazilian reals, Israeli shekels and U.S. dollars with the first ad running in 2012 and the most recent last month, Gleicher said.
“We have shared information about our analysis with industry partners and policymakers,” he said.
Similarly, Amnesty International on Thursday called for Israel’s government to ensure that an Israeli company, whose spyware has been linked to a WhatsApp breach that may have targeted human rights groups, be held accountable for the way its software is used.
Amnesty on Tuesday filed a petition in Israel seeking the revocation of NSO Group’s export licence and said that it was up to the government to take a firmer stance against export licenses that have “resulted in human rights abuses.”
Israel’s Ministry of Defence declined to comment.
WhatsApp, a unit of Facebook, said on Tuesday that a security breach on its messaging app may have targeted human rights groups.
According to Eva Galperin, Director of cybersecurity at San Francisco-based Electronic Frontier Foundation, WhatsApp told human rights groups it believed the spyware used was developed by Israel’s NSO.
A second person familiar with the matter also identified spyware from NSO.
Amnesty said in an emailed statement that NSO has “again and again demonstrated their intent to avoid responsibility for the way their software is used,” and that only government intervention would change that.
NSO has not commented on any specific attacks, but following the WhatsApp breach it said it would investigate any “credible allegations of misuse” of its technology which “is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies”.
NSO’s biggest shareholder, Novalpina Capital, said in a statement that it intends to bring NSO’s governance into alignment with UN principles and will seek insights from Amnesty and other groups “into how best to achieve this important goal.”
WhatsApp, one of the world’s most popular messaging tools which are used by 1.5 billion people monthly, said it had notified the U.S. Department of Justice to help with an investigation into the breach.
And it encouraged its users to update to the latest version of the app, where the breach had been fixed.
One target of the new WhatsApp exploit was a United Kingdom-based human rights lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
The United Kingdom-based human rights lawyer is helping a Saudi dissident and several Mexican journalists mount civil cases against NSO for its alleged role in selling hacking tools to the Saudi and Mexican governments, which they alleged were used to hack into their phones.
NSO says it sells only to law enforcement and intelligence agencies pursuing legitimate targets, such as terrorists and criminals.
Novalpina, in a May 15 letter to Amnesty signed by founding partner Stephen Peel, said Novalpina was “determined to do whatever is necessary to ensure that NSO technology is used for the purpose for which it is intended.
“The prevention of harm to fundamental human rights arising from terrorism and serious crime – and not abused in a manner that undermines other equally fundamental human rights.”
Nigerian sports officials are either refusing to talk or passing blames after the country received overpayments from the global athletics body, spent the money illegally, and refused to pay back for over two years.
On Monday, the International Association of Athletics Federations said it had done everything possible to get the $130,000 it mistakenly paid to Nigeria but said the Athletic Federation of Nigeria had refused to pay up.
The association vowed to sanction the Nigerian federation if the money was not repaid within two weeks.
Reached on Thursday, Sports Minister Solomon Dalung refused to comment on the matter, claiming the IAAF letter was not sent to his office. He told PREMIUM TIMES he would not speak about a letter circulating on social media.
But some officials have told PREMIUM TIMES Mr. Dalung knew too well about the money, and was the person who authorised the funds be disbursed.
Asked to respond to that allegation, Mr. Dalung declined comments. The spokesperson for the AFN, Amanzi Marcus, also denied responsibility for the illegal spending of the IAAF money.
The controversy, which came to light this week, has angered sports analysts and anti-corruption activists who argue that the refusal of Nigeria to refund a credit it received in error was a dent on the nation’s image.
A former president of the Lagos Branch of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Fred Edoreh, described the present situation as a “national disgrace”.
He said Nigeria already has its fair share of bad publicity and adding this new episode was “disheartening”.
“This is a national disgrace; another level of 419 you may call it…,” Mr Edoreh said. “If the IAAF mistakenly paid the federation in Nigeria money it is only right that we return what does not belong to us. But despite even the promise from the minister, two years after we are still on the issue this is very sad.” he said.
How it began
The embarrassing episode started in 2017 when the IAAF was meant to pay a $20,000 grant to the AFN but said it overpaid Nigeria by $130,000.
As contained its letter on Monday, the IAAF detailed how it has been trying unsuccesfully for two years to get a refund.
The IAAF senior manager for governance, Jee Isram, noted in the letter: “You were informed on 18 March 2018 by our CEO of a payment made by the IAAF to the bank account of your federation on 17 May 2017. A sum of 150,000 US Dollars was transferred by the IAAF of which 130,000 US Dollars were wrongfully credited
“We promptly notified you of this over-payment and followed up several written correspondences as well as a meeting with you in November 2017, requesting that you reverse the bank transfer for the overpaid amount to no avail.
“On 28 June 2018, you informed us that the Ministry of sports was ready to refund 50 percent of that amount and despite several telephone conversations, the amount was still not paid. While we were in Asaba in August 2018 during the African Senior Championships we met with the minister of sports and his permanent secretary. We discussed about the return of the funds to the IAAF and until today we have not heard anything.”
Blame game
While accusing fingers had been pointed at the former board of the AFN led by Solomon Ogba, one of the board members, Olukayode Thomas, vehemently denied the claim.
Mr. Thomas told PREMIUM TIMES that the Ogba-led board had left office before the money from IAAF came and also pointed out that approval to spend the money was given by the current Sports Minister, Mr Dalung.
“There is no need in maligning people and telling lies about them if you don’t have facts,” Mr Thomas said.
“The money they are talking about came a week or two after our board left office and then Amaechi Akawo was in charge of everything and when the money came, Amaechi contacted officials in the sports ministry that monies have been sent in from the IAAF and the director of FEADS informed the perm sec who contacted the minister and he gave them the go ahead to spend the money. From what I heard, they used the money for one championship or something .. not sure,” he added.
“When Gusau came in that was when the media got the wind of the story and it was reported and the government assured that they would refund the money but it was not (returned).
“There were series of letters between the IAAF and AFN , during the African Championships in Asaba, Sebastian Coe came with other big wigs of IAAF and the issue was raised again and promises were made that the money will be paid but they did not refund it.
“Last month at the African Youth Championships in Abidjan, the issue came up again still no headway. At the recent World Relays in Yokohama, it was raised yet again and that was when they decided that the person that has been promising to refund these monies will be leaving office in two weeks and chances are that they won’t get the money again.
“That is why they have threatened to ban Nigeria from all international meet, if that is done, they can even go further and ban our athletes from any meet. So in clear terms, this issue has nothing to do with our board,” the former AFN board member explained.
Contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, Mr. Dalung said, “I only saw the purported letter on the social media and government communication are not done on social media, I only react and work on letters brought to me in my official capacity.
“If IAAF had written a letter and it is purportedly said my office is mentioned in it , they would send me a copy, if they have not sent me a copy then I think they are only just trying to play politics because they know where my office is and if you are raising an issue that affects a person, you must also give him a copy of the letter. As I am talking to you, I have not seen any copy of the letter even though I have seen the purported letter on the social media but I will not react to a social media letter.”
The minister also queried the fears being raised by the IAAF that he would soon be leaving office hence they are not sure of getting their money back.
“How does an issue affecting the sports ministry affect the exit of Solomon Dalung? So IAAF is going to politics.
“If the IAAF are writing a letter raising an issue affecting my office, it is fair that they send a copy of that letter to me. All they did is go and post a letter on social media, does government communicate or run its business on social media?”
Mr. Thomas, the a former member of the AFN board, said those involved in the scandal should be brought to book as the country has been ridiculed by the action of some selfish individuals.
“Whoever did this must be punished, because if anybody sent money to you in error no matter the amount, as an honest person you are not even meant to spend it much more now talking of refund.
“The thing is already affecting Nigeria, the IAAF is already withholding other support it has been giving and prize monies due to our athletes may be seized.
“For me it is sad all these things are happening under Dalung who in the last four years has failed to develop sports. This is a big humiliation that a country of over 100m people that is being chased around to refund less than $150,000. This is painting us in bad light that we are not trustworthy, not honest. If when that money came it was returned back promptly that would have been the best.
“If Dalung is someone that thinks well before acting, he would have known that this is very dangerous and could backfire.
Attempts to get the minister to confirm or deny approving the spending of the IAAF monies were unsuccessful as he insisted he would not react to the frivolities
“What you are still discussing is from a letter that I saw on social media and like I said, I don’t’ react to what is not before me. If any board is saying anything, when it is brought before me, I will now take it up,” Mr. Dalung insisted.
“The account of the AFN is not controlled by the Ministry of Sports, we are not signatories to it,” he added.
With the scandal, the fate of Nigerian athletes hangs in the balance as they pray against a ban from IAAF.
The AFN spokesperson, Mr Marcus, told PREMIUM TIMES, the federation was “deeply pained” by the case, but denied the current board was responsible for it.
He said Nigerian athletes were already facing poor treatement because of the controversy.
“We are deeply pained by this issue. As you know, our board is not involved in all this; I will advise you speak to those in the ministry but sincerely we are the most affected by this issue,” he said.
“Our athletes just returned from Yokohama where we went for the World Relays from what I gathered they were not treated well and I hear it has to do with this issue on the ground.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has preferred 11 charges bordering on fraud against upcoming musician, Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, for alleged credit card fraud.
The musician effectively risks seven years in jail if found guilty, as Section 33 (2) which he was accused of breaching, reads: “Any person who uses: a counterfeit access device; an unauthorised access device; an access device issued to another person; resulting in a loss or gain commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not more than seven years or a fine of not more than N5,000,000.00 and forfeiture of the advantage or value derived from his act.
The charges with suit number FHC/L/178C/19 were filed before a Lagos State High Court.
Some of the credit cards, according to the EFCC, bore the names- Nicole Louise Malyon, and Timea Fedorne Tatar.
The alleged crimes were in contravention of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act and the Cyber Crimes Act.
The charges read in part, “That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about the 11th day of December 2018, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, conspired amongst yourselves to use Access card 42658840359191132 issued to persons other than you in a bid to obtain gain and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 27(1)(b) of the Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 and punishable under Section 33(2) of the Same Act.
“That you, Azeez Adeshina Fashola, aka Naira Marley, and Raze (still at large), on or about the 10th day of May 2019, within the jurisdiction of this honorable court, with intent to defraud possessed, counterfeit card 4921819410257431 issued to Timea Fedorne Tatar and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 33(9) of Cyber Crimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015.”
The artiste has been enmeshed in controversy in the last one month following his decision to openly support online fraud commonly called ‘Yahoo Yahoo.’
He was arrested last Friday along with four others, including his bosom friend, Zlatan Ibile.
The Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), has appealed to Nigerians to stop eating foreign rice because it is poisonous.
He said this on Thursday in Abuja at a news conference organised by the Ministry of Finance.
Ali said the Federal Government had not issued license for importation of rice and that any rice seen on the streets that was not produced in Nigeria was smuggled.
He said that the imported rice was poisonous because before coming into the country, it must have spent a minimum of five years in the silos.
“A chemical must have been added to sustain its freshness and that chemical is harmful.
“Also, it has been re-bagged with a new date given as the production and expiry dates, and that is what we consume here which causes diseases.
“So, I appeal to Nigerians to please patronise our own rice, it is available, more nutritious and if you do that you will assist Customs by making sure these people are put out of business.”
Ali said that rice importation was one of the biggest challenges the NCS was encountering, adding that it still happens because Nigerians consume imported rice.
He added that if Nigerians stop buying the imported rice, smugglers will go out of business and there will be no need to bring it in.
“We always ask for assistance from Nigerians to apprehend these smugglers, but up till now, there is no private citizen that has walked up to us to give us information, the only people giving us information are the rice millers.
“We are working very closely with them to make sure that the rice that comes into this country is validly processed.”
According to him, there is no smuggler that is too big to be arrested, and that the NCS has in custody three big rice smugglers.
He said because of the smugglers, the NCS enlarged its task force specifically to fight rice problem, especially in the season of fasting, a celebration period which smugglers would try to import rice.
A recent study conducted at Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, has revealed that migraine is associated with an increased risk of pregnancy-related hypertension disorders in mothers and newborns.
Concise News reports that according to the lead author of the study, Nils Skajaa, Epidemiologist Department of Clinical Epidemiology, “Migraine is a disabling condition, common among women of reproductive age.
“Accumulating evidence shows that migraine in pregnancy may lead to several adverse outcomes in the mother and child, but treatment may alleviate these risks”.
The study further reveals that maternal migraine was associated with an increased risk of a variety of adverse outcomes, including low birth weight, preterm birth, Cesarean delivery, respiratory distress syndrome and febrile seizures.
However, the research team notes that treated migraine was not linked with higher risks of adverse outcomes compared with untreated migraine.
“This suggests that migraine itself, rather than its treatment, is associated with pregnancy complications,” the author says.
No transaction in luxury real estate stands alone; every home purchase happens in the middle of a network that yields new opportunities. High-net-worth clients are likely to purchase and sell multiple properties, and their wealth is typically shared among immediate and extended family. Real estate professionals have the opportunity to engage with all of these stakeholders when working with a client throughout the years.
Frank Aazami, Founder of the Private Client Group at Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty, has experienced this long-term network firsthand. “Everything that we’re working on today is from what we had seeded years ago,” he explains. “Ten years ago, we worked with a family that was still growing. Now, the parents are empty nesters. We’re finding them a condo, and helping their kids purchase their first homes.”
The best way to ensure the prosperity and longevity of your business is to build connections that last a lifetime — or several lifetimes. But what exactly goes into making those generational relationships? Here are Aazami’s top three suggestions.
1. Establish the full picture and address it with expertise
Real estate entails so much more than purchasing a home. “It’s all about the investment,” says Aazami. Clients want to know that their investments are protected, and professional assistance throughout the process can provide peace of mind and asset security.
Be purposeful in learning everything you need to know: about your clients’ desires, their portfolio, and the wider real estate landscape. “If someone is hiring me for a service, I want to make sure I do that service well; and I can’t do it unless I understand the entire scope of their finances, their timelines, their likes, their lifestyle. All of it,” says Aazami. “That’s how I built my business — by just asking a lot more questions. I became an advisor, not a real estate agent.”
2. Propose creative solutions
Aazami established his credibility early on by becoming a problem-solver. “It was an agent referral that got me into the business and kept me in business. I would find multiple ways to make a deal work.”
Aazami had a client who was considering building a dream house on a lot that he owned but was reluctant to start because of the time and costs involved. Aazami took a holistic look at the client’s assets, funds, and future aspirations. He found an investor who would be interested in buying the client’s property, and who already owned a spec home similar to the one his client hoped to build. The investor happily purchased the lot, paying the balance in cash, and the client bought the spec home — living in an ideal $2.5 million dollar property when his original budget had been $1.5 million.
“Real estate agents take a listing, and they talk about the size, the features, the selling price,” says Aazami. “For me, it’s more than that. It’s understanding a client’s entire portfolio, their assets, what they want, and what they can afford, and using all that information to create something unexpected and wonderful for them.”
Affluent clients may not be in the market for a new confidant, but they do need someone with whom they can be comfortable sharing deeply personal information. Real estate agents for high-net-worth-clients need to be tactful in striking this balance, cultivating trust without crossing boundaries.
“Your perspective about every topic matters,” Aazami cautions. “Keep it as professional as possible, tailored to what you’re hired to do. Clients will be watching you along the way — everything you say, everything you do — especially now online, where all of it is transparent.”
Privacy and discretion are always critical with clients, and this is no less true for agents that navigate the relationship between parents and children. When it comes to partnering with a family long-term, Aazami is respectful of his client’s wishes regarding how much information they want to share with their children at any given point in their real estate journey. “We keep discussions as private as possible,” he says.
But as properties are gifted from one generation to the next, or passed along through a will, knowing the whole family is helpful. If you are the parents’ trusted advisor, it’s more likely the children will trust you too.
“This is something I just experienced recently. The family’s children were never in any of the meetings, but they saw me in and out with their parents. Then, later on, they came to me when it was time to talk about how money gets dispersed, where properties go, who’s in charge.” This well-deserved trust forms the foundations for long-term partnerships.
As a knowledgeable, present problem-solver, you can ensure that your partnerships with your clients are perennial. When they or their loved ones need an expert they can count on, they’ll naturally turn to you.
One of Nigeria’s leading real estate companies, Propertymart Real Estate Investment Limited, has assured prospective homeowners on timely delivery of houses in Citiview Estate, Arepo in Ogun State and other projects across the country.
Senior officials of the firm, who gave the assurance to investors, disclosed that on-going housing units would be completed and handed over to them before the end of 2019.
In a statement issued last week, the Managing Director, Deji Fasunwon, said that Propertymart has delivered over 85 per cent of houses across all its housing projects in key cities and towns. “Propertymart has provided real estate solutions in Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Our key housing projects include Citiview Estate, Arepo; Edensville Estate, Simawa; Fairmont Apartment, Lekki; and Fairmont Hilltop, Alagbado amongst others,” he said.
Fasunwon commended clients for their patience and assured that the company was focused on assisting Nigerians to achieve their dreams of becoming homeowners.He explained that though Propertymart, like many businesses, experienced the harsh operating environment occasioned by the 2016 economic recession, it has consistently looked inwards and innovatively devised ways to achieve its objectives of ensuring client satisfaction.
“One major step taken by the company was to dispose of some of its stock trade meant to be reserved for profit in the future. These included plots of land in prime locations in some of its estates and also some of its other properties. Efforts are yielding good results as it has resulted in delivering properties to customers.
“The company is constrained to work with only a few reliable and trusted contractors to ensure quality to its customers. The effect of this delay, expectedly, led to dissatisfaction of many of the customers who had subscribed to different products and were expecting delivery of same,” he stated. Fasunwon added that rather than introduce new housing estates during the recession period, Propertymart focused on achieving delivery of most of its backlogs.
He said, “This has been productive as 136 units of houses were delivered in the first quarter of 2019 and another 138 units are expected to be completed and delivered at different times in the second quarter. It is expected that all remaining housing units will be delivered before the end of the last quarter of 2019. It is noteworthy that over 85 per cent of houses due for delivery have already been delivered across all projects while over 90per cent of serviced plots sold have also been allocated.”
While acknowledging that Propertymart has suffered some backlashes in situations that some delays had occurred, he reassured that the firm was always resolute in its decision to remain committed to delivering best-in-class real estate solutions to its stakeholders.
“The harsh economic climate was not strong enough reason to compromise on the structural integrity of our buildings, and as such, no cost-cutting measure was introduced on our projects. The company has significantly achieved its goal as construction activities are currently at top gear in all of its projects. These developments are being carried out in phases for a strategic delivery to its customers.
“The company has also revamped its customer service unit to constantly engage its customers on the development plan and update them on the progress of their investments,” he said. Propertymart assured clients of capital appreciation of their investment while urging those that had yet to take delivery of their houses to visit the project sites and verify the progress made on the construction of homes paid for.
A gospel artiste with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Michael Arowosaiye, has allegedly committed suicide.
Arowosaiye, who regularly performed at RCCG programmes, was said to have hanged himself with his belt on Tuesday at Sunnyvale Estate, Lokogoma District, Abuja.
It was learnt that the deceased, who ministered during a recent youth praise event at the church, was allegedly depressed over certain personal issues.
Acting spokesman for the police in the Federal Capital Territory, ASP Gajere Danjuma, confirmed the incident.
The Head, Media and Public Relations, RCCG, Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi, while commiserating with the family of the deceased, said Arowosaiye had left the church before the incident.
He said, “For us as human beings, it is painful that somebody has committed suicide. So, it is not right to begin to say whether he was with us or not. So, we to first sympathise with the family.
“The report we have is that he used to be one of the singers in one of our parishes in Abuja. He left the church a while ago to join the Shepherdhill Ministry, where he became their choirmaster. So, as of this time, we cannot say that he was our member.
“Secondly, if he were our member, there is a tradition in RCCG whereby every parish attempts to assist every member under stress. So, if he were our member or minister and had some challenges, he could have approached his pastors.”
The Senate has just confirmed Dr. Godwin Emefiele as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for a second term.
Emefiele had been screened by the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, on Wednesday during which he was grilled in issues affecting Nigeria’s economy.
The screening exercise came after the mandate given by President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, to the committee at the plenary on Tuesday. The committee was given one week to carry out the screening and report back to the Senate.
Emefiele, who was appointed as CBN Governor on June 2, 2014, is due to end his first term on June 2, this year.
President Muhammadu Buhari had last week written to the Senate requesting that Emefiele be confirmed as CBN Governor for a second term of five years.
