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6 Nigerian Startups Attain Billion Dollar Status — Osinbajo

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says no fewer than six startups owned by young Nigerians have grown from scratch to billion dollar businesses in recent years.

Osinbajo was the Special Guest of Honour at the Graduation Ceremony of Senior Executive Course 43, 2021 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos.

He said that as at 2021, more than six of such companies had been named Unicorns– a company that is worth over a billion dollars.

Osinbajo attributed the feat of the startups to providence and good policies.

“Six of those companies started between 2016 in the middle of two recessions and global health crisis.

“The companies are: Opay, Paystack, Flutterwave, Andela, PiggyVest and Jumia.

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“ Paystack and Flutterwave. Paystack was co-founded in 2016 by two graduates of Babcock University, in their twenties.

“ Paystack is a payment processing company; I am sure many have heard that it was eventually bought over by Stripe, the American multinational; it is now estimated to be worth a billion dollars.

“Flutterwave, also a payment processing coy founded in 2016; Flutterwave in Lagos; it is now worth nearly three billion dollars and both companies employ hundreds of young men and women.’’

He said that PiggyVest was co- founded in 2016 by ex students of Covenant University led by 21-year-old lady.

According to him, PiggyVest is a wealth management platform that at the end of 2019, had helped one million users save about 80 million dollars.

“What is responsible for some of these successes? Providence and good policies.

“Providence because COVID-19 was a boom period for online payment systems.

“Policy because the president approved the establishment of a technology and creativity advisory group that helped to formulate new banking policies to accommodate new tech enabled payment systems, such that these tech companies could process payments without being full scale banks.

“ The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was then able to issue new types of licences for payment processing; the Federal Government has established a N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund.

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“This provides financial support for small businesses in any field.’’

The vice president said that CBN had also established a Creative Sector Fund for young people in entertainment or technology.

He said there was the new programme called Investing in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) programme.

According to Osinbajo, iDICE is an over 600 million dollars programme that will support young tech and creative sector entrepreneurs through the provision of finance, skills development and infrastructure.

“Earlier this year, the federal government partnered with the UNDP and the private sector to start a programme called the Jubilee Fellows internship programme.

“ For the next five years every year 20,000 students after youth service will be given internship opportunities in private sector companies and in public agencies.

“The idea will be for the participants to gain relevant career and life skills that will enable them transition seamlessly into professional, business or public sector careers, while also earning very good pay during the internship.

“These snapshots of possibility are enough to show us that we are not facing an uncertain future without any tools at our disposal.’’

The vice president said, however, that if Nigeria was to inaugurate a new age of accelerated growth, it must adopt a new strategic direction and policy orientation.

Osinbajo said that adoption of a new strategy was what the Federal Government sought to do through the National Development Plan 2021-2025 which was recently approved by the Federal Executive Council.

“ In terms of strategic direction, the cornerstone of our strategy is boosting productivity by focusing on value addition as the guiding principle for all sectors, especially agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, digital services, tourism, hospitality, and entertainment.

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“ In agriculture, for example, just as we seek to increase production of rice, we are paying equal attention to other parts of the value chain such as storage, transportation, processing and marketing,’’ he said.

(DAILY POST)

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14-year-old Boy Killed In London Sword Attack

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A 14-year-old boy died on Tuesday after a man wielding a sword stabbed the youth, two police officers and two other people, in a street attack in east London, police said.

The man used what appeared to be a Samurai-type sword in the Hainault district shortly before 7:00 am (0600 GMT).

Police said they arrested a 36-year-old man using Taser stun weapons and took him into custody. The incident is not believed to be terror-related, they said.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, from London’s Metropolitan Police, said all five victims were taken to hospital.

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The two police officers were awaiting surgery for “significant” injuries, he added. But they, and those sustained by the two members of the public, were not believed to be life-threatening.

It’s with great sadness that one of those injured in this incident… has died from their injuries,” he told reporters at the scene.

“He was taken to hospital after being stabbed and sadly died a short while after.”

King Charles III called the stabbings “horrific” and paid tribute to the “courage” of the emergency services, Buckingham Palace said.

READ ALSO: UK-based Nigerian Doctor Loses Licences Over Sex For Free Botox Injections

“His thoughts and prayers are with all those affected — in particular, the family of the young victim who has lost his life,” a spokesman said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called the stabbings “shocking”. “Such violence has no place on our streets,” he added in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

“I’d like to thank the emergency services for their ongoing response, and pay tribute to the extraordinary bravery shown by police on the scene.”

Video footage and photographs posted on social media appeared to show a man in a yellow jumper on the streets near houses with the weapon.

Emergency service vehicles, including police, fire and ambulances, were seen behind cordons, including near the town’s underground railway station.

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Hiding

One resident, who asked not to be named, said she hid behind a window while the suspect was outside her home shouting at police that “do you believe in God?”

We were very scared and trying to hide and not show ourselves through the window because he was standing right next to our house and he could have seen us if he looked up,” she added.

“We were very scared and we didn’t know what to do.”

Another witness said he saw two police chasing the man, shouting at him to put down the weapon.

Police in England, Scotland and Wales are not routinely armed but do carry Taser weapons to disable suspects.

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was “absolutely devastated” by the incident and was in close contact with the city police commissioner.

“The police offices and emergency services showed the best of our city — running towards danger to protect others and I thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he said.

Last week, Sunak criticised the mayor’s record on knife crime in the British capital.

According to official statistics, knife crime increased in London by 20 percent in 2023, with 14,577 offences — one percent lower than pre-pandemic levels in the year to March 2020.

In England and Wales as a whole, there was a seven-percent increase in knife crime to 49,489 offences, with most (29 percent) in metropolitan areas, the Official for National Statistics said

AFP

 

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UK-based Nigerian Doctor Loses Licences Over Sex For Free Botox Injections

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A United Kingdom-based Nigerian doctor, Tijion Esho, has lost his medical licences after being found guilty of giving free Botox injections in return for sex, Telegraph reports.

Esho is known for his medical opinion and commentaries on cosmetic surgery discussions on popular Television programmes, including ITV’s This Morning, BBC’s Morning Live and E4’s Body Fixers.

He was also regularly consulted on Body Fixers for E4, a channel operated by Channel 4, which aired for two seasons in 2016 and 2017 and made appearances on segments of BBC’s Morning Live until the summer of 2022.

Esho is the founder of the Esho Clinic, which also has locations in London, Liverpool, and Dubai and has a host of celebrity clients.

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While appearing before a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service on Monday, he confessed to an improper emotional relationship with the woman, referred to as Patient A, with whom he exchanged “inappropriate” sexual messages on Instagram.

He argued that he never had any physical sexual contact with Patient A, who provided sex services via OnlyFans and webcams.

But, an MPTS panel sitting in Manchester ruled earlier this month that Dr Esho did have sexual intercourse with Patient A at his clinic in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2021 and administered Botox free of charge.

It was reported that the tribunal also ruled that, at a consultation months earlier, he had stroked her hair and rubbed himself against her after he made inappropriate comments about the shape of her bottom.

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The tribunal also established that the doctor, last year, made similar remarks to Patient A and allowed her to masturbate him.

Hence, the tribunal found Dr Esho’s fitness to practise was impaired because of his misconduct and the tribunal announced on Saturday that Esho’s name should be removed from the medical register.

The tribunal’s reasons for imposing the sanction will be released next week.

According to the Telegraph, among the “inappropriate” Instagram messages sent to Patient A between July 2019 and February 2022 was an exchange in September 2019 when he said: “What you doing to me lol. Morning Glory. Bloody has me wanting the real thing. That’s like every man’s dream.”

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In November 2019 he posted: “Why you making me bulge lol. Send more, don’t be sorry lol.”

The following month, he wrote, “Lol loving the tongue” and “Ha free mls [millilitres of botox] I’d need the whole booty and more”.

Weeks later, he told her, “My God having you for a night/every night is a dream but if we do it for me I break the doctors’ code and I’d be a dead man x lol.”

The tribunal also ruled the conduct of the doctor, also known as Oluwafemi Esho, was sexually motivated but did not find Patient A to be vulnerable because of her profession.

Botox injections, according to a medical website, Cleveland, improve appearance by relaxing muscles that cause wrinkles. They also treat medical conditions, including migraines, hyperhidrosis, overactive bladder, and eye problems.

To maintain results, treatments are repeated every three to six months.

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Pop Star Justin Bieber Sparks Concern After Seen Crying Amid Rumours Of Rift With Wife

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Pop sensation Justin Bieber has stirred concern among fans after posting a series of emotional selfies on Sunday, that has been linked to the rumoured split with his wife.

The 30-year-old singer took to Instagram over the weekend to share multiple photo dumps, offering glimpses into various aspects of his life.

From his surprise appearance at Coachella, where he performed during Tems’ set, to moments of leisure such as playing golf, enjoying the beach, smoking, and trying on different trainers, Justin Bieber’s posts provided a look into his world.

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It was, however, one particular set of images that garnered significant attention from fans.

In a close-up series of selfies, Bieber appeared visibly distressed, with tears streaming down his face.

The pop star stared solemnly into the camera, his emotions laid bare for all to see, as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

Despite the intimate portrayal of his emotions, Bieber offered no explanation or caption for his tearful display, leaving fans puzzled and concerned about his well-being.

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Justin Bieber’s personal life has come under the spotlight since the recent rumors surrounding his marriage to wife Hailey Bieber (neé Baldwin), 27.

The couple, who tied the knot in 2018, has faced speculation about the state of their relationship on multiple occasions.

Concerns were raised recently when Hailey’s father, Stephen Baldwin, 57, requested “prayers” for the couple, fueling speculation about potential marital troubles.

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