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FULL LIST: Wizkid, Tinubu, Baltasar Engonga, Others Make ‘Africa’s Most Talked About People Of 2024

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Nigerians dominated the list of Africa’s Most Talked About People of 2024 by Top Charts Africa.

Nigerians occupied 18 spots in the top 30 recently released via the chart body’s website.

Nigerian singer, Wizkid, is number one on the list. Wizkid has been on the trend table year-round following his renewed beef with Davido and the release of his new album, ‘Morayo.’

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President William Ruto of Kenya took the number 2 spot.

Ruto made global headlines in June when thousands of Kenyans took to the streets in protest of legislation increasing taxes. Following the storming of the Kenyan Parliament, President William Ruto reportedly rejected the Bill on 28 June and signed into law the “Appropriations Bill 2024” to address the budget shortfall caused by the rejection.

Nigerian afrobeats singer, Davido is ranked at number 3. Davido year-long trend climaxed with his much-publicised wedding to his wife, Chioma, in June, tagged ‘Chivido 2024.’

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READ ALSO: Tinubu, Shettima’s Official Quarters To Gulp N6.36bn For Renovation

Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; former Prime minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga; controversial Nigerian crossdresser, Bobrisky; South African singer Tyla; Nigerian politician, Peter Obi, and South Adrian music star, Liema Pantsi, complete the top 10.

Baltasar Engonga, the controversial Equatoguinean former public official who became an Internet sensation after his intimate videos surfaced online also made the list.

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Full list:

1. Wizkid

2. President William Ruto

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3. Davido

4. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

5. Aliko Dangote

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6. Raila Odinga

7. Bobrisky

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Tinubu Reconstitutes Leadership Of 12 River Basin Devt Authorities

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8. Tyla

9. Peter Obi

10. Liema Pantsi

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11. Rema

12. Rigathi Gachagua

13. Khosi Twala

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14. Former President Uhuru Kenyatta

15. Ademola Lookman

16. Asake

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17. Very Dark Man

18. Drill

19. Nyesom Wike

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20. President Cyril Ramaphosa

21. Reno Omokri

22. Rose Owusu Konadu

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23. Victor Osimhen

24. Baltasar Engonga

25. Sharon Ooja

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26. Toyin Abraham

27. Babu Owino Paul

28. Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina

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29. Danny Walter

30. Pastor Enoch Adeboye

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Italy Fines Six Oil Firms $1bn Fine For Restricting Competition

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Italy’s antitrust regulator said Friday it has slapped Italian energy giant Eni and five other companies with fines totalling more than 936 million euros ($1.1 billion) for “restricting competition” in the sale of fuel.

The authority said in a statement that Eni, Esso, Ip, Q8, Saras and Tamoil “coordinated to set the value of the bio component factored into fuel prices”, which tripled between 2019 and 2023.

READ ALSO:PICTORIAL: NDLEA Intercepts Cocaine, Opioid Shipments Meant For US, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Poland

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A probe following a whistleblower’s complaint revealed that “the companies implemented parallel price increases — largely coinciding — which were driven by direct or indirect information exchanges among them”, the authority said.

“The cartel began on 1 January 2020 and continued until 30 June 2023,” it added.

AFP

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Trump Signs Order For TikTok’s Sale, Valued At $14bn

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United States President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order declaring that his plan is to sell TikTok’s US operations to American and global investors.

As reported by Reuters on Friday, the order requires companies bidding for TikTok to meet the national-security requirements of the 2024 law that otherwise would ban the app unless its Chinese owners divest.

Speaking to reporters at an Oval Office briefing on Thursday, Vice President James Vance said the newly created US entity would be “valued around $14 billion.

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We actually think this is a good deal for investors, but they will make a determination about what they want to invest and what they think is the proper value,” he said.

READ ALSO:Antitrust Trial: US Asks Court To Break Up Google’s Ad Business

The White House on Thursday pushed back the law’s enforcement date to January 20 to allow time for the transaction, investor commitments, and negotiations with Chinese authorities.

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The publication of the executive order shows Trump is making progress on the sale of TikTok’s US assets.

However, details remain to be worked out, including how the U.S. company would handle TikTok’s most valuable asset: its recommendation algorithm.

“There was some resistance on the Chinese side, but the fundamental thing that we wanted to accomplish is that we wanted to keep TikTok operating, but we also wanted to make sure that we protected Americans’ data privacy as required by law,” Vance said.

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READ ALSO:Trump Slams Harvard With New Restrictions On Funds

According to Reuters, Trump’s order says the algorithm will be retrained and monitored by the U.S. company’s security partners, and operation of the algorithm will be under the control of the new joint venture.

Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping had indicated approval of the plans. “I spoke with President Xi,” Trump said. “We had a good talk, I told him what we were doing, and he said go ahead with it.”

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Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. TikTok did not immediately comment on Trump’s action.

READ ALSO:Judge Throws Out Trump’s $15bn ‘Rage’ Lawsuit Against New York Times

Trump has credited TikTok, which has 170 million U.S. users, with helping him win reelection last year. Trump has 15 million followers on his personal TikTok account. The White House also launched an official TikTok account last month.

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“This is going to be American-operated all the way,” Trump said.

He said that Michael Dell, the founder, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies; Rupert Murdoch, the chairman emeritus of Fox News owner Fox Corp, and newspaper publisher News Corp, and “probably four or five absolutely world-class investors” would be part of the deal.

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14-year-old Dies After Botched Secret Breast Surgery

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A 14-year-old girl has died following a secret cosmetic procedure reportedly carried out by her mother’s boyfriend, a tragedy that her biological father only uncovered after her funeral.

The teenager, identified as Paloma Nicole Arellano Escobedo, died on September 20, 2025, after undergoing a breast enlargement surgery in Tijuana, Mexico, as reported by TMZ on Thursday.

Reports say the operation was arranged by her mother without the knowledge or consent of her father, Carlos Arellano.

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Following the surgery, Paloma suffered severe complications that led to cardiorespiratory arrest and brain swelling. She was pronounced dead shortly after.

READ ALSO:Trump To Lead Tributes At Kirk’s Memorial

Her death certificate, however, listed the cause as cerebral oedema caused by a respiratory illness, a claim her father strongly disputes. Information for this report was compiled from multiple sources, including AZ Central.

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Her death certificate falsely stated ‘illness’ as the cause of death in an attempt to cover up the truth,” said Carlos, alleging that the official report was deliberately misleading.

Carlos said he became suspicious after the family received the certificate unusually quickly.

They gave it to us right away. I don’t know how they did it so quickly,” he said, adding that the speed of the process raised further questions about whether officials were attempting to conceal the true cause of death.

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During the funeral, relatives noticed that Paloma’s chest looked noticeably different.

“At the funeral, some relatives told me her breasts were larger than what she had before, and when I mentioned it to her mother, she told me it wasn’t true, that she didn’t know anything,” Carlos told prosecutors, according to AZ Central.

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When he asked for a private moment to say goodbye to his daughter, Carlos invited his mother, sister, and sister-in-law to help him examine her body.

Sure enough: she had breast implants. We have photographs of the implants and the scars. We immediately requested an autopsy,” he said in his official complaint.

READ ALSO:Trump Slams Harvard With New Restrictions On Funds

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Authorities later confirmed that the surgery had allegedly been performed by Dr Víctor Manuel, a 45-year-old plastic surgeon who owned a private clinic in Durango and was romantically involved with Paloma’s mother.

He has since been suspended by the Mexican Association of Plastic, Aesthetic, and Reconstructive Surgeons while the Durango State Prosecutor’s Office investigates the case.

Carlos accused his ex-wife and her partner of lying to him and attempting to conceal the true circumstances of their daughter’s death.

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“I demand that all those responsible be investigated,” he said, calling for justice and accountability for everyone involved in the unauthorised surgery and possible cover-up.

READ ALSO:Kimmel’s Suspension: Obama Slams Trump For ‘Dangerous’ Attack On Free Speech

Durango’s Attorney General, Yadira de la Garza Fragoso, confirmed that investigators are looking into the role of both the surgeon and the mother.

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We are investigating a probable lack of care on the part of the mother for placing a minor who was under her care and custody in risky situations,” Fragoso said.

The incident has sparked widespread concern over illegal and unsafe cosmetic surgeries involving minors in Mexico. While the country has no explicit national law restricting plastic surgery for those under 18, such procedures typically require the written consent of both parents.

A final autopsy report is pending as authorities continue the investigation.

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