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World Bank To FG: You Won’t Succeed In Lifting 100m Nigerians Out Of Poverty, If…

Published

3 years ago

April 8, 2022

The World Bank says it is hopeful the Federal Government can achieve its target of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years, but warned, on Friday, that such an ambitious goal won’t succeed without the execution of policies to keep adolescent girls in school and also provide opportunities in the labour market.

The Country Director, World Bank Nigeria, Mr. Shuabham Chaudhuri, said this during the launch of the policy note on ‘Supporting Adolescent Girls to Kickstart the Stalled Demographic Transition and Harnessing the Demographic Dividend in Nigeria’ which was held in Abuja.

According to him, while it was good to be ambitious, the policy environment for human capital development and job opportunities in the labour market was more crucial.

Chaudhuri said Nigeria was sitting on a ticking demographic time-bomb because governments at both the Federal and State levels have failed to heed previous dire warnings that the country’s exponential population growth might develop into a social disaster.

He said, “At the World Bank, our mission is about helping all of our member countries eliminate poverty and make life better for the bottom half. In the case of Nigeria, that aspiration is very clearly stated by His Excellency the President in terms of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.

“But it is very clear that Nigeria will not succeed in lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty if Nigeria does not manage its demographic dividend and accelerate the transition.

“Nigeria has a demographic time bomb ticking away. Why is that so? The number of jobs Nigerian youths have access to is very small compared to the number of women giving birth to children in the country.

“The single most important thing Nigeria needs to do to manage and realise its full demographic dividend is to keep adolescent girls in school. If we keep girls in school for at least secondary school, they would have matured enough for marriage at 18.”

In a similar vein, World Bank’s Regional Director, (West and Central Africa), Ms. Dena Ringold, said investing in adolescent girls was crucial to reducing child marriages in Nigeria.

She said, “Human capital development is important because it is the foundation for productive life and prepares children to take on the future.

“It is crucial that we invest in adolescent girls in order to increase the number of girls attending school and to reduce girl child marriage. We also need to engage boys since they are critical enablers of girls’ access to quality of life.”

Also speaking, the Emir of Shonga, HRH Alhaji Haliru Yahaya, noted that poorly educated families start procreating early – some girls as early as 10 years of age.

“Patriarchy is a very nasty that keeps women out of the real scheme of things. The issue of early marriage is most nauseating because it is intertwined with culture, religion, and poverty,” he said.

The royal father, therefore, called for a paradigm shift to contain Nigeria’s untamed population growth for the country to achieve demographic transition and harness the dividends.

On her part, the Minister of Women and Social Development, Dame Pauline Tallen, said that for Nigeria to overcome its socio-economic challenges, the country’s present crop of leaders must focus attention on women and girls empowerment.

“When women are empowered, it has a multiplier effect in terms of social and economic dividends for her family and society at large,” she said.

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Most Followed Tiktoker Khaby Lame Deported From US Over Visa Violation

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

Italian-Senegalese social media sensation, Khaby Lame, known as the world’s most followed TikTok creator, has been deported from the United States after allegedly overstaying his visa, The New York Times reported.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed that Lame, 25, was detained last Friday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

The agency confirmed the detention in an official statement, stating that Lame entered the country on April 30 but “overstayed the terms of his visa.”

Lame, who rose to international fame for his silent comedic reactions to overcomplicated “life hack” videos, has amassed over 160 million followers on TikTok.

His online popularity led to collaborations with global fashion brands, a role in a Hollywood film, and a reality show on Tubi titled Khaby Is Coming To America.

His deportation has sparked a storm of reactions online.

“Every single illegal alien needs to be DEPORTED. When I found out the biggest TikTok star, Khaby Lame, is an illegal alien evading taxes, I worked with Trump’s ICE to have him removed. He’s since been detained by ICE and removed,” Bo Loudon, a Gen Z Trump supporter and self-styled activist, wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Following his deportation, Lame has not issued any formal statement. However, on Monday, he posted an Instagram story tagged in São Paulo, Brazil, marking his first confirmed location since leaving the US

Lame’s former legal representative, Riccardo Lanzo, told The New York Times that the influencer had spent significant time in the US recently but acknowledged uncertainty regarding his visa status.

The case came amid a broader immigration enforcement push under Trump’s renewed administration.
APF

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Trump Unveils Website For $5m US Residency Visa

Published

2 days ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

President Donald Trump touted a new website for his planned $5 million US residency permit on Wednesday, saying the waiting list for the golden visa has opened on TrumpCard.gov.

“Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote in a social media post.

Trump unveiled the first such visa aboard Air Force One in April, holding a golden prototype that bore his face and promising the special permit would probably be available “in less than two weeks.”

The visas are not available yet, but the website announced Wednesday allows interested parties to submit their name, desired visa and email address under a header that says “The Trump Card is Coming.”

Trump previously said the new visa, a high-price version of the traditional green card, would bring in job creators and could be used to reduce the US national deficit.

The announcement comes as deportation raids are being ramped up across the country, prompting protests, and as Trump’s administration faces ongoing lawsuits and accusations of rights violations over its anti-immigration blitz.

Trump has said the new card would be a route to highly prized US citizenship. He said in February that his administration hoped to sell “maybe a million” of the cards and did not rule out that Russian oligarchs may be eligible.

AFP

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19-year-old Nigerian Artiste Beaten To Death In Ghana

Published

3 days ago

June 11, 2025

Editor

A 19-year-old upcoming Nigerian artiste identified simply as Destiny has been beaten to death in the Volta Region area of Ghana.

According to The PUNCH, the incident happened on May 28.

It was gathered that a yet-to-be-identified Nigerian based in Ghana accused him of failing to remit funds related to a business venture they introduced him to.

The male adult, who was also said to be among those who facilitated his trip to the country, stormed his apartment alongside two others to question him about the funds.

However, Destiny’s failure to provide answers led to a severe assault meted out to him.

A source privy to the incident told The PUNCH on Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because he lacked the authority to speak with the media that the Edo State-born artiste thereafter succumbed to the injuries sustained from the assault.

“Destiny went to Ghana to further his education, and the travel was facilitated by someone he called his street brother. These are the same people who provided an apartment for him over there. Those who broke the news to us from there said the men introduced him to a business, which they later accused him of diverting some funds meant for the business. This angered them, and they went to his apartment and beat him up. The beating was so intense that he felt weak and gave up the ghost in the process,” the source narrated.

It was further learnt that the suspects left the deceased’s body in the room after they discovered that he was motionless.

Another source who spoke to newsmen said the police later discovered the corpse a few days after the incident.

“The police were alerted to the incident, and some officers were deployed to the apartment where Destiny’s remains were found. We were told that no suspects had been arrested since his death. We hope the Ghanaian authorities find his killers and bring them to justice.”

In a video obtained by The PUNCH, Destiny was seen speaking about himself and what his plans were.

He said, “I am Destiny and I am a streamer from Nigeria. I want to apply to Streamers University, and this will be a great joy for me, my mother, and everybody. I am also an artiste and a gamer. I do all sorts of things.”

Recall that in April a 77-year-old Nigerian Uber driver, Olatunji Bolaji, was killed in a shooting outside a hookah lounge in Philadelphia, United States.

Bolaji, who lived in Norristown, Pennsylvania, was on duty around 2 a.m. on Wednesday when he picked up a passenger, a 22-year-old man, outside the Byblos Hookah Bar near Rittenhouse Square in Centre City, CBS reports on Friday.

Police said shortly after Bolaji picked up the young man, another vehicle pulled up behind his SUV, and two men got out.

One of them opened fire, shooting both Bolaji and the passenger.