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Gbenga Adeyinka D’1st Laffmattazz Records Huge Success With ‘Lagos Again’ [PHOTOS]

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On Sunday, November 26, 2023, Gbenga Adeyinka D 1st’s Laffmattazz train stopped at the Balmoral centre on Victoria Island, Lagos for the Lagos Again edition.

The seven-hour-long comedy and music show kicked off with an orange carpet sponsored by Maltina. Ably supported by the Lagos State government, under the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism, LSDPC, Toyota, Eleganza, Sujimoto, and The Address Homes, the music cum comedy show saw attendees and guests getting various treats from Indomie, Goldberg, and Ace.

A total of 33 entertainers – music and comedy stars – took on the Laffmattazz train and stage to thrill over 3,500 guests that attended the Lagos Again edition. Kicking off early on the show were young and rising comic and music acts that include Damola, MC Lozy, Prince Phelar, MC 90s, MC Stylo and Ashny.

The show host, Gbenga Adeyinka D 1st surprised attendees with his grand entry after he was introduced by one of his long-standing allies, Omobaba 1. The comedian, who also doubles as a master of ceremony and actor, expressed gratitude to brands and attendees.

“What I felt was even higher than ‘over happiness’ if there’s anything like that in the dictionary. There is nothing more gratifying than planning an event and having everything fall into place, I am overjoyed,” Adeyinka D 1st began. “The support from the Lagos State government was massive. The Honourable Commissioner Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka led a robust team to our event while the Speaker Rt. Hon Obasa led the legislatures and also the LSDPC boss, Mr Ayo Joseph, who supported.”

Other performers that made the event memorable include music superstars and comedy experts that were led by Tuface Idibia, Adewale Ayuba, Alibaba, Ruggedman, Funnybone, Real Iyke, Destalker, Bowjoint, Koffi tha Guru, MC Ajele, MC Bash, Baba Alariya, Dr. Smile, Prince Phelar, and many others. DJ Vinnie also dished out various tunes while showing his expertise on the turntables. Side attractions at the event were provided by Magic Whizz, Carton Boys and GKB.

Despite various high points of the event, the show’s crescendo remains the performances of Tuface Idibia, Ruggedman, and Fuji veteran Adewale Ayuba.

A long list of dignitaries that attended the event include Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Mudashiru Obasa and other lawmakers, Honourable Commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Arts, Culture and Tourism, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, foremost Nigerian industrialist, Chief Razak Okoya and his beloved wife, Dr Sade Okoya, Kenny Keke Ogungbe, ID Ogungbe, amongst several others.

Adeyinka D 1st also expressed gratitude to entertainers who made his Laffmattazz Lagos Again a success. He said, “I can never repay all my colleagues for what they did to support me in achieving success with the Laffmatazz Lagos Again edition. It was a massive show of love from beginning to the end. Even though we were touring, we never lost touch with our base and that came to the fore at the event. We had attendees and performers at the event. The show was a rewarding one for myself and every member of our team and we are grateful but like Oliver Twist, we will always yearn for more so that we can do more.”

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UPDATE [AFCON]: Libya Jittery As CAF Demands Response To Nigeria’s Protest

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The Libyan Football Federation is reportedly panicking after being asked by CAF to “submit documents” concerning the cancellation of the AFCON qualifying Group D match against Nigeria.

Nigeria had refused to play the match after their “plane was diverted to Labraq Airport” where they were “held hostage for 18 hours without food and water.”

According to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel, “Nasser Al-Suwaie,” Secretary-General of the Libyan Football Federation, confirmed that “CAF has given the Libyan and Nigerian associations until the 20th of this month to submit” all relevant documents.

Al-Suwaie further revealed that the Libya FA has “assigned a specialised lawyer” to provide evidence, suggesting “there may be collusion from some parties within CAF,” though he assured that the position of the Libyan Federation remains strong.

He clarified that “the Libyan Federation did not change the course of the plane’s landing,” which was a decision by “the Libyan state,” and this “sovereignty of the Libyan state must be respected.”

The “Super Eagles returned” to Nigeria with reports of difficult conditions, including “sleeping on the bare floor” of the airport. Team manager “Patrick Pascal” described how the “toilet had been deliberately seriously messed up by the Libyan officials” in anticipation of their arrival.

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FG Officially Ends Fuel, FX Subsidies, Unveils Housing Finance Plan To Tackle Unemployment

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The Federal Government has officially ended “fuel and Foreign Exchange (FX) subsidies,” Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, “Wale Edun,” announced on Thursday during the presentation of the Nigeria Development Update by the World Bank in Abuja.

Edun disclosed that the subsidies had significantly strained the nation’s economy, costing Nigeria around “N10 trillion,” which is about five percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Fuel and FX subsidy are extinguished,” the minister stated, marking a major shift in economic policy.

In response to growing unemployment, the government is launching a new plan focused on housing finance.

The initiative includes a mortgage scheme with near single-digit interest rates, intended to boost construction and generate considerable job opportunities.

At the same event, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, “Olayemi Cardoso,” discussed the recent half-percent interest rate hike by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), attributing the increase to inflationary pressures.

He assured that future policies would be “data-driven and evidence-based.”

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Air Peace: U.S. Government Seeks Forfeiture Of Allen Onyema’s $14 Million Assets In Amended Fraud Case

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The United States government has requested the District Court, Northern District of Georgia, to approve the forfeiture of approximately “$14 million” in assets from Allen Ifechukwu Onyema, CEO of “Air Peace,” following a recent superseding indictment.

The indictment outlines allegations of fraud and money laundering against Onyema and his associate, Ejiroghene Eghagha, who serves as Chief of Administration and Finance at “Air Peace.”

The indictment includes multiple counts: Count One alleges “conspiracy to commit bank fraud,” while Counts Two through Four involve instances of “bank fraud.”

Count Five pertains to “conspiracy to commit credit application fraud,” and Counts Six through Eight are for “credit application fraud.” Counts Nine through Thirty-Five address “money laundering.”

If convicted of the charges in Counts One through Five, the defendants must forfeit property gained through these alleged crimes, including substantial sums in business-related bank accounts.

The U.S. government specifically seeks the forfeiture of “$4,017,852.51” from a JP Morgan Chase Bank account held by “Springfield Aviation Inc.,” “$4,393,842.05” from a Bank of Montreal account linked to “Springfield Aviation Inc.,” and “$5,634,842.04” from a Bank of Montreal account associated with “Blue Stream Aero Services, Inc.”

The indictment states that if these assets are unavailable, the U.S. will pursue other assets of the defendants of equivalent value.

The legal case is being led by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, with Garrett L. Bradford and Christopher J. Huber.

On October 13, it was reported that Onyema and Eghagha had been initially indicted in 2019 on charges of “conspiracy to commit bank fraud,” “bank fraud,” and “money laundering.”

The scheme allegedly involved using falsified documents to purchase aircraft and laundering over “$16 million” in proceeds.

In response to these charges, “Air Peace Limited” stated that its legal team is engaged in the matter and working to ensure justice.

Onyema now faces new charges for allegedly “obstructing justice” by submitting false documents to halt an investigation into earlier bank fraud and money laundering charges.

Eghagha is also implicated in the obstruction scheme and faces additional charges tied to the original bank fraud counts.

This information was disclosed in a statement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia.

“After allegedly using his airline company as a cover to commit fraud on the United States’ banking system, Onyema, along with his co-defendant, allegedly committed additional crimes of fraud in a failed attempt to derail the government’s investigation of his conduct,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.

“The diligence of our federal investigative partners revealed the defendants’ alleged obstruction scheme, making it possible for the defendants to be held accountable for their aggravated conduct of attempting to impede a federal investigation.”

US Attorney Buchanan further revealed that Onyema is linked to a complex financial scheme.

According to the superseding indictment and court records, Onyema, founder of “Air Peace” (established in 2013), frequently visited Atlanta between 2010 and 2018.

He is accused of opening multiple personal and business bank accounts in Atlanta, through which over “$44.9 million” was allegedly transferred from international sources.

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