The esteemed Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa, despite his busy schedule alongside honorable colleagues Hon. Nureni Akinsanya representing Mushin Constituency I, and Hon. Lukmon Olumoh representing Ajeromi Ifelodun Constituency I, and Mr. Olalekan Onafeko, the Clerk of the House warmly welcomed the winner of the 2024 Young Orators competition, Miss Folakemi Adebayo, a 200l Law student of the Univeristy of Ibadan to his office at the Lagos State House of Assembly, Complex Alausa – Ikeja..

This event, marked by the presence of representatives from the Peat Philips Foundation and Lagos Television, was a poignant acknowledgment of burgeoning talent within our community. Guided by the amiable and indefatigable Mrs. Rukayat Olabode, Head, Tour & Guide Unit. The delegation was hosted with utmost hospitality and conducted through the meeting seamlessly.

The invitation extended by the Speaker’s office served as a testament to the significance of the Young Orators initiative, a collaborative effort between the Peat Philips Foundation and Lagos Television, aimed at nurturing and showcasing the oratory skills of young individuals, thereby fostering leadership and public speaking abilities.

Amidst an atmosphere brimming with anticipation and appreciation, the Honorable Speaker greeted the delegation with enthusiasm, acknowledging the commendable efforts of the Peat Philips Foundation in shaping the future leaders of society. The winner, undoubtedly filled with pride and accomplishment, stood alongside representatives from the foundation, cherishing the auspicious occasion.

Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa commended the dedication and talent exhibited by the young orator, emphasizing the importance of initiatives that empower and uplift the youth, recognizing them as the cornerstone of tomorrow’s society.

The courtesy visit underscored the collaborative spirit between governmental bodies and grassroots organizations in nurturing talent and fostering community engagement. As the event drew to a close, optimism and inspiration pervaded the air, with both parties reaffirming their commitment to supporting initiatives that promote youth development and civic participation.

The encounter at the Lagos State House of Assembly serves as a beacon of hope, signaling a promising future for young orators and their invaluable contributions to society.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, on Monday, released the results of the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, showing that 1,402,490 candidates out of 1,842,464 failed to score 200 out of 400 marks.

The number of candidates who failed to score half of the possible marks represents 78 per cent of the candidates whose results were released by JAMB.

Giving a breakdown of the results of the 1,842,464 candidates released, the board’s Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, noted that, “8,401 candidates scored 300 and above; 77,070 scored 250 and above; 439,974 scored 200 and above while 1,402,490 scored below 200.”

On naming the top scorers for the 2024 UTME, Oloyede said, “It is common knowledge that the board has, at various times restated its unwillingness to publish the names of its best-performing candidates, as it considers its UTME as only a ranking examination on account of the other parameters that would constitute what would later be considered the minimum admissible score for candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions.

“Similarly, because of the different variables adopted by respective institutions, it might be downright impossible to arrive at a single or all-encompassing set of parameters for generating a list of candidates with the highest admissible score as gaining admission remains the ultimate goal. Hence, it might be unrealistic or presumptive to say a particular candidate is the highest scorer given the fact that such a candidate may, in the final analysis, not even be admitted.

“However, owing to public demand and to avoid a repeat of the Mmesoma saga as well as provide a guide for those, who may want to award prizes to this set of high-performing candidates, the Board appeals to all concerned to always verify claims by candidates before offering such awards.”

Oloyede also noted that the results of 64,624 out of the 1,904,189, who sat the examination, were withheld by the board and would be subject to investigation.

He noted that though a total of 1,989,668 registered, a total of 80,810 candidates were absent.

“For the 2024 UTME, 1,989,668 candidates registered including those who registered at foreign centres. The Direct Entry registration is still ongoing.

“Out of a total of 1,989,668 registered candidates, 80,810 were absent. A total of 1,904,189 sat the UTME within the six days of the examination.

“The Board is today releasing the results of 1,842,464 candidates. 64,624 results are under investigation for verification, procedural investigation of candidates, Centre-based investigation and alleged examination misconduct.”

Oloyede also said the board, at the moment, conducts examination in nine foreign centres namely: Abidjan, Ivory Coast; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Buea, Cameroon; Cotonou, Republic of Benin; London, United Kingdom; Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Johannesburg, South Africa.

“The essence of this foreign component of the examination is to market our institutions to the outside world as well as ensuring that our universities reflect the universality of academic traditions, among others. The Board is, currently, fine-tuning arrangements for the conduct of the 2024 UTME in these foreign centres,” he said.

Dr. David Emmanuel Ovie, the Head Pastor and General Overseer of the God in Action Liberation Mission has slammed a five hundred million naira (N500 million) suit on one of his church members who demanded the return of his SUV from the church after an alleged failed prophecy.

We gathered the church member identified as Temitope Monday Diamond gave his Lexus RX330 to the church after a prophecy.

Temitope told SaharaReporters that the pastor of the church at Okuokoko in the Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State asked him to sacrifice his most precious property so that things could work well for him financially.

He said, “This pastor told me to sacrifice my most precious property so that things will be working well for me financially which I did by sacrificing my vehicle, Lexus RX330.

“After four months and things had not picked up as he said, my wife called him to know what was happening but he got angry and told me that my wife was rude and that he wanted to refund the money he got when he sold the vehicle – which is N4 million.

“We have been waiting for him to send the money since around December and January but he had refused to do so. We called and texted him but no response, we had to go to the church with a few friends and two soldiers who were not armed, just to accompany us (for security purposes).

“He called the youths of the community to beat us up before handing us over to Ebrumede police station. When we got there, we were detained. We later got bailed with N200,000 before the Divisional Police Officer could hear from us. The DPO called us to his office and we narrated everything to him as the pastor lied to him that we were kidnappers.

“The DPO judged the case in our favour and demanded that the car be refunded or he should pay the N4 million he made from selling the car. He agreed that he would be paying one million naira every week in February so that by month’s end, he would finish paying the money.

“By the second week of March, he still hadn’t paid a penny. Then the IPO in charge of the case called to tell us that the lawyer was pleading on his behalf and that he would be paying one million naira every month end. Then I got angry and said if he (the pastor) wanted to stress me over the money, he should return my car for breaching the agreement we had at the DPO’s office.

“We later heard that he filed a suit against us at Orerokpe High Court. The court was to sit on Monday, April 15 but was adjourned to May 10.

“The lawsuit says he is suing us for N500 million for coming to his church with an army and that the car cannot be returned because it had been sold. And that we are using police from Asaba to threaten him and his members, which is false.”

However, in a court document obtained by SaharaReporters on Tuesday signed by one Ogedengbe, the Applicant (General Overseer) alleged that he was arrested and detained on January 21, which Temitope said was the same day he and his friends stormed the church to ask for the N4 million he had promised to send.

The respondents in the document are Temitope Monday Diamond as the 1st respondent; Divisional Police Officer, Ebrumede Police Station, Delta State as 2nd respondent and the Commissioner of Police in Delta State as 3rd respondent.

The relief sought by the applicant reads in part, “A declaration that the arrest and detention of the applicant on the 21st day of January, 2024 by officers of the 3rd Respondent attached to the office of the 2nd respondent at the behest of the 1st Respondent is a gross violation of the applicant right to personal liberty guaranteed under section 35 (1) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“A declaration that the threatened arrest of the applicant by officers of the 3rd respondent at the instance of the 1st respondent over demand for the return of a car donation made to the God in Action Liberation Mission is a threatened violation of the applicant’s right to personal liberty guaranteed by section 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).

“The sum of five hundred million naira (N500, 000,000.00 only as damages.”

When contacted by SaharaReporters to hear his version of the story, the cleric said, “What I can tell you is that the matter is in court. I charged the matter to court because they came into the church with thugs and started fighting me and trying to harm me.

“It was during a live service in the middle of a wedding; that was when my members started fighting them.

“They came with weapons; knife and battle axe. One of them came with a gun as I was told. We handed them over to the community chairman while he took them to the police station.”

When asked whether he was arrested and detained by the police on January 21 as claimed in the court document, he said, “My lawyer asked me not to answer any further questions.”

“I don’t know what the constitution says, I only know the bible,” he added.