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Thisday celebrated 30 years of excellence, while Arise News marked its 12th anniversary in a grand, colorful event held at the Eko Hotel and Suites on Monday.
The chairman and editor in chief of Thisday and Arise News, Prince Nduka Obaigbena honored, visionaries, institutions, and game-changers who have embodied the spirit of resilience and excellence in the year 2024.
Highlife musician Flavour Nnabania opened the ceremony with an electictifying performance.
The governors of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Umo Eno, of Akwa Ibom, Uba Sani of Kaduna State, and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State all won the governor of the year.
The minister of the federal capital territory, Nyesom Wike took home the Minister of the year award after a difficult selection process among nominees including, minister of finance, Wale Edun, minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, minister of interior Olubunmi Ojo and minister of health, Mohammed Ali Pate.
Wike took to the stage to thank Thisday and the Nigerian public for recognising his efforts.
Former Anambra state governor, Peter Obi, has praised senior advocate of Nigeria, Afe Babalola for agreeing to withdraw the defamation case against human rights activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi.
Babalola had filed charges against Farotimi, accusing him of criminal defamation in his book titled, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.
Farotimi was arraigned in Ekiti for criminal defamation and cyber-bullying, facing trials in both a Magistrate Court and a Federal High Court.
After intervention from the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and other traditional rulers, Babalola announced his decision to withdraw the case, instructing his lawyers to do so. The announcement came during a meeting at Afe Babalola University.
Activist and former presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, was, on Monday, detained at the IRT detention facility at Abattoir in Abuja after rejecting the bail conditions set for his release.
Sowore, who was taken away in a police van with heavily armed personnel on Monday, had earlier deemed the bail conditions “outrageous” and demanded either an unconditional release or a release on self-recognition.
A Nigerian-American woman, Victoria Ogunremi, who lives in New Jersey, in the United States of America, returned the sum of $5,700 that she found in a toilet at her workplace.
Ogunremi said she returned the money out of concern for the owner.
According to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria, the gesture has been described as one of the remarkable acts of honesty and kindness by most Nigerians living abroad.
The woman attributed her kind nature to her late father’s teachings on moral upbringing, adding he taught us never to take what does not belong to us.
The queen of Motown, 80-year-old singer, Diana Ross, electrified the crowd at the Thisday awards ceremony with an array of her songs, including, I am coming out.
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