Author: kayode amuda

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Gold Pushes Past $4,000 For The First Time

Gold has pushed past $4,000 an ounce for the first time on Wednesday.
Information gathered revealed that this new milestone is being fueled by investors seeking refuge from mounting economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
The new record is also as a result of expectations of further interest rate cuts by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
The metal’s record-breaking rally has made it one of the best-performing assets of 2025, up 54% year-to-date after gaining 27% in 2024. Spot gold was last trading up 1.58% at $4,047.28 per ounce, with U.S. gold futures for December delivery also gaining 1.58% to $4,067.70.
Gold has surpassed advances in global equity markets and Bitcoin while outpacing losses for the dollar and crude oil.
The safe-haven appeal of gold stems from a perfect storm of factors. Mounting global crises, including the Middle East conflict, the war in Ukraine, and political turmoil in France and Japan, are stoking demand. Domestically, the U.S. government shutdown, now in its eighth day, is delaying the release of key economic data, forcing investors to lean on expectations for Fed rate cuts. Markets are currently pricing in a 25-basis-point reduction at the upcoming Fed meeting, with a similar cut anticipated in December.
Beyond the headlines, the rally is fortified by strong central bank buying and “hefty inflows” into gold-backed Exchange Traded Products (ETPs). Globally, these inflows reached a total of $64 billion year-to-date, with a record $17.3 billion flowing in during September alone. Analysts also noted that a “fear of missing out” is compounding the upward momentum.
Matthew Piggott, director of gold and silver at Metals Focus, commented that gold’s strength “reflects an extremely positive macroeconomic and geopolitical background for safe-haven assets.” He sees no immediate catalyst for a significant drop and expects gold to continue pushing up throughout the year, attempting a challenge of $5,000/oz.
Silver joined the rally, gaining 3.24% to $49.37 per ounce, sitting just below its all-time high of $49.51.
The metal is up more than 69% this year, benefiting from the same drivers as gold, in addition to tightness in the spot market. Suki Cooper, Global Head, Commodities Research at Standard Chartered Bank, noted that the silver market is tightening due to rising lease rates, record-high Comex stocks, and seasonal demand in India. HSBC has since raised its average silver price forecast for 2026 to $44.50.
The strong momentum also lifted other precious metals: platinum gained 2.10% to $1,652.20, and palladium climbed 7.35% to $1,435.53. However, on a technical note, gold’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) stands at 88, which suggests the metal is currently overbought.
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Entertainment News

BBNaija 10: I Wasn’t Expecting To Win – Imisi Says

Big Brother Naija Season 10 winner, Opeyemi Ayanwale, popularly known as Imisi, has said her victory in the just concluded edition of the reality show was shocking to her.

In a post-show interview with Arise TV, Imisi explained that she wasn’t expecting to win and was not properly dressed for the occasion when she stepped on the stage on Sunday.

She also talked about dealing with anxiety just before she was announced as the winner.

“Winning the reality show was shocking to me. Sincerely, I was not expecting to win.

“Before I got the show, I was tensed just hearing the crowd chant my name. I was shocked when I was announced the winner.

“I wore crocs to the stage because I am not comfortable in heels. I did not even plan for the live show,” she expressed.

Recall that Imisi beat her closest competitor, Dede, by wide margin to emerge as the winner of Big Brother Naija Season 10 on Sunday.

She received her grand prize of N150 million, comprising N80 million in cash and a brand-new Innoson SUV on Tuesday.

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FG Reacts As ASUU Begins Mobilizing Members For Nationwide Strike

The federal government has reacted to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) planned nationwide strike.
The government begged ASUU to shelve its strike, assuring that all outstanding issues will be addressed.
The assurance was given by the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, during a press briefing on Wednesday, noting that President Bola Tinubu has the political will to meet the demands of the union.
He added that President Tinubu has directed that all necessary efforts must be put in place to ensure that university and other public tertiary institution students remain in schools and the school doors remain open for activities.
Alausa submitted that there is no basis for the proposed ASUU strike, as their grievances are already receiving attention.
The Minister disclosed that by Thursday, the Yayale Ahmed-led Federal Government Tertiary Institutions Expanded Negotiating Committee would meet with the leadership of ASUU to present the government’s offer to them.

He revealed that the committee has reached out to ASUU and other unions in tertiary institutions to start giving dates and times when they will meet.
“The directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to us is that our children must be in school; that we should do everything humanly possible to avert a strike. That’s why what we’ve been working behind the scenes to ensure a holistic resolution of the issues. We’ve not been talking about everything we’re doing.
 
“People at the highest level of government have been working several hours intensely to get a robust but affordable response back to our trade unions. These are issues that predate 10-15 years ago. They’ve not been surmounted, but this President has given us the political will to resolve these issues once and for all.
 
“In the past, things were done in silos. There were three different Negotiating Committees that were set up. One for universities, one for polytechnics and one for the College of Education and those committees worked in silos. That’s not an efficient way to negotiate.
 
”Despite the slight delay that we’ve had in putting the Expanded Committee together, we now have one Negotiating Committee that will talk with all tertiary institutions. That same committee will negotiate with academic staff and non-academic staff unions so that they can have a full grasp of what their needs are.
 
“I have seen all the requests from all these unions at the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education; 80% of those requests are about the same, while the 20% of the requests are based on particular needs of the universities, polytechnics and colleges of education,” Alausa said.
Alausa disclosed that the expanded negotiation committee was inaugurated on Monday and that the members held their inaugural meeting on Tuesday.
He appealed for calm on the part of ASUU, assuring that the government is committed to resolving all issues, stressing that the contending issues have been ongoing for about two decades.
“And as I’ve said repeatedly, we will resolve it in a holistic, comprehensive manner that is mutually respectful to the unions in an affordable manner. Something the government can afford,” he said.
The Minister noted that the government had commenced the implementation of the demands of the lecturers and other staff unions, saying the current administration of President Tinubu released ₦50 billion Earned Academic Allowance some months ago.
He added that N150 billion was allocated in the 2025 budget as a revitalisation fund for tertiary institutions, while the issues of promotion arrears would be captured in the 2026 budget.
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I Took Him to Tanzania, Senegal – Obasanjo Reveals How He Helped Dangote Succeed

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he helped Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote make it in business.
Obasanjo spoke on Wednesday.
According to him, he created an enabling environment to ensure that Dangote built his cement factory in Nigeria, he took him to Tanzania, Senegal, and other African countries.
Speaking at the Bauchi State economic and investment summit, Obasanjo stressed the need for public, private sector partnership.
He said: “So Aliko then planned to produce 5 million tons of cement a year. Since we started producing cement in 1956 up to 2003, we’ve never produced 5 million tons.
 
“So when Aliko made that projection, the people in the ministry said he was telling a lie. He wants to be making it up. I said alright, let’s see how his lie will work.
 
“So I put two people on Aliko’s construction site and they are reporting to me every day. The day Aliko the contractor did not work, they will phone and tell me. And I will immediately phone Aliko.
 
“So one day Aliko came to me and said, Mr. President, I’m getting worried about you. I said what have I done? He said you know about this cement project more than myself. And it is not a government project. I’m getting worried about you. I said my brother Aliko, this is a Nigerian project. So anything Nigerian is a government project.
 
“Not only did Aliko succeed in the first 5 million, he succeeded in the second 5 million. He succeeded in the third 5 million. I started taking him out to other countries in Africa.
 
“I took him to Tanzania. I took him to Senegal. That’s how Aliko made it. Partnership between the private and the public. Partnership between leadership at every level.”
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Sport News

Cristiano Ronaldo Becomes First Footballer to Become a Billionaire

Football star, Cristiano Ronaldo has made history by becoming football’s first billionaire player.
This is according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, an external index that tracks the world’s richest people based on their net worth.
Bloomberg Billionaires Index revealed the 40-year-old Portugal and Al-Nassr striker’s wealth for the first time.
The valuation takes into account career earnings, investments, and endorsements and says Ronaldo’s net worth is $1.4bn (£1.04bn).
It says he earned more than $550m (£410m) in salary between 2002 and 2023, and breaks down his reported earnings through deals and sponsorship, including a decade-long deal with Nike worth almost $18m (£13.4m) a year.
When Ronaldo joined Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League in 2022 he reportedly became the best-paid player in football history with an annual salary of £177m.
His contract was due to end in June 2025 but he signed a new two-year deal – reportedly worth more than $400m (£298m) – which will keep him at the club beyond his 42nd birthday.
Argentina and Inter Miami forward Lionel Messi, who played against Ronaldo for many years during their time in Spain, has earned more than $600m (£447m) in pre-tax salary during his career, according to Bloomberg.
That includes $20m (£15m) in guaranteed annual pay since 2023, which is about 10% of Ronaldo’s income during the same period.
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Entertainment News

I Rely On Prayer to Succeed After Releasing New Song – Spyro

Afrobeats Singer Spyro has revealed that he prays and relies on God before and after releasing a song.
He stated this during a recent interview with Frank Edoho.
Spyro stated that before releasing a song, he seeks divine guidance through prayer to ensure its success, given the costly nature of the music industry.
He said, “I think I do my things differently. Because the first thing I want to do when I want to drop a song for this project is to go into prayers because I always want to know. You know this industry is quite expensive to promote music. I know”.
 
Spyro explained that promoting a single track can cost hundreds of millions of naira.
He further said, shooting a high-quality music video, like his song ‘Shut Down’, cost him over 40 million naira.
The ‘Who Is Your Guy’ crooner said the additional expenses include airplay on radio stations and, most significantly, social media promotion.

“You’re talking of hundreds of millions sometimes for just a song. I mean, to shoot a proper video now, you’re talking 20, 30 million, 40 million. I shot ‘Shut Down’ for 40 something million. I also spend money on putting the songs on the radio”, he added.

He highlighted the high costs of paying influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, as well as running sponsored ads, noting that Instagram ads were particularly expensive in the past.
“The one that carries the whole money is social media. Yeah, because you’re paying TikTok and Instagram influencers. You’re doing sponsored ads.
 
“So, aside from that, you go to, you go to Instagram, you pump money there, you do sponsored ads, you know. I think, I don’t know about now, Instagram even used to be much more expensive than TikTok then, as at the last time”, he said.
To manage these costs, Spyro said he built a network of industry friends who support each other, reducing the need for heavy spending.
He mentioned that this collaborative approach has helped him cut down on expenses over time.
“Because now I’ve built a network of friends, guys in the industry that we do things for ourselves that don’t have to spend that much. So I invested in friendships, you know, in this space. So I turn up for them, they turn up for me.
 
“So that is why I do not know how much now on Instagram again, but I know I used to spend a lot of money on Instagram back then”, he said.
 
Spyro added that when deciding which song to release, he relies on spiritual direction.
 
“So when I want to drop a song, I don’t want to miss it. You know, so I usually like to go to God and be like, God, directs me, just let me know.
 
“You know, and people think that God is not interested in things like that, but he’s very, very interested. So show me, tell me, you know. So the first song I’m going to push on this album, for example, was, it was directly from God.
 
“Like I woke up to the song, you know, I woke up to it and immediately I picked up my phone. I called my producer. I said, I’m coming to record a song this morning as early as 6.30, you know.
 
“And the funny thing was that on getting to the studio, I’m like, why did you agree to record a song for me this early? And you are here. He said, ah, he even played game till morning. But someone called him, someone that usually doesn’t talk to him, just called him and says, Spyro is going to come and do a song in your studio this week. Put your life into it”, he added.
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Entertainment News

It Was Really Hard To Get People To Take Me Seriously – Tems Opens Up

Temilade Openiyi, the Grammy award-winning Nigerian singer, who is popularly known as Tems, has spoken about the struggles she faced at the beginning of her career.

Tems, during a recent interview with CNN, said it was hard for people to take her seriously, stressing that she did not feel supported for a long time.

The 30-year-old hitmaker also noted that authenticity is her non-negotiable core principle.

She said, “Authenticity is everything to me. That’s the one thing I cannot compromise on because that’s all I have, who I really am.

“It was really hard to get people to take me seriously not just as a producer, but as a singer, period. I didn’t feel safe, and I didn’t feel seen, and I didn’t feel supported for a very long time.”

Speaking about her initiative, ‘The Leading Vibe,’ Tems said she is using the platform to create the opportunities she once lacked.

According to her, the programme aims to support and elevate women in behind-the-scenes roles in the music industry.

She added, “There are so many talented women who can be producers, managers, audio engineers — but they’re not even visible.

“So, I want to make them visible and create a space where we can redefine the perspective of women in music.

“We’re definitely taking this beyond Nigeria. Actually, we’re going to Kenya next. There are women everywhere who just need to feel seen. All they need is that platform, all they need is that chance, and I really believe it’s going to change the shape of the music industry for sure.”

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Sport News

Anthony Joshua Is Scared Of Me – Congolese Heavyweight Boxer, Bakole Declares

Martin Bakole, the Congolese heavyweight, has boldly claimed that he would knock out Anthony Joshua if they were to face off in the ring in Nigeria, vowing to do so in front of Joshua’s home crowd.

Joshua is being lined up for a comeback fight in Nigeria early next year following his loss to Daniel Dubois in a world heavyweight title bout at Wembley Stadium in September last year.

Bakole, a former sparring partner of Joshua, has volunteered to face the British-Nigerian boxer in what he described as ‘the Rumble in the Jungle II.’

“I’d take the fight with Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat. We are both African fighters, and now we’re seeing boxing come back to Africa,” Bakole told Sky Sports.

“Anthony Joshua doesn’t want to fight me. He knows what happened in sparring. If we get in the ring, I’m going to knock him out, without doubt.

“I’ll even knock him out in Nigeria, in front of his own crowd. This is the fight to make. And we need to make it in Africa. It’ll be the Rumble in the Jungle II.”

Promoter Dr Ezekiel Adamu, who recently staged the successful Chaos in the Ring event in Lagos in association with Amir Khan, confirmed that Bakole is among several options being considered for Joshua’s return.

“He is an option. There are a lot of options being thrown at us for this particular fight, but – yes – Martin Bakole is here,” Adamu told Sky Sports News.

“We have a lot of options that we’ll be looking at, and we believe that we’ll come up with something really exciting that will excite the whole world and obviously bring proper excitement to Africa as well, especially Nigeria.”

Adamu disclosed that Nigeria, with its population of about 250 million people and status as Africa’s economic capital, is ideally positioned to host the fight.

Joshua’s team had previously considered Ghana as a potential location for his comeback bout, but Nigeria appears to be gaining traction as the preferred destination.

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Entertainment News

Afrobeats Don Too Choke — Singer Slimcase Laments

Singer Slimcase has lamented that Afrobeats has become saturated with too many songs and albums.
He stated this in a post on his Instagram story.
Slimcase added that musicians are putting themselves under unnecessary pressure to drop new projects all the time.
He wrote: “Too many songs, too many albums. Una too dey put una self for pressure for this Niger sha. Take a chill pill and be like Rihanna. Do other things and come back give us a fresh vibe.
 
Your sounds are getting boring cus dem be coming too much in a year. I owe dem a song this year and that’s it. It’s only God that is new every morning. Everyday every second singles and albums dey kiii Afrobeats gradually — it’s not fun anymore.”
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Entertainment News

Adunni Ade Celebrates N20m Court Victory Over Alleged Romance With Dino Melaye

Nollywood actress, Adunni Ade, has celebrated winning a court case against a Nigerian news platform.

She revealed in a post on Instagram that she won her defamation suit against Polace Media Limited (www.naijanews.com).

The legal victory came nearly two years after Adunni Ade was named among “six popular Nigerian celebrities” accused of dating Senator Dino Melaye.

Reacting to the report, Adunni Ade, who tagged the news as false, slammed the news platform a N100 million lawsuit for invasion of privacy and defamation.
In an update on her Instagram page, the actress on Tuesday evening applauded the “Nigerian Court of law” for getting her justice.
She wrote: “I won my case — Adunni Ade vs. Polace Media Limited (www.naijanews.com)
A false story was published about me, but truth stood tall.
This judgment reaffirms that privacy matters — and so does integrity.
Justice delayed isn’t justice denied. 
Many thanks to my Lawyer! You worked tirelessly on this case(s) Olumide Babalola LP
2 cases won, a few more to go. You who is running up and down avoiding court papers, please stand still so you can be served. 
And to you my fellow actress who told a false story to the cutie Jules, don’t worry, very soon the world will know the kind of snake you are. Envy, bitterness lives and breathes in you. You are deadly! You must have forgotten what you showed me in my room? 
Anyways, thank you to the Nigerian court of law.”
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