NRTC WEEKLY: Top 5 trending stories across the country this week 

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It’s another edition of NRTC WEEKLY Roundup — in this week’s edition, we are focusing on five trending stories across the country.

As usual, the stories will cut across the top five beats in our media organization, NRTC [your one-stop hub for rich and reliable content covering entertainment, sports, politics, business, and more].

As we all know, a day can’t pass without trending stories and we have tracked many of them for you this week. Why not scroll down and treat yourself? 

ALSO READ: NRTC WEEKLY: Top 5 trending stories across the country this week 

Business: Naira scarcity and court order; politics: Nigerians have decided, sport: Again, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, entertainment: celebrities’ choice of presidential candidate and on the metro; Whitney lay to rest are the stories NRTC WEEKLY will be discussing. 

Politics: After Nigerians have decided 

Nigerians on Saturday elected their new president, Ahmed Bola Tinubu under the platform of the All Progress Congress (APC) to pilot the country’s affairs for the next four years. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared Tinubu the winner having polled 8,794,726 votes to win the 2023 presidential election.

Ballot Box. Photo credit: NRTC Library

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced the former Lagos State Governor as the winner at the International Collation Centre in Abuja on Wednesdays after defeating Atiku Abubakar of the People Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 6,984,520 and Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP) who gathered 6,101,533.

ALSO READ: NRTC English: ‘Bogus’ does not mean ‘big’ and ‘terrific’ does not mean ‘terrible’

The 2023 presidential election could be described as the most interesting, funny, anticipated, and shocking one. Shockingly, the three top candidates won twelve states each while the remaining one state was won by the number four candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) with a total vote of 1,496,687.

The winning votes were gathered from 87.2m who collected PVCs out of the 93.5 million Nigerians that registered to vote, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Reacting to the declaration of the APC candidate winner of the poll, Nigerians accused INEC of infidelity and called for the release of original polling units results. 

They further accuse INEC of compromising and not being transparent enough in the results they declared to Nigerians in the early hours of Wednesday. 

To some, Peter Obi of LP won the presidential election while some believe the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar won the just concluded election but was rigged in favour of APC and its candidate.

“The results from PUs we snapped are different from the ones they are counting and showing us in Abuja. We have the original results from PUs with us — INEC should stop playing with our emotions.

“They disenfranchised us, we did not complain. They wasted our time, energy, and resources; we didn’t complain as well and now they are manipulating the results. They should give us who will vote for [our new Nigeria],” Nigerians said. 

NRTC WEEKLY found out that some Nigerians who could not bear the pain of seeing INEC announcing fake results moved to the streets of Abuja to demand the cancellation of the election as well as the resignation of INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.

Further findings revealed that the main opposition parties in the coalition called for the cancellation and conduction of a fresh election, with a claim that the just concluded one was marred by violence and irregularities among others. 

Upon eagerness of Nigerians to see the incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari leave the office come May 29th of this year, their expectation was for Obi-datti [Peter Obi and his Vice-president] to resume office, after assuming that Atikulate and BATified are corrupted and they couldn’t do this country any good. 

Their justification was that eighteen years of PDP was a waste and eight years of APC was suffering, corruption, insecurity, and killing among others. 

NRTC WEEKLY gathered that many Nigerians didn’t vote for the candidate of APC and PDP due to the aforementioned whereas most of them voted for the duos with a claim that ‘they make the wrong things right.’

The most interesting part begins with the Tribunal 

Who’ll win in court? We at NRTC WEEKLY found out that PDP and LP candidates have approached the court of law to claim their stolen mandate from the ruling All Progressive Congress.

Before going to court yesterday, Obi and Atiku claimed that they won the election but were rigged by APC which was also supported by their political parties.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari and the President-elect, Tinubu have urged the aggrieved candidates and parties who have evidence of rigging to seek redress in court rather than storming the streets. 

They opined that the election was free and fair and the best election so far in the history of democracy in Nigeria.

Netizens and Nigerians are currently waiting for the most interesting part [post-election] to resume. Some of them opined that the case might be in court for eight years. 

Is this claim true, fact, or just a normal ranting? We (NRTC WEEKLY) will leave that for our readers to answer either you’re Obi-datti, Atikulate, or Batified. 

Entertainment: the aftermath of celebrities and their choice of presidential candidate

The cyberbullying reached a crescendo this week after INEC declared the APC presidential candidate winner of the just concluded election. Tinubu’s emergence was synonymous with ensuring a dead body for an autopsy as years of secrets of most actresses and actors were exposed by their colleagues in the industry.

INEC Adhoc staff attending to voters. Photo credit: NRTC Library

NRTC WEEKLY findings revealed that Lagos State houses most of the celebrities in the entertainment industry — with many throwing their support behind the LP candidate, Peter Obi while few were supporting the President-elect.

The majority support paved the way for Obi and other candidates of LP they won Lagos State with a wide margin. Their victory in the state fuelled anger of Tinubu’s celebrity supporters taken to their social media handles to reveal how many of the actresses betrayed Musiliu Ayinde, (MC Oluomo) who feed them and their families.

NRTC WEEKLY gathered that some actresses were accused of sleeping with MC Oluomo and some big politicians in Lagos for money, but in turn, betrayed him for Obi whom they described as tenants in Lagos. 

Reacting to the disgraceful act of the actresses and actors [ according to netizens], politics which pave way for everyone to support any candidate one feels it’ll perform and lead the people to the promised land just like Moses in the Bible shouldn’t be the reason for exposing themselves and families to the world. 

“It’s the best moment so far because if it’s not this election, how are we going to know who’s who in the entertainment industry? How are we going to know who is making legit money and those who make it by sleeping around?

“A very big thanks to the presidential election for exposing these celebrities to us. We now know whom we’re watching as a role model.” Netizens revealed. 

Business: Naira scarcity and a court order

The news of the newly redesigned current is no longer news to Nigerians, even those living outside the country. Nigerians have been groaning since the first deadline for the validity of old N200, N500, and N1000 was pegged for January 31st before the extension to February 10, 2023.

New notes. Photo credit: NRTC Library

The hope was high when the apex court [Supreme Court] gave a verdict that the deadline will not stand, but the hope died after the Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele said the old notes will not remain legal tender after February 10.

However, in a way to ease the suffering of the citizens, President Muhammadu Buhari in his broadcast message said only N200 old notes will remain legal tender till April 10, 2023, which resulted in calling the president and the CBN Governor names for not putting into consideration the citizens. 

Nigerians expected that there will be an excess of new currency in circulation after the Presidential and National Assembly Elections but their prediction was wrong as they continue their suffering in getting cash. 

NRTC WEEKLY found out that the sufferings in getting the cash after the election increased as queuing for cash at Banks and Point of Sales (PoS) extortion continues. 

Excitement as the court gives a verdict 

Again, the Supreme court of Nigeria has given an order that the old notes N200, N500, and N1000 naira should remain legal tender till December 31, 2023, in Abuja. 

The apex court on Friday nullified the Federal Government’s naira redesign policy, declaring it as an affront to the 1999 Constitution.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Emmanuel Agim, said the policy has led to some people engaging in trade by barter in this modern age in a bid to survive, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari’s disobedience to the February 8 order was a sign of dictatorship.

The court added that the unconstitutional use of powers by President Buhari on Naira Re-designing breached the fundamental rights of the Nigerian citizens in various ways, saying such use of powers is not permitted under democracy and in a society like Nigeria.

The judgement further stated that the unlawful use of executive powers by the President inflicted unprecedented economic hardship on the citizens by denying them ownership of and access to their money.

It’s no doubt that Nigerians suffered from the Buhari executive’s power and non-respectant court orders. The report had it that many lost their lives in the process. 

Upon the court order, Nigerians are still in doubt if the president will respect the order. They also hoped the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele would dance to the tune as well.

“Is the court order going to be respected? This is not the first time Buhari and Emefiele will go against a court order.

“The question should be where we go from here. We will not rejoice yet until Buhari and Emefiele address Nigerians on the order.”

Sport: Again, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi

This week who’s the real GOAT top football trends as Ronaldo and Messi’s fans took to social media to express excitement as the two legends broke and made new records.

Ronaldo and Messi. Photo credit: NRTC Library

GOAT is not new and if you haven’t heard ‘GOAT’, perhaps you’re not watching football or not on social media or walking into an argument between two or more football fans on the street, room, or anywhere, just name it. 

The two GOATs are Cristiano Ronaldo, an Al-Nassr striker, from a Saudi Arabia club, and Lionel Messi, a Paris St. Germany F.C, a France club.

Social media pages went agog this week as Cristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr football club scored another hat-trick, moved to the top five scorers, and won the Saudi Arabia League player of the month for February.

Ronaldo scored three goals to reach sixty-one(62) hat-tricks becoming the first place in the Saudi league to net two hat-tricks in five appearances. 

However, Lionel Messi was crowned the best men’s player at the 2022 Best FIFA Awards after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar.

This made him the only player with the award in the world as well as the only player with the Golden Ball. 

Their fans took to social media pages to compare the two football legends against each other. To Messi fans, he’s the real GOAT for winning the World Cup and having the highest Ballon d’Or while Ronaldo fans believe he’s the real GOAT for having the most hat tricks, and most goals in the Champions League as well as being the highest-paid footballer in the world. 

NRTC WEEKLY can confirm that the argument seems not to end soon as long as the two legends remain in the game-breaking already existing records in football history.

Metro: Tears as Whitney lay to rest

Tears flowed freely on Thursday as a Twelve-year-old student of Chrisland International School, Whitney Adeniran laid to rest. 

Late Whitney Adeniran. Photo credit: NRTC Library

NRTC WEEEKLY gathered that Whitney Adeniran died during the school’s inter-house sports activities at Agege Stadium, Lagos State.

In a statement by the school management, she slumped and was rushed to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

However, Blessing, the mother of Whitney revealed and the autopsy confirmed she died of electrocution during the school’s sports activities.

The autopsy report had got Nigerians talking. Some Nigerians stated that the school license should be withdrawn for lying and killing an innocent girl.

“This is bad, how on earth will a school keep the original cause of someone’s daughter from them until the autopsy revealed what transpired.”

This where we will be ending this week episode of NRTC WEEKLY and do not forget to join us next week.