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

It’s another edition of NRTC WEEKLY Roundup and in this week’s episode, our focus is on top 5 trending stories across the country this week that made Nigerians discuss.

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 the country being filled up with several trends and we[NRTC WEEKLY] have tracked many of these trends for you this week. Why not scroll down and treat yourself? 

Also read, NRTC English: Madam, can I pay in instalments, not instalmentally?

Grammy Awards; Nigerians protest over the scarcity of new currency and fuel; again, football fans arguing over GOAT, Funke Akindele loses mum and Supreme Court judgement are the major stories to discuss this week on NRTC WEEKLY. 

Entertainment: Grammy Awards

Grammy Award. Photo credit: NRTC

Since the reality TV show, Big Brother Naija (BBnaija) had been introduced, the major conversations on Sunday and Monday are about the housemate’s eviction, relationship, and sex among others, but things changed this week as Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems on Sunday night became the first Nigerian female singer to bagged Grammy award. 

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

Tems who featured alongside Drake on Future’s ‘Wait for You’ took home the award for Best Rap Melodic Performance. The song was also nominated for the Best Rap Song award.

If the whole talk were about Nigeria’s new history maker, it would have been considered fair and nice, seeing people celebrating her[Tems] as Tobi Amusan was celebrated last year for breaking the athlete’s record. 

But Nigerians, mostly netizens picked Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy talks up for missing out on the two nominations he featured in at the 65th edition of the Grammy Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. 

Burna Boy, who won the Best Global Music Album for Twice As Tall at the Premiere Ceremony of the 63rd GRAMMY Awards[marks his first career GRAMMY win] album ‘Love Damini’,  and the song ‘Last Last’ was nominated for Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance awards respectively.

The winners of these categories respectively were the Japanese musician, Masa Takumi for his album ‘Sakura’ and ‘Bayethe’ by Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini, and  Nomcebo Zikode.

Netizens set the internet ablaze criticizing the judges [that decided the winners] for robbing the singer of his entitlement. Some opined that any fans who intend to attend Burna Boy’s show this year[that he didn’t win the Grammy] should not press cellphones to avoid his anger. 

In words of encouragement from other netizens, the ‘last last’ crooner was advised to see this as a tempting time and a stepping stone to greatness as what God can’t do doesn’t exist. 

As Nigerians are yet to get over Tems achievement and Burna Boy’s breakfast, Nigerian controversial singer, Habeeb Okikiola, popularly known as Portable in an interview with YouTuber vowed to win the Grammy award before he left the music industry.

Portable stated that he would win the award with the Ika of Africa album, berating his fellow singers who could not sing better songs to win the award. He further added that he won’t buy the award with money as other musicians do. 

Portable’s interview fueled the attempt to quench the fire as netizens blasted him and his music. They said if Grammy Awards were to be shared in Nigeria, Portable can’t win it not to talk of international awards. 

The full gist of the story can be access here, Tems makes history, becomes first Nigerian female singer to win Grammys, Burna Boy: Nigerians react to Grammy Award loss and Portable vows to win Grammy Award

Business: Nigerians protest over scarcity of new currency, fuel Banks shutdown

 

New currency. Photo credit: Internet

I was on my social media pages this week when a video popped up, I ignored it as I was typing on my Google doc to meet a deadline, not up to a minute, it popped up again and I had to check out of curiosity, but guess what I watched? In the video, a journalist was interviewing a young man to share his view about the protest that happened in Abeokuta in Ogun State. He started answering the question in English language but suddenly he said “Mi o le so Oyinbo[English] pressure ti wa, a ri owo na, a o le lo si ibi ise ni to ri epo patio ti won’ and this caught my attention and I had to pause the video and replayed it again.

What came to my mind were ‘where are we heading to in this country’ and ‘do we still have leaders that care?’; apparently ‘NO’. The youths in Abeokuta in Ogun State, Akure, the capital of Ondo State, and other States couldn’t bear the hardship of ‘no money in ATM’ and ‘hike in PMS price’ when the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele is boasting of excess circulation of new currency — President Muhammadu Buhari is assuring Nigerians of fuel in circulation. 

Since the release of newly redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 notes, suffering has been for Nigerians as they groaned over no new notes in circulation, a drastic increase in charges of naira at Point of Sales stands(POS) operators, and the deadline for the validity of the old naira notes.

As of the time of filing this report, NRTC WEEKLY confirmed that many businesses have shut down, hunger in town and some banks closed till further notice whereas, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele stated that new notes are with Banks across the country.

“Where are the new notes? CBN said they have distributed it and Banks said no. No new and old notes, Nigerians are suffering, PDP, APC, LP, and others are campaigning every day; why Nigerians,” all these were what a friend asked me, but I’m just a journalist. 

As the groans of nonavailability of the new currency, no food, no fuel, and many others continued, Nigerians were facing difficulties every day and couldn’t purchase foodstuffs from the market to feed themselves.

Recently, NRTC WEEKLY findings revealed that ICPC and EFCC arrested some Bank managers for withholding the new currency after being briefed about heavy queues at the Bank which had led to the death of some Nigerians who collapsed in queues during the struggle to get cash.

“Give me cash, I don’t have cash. Cash is what I want, I don’t have cash and I can’t give you the one with me,” a trending song in the country once called the giant of Africa. 

A few days ago, the Supreme Court restrained President Muhammadu Buhari, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and Banks from implementing the February 10th deadline for the validity of old notes, but the question is will they obey this court order? I left that to my readers to answer. 

Upon this order, NRTC WEEKLY found out that some business owners were still rejecting the old notes and many couldn’t get the new currency from Banks and POS stands extortion Nigerians. 

The full gist can be access here, New naira: Banks, banking, and the unbanked

Sport: Again, who’s the real GOAT

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Photo credit: NRTC

Who’s the real GOAT is not a new clause in the world. Yes, I said in the world 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. 

“Cristiano Ronaldo, an Al-Nassr striker, a Saudi Arabia club and Lionel Messi, a Paris St. Germany F.C, a France club.” 

I know you might have come across these names in newspapers, blog websites, social media, or heard on Television, Radio, or from friends, and if not, let me quench your thirst. Those two names are the reason behind ‘GOAT’, oh! I don’t mean animal but ‘greatest of all time [GOAT]’

Social media pages went agog yesternight as Cristiano Ronaldo of Al-Nassr football club scored four goals in a league victory against Al Wehda. His four goals made him reach sixty-one(61) hattricks and 500 plus League goals ahead of his rival, Lionel Messi who only had fifty-six (56) hattricks. 

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. 

This argument seems not to end soon as long as the two legends remain in the game-breaking already existing records in football history.

“Who’s the real GOAT between Ronaldo and Messi?” Let me leave that for NRTC WEEKLY readers to answer. 

The story can be access here, Cristiano Ronaldo surpasses 500 career club goals

Metro: Funke Akindele loses mum

Funke Akindele and late Mother. Photo credit: Premium Times

Nigerians and fans of popular Nollywood actress and Peoples Democratic Party deputy governorship candidate in Lagos State, Funke Akindele took to their social media handles to condole with the actress over the loss of her mother, Pastor Mrs. R. B. Adebanjo-Akindele.

The death of her mother’s death was announced on Tuesday by her sister, Olubunmi Akindele. 

In their condolence messages,  netizens asked the actress to summon courage as God giveth and taketh. They further advised her not to allow the incident they described as ‘sad’ to weigh her down in her pursuit to become the deputy governor of Lagos.

Most of her fans, who stated that losing one’s dearest was the worst thing that could ever happen, urged her to take solace in God and be a strong mother to her children and siblings. 

Speaking four days after the announcement of her mother’s death, she said she and her family are not mourning the death of her mother but celebrating a well-spent life. 

 Funke Akindele described her mother as the most jovial, intelligent, and someone people would love to always be with. 

You can access the story here, Funke Akindele’s mother is dead

Politics:  Supreme Court judgement

 

Supreme Court of Nigeria. Photo credit: NRTC

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, his Ondo State colleague, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, and other state governors have filed separate applications to join the suit instituted by Zamfara, Kaduna, and Kogi states at the Supreme Court on the deadline issued by CBN on swapping of Old Naira notes for the New Notes.

The Governors prayed to the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the directive issued by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria on the limitation of daily cash withdrawals from banks which has paralyzed and brought to a standstill the activities of their state and have adversely affected economic and commercial activities in the states. 

Governor Akeredolu contended that the guideline on daily maximum cash withdrawal made by Federal Government is an infraction on the legal rights of the Ondo State Government and its citizens to access funds for the execution of developmental projects, small credit facilities to petty traders (who have no account in banks) and highly detrimental to daily commercial activities in the state.

Akeredolu urged the Supreme Court to declare that the Federal Government cannot by a directive issued through the Central Bank of Nigeria, amend or vary an existing Act of the National Assembly particularly Section 2 of the Money Laundering Act which relates specifically to limitations on cash withdrawals for individuals, and Corporate organization to Five (5) million Naira and Ten (10) million Naira respectively. 

However, some Nigerians who took to their social media handles hailed the apex court but expressed concern that it would be obeyed.

They further hailed governors that have filed suit against CBN by ensuring Nigerians have a better life.

“This is not the first time the court will give an order and it will not be followed, most especially under President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration and we hope Emefiele and other concerned bodies obeyed this law,” some netizens wrote. 

At this junction, we have come to the end of this week’s NRTC WEEKLY episode — don’t hesitate to join us next week for another interesting and mind-blowing trend in the country, especially this time the General Election is knocking at our doors. 

Read the story here, Wike hails Supreme Court for stopping FG, CBN on implementing old naira deadline