Category: Auto Guid

DESPITE the ongoing madness in the local political landscape, the Philippines also got good news one after the other recently.

In a matter of only 24 hours, Jessica Sanchez won America’s Got Talent (AGT), Kirk Bondad was proclaimed Mister International, and Veejay Floresca took home the grand prize in Project Runway US.

Sanchez’s victory was imminent after a stunning, soul-stirring performance of ‘Die with a Smile’ ( a collaboration between Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga) during the final show before Americans started to cast their final votes.

Sanchez is from Chula Vista in San Diego and married to Ricky Gallardo. She recorded a short video upon getting home: ‘I cannot believe what just happened. I was a complete mess onstage emotionally, and I’ve just been doing interviews and stuff, and I still feel the adrenaline and I’m soaking it all in with my husband. I’m just so honored and so grateful to everyone who believed, cheered and voted for me.’

The big dream started 20 years ago when as an 11-year-old hopeful, she joined AGT but didn’t make it very far. In 2012, she almost won American Idol, finishing runner-up to Philip Philips.

In a post victory interview, Sanchez talked about her big dream. ‘That dream started on the AGT stage a long time ago and I think it ignited this fire in me to believe in something bigger. Even though I didn’t make it through that time, and I was devastated as a 10-year-old, I’m so glad to have found that little bit of strength to keep going, and throughout the years it’s really been hard and challenging trying to find myself as a woman and as an artist. But you know, the biggest message is perseverance and just finding that little bit of faith to push though and believe in yourself again. So, here I am, the AGT winner of Season 20, and it’s just so amazing and so crazy,’ she enthused.

Floresca was a surprise winner for Project Runway’s season 21, which has been bashed consistently for many things: choice of designer contestants and judges, constant bickering and drama, boring outputs, and just the overall quality of content in many aspects of the show.

But in the end, after the many plot twists, the US immigrant from the Philippines made history as the first-ever transgender winner of the series, much to the delight of his fans and followers.

Once more, Floresca has proven that not giving up on our dreams is indeed very crucial because it is the reflection of our deepest desires and potentials.

‘If you have thought long and hard about something and it feels right, and it does consistently feels good, then you should not let anyone talk you out of it. Reaching for our dreams require bravery. And bravery is not the absence of fear but the strength to keep moving forward despite every hurdle. The path may seem challenging, even rough, but being brave means embracing all these struggles and continuing, knowing that the reward is always worth the effort you give,’ she told us when she first learned that she made it to season 21 of Project Runway.

Floresca added, ‘Giving up was never an option because it can lead to missed opportunities. I’ve always wanted to be a designer-a good, successful and respected designer. I know Project Runway will open bigger doors and make this dream of mine come true.’ For her feat, Floresca, who competed in the local version of Project Runway in 2008, won a cash pot of $200,000, plus six-month representation by Agentry PR, a mentorship program with the Council of Fashion Designers of America and a spread in Elle magazine.

And then there’s Kirk Bondad, who won Mister International in Thailand a few days ago. Bondad, only the third Mister Philippines to have won the crown after Alexander Aquino in 2001 and Florencio Mata Jr. in 2014, was obviously nervous before he was called out as the winner.

‘Your vision is unique to you and only you, and even if others might not see what you see, it is what you think and and what you feel that matter most. After my devastating loss in Mister World, I knew I cannot give up on my dreams,’ he told us before flying to Thailand earlier this month.

Bondad, who is half German and half Filipino, carries his mom’s surname in all his modelling and pageant activities. His father’s surname is Wachsmuth.

In summation, these victories reaffirm that it takes courage to pursue a dream, especially when others doubt or dismiss it. Just always follow your inner voice, keep your heart and intentions real and pure, and your mind undistracted. It is always okay to reset, restart and refocus, but never give up on your dreams.

Indeed, the big wins of Jessica Sanchez, Kirk Bondad and Veejay Floresca only confirm that big dreams, when pursued with courage, mindset, determination and hard work, have no deadlines.

France’s highest court yesterday upheld former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conviction for illegal campaign financing in his failed 2012 re-election bid, his latest legal setback after recently being jailed for nearly a month in another case.

Sarkozy, who served one term as president from 2007 to 2012, was convicted in 2021 and again in 2024 for illegal campaign financing related to the election.

Following an appeal, France’s Cour de Cassation yesterday confirmed the convictions, saying that illegal campaign financing had been established. It upheld Sarkozy’s one-year non-custodial sentence, half of which is suspended.

In a statement, Sarkozy’s lawyers said their client was considering bringing the case to the European Court of Human Rights.

The ruling comes after Sarkozy, 70, was sent to prison on October 21 after he was found guilty in a separate case for efforts by close aides to procure Libyan funds for his 2007 presidential bid. He was freed from jail earlier this month, pending appeal.

Sarkozy has denied accusations that his party, Les Republicains, then known as the UMP, in 2012 spent nearly double the 22.5 million euros ($26 million) allowed under electoral law on extravagant campaign rallies and then hired a friendly public relations firm to hide the cost.

He has said he was not involved in the logistics of his campaign or in how money was spent in the run-up to the election.

The 2021 ruling said Sarkozy was made aware of the overspending, that he did not act on it, and that it was not necessary for him to approve each individual expense to be responsible.

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El Rufai thought he had put his successor under fire by alleging that Governor Uba Sani is paying ransom to bandits to keep the peace. The governor fired back through his aide, and asked the fellow who barked around as chief executive to prove his allegations.

He made the allegation recently on Channels Television where he often goes to weep in public. The commissioner for internal security and home affairs, Sule Shu’aibu was unsparing as he described the former governor’s contention as ‘reckless, baseless and deliberately misleading.’

Taking another swipe at El-Rufai, he said the APC defector was ‘weaponising a sensitive security issue for political grandstanding.’

Shu’aibu noted as Governor Sani had done several times, that the present chief executive has never authorised, negotiated, or paid any money to the hoodlums. ‘Not one naira. Not one kobo,’ the commissioner said.

Now, the shoe is on the other foot. Let him who charges, prove. He was even given a deadline: one week. This is an unfamiliar territory for El Rufai who has a knack for raising the stakes.

But he was not properly interrogated when he made that claim. A reporter ought to make a man answer for his own sins when he commits it in public. Was it not this same El Rufai who boasted that he was paying ransom, and that there was nothing wrong with it? So, why was he angry if, for the sake of argument, the present governor is paying ransom?

We must note that he paid ransom for nothing because he left the state in a state of violence like neighbouring Katsina State today. He did not understand his own contradiction when he spoke. Places like Birnin Gwari were no-go areas for regular folks. There were no markets or businesses there throughout his tenure as governor. The bandits were in charge of their areas just as he was in charge of the state house in Kaduna.

The governor has said he is not just using carrots but also sticks. Carrots in terms of providing platforms for engaging the idle like the 2.5 million citizens who now have bank accounts. To be idle is to do havoc.

In Southern Kaduna, the nation heard news as though a routine about kidnappings, house and village burnings, and killings. He declared states of emergency without security and the emergencies were invitation to fatal treats.

If he is alleging with evidence, let the world see it. Any man who wants to play hardball must have hard evidence. If he does not provide evidence, he would be seen as mere rabble rouser and bellyaching over the successes of his successor. It would be regarded then, not just as bellyaching, but also an act of envy. It is an open advertisement of his failure in eight years.

Not long ago, he was roundly defeated in local elections in which the governor said elections are not won on social media posts. He and his son are adept at superficial posts and meretricious claims, just as the one he is being challenged to provide proof.

Even the national security adviser Nuhu Ribadu has said no bandit was paid. If El Rufai paid ransom and it did not work, why would he expect that ransoms would be responsible for peace in Kaduna? We have seen that ransoms only bring respites and not enduring peace. Ransoms don’t pay forward. The people return for more ransoms. And to do that, they foment violence. We have not seen such rhythm of violence and peace in the state. Over to you, Malam. Where is your proof? Time is ticking.

Sir: I write with a broken heart. A heart so bruised it feels shattered. For weeks now, it has been one tragedy after another. One kidnapping case replaced by the next. Little girls taken from their schools. Families plunged into fear. We have reached a point where people whisper painful prayers like ‘may Nigeria never happen to me’, because we have watched the nation turn against its own.

Only last week, schoolgirls in Kebbi were abducted. And even though news has just broken that they have been freed, the joy of their return cannot erase the trauma of their ordeal or the deeper truth it exposes about our country. In that same week, more than 300 students were taken from a Catholic school. These were girls who simply wanted to learn, to grow, to dream, and to build a life. Their only ‘fault’ was the desire to be educated.

There is no way to describe the agony of sending your child to school and then seeing on the news that she has been taken by ruthless, faceless men. You do not know whether she has eaten, whether she is being harmed, what fears she is battling, what pain she is enduring. Is it a crime to be a girl-child in this country? Why must she carry so much suffering on her small shoulders?

The rate of insecurity in Nigeria today is beyond alarming. Those who lead us, those who hold authority, are meant to use every tool within their reach to protect citizens. Yet what do we see? Is ordering schools to vacate the answer?

Sending students home is not a solution. It strips these girls of their right to education. And then what happens when they resume? Will the cycle of fear, evacuation and abduction continue? What truly is the way forward?

Our leaders must seek real, practical solutions to these recurring horrors. They must rise to their duties and be held accountable. Our girls are suffering. They are far too young to bear this kind of trauma. No girl, no child, no human being deserves this. No parent deserves the torment of knowing that their daughter is in the hands of men who may do only God knows what to her.

We thank God for the safe return of the abducted Kebbi schoolgirls, but we refuse to let that relief distract us from the painful truth that no child should ever have been taken in the first place.

A real estate firm, Akmodel Homes and Properties, said it has expanded its foothold to the United Kingdom (UK), Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.

The company which is celebrating its fifth anniversary of resilience, innovation and commitment to excellWnce in the Nigerian real estate sector already has presence in Lagos, Awka, Uyo, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ilorin, and Enugu.

Its CEO, Dr. Abdulhakeem Odegade, said in the few years of the company’s existence, it has expanded its portfolio with strategic projects, modern estates, empowered realtors, and strengthened its reputation as a brand with vision.

According to him, the company’s growth story is a testament to consistency, dedication and the belief that Nigeria’s real estate industry can thrive when excellence is placed at the center of service, he added.

He expressed gratitude to their loyal clients, partners, realtors, staff and supporters whose trust and commitment have fueled its journey.

Odegade said the company remained committed to raising industry standards, creating more opportunities, building sustainable communities and shaping the future of real estate in Nigeria.

From a humble beginnings, Akmodel Homes and Properties has grown into a trusted and influential brand, known for delivering quality housing solutions, fostering meaningful partnerships, and contributing significantly to economic development. Over the past years, the company has maintained its focus on integrity, professionalism, customer satisfaction and community impact values that continue to guide its operations.

Sir: The passport reforms under the leadership of Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo may appear, on the surface, like a travel convenience upgrade. But beneath that surface lies something far more powerful: restored trust in the Nigerian state. Entrepreneurs have long lived in fear of government processes because those processes were unpredictable. You could plan around slow. You could never plan around confusion. Weeks of waiting, duplicated biometrics, extra payments, middlemen, missing files – small business owners suffered all of it. Every inefficiency translated to lost deals, altered timelines, and additional costs.

Digital passport processing did more than clean up a service. It reintroduced predictability, a currency more valuable than oil when building an economy. Investors, both local and foreign, take cues from how a government manages the simplest things. If a passport system can work seamlessly, stakeholders begin to believe that bigger systems can work too. This is why the reforms matter: they quietly restore confidence in the promise of Nigeria as a functional environment.

Efficient governance directly reduces the cost of doing business. Entrepreneurs understand this better than anyone. A document stuck on someone’s table can delay a client contract. A manual process can introduce corruption and inflate operational costs. A broken verification system can stall travel plans for an important business meeting. What looks like a ‘government problem’ is always, eventually, a business problem.

This is why digital processes in immigration, electronic correspondence, identity management reforms, and stricter accountability within agencies translate into real economic impact. They eliminate friction. They save time. They reduce stress. They help entrepreneurs redirect their energy from wrestling with institutions to building the businesses that create jobs.

What makes the reform approach stand out is its simplicity. It does not rely on noise, ceremony, or the usual theatrics of public office. It focuses on results. It focuses on systems. It focuses on function. And this is exactly what entrepreneurs need: a government that stops being a hurdle and starts behaving like an enabler.

The truth is that Nigeria’s biggest growth hack is not another grant programme or motivational initiative. It is competent public administration. It is a government that understands that a thriving private sector needs stable systems the way a plant needs light. When reforms create clarity, entrepreneurs gain scale. When processes become predictable, business risks shrink. When accountability increases, investor trust rises. These are not abstract benefits; they are the conditions under which new industries are born.

The average entrepreneur may never directly interact with the Ministry of Interior, but they will feel its impact in countless ways: faster travel, smoother documentation, less paperwork, better compliance systems, reduced operational bottlenecks, and a governance environment that supports rather than stifles ambition. Public service efficiency has always been the hidden foundation of a strong private sector. For too long, that foundation has been weak. What we are seeing now is a rebuilding effort that matters more than most people realise.

Nigeria’s real economic engine has never been crude oil. It has always been people – the small businesses, the freelancers, the founders, the creators, the innovators, the hustlers who convert scarcity into new enterprise. When governance works well, these people lift at once. When governance improves, entrepreneurship expands. When systems are clean, the economy becomes easier to navigate and easier to trust.

These reforms signal a new kind of social contract: a government that delivers and a citizenry that builds. If this model spreads across ministries, Nigeria will not need endless economic summits to debate growth. Growth will happen naturally because the environment will finally support it. Entrepreneurship will strengthen because the systems around it stop sabotaging it.

At its core, entrepreneurship is a relay race. Government hands the baton. Entrepreneurs run with it. Investors cheer from the sidelines. Society gets the win. For decades, Nigeria dropped the baton before the race even began. But the reforms we are seeing now suggest that perhaps, for the first time in a long time, the baton is being handed correctly.

And when government works, entrepreneurs win – every single time.

The Lagos State Government, through the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Students’ Union Affairs – Tertiary Education, has marked this year’s International Students’ Day with a charge for students to embrace entrepreneurship for them to be relevant in today’s world.

With the theme: ‘Empowering students as agents of innovation and change,’ the event had in attendance students and student leaders from tertiary institutions from across the state.

Speaking on the occasion, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Students’ Union Affairs, Hon. Kappo Olawale Samuel, said International Students’ Day was historic and that it marked the struggle of students for better welfare.

‘This is a day celebrated globally to recognise students and the need to prepare them for the future.

We know that the society is changing rapidly and there is need for our youths to be ready for what would make them be able to compete globally. We brought Prof. Olufemi Obayori to deliver a lecture on entrepreneurship.

‘For the participants to take maximum advantage of the occasion, we brought some aides of the governor such as the SSA on Wealth Creation, SSA on Technical Education and others to also let the students know how they can benefit from the various programmes of the Lagos State government. These programmes are to make our students future ready. Moreover, they don’t need to wait until they graduate before they begin to start out as entrepreneurs,’ he said.

Olawale commended students and their leaders from within the state for their enthusiasm to learn from the resource persons brought to the event.

The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Hon. Tolani Sule, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Mr. Adeniran Kasali, said the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration is ready to make youths in the state fully prepared for the future and is pursuing a number of programmes and policies to make that happen.

The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Scholarship Board, Hon. Adaranijo Rasheedat, said the Board would not relent efforts at supporting students to make learning easier for them.

The Head of the Student Support Department of the ministry, Mrs Ibidapo-Obe Olubunmi, said the future is not abstract, as it is being shaped, refined and defined by actions being taken today.

The Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, represented by the Dean of Students Affairs, Dr Abatan Fatai, urged the students to see the need to prepare for the future.

Obayori who spoke on social entrepreneurship, said it was different from neoliberal entrepreneurship that focuses on rapacious acquisition of wealth.

He added that social entrepreneurship is rooted on social responsibility, solidarity and collective well being and urged students to go for it.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-General Waidi Shaibu, has called for a curriculum overhaul of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) that reflects contemporary security challenges.

He said the curriculum should focus on night training, physical fitness, artificial intelligence, and other emerging warfare domains.

The COAS made the call when he received the NDA Commandant, Maj-Gen Oluyemi Olatoye, at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.

According to him, these measures would ensure that young officers are ‘fully attuned to the realities of modern battlefields and equipped with the warrior ethos and battle-oriented leadership skills required to confront contemporary security challenges.’

General Shaibu also stressed the need to strengthen research centres, particularly the NDA Department of Military Science, as a strategic step towards boosting the National Defence Industry and enhancing indigenous capacity for military innovation and self-reliance.

He emphasized that a robust research framework would provide the intellectual backbone required for a modern, responsive and technologically advanced fighting force.

The COAS pledged his full support to the Commandant in achieving these objectives, reaffirming his commitment to ensure that the NDA produces officers who are ‘strategically sound, operationally competent and fully prepared’ to meet the evolving security demands of the nation.

The NDA Commandant assured that he would build on the legacies and structures established by his predecessors.

He solicited sustained support from the COAS to effectively realise the vision and mission of producing competent, disciplined and professional officers capable of safeguarding Nigeria’s security interests.

He thanked the Nigerian military leadership for the confidence reposed in him to lead the nation’s premier military training institution, describing the NDA as the ‘training factory’ for future officers of the Armed Forces.

The respective tenures of the late Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of both the National Coordinating Office (NAC) of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA) and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo Jr., stood out as beacons of ultimate professionalism and patriotic duty, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s export architecture and development.

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), which made this known over the weekend, said the contributions of Awolowo Jr., a distinguished public servant and technocrat, strengthened the bridge between enterprise and national growth.

Awolowo Jr., who was a grandson of late foremost nationalist and statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, died at the age of 62, with NACCIMA President Jani Ibrahim expressing deep regret and sorrow at his demise.

The NACCIMA President, in a statement, stated that within the broader ecosystem of Nigeria’s private sector, policy institutions and development frameworks, his work echoed a legacy rooted in disciplined leadership and strategic foresight.

‘His voice, often calm, yet compelling, added depth to conversations that helped shaped our national economic outlook,’ he added.

According to Ibrahim, ‘NACCIMA extends heartfelt condolences to the entire Awolowo clan, his wife, children, grandchildren, staff of both NAC and NEPC and many other colleagues and compatriots who cherished his professionalism, wisdom and personal warmth.

‘His passage is a reminder of the beauty of stewardship and the enduring power of a fulfilled life lived purposefully.’

The Nigeria Table Tennis Federation (NTTF) has lodged a formal petition with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) after its players were denied entry visas to compete at the on-going 2025 World Youth Championships in Romania.

The development has sparked concern within Nigeria’s table tennis community, as the setback threatens the country’s participation in one of the sport’s most prestigious youth tournaments.

In a letter signed by NTTF President Adesoji Tayo, the federation condemned the decision, describing it as a violation of the principles of international sportsmanship, inclusivity, and fair participation that ITTF and its partners uphold.

‘As an official representative of Nigeria and Africa in this prestigious global event, I firmly believe that the reasons provided for the visa refusal are unjust, discriminatory, and contrary to the spirit of unity which international sports is designed to foster,’ Tayo stated.

Despite weeks of intensive training by players and coaches, the visa denial has dampened the spirit of the contingent and resulted in financial losses for the federation. Nigeria was set to represent Africa in the boys’ U-19 and U-15 team events, having qualified as continental champions at the African Youth Championships in Lagos.

The NTTF further noted: ‘Since our inability to participate is not a fault of NTTF, we hereby formally notify the ITTF and the host federation, Romania Table Tennis Federation, that NTTF will not be liable for any penalties or financial obligations arising from accommodation or hospitality reservations made in relation to this event.’

Tayo urged ITTF to urgently intervene to prevent similar occurrences in the future, stressing that the visa refusal has disrupted Nigeria’s ambition of grooming another generation of world-class players.