News
Port-Harcourt Brought To Standstill For Hi-Life Fest Quarterfinals
The Garden City of Port-Harcourt on Sunday, July 21, played host to the quarterfinals of Nigeria’s foremost indigenous Igbo music talent show, Hi-Life Fest, as 8 contestants continued their quest to become the next Hi-Life Fest King.
Following the completion of the regional auditions which began in June, two contestants had emerged from each of the regions which included Asaba, Awka, Enugu, and Aba.
The contestants were resuming for the crucial stage of the competition after returning from Lagos where they had undergone a week-long mentorship session.
Within the period, they were under the tutelage of veterans in the music industry including Sunny Nneji, Life Beer Ambassador Phyno, KCee, and music producer Selebobo.
They also got a chance to thrill excited audiences with pop up performances in Ladipo market and Okota, as part of the activities during the mentorship programme.
The Carnival Ground, Elekahia, Port-Harcourt was filled with guests and lovers of highlife music who have followed the competition from the regionals and were delighted to have the contestants in their city. The ambience was also perfect as they enjoyed the refreshing taste of ice-cold Life Continental Lager.
The contest for the night soon began as the contestants brought their A-game on stage, giving Chief Bright Chimezie and his panel of Judges a hard time figuring out whom to drop and who progresses.
The dance category was also highly competitive as the troupes lit up the stage with their breathtaking routines which had the crowd roaring in excitement.
After compilation of results, Ofu Obi, Akamarama and Megastar dance crew progressed to the Semi-Finals while Umeze cultural dance group was eliminated. In the music category, Okafor Chukwudi and Kingsley Otuya were eliminated, while the remaining six contestants proceeded to the quarter-final.
Life Beer Ambassador Flavour and 2017 Hi-Life Fest King Chibest David were also on ground to thrill the guests who savoured every moment of their performances. Flavour who is fresh off the release off his new single “Mercy” featuring Semah, relished his time on stage and delivered a performance that will live long in the memories of all in attendance.
The Semi-Finals of the competition returns to Enugu in a fortnight at Shoprite, in the state capital. Weekly episodes of the competition are currently being aired on SoundCity TV every Sunday at 8 p.m.
This year, the overall winner of Hi-Life Fest will get a whopping sum of 5 million Naira cash prize, while the first and second runner-ups will go home with N2 million and N1 million Naira respectively, courtesy of Life Continental Lager.
The Hi-Life Fest talent hunt show now in its third consecutive year is a proud initiative of Life Continental Lager, the beer expertly brewed from the finest choice of grains, hob extracts and the purest of waters.
Bosun Tijani, minister for Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, has stated that the federal government is geared towards creating about one million technology jobs for teeming Nigerian youth.
Tijani stated this at the official opening of a solar-powered community ICT center built by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in Abeokuta, as part of activities marking the 38th Lisabi festival.
The minister emphasised the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to invest in the digital economy, driving inclusive growth and empowering the country’s teeming youth population.
“The president made it very clear when I came into office, that he will spend efforts and resources in creating one million technology jobs. So, for anybody that is following the development in the world today you will see that there’s no world without technology.
“There is a strong shortage of technology workforce all over the world, and while a lot of the developed countries have ageing population, and not giving birth to kids, in Nigeria, the average age is 16.9, so our young people are being projected to be the workforce of the future, not only for Nigeria.
“This center here is one of many. In the next two months, we are launching about 30 of them all over the country. This center will be properly animated and we will put resources into ensuring that there are courses for young people to come and take here.
“We are also going to ensure that there are job opportunities that we can connect them to and if anyone wants to follow, follow the three million Technical Talent Program which we have started already in the country”, he said.
He therefore charged the youth to remain focus, and not be discouraged, adding that there is massive employment opportunities in technology as there is no enough people to work in technology all over the world.
“If you ask anyone that works in technology, the entry salary is between N350,000 to N500,000. Technology pays really well, so instead of worrying about things being hard, they should take advantage of centers like this, empower themselves and go for the opportunities the world has to offer them”, he added.
Speaking earlier, Oba Adedotun Are, Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, lauded President Tinubu for approving the centre in Abeokuta, saying that this has no doubt marked another new dawn for the people of Egbaland, given rapid growth, development, and economic empowerment of the people.
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) has predicted that the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) will decline as Dangote Refinery and other local refineries commence full operations.
Speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, April 1, NIPSS Director-General Ayo Omotayo expressed optimism that fuel prices would fall once more refineries become operational.
He projected that petrol prices could drop to around N750 per litre before the end of the year with a more stable exchange rate.
“We’re looking at it coming down as low as N750 before the end of the year. And of course, foreign exchange will still drop to about 1.3 before the end of the year, and it is going to continue like that as more of our refineries come into place.
Omotayo acknowledged the current economic hardships but insisted that the policy would benefit Nigerians in the long run.Traditional Nigerian cuisine
“The gains at this time are very little, but in the long run, we will make up for whatever sacrifices we have made today as Nigerians” he stated
U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that a deal for the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations is expected to be finalized before the April 5 deadline.
U.S. President Donald Trump
The deadline, set by legislation passed in January, mandates TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest its U.S. assets or face a nationwide ban due to national security concerns.
Multiple non-Chinese firms have expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations.
Private equity firm Blackstone is considering a minority investment, potentially joining existing non-Chinese shareholders such as Susquehanna International Group and General Atlantic.
In a strategic move to facilitate the sale, Trump suggested that he might consider a reduction in tariffs on China, acknowledging that Chinese regulatory approval may be required for the deal to proceed.
The White House has been actively involved in negotiations to ensure that TikTok remains operational in the U.S. while addressing national security risks.
With TikTok’s 170 million American users watching closely, the outcome of the sale is expected to have a major impact on the social media landscape and the broader tech industry.
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