General News
10 Tips toTurn Up Your Valentine’s Day Charm

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday. Hopefully, this gives you ample time to prepare for it. It is all about romance and expressing your love to the one you cherish the most. It comes with high expectations and preparing for it can create a lot of anxiety and stress. To make your Valentine’s Day easy, here are ten tips that will ensure you create a day that is charming and memorable.

Set reminders and create calendar events
To start preparing for Valentine’s Day, remind yourself that the little things matter when expressing your love. Using your Google Assistant, set reminders and create calendar events to ensure that little details do not fall through the cracks. Schedule time to clean the house, get a babysitter (if you have a baby), buy ingredients for V-day’s food recipes and make reservations.
You can simply create new calendar events by telling Assistant, “add to my calendar” or “make an appointment” followed by the event’s name, and optionally even location. For instance, you could say: “Add to my calendar, buy red roses on February 12th at 10a.m,” Google Assistant is available on most current Android devices. You can access it by setting up “Hey, Google” voice activation.
Create a playlist of romantic songs
Love songs are perfect for stirring up a romantic mood. The songs you pick are a major part of showing how you feel. On YouTube, there are a variety of love songs fit for Valentine’s Day. You can create a playlist of romantic love songs, from timeless classics to brand-new tracks to share with your loved one before Val’s day.
On Valentine’s Day, you can stream the songs from your created playlist while you sing along with your loved one. The right love songs plus a candlelight dinner; candles and flowers, not forgetting slow dancing. will go a long way to spark up the Valentine’s Day charm.
Purchase a special gift
Google Maps’ nearby function can help you find gift stores close to you to purchase that special gift for Valentine’s Day. Simply open Google Maps, search for a place, press enter, then click “Nearby.” Enter the kind of place you want to search like, “Gift shops”, then press enter again to see the top results in red mini-pins and red dots. The results show you an array of gift shops you can purchase gifts from.
Share gifts that show your appreciation and not necessarily those that break the bank. For instance, you can choose between a favourite perfume or cologne, a bottle of wine, jewelry or a trip to the spa. Remember, with gifts, it is really the thought that matters, so make it count.
Find inspiration for the lounge
You can choose to break away from the norm of spending time in a fancy restaurant and hotel. Bring the love back home and spend quality time with your sweetheart. This will require some deliberate effort to create comfortable surroundings with romantic ambience.
The lounge is the perfect spot to get you and your partner in the mood for love. You can watch YouTube videos to get Valentine’s Day decor ideas to create a romantic mood in your lounge. Whether you decide to set up a Valentine’s Day tree or adorn the lounge with blush pink decor instead of red, you will definitely be inspired by the videos you watch on YouTube.
Opt for top-rated restaurants
Making plans for that Valentine’s Day romantic evening. Use the “Explore” feature on Google Maps to find the top-rated restaurants around you. See listings of the names and addresses of the restaurants, opening hours, directions, a price scale and even user reviews so you can see if it’s worth making a reservation. It is important to make sure that the menu can accommodate your dietary preferences and to check if it is within your budget.
It is imperative that you adhere to Covid-19 preventive measures if you must spend Valentine’s Day outdoors at a restaurant, so be sure to ensure that the restaurant is operating with Covid-19 guidelines for businesses in Nigeria.
Connect with your sweetheart over a distance
If you are in a long distance relationship or you have been separated due to the Covid-19 travel ban, never mind, lover’s day can still be memorable. Make use of Google Meet to connect with your sweetheart. Set up a video call to share the day together. You can have a romantic meal via the call, stream a movie together, listen to your favourite playlist online or just sincerely confess your love to each other among other planned activities.
Relieve your love by creating and sharing photo memories
With Google photos, you can relieve your love memories and share with your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day. You probably have photos with your partner saved up over the years. If you have Google Photos, those photos will have been saved up automatically. Simply select the photos that share intimate memories via a created folder with your loved one – this will definitely be nostalgic.
Also, you can make plans to have a romantic Valentine’s Day photoshoot using your device and save up the photos in a folder in Google photos and share later with your sweetheart.
Binge watch your favourite romantic movies on YouTube.
Valentine’s Day is a nice time to make plans to cuddle up and watch romantic movies. YouTube provides a list of romantic movies that can be streamed for free. Grab some wine and chocolate, with scented candles, while laying on the rug and binge watch love movies into the night.
Serenade your honey with a love song
A great way to show how much love you feel for that special person in your life on Valentine’s Day is to sing to him/her. Music connects with love emotions. If you are not sure of the lyrics of that favourite love song, you can simply search for it. By typing, ‘song name’ plus “lyrics” in the search bar on Google Search, you get the lyrics displayed at the top of the search results page.
Get inspiration for love words
There is no doubt that Valentine’s Day can make us anxious and not sure of the right ways to say, “I love you.” Take a peek into Google Arts and Culture portal to get inspiration from Beethoven. In his numerous letters, compositions and notes there are some declarations of love; beautiful passages, that have been compiled that you can draw inspiration from to get the right words to profess your undying love to the one you love.
With a little effort and some planning, you will not only create a very special day, but you will create a Valentine’s Day that will be memorable. Remember, little romantic touches make a big difference. You really do not have to over do it. Pay attention to little romantic details to ensure your Valentine’s Day is an enjoyable, special day to remember.
General News
NIMC Disowns Fake NIN Portal

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has warned Nigerians to disregard a viral online flyer claiming that a free portal has been opened for the correction of National Identification Number (NIN) data.

In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the commission described the flyer as fake and cautioned the public against using any links associated with it.
“The public is hereby advised not to use the above for modifying their NIN data. All modifications should only be done via the official channel,” NIMC stated, directing users to its authorised self-service portal.
The misleading flyer, which has circulated widely on social media, carries the logos of NIMC and the federal government, falsely claiming that authorities had launched a special correction portal in response to a “high level of complain.”
It lists services such as name, gender, and date of birth corrections, and provides links redirecting users to a suspicious “gvly.xyz” domain—an address the commission says is not affiliated with any government platform.
NIMC noted that the flyer has since been marked “FAKE” in red, indicating it is being recirculated as part of efforts to debunk the misinformation.
The Commission reiterated that all NIN data modifications can only be carried out through its official self-service platform, urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and avoid falling victim to online scams.
General News
Moniepoint Acquires Orda Africa to Transform Africa’s $50Bn Restaurant Sector

Moniepoint Inc. (“Moniepoint” or the “Company”), Africa’s all-in-one financial ecosystem platform for individuals, businesses and their customers, today announced the acquisition of Orda Africa (“Orda”), a leading cloud-based restaurant management platform operating in Nigeria.

Moniepoint
Under the terms of this acquisition, Orda will become part of the Moniebook platform, Moniepoint’s all-in-one Point-of-Sale (POS) and business management platform. Since launching its business management tools product in 2025, Moniebook has rapidly become the go-to platform for thousands of African businesses seeking integrated financial and operational tools, seamlessly unifying payments and bookkeeping in one platform.
With Orda, restaurant owners can now gain access to this proven ecosystem that creates unprecedented opportunities to scale operations, optimize performance, and access credit, as well as the extensive reach of Moniepoint which has powered growth for millions of African businesses.
The acquisition comes as Africa’s food service industry experiences unprecedented growth, with the sector valued at $50 billion and Nigeria’s market alone projected to reach $19.31 billion by 2030, growing at 11.73% annually. With Orda’s restaurant-focused capabilities now part of the Moniepoint ecosystem, the platform is well-positioned to capture this opportunity.
Founded in 2015 by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike, today Moniepoint has grown into one of Nigeria’s leading distributors of financial services as well as a trusted platform for many of the country’s MSMEs especially in the informal sector.
The company has considerably expanded its offerings to include digital payments, business and personal banking, credit, cross-border payments, and business management tools with a customer base exceeding 20 million active businesses and personal banking customers and processes over US$250 billion in digital payments transaction value annually.
Tosin Eniolorunda, Co-Founder and Group CEO of Moniepoint Inc., said: “The food industry isn’t just about feeding people, it’s a major source of jobs and daily survival for many Africans. It highlights how vital the informal sector is, not just for the economy, but for everyday life across the continent.
Data has shown us that Africa’s restaurant sector is one of the continent’s most dynamic economic engines, yet the majority of food businesses still operate with manual processes and fragmented tools. By bringing Orda into Moniepoint, we are giving restaurant owners what they deserve: one simple platform that handles everything from managing their kitchen to growing their business. Our goal remains to create financial happiness for Africans, giving them the tools to reach their full potential and that’s exactly what we’ve built here.”
Founded in 2020, Orda was built to give Africa’s small and independent restaurants the tools they need to run more efficiently, providing a purpose-built software to businesses that had long operated without it.
Guy Futi, CEO of Orda, reassured existing customers: “Orda has found the perfect home in Moniepoint. We have spent years building deep expertise in restaurant operations, but we have always known that to truly transform the industry, we needed to connect that expertise with comprehensive financial infrastructure.
“That’s exactly what this integration delivers. For our customers, we are assuring a smooth transition with no disruption to the platform and retained access to the support you are used to. What changes is your access to opportunities.
“Over the coming weeks, being part of Moniepoint means you’ll have more tools, more reach, and more ways to grow your business than ever before”
Combining their respective strengths, Moniepoint and Orda deliver a purpose-built solution that empowers food businesses at every scale to manage orders, track inventory, pay suppliers, and access working capital, all in one seamless experience.
This move represents a demonstrated commitment to building a dedicated financial infrastructure designed around the unique complexity of Africa’s food economy.
For the millions of food entrepreneurs across the continent, from the everyday buka owner to the high-end restaurateur, this acquisition means less time managing multiple tools or carrying out arduous manual work and more time doing what they do best – feeding Africa.
General News
Tech Firms Sack over 45,000 so Far in 2026

More than 45,000 jobs have been cut across the global technology sector in the first few months of 2026, according to data from RationalFX, signalling that the industry is still adjusting after a period of aggressive hiring rather than returning to a full growth phase.

“In 2025, automation, artificial intelligence, and sustained cost-discipline measures drove much of the downsizing, with entire departments restructured or eliminated in favour of leaner, AI-assisted workflows. This trend has continued full steam into 2026,” said Alan Cohen, analyst at RationalFX.
According to the report, if the current rate of redundancies is sustained, total layoffs in 2026 could surpass the 245,000 recorded in 2025.
The majority of these layoffs have been concentrated in the United States, with major companies continuing to trim their workforce despite stable core operations.
Amazon has announced approximately 16,000 job cuts this year, while Block has also reduced thousands of roles as it tightens operations and shifts focus towards artificial intelligence.
There are indications that further reductions may follow.
Meta is reportedly considering additional layoffs as it increases investment in AI infrastructure, while PayPal and Klarna are reassessing spending and hiring strategies amid ongoing uncertainty.
Established technology firms are also undergoing restructuring. Dell has reduced its workforce by around 11,000 over the past year as part of a broader reorganisation, while Salesforce has cut approximately 1,000 roles in 2026 while aligning its teams more closely with AI-driven products.
Outside the United States, layoffs have been smaller in scale but more geographically dispersed.
Australia has reported around 2,650 job cuts so far this year, followed by Sweden with roughly 1,923 and Netherlands with about 1,700.
Other markets have also been affected. Israel and India have recorded approximately 1,539 and 1,520 layoffs respectively, with Israel’s startup ecosystem particularly sensitive to tighter funding conditions, while in India, both startups and larger IT firms have reduced headcount as global client spending slows.
In Singapore, around 1,016 layoffs have been reported, reflecting a softer hiring environment across Asia’s major technology hubs, where companies are adopting a more cautious approach amid uneven demand.
Across Europe, job cuts have been comparatively limited but still noticeable.
The United Kingdom has recorded around 1,000 layoffs, while Czech Republic and Germany have seen smaller reductions.
The broader trend suggests that technology companies are shifting towards leaner operations and more defined priorities following years of expansion. Increasing investment in automation and artificial intelligence is also reshaping the types of roles in demand.
For employees, the impact is becoming increasingly visible, with hiring slowing and becoming more selective. While opportunities remain, companies are taking a more measured approach to recruitment compared to the rapid expansion seen in previous years.
Further credit… .storyboard18.com
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