Broadcasting

BBA5: Yummy Reward For Barnmates

Published

15 years ago

September 15, 2010

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After winning their Task Wager, the Barnmates were thrilled when Biggie reveals a delicious surprise awaiting them in the Diary Room.
Code’s visitor, Eddie, went first and set the bar, hitting most of the black and white pins, showing the Barnmates how easy and fun the day’s Arena Task was.
Despite this, Lerato insisted she was not going down the raised ramp in the cart, stating how she fell off the Segway." I could see the ground on the Segway. Imagine me flying in the air with this cart thing," she said.
Juliette was encouraged by her fellow Barnmates and by Hannington in particular, who told her not to pull a Yacob by quitting. This seemed to do the trick because she decided to go up on the cart, which they called Juliette the cow’s husband.
Tatiana also looked like she was hesitant to go down the ramp and screamed while the cart hurtled down, towards the pins. "You mother flippin," she screamed.
This seemed to be contagious because the second time Lerato went on the cart, she made a face and screamed "Bombo!" The boys seemed very comfortable with this particular Arena Task but that was not enough, since Code was the first to be booted out.
He was followed to the sidelines by Lerato, who did not seem too stressed by being ousted. Tatiana was the first to hit all ten pins and Sheila looked like she would follow suite. The top two was eventually made up of Tatiana and Hannington.
Mwisho was called to the Diary Room. Thinking it was a normal Diary Session, he was surprised to find a white envelope with his daughter Kelly’s most recent pictures.
He walked back to the lawn where the other Housemates were seated, beaming with pride. They asked him what he had in his hands and he fished out the pictures. Everyone quickly surrounded him, while he smiled quietly.
"Aaw, she is so cute! Kelly has your eyes," Meryl said. Kaone and Jen could not stop raving about how beautiful she is and how she looked like an Ethiopian or Somalian supermodel. Jen giggled and told Uti "At least you have cats to keep you company."
Munya told Mwisho how he wanted to start negotiating on behalf of his son for Kelly’s hand in marriage.
Meryl was then called to the Diary Room as well and received her baby, Monkey’s pictures as well. She was excited to see a bit of Monkey’s first tooth and told her fellow Housemates how much better she feels after seeing Monkeys photo’s.
Kaone encouraged Mwisho and Meryl to make their own, stating how beautiful their babies would be. "We would call them the Big Brother Small Stars," he said, inciting laughter all round.
Munya was next in the Diary Room, but his son’s pictures had unfortunately not come yet. He looked really disappointed when Biggie told him it was his Secret Session, where he was to pick five questions to ask Uti, in order to crack his secret.
Biggie assured him however, that pictures would come soon, which seemed to make him relax a little.
Meanwhile, Big Brother provided the Housemates with caterpillar suites, in the form of cling wrap, which will help them with the transformation process. As per the Task requirements, the Head of House incumbents are required to break free from their caterpillar suites and will then fly across the line on the other side of the garden.
The first Housemate to fly like a butterfly, over the finish line will be the Head of House next week. As soon as the Housemates gathered in the garden, they were wrapped in cling wrap, which would serve as their cocoon.
Definitely not the kind to keep anything to themselves, the All Stars had a lot to say regarding their Task.
It did not seem too easy for any of the Housemates to peel the sticky cling wrap off their bodies, but the possibility of being Head of House seemed to spur them on.
Uti was the first to tear the plastic off his body even though in the far end of the garden, Mwisho looked like he would get out first. Mwisho’s cling wrap got stuck around his waist and he seemed to struggle for a bit.
Munya, on the other hand, managed to free himself around the same time Uti did, but it would seem Uti was too fast for him. Uti flew over the finish line like a true butterfly and jumped up and down in excitement. None of the girls managed to even lift themselves from the ground and were still sprawled on the floor, with not even so much as a tear on their cling wrap.
Munya and Kaone did not seem too impressed and complained that Uti’s hands were outside the cling wrap. "Your hands were outside," Munya said. Paloma and Jen could be heard complaining too in the background.
Uti told them that was nonsense and mentioned how he had a lot of practice with the bandage on his arm. "It becomes easier to learn how to untangle yourself when you wear a bandage like the one I have on my wrist," he said.
The gang then seemed to accept Uti’s win, and resigned themselves to being in the charges of President Uti, as he now wants to be called. "I did this for Sheila," he said, as his disappointed fellow Housemates looked on.
Uti then told them how much of an autocratic dictator he intends to be. "If you try to kiss my butt, I will kill you," he said in jest.

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Broadcasting

US invests $115m in counter-drone tech for World Cup security

Published

8 hours ago

January 14, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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Drone

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will invest $115 million in counter-drone technology to safeguard the 2026 FIFA World Cup and events marking America’s 250th independence anniversary, creating a dedicated office for rapid drone system deployment.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described drones as “the new frontier of American air superiority,” stressing the need to counter threats from drug cartels using unmanned aircraft for smuggling and surveillance, alongside incidents like a 2025 NFL stadium drone flight and 2024 New Jersey sightings.

The funding supports 11 World Cup host cities expecting over one million visitors, building on FEMA’s $250 million grants to those states and addressing risks heightened by cartels’ advancing tech, including a reported FBI tracking plot in Mexico.

DHS has conducted over 1,500 counter-drone missions since 2018, with the new Program Executive Office accelerating acquisitions amid President Trump’s border security push.

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Broadcasting

Youth Talent Takes Center Stage as T2 Ignites High-Octane Rap Battles @ Carnival Calabar

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2026

Chike Onwuegbuchi

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The energy at the Carnival Calabar Music Concert reached a new high as T2 introduced a first-ever rap battle platform, giving young Nigerians an electrifying stage to showcase their talent, creativity, and self-expression while competing for exciting prizes.

Held at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, the activation blended pulsating music, vibrant culture, and youthful energy into a dynamic celebration that kept thousands of carnival-goers fully engaged from start to finish.

Eight fearless contestants stepped into the spotlight, going bar for bar in an intense lyrical showdown. Rappers fused local languages, pidgin, and sharp punchlines, creatively weaving the T2 brand into their verses.

Anchored by the energetic hosting duo MC Double I and MC Princess, the rap battles thrilled over 16,000 attendees, including the Governor of Cross River State, Senator Bassey Otu, delivering an unforgettable showcase of youth talent and cultural expression.

With prizes including fridges, gas cookers, sound systems, and airtime top-ups, the competition remained fierce throughout the night. After two high-energy rounds narrowed the field to a five-man final duel, Emmanuel Eye emerged as the overall winner, taking home the grand prize — a fridge.

“I never expected this at all,” Emmanuel said. “I came to the concert like anyone else, and hearing about the T2 rap battle was a surprise. When I got the chance to perform, I just went for it. Being named the overall winner is amazing, and I’m grateful to T2 for creating this platform to showcase our talent.”

Beyond the stage performances, T2’s presence added a digital layer to the carnival experience. As part of its role as Digital Technology Partner of Carnival Calabar, the brand introduced the MyT2 App as a lifestyle companion, while also enabling line reactivations, airtime top-ups, and instant rewards for hundreds of attendees, blending technology seamlessly into the live celebration.

Commenting on the activation, Chinelo Manefo, Specialist, Events and Sponsorship at T2, said:

“The energy from both the rappers and the crowd was incredible. This platform reflects exactly what T2 aims to create — a celebration of youth, creativity, and culture, enhanced by technology that connects people and experiences. Seeing the audience so immersed shows how music and performance can empower the next generation.”

The Carnival Calabar Music Concert, headlined by Tiwa Savage, Timaya, and top local performers, was further energized by T2’s interactive rap battle platform. By blending music, culture, youth expression, and digital innovation, T2 reinforced its commitment to championing Nigeria’s next generation, giving young creatives a stage to shine while enriching how they experience the festival.

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Broadcasting

Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation Wrapped Up 2025 with Real Change in Governance, Health, Media Across Africa

Published

6 days ago

January 8, 2026

Ugo Onwuaso

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Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation has announced its 2025 achievements, marking a year of accelerated impact, systemic reforms and innovation in public leadership and service delivery across Africa.

Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation

A statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos said the foundation strengthened governance, improved primary healthcare, drove digital transformation and elevated media’s role in promoting public sector accountability.

It said the AIG Public Leaders Programme (PLP) trained 72 public sector leaders from Nigeria, Egypt, Tanzania, Cameroon, Zambia, Malawi and Kenya—its fastest growth to date—bringing the alumni network to 309.

These alumni are driving 237 reform projects to enhance public institutions, from faster decision-making to greater transparency, with nine promoted to higher roles for their contributions.

On civil service modernisation, the foundation accelerated digitalisation at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), streamlining 19 processes and achieving a 75 per cent increase in work speed through automated workflows.

It also trained over 400 officials from the Federal Ministry of Justice, Federal Civil Service Commission and Federal Ministry of Innovation, Trade and Investment in digital skills to support the FCCSIP 25 initiative and ongoing digital rollouts.

In healthcare, the Adopt-A-Healthcare-Facility Programme renovated four primary healthcare centres in Edo State, boosting antenatal visits by 73 per cent, immunisation coverage over 100-fold and fully vaccinating 554 children, while supporting 6,788 patients.

The foundation recognised 18 outstanding public servants with ₦500,000 each via the Emily Aig-Imoukhuede Endowment Awards and received a partnership award from the OHCSF for civil service reform efforts.

To empower media, it trained 50 journalists from top Nigerian media houses in impact storytelling, data analysis, visual and ethical reporting to better inform citizens on public sector changes.

Over five years (2021–2025), the foundation invested £2.6 million in PLP, saved ₦2.38 billion for the public sector through capacity building, trained 1,500+ civil servants, upskilled 660 digitally, trained 40 permanent secretaries and awarded 33 scholarships driving seven policy changes.

Other milestones include digitising 5,000 files, automating 333 processes, a 61 per cent efficiency gain, 60 per cent digital file creation at OHCSF, 128 excellence awards, 116 process reforms, 23 advocacy projects, 25 capacity initiatives, 18 podcasts, four healthcare articles, three policy papers, 23 adopted PHCs (four renovated) and 878+ fully immunised children aged 0–9 months.

Executive Vice Chair, Mr Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said: “2025 was a year of real, measurable impact. From training hundreds of public servants to improving healthcare, helping ministries go digital, and equipping journalists to tell stories that matter, our work is making governments work better for citizens and communities across Africa.”

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