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Meet Nigeria’s ‘Baby Francesca’ Who Is New Symbol Of Hope For Migrants Globally (Photos)

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Aw! Dubbed “the princess of migrants”, a Nigerian baby born on the Italian ship that rescued her mother in the Mediterranean has become a symbol of hope for those braving the perilous crossing in search of a new life.

In early May, when the international press was cooing over the birth of Princess Charlotte into the British royal family, the photograph of another baby also landed in the headlines
Tiny Francesca Marina was shown sleeping, nestled in pink gauze, a closed fist resting against her face.
Her mother Stephanie, a 25-year-old hair stylist, had fled Nigeria two years earlier. After falling in love with a compatriot in Libya, she stayed there for a while. But when their relationship fell apart she headed to Italy alone.

“I was nine months pregnant. I had to take the boat, I had no choice, I couldn’t deliver (the baby) in Libya,” she told AFP.
Once the dinghy had set off across the Mediterranean, her contractions began.
“It was really difficult, I was sitting inside with the pain. There were a lot of people in the boat, we were just sitting really tight. The pain was too much.”

The migrants were rescued at night after around eight hours at sea by the patrol boat Bettica and it was there that Francesca Marina, named in honour of Pope Francis and her Italian rescuers, was born.
Stephanie does not really remember it: she fell unconscious and did not come to until she was at the hospital where she had been transported by helicopter.
The Italian authorities were also unaware of what had happened

.Although the captain of the Bettica recorded the birth in the ship’s logbook, neither the port authorities who review the logbook, nor the medical services passed on the information to the authorities, setting off a bureaucratic odyssey.

When Stephanie and her baby arrived at their current reception centre in Sicily — from where they would make their asylum request — their file was almost empty, said the centre’s director Antonio La Monica.

It took months of phone calls and several newspaper articles on the subject for any progress to be made, but finally Francesca was given her tax identification number — without which all doors remain closed in Italy.

Officially, aboard the Bettica is considered Italian territory, but as Italian law does not allow birthright citizenship, Francesca is Nigerian like her mother.

Celebrities

‘It’s Christ over earthly possession’ — Judikay ends rift with EeZee Conceptz

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Judikay, the Nigerian gospel singer, has announced her decision to step away from the controversy surrounding her former record label, EeZee Conceptz.

In June 2024, Judikay petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Ezekiel Onyedikachukwu, the founder of EeZee Conceptz.

She accused Ezekiel and his label of falsifying accounts and committing theft against her to the tune of £800,000.

The label founder was recently charged by the EFCC for the alleged exploitation of the gospel singer.

However in an Instagram post on Saturday, the ‘Capable God’ hitmaker said she has decided to “walk away” from the drama and prioritize the greater good and unity of the body of Christ.

She expressed her gratitude to her colleagues, family, and fellow believers for their support “during this period”.

“After prayerful consideration, I have made the deliberate decision to walk away from this entire drama and I choose to prioritise the greater good and unity of the body of Christ,” she wrote.

“My role as a member of the body of Christ takes precedence and I willingly make this sacrifice, drawing strength from the knowledge that Christ is of far greater worth than any earthly possession or vindication.

“With this conviction, I choose to step away. I sincerely express my heartfelt gratitude to the leaders in the body of Christ, my fellow believers, the gospel music community, and my precious family for their continued encouragement and prayers during this period.

“My focus and commitment remains on Jesus Christ and this ministry HE entrusted in my hands.”

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‘Mention people who used, dumped you’ — Nons Miraj dares viral fish pie seller

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Nons Miraj, the content creator, has responded to a recent claim made by Alax Evalsam, the pastry seller known for his signature ‘Fish Pie’ tune.

In August 2024, Alax’s life changed when he posted a video of himself singing while hawking his fish pies on TikTok.

Following his social media popularity, rumours circulated that Alax had received large sums of money from celebrities.

Miraj was one of the celebrities who helped him. She visited him, moved him into a rented apartment, and gifted him N200,000 and a car.

But on Wednesday, Alax claimed he was “used and dumped” by the people who supported him during his viral moment.

Reacting to Alax’s claims, Miraj challenged him to publicly reveal the names of those who allegedly took advantage of him.

The content creator insisted that her brand should not be associated with Alax’s claims, emphasizing that she had done her part to help him.

“You said some people used you; please do me a favor like I have done you a favor. Come out and clear the air on who used you,” she said in an Instagram video.

“I am not a user, God uses me to bless and help people. Don’t ruin my brand because you don’t want to call names. I’m daring you now to call the names of people that used you.

“The car, clothes, and house I gifted you are still with you. Don’t ruin my brand with this claim; call the names of the users, but don’t associate my brand with this.

“Out of all the people I have helped, I spent more money on you. My friends were against buying you a car but I bought it because I feel it is good for you to be mobile after being public.

“I also got you a deal with 1XBet. What else do you want from me? I have given you the necessary things so help yourself to the next level.”

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James Nolan, Briton who jumped bail, waives right to call witnesses in P&ID fraud trial

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James Nolan, a British national on trial over his involvement in the Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID) fraud, has waived his right to call witnesses for his defence.

Nolan is standing trial alongside a company, Micad Project City Services Limited, on a 20-count charge of obtaining by false pretence, non-compliance with the Money Laundering Act 2011 (as amended), and criminal conversion of proceeds of crime to the tune of N151,394,328.

At the court session on Thursday, Bala Sanga, counsel to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), told the court that the business of the day would have been for the prosecution to call its last witness.

“But upon review of the case, we found that it is superfluous, and therefore we are dispensing with the last witness,” Sanga said.

Michael Ajara, Nolan’s counsel, did not oppose the prosecution’s submission.

Ajara told the court that the defence team would rely on the evidence and witnesses brought by the prosecution.

“Based on the evidence already before the court adduced by the prosecution, we shall be resting our case on theirs. So, we don’t intend to call any witness,” he said.

Obiora Egwuatu, the presiding judge, adjourned the matter until March 10 to adopt the parties’ final written addresses.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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