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Engr. Dr Funmi Ayinke Celebrates 40th Birthday With Close Associates, Releases Chocolate Video
Foremost Nigerian engineer and musician, Dr. Funmi Ayinke Waheed-Adekojo has celebrated her 40th birthday in a classy manner with close associates in Lekki, Lagos state.
Similarly, she released the much-anticipated video for her hit single, Chocolate.
The event which took place on Saturday, 27th of May, 2023 had important personalities and celebrities who are friends of Funmi Ayinke. The likes of Gbenga Adeyinka The 1st, Kunle Afod, Fiokee, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, a member of the national assembly, Honourable Phillips, APPON members, Members of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, to mention but a few honoured the Engineer cum musician with their presence.
Funmi Ayinke, who had gotten a huge surprise earlier in the day and two car gifts last month to celebrate her birthday was astonished at the calibre of personalities present at her birthday celebration and the amazing things they had to say about her.
For the former VC of the University of Lagos, Funmi Ayinke was a huge part of his success during his tenure. He revealed that the musician, who is more like a daughter to him, helped him in different ways including saving him from committing a grave error.
‘’I want to return all Glory to almighty God. When I think about my success as Vice Chancellor, I can’t talk about my success without the contribution of Funmi Ayinke. I would have committed an error if not for her intervention. I would have gone into a trap if not because I consulted with her and she warned me about the problems ahead.’’
‘’Some of our funds were locked somewhere, she asked me not to worry and she told me what to do to get it. We put everything together and today we have a testimony ‘’
‘’Thirdly, the confidence she brings into whatever she’s doing and professionalism. She says it the way it is. I want to thank God for her life, husband and children’’
Honourable Phillips, who was just elected into the national assembly, extolled the positive contribution of Dr Funmi Ayinke to his victory at the last election. He spoke about the encouragement she gave him during the election and how she made some of his constituents vote for him.
‘’I am glad to be here tonight to celebrate Dr Funmi Ayinke. During my election, she was helpful. She encouraged me through some of her philanthropic gestures, she made some of my people vote for me. If we call her three-faced or four-faced, we will be wrong, I would like to call her many faces. She’s multiple personalities in one person. As busy as politicians are during this period, I deem it fit to be here. We will be inviting her to the National Assembly so that Nigerians will learn from her’’
The members of APPON who came from Abuja described the celebration as a professional and great woman. They expressed surprise at how easily she combines her thriving music career and profession without both clashing. They also announced that she has been nominated as the matron of the association and will be properly confirmed at an event later in the year.
‘’She’s been a professional, a great woman. If you go to the music industry she’s there, due process and professionalism in public procurement she’s there. She’s done so much for the profession. I bring greetings from all our platforms to celebrate with her. I pray God keeps you and blesses you. I want to announce that she has been approved as the matron of APPON, she will be confined properly at the event.’’
Similarly, the national chairman of the national institute of mechanical engineers described Dr Funmi Ayinke as a fantastic and dynamic woman who has done so much for the profession. She noted that women are few in the mechanical engineering field but Funmi Ayinke is one of the best in the industry.
‘’She’s one fantastic lady, dynamic, beautiful, hard-working and someone dynamic in nature. We are limited as ladies in mechanical engineering but she’s one of the best we have. I was called from Ghana about giving her an award, I told them she deserves it. She’s indeed a change agent God has brought into the industry.’’
Furthermore, Professor Waheed Adekojo, husband to Funmi Ayinke, showered her with praises for all she has been through over the years. The highlight of his testimony about his wife was the fact that she is a prayer warrior who believes so much in God and has taught him to always run to God whenever there are issues.
‘’If I want to talk about my wife it will take a lot of time. She’s someone who so much loves God, believes in God and prays to God and that’s why whenever there’s a disappointment, she’s always run to GOD.’’
‘’She has taught me to become prayerful and believe that with God there’s nothing one can’t achieve. This motivates her to impact people. She doesn’t want to see people in pain, She doesn’t want people to be in need. She’s ready to spend the little she has for people.’’
‘’She doesn’t want failure, she moves sometimes at night to sort out problems for people. She’s too hardworking and I am not surprised at her success. She believes in quality, if you have quality things it will last. She wants the country to work, she doesn’t think about herself alone. I am not surprised God is doing all these for her.’’
‘’She doesn’t joke with her children, she has taught them to be prayerful. Above all, I love her so much’’
In her reactions, Engr. Dr Funmi Ayinke appreciated everyone present at the party while speaking about how little she started and how God has tremendously blessed the work of her hands.
She revealed that her major motivation for success was the sacrifices of her mother while she was growing up. She noted that her mother took so many loans to sort some of her bills and this made her motivated for success.
‘’I want to thank everyone here tonight. People who know me when I was much younger know the journey was not easy. To every girl child, we all celebrate success but truly there’s a process to success. I thank my mother and sincerely speaking, each time I see my mother make sacrifices for me back then, I am determined to slap poverty. I pledged to make it and I want to tell every Nigerian girl that they can be successful without losing integrity. What kept me going is believing in God. He is the one that can take you without giving up on you.’’
Funmi Ayinke stated that she once sold Kerosene at a time to add value to society and through this initiative, she empowered many widows in the city of Ibadan.
‘’I believe in a person of value, I pursued value and didn’t care about money. I was selling kerosene as a nursing mother, I repaired pumps for filling stations, and each time I go to my office, people call me ‘Iya Ayo onikerorsene’. I made so many kerosene sellers in Ibadan and that is why whenever I cough in Ibadan, people rise for me.’’
Continuing, Funmi Ayinke encouraged women in society and campaigned against looking down on the ‘girl child’ because women are agents of change in every society.
‘’I notice in life that when you are a goal-getter, the enemy targets you. While I was coming up, I faced so many hurdles. I once received a 36-page petition against me but God saw me through’’
‘’When you look down on one woman, you kill a society. I want to tell everyone to pick a girl child, don’t give up on them. My kids and I embark on fasting and prayers sometimes. I am a product of God’s grace and what I am today has taken care of thousands of women. ‘’
Energy experts in Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector have defended the pricing structure of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, accusing some fuel markers of attempting to blackmail the refinery and mislead the public over the recent increase in petrol prices.
The experts said reports suggesting that the refinery’s latest adjustment is solely responsible for the recent hike in fuel prices were misleading, noting that importers are also bringing in petrol at almost a N1,000 per litre, while the refinery’s coastal price is N948 and the gantry or ex-depot price stands at N995 per litre.
They stressed that public comparisons fail to consider the differences in pricing structures and supply channels.
According to the experts, N948 per litre represents the coastal delivery price, which refers to petroleum products transported by marine vessels or barges from the refinery to depots along the coastline. On the other hand, N995 per litre represents the gantry or ex-depot price, which is the rate paid by marketers who load petrol directly from the refinery into tanker trucks at the loading gantry for onward distribution across the country.
The experts explained that the two figures should not be interpreted as conflicting prices but rather as different logistics arrangements within the petroleum distribution chain.
Speaking with our correspondent on Sunday, energy expert David Okon said the pricing adjustments were inevitable given prevailing market conditions.
According to him, Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals operates in a deregulated market and procures crude at international prices, which have risen sharply due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
“The refinery is already absorbing part of the cost to cushion the impact of the crisis on Nigerians. We can see what is happening in other parts of the world where shortages and scarcity are being reported despite higher prices, yet the Dangote Refinery has continued to guarantee domestic supply,” he said.
Okon explained that when the refinery previously sold petrol at N774 per litre, crude oil was landing at about $68 per barrel. However, with crude now arriving at roughly $95 per barrel, the cost difference of about $27 per barrel translates to nearly N40,000 per barrel when converted to Naira.
“You cannot expect a refinery to continue selling at the old rate under those circumstances,” he added.
“If imported products were truly cheaper, importers would still be selling at the previous prices.”
He warned that without local refining capacity, Nigeria could have faced severe fuel shortages, long queues at filling stations and a resurgence of black market sales.
“Without the Dangote Refinery, many filling stations would likely shut down, queues would return across the country and black market traders would exploit the situation, hawking four litres keg at N20,000 or more. The refinery has effectively prevented that scenario,” he said.
Another analyst, Mohammed Ibrahim, also faulted narratives circulating in some quarters suggesting that the refinery’s pricing adjustment was responsible for worsening economic hardship in the country.
Accusing some importers of attempting to manipulate public perception, he said, “What we are seeing is nothing but deliberate blackmail by some fuel importers who feel threatened by local refining.
“They are twisting the pricing structure to mislead Nigerians and create unnecessary panic in the market.
“By exaggerating the refinery’s gantry price and ignoring the comparable costs of imported fuel, they are trying to make it appear as though Dangote Refinery is the cause of rising prices and economic hardship. This is a calculated attempt to protect their import businesses and undermine local refining, which is meant to reduce our dependence on imported petrol.”
Ibrahim added that such narratives were aimed at portraying the refinery as the reason Nigerians were struggling with higher petrol prices.
He stressed that petrol pricing in Nigeria is largely influenced by global crude oil prices, exchange rate fluctuations, and distribution logistics, noting that these factors affect both locally refined and imported fuel in the country’s deregulated market.
Afolabi Olowookere, Managing Director and Chief Economist at Analysts’ Data Services and Resources (ADSR) Limited, explained that although Nigerians expect refined products from the refinery to be significantly cheaper, prevailing market realities such as global crude oil prices, the cost of crude supply and refining margins make substantial price reductions unlikely in the short term.
“Therefore, improving domestic crude allocation to the refinery would strengthen supply stability and enhance the long term benefits of local refining for the economy,” Olowookere noted.
Recent conflicts in the Middle East and disruptions along key shipping lanes have tightened global oil supply, pushing crude prices past $90 per barrel, a development that directly raises the cost of both imported and locally refined petrol in Nigeria.
The unrest has pushed up fuel costs and transportation in several countries, including Ghana, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, India, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, and Japan, as rising crude prices increase the cost of refining, distribution, and logistics globally.
CHETACHI NWOGA-ECTON EMPOWERS 300 WIDOWS IN IMO
A renowned humanitarian and proud daughter of Mbaise in Imo State, High Chief (Dr.) Princess Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton, has empowered over 300 widows and vulnerable women across the Owerri Zone, in a remarkable demonstration of compassion and service to humanity.
The empowerment programme, which took place at the Palace of the Eze of Ngor Okpala, HRH Eze Engr. Fredrick Nwachukwu, brought together community leaders, traditional rulers, women groups and beneficiaries from different communities within the zone.
During the event, the widows received food materials and cash support, aimed at helping them meet basic needs and strengthen their small-scale businesses.
The initiative was widely applauded as a timely intervention to support women who often face severe economic hardship after losing their spouses.
Many of the beneficiaries expressed heartfelt appreciation to High Chief (Dr.) Nwoga-Ecton, describing the empowerment as a lifeline that would help them take better care of their families.
Some widows, while offering prayers for the philanthropist, noted that the gesture had restored hope and dignity in their lives.
Fondly known as Ada Imo and Adaure, High Chief (Dr.) Princess Chetachi Nwoga-Ecton has earned widespread admiration for her consistent humanitarian efforts both within Nigeria and internationally.
Through her philanthropic activities and foundations, she has continued to support widows, children, and vulnerable communities with interventions in healthcare, welfare and economic empowerment.
Community stakeholders who attended the programme commended the Mbaise-born philanthropist for her generosity and dedication to uplifting the less privileged, noting that her actions reflect true leadership and compassion.
Observers say the initiative further reinforces her growing reputation as one of the most impactful humanitarians of this generation, whose commitment to humanity continues to inspire hope across Imo State and beyond.
UNITED KINGDOM OF ATLANTIS ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF ACTING ADMIN KING OF THE UKA THRONE
March 6, 2026 – In a landmark royal decree, the Office of the Minister of Information & Culture of the United Kingdom of Atlantis (UKA) has announced the appointment of His Imperial Royal Eminence, King Sir Benny Terry Danson, as the Acting Admin King of the UKA Throne. The nomination was issued through an official directive from the UKA Throne and is intended to pave the way for King Sir Benny Terry Danson’s eventual ascension to the title of Official Emperor Admin of the Throne, subject to the completion of necessary formal and constitutional processes.
The UKA Throne emphasized that the appointment underscores its unwavering commitment to competence, dedication, and integrity as the guiding principles for all administrative functions within the government structure. Officials stated that the decision is a strategic move to reinforce national leadership and accelerate the kingdom’s vision of becoming a more efficient, progressive, and unified nation.
The new Acting Admin King will oversee initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable growth, improving public service delivery, and promoting collective national development among citizens and followers of the UKA. The government expressed deep appreciation for the continuous love, loyalty, and support shown by the populace, noting that public engagement is essential for the kingdom’s shared prosperity and advancement.
Further details regarding the formalization of the appointment, including ceremonial schedules and administrative timelines, will be released to the public in due course through official communication channels.
Report Highlights:
– Nominee: King Sir Benny Terry Danson, Acting Admin King.
– Objective: Transition toward becoming Official Emperor Admin of the UKA Throne.
– Focus: Strengthening governance through competence, dedication, and integrity.
– Impact: Expected to drive national efficiency, progress, and unity.
– Next Steps: Official ceremonies and constitutional procedures to follow.
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