• Tems reveals she received an email from Beyoncé before ‘Essence’ was released
• Kano Gov’t and High Court at opposite ends over Sanusi’s and Bayero
• India fines Binance $2.2 million in violation of anti-money laundering laws
• APC mourns late member as Hajj pilgrim deaths rise over 1000
• Naira crashes after banks shut down for over two days

Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, these are the five top Nigerian news stories you shouldn’t miss.

Tems reveals she received an email from Beyonce before ‘Essence’ was released

Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, revealed how she handled the fame immediately, especially how she felt when Beyoncé reached out to her.

In the interview, Tems said she was staying at Chevron when the news was broken to her by her manager. She claimed she didn’t believe all of it was happening at once as the song with Wizkid ‘Essence’ had yet to be released.

This knowledge is shocking to most, as the general public assumed she became famous for the song’s success.

Kano Gov’t and High Court at opposite ends over Sanusi’s and Bayero

The Kano State government announced that Alhaji Muhammed Sanusi II was its new Emir, deposing its current Emir, Ado Bayero. In contrast, the High Court, led by Justice Mohammed Liman, has nullified the reinstatement of Muhammed Sanusi.

This drama has further left the state in turmoil as the people are torn between declaring support for Bayero or Sanusi.

Although the judge did not invalidate the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal Law), he stated that the actions and decisions made so far were null and void due to the state government’s inability to maintain the status quo as demanded.

India fines Binance $2.2 million in violation of anti-money laundering laws

India has fined crypto company Binance $2.2 million (Rs. 18,82,00,000) over violating anti-money laundering laws by offering services to Indians without adhering to them.

This news comes shortly after Nigeria had also accused the same company of money laundering, capturing two of its alleged executives, Tigran Gambaryan and Nadeem Anjarwalla, before the latter escaped through Kenya.

According to the director of India’s financial intelligence unit (FIU-IND), the charges placed on Binance were made with substantial evidence on record.

APC mourns late member as Hajj pilgrim deaths rise over 1000

The Lagos chapter of the political party All Progressives Congress (APC) recently lost a member who died due to the extreme heat, which has claimed multiple lives in Saudi Arabia.

The Lagos chapter of APC identified its late member to be Alhaja Ramota Bankole, who was among those performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.

The death toll in Hajj has risen by over a thousand as most of them are unregistered members who came to participate in the Hajj pilgrimage.

Naira crashes after banks shut down for over two days

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has updated the naira rates against the other foreign currencies as the naira depreciated within the closure of all banks.

According to the latest forex predictions, the naira now trades at ₦1,479/$ as opposed to its previous rate of ₦1,474/$, and it trades at ₦1,883/£ compared to its earlier rate of ₦1,869/£.

The closure of nearly all Nigerian banks was due to the public holidays given on Monday, 17 and Tuesday, June 18, 2024.