Personality in Focus
Dele Momodu Bags NAOSNP Media Icon of the Decade Award, Thanks ‘Colleagues’
Veteran and celebrated journalist, who is the Chairman, Ovation Media Group, Aare Dele Momodu, has been named the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) Media Icon of the Decade for his contribution to the field of journalism as well as lifting budding journalists to reach their desired heights.
The award was presented by the Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, who was the Distinguished Guest of Honour at the occasion, assisted by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Onikan, AIG Adegoke Fayoade, President of NAOSNP, Samson Oki and a host of other dignitaries present, at the 2024 National Security Conference of the Association, held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, on Wednesday.
In her remarks at the presentation, the Honourable Minister praised the Ovation boss for his continuous to journalism, projecting African business and political leaders as well as other Nigerians in a positive light.
“We thank you Mr Ovation for all you do and continue to do. You deserve the award, and I happily present it to you,” the Minister, who reminisced with gusto the season Ovation covered her event, said.
In his response, an elated Dele Momodu, expressed gratitude to the executives and members of NAOSNP, whom he modestly described as ‘colleagues’, for considering him for the award, saying that it is always a thing of joy when your own constituency acknowledges your good works, and shows appreciation.
“I thank the members of this association for this award. It is fulfilling when your own colleagues remember you, and support you with an award of thus type. I thank the honorable minister for being available to present it to me. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said with a sense of patriotism.
Born on May 16, 1960, in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Chief Dele Momodu, a distinguished African Journalist of high repute, fulfills the dictates of impeccability in credentials, testimonials and track record.
A publisher, businessman, philanthropist, and more, he runs the highly rated Ovation International Magazine, a member of the Ovation Media Group, that has given publicity to numerous personalities. Others in his line of publications are Ovation Television and The Boss Newspaper.
Momodu has redefined negative perceptions of Africa, profiling positively African personalities, using his X, Instagram and more, where his followership runs into millions.
A former presidential candidate, Momodu has a degree in Yoruba from the Obafemi Awolowo University, and Doctorates (honoris causa) from various universities, with multiple traditional titles.
He is well traveled, and has visited over 69 countries of the world.
He is married, with four children.
Japanese stage and film actor Tatsuya Nakadai, who starred in a string of Akira Kurosawa classics, including the lead role in Ran, has died at the age of 92, his acting school announced on Tuesday.
Nakadai first rose to fame in Japan and internationally under director Masaki Kobayashi, who cast him in his epic anti-war trilogy The Human Condition in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
His acting school, Mumeijuku, did not disclose when Nakadai died or provide further details.
Nakadai had a walk-on role in Kurosawa’s 1954 classic Seven Samurai, but later effectively replaced Toshiro Mifune as the famed director’s leading man after Mifune went his own way.
He played the main protagonist in Kurosawa’s Kagemusha (1980), which won the Palme d’Or, the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Nakadai also portrayed the doomed warlord who divides his kingdom among his sons in Ran (1985), Kurosawa’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear.
One of his former students, Koji Yakusho, won Best Actor at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for his role in Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days.
Nakadai continued performing until recently, appearing this year at a theatre in the Noto region, which was still recovering from a deadly earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day last year.
AFP
American scientist, James Watson, one of the co-discoverers of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), has died at the age of 97.
Watson, alongside Francis Crick, identified the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, a discovery that transformed biology and medicine. Their work, which revealed how genetic information is stored and transmitted, earned them and Maurice Wilkins the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
“We have discovered the secret of life,” they said at the time.
His death was confirmed by the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York, where he spent much of his career. Watson led the institution for decades before stepping down as chancellor following controversy over his remarks on race and sex.
Watson’s reputation declined sharply after comments he made suggesting genetic differences in intelligence between races. In a 2007 interview with The Times, he said he was “inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa”, adding that “all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours whereas all the testing says not really.”
He later apologised “unreservedly”, but the remarks cost him his position at CSHL. In 2019, further comments linking race and intelligence prompted the lab to strip him of his remaining honorary titles. “Dr. Watson’s statements are reprehensible, unsupported by science,” the laboratory said in a statement.
DNA was first discovered in 1869, but its role as the genetic material in cells wasn’t confirmed until 1943. The molecule’s structure remained unknown until Watson and Crick built their model, using X-ray images produced by Rosalind Franklin at King’s College London images reportedly obtained without her consent.
Though Franklin died in 1958, she is now widely credited for her crucial role in solving the DNA structure. At the time, however, her contributions were largely overlooked.
Watson also drew criticism for sexist remarks in his 1968 memoir The Double Helix, where he commented on Franklin’s appearance. Despite this, some former colleagues noted that he supported women scientists at Harvard in the 1950s and 60s, when few others did.
In 2014, feeling isolated from the scientific community, Watson sold his Nobel medal for $4.8 million. The Russian buyer later returned it to him.
Born in Chicago in April 1928, Watson was the son of Jean and James Watson, descendants of English, Scottish, and Irish settlers. A gifted student, he entered the University of Chicago at 15, where he became interested in X-ray diffraction, a key technique in revealing atomic structures.
Watson later studied at Cambridge University, where he met Crick and began building models of DNA. After their discovery, he joined Harvard University as a biology professor.
He and his wife, Elizabeth, had two sons. One was diagnosed with schizophrenia, inspiring Watson to continue research into the genetic basis of mental illness.
In 1968, he became director of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, transforming it into a leading global centre for molecular biology research, the same institution that later confirmed his death.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Adron Group, Aare Adetola Emmanuelking, KOF, has commended the Oyo State Government for its bold reforms in the real estate sector, describing the state as a land of “history, enterprise, and endless possibilities.”
Aare Adetola remarked while delivering a goodwill message titled “The Real Estate Called Oyo State” at the 2025 Oyo State Real Estate Conference, held in Ibadan.
The event, themed “Real Estate and Economic Development in Oyo State: Strategies for Success,” brought together top real estate developers, government officials, and investors to discuss strategies for improving housing delivery and driving economic growth in the state.
Organised by the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing and Urban Development in collaboration with the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), the conference highlighted the need for policy stability, public-private partnerships, and innovation in real estate development.
In his address, the Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to transparency and investor confidence through the digitalisation of land records (OYOGIS), improved urban planning, and major infrastructure upgrades across the state.
He also cited the passage of the Oyo State Land Control and Administration Bill, 2023, and the establishment of the Anti-Land Grabbing Task Force as key reforms curbing land disputes and promoting sustainable property ownership. Ogundoyin praised major developers such as Adron Homes and MKH Properties for their role in boosting investor trust in the Oyo property market.
In his goodwill message, Aare Adetola Emmanuelking applauded the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde, FNSE, for maintaining consistency in land policies and governance structures, which he said had continued to attract serious investors to Oyo State.
He recalled that Adron Homes made its foray into Ibadan nearly a decade ago based on the state’s stable policy environment, a decision that has since yielded impressive results. He, however, urged the state government and future administrations to ensure policy continuity, warning that inconsistency could derail the progress already achieved.
The conference ended with a collective resolve by stakeholders to deepen collaboration between the public and private sectors, strengthen regulatory transparency, and create a business environment that will make Oyo State a model for real estate investment in Nigeria.
