1 dies in Third Mainland Bridge crash (Punch)
An unidentified male adult has been confirmed dead and one other person was injured after three vehicles crashed on the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos on Thursday.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the accident happened at about 10.15 am around the UNILAG Waterfront end of the bridge.
The multiple accidents involved a Ford bus conveying food items from Mile 12 inward Lagos Island, a Toyota Camry and an Opel car. Read more
Vote for Nigeria’s survival, Obi’s wife urges electorate (Guardian)
Wife of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Margaret Obi, has said only her husband’s victory will unite and secure Nigeria.
She insisted that among the presidential candidates, her husband is the most trusted, tested and passionate about a new Nigeria.
Obi’s wife, who stated this at a town hall meeting with Labour Party women in Imo State, held in Owerri, yesterday, said the coming general elections would define the future of the country. Read more
7-year-old feared dead in Lagos fire (Punch)
A seven-year-old boy has been feared dead in a fire that engulfed two residential buildings at 19, Adekanbi Street, off Alli Street, in the Mile 12, Ketu area of Lagos State, on Thursday.
The Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, in a statement confirmed the death, adding that due to a delay in distress call, the raging fire caused severe damage to the buildings before it was subdued by the agency.
She said, “An earlier fire outbreak that engulfed a residential building at 19, Adekanbi Street, off Alli Street, Mile 12, Ketu, Lagos involved two bungalows. Read more
El-Rufai dares Buhari, says all old notes remain legal tender in Kaduna (DailyTrust)
Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State has dared President Muhammadu Buhari on the naira redesign policy, saying the old notes remain legal tender in the state.
In his national broadcast early Thursday, Buhari had declared that old N500 and N1000 were no longer valid.
He had asked Nigerians to take them to the Central Bank and designated places.
But in his statewide address on Thursday night, El-Rufai said the notes remain legal tender until Supreme Court of Nigeria decides otherwise. Read more
Lagos begins digital aerial mapping (Nation)
Lagos State Government has deployed a Cessna 406 aircraft for the digital aerial mapping of the state in order to obtain updated spatial data to drive its enterprise geographical information system.
Data to be obtained from the aerial digital mapping of the state, will provide a guide for planning for the state’s infrastructural needs security and traffic management as well as management of land and other resources.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who described the 2023 mapping and update of Lagos State Spatial Infrastructure as part of measures to establish the actual figure of buildings and other land resources said the exercise will deepen efforts by the State Government to obtain vital spatial data for adequate project execution. Read more
QuickBunny launches in Lagos to redefine logistics business (ThisDay)
Nigerian-based logistics mobile app and a courier aggregation provider, QuickBunny, has debuted its services at an official launch held at the Nest Innovation Hub in Yaba Lagos.
The company, focused on delivering packages via hiring vetted agents called ‘Hoppers’ to run delivery or errands in real-time, is set to be a game changer in the delivery business in Nigeria.
Speaking at the Launch, the CEO, Mr. Oscar Ebanja and COO Mr. Raymond Maduagwu, said they created the platform to ensure smooth delivery of all packages to their clients’ doorstep, with their target being Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs), as they understand the need for them to deliver their business proposition to customers. Read more
Buhari’s directive on naira note is disregard for rule of law, says El-Rufai (Channels)
Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive limiting the legal tender status of old notes to only N200, describing it as a total disregard of the Supreme Court on the matter.
He noted that the misguided action of the Attorney-General of the Federation to mislead the President into engaging in such public violation of the order of the highest court of the land shows how desperate the policy architects are to cause national chaos, by showing open contempt for the judiciary.
In a broadcast to the people of Kaduna State on Thursday evening, Governor El-Rufai expressed concern that the peaceful coexistence as a state, and a nation, is being placed under deliberate danger using the intentional combination of fuel and cash supply disruptions. Read more
Ohanaeze alleges plot to disrupt polls in South East (Leadership)
The Elders Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo have cried out over the deteriorating security, social and economic conditions in the South-East region.
Consequently, the Council has passionately pleaded with groups threatening to disrupt the conduct of elections in the region through issuance of “Sit-at-Home Order” in the region to rescind their order, adding that a peace summit would soon be organised to enable such groups air their grievances.
Elder statesman and chairman of the council, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu who made the plea while briefing newsmen in Owerri alleged that the groups had not only threatened to disrupt the exercise through their sit at home order on the election day, but had equally vowed that all politicians taking part in the polls would be killed, governors and Government Houses destroyed and security agencies attacked and killed at sight. Read more
Selma Blair leads stars sending ”so much love” to Bruce Willis after dementia diagnosis (Mirror)
Hollywood has united to send strong messages of support to Bruce Willis after the actor was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.
The Die Hard star’s family revealed the medical news on Thursday in a heartfelt statement. The 67-year-old daughter, Rumer Willis, 34, took to Instagram to make the announcement.
And his pals in showbiz have rallied around him since the announcement to offer positive vibes. Read more
Paul Rudd says 3rd Ant-Man film will ‘‘set the tone’’ for Marvel’s phase 5 (Standard)
Paul Rudd says Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania will “set the tone” for Marvel’s phase five.
The Hollywood star, who reprises his role as Scott Lang for the third instalment of the franchise, said the film would be “important for everything going forward” in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
Rudd is joined by former castmates Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfieffer as well as new addition Jonathan Majors, who plays the villainous Kang The Conqueror. Read more
Motown Records initiates layoffs as label reverses course, returning to Capitol Music Group (Variety)
Motown Records has weathered major changes in the last year, not the least of which include the exit of chairwoman and CEO Ethiopia Habtemariam in March 2021, and is now planning a restructuring that will bring it back into the fold of Capitol Music Group. With that, layoffs have been initiated, Variety has confirmed, with at least three high-ranking executives being impacted.
In a statement, first published by Billboard and obtained by Variety, a Motown spokesperson said: “As Motown returns to the Capitol family, certain positions that had been created when we became a stand-alone label have since become duplicative. These employees are leaving the company and our People, Inclusion and Culture department is helping them find new opportunities — either within or outside of UMG.”
Motown is home to such top-selling rap, hip-hop and R&B acts as Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Migos, City Girls, Erykah Badu, Brandy and Ne-Yo. It was started in 1958 by Berry Gordy and went on to shape the sound of popular music throughout the 1960s and 1970s, and influence practically everything that came after. Read more
Paris’s Musée d’Orsay Ordered to Restitute Paintings by Renoir, Cézanne, and Gauguin Stolen During World War II (ArtNews)
The Musée d’Orsay in Paris has been ordered by a French administrative court to restitute four major works by Renoir, Cézanne, and Gauguin, which were stolen during World War II, to the heirs of the prominent 20th century French art dealer Ambroise Vollard, the Art Newspaper reported Thursday.
The group includes Renoir’s 1883 seascape Marine Guernesey, and a study, completed around 1908, for the Judgement of Paris (in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art), as well as Gauguin’s Still life with mandolin (1885) and a watercolor titled Undergrowth (1890-1892) by Cézanne.
The ruling marks a victory ten years in the making for Vollard’s heirs. In 2013, they requested the restitution of seven works allegedly stolen by experts from the dealer’s estate following his sudden death in 1939 at 73. Read more
Pink pays tribute to her late father with a powerful song on her new album (HuffPost)
As she gears up for a return to the spotlight, Pink is taking the chance to honor her late father, Jim Moore.
On Tuesday, the three-time Grammy winner unveiled “When I Get There,” a new ballad featured on her forthcoming album, “Trustfall.” The song’s music video is a compilation of home movies and other footage showing the singer, whose real name is Alecia Moore, with her dad.
“I think of you when I think about forever. I hear a joke, and I know you would have told it better,” Pink sings. “You were always first in line, so why would it be different for heaven?” Read more
Canada to send warships to Haiti amid ongoing violence (AlJazeera)
Canada will send navy vessels to the coast of Haiti to gather intelligence as the Caribbean nation continues to reel from economic and political insecurity as well as violence, much of it driven by organised criminal groups.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the decision at a meeting of Caribbean leaders in the Bahamas on Thursday. Among the topics they discussed were the powerful armed gangs operating in the country, leading to widespread reports of murder, kidnappings and sexual violence.
“Right now, Haiti is confronted with unrelenting gang violence, political turmoil and corruption,” Trudeau said. “Now is the moment to come together to confront the severity of this situation.” Read more
Falcons suffer 6th consecutive defeat under Waldrum in Mexico (ThisDay)
Nigeria’s Super Falcons continued to flounder under the watch of American coach, Randy Waldrum as the nine-time African champions were beaten by the odd goal by hosts Mexico at the invitational Revelation Cup 2023 in Leon.
The defeat was the straight sixth loss under Waldrum even as Falcons are heading to the FIFA Women’s World Cup to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand in the summer.
Mexican Kiana Palacios was the heroine of the clash. She headed in a cross, into the net in the 85th minute for the only goal of the game. Read more
FA charges Liverpool, Everton for Merseyside derby ”confrontation” (ESPN)
Liverpool and Everton have been charged by the Football Association following a “mass confrontation” between their players during Monday’s Merseyside derby in the Premier League.
The incident took place in the 86th minute of the match, which Liverpool won 2-0 at Anfield.
Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and Liverpool defender Andy Robertson were both booked after a clash near the touchline before the incident escalated, with a number of players and substitutes from both teams getting involved. Read more
Sarina Wiegman left disappointed with poor Milton Keynes pitch as Lionesses ease to win (Mirror)
England boss Sarina Wiegman labelled the Stadium MK pitch “unacceptable” despite the Lionesses cruising to a win over Korea Republic to kickstart their Arnold Clark Cup campaign.
The tournament hosts produced an impressive display to ease past Korea Republic 4-0, with Lauren James producing a dominant display. Georgia Stanway’s penalty had broken the deadlock shortly before half-time, with Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo and James herself adding a fourth towards the end.
England were impressive once Stanway had given them the lead and began to open up the Asian Cup runners-up on a regular basis, creating numerous chances. Although it was close to a perfect night for the European Champions, Wiegman was critical of the Stadium MK pitch, which cut up badly as the game went on. Read more
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon believe they can work together to achieve Alpine aims (BBC)
Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon believe they can work together to achieve the Alpine team’s ambitions despite their cool personal relationship.
The Frenchmen were childhood friends and karting rivals but fell out some years ago.
“We are grown-up people, more mature, and we are aware of the responsibilities of being Alpine drivers and having such a big group behind us,” Gasly said. Read more
Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason thrilled to play in Jordan Rising Stars games on Friday night (Fox)
Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason is thrilled he has been selected to play in the Jordan Rising Stars games Friday night in Salt Lake City.
The event is part of the NBA All-Star weekend.
“It’s special!” Eason said. “I appreciate being recognized as one of the best rookies and being selected to participate in the Rising Stars game.”
Eason replaced Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, who had to miss the Rising Stars games because of an injury. Read more