2023 Presidency: Ex-senators, others storm Alaafin, Olubadan’s palaces for Tinubu (Sun)
A subtle campaign for the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to become president in 2023 began in Ibadan and Oyo town in Oyo State, yesterday.
The movement began with visits to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso I and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III to seek their royal blessings for the actualisation of the dream.
The team comprised ex-senators and members of the House of Representatives and some serving and former political office holders from differentstates across the six states of South West.
The group under the aegis of South West Agenda 2023 (SWAGA ‘23), a group of rainbow coalition of like-minded politicians was led to the two palaces by former works minister and former spokesperson of the senate, Prince Dayo Adeyeye. Read more
How to make Lagos environment sustainable, by experts (Nation)
Upcycling, recycling and composting are ways of reducing environmental waste and the impact of climate change; environmentalists and climate change experts have said.
They say the processes remain the most effective ways of curbing flooding and ensuring a more sustainable environment, especially in Lagos.
These recommendations came from The United States Exchange Alumni Association, a cohort of the US Department of State during two-day skill acquisition and capacity development training for young people in Oshodi-Isolo Local Council Development Area in Lagos. Read more
Katsina abductions: Nigeria has no govt, says Ezekwesili (Punch)
A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, says Nigeria has no government at the moment hence the abduction of over 300 boys from Government Science Secondary School, Kankara, Katsina State.
Ezekwesili said this during an interview with BBC on Tuesday.
The former minister, who is one of the Co-Conveners of the Bring Back Our Girls group which led the demonstrations for the rescue of over 250 schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, said the recent abduction of schoolboys was evidence that Nigeria had incompetent persons at the helm of affairs. Read more
CJN tests positive for COVID-19, receiving treatment in Dubai (Guardian)
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Tanko Muhammad has tested positive for COVID-19.
This was disclosed by a member of the Supreme Court, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa at the unveiling of the national headquarters of the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
Saulawa said the CJN is receiving treatment in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Muhammad, was on Monday, absent from new legal year ceremony of the Supreme Court, where he was scheduled to preside over the inauguration of 72 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria.
Muhammad is one of the high-profile Nigerians that have tested positive for the virus since Nigeria started witnessing resurgence of the virus. Lagos State governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu tested positive for the virus at the end of last week. Read more
Ugandan court orders release of Omah Lay, Tems (Punch)
A Ugandan court has ordered the release of two fast-rising Nigerian singers, Omah Lay and Tems, from detention.
This is coming three days after they were arrested in Uganda for allegedly flouting COVID-19 guidelines.
The PUNCH reports that they were arrested after their performances at The Big Brunch, which held at Speke Resort, Wavamunno Rd, Kampala, Uganda.
Court documents confirming their release were shared by Ugandan celebrities and media organisations on Tuesday. Read more
COVID-19: Eight Corps members test positive in Jigawa (Vanguard)
The Jigawa state government has announced that it has discovered eight new cases of COVID-19 among members of the National youth service (NYSC) corps posted to the State.
The Permanent Secretary Ministry Of Health, Alhaji Salisu Muazu Babura made the disclosure in a press briefing yesterday in Dutse, confirmed that out of the 15 persons screened, eight tested positives for COVID-19 are and are now receiving treatment at the state isolation center.
Salisu Babura explained that they have no plan to enforce lock down in the state unless people fail to obey the protocol procedures, charged people to washed their hands five times a day, maintain social distance as well as continue to use facemasks. Read more
NMA in Zamfara suspends strike (Guardian)
The Zamfara chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has suspended its one week strike it embarked upon to protest the poor remuneration of medical doctors working in the state.
Dr Mannir Bature, the Chairman of NMA announced the suspension in a statement in Gusau on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NMA had on Dec. 10 directed its members to embark on a one week strike. Read more
Two dead in Rivers stampede over Christmas package (Punch)
Eight persons are feared dead following a stampede that occurred when members of Non-Governmental Organisation besieged one of its offices in Rumuodara, along the East-West Road, near Port Harcourt.
However, police in the state confirmed that two people died.
It was gathered that the organisation had invited its registered members to receive their Christmas package at the location on Tuesday.
One of the members, who gave her name as Chinaza, said that many people showed up for the package and were in a hurry to access the building. Read more
Kano Assembly gets new Speaker as Speaker, Majority Leader resign (Vanguard)
Following the resignation of the Speaker of Kano State House of Assembly, Abdulaziz Garba Gafasa and the Majority Leader, Labaran Abdul Madari on Monday, the member representing Makoda Constituency, Hamisu Chidari has emerged as the new Speaker of the House.
In a plenary on Tuesday, the member representing Wudil Constituency Nuhu Abdullahi Achika nominated Hamisu Chidari for the position of Speaker and was seconded by Sanusi Usman Bataiya.
The Speaker was immediately sworn-in without resistance from the floor and he thanked the members for the confidence they reposed on him.
Earlier, the former Speaker announced his resignation in a letter he signed, titled ‘Notification of Resignation’ and dated 14th December 2020 addressed to the Clerk of the House and office of the Permanent Secretary when he heard wind of an attempt to impeach him on Tuesday. Read more
Lizzo sparks body debate with 10-day smoothie diet (BBC)
US pop star Lizzo has sparked a body positivity debate after posting videos of her 10-day smoothie diet progress.
The Grammy-winning singer has previously been lauded for her body-positive stance, celebrating “big girls” on songs like Juice.
Now in a series of Tik Tok videos, she has charted her weight loss attempts.
Many fans have commended her efforts on health grounds, while other have criticised the star for encouraging “diet culture”. Read more
Will Smith and Jason Derulo surprise teen cancer patient with a PS5 (Metro)
Will Smith found the perfect way to lift the spirits of a teen cancer patient in an adorable Christmas themed episode of his Snapchat series, Will From Home. The Hollywood superstar, 51, teamed up with his pal Jason Derulo, 31, to help surprise Aiden, a 14-year-old who was diagnosed with cancer in April. Due to the ongoing pandemic, Aiden’s father Chuck has not been able to be by his side during chemotherapy treatments in Fort Worth, Texas. After Chuck reached out, Will and Jason hopped on a video call with Aiden – much to the teen’s delight. Read more
Twitter fined €450k under EU data privacy rules in world first (RT)
Social networking site Twitter has been fined €450,000 ($547,000) under the EU’s GDPR law in a world first, for failing to provide a timely report about a data breach that made some private tweets public.
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission (DPC) slapped Twitter with the fine for infringing the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by failing to swiftly inform users about and ensure it documented a data breach.
The 2019 incident saw private tweets posted by individuals who used Twitter’s Android app exposed, due to a security flaw, when they made changes to the accounts, such as updating their email addresses. Read more
Japan ‘Twitter killer’ Takahiro Shiraishi sentenced to death (BBC)
A man who murdered nine people after contacting them on Twitter has been sentenced to death, in a high-profile case that has shocked Japan.
Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the “Twitter killer”, was arrested in 2017 after body parts were found in his flat.
The 30-year-old had admitted to murdering and dismembering his victims – almost all of whom were young women he met on the social media platform.
The serial killings triggered debate over how suicide is discussed online. Read more
Avengers: Endgame actress Emma Fuhrmann reacts to being replaced as Cassie Lang in Ant-Man sequel (Metro)
Avengers: Endgame actress Emma Fuhrmann has spoken out after being replaced by Marvel in the upcoming Ant-Man sequel. It emerged this week that Big Little Lies star Kathryn Newton had been cast in the role of Cassie Lang for the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. However, it seems Emma, 19, who previously played the character, didn’t know about the recast and found out along with Marvel fans. Read more
US election: Putin congratulates Biden after electoral college win (CNN)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has become one of the last world leaders to congratulate US President-elect Joe Biden on his victory.
The Kremlin had said it would wait for official results from November’s vote before recognising the victory.
Mr Biden was confirmed as the winner on Monday by the electoral college.
Most world leaders congratulated Mr Biden within days of the 3 November poll, when it was clear he had defeated sitting President Donald Trump. Read more
Top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell recognises Joe Biden as president-elect (RT)
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has acknowledged President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ victory following the electoral college vote – despite hoping for a “different result.”
McConnell, a Republican, noted that “as of this morning, our country has a president-elect and a vice president-elect” in a public address on Tuesday, admitting “our system of government has processes to determine who will be sworn in,” even though “many millions of us had hoped the presidential election would yield a different result.”
The Electoral College confirmed Biden’s win on Monday, leading a number of Republican lawmakers who had previously been reluctant to acknowledge the Democrats’ apparent win to announce their allegiance publicly. Read more
Jean Sseninde: Battling prejudice to develop women’s football in South Sudan (BBC)
There are still areas in South Sudan where it is still taboo for women to play football and more traditional for girls to be married off at a very young age.
This is just one of the hurdles South Sudan Football Association (SSFA) is facing as it embarks on a journey to transform women football in the country.
Despite the challenges the SSFA has taken the first steps by appointing former Uganda international Jean Sseninde to a consultancy role to spearhead its four year women’s football strategy – Stars Unite.
“Some of the barriers include convincing members that women can still play football,” Sseninde, told BBC Sport Africa. Read more
Bayern Munich star Leon Goretzka reveals he turned down Liverpool transfer (Metro)
Germany midfielder Leon Goretzka has confirmed he turned down a personal plea from Jurgen Klopp to join Liverpool. The Bayern Munich star has been one of the standout players in the Bundesliga over the last 12 months, following a slow start to life at the Allianz Arena in 2018. The German was tracked by a host of top European clubs after it became clear that he would leave Schalke in 2018 once his contract expired. Read more
Lionel Messi’s mammoth Barcelona salary is ‘unsustainable,’ says presidential candidate (RT)
Lionel Messi’s colossal wages at Barcelona are “unsustainable” and would have to be reined in should he remain at the Nou Camp, presidential candidate Emili Rousaud has said.
Reports differ on just how Messi pockets from his current deal with the Catalans, although the Argentine ace topped the Forbes listings for the world’s highest-paid footballers in 2020, which put his salary at a staggering $92 million as part of overall annual earnings of $126 million.
In times when the coronavirus pandemic has wrought havoc in the financial departments of clubs around the world, Rousaud said that Messi’s existing deal was unrealistic and would have to be reassessed should the 33-year-old remain at the club. Read more
Liverpool to assess Matip ahead of Spurs match (BBC)
Liverpool will assess the fitness of Joel Matip, who was substituted with a back spasm at half-time of the draw against Fulham on Sunday.
Midfielder Naby Keita could be in contention for his 50th Premier League appearance if he is deemed fit after a muscle problem.
Tottenham forward Gareth Bale, who has not made a Premier League appearance since 8 November, is still recovering from illness. Read more
Jack Grealish banned from driving for nine months and fined £82,000 (Metro)
Aston Villa and England midfielder Jack Grealish has been banned from driving for nine months and fined £82,499 after pleading guilty to two charges of careless driving. The 25-year-old appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday for sentencing after pleading guilty to the charges on November 24. The first offence occurred during the first nationwide lockdown in March when his white Range Rover collided with two parked cars. Grealish was pictured at the scene wearing two different pairs of shoes, while his damaged Range Rover was left parked on double yellow lines. Read more
Under-fire Arteta vows to stop Arsenal ‘blip’ (Guardian)
Mikel Arteta insists he is strong enough to cope with the pressure of Arsenal’s dismal run as the Gunners boss dismissed their recent struggles as merely a “blip”.
Arteta has faced calls for his sacking after Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat against Burnley condemned Arsenal to their worst start to a season since 1974.
Arsenal has lost their last four home league games — their worst sequence since 1959 — and another defeat at the Emirates Stadium against in-form Southampton on Wednesday would pile further pressure on Arteta. Read more