22 ships discharge petrol, others at Lagos ports
(Vanguard)
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on Thursday said that 22 ships at the Lagos Port Complex were discharging petrol and others.
The NPA in its daily Shipping Position said that the ships were discharging bulk wheat, general cargo, container, frozen fish, ethanol, automobile gasoline, base oil, butane gas, bulk urea and petrol.
The authority said that 26 other ships were expected to arrive at the port between March 23 to April 10.
It listed the expected items as bulk wheat, general cargo, frozen fish, bulk sugar, butane gas, bulk gypsum, bulk salt, automobile gasoline, petrol and containers. Read more
84-year-old arraigned for N20.7m fraud (Nation)
An octogenarian, Fasasi Adebambo was yesterday arraigned before a Federal High Court, Lagos for alleged N20.7 million fraud.
Adebambo, 84, was arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko alongside one Ojobaro Kayode charged with conspiracy and false pretenses.
The Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU), which arraigned the defendants, alleged that they obtained the said amount from Dr. and Mrs. Mbeledogu under the pretext of selling them a property in the Maryland area of Lagos State.
PSFU prosecutor, Henry Obiaze, told the court that defendants allegedly committed the offence between usJanuary and February 2020. Read more
Over 1m PVCs still uncollected in Lagos since 2019, says REC (Guardian)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos State on Thursday said that no less than 1,096,355 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) printed prior to the 2019 general elections were still yet to be collected in the state.
The new INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, disclosed this at his maiden stakeholders’ meeting with party leaders, civil society organisations and other relevant stakeholders on Thursday in Lagos.
“Let me also inform you that some Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) of those that registered prior to the 2019 General Election are still available at all the 20 LGAs for collection by those who are supposed to have done so.
“It is important to point out that a total of 5,626,537 PVCs were collected by their owners before the 2019 General Election out of 6,728,394 PVCs received in the state leaving a balance of 1,101,557. Read more
Apongbon Market Fire: Lagos govt shuts Eko Bridge, announces alternative routes (Channels)
Following the fire outbreak at the Apongbon axis of the Eko Bridge in the early hours of Wednesday, the Lagos State Government has shut the bridge.
Alternative routes have also been announced for diverting traffic and for the safety of motorists.
This was announced in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Frederic Oladeinde.
He explained that an integrity assessment will be carried out to ascertain the level of damage caused by the fire incident for adequate rehabilitation of the bridge. Read more
Dwell more on the gains of Christianity, Kumuyi charges Nigerians (ThisDay)
The General Overseer of Deeper Life Christian Ministries, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, has admonished Nigerians to dwell more on the positive things Christianity had done and is still doing to Nigerians and mankind, rather than looking at the negativities that sometimes emanate from followers of the faith.
kumuyi, who spoke at a press briefing in yenagoa, bayelsa state, shortly after arriving at the bayelsa international airport for a four days crusade, said despite the negativity, the propagation of christ by christians has done tremendously to tackles some of the ills in the society.
While acknowledging that the level of sins among christians is on the rise despite the increase in the numbers of churches and worship centres, the cleric said nigerians need to thank god that christianity has brought a real change to lives, family and the state as a whole, “even though we are not there yet, we are going to get there”.
The clergyman said: “You know that before the coming of Christ to the world there were quite a lot of problems even before Christ was revealed to Nigerians; of course you know the history of Nigerians before Christianity came. Read more
Bauchi vows to change policies, laws discriminatory to women, girls (Independent)
The Bauchi State government has reiterated its commitment to change laws and policies that discriminate against women and girls, saying that it will ensure that women are included at all levels of political decision-making.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Multilateral Affairs, Professor Sani Malami, stated this on Thursday at the End-Line Report and Closing event for the Japan-UNESCO project on the Empowerment of Women and Girls on Marginalized communities for better Well-Being through Education and Advocacy, held at the Command Guest House, Bauchi.
The Governor’s Aide said until women and girls are liberated from poverty and injustice, all other goals which include peace, security, sustainable development stands on Jeopardy, stressing that promoting the empowerment of women is vital for creating a prosperous, safe and peaceful world.“
It must be stated that in our own country, Nigeria, the policies, legal frameworks and social justice system to prevent sexual and Gender-based violence are grossly inadequate, the facts speak for themselves. A nationwide survey in 2012, reported that nearly 12 percent of Nigerians aged 15-24 agreed that wife-beating is completely justified, with over 21 percent saying so in the North-East.” Read more
Billionaire’s wife Susan Waya, joins Benue guber race (Guardian)
Mrs Susan Waya, the wife of Benue billionaire, Terry, has joined the 2023 governorship race in the state, on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Susan, who spoke with newsmen shortly after obtaining her nomination and expression of interest forms at the PDP secretariat in Abuja, said she was hopeful of picking the party’s ticket for the Government House.
“A state abundantly gifted with rich, agricultural fields covered by fresh, clean, and unadulterated flowing rivers, one of which it was later named after, Benue is a safe-haven in the grasslands with vast human resources.
“The state had and still has irreplaceable potential, and has a strong promise for a better future. Read more
Soyinka decries protest over OAU VC (Nation)
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has decried the protests by some Ile Ife indigenes over the appointment of Prof. Adebayo Bamire as Vice Chancellor of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU).
He lambasted the protesters, saying the Ile Ife people ought to have denounced the protesters for such “crazy” agitation.
The protesters expressed anger that an indigene of Ile-Ife was not appointed OAU VC.
Soyinka spoke at a lecture titled: The Politics of Black Intellection and Creativity, at the University of Pennsylvania, United States on Tuesday. His lecture was the first of the newly inaugurated Distinguished Lecture in African Studies. Read more
NBC expands footprint in hybrid solar power (Leadership)
The Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd (NBC) has revealed an expanded investment as the company transits to renewable energy sources as a way of accelerating the delivery of its net zero commitment.
Speaking during a guided tour of the company’s plant in Lagos, managing director of the NBC, Matthew Segun, said the company, which is part of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Group (CCHBC), has an uncompromising commitment to minimise its environmental footprint whilst enriching the communities where it operates.
Segun stated that in line with the commitment, the CCHBC has instigated a set of sustainability commitments ahead of 2025 that addresses six major areas including the reduction of emissions, water use and stewardship, working towards a world without waste, ingredients sourcing, nutrition, people, and communities.
Advancing towards these commitments, he said the NBC has mainstreamed sustainability into every aspect of its operations, adding that one of the major challenges facing sustainable manufacturing are carbon emissions from non-renewable energy sources. Read more
Denrele faces backlash over extra-marital affair claims with late singer, Goldie (Punch)
Popular crossdresser and Nigerian TV host, Denrele Edun, has incensed several Nigerians with his shocking claims of having an affair with late singer, Goldie Harvey, while she was married.
His revelation was made during an interview with NeeCeeBosslady Blog which went viral on Wednesday.
“My beautiful late friend, Goldie, many people just thought we were friends,” he said.
“But we did have a few intimate moments; so that is why I will say that I was her driving force. Read more
Luke Combs no longer performing at 2022 CMT Awards after testing positive for COVID (People)
Luke Combs will no longer be taking the stage at the CMT Music Awards.
A spokesperson for the fan-voted awards show confirmed to People Wednesday that the 31-year-old country singer won’t be performing at the upcoming event after testing positive for COVID-19. Combs was set to tape his scheduled spot on Thursday, per Country Now.
“Unfortunately Luke Combs won’t be with us tomorrow. He is quarantined with COVID,” a CMT spokesperson said in a statement. “He’s bummed to miss seeing everyone!”
Combs has not yet commented on the news. Read more
Sum 41 to return to pop-punk roots on new double album ‘Heaven And Hell’ (NME)
Sum 41 have confirmed they’ve recorded a double album, with one half of ‘Heaven And Hell’ inspired by the pop-punk of their early albums.
In a new interview, Deryck Whibley confirmed that the band’s eighth album is done, but it doesn’t currently have a release date.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Whibley said that the new Sum 41 record came about by “accident” after the label asked him if the band had any leftover tracks from debut album ‘All Killer, No Filler’ for a possible 20th anniversary re-release.
They didn’t, but Whibley offered to write some in the same style. “Once I had about four or five songs, I was like, ‘You know what? I like all these. I’m not giving these to anybody’.” Read more
Soccer Mommy reveals details of new album ‘Sometimes, Forever’ (FarOut)
Following the release of her single ‘Shotgun’, Soccer Mommy has revealed the details of her forthcoming album Sometimes, Forever. The record, which is being produced by Daniel Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never, is the Nashvillian’s third full-length studio offering, coming after 2018’s Clean and 2020’s Colour Theory, the latter of which contained her hit single ‘Circle The Drain’.
Responding to the album’s first single ‘Shotgun’, Far Out wrote: “‘Shotgun’ finds Allison leaning harder into the pure rock music side of her music than ever before. That being said, there are still plenty of electronic buzzes to be found, including a wild bloopy synthesizer line that bubbles up throughout the track.”
Opening up about the surf-infused new single, the singer-songwriter said: “‘Shotgun’ is all about the joys of losing yourself in love,” she said. “I wanted it to capture the little moments in a relationship that stick with you.” It’s not the huge parties and impossible to replicate moments that stick, it’s the everyday joys that anyone can have: “Cold beer and ice cream is all we keep / The only things we really need.”
‘Shotgun’ arrives alongside a new music video directed by Kevin Lombardo, which frames Soccer Mommy’s DIY bedroom aesthetic wonderfully. Sometimes, Forever is slated for June 24th via Loma Vista and is currently available to pre-order. Read more
Superman’ actor Margot Kidder’s last film ‘Robber’s Roost’ resumes production (Variety)
Debutant Galen Rosenthal‘s “Robber’s Roost,” the last film starring Margot Kidder, has resumed production with the addition of Shiladitya Bora (Platoon One Films) as executive producer. The project is currently filming in Park City, Utah. A psychological thriller set at the turn of the 20th century during the last days of the Wild West, “Robber’s Roost” is the story of a woman who has lived alone in a desolate mountain cabin for decades until one day a mysterious person from her past emerges from the depths of a brutal winter.
Kidder, best known for playing Lois Lane opposite Christopher Reeve in the “Superman” films, died in May 2018 while the film was still incomplete. Mexican actor Nathalia Acevedo, who debuted in Carlos Reygadas‘ 2012 Cannes winner “Post Tenebras Lux,” stepped in to play a younger version of Kidder’s character to finish the film. The cast also includes David H. Stevens (“Yellowstone”).
Bora’s producer credits include Cannes player “Masaan” and “Locarno” selection “The Song of Scorpions” and he is also a director and distributor. “Robber’s Roost” is his first American project.
Rosenthal said: “In these last three years in my journey to complete this film I’ve had to deal with the death of my lead actress, the destruction of my set by the worst winter in a decade, and then the COVID-19 pandemic. Basically, I have had the ‘Apocalypse Now’ experience on a budget.”
Netflix boss Scott Stuber says Oscar best picture win would be the dream (BBC)
A streaming service could win best picture at the Oscars for the first time on Sunday, which Netflix’s head of global film Scott Stuber says would be “the dream”.
“We all grew up wanting that,” Stuber says in his first UK broadcast interview. “We are all going into the room with that hope and dream. Can you make a film that will be considered best in class?”
Netflix, once the new kid on the block, has 27 Oscar nominations at this year’s Academy Awards, more than any other studio. The Power of the Dog, the story of two warring brothers set in 1920s Montana, is one of the frontrunners to be named best picture.
Its director, Jane Campion, is also nominated for best director, and its stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are all up for acting awards. Read more
US to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees (CNN)
The United States will welcome up to 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia’s aggression, a senior administration official announced Thursday.
“To meet this commitment, we are considering the full range of legal pathways to the United States,” the official said, which includes US refugee admissions program, parole and immigrant and non-immigrant visas.
The official said the White House will not have to ask Congress to expand the current cap on annual refugees, which is currently set at 125,000 for fiscal year 2022, because it is more of a “long-term commitment” and there will be other avenues to enter the United States for many of those Ukrainians.
“We still have a significant capacity within the 125,000 so we don’t currently envision the need to go beyond that,” the official said. Read more
Lobi Stars to lay off 20 Players – Vice Chairman
(DailyTrust)
Tama Aondofa, the Vice Chairman of Lobi Stars FC of Makurdi, says the club will undergo a major restructuring before the resumption of the 2021/2022 Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) in April.
Aondofa who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Sunday, said they had a good away match with Rangers International FC, at Awka Township Stadium on Saturday but lost to tactical indiscipline.
Rangers beat the Makurdi side 5-3 in their Week 19 encounter at their new temporary home ground in Awka.
Rangers scored three goals in the first half and another two after the break while Lobi netted all their three goals in the second half. Read more
Nigeria Vs Ghana World Cup playoff is ‘war’, Pinnick declares (Leadership)
Nigeria and Ghana had never engaged in conventional warfare, but it is always a fierce battle between the two West Africa neighbours when it comes to the game of football.
The pairing of Nigeria’s Super Eagles against the Black Stars of Ghana in a two-legged match for one of the slots for Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup has rekindled the age-long rivalry between the two nations with the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mr Amaju Melvin Pinnick, declaring that everything legal and acceptable is being done for Nigeria to achieve victory.
Speaking at the meeting with some members of the executive committee of NFF in Abuja on Wednesday, Pinnick insisted that the World Cup playoff fixture is a ‘war’ and must be approached with utmost commitment, focus and with zero tolerance for tardiness.
“Of course, we are not the ones going into the field. But the arrangements we put in place will, to a large extent, determine the spirit with which the players will enter the pitch. All our arrangements must be flawless and without sloppiness. It is a FIFA World Cup ticket at stake, so we must give it our all. Read more
Man City youngster Gavin Bazunu withdraws from international duty (MEN)
Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu has pulled out of the Republic of Ireland squad for their upcoming international friendlies through illness.
The shot-stopper, who has excelled on loan at League One club Portsmouth this season, has withdrawn from the squad a little over 48 hours ahead of Saturday’s clash with Belgium. Stephen Kenny’s side will welcome the European giants to the Aviva Stadium looking to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches.
Lithuania will then visit the Aviva Stadium on Tuesday evening. However, Bazunu will play no part in the two friendlies.
The former Shamrock Rovers man has established himself as Ireland’s No.1 this term. He has made six appearances for his country since leaving City on loan last summer and famously saved a penalty to deny Cristiano Ronaldo in Ireland’s narrow 2-1 defeat to Portugal back in September. Read more
Ozil exiled by Fenerbahce as ex-Arsenal star is kicked out of squad (Sky)
Mesut Ozil has been excluded from Fenerbahce’s first team, the Turkish club have announced.
The former Arsenal midfielder has been a key player for Fenerbahce since joining the club from the Gunners 14 months ago and captained them in their last league game against Konyaspor, but he was hauled off at half-time in that match.
The Turkish giants have also announced that midfielder Ozan Tufan, who was on loan at Watford at the start of the season before returning to his parent club in February, has also been left out of the first-team squad.
Ozil has been a vital figure in attack for Ismail Kartal’s side this season, scoring nine goals and registering three assists in all competitions. But this news will leave the 33-year-old facing a very uncertain future at Fenerbahce. Read more
Annemiek van Vleuten buzzing for ‘milestone’ Tour de France Femmes (Eurosport)
It’s hard to believe that there is anything left outstanding on Annemiek van Vleuten’s CV. The Dutch cycling superstar has been a leading light in the sport for well over a decade, helping to push women’s cycling on the global stage. But while her legacy is already more than assured, with Olympic medals, prestigious stage race victories and world titles already won, 2022 has a new race on the calendar and it is one Van Vleuten has her eye on.
The women have raced versions of La Course for a number of years now, the one-day race being attached to the end of the Tour de France in 2014. But as women’s cycling has grown, so have the voices calling for parity between the sexes when it comes to the major races. And those voices – including van Vleuten’s – have been listened to.
In 2022, the Tour de France Femmes will take place, an eight-day stage race that starts in Paris the day the men’s version finishes, and takes in white gravel roads, sprint finishes and gruelling mountain days. It is a far more fitting way for the professional women’s peloton to show their skills to the wider world – something van Vleuten is keen to point out.
“I think the milestone for me is the organisation of the Tour de France really wants now to organise it for us. It’s not that we need to beg for it, it’s like we came to a point where women’s cycling is so interesting that they are keen to organise it, and I think that that’s the milestone,” she tells Eurosport when asked whether racing in the Tour de France Femmes was set to be a personal career highlight. Read more
Jake Paul’s ‘firepower’ would be too much for Conor McGregor in boxing match, says Khabib’s coach (Independent)
Jake Paul would have too much “firepower” for Conor McGregor in a boxing match, according to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s head coach Javier Mendez.
YouTube star Paul is 5-0 as a professional boxer but has also teased a venture into mixed martial arts, having last year knocked out former UFC champion Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren, who also competed in the UFC and held titles in other MMA promotions.
Paul, 25, has long called for a fight against former UFC champion McGregor in either boxing or MMA, and Mendez has weighed in on how a boxing contest between the pair would play out.
“I would favour Jake Paul at 175lbs over Conor in a boxing ring, because he’s too big,” said Mendez, coach of the retired Khabib, who beat McGregor in 2018 to retain the UFC lightweight title. Read more
Red Bull fix fuel ‘vacuum’ that halted them in Bahrain (France24)
Red Bull team consultant Helmut Marko has declared his team will be ‘fighting for victory’ in Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after diagnosing the cause of their fuel problems.
The team suffered a double ‘did not finish’ in Bahrain last Sunday after their cars suffered fuel loss in the closing laps.
Marko explained that the problem was caused by a ‘vacuum’ in the fuel system of the ‘new era’ ground effect cars, halting both world champion Max Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez.
Marko contradicted suggestions that they had run out of fuel because they were not filled up sufficiently to complete the race distance. Read more