300m litres of PMS arrive Lagos, FG begins probe of dirty fuel (Guardian)
After five days of agony, with many drivers across the country struggling to fill their tanks, respite seems to be on the way for motorists. Already, two vessels have arrived at Lagos ports, waiting to discharge Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), known as petrol, The Guardian gathered yesterday.
The vessels, as stated in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) publication, Shipping Position, arrived on Tuesday at ASPM jetty Ijora and yesterday at Pinnacle jetty, Apapa.
The document noted that two other ships arrived along with the PMS-laden vessels with salt and containers and have started discharging at the ports.
The document further noted that 18 ships laden with other products are expected to arrive in the country from February 10 to 22. The expected ships contain wheat, fish, sugar, gas, container and cargo.
This corroborated the assurances of the Federal Government, which through the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), said, yesterday, that at least six vessels were ordered by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited had arrived in the country. Read more
Land grabbers impersonate judgment creditors, demolish property, victims tackle Lagos task force (Punch)
Members of the Regun-Keyeolu Family have accused the Coordinator, Lagos State Special Task Force on Land Grabbers, Owolabi Arole, of conniving with certain persons to demolish structures on their land.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the land, known as Old Nitel in the Ikorodu area of the state, was acquired by the Federal Government for telecommunications development.
A member of the family, Rotimi Dada, said the Federal Government refused to return the land despite not using it for the intended purpose.
He noted that the land was commercialised, adding that in a bid to reclaim it, the family instituted a suit against the government and other interlopers. Read more
How Agberos barricade roads, worsen Lagos traffic gridlock (Guardian)
Traffic gridlocks, no doubt is a major challenge in Lagos State. On daily basis, commuters lose several man-hours on the road. Prime among the reasons for this are bad roads, obstructions, disobedient to traffic laws and indiscriminate parking of vehicles on major roads by motorists.
With the government working assiduously to reduce gridlock occasioned by some of the factors, the activities of the two transport unions operating in the state have contribute to traffic jam.
The unions include the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN). They operate in garages, motor parks and bus stops across the state through their officials, otherwise known as agberos, or proxies who are park touts.
But, in recent times, some of their members are using makeshift iron barricades to demarcate sections of the road to serve as loading bays for commercial purposes, causing other road users to struggle on the unblocked narrow lanes, resulting in terrible gridlocks. Read more
NIN Registration: FG’s ICT company owns up to server breakdown (Vanguard)
Contrary to the belief that the National Identity Number, NIN verification portal of the National Identity Management Commission, NIMC crashed, it was actually the government’s Information and Communications Technology, ICT service provider, Galaxy Backbone, that had the issue which affected all servers hosted on its platform.
The Management in an exclusive chat with Vanguard admitted that the fault was its and apologised to the public for the breakdown of its central Server which has led to the suspension of services by all their customers.
This came as the organization revealed that efforts were on top gear to address the hiccups within the shortest possible time.
The organization said it regretted the temporary outage of some of its services and the inconvenience being experienced by the public, including telecom subscribers and bank customers, saying that the highest priority classification of professional engineers across the organization has been dispatched to fix the glitch. Read more
Hanifa: Aisha Buhari visits Kano, says justice must prevail (DailyTrust)
Nigeria’s first lady, Aisha Buhari on Wednesday evening visited Kano State to commiserate with the government, families and the people of the state over the loss of 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar and the famous cleric, late Ahmad Bamba.
In a press briefing held at the state government house, Aisha said she is purposely on a private visit to register her condolence in person with the two families.
“I am here on a private visit to commiserate with the governor of Kano and his wife; the emir of Kano and the good people of the state over the loss of Sheik Ahmad Bamba and also the innocent Hanifa Abubakar. We hope and pray that justice will be done for her.
“As a mother, I have children and grandchildren already in primary school. They trust their teachers so much and so do we too. So, in a situation whereby our children are not safe in their schools, that means society has become something else. I think the punishment should be done in other to satisfy all the matters in Nigeria.” Read more
‘I said yes’, ace cinematographer, Kemi Adetiba, celebrates engagement (Vanguard)
Movie producer, cinematographer and ace story teller, Kemi Adetiba, took to her Instagram page to announce her engagement.
In a post, the “Visual Troublemaker”, as she calls herself, said: “We’ve taken some time to privately enjoy this moment and bask in the celebration of it all.
“However, we’re beginning to understand it might be next to impossible keeping a lid on this for much longer.
“After thinking long and hard, we ultimately would love for this announcement to be on our own terms and molded in our own true narrative. Read more
Gunmen in military camouflage shoot Ogun businessman dead, cart away car (Punch)
Gunmen in military camouflage have shot a businessman dead in the Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The deceased, Oso Femi, was reportedly the owner of Osofem Oil and Gas located at Nitel Bus Stop in the area.
The incident was reported to have occurred around 10pm on Sunday when the deceased planned to close for the day.
A man, who claimed to be the deceased’s nephew, and who identified himself as Harbee, explained that the gunmen were all clad in military camouflage. Read more
ASUU insists on strike, says ‘FG dribbling us’ (Tribune)
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has re-emphasised its readiness to embark on industrial action should the Federal Government refuse to act fast before this Friday on meeting its lingering demands.
The union said its members had sacrificed so much for both the nation’s public university system and the country at large by denying themselves of desirable things due to them as being enjoyed by their colleagues elsewhere globally and now push to the wall and can no longer continue in that manner.
The Lagos Zone coordinator of ASUU, Dr Adelaja Odukoya, made this explanation on Tuesday at a media briefing held at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Akoka shortly after the ASUU branch of the university went round the university community to sensitise the students and other workers why they have no option to strike action at this time.
Lagos Zone comprises UNILAG; Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB); Olabisi Onabanjo University(OOU), Ago Iwoye; Lagos State University(LASU) Ojo and Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ijebu Ode Ogun State and with all the leaders from the branches in attendance at the briefing. Read more
Reps raise alarm over rising ritual killings, charge IGP to take action (DailyTrust)
The House of Representatives has called for measures to tackle the root causes and put a stop to the rising cases of ritual killings in the country.
Following the adoption of a motion on urgent public importance by Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) at the Plenary on Wednesday, the House noted that incidents of ritual killings have assumed an alarming rate in Nigeria in recent times.
Presenting the motion, the lawmaker stated that there is an upsurge of reported ritual killings with increasing cases of abductions and missing persons in different parts of the country.
He said, in most cases, the culprits also rape, maim, kill and obtain sensitive body parts of unsuspecting victims for rituals. Read more
Snoop Dogg calls Super Bowl halftime show ‘dream come true’ (NYPost)
Snoop Dogg says he won’t let the big Super Bowl stage rattle his nerves. The ultra-smooth rapper said he will worry about his upcoming halftime performance after the fact.
“For me, when performing, I never let the moment get bigger than me,” said Snoop Dogg in a recent interview with The Associated Press from his studio compound in Inglewood, California, a suburb of Los Angeles where the Super Bowl will be held Sunday. He’ll take the stage with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige.
“I’m not going to understand it until it happens,” he continued. “While it’s happening, I’m in the zone. I’m stuck to the script, laser focused, being on point, sounding good, looking good and feeling good. I want to give off a great presentation. After the fact, it’s when I’ll be nervous about watching it to see what the reaction is. But while I’m going through it, it’s nothing.”
Snoop Dogg calls performing at the Super Bowl in his home state a “dream come true.” He said he’s looking forward to sharing the stage with music legends who are his friends. Read more
Hijab row shuts down schools in India state (BBC)
An Indian state has shut high schools and colleges for three days, after a row over Muslim women wearing headscarves in the classroom that has gained international attention.
The government of Karnataka state took the decision after protests by students over the hijab escalated into violence.
On Wednesday, a judge at the state’s high court referred petitions challenging the ban to a larger panel.
Protests have now spread across the country. Read more
Zoe Saldana in hot water as she admits ‘Marvel security’ made her remove Instagram post (Metro)
Zoe Saldana got herself into a teensy bit of bother with Marvel this week after she had to take down a behind-the-scenes Instagram reel because of ‘Marvel security’.
The 43-year-old uploaded her clip for the second time on Monday, which showed her in a robe and green face make-up for her role as Gamora, sipping on a drink and flicking through a binder of information as she took a break from filming.
However, this is where Marvel’s involvement became clear, as the star had scribbled over the documents in green pen so nothing could be read on the pages, thereby saving us from any Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 spoilers.
‘Had to take this down before because of Marvel Security,’ she admitted in the caption. ‘Now that I covered what they don’t want you to see, let’s just focus on the Mate!!!!!’
Zoe had even helpfully drawn a green arrow to her drink and written ‘mate’ underneath, to draw focus. Read more
Major breakthrough on nuclear fusion energy (BBC)
European scientists say they have made a major breakthrough in their quest to develop practical nuclear fusion – the energy process that powers the stars.
The UK-based JET laboratory has smashed its own world record for the amount of energy it can extract by squeezing together two forms of hydrogen.
If nuclear fusion can be successfully recreated on Earth it holds out the potential of virtually unlimited supplies of low-carbon, low-radiation energy.
The experiments produced 59 megajoules of energy over five seconds (11 megawatts of power). Read more
Bob Saget died of ‘brain bleed,’ fell asleep after hitting head (PageSix)
Bob Saget’s cause of death has been revealed.
The late “Full House” star died after an unspecified trauma to his head, his family confirmed to Page Six in a statement Wednesday evening.
“In the weeks since Bob’s passing, we have been overwhelmed with the incredible outpouring of love from Bob’s fans, which has been a great comfort to us and for which we are eternally grateful,” they wrote.
“Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities’ investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us.” Read more
Britney Spears teases new music with epic Blackout throwback as she continues to embrace freedom after conservatorship (Metro)
Britney Spears appears to be gearing up for a musical return after all with the singer teasing fans with her future songs.
The Slave 4 U hitmaker blessed her Instagram followers with fresh content on Wednesday with a video of her dancing to a very familiar song.
In the clip, Britney, 40, is seen showing off her sultry moves in a studio dressed in a red swimsuit with cut-out detailing and a pair of stiletto heels.
She wrote in the caption: ‘This is 13 seconds of me in heels 👠 before I dyed my hair purple 💜 …. This is a tease 😈 of what’s to come !!!! My song “Get Naked” 🎧 !!! Hope you guys are having a great day !!!! Read more
Man held after woman says she was raped on flight (BBC)
A passenger was arrested at Heathrow Airport after a woman said she was raped in business class on an overnight transatlantic flight from New Jersey.
The woman said she was attacked by a 40-year-old man while others slept on the flight from Newark on 31 January.
Officers boarded the United Airlines plane after it landed at 06:39 GMT and arrested the man who has since been released under investigation.
The Met Police said the woman was being supported by specialist officers. Read more
Oshoala hits brace in landmark 100th game for (Barca Punch)
Super Falcons captain Asisat Oshoala on Wednesday made history for Barcelona Femeni after reaching a landmark 100 appearances for the Spanish giants and scoring twice in their 9-1 demolition of Real Sociedad at the San Sebastian.
Oshoala celebrated her feat with the brace to put the Blaugrana in pole position to win the league.
The Nigerian opened scoring after eight minutes, before adding the second – her 79th goal in a Barca shirt – a minute before the break.
With Real Sociedad coming forward, the task was easier in the second half. Rolfö made it three, before Irene Paredes and Martens scored four and five as the floodgates were finally opened. Read more
Maturity, mutual respect key to success, Onigbinde tells Eguavoen, Amuneke (Guardian)
Former Super Eagles Coach, Adegboye Onigbinde, has advised the team’s Interim Coach, Augustine Eguavoen and his new assistant, Emmanuel Amuneke, that only mutual respect and desire to make a difference can lead them to success in the task of managing the senior national team.
Onigbinde described Eguavoen and Amuneke as top coaches, who have handled national teams at different levels in the past, adding that it is pertinent for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to clearly delineate the coaches’ roles to avoid conflicts.
He said the two former international stars’ exposure will come in handy and help them raise a formidable squad that will overcome Blacks Stars of Ghana in next month’s FIFA World Cup final qualifying round.
Onigbinde also tasked the NFF to design programmes for coaches’ education in the country, just as he urged the federation to fashion out talent discovery plans that will take care of the talents scattered across the country. Read more
Man Utd players want Mauricio Pochettino but Ralf Rangnick has preferred successor in mind (Metro)
Manchester United players are pushing for Mauricio Pochettino to be the club’s next permanent manager, according to reports.
However, interim boss Ralf Rangnick sees Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as the ideal candidate to succeed him in the summer once his time at the helm comes to an end.
Pochettino has long been held in high regard by the club’s hierarchy and United chiefs are confident they can prise him away from PSG at the end of the season.
According to The Sun, United’s players would fully support that move and now new chief executive Richard Arnold is in place they will intensify their pursuit of the former Tottenham boss. Read more
Southampton fight back for dramatic win over Tottenham (BBC)
Ralph Hasenhuttl says Southampton produced the best performance of his tenure as they fought back to beat Tottenham and damage the hosts’ bid for a Champions League spot.
Che Adams headed the winner in the 82nd minute, just three minutes after Mohamed Elyounoussi beat Hugo Lloris in almost identical fashion to level.
Southampton defender Jan Bednarek had earlier turned into his own net to open the scoring when under pressure from Son Heung-min following Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s cut-back.
But Armando Broja levelled soon after in what was a dominant first-half performance from the visitors in which Romain Perraud also struck the crossbar. Read more
Sadiq relishes dream AFCON debut (Punch)
Nigeria international Umar Sadiq has expressed his happiness at being a part of the Super Eagles squad that represented the country at the just-concluded 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in January. He described it as a dream come true.
The Almeria striker alongside Huesca’s Kelechi Nwakali and Enyimba’s John Noble were the three players, who were yet to make their international debuts, but were included in the team that travelled to Cameroon for the tournament.
Sadiq, who was part of the Nigerian U-23 squad that won bronze at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016, had turned down invitation from former Eagles coach Gernot Rohr as he chose to focus on Almeria’s promotion chase in the Spanish second division.
The 25-year-old did eventually make his first appearance and AFCON debut for Nigeria at the 33rd edition of Africa’s football showpiece, scoring in the 3-1 win over Sudan in the second game of the group phase. Read more
Murray marks return to top 100 with Bublik win (Guardian)
Andy Murray marked his return to the top 100 for the first time since 2018 with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik at the Rotterdam tournament on Wednesday.
Former world number one, and three-time major winner, Murray had too much court guile for world number 31 Bublik who won his maiden ATP title in Montpellier at the weekend.
“There were some tough moments in the first set for both of us,” said wildcard Murray, now at 95 in the world.
“I just managed to come through at the end of it. Some great returns off some big second serve from him at the end and I did a good job. Read more
Kurt Zouma’s cats seized by RSPCA and West Ham defender fined £250,000 (Metro)
Kurt Zouma’s two cats have been taken away by the RSPCA after shocking footage showed him abusing them.
The 27-year-old French defender was filmed dropping, kicking and slapping one of his Bengal cats.
West Ham has also fined him £250,000 – two weeks’ worth of wages – and axed him from the squad for the next game.
The RSPCA also revealed they were ‘dealing’ with the issue before The Sun broke the story and are leading the investigation. Read more