6 injured as church collapses during service in Badagry (Punch)
No fewer than six members of the Deeper Life Bible Church, located in Iragbo community in Badagry, Lagos State, on Sunday, sustained serious degrees of injuries when the building of the church collapsed during a heavy storm while the service was in progress.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that heavy rain which was later followed by a heavy storm led to the collapse of the church building around 9:30 a.m.
One of the members of the Church who was also a victim, Mr. Topohozin Tunde, told newsmen that six members of the church sustained serious injuries.
“I also sustained a serious knee injury, but thank God no life was lost. Read more
Presidency: Kukah, opposition caused delayed delivery of Super Tucano jets (Nation)
The Presidency has again taken a swipe at the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Kukah, for what it considers negative portrayals of President Muhammadu Buhari. administration.
It claimed in a statement yesterday that Kukah and the opposition were responsible for the delayed delivery of 12 Super Tucano jets to Nigeria by the United States.
The statement by the Senior Special Assistant to Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, was titled “Predicting Nigeria’s collapse is a perennial pursuit of US think tanks and policy experts.” He did not specifically mention the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the opposition which, according to him was defeated in 2015 by Buhari.
Shehu argued that the war against terrorism would have recorded a huge success if the US authorities were not negatively influenced then by Kukah and the opposition. Read more
Shareholders express concern over arbitrary fee increases by SEC (Vanguard)
Investors in the Nigerian capital market have expressed concern over increase in fees payable by quoted companies and other entities to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The shareholders under the aegis of Issuers and Investors Alternative Dispute Resolution Initiative (IIADRI), said that such increases, without due consideration to the economic situation, is capable of stifling growth not just in the capital market but in the economy as a whole. Some of the fee that the SEC effected increase in, according to a statement titled “Outrageous increase in fees charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission,” signed by the association’s Chairman, Moses Igbrude, and the Secretary, Sebastian Udoh, included filing fees for proxy materials, which was increased to N500,000 from N50,000.
Others are registration of a broker which was increased to N5 million from N500,000 as well as the registration of underwriters and issuing houses that were also increased in similar manner like that of the brokers. Read more
Lagos blue line rail 90% completed- Sanwo-Olu
(Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that works on both the Blue and Red line rails are at 90 percent completion.
This was made known in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State Governor, Gboyega Akosile, on Sunday.
The statement read, “Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reassured the residents that the state government is on track with its efforts to complete works on both the Blue and Red lines rail projects, which are intra-city, to strengthen the intermodal transport system.
“He said work on the Blue Line rail project was at 90 percent completion as contractors were working seven days a week so that Lagosians would ride a train on the rail by the first quarter of 2023. Read more
Despite N4t investment, hope dims for Ajaokuta Steel take-off (DailyTrust)
The completion of the remaining two per cent of work on the 43-year-old Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill, as promised by the federal government, has been ruled out this year, despite a $10 billion (about N4.155 trillion) worth of investment, Daily Trust reports.
A geologist, Professor Ibrahim Garba, said the plant’s chances of taking off are slim because it was predicated on a low-grade iron ore, an important raw material needed for the smooth operation of the rolling mill.
Prof. Garba, who served as the 14th vice-chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and also former vice chancellor of the Kano State University of Science and Technology, Wudil said it is doubtful if the steel plant will work for Nigeria.
Our correspondent reports that the professor had worked on secondment at the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Abuja as Director-General, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office.
He spearheaded the development and implementation of the Mining Cadastre System in Nigeria. Read more
Developer urges standards in projects (Guardian)
Towards giving home-buyers value for their investments, a Lagos-based real estate company, ElanOrris, has called for improvement in standards of housing construction.
The project manager of the firm, Olasunkanmi Adeyemi, made the call at the ground breaking ceremony of The Comfort Château schemes in Lekki, Lagos.
The scheme comprises eight units of four-bedroom terrace-duplexes with adequate driveway, private car park, private green area, children playground, gym, uninterrupted power supply, estate lights, closed circuit television and effective security. The design of the terraces is smart and contemporary with energy-efficient and all-year long services.
Adeyemi explained that the projects, which showcased unique architectural designs with optimum utilisation of internal and external spaces, will deliver daily comfort to its residents. Read more
Bandits kidnap lecturer, daughter in Kaduna, demand N100m ransom (Nation)
A Kaduna-based philanthropist and former Head of Electrical Engineering Department, Kaduna Polytechnic, Engineer Ramatu Abarshi, her daughter and a commercial driver were kidnapped on Kaduna-Kachia road at the weekend.
Abarshi and her daughter, Amira were on their way from Mariri village in Kajuru local government area where they had gone to distribute relief materials, including Sallah clothing to children orphaned by banditry.
A lecturer in the Polytechnic, who confirmed the abduction to The Nation, said the bandits trailed, attacked and kidnapped them around Kasuwan Magani Saturday evening.
According to the lecturer: “Engr. Ramatu Abarshi, and her daughter, Amira were returning to Kaduna, after a visit to Mariri village in Kajuru Local Government, where they distributed household items to the less privileged. She distributed clothes and other basic items to orphans ahead of the Eid-el- Fitr celebration. Read more
‘Monitor your children against drug abuse’, NDLEA urges parents (Independent)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Enugu State Command has urged parents to monitor the activities of their children to help control the illicit drug abuse in the South-East.
The charge was given by the Assistant State Commander, Drug Demand Reduction Department, NDLEA, Adjai Eyiuche on Sunday during the Mothering Sunday celebration of St. Mulumba Catholic Church, Enugu.
Eyiuche, who addressed the worshippers during the advocacy visit said that the appeal followed the high incidence of drug abuse and production among young people in the state.
He said that the most abused illicit drug in the state was crystal meth, popularly called ‘mkpuru mmiri’ in the Igbo language. Read more
Youths protest alleged killing of village head, 2 others in Ondo (Guardian)
There was pandemonium yesterday, at Kajola Community in Odigbo Local Council of Ondo State as youths mobilised to burn the police station in the area over the death of three people, including a community leader due to alleged police recklessness.
The angry mob thronged the Police Divisional Headquarters in Kajola in protest against the alleged killing of their kinsmen at the police checkpoints along Lagos/Benin Expressway on Saturday evening.
They dumped the three corpses at the Divisional Headquarters at Kajola, chanted songs to register their grievances and declared that they do not want to see policemen in the community again.
The victims, David Olowofeyekun, Gbenga Abayomi and Kola Akinduro, the head of Korede Village, were heading for home from their farms on a motorcycle. Read more
Ice-T and Gene Simmons defend Mike Tyson after boxer punches heckler on flight (NME)
Ice-T and Gene Simmons are among those who shared support for Mike Tyson over the weekend, after the former heavyweight champion repeatedly punched a passenger on a flight bound for Miami.
As reported by TMZ, Tyson was embroiled in the altercation last Wednesday (April 20) when a punter sat behind him on the JetBlue flight started loudly heckling and antagonising the boxer. Footage obtained by the gossip site shows Tyson landing several blows on the man – later identified as 36-year-old Melvin Townsend III – who appears bloodied after the battering.
Tyson’s representatives said Townsend was acting “aggressive” towards the boxer – who was en route to Miami for a speaking engagement at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference – and claimed that in addition to verbally “harassing” him, Townsend “threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat”.
In a subsequent statement shared with TMZ, the San Francisco Police Department said officers detained two people alleged to be involved in the altercation, however one of them – believed to be Townsend, having been treated for injuries – “provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation”. Read more
Lady Gaga’s ‘new single to drop within days and will feature on soundtrack for Tom Cruise’s film Top Gun: Maverick’ (DailyMail)
Lady Gaga is set to release a new single next month – and it will feature on the soundtrack for the new Top Gun movie.
The pop star’s track is called Hold My Hand and it will be heard in Tom Cruise’s new film Top Gun: Maverick.
Insiders claim the song is ‘epic’ and it is expected to drop next week ahead of the release, according to The Sun.
It is also claimed Gaga, 36, could be up for another Oscars win thanks to the track after she won Best Original Song at the 2019 Oscars for Shallow from A Star Is Born, in which she starred alongside Bradley Cooper. Read more
Mother and baby killed in Russian strike on tower block pictured (Metro)
A mum and three-month-old baby killed when their tower block was destroyed by a Russian missile have been identified.
At least eight people were killed and 18 were injured in the strike on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa yesterday.
Among the victims were Valeria Hlodan, 27, her baby daughter Kira, and Valeria’s mother Liudmila, originally from Russia.
In an address to the nation yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told how one of the victims was only one month old when the war began.
He said: ‘Can you imagine what is happening?’ Read more
Bounce Trumpet Awards honoree Courtney B. Vance says acting allows him to tell stories that show different points of view (THR)
Courtney B. Vance was among the honorees at the 30th annual Bounce Trumpet Awards, founded in 1992 by U.S. civil rights leader Xernona Clayton, on Saturday at the Dolby Theatre. The annual awards show honors “Black excellence” in the arts, politics, social justice and beyond; other honorees included Stan Lathan, Zaila Avant-garde, Princess Sarah Culberson and Georgia senators Ralph Warnock and Jon Ossoff.
Avant-garde, the first African-American contestant to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, was awarded the rising star award for her many accomplishments, which also include holding three basketball Guinness World Records and being co-holder of a fourth. “I want to thank my entire family for all of their support, I couldn’t be here without them,” she said Saturday, adding a shout out to the E.W. Scripps Co.: “Without them, I would not have won the Scripps Spelling Bee.”
The excellence in entertainment award went to Vance, who spoke of how he first began acting in a play during his sophomore year in college and it was that performance that inspired his aunt to encourage him to make it a career.
“This path that chose me would give me an opportunity to tell stories through performance that could touch people … get people to see different points of view, make people laugh, cry, think and engage,” he said. “I have never done this work for honors and trophies but I felt deeply blessed when they called that first syllable of my name.” Read more
Actor Sir John Gielgud honoured with memorial stone at Westminster Abbey (BelfastTelegraph)
A memorial stone honouring the late Sir John Gielgud has been unveiled at Westminster Abbey.
The Oscar-award winning British actor and director, who was a master of Shakespearean roles, died aged 96 in May 2000.
The stone is in the Abbey’s south transept, joining the memorials of other greats from the world of acting including Sir Laurence Olivier, Dame Peggy Ashcroft and Dame Sybil Thorndike.
During his career, Sir John starred in more than 60 feature films and TV productions, including Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando, Gandhi, Chariots Of Fire and Gulliver’s Travels. Read more
Johnny Depp won’t make another Pirates of the Caribbean film (FilmNews)
Johnny Depp has claimed he won’t play Captain Jack Sparrow in another Pirates of the Caribbean film.
The Benny & Joon actor is currently involved in court proceedings in Fairfax County, Virginia, having sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for defamation. The Aquaman actress is countersuing.
During cross-examination earlier this week, lawyer Ben Rottenborn questioned Depp’s claim that an op-ed Heard wrote for The Washington Post in 2018, in which she described herself as a victim of domestic abuse, had led to him potentially losing his role in the Disney swashbuckler franchise.
“Two years had gone by of constant worldwide talk about me being this wife beater,” he said, according to Variety, referring to his 2020 libel lawsuit in the U.K. “So I’m sure that Disney was trying to cut ties to be safe.” Read more
In victory speech, Macron vows ‘new era’ amid surging far-right support (TimesofIsrael)
French President Emmanuel Macron won re-election on Sunday, convincingly defeating his rival Marine Le Pen and prompting a wave of relief in Europe that the far-right had been kept out of power.
Centrist Macron was set to win around 58 percent of the vote in the second-round run-off compared with Le Pen on 42 percent, according to projections by polling firms for French television channels based on a sample of the vote count.
Macron is the first French president to win a second term for two decades, but Le Pen’s result also marks the closest the far-right has ever come to taking power in France and has revealed a deeply divided nation.
The 44-year-old president faces a litany of challenges in his second term, starting with parliamentary elections in June, where keeping a majority will be critical to ensuring he can realise his ambitions to reform France. Read more
Premier League: Mikel named Chelsea’s youngest centurion (Sun)
Former Super Eagles captain, John Obi Mikel is the youngest player to reach one hundred Premier League appearances for Chelsea.
The world champions have clarified that Mason Mount, aged 23 years and 100 days against Arsenal, wasn’t the youngest player to reach a milestone of 100 games for Chelsea in the Premier League as three players achieved the feat before him.
In first place is Mikel who was 22 years and 291 days when he started for the Blues in a 2-0 win over Arsenal on February 7, 2010.
The central midfielder officially joined Chelsea in the summer of 2006 and made 22 appearances in the top-flight in his first season, 29 the following season, 34 in 2008-2009 and got to 100 on matchday 25 of the 2009-2010 campaign. Read more
Hasenhuttl gives Ward-Prowse verdict after free-kick heroics (DailyEcho)
James Ward-Prowse makes it “super tough for every goalkeeper at the moment” declares manager Ralph Hasenhuttl, after the skipper’s heroic brace during the 2-2 draw at Brighton.
The 27-year-old topped his best goals total for a Premier League season as he netted twice to rescue Saints a point from behind at the Amex Stadium.
Ward-Prowse scored the 14th free-kick of his Premier League career just before the break to halve the deficit after Danny Welbeck’s early opener and Mohammed Salisu’s own goal.
The captain then struck from outside the area to restore parity shortly after the break, taking his total to a personal best nine for the campaign – ahead of a World Cup this winter. Read more
Frank Lampard says Everton denied a clear penalty against Liverpool (Guardian)
Frank Lampard claimed Everton were denied a blatant penalty at Anfield where a 2-0 defeat by Liverpool left his club in the relegation zone for the first time since December 2019.
Liverpool maintained their title challenge with second-half headers from Andy Robertson and the substitute Divock Origi but had to overcome an obstinate Everton.
In the 53rd minute, with the game goalless, Anthony Gordon went down in the Liverpool penalty area under an apparent push by Joël Matip. He retweeted footage of the incident along with two emojis expressing his disbelief. The referee, Stuart Attwell, who had booked Gordon for diving in the first half, awarded neither a spot‑kick nor a second yellow card.
“It is a penalty for me,” said Lampard, who has lost all seven away matches as Everton manager. “You don’t get them here. If that was Mo Salah at the other end he gets a penalty. I’m not trying to create conflict; it’s just the reality of football. I have played in teams in the top half of the league – you get them. That was a penalty for sure. It’s a clear foul.” Read more
Carlos Alcaraz reacts fulfilling childhood dream in Barcelona (TennisWorld)
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz admitted winning the Barcelona Open was special since it was a tournament he watched as a kid and dreamed of winning one day. Alcaraz, 18, had to work extremely hard for the Barcelona title as he needed to win two matches on Sunday in order to win it all in front of his home fans.
Alcaraz started his Barcelona semifinal match versus Alex de Minaur on Saturday but the two just played a few games before the match was suspended due to rain. Alcaraz and de Minaur continued their match at 11am on Sunday and Alcaraz won an absolute thriller as he edged out de Minaur 6-7 (4) 7-6 (4) 6-4.
De Minaur was 7-6 (4) 6-5 40-15 but failed to serve out for the match as Alcaraz broke back and went on to claim a stunning comeback win. A few hours later, Alcaraz returned to the court and dominated fellow compatriot Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-2 to win Barcelona.
“It means a lot. I’ve watched this tournament since I was a kid. I always wished to play in this tournament and of course to be able to win this tournament,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview. “I’m really, really happy to be part of the [historic] Spanish list.” Read more
Ben Simmons is blasted by NBA legend Reggie Miller and a host of experts for ‘quitting’ on the Brooklyn Nets (DailyMail)
Ben Simmons has been ruled out of Game 4 of Brooklyn’s playoff series against Boston and current and former NBA personalities and players have lined up to blast the Aussie star.
With the Nets on the precipice of being eliminated in straights sets by the Celtics after falling into an 0-3 hole, it is likely that Simmons will finish the NBA season without playing a single game.
After his controversial mid-season trade from Philadelphia to Brooklyn, Simmons has still not played a second of NBA action in the current season.
The Nets listed Simmons as out Sunday on the injury report for the game Monday night, when they will be trying to avoid a sweep by the Celtics. Read more
Nasa Hataoka finishes off resounding LA Open win (ESPN)
Nasa Hataoka ran away with the DIO Implant LA Open on Sunday at Wilshire Country Club to open the LPGA Tour’s two-week run in the Los Angeles area.
Four strokes ahead entering the round after Jin Young Ko’s late meltdown Saturday, Hataoka closed with a 4-under 67 for a five-stroke victory over Hannah Green.
“I did have a lead, but obviously this course, this challenging course, you never know what’s going to happen,” Hataoka said. “I was able to focus until the last putt.”
Hataoka finished at 15-under 269, a stroke off the tournament record set last year by Brooke Henderson. The 23-year-old Japanese player won her sixth LPGA Tour title a week after missing the cut in the windy LOTTE Championship in Hawaii with rounds of 75 and 77. Read more
