7 arrested as hoodlums kill man in Lagos (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of seven suspects in connection with the killing of one Toyin Adeniji, who was said to be one of the aides of a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state, Dapo Sarumi.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Adeniji was at the front of his house on Oyewole Road, in the Agege area of the state when suspected cultists invaded the premises and shot him dead.
It was learnt that seven other persons, who were at the scene, escaped death by a whisker as the suspects shot sporadically during the operation.
US to return $954k Alamieyeseigha loot (DailyTrust)
The United States and the Federal Government have signed an agreement for the repatriation of $954,000 loot of late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former Bayelsa State Governor.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, announced the development at a press briefing on Thursday afternoon in Abuja.
Leonard said the official salary of the former governor during his tenure as a public servant from 1999 to his impeachment in 2005 did not match the said amount.
She said, however, he accumulated millions of dollars through abuse of office, money laundering. Read more
Port-Harcourt refinery to begin operation in second quarter, says NNPC (Guardian)
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NPC), on Thursday, said that the Port-Harcourt refinery will begin operations by the second quarter of 2023.
It said Warri and Kaduna stations had been contracted for quick rehabilitation to reduce fuel scarcity and increase dependence on natural gas through the rehabilitation of three refineries.
The Company’s Executive Vice President, Danladi Inuwa, disclosed this in Abuja, during the sensitization workshop, with the theme: “Understanding Our National Oil Company Post-Petroleum Industry Act”, organized by Tedran Consulting. Read more
CASIO commences model school project with 6 senior secondary schools in Lagos (Independent)
CASIO Middle East and Africa FZE, together with its Nigerian distributor, SKLD have started a model school project with cooperation of 6 senior secondary schools in Lagos State.
The project is intended to develop the critical and high-order thinking skills necessary for 21st century education among students through “Inquiry-based learning” lessons.
The main aims of this model school project are as follows: Integration of technology in mathematics classroom, students use scientific calculators to enjoy learning mathematics in class, nurturing logical thinking and improving basic academic skills, teachers can conduct interactive lessons with students and improve teaching skills. Read more
Veritas Kapital gross premium hits 77% growth in Q4 2022 (Sun)
Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc, a frontline insurance firm has affirmed that its Q4 2022 results show a 54% growth in gross premium from N966.3mn in Q3 to N1,484.2mn in Q4.
It however admitted that there was a dip of 27% in Gross Premium Written year-on-year, while the group’s net premium income grew by N27.3mn to N2.996bn from N2.938bn, a marginal increase of 1%, respectively.
Veritas Assurance further indicated that the year-on-year decrease from N6.319bn in 2021 to N4.669bn in 2022 was a result of return premiums in the area of Agric business which was negatively affected by a change in climatic conditions. Read more
Emefiele directs 15 bank executives to make N200 notes available (Channels)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, says he has met with 15 bank executives and directed them to make the old 200 naira notes available from Thursday (today).
He made this known after attending a meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and the House of Representatives Special Ad Hoc Committee on Naira Redesign Policy, Cashless Policy, and Currency Swap on Thursday.
In a chat with State House Correspondents, Emefiele who described himself as a servant appealed to Nigerians to allow the policy to work because he believes it will bring advancement to the nation’s economy when the challenge of illicit financial flows and insecurity is resolved. Read more
Elections: Wike rules out last minute truce between G5, Atiku (Vanguard)
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said the possibility of him and four other aggrieved colleagues reaching a last-minute deal with presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar is over.
The Governor spoke on Thursday at a media chat held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state capital.
A group of five governors in the PDP — known as G5 — led by Wike is against the presidential bid of Atiku, arguing that his election as presidential candidate goes against the agreement to zone the presidency to the south. Read more
Buhari departs for AU Summit in Addis Ababa (Tribune)
President Muhammadu Buhari was expected to depart Abuja for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Thursday to participate in the 36th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union (AU).
The theme of the AU Summit is ‘‘Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Implementation.’’
A statement issued by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity), informed that the President will participate in three High Level meetings on peace and security, climate change and the political situation in some West African countries. Read more
Ke Huy Quan says he couldn’t get a job after filming Everything Everywhere All At Once (Insider)
The meteoric success of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is hugely impressive as the A24 film has raked in over $100 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo) on a $25 million budget, and its cast has been nominated for a variety of Oscars, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs.
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” follows Evelyn Quan Wang (Michelle Yeoh), who is pulled into an adventure through the multiverse as she’s being audited by the IRS, while her husband Waymond Wang (Ke Huy Quan) tries to serve her divorce papers.
But while the film’s popularity has pushed Ke Huy Quan back into the spotlight 38 years after he appeared in “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” he explained on Tuesday’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” that he couldn’t get another job after filming it. Read more
Sting to become a Fellow of The Ivors Academy (Billboard)
Sting will become an Academy Fellow, the highest honor The Ivors Academy bestows, at the 2023 Ivors, which will be presented at Grosvenor House in London on May 18.
Sting is the 23rd Fellow that the Academy has inducted in its 79-year history. He follows such songwriting greats as Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Joan Armatrading and Peter Gabriel. The latter received the award last year.
“Of all the awards in the world of music, The Ivors are for me, the most prestigious,” Sting said in a statement. “Songwriting is a skilled craft and The Ivors Academy are its guild. So, I am delighted and honoured to be offered this Fellowship of the Academy, joining and acknowledging this extraordinary group of fellow songwriters, and all of those who went before us.” Read more
Miley Cyrus sends fans postcards with lyric from new album (MusicNews)
Miley Cyrus has sent some fans a postcard with a lyric from a song on her upcoming album ”Endless Summer Vacation”.
Following the success of the lead single, ”Flowers’, the pop superstar has teased the lyric: “Am I stranded on an island or have I landed in paradise.”
Miley recently declared she is honoured “to be the messenger” for her fans on ”Flowers”. Read more
Producer offers update on I Am Legend sequel starring Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan (Complex)
“I Am Legend 2” will be taking a bit of a departure from how the original movie ended.
Filmmaker Akiva Goldsman revealed that detail during a conversation with Deadline, saying that the sequel will take on the “alternate ending” rather than the “released ending,” which means Will Smith’s character will be brought back to life. The sequel will also take place years after the original.
“This will start a few decades later than the first,” Goldsman said. “That will be especially visual in New York. … I don’t know if they’ll climb up to the Empire State building, but the possibilities are endless.” Read more
Anne Hathaway praises Berlin Festival for featuring Ukraine’s Zelensky at She Came to Me world premiere (THR)
Actress and producer Anne Hathaway took a moment to puncture the film-world bubble surrounding the 73rd Berlinale on Thursday, using a portion of the press conference for her latest movie She Came to Me to address the bigger global picture.
“I want to express my gratitude to the film festival for including a hero of our times and for giving us all the opportunity to amplify the message of Ukraine, which is the almost universal desire for peace,” the actress said.
Hathaway was responding to the unlikely pairing of her New York-set romantic comedy and a public video address from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Read more
Syrian death toll from earthquake likely to rise, UN official says (PBS)
The United Nations regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syrian crisis said Thursday that the country’s death toll from last week’s deadly earthquake is likely to rise further as teams scramble to remove rubble in hard-hit areas.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Muhannad Hadi defended the U.N.’s response to the disaster, which many in Syria have criticized as slow and inadequate.
The U.N. has reported a death toll of about 6,000 for all of Syria, including 4,400 in the rebel-held northwest. That figure is higher than those reported by government authorities in Damascus and civil defense officials in the northwest, who have reported 1,414 and 2,274 deaths respectively. Read more
Europa League: Simon confident of victory against Juve (Sun)
Super Eagles forward, Moses Simon is confident about victory against Juventus in the UEFA Europa League playoffs.
Nantes will square off against European juggernaut Juventus in the Europa League playoffs. For Nantes, reaching the knockout rounds of European competition is clearly a signal of a good season, as the last time the team experienced continental football was the 2000/01 season.
However, Nantes star man Simon is not a stranger to European nights, as he played in the Europa League during his time at Belgian Jupiler League side Gent. Read more
Antonio Conte to remain in Italy and hand over Tottenham duties to recover from surgery (Mirror)
Antonio Conte is set to remain in Italy and hand Tottenham first-team duties back over to Cristian Stellini, the club have confirmed.
The Spurs boss returned to the dugout for the weekend defeat to Leicester and was present for the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash against AC Milan in his home country on Tuesday, which his side lost 1-0 at the San Siro. Conte had missed the match against Manchester City after undergoing surgery to remove his gall bladder earlier this month.
Tottenham issued a statement on Thursday which read: “Following a routine post-operation check in Italy yesterday, Antonio Conte will remain at his family home to recover from his recent surgery. Health is the most important consideration and everyone at the Club wishes him well. Cristian Stellini will assume First Team duties.” Read more
Carragher accepts Richards’ ‘‘desperate’’ accusations over Liverpool transfer plans (Football 365)
Jamie Carragher admits he is desperate for Liverpool to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in the summer transfer window.
Carragher watched Bellingham play in Dortmund’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Champions League round of 16 on Wednesday night with the Liverpool legend involved in a bit of back-and-forth banter with CBS Sports reporter Nico Cantor.
The former England defender had attempted to get Cantor to propose to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day with the reporter seeking back-up during a pitch-side interview with Bellingham on Wednesday. Read more
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell relief as truth behind Mercedes W14 ”issues” explained (Express)
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are not in any immediate danger of suffering from the same problems as last year despite reports claiming that Mercedes experienced a number of worrying performance issues at Wednesday’s shakedown run, Express Sport has learned. The Silver Arrows unveiled their all-new W14 challenger to the world in the morning before taking to the track at the home of British motorsport for a demo session in the afternoon.
Mercedes only completed around 15 kilometres of running at Silverstone but a report from motor.es claimed that a number of early power unit issues soured the occasion and sparked internal fears over whether 2023 could be another lacklustre campaign for the German outfit. It was said that ‘ignition problems and misfiring’ saw repairs needed on the W14 after just a few laps, although Express Sport understands that such claims are wide of the mark.
The event in fact went smoothly for Mercedes aside from the normal teething issues that would be expected when running a new car on a circuit for the very first time, just hours after it was officially revealed to the public. The Silver Arrows also had Silverstone booked out for another session on Thursday, with up to 100 km of running allowed due to its designation as a filming day. Read more
Six Nations 2023: Wales player strike against England is ”last option” – Alun Wyn Jones (BBC)
Alun Wyn Jones says it would be the “last option” for Wales players to go on strike against England but admits the threat of action is “hard to deny”.
Welsh rugby players are in dispute with bosses about a long-term pay agreement.
Players in Wales have been considering strike action ahead of the Six Nations game against England on 25 February.
Head coach Warren Gatland says he would not support players striking but backs his players in their contract dispute with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU). Read more
