70-year-old Grandpa arrested as NDLEA intercepts N2.1b codeine, loud consignments (Channels)
A 70-year-old grandfather has been arrested by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with 57.2kg of cannabis in Nasarawa State.
Also arrested were two suspects with 426kg of cannabis in Ekiti State, NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
This is as the anti-narcotics agency seized codeine-based syrup and Loud, a synthetic cannabis strain worth over N2.1 billion at the Port Harcourt seaports and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos. Read more
We‘re fighting for a living and not starvation wage for workers – Organised Labour tells NASS (Vanguard)
The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Joe Ajaero; has said that the union is fighting for a living wage for the Nigerian workers and not starvation wage.
Ajaero disclosed this at a meeting with the leadership of the National Assembly, SGF, Ministers and NLC leadership in Abuja.
The meeting was initiated by the national Assembly to avert the planed nationwide strike that will commence tomorrow. Read more
Minimum Wage: Strike begins as N/Assembly’s intervention fails (DailyTrust)
The organised labour yesterday insisted that its indefinite strike would begin today as planned following the federal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage above N60,000.
Labour, which is demanding N494,000, said this in Abuja last night after a three-hour meeting with the National Assembly leadership and top officials of the Executive arm of government.
The president of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero and his Trade Union Congress (TUC) counterpart, Festus Osifo, led members of their national executives to the meeting, which was presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen. Read more
Tinubu commends NASENI boss for transformational Leadership (Sun)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has disclosed that he is pleased with the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)’s collaborative approach under Khalil Suleiman Halilu to deliver his administration’s industrialisation reform agenda in the country.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by Spokesperson of NASENI,
Olusegun Ayeoyenikan over the weekend.
President Tinubu, who was represented by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio made the disclosure at the commissioning of the NASENI-Portland Reverse Engineering Centre in in Abuja recently. Read more
Prolonged Marine Bridge closure, slowing goods evacuation-l — Apapa Port Operators (Tribune)
Operators at the Lagos Ports have lamented that the prolonged closure of a section of the outbound lane of Marine Bridge in Apapa, Lagos is slowing down the evacuation of goods cleared from the Lagos Port Complex in Apapa.
Speaking with newsmen at the weekend, Chairman of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup appealed to the Federal Ministry of Works to speed up ongoing repairs on the bridge to ensure its prompt reopening.
The STOAN Chairman expressed concerns about the frequent partial closure of the busy bridge.
Princess Haastrup said the bridge has experienced prolonged partial and intermittent closures over the past two years without noticeable appreciable progress of the repair work being done. Read more
British Airways unveils renovated lounge at Lagos airport (Punch)
British Airways has opened its newly renovated lounge at Lagos airport, following a six-month refurbishment.
This was made known in a statement sent by British Airways on Friday.
According to the airline, the space has been cleverly designed to give customers more room to enjoy an upgraded food and beverage experience. It allows customers to relax, dine, or work in a premium space. Read more
Bauchi commissioner dies in car accident (Nation)
The Bauchi state commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Ahmed Aliyu Jalam, has lost his life in a car accident.
The late commissioner met his death while traveling to his hometown in Jalam, Dambam local government area of the state.
Our correspondent gathered that the commissioner, along with his driver, died in the fatal crash on Saturday, June 1. Read more
INEC unveils book to enhance electoral process (Leadership)
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has said Nigeria must reflect on its electoral past to ensure successful and inclusive future elections.
Prof. Yakubu, represented by an INEC national commissioner, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru, said this during the public presentation of a book in Abuja on Friday.
“Nigeria is on the way to trouble-free elections with the unveiling of the book with the records of challenges of previous elections.
“The presentation targets three interrelated objectives to share insights from the research with a broader audience, garner perspectives of experts and stakeholders on the experiences within EMBs in Nigeria, and stimulate interest and collective action towards improved electoral governance for credible elections in Nigeria. Read more
Cheryl Burke advises celebrities to “be single” if they do ‘Dancing With the Stars’ (THR)
Dancing with the Stars alum Cheryl Burke is revealing why romances sometimes spark between pro dancers and their celebrity partners on the hit ABC show.
On a recent episode of her Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast, the professional dancer confirmed she had three “showmances” during her time on the series after being asked why so many pairs start to date.
“It’s an arranged marriage. … And it is black and white. Either love each other or hate each other for real,” she explained. Read more
ANC says Ramaphosa will not step down for the sake of a coalition (AfricaNews)
South Africa’s African National Congress party will not consider any demands from possible coalition partners that President Cyril Ramaphosa step down, a top official said Sunday, as the ANC attempted to present a united front after a stinging election result ended its 30-year majority.
As South Africa heads for a series of complex talks to form a national coalition government for the first time and establish stability, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula said Ramaphosa would remain as party leader and any demands from others that he resign for talks to go ahead was “a no-go area.”
President Ramaphosa is the president of the ANC,” Mbalula said in the ANC leadership’s first public comments since the landmark election results. Read more
Jim Henson’s daughter Cheryl says her parents “always stayed supportive of each other” (People)
Jim Henson’s children are uncovering their parents’ life together and legacy with help from Ron Howard.
Howard’s new documentary Jim Henson Idea Man brings audiences back to the earliest days of the Jim Henson Company, which Jim and his wife Jane Henson co-founded as Muppets, Inc. in the late 1950s. In the film, Howard and the late couple’s children detail their parents’ successes together and the tensions that led to their separation in 1986.
“It’s true that they did not stay together. You know, that’s part of the story is that they did not stay together, but they always stayed supportive of each other,” Cheryl Henson, who has served as the president of the Jim Henson Foundation since 1992, tells PEOPLE. “And my mom always respected — not just respected. She was in love with my father as an artist, and she was honestly in love with him, period.” Read more
Rebel Wilson reveals Sacha Baron Cohen regret after he fat-shamed her on set (Mirror)
Rebel Wilson wishes she had been ‘strong enough’ to leave the set after she was ‘fat-shamed’ while filming with Sacha Baron Cohen.
The 44-year-old Australian native recently revealed in her new memoir that she had a bad experience while on the set of the comedian’s film Grimsby. Claims made in her book have caused controversy, after she told how she found Baron Cohen’s behaviour “disgusting”, saying he “crossed the line”.
Speaking on Lauren Laverne’s Radio 4 show, Desert Island Discs, Rebel told the presenter: “That was the worst professional experience and that was where it crossed the line. It wasn’t a comedy. It just crossed the line into an experience where I did feel humiliated and degraded for being an overweight woman.” Read more
Britain’s Got Talent faces fresh “fix” claims as fans notice the same thing about semi-final results (OK!)
Britain’s Got Talent’s semi-finals on Friday night saw the last two acts, who will be performing in tonight’s final, confirmed. But some fans weren’t happy with the acts who made it through, with some even branding the show a ‘fix’.
The episode saw comedian Alex Mitchell and magician Trixy each land a place in the final, with the latter given a place by the judges after Alex received the most public votes so automatically moved through. However, some didn’t agree with the judges’ decision and speculated that Trixy’s magic tricks weren’t so magic.
This led to fans being less than amused as they spotted three ‘clues’ that could suggest the result were ‘fixed’ in Trixy’s favour… Read more
Charli XCX : I never really felt accepted into the British music scene (BelfastTelegraph)
Pop artist Charli XCX has said she has “never really felt accepted into the British music scene”.
The Cambridge-born performer, real name Charlotte Aitchison, said some of her previous collaborators have thought of her ideas as “silly or childish”.
Speaking to The Observer, she said: “The industry’s changed a lot. I’ve been told for so long that I’m an outsider and I never really felt accepted into the British music scene. Read more
South Korea vows ‘‘unbearable’’ retaliation against North over rubbish balloons (IrishExaminer)
South Korea said on Sunday that it will soon take “unbearable” retaliatory steps against North Korea over its launch of rubbish-carrying balloons across the border and other provocations.
In the past week, North Korea has floated hundreds of huge balloons to dump rubbish on South Korea, simulated nuclear strikes against its neighbour and allegedly jammed GPS navigation signals in the South in an escalation of animosities between the rivals.
South Korea’s national security director, Chang Ho-jin, said on Sunday that top officials at an emergency meeting decided to take “unbearable” measures against North Korea in response to its recent series of provocative acts. Read more
2026 WCQ: 15 Super Eagles players train, 8 still expected (CompleteSports)
Fifteen Super Eagles players were involved in training in Uyo on Sunday in preparation for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic.
This was revealed by the new Eagles Media Officer Promise Efoghe.
The Eagles will host South Africa inside the Godswill Akpabio stadium on Friday 7, June 2024 in their third Group C game. Read more
Ex-Falcons player turned man seeks N69m to become father (Punch)
Former Super Falcons player Iyabo Abade, now a man and renamed James Johnson, has begged the Nigeria Football Federation to assist him with the payment of N69.7m to facilitate a corrective surgery that will enable him bear children.
Johnson, a confirmed hermaphrodite, was a member of the Falcons from 1997 to 2000 and successfully underwent a sex change operation in the United States in 2004 courtesy of then Minister, Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
This came after a series of failed attempts to correct the abnormality that led to his being dropped from the women’s national team. Read more
Jose Mourinho calls for UEFA intervention after Real Madrid Champions League win (MEN)
Jose Mourinho joked that UEFA should intervene to postpone Toni Kroos from retiring after Real Madrid’s latest Champions League final triumph over Borussia Dortmund.
Real Madrid secured their 15th European title with second-half strikes from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior, defeating Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley on Saturday night. German midfielder Kroos, who has announced his retirement following this summer’s Euros, made his final appearance for the Spanish giants.
As he was substituted towards the end of the game, he received a standing ovation and appeared deeply touched by the warm response from the fans. Speaking on TNT Sports, Mourinho called for UEFA to step in and stop Kroos from hanging up his boots while still in top form. Read more
Xavi sacking “opens door for Joao Felix stay at Barcelona’’ (SportsMole)
Barcelona’s decision to part ways with head coach Xavi could reportedly benefit Joao Felix’s chances of staying with the Catalonian giants for next season.
A comical managerial soap opera ended with Xavi being sacked by Barcelona towards the end of May, a few weeks after he was announced to be staying on as head coach.
The Spaniard had originally told the press in January that he planned to resign at the end of the 2023-24 season amid Barca’s struggles, repeatedly insisting that nothing could make him change his mind. Read more
Dubois wins, Wilder stopped and Queensberry triumph in 5v5 (BBC)
Britain’s Daniel Dubois won the interim IBF heavyweight title with a brilliant eighth-round stoppage of Filip Hrgovic to set up a potential bout with Anthony Joshua in September.
In a real slugfest in Saudi Arabia, Hrgovic, cut above both eyes, was inspected by the ringside doctor who advised the referee to halt the contest.
Dubois sealed a team victory for Frank Warren’s Queensberry in the five versus five team event against Matchroom. Read more
Tsitsipas overcomes slow start to beat Arnaldi in Roland-Garros 4th round (TennisMajors)
Stefanos Tsitsipas was on the brink of a two-set deficit but stormed back to beat Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-2 on Sunday afternoon at Roland-Garros, securing a spot in the quarter-finals. Tsitsipas advanced after three hours and 11 minutes, setting up a showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.
Coming off a third-round upset of Andrey Rublev, Arnaldi maintained momentum through almost two whole sets against Tsitsipas. The 35th-ranked Italian rolled through the opening frame of play before building a 5-3 advantage in the second. He had a total of four set points across two different games — three with Tsitsipas serving at 3-5 and one on his own serve at 5-4.
However, Arnaldi could not convert and after that the match shifted in a major way. Tsitsipas broke back for 5-5, eventually forced a tiebreak and then took it seven points to four. Read more