After barring Sowore, UNILAG union invites MC Oluomo (Punch)
There has been outrage on social media over the invitation of a chieftain of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Lagos, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo, to an event at the University of Lagos, Akoka. Many Nigerians on Twitter criticised the decision to invite MC Oluomo to the event, saying it would pass the wrong message to students of the institution. Although the university management asked for time to respond to enquiries from our correspondent, checks by The PUNCH revealed that the event held on Tuesday. Read more
Ikoyi passport office gets nod to issue new enhanced e-passports (Punch)
As part of efforts to ease the issuance of the new enhanced e-passports inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 15, the Ikoyi passport office said it had begun operations on issuance of the enhanced e-passports. The Passport Control Officer, Ikoyi Passport Control office, Mr Mannir Yari, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday. Read more
Osinbajo: Group faults Afenifere, says Buhari’s action not unusual (Punch)
The Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy on Thursday faulted the position of the Yoruba group, Afenifere, and others who have criticised President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent decision to replace Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led Economic Management Team with Economic Advisory Council that will be reporting directly to him. It said the President’s decision was not unusual and that he did not act unconstitutional. Read more
Court winds up P&ID, Nigerian affiliate, orders forfeiture of firms’ assets to FG (Punch)
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday convicted and subsequently ordered the winding up of Process and Industrial Development Limited and its Nigerian affiliate, P&ID Nigeria Limited, for charges of fraud and tax evasion in respect of the contract leading to the recent controversial judgment of a British court empowering the firm to seize about $9.6bn worth of Nigerian assets. Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his judgment also ordered the forfeiture of “the assets and properties” of the two firms to the Nigerian government. Read more
EFCC arrest 25 LAUTECH students for internet fraud (Guardian)
25 students of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH, Ogbomosho, Oyo State, have been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The students were arrested for their involvement in various forms of fraud including romance scam, possession of forged documents, and obtaining money by false pretence, a statement by the anti-graft agency stated. The students, who are aged between 18 and 29 years old, were arrested at their off-campus hostels, following a three-day raid carried out between September 16 and 19, 2019. Read more
Wike urged to be humble in governance (Nation)
The representative of Rivers East Senatorial District in the 8th Senate, Andrew Uchendu, has urged the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, to be humble in governance. Uchendu, a former member of the House of Representatives, Thursday through the telephone from Abuja, expressed dismay over the way Wike had been conducting himself in office. Read more
Tipper driver flees after killing two in Anambra (Punch)
A tipper driver on Thursday killed two persons at Mbanakwa Okpuno, Nnewichi in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State. The driver, our correspondent, learnt ran away after the act. It was gathered that the driver was climbing a hill when its brake failed and rolled backwards and hit a motorcycle that was behind it. Read more
Cult clashes: Council boss imposes curfew on Delta communities (Nation)
Following incessant cult clashes Ekete and Ovwian commumities, Udu council area of Delta state, a dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on the flashpoint areas by the local government chairman, Mr. Jite Brown. In a statement signed by the council secretary, Elohor Awinoron, the curfew which took effect from Wednesday, September 18, lasts from 9pm to 6am. Read more
JAMB suspends 13 CBT centres in Nasarawa (Punch)
The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board said it has suspended no fewer than 13 centres out of the 32 centres it was using for the conduct of its examinations in Nasarawa state. Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, revealed this while signing a Memorandum of Understanding for equipping three Computer-Based Test Centres with the Nasarawa State government at Government House, Lafia, on Thursday. Read more
Staff, litigants groan as flood ravages Appeal Court in Abuja (Nation)
For some staff and individuals, with cases pending at the CA, Abuja division, it will take a while to overcome the effect of the negative impact of the rainfall experienced in the city in the past few days. Unlike the case last year, where minor flooding was witnessed around the court premises, the impact of the flood experienced between Monday and Tuesday this week was massive. Read more
World Bank in talks with Nigeria for fresh $2.5 billion loan (Guardian)
The World Bank and Nigeria are in talks for as much as $2.5 billion in a new tranche of concessionary lending to Africa’s most populous country, Vice President for Africa Hafez Ghanem said. In the past year Nigeria received $2.4 billion from the World Bank, Ghanem said in an interview in Abuja, the West African nation’s capital, late on Wednesday. “We’re talking about a new set of programs of about the same amount, it should be around $2.5 billion,” he said. Read more
Mother, two children die after ‘Amala’ meal (Nation)
A 45-year-old mother and her two children died on Saturday after consuming suspected poisonous yam flour in Odo-Ayedun Ekiti in Ikole Local Government Areas of Ekiti State. The eldest of the children was 14 while the younger one was 12. It was gathered that yam flour, which they consumed, was procured by the husband and prepared by the mother of two. Read more
Tunisia’s ex-president, Ben Ali, dies at 83 (Punch)
Tunisia’s all-powerful leader for over two decades, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was forced from power and into exile by a landmark popular uprising in early 2011, sparking revolts across the Arab world. The man who once appeared in official portraits with a benevolent smile and jet black hair died Thursday at the age of 83, in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia’s foreign ministry said. Read more
Cameron and the Queen: Palace ‘displeasure’ over comments (BBC)
David Cameron’s revelation that he sought help from the Queen ahead of the Scottish independence vote in 2014 has caused displeasure at Buckingham Palace, a source has said. The former PM told the BBC he had asked whether the Queen could “raise an eyebrow” about the prospect of Scotland voting for independence. The Queen later said people should “think carefully about the future”. Read more
Supreme Court to rule next week whether Boris’s prorogue was legal (Metro)
A panel of 11 judges have said they will deliver their ruling over the legality of Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament ‘early next week’. The Supreme Court will reveal their decision as speculation mounts that the Prime Minister may just prorogue Parliament for a second time. Concluding the three-day hearing this afternoon, president of the court Lady Hale thanked staff and everyone involved in the case before saying they hope to publish their decision in the first half of next week. Read more
Brexit: UK shares confidential documents with EU (BBC)
Confidential documents that “reflect the ideas the UK has put forward” on Brexit have been shared with the EU, the UK government has said. Ministers will table “formal written solutions when we are ready” and not to an “artificial deadline”, it added. This comes after Finland’s prime minister said Boris Johnson had 12 days to set out his Brexit plans to the EU. Read more
Israel election: Netanyahu and Gantz compete over leadership (BBC)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz are jostling over the terms of a unity government, after the country’s second election in a year ended in deadlock. Local media say both men’s parties failed to win enough votes on Tuesday to build a coalition with a majority. Mr Netanyahu urged Mr Gantz to start negotiations on a joint administration. Read more
Indonesian couples flogged for displaying affection in public (Punch)
A trio of canoodling couples was publicly flogged in Indonesia’s Aceh province on Thursday, charged with breaking local Islamic law that outlaws public displays of affection. Despite international condemnation, whipping is a common punishment for a range of offences in the deeply conservative region on Sumatra island, including gambling, drinking alcohol, and having gay or pre-marital sex. Read more
South Korean serial killer ‘found’ after 30 years (BBC)
South Korean police believe they may have solved the case of a notorious serial killer who raped and murdered women 30 years ago. Police dedicated some 1.8m working days from 1986 to 1991 to investigate 10 women’s deaths in rural parts of Hwaseong, south of Seoul. New DNA tests linked Lee Chun-jae, 56, to at least three of the killings. Read more
Girl, 2, died after getting head stuck in car’s electric window while dad slept in front seat (Metro)
A distraught father screamed ‘My baby! My baby!’ after a car’s electric window closed on his daughter’s head and killed her. Kierre Allen was in the parked Mazda 3 with her dad outside their home in Detroit on Monday afternoon and had her head out the window when she struck hit the power button and it began to roll up. Read more
Huawei: Microsoft president seeks end to US tech ban (BBC)
Microsoft’s president has called on the US to end a ban on it supplying Huawei with Windows software for the Chinese company’s computers. Huawei was blacklisted by the Trump administration in May over claims it posed a threat to the US’s security. That prevents American companies from providing it with their latest tech. Read more
Austria blocks EU-Mercosur trade deal with South America (BBC)
MPs in Austria have dealt a blow to the EU’s landmark trade deal with South America’s economic bloc, by demanding a government veto on the deal. The draft free trade agreement took 20 years to complete and the EU has described it as its biggest so far. France and Ireland have already warned they will reject the deal if Brazil does not do more to curb fires in the Amazon rainforest. Read more
Ryanair boss O’Leary’s €99m pay sparks investor revolt (BBC)
Nearly half of Ryanair’s shareholders voted against a pay deal for Michael O’Leary that could hand the chief executive €99m (£88m). The Irish airline said that just 50.5% of investors voted in favour of the company’s remuneration report. The revolt comes at a difficult time for Ryanair which is facing more strike action from pilots and is cutting jobs. Read more
Belgian F-16 crash pilot ejects on to power line (BBC)
A Belgian air force F-16 fighter plane has crashed in north-western France, leaving one pilot caught on a high-voltage electricity line. Both pilots were lightly wounded after they ejected from the plane near Pluvigner in Brittany. The plane had clipped the roof of at least one house before crashing in a nearby field. Read more
Instagram clamps down on diet and cosmetic surgery posts (BBC)
Body positivity campaigners are celebrating after Instagram announced new rules for posts about weight loss products and cosmetic surgery. Some posts will be hidden from under-18s while others promoting “miraculous” weight loss products will be removed. There have been increasing concerns over the impact promoting diet products can have on young people. Read more
D’Tigers move 10 places up in FIBA world rankings (Punch)
Nigeria’s D’Tigers have moved 10 places up in the recently-released FIBA Men World Rankings presented by Nike on Thursday. According to FIBA, the rankings were updated following the conclusion of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China. The U.S. maintained their top-ranked status but the newly-crowned World Cup champions Spain closing in the gap. Read more
Nigeria drop by one spot to 34th on latest FIFA ranking (Punch)
Nigeria have dropped by one spot in the FIFA ranking for September, placing 34th on the ranking table. In the ranking table on the world football governing body’s website on Thursday, Nigeria garnered 1, 482 points in the month under review as against 1,481 it had in August. However, in spite of the drop by a spot, Nigeria still occupy the third position on the continent behind Senegal and Tunisia who have 1,546 and 1,493 respectively. Read more
Robert Pires urges fans to remain patient with Nicolas Pepe after underwhelming start at Arsenal (Metro)
Robert Pires has insisted that Arsenal forward Nicolas Pepe is a ‘great player’ and urged the club’s supporters to back the forward following a difficult start to the season. Arsenal reportedly beat a number of top clubs to the signing of Pepe in August with the Ivorian becoming their all-time record signing in the process, joining in a £72m deal from Lille. Read more
France Football magazine creates goalkeeper award named after Yashin (Punch)
The best goalkeeper in the world will be awarded the “Yachine’’ trophy, named after former Soviet goalkeeper Lev Yashin, during the Ballon d’Or ceremony, organisers France Football magazine said on Thursday. Yashin, who played for the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1967, is the only goalkeeper to have won the Ballon d’Or award, in 1963. Read more
Nacho Monreal names Alexis Sanchez as the best he ever played with at Arsenal (Metro)
Nacho Monreal has named Alexis Sanchez as the finest footballer he played with during his time at Arsenal. The 33-year-old left-back ended a seven-and-a-half year spell with the Gunners this summer when he joined La Liga outfit Real Sociedad on a two-year contract. Unai Emery warned Monreal that his first-team opportunities would be limited after Kieran Tierney, 22, arrived from Celtic at the beginning of August. Read more
Peter Beardsley: Former Newcastle United coach suspended from football (BBC)
Former Newcastle United Under-23s coach Peter Beardsley has been suspended from all football-related activity for 32 weeks after being found to have been racially abusive to players. He was charged by the Football Association with three counts of using racist language to players in March but “categorically denied” the claims. He left Newcastle after a 14-month club investigation earlier this year. Read more
Singapore Grand Prix: Robert Kubica to leave Williams at end of 2019 season (BBC)
Robert Kubica is to leave Williams at the end of the season. He returned to Formula 1 this year after an eight-year absence following life-changing injuries sustained in a rally crash in February 2011. The Pole’s return was testament to his immense resilience and character but results have not matched his standards. Read more
Genzebe Dibaba withdraws from World Athletics Championships (BBC)
World record holder Genzebe Dibaba – one of Briton Laura Muir’s main rivals in the 1500m – has pulled out of the World Championships with a foot injury. The Ethiopian, 28, was diagnosed with the problem after August’s Zurich Diamond League meeting. Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan, the mile world record holder, and world and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon are among the favourites for the title. Read more