Apapa-Oshodi Expressway ready next year – Fashola (Punch)
The Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonsoki-Ojota highway will be completed in the next 12 months, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has said.
Fashola announced that the reconstruction of the road would be completed by the end of 2020 while inspecting the project with the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
He said the plan was to complete the expressway in record time to reduce congestion of trucks going to the ports and ease traffic on that axis.
According to him, the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the road, which will cost about N73bn, will create multiple employment opportunities. Read more
13-year-old boy allegedly stabs teenager to death with broken bottle (Punch)
A 13-year-old boy, who allegedly stabbed another teenager to death with a broken bottle, was, on Monday, remanded by an Ebute Meta Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the defendant is facing a count of murder.
NAN also reports that the plea of the defendant was not taken.
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs Adeola Adedayo, remanded the defendant at the Special Correctional Centre for Boys, Oregun, and adjourned the case till January 29, 2020. Read more
Motorcyclist remanded for raping passenger, beheading 5-yr-old son (Nation)
An Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court on Monday remanded a commercial motorcyclist, Gbenga Oduola, at the Agodi Correctional Centre for allegedly raping his female passenger and beheading her five-year-old son.
The plea of the 37-year-old defendant was not taken by the court.
The Chief Magistrate, Mr Emmanuel Idowu, remanded the defendant pending the receipt of legal advice from the Oyo State Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). Read more
Lawyer sues CBN over card maintenance fee (Punch)
A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr Olumide Babalola, has urged the Federal High Court in Lagos to declare as anti-people the N50 quarterly card maintenance fee recently introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
The lawyer, through the suit, is urging the court to nullify the December 20, 2019 circular issued by the CBN to all banks and non-bank commercial institutions for the enforcement of the card maintenance charge
Babalola contended that the N50 card maintenance charge was in bad faith, against public interest and urged the court to declare it null and void. Read more
Landlord promises parents landed property after raping 4-year-old girl (Guardian)
A 42-year-old landlord has allegedly defiled a 4-year-old girl in Ugbolu, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State.
The landlord identified as Ikechukwu Amon has already made preparations to settle the parents of the 4-year-old girl with landed property.
The director-general of Behind Bars Initiative (BBI), Gwamnishu Emefiena Harrison, who initiated Amon’s arrest, said the incident occurred at Ugbolu, Delta State, and was reported on Thursday, December 27, 2019. Read more
Bandits kill one, abduct three in Katsina (Nation)
The Katsina State Police Command on Monday announced that suspected bandits struck the border town of Jibia in katsina state, abducted a mother and her two children while a stray bullet fired as a result of the sporadic shooting by the bandits hit one Ibrahim Usman, a passerby, in the process.
A Press Release which was signed by the Spokesman of the State Police Command, Superintendent Gambo Isa, and made available to newsmen, said the bandits in their numbers on motorcycles invaded the house of Alhaji Tasiu Wali in Jibia town
He said, ‘’ his wife Hajiya Asmau Tasiu was abducted by the bandits alongside her one-year baby daughter Husaina Tasiu and Abu Abu aged 20yrs old’’. Read more
Sokoto Assembly member slumps, dies (Guardian)
Alhaji Isa Harisu, a member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, on Monday, slumped and died when he arrived at the office complex to attend the day’s plenary.
Deputy Speaker Abubakar Magaji, who confirmed Harisu’s death, said that the lawmaker, a member of the APC, who represented Kebbe constituency, was rushed to Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital when he slumped in the morning.
“When he slumped, he was rushed to the hospital, but he died on the way,” Magaji said. Read more
Two-year-old survives, as man kills son, daughter in Ebonyi (Punch)
A middle-aged man, Mr Chinasa Ogbaga has allegedly killed two of his children and left one fatally injured in Okpuitumo community in Abakaliki local government area of Ebonyi State.
Mrs Loveth Odah, the Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Monday in Abakaliki.
According to her, the suspect went to the estranged wife’s home where he took the children on the pretence of taking them home for the Christmas celebration. Read more
China sentences scientist involved in gene-edited babies to three years in prison (NYPost)
A Chinese scientist who set off an ethical debate with claims that he had made the world’s first genetically edited babies was sentenced Monday to three years in prison because of his research, state media said.
He Jiankui, who was convicted of practicing medicine without a license, was also fined 3 million yuan ($430,000) by a court in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported. Two other researchers involved in the project received lesser sentences and fines.
The verdict said the three defendants had not obtained qualification as doctors, pursued fame and profits, deliberately violated Chinese regulations on scientific research and crossed an ethical line in both scientific research and medicine, according to Xinhua. Read more
Tourists trapped by bushfires after refusing to evacuate areas in peril (Metro)
Thousands of tourists are stuck in southeast Australia after failing to evacuate the region amid raging bushfires. Around 30,000 people staying in East Gippsland, Victoria, were told on Sunday it would be ‘high-risk’ to remain in the area as rising temperatures and strong winds fan the blazes. Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp warned that if visitors weren’t gone by 9am (GMT 10pm), there would be ‘every chance’ they won’t be able to leave at all. He has since stated that it is now ‘too late to leave’, with his agency adding that they will not be able to provide aid to everyone. Read more
Actress Sharon Stone blocked from dating app Bumble (BBC)
Actress Sharon Stone says she was blocked from the dating app Bumble.
The online platform said there had been several reports of a fake profile, the 62-year-old posted on Twitter.
“Hey @bumble, is being me exclusionary?” the star of the 1992 film Basic Instinct asked the online app, which matches those looking for romance based on location.
Bumble say they have now unblocked Stone’s account so she can get “back to Bumbling”. Read more
British woman found guilty of lying about being gang-raped by Israeli teenagers in Cyprus (Independent)
A British woman has been found guilty of lying about being gang raped by Israeli tourists in Cyprus.
In a case closely followed by rights groups, a district court in the town of Paralimni ruled the woman, aged 19 at the time, had lied about being sexually abused by 12 Israeli teenagers.
She told authorities that she had been gang raped by the tourists in her hotel room. Read more
Mino Raiola confirms Paul Pogba is happy to stay at Manchester United in January despite transfer rumours (Metro)
Paul Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, says the midfielder has accepted that Manchester United will not sell him in January and he is happy to continue working under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The France international has been heavily linked with a move away from Old Trafford when the window reopens, having barely played this season and being out of contract in just 18 months’ time. United are running out of time to cash in on Pogba before they risk losing him for nothing, though Solskjaer is adamant he will not be allowed to leave halfway through the campaign. Read more
Messi edges Ronaldo for most goals, assists, creative plays for the decade (Guardian)
Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi edged his closest rival Cristiano Ronaldo for the most goals scored for the decade in Europe’s top five leagues.
The stats by Opta Joe showed a scorecard of goal-scorers, assist makers and creative players from the English Premier League, Spanish Laliga, German Bundesliga, Italian Seria A and the French League 1.
While Messi scored a total of 369 goals, the Portugal captain and Juventus forward scored 335 goals, 34 goals lesser than his closest rival. Read more
Why Erling Braut Haaland rejected £70,000 a week more at Manchester United to join Borussia Dortmund (Independent)
Erling Braut Haaland turned down higher wages from Manchester United and Juventus to sign for Borussia Dortmund, because of the Bundesliga club’s proven success in developing young players.
The 19-year-old Norwegian has joined Dortmund in an £18m purchase from Red Bull Salzburg, despite sources close to the move maintaining United were initially willing to do a deal that would have left Haaland with up to £70,000 a week more in wages. His contract at the Westfalonstadion is understood to be around £100,000 a week, but the potential to develop as a player and start in the Champions League were as important to the player and his camp as the financial terms. Read more
Ian Wright tells Mikel Arteta to sell Arsenal flop Shkodran Mustafi after Chelsea defeat (Metro)
Ian Wright believes new Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta should sell Shkodran Mustafi after the Premier League defeat to Chelsea. Former Gunners midfielder Arteta signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Arsenal shortly before Christmas to become Unai Emery’s permanent replacement at the Emirates. In his first two matches in charge, Arsenal drew at struggling Bournemouth and surrendered a lead to be beaten by Frank Lampard’s Chelsea. Read more
Denmark-based Uzochukwu yearns for national duty in Super Eagles (Guardian)
Denmark-based Nigerian football Star, Henry Uzochukwu says he is available for national duty if called up for senior national football teams.
Uzochukwu, a defense bulwark who plays for FC Midtjylland told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Monday that he was both ripe and ready to contribute his quota to the national team but was waiting to be given the opportunity to prove his mettle.
The player, who was presently on loan to Fc Fedrericia, a First Division side also in Denmark, said there were a lot of football stars in the country’s league but regretted that they had not been getting the attention from Nigerian football managers. Read more
Mesut Ozil speaks out after Arsenal loss and says Chelsea did not deserve to win (Metro)
Mesut Ozil has hailed Arsenal’s performance against Chelsea as one of their best for some time despite forfeiting their lead and ultimately succumbing to a 2-1 defeat on Sunday. The Gunners went ahead against Chelsea in a vibrant first-half display, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang heading home from close range as the hosts dominated proceedings. But Chelsea responded in the second half, tweaking their system, and levelled the scores late on in controversial fashion as Jorginho – who should have been shown a second yellow card – tapped in from close range. Read more
Awoniyi not happy at Mainz (Nation)
Nigeria forward, Taiwo Awoniyi, has said he is not excited playing in the German League with Mainz 05.
Awoniyi, 22, has played only 149 minutes in six Bundesliga games and has failed to find the back of the net.
He told Brilafm that, “Every footballer wants to play and when you don’t get the game time you can’t be happy. Read more
NFF moves to new secretariat in Jan – Pinnick (Punch)
The President of Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, says there are plans by the federation to move to their new secretariat, the Sunday Dankaro House in January 2020.
The federation has been operating at the Glass House which they share with the Federal Road Safety Commission.
“I want to assure you that the NFF secretariat will relocate to the Sunday Dankaro House before the end of January,” Pinnick said in during a media parley in Lagos. Read more
‘Why Imo wants to host 2022 NSF’ (Nation)
The Chairman Imo Sports Commission, Fan Ndubuoke has revealed that hosting the 2022 National Sports Festival (NSF) will enable the state upgrade the existing sports facilities and create new sports centres across the state.
Ndubuoke while making this disclosure said the bid for the hosting of the festival is at the finishing stage which will be submitted to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for consideration. He added that the Governor of the state Emeka Ihedioha want to make Imo State the home of sports in the eastern region where all facilities needed to host any sporting events in future would be made available.
The former national SWAN President assured that if given the hosting right, the state would adopt the COJA 2003 All Africa Games model where the state will spend less in staging the festival. Read more
Liverpool’s ‘brilliant’ 2019 just a building block for Klopp (Punch)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists the European champions must build on a “brilliant” 2019 to turn a 13-point lead at the top of the table into a first Premier League title in 30 years.
Klopp’s men were not at their flowing best and needed the help of two VAR reviews to continue their relentless march towards the title with a 1-0 win over Wolves on Sunday.
Liverpool have now won 18 of their first 19 league games of the season and lost just once in the calendar year in the league, on top of winning the Champions League, Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup.
“2019 was brilliant but it’s not important because we count seasons, not years, so the 2019/20 season is not over,” said Klopp. Read more