Archbishop Martins advises govt to tackle insecurity, inflation (Sun)
The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. (Dr) Alfred Adewale Martins has advised the government to tackle the challenges of insecurity and high inflation rate through policy reappraisal and other proactive measures.
This is even as the archbishop urged Nigerians to be optimistic and embrace a positive mind-set in the New Year, filled with renewed trust in God Almighty.
The archbishop, who made the admonition in his New Year message, admitted that there were indeed numerous challenges that characterized the outgone year for the country and for majority of Nigerians, he however urged Nigerians to look beyond the shortfalls and negatives of the past and approach the New Year with optimism and positive expectations.
The prelate advised Nigerians to shun every attempt to create fear and apprehension by the predictions of doom that are being circulated in the social media space. Read more
Tinubu condoles Makinde, Ibadan indigenes over Olubadan’s transition (Independent)
All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Sunday expressed sadness over the death of Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Adetunji Saliu, Aje Ogungunniso I, saying coming shortly after the death of another top ranking traditional ruler in Yorubaland and precisely in Oyo State, it’s a big loss for the state and Yoruba race.
He described the late Oba Adetunji whom he said he had a personal relationship with as “humble, humane, mature, calm and decent, always a symbol of unruffled dignity.”
In a condolence message released by his Media Office and signed by Mr. Tunde Rahman, Asiwaju Tinubu said: “I received the news of the transition of highly-referred royal father, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Adetunji Saliu, Aje Ogungunniso I, with sadness. Kabiyesi passed on at a ripe age of 93, which we are extremely grateful to God for. But this demise has robbed us of his wisdom and wise counseling. He never withheld his deep insights and rich perspectives from those who sought his guidance.
“Particularly coming shortly after the death of another top ranking traditional ruler in Yorubaland and precisely in Oyo State, this passing truly rankles. The late Olubadan was a sage. He was humble, humane, mature, calm and decent, always a symbol of unruffled dignity. Read more
Gbajabiamila celebrates first baby of the year in Lagos (Guardian)
Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday, welcomed the First Baby of the Year, Latifat Subair, at the Randle Maternity and Children Hospital, Surulere, Lagos.
The Speaker also presented gifts to the first baby, as well as the second babies of the year, who were triplets born into the family of Okotie David, also at the same hospital.
Also, Ogun State Governor’s wife, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun, also received the First Baby of the Year in the state.
She also paid hospital bills for two mothers and gave all mothers in the ward cash and baby items.
The first baby, Zakariya, male, weighing 3.3kg was delivered at about 12.17a.m. at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu. Read more
Police boss orders arrest of Lagos estate security guards for ‘delaying’ him (Punch)
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, ordered the arrest of private security guards at Brooks Estate, Magodo, Isheri for allegedly delaying and denying him entrance into the estate.
It was gathered that the police boss had gone to the estate in his convoy to meet a “strategic partner at a function” on Saturday when the incident happened.
A statement from the Lagos State Police Command clarified that the CP did not lock down the estate as speculated on social media.
In the statement titled, ‘Brooks estate not locked down by Lagos CP’, the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, warned private security guards against disregard for police officers. Read more
Lekki residents lament erection of buildings on coastal road (ThisDay)
Residents of the Lekki area of the Lagos metropolis have called on the Lagos State House of Assembly to urgently bring about an end to the ongoing demarcation of coastal road, parts of which they said has been leased to developers by the Lagos State Government.
The residents, under the aegis of Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association (LERSA), made the call in a statement signed by Olorogun James Emadoye, LERSA President, saying the development is threat to life and property in the area.
“We are compelled to run to you and the State House of Assembly at this auspicious time of the year, as we have noticed heavy construction on the Coastal Road around Goshen Estate, Lekki.
“Our initial investigation revealed that some government officials are the ones that have allocated the Coastal Road to developers for various untenable reasons,” the statement said. Read more
I’ve stopped spending money on men – Cindy Okafor (Punch)
Actress and a former Big Brother Naija housemate, Cindy Okafor, has said that gone are the days when she used to spend money on men.
In an interview with Sunday Scoop, she highlighted the qualities that attracts her to a man. She said, “He has to be tall because I am obsessed with very tall guys. He must be good looking to an extent and know how to dress. The main thing for me is that he has to have common sense. Even if we gossip and play, I want us to connect mentally. He must have something going on for him because gone are the days when I spent money on guys. He must be very comfortable. I also hate lies and it turns me off in a man.”
Okafor also maintained that no man could give her the kind of money she is looking for. She said, “I am not saying I will date a broke guy but he has to be hardworking and he has to have something going for him. But the conversations of some women are always about men doing things for them financially. I don’t have any issue collecting money from my man but the type of money I am looking for, I don’t think any man can give it to me. That is why I have to hustle.”
Thanking BBN for the platform it gave her to shine, she said, “Although I worked hard, Big Brother Naija gave me fame. They did the whole magic and I will be forever grateful to them. There have been major changes in my life after I participated in the reality show. There was a change in status. I had more fans and that resulted in more money. It is the best thing to ever happen to me in terms of my career, finance, fashion and other areas.” Read more
FG reassures Nigerians of plan to generate 25,000 Megawatts of electricity (Channels)
The federal government has assured Nigerians of its readiness to generate 25,000 megawatts of electricity in the country as part of efforts to enhance power-related businesses and other economic activities in the country.
The Minister of Power, Mua’azu Sambo disclosed this in Katsina State at the weekend when he inspected a lot of power transmission substation projects including the ongoing windmill project located at Lambar Rimi in Charanchi Local Government Area of the State.
Sambo who was accompanied by the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, Engineer Sule Abdulaziz, explained that a number of procurements have been made by the ministry under the Presidential power Initiative to restore electricity and enhance power-related businesses across the country.
The windmill project contract which was awarded in June 2009 was designed to generate 10 megawatts of electricity for Katsina State and was expected to be completed within 24 months. Read more
Philanthropist donates items to 100 widows in Nasarawa State (VON)
As part of an effort to help the less privileged and widows in Nasarawa State, a philanthropist, Mr. Peter Enna, has donated assorted wrappers to 100 widows in Nassarawa-Eggon and Lafia Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Nasarawa State.
Speaking at a ceremony to present the items to the beneficiaries in Lafia, the donor said he has decided to put smiles in the faces of the vulnerable at the beginning of a brand new year.
He also donated Maggi cubes and Salt to all the 100 windows.
He explained that this has been done so many times to give the vulnerable a reason to go on with life. Read more
178,459 police arms, ammunition missing, says AuGF (Nation)
A report by the Auditor General of the Federation for 2019 says that about 178,459 different types of arms and ammunition got missing from the Police armory without being reported in 2019.
It also says the police high command failed to keep a comprehensive record of unserviceable and expired firearms and ammunitions.
This, it says, could lead to conversion of firearms for illegal use.
The disclosures are contained in pages 383 to 391 of the “Auditor General for the Federation annual report on non-compliance/internal control weaknesses issues in Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the federal government of Nigeria for the year ended 31st December 2019”. Read more
George Lopez falls ill, walks off stage during middle of NYE show (NYPost)
Comedian George Lopez walked off stage in the middle of a New Year’s Eve show after falling ill during his set, according to reports.
Lopez reportedly performed 30 to 45 minutes of his afternoon set on Friday at the Muckleshoot Casino Resort in Auburn, Washington when Lopez decided he could no longer perform, witnesses told TMZ.
The “Lopez Show” star visibly struggled, began sweating and asked for a glass of water, witnesses said. After a glass was brought out to him, he apologized to the crowd and walked off the stage.
TMZ reported that an ambulance pulled up to the casino, however it was unclear whether it arrived to take Lopez to a hospital.
After the incident, the venue subsequently announced that Lopez’s 8 p.m. show had been canceled and rescheduled for March 18. Read more
Blake Shelton bids farewell to 2021 with Gwen Stefani and The Voice (People)
Blake Shelton bid farewell to 2021 with a collage of epic highlights from his busy year.
On Friday, Shelton, 45 shared a video of his past year on Instagram, set to his song “Fire Up the Night,” featuring Hardy. He captioned the trip down memory lane: “2021 was one for the books… Let’s see what ya got 2022!!! C’mon!!!”
He began the clip with a loving snapshot of wife Gwen Stefani, 52, planting a sweet kiss on his cheek during the couple’s “first married” Thanksgiving together.
Throughout the video, the country superstar revisited a slew of other major 2021 moments — from music to TV and even his own love life. Read more
Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker talks “emotional” final day of filming (DigitalSpy)
Doctor Who will see Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor regenerate into the next, currently unknown incarnation of the Time Lord this autumn and Whittaker has admitted that shooting her exit scenes left her feeling “grief-ridden”.
The actress, who took on the iconic role in 2017, filmed her final scenes for the BBC drama in late 2021 and she has told Entertainment Weekly that it was an incredibly emotional day.
“I’ve shot my version of regen [eration], and it was singularly the most emotional day on set I think I’ve ever had,” she said. “It’s a really bizarre feeling, because it’s the best time I’ve ever had on a job, and I made the decision to leave it, so it’s a really strange thing to do to yourself.
“It feels like you’re giving yourself stitches – like, ‘Why have you done it?’ But … it felt right.” Read more
Prince Andrew’s attempt to block Virginia Giuffre lawsuit rejected by judge (UNILAD)
Federal judge Judge Lewis A Kaplan has rejected Prince Andrew’s bid to block Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against him.
On Saturday, January 1, judge Kaplan told the prince’s lawyers in a written order that they must turn over documents on the schedule that has been set in the lawsuit brought by Guiffre.
Guiffre claims she was abused by Prince Andrew on multiple occasions in 2001, while she was being sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein. Prince Andrew has denied the allegations, while his attorney has called the lawsuit ‘baseless’.
The written order was filed just days before the expected release of details pertaining to a 2009 settlement between Epstein and Giuffre, Sky News reports.
Lawyers for the prince have claimed the agreement protects him against the claims brought by Giuffre. However, judges Kaplan and Loretta Preska ordered the documents to be made available to the public on or around January 3, 2022. Read more
Huge fire breaks out at South African Parliament in Cape Town (Metro)
A huge fire has erupted at South Africa’s Parliament sending dark plumes of smoke into the sky above Cape Town.
The fire broke out on the third floor of an office building and spread to the National Assembly, where MPs sits.
Minister Patricia de Lille said: ‘The fire is currently in the National Assembly chambers. This is a very sad day for democracy for Parliament is the home of our democracy.’
No injuries were reported as 35 firefighters battled the blaze, believed to have started at 6 am. Read more
50 Cent had to redo NYE countdown due to wild club crowd (PageSix)
50 Cent brought the house down as the clock struck midnight at E11EVEN Miami, causing him to have to do the countdown a bit late.
We hear the “In da Club” rapper arrived with a group of 20 on the red carpet at 11:30 pm.
When he took the stage 15 seconds before midnight “everyone was cheering his name so loud that he couldn’t do the countdown,” said an attendee. “All the smoke machines went off at midnight and he went right into ‘P.I.M.P’.”
Club goers didn’t miss out entirely on getting a countdown.
“After his first song he did the countdown at 12:02,” said the source, before going into hits like “Candy Shop” and “Disco Inferno.” Read more
Spider-Man: No Way Home tops New Year’s eve box office with $15.4m (Variety)
Moviegoers rang in 2022 and slammed the door shut on 2021 by watching “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the kind of escapist fare that seems to be resonating strongly in the middle of a public health catastrophe that stubbornly refuses to go away.
The superhero sequel easily topped New Year’s Eve box office charts, earning $15.4 million on Friday to send its domestic haul to a mighty $572.6 million. Its performance caps a strong year for its distributor, Sony Pictures, which also scored commercially with the likes of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” and “Venom: Let There Be Carnage.” The film’s runaway success is welcome news to the exhibition industry, which is still struggling to come back after COVID upended the theatrical landscape. Omicron, the highly contagious variant that is leading to record cases of the virus in the U.S., may prove to be another setback for the business, but so far it hasn’t diminished interest in Spidey’s adventures in the meta-verse. Look for “Spider-Man: No Way Home” to add another $48 million to its bounty this weekend. That should push the film’s stateside gross to over $615 million and enable it to supplant “Incredibles 2” to become the tenth highest-grossing domestic release in history. Read more
Thomas Tuchel drops Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea squad for Liverpool clash (Metro)
Thomas Tuchel has dropped Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea’s squad for their Premier League game against Liverpool on Sunday, according to reports.
Tuchel was angered by Lukaku’s interview earlier this week in which the striker admitted that he was unhappy playing in the current system at Chelsea.
It’s understood that the interview with Sky Italia, which took place three weeks ago, was an attempt by Lukaku to repair his relationship with Inter’s supporters after he left the Serie A champions in the summer.
But the Belgium international also used the interview to make his frustrations at Chelsea public. Read more
Stephen Curry breaks own three-pointer record in Golden State Warriors win (BBC)
In December, Curry broke the the NBA record for career three-pointers
Stephen Curry broke his own NBA record for consecutive three-pointers as he led the Golden State Warriors to a 123-116 win over the Utah Jazz.
Curry scored a three-pointer for the 158th successive game, breaking his previous record of 157 which had stood since November 2016.
He made 28 points as his side overcame an eight-point deficit to win, having earlier thrown away a 16-point lead.
Rudy Gobert top-scored for the Jazz with 20 points and 19 rebounds.
Elsewhere, DeMar DeRozan scored a game-winning buzzer-beater for the second successive night – making him the first player in NBA history to do so – as his Chicago Bulls edged out the Washington Wizards 120-119. Read more
Eguavoen details conversation with Osimhen before Napoli striker pulled out of AFCON squad (AllNigerianSoccer)
It is no longer news that Nigeria will not be able to count on Victor Osimhen for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Napoli striker had vowed to honour the call-up for the tournament in Cameroon, only for him to withdraw from the roster three days ago, and he has been replaced by Olympiakos winger Henry Onyekuru.
Number nine for club and country, Osimhen decided not to participate in the AFCON after testing positive for coronavirus coupled with the fact he is not yet in tip-top condition following surgery on the cheekbone.
Interim Super Eagles coach Augustine Eguavoen has detailed his conversation with the 2015 U17 World Cup Golden Boot winner before he pulled out of the Africa Cup of Nations roster. Read more
PSG coach Pochettino hopes Mbappe agrees new long-term deal (DailyMail)
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino still hopes star striker Kylian Mbappe agrees to a new long-term contract, even though he is now free to sign for another club next season.
Mbappe´s contract runs out in June and since the start of January he has been a free agent, meaning he can leave for nothing at the end of the season.
“The club knows his situation, our wish is that he stays at the club for several years,” Pochettino said Sunday at a pre-game news conference ahead of Monday’s French Cup game at third-tier Vannes. “We hope that Kylian continues to be just as efficient and that it’s a favorable outcome for everyone.”
Last summer, PSG withstood an aggressive bid from Real Madrid reported to be around 200 million euros ($227 million) for Mbappe, who starred for victorious France at the 2018 World Cup. PSG’s sporting director Leonardo said Mbappe wanted to leave, but the move eventually fell through as Madrid backed away. Read more
Man Utd transfer news: Axel Tuanzebe set to join Napoli on loan and cut short Aston Villa spell (Sky)
Axel Tuanzebe, the Manchester United defender, is close to finalising a loan move to Napoli.
Talks between United and Napoli are ongoing, but Tuanzebe is expected to cut short his loan spell at Aston Villa and move to the Italian club.
The deal is likely to be a loan until the end of the season, with Napoli not having the option to make the move permanent.
Tuanzebe has started only six Premier League games for Villa this season and was left out of their squad for Sunday’s game at Brentford. Read more
Lionel Messi tests positive for Covid (Metro)
Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed that Lionel Messi has tested positive for Covid.
With PSG’s season currently on a winter break, Messi has spent time with his family back in Argentina over the Christmas period.
Earlier this week, Messi was filmed singing and dancing at with his wife Antonela at a concert in Rosario, Sante Fe.
Messi played in PSG’s 1-1 draw with Lorient on December 22 and was expected to feature in their first league game back after the break against Lyon on January 9.
But the 34-year-old is now a doubt after his positive Covid test and is currently in isolation. Read more
Leaders Real Madrid lose to Getafe (BBC)
Real Madrid missed the chance to open up an 11-point lead at the top of La Liga as they lost to Getafe.
Enes Unal scored the only goal after just nine minutes when he robbed Eder Militao of possession inside Real Madrid’s penalty area.
Luka Modric went closest to an equaliser, striking the crossbar with a powerful drive.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side have played two games more than closest challengers Sevilla, who face Cadiz on Monday.
Real dominated the first half but only forced one save from Getafe goalkeeper David Soria, who did magnificently to tip Modric’s long-range drive past the far post. Read more