Bank customers to pay more for withdrawals as CBN increases ATM transaction fees (DailyTrust)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a review on the transaction fees for automated teller machines (ATMs).
This is a review of the ATM transaction fees prescribed in Section 10.7 of the extant CBN Guide to Charges by Banks, Other Financial and Non-Bank Financial Institutions, 2020.
This directive was outlined in a circular dated February 10, 2025. Read more
Katsina LG pays Islamic scholar N4m monthly to pray against terrorism (Guardian)
A representative image
Musawa Local Government Area of Katsina State has engaged the services of 75 Islamic scholars to seek divine intervention towards ending terrorism and related ills in the area and state as a whole.
The Executive Chairman of the area, Dr Habib Abdulkadir, made this known in an interview with newsmen.
The council area is amongst several others faced with recurring security challenges brought about by activities of bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and rustlers. Read more
Reps want FG to suspend hike in telecom tariffs (Tribune)
The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy and the Nigerian Communications Commission to suspend the impending hike in telecommunications tariffs until service delivery improves.
This followed the adoption of a motion moved under matters of urgent public importance, sponsored by the member representing Yenagoa Opokuma Federal Constituency of Bayelsa State, Hon. Obuku Oforgi.
While moving the motion, the lawmaker said, “Notes that, speaking after a stakeholders’ meeting with Mobile Network Operators in Abuja on Wednesday, January 8, 2025, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, disclosed that telecommunication tariffs will soon increase.” Read more
Nigeria ranked 140th out of 180 on 2024 Corruption Index (Channels)
Nigeria has been ranked 140th position out of 180 countries in the world on the 2024 corruption perceptions index, according to a report by Transparency International.
The TI’s latest ranking released on Tuesday sees the continent’s most populous nation move up 5 spots when compared with 2023 ‘s report and 10 spots as against 2022’s report.
Denmark emerged as the least corrupt country with 90 points with fellow Nordic country Finland coming in second with 88 points, and Singapore in third with 84 points. Read more
Lagos Assembly wants strict action against open defecation (Independent)
The Lagos State House of Assembly has urged the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources to fully enforce environmental laws against open defecation and ensure the widespread provision of free public toilets across the state.
The lawmakers emphasized the need for an extensive and sustained awareness campaign to educate residents on the dangers of open defecation. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda condemned the practice, stressing the urgent need for improved sanitation infrastructure.
Raising the issue under Urgent Public Importance, Hon. Stephen Ogundipe (Oshodi-Isolo 1) warned that open defecation tarnishes Lagos’ reputation and hampers sustainable development.
Hon. Bonu Solomon (Badagry 1) advocated for the arrest of homeless individuals contributing to the sanitation crisis, urging local government chairmen to support state efforts in maintaining cleanliness. Read more
Court remands 4 for N12m SUV theft (Punch)
A Lagos State Magistrate Court sitting in Tinubu Square on Monday ordered the remand of four men at the correctional centre for allegedly stealing an SUV vehicle valued N12m.
The defendants are Wale Odunlami, Salami Isiaka, Tajudeen Yekini, and Nurudeen Ogunmola. They were remanded in the custody of the correctional centre respectively by Magistrate Mrs Ayoku Gbajumo, after they all pleaded not guilty to the charges made against them by the Force Criminal Investigation Department Annex, Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos.
They were arraigned before the court on two counts of conspiracy, stealing and receiving stolen cars preferred against them by the police. Read more
Another PDP Rep, Amos Magaji, defects to APC (Vanguard)
The lawmaker representing Zangon Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, Mr Amos Magaji, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Speaker, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, made the announcement on the floor of the House of Representatives during plenary on Tuesday.
Abbas, who attributed the lawmaker’s defection to the crisis in PDP, urged the APC members of the house to bring him to their fold. Read more
Reps appoint Ayokunle Isiala deputy chief whip (Nation)
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen on Tuesday announced the appointment of Isiaka Ayokunle Ibrahim (APC, Ogun) as the new deputy chief of the House.
Isiaka takes over from the late Oriyomi Onanuga also from Ogun state who died recently.
Announcing the appointment, Speaker Abbas said Isiaka was picked for the position by the leadership of the House after extensive consultation with the leadership of the party as well as the South West Caucus in the House. Read more
Lisa Riley reacts to Peter Kay’s “upsetting” gig jibe (Sky)
Lisa Riley has reacted to reports that Peter Kay likened a heckler to her, insisting she’s “not offended”.
The Bolton comedian was performing his Manchester gig on Saturday night when a woman was removed by security guards after shouting “We love you Peter”. Kay is said to have likened her to Riley as she was being taken out.
The audience member has said she is “annoyed and upset” about the comments. Read more
King Charles and Queen Camilla to visit Pope Francis at the Vatican (CNA)
Buckingham Palace announced in a Feb. 7 statement that King Charles and Queen Camilla of England will travel to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis in April.
The statement said the pair “will undertake state visits to the Holy See and the Republic of Italy in early April 2025.”
“During their majesties’ state visit to the Holy See, the king and queen will join His Holiness Pope Francis in celebrating the 2025 Jubilee Year. Traditionally held once every 25 years, the jubilee is a special year for the Catholic Church, a year of walking together as ‘Pilgrims of Hope,’” the statement reads. Read more
Ke Huy Quan recalls Harrison Ford consoling him during Indiana Jones scene (EW)
Ke Huy Quan is looking back on an endearing moment with costar Harrison Ford on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Breaking down some of his favorite cinematic action scenes with Entertainment Weekly to promote his new action rom-com Love Hurts, the star lists the high-octane mine cart chase in the 1984 action adventure — which he filmed at just 12 — as his first pick.
Quan, now 53, also recalls Ford consoling him while filming that frightening sequence, which sees Ford’s titular explorer and Quan’s sidekick character, Short Round, chart an escape from the Temple of Doom.
“When we shot this sequence, I was so scared,” shares Quan. “And I cried. I remember Harrison Ford kneeling down in front of me and asking me if I was okay.” Read more
Trump says no exemptions with metal tariffs to start in March (BBC)
President Donald Trump has ordered a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US in a major expansion of existing trade barriers.
The tariffs, which will increase the costs of importing the metals into the US, come despite warnings of retaliation from some political leaders in Canada – America’s biggest supplier of the metals – as well as other countries.
US businesses dependent on the imports have also raised concerns, but Trump has said his plans will boost domestic production. Read more
YouTube, the online video powerhouse, turns 20 (RTE)
YouTube has evolved from a dinner party lark 20 years ago into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake US cable television in paid viewership.
PayPal colleagues Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim conceived YouTube in 2005, reportedly during a dinner party.
The domain YouTube.com launched on Valentine’s Day that year.
Video uploading capabilities were added on 23 April, when Karim posted the first video, titled Me at the Zoo. Read more
New York Dolls singer David Johansen in brain tumour battle (MusicNews)
David Johansen, singer of the punk band New York Dolls, has stage 4 cancer, which has progressed to a brain tumour.
The Personality Crisis singer’s daughter, Leah Hennessey, revealed details via her Instagram story.
“As some, but not many of you know, David has been in intensive treatment for stage 4 cancer for most of the past decade,” her message began. “There have been complications ever since.”
Hennessey shared that she and her mother have decided to reveal Johansen’s health condition “due to the increasingly severe financial burden our family is facing”. Read more
Era-defining Benin musician dies aged 39 (BBC)
Tributes have been paid to Willy Mignon, an era-defining Beninese musician who died at the age of 39.
The artist passed away hours after having a seizure, his sister Christel told the BBC, adding that she was not clear on the exact cause of death.
Mignon’s career took off in 2006 with Minédji, a hit song that remains beloved in Benin almost 20 years later. Read more
World Cup 26: Adepoju urges Chelle to construct ‘beautiful’ Super Eagles (Nation)
Two-time FIFA World Cup past master with Nigeria, Mutiu Adepoju, has urged coach Eric Sekou Chelle to ensure that the Super Eagles play with gusto in their drive to secure a ticket to the 2026 Mundial to be jointly hosted by USA, Canada and Mexico.
The Franco-Malian was employed in January and tasked to salvage the Super Eagles’ flagging World Cup dream after they found themselves in an unfamiliar fifth position in their Group C qualifying section with just three points from their opening four matches; where Rwanda, South Africa and Benin leads with seven points each with Zimbabwe in fourth position and Lesotho sixth.
Nigeria take on Rwanda on March 21 in Kigali, before they welcome Zimbabwe to Uyo four days later as they hope to take their World Cup qualifying campaign back on track. Read more
ITTF Africa Cup: Oshodi’s Era Begins In Tunisia (VON)
The newly-elected board of the African Table Tennis Federation (ITTF Africa), led by President Wahid Enitan Oshodi, will officially begin its four-year tenure with the ITTF Africa Cup in Tunis, Tunisia, from February 25th to 27th.
This year, ITTF Africa is focusing on three core pillars: development, competition and global visibility. For grassroots development, ITTF Africa seeks to expand youth training programs and provide more opportunities for young players to develop their skills.
In his first official tournament as the President of ITTF Africa, Oshodi said he is also committed to making their events more attractive to stakeholders and engaging for fans worldwide. Read more
Rubiales ‘‘totally sure’’ Hermoso consented to kiss at World Cup, trial hears (AlJazeera)
Former Spanish football federation chief Luis Rubiales has told a court that player Jenni Hermoso had given her consent for him to kiss her in the aftermath of Spain’s Women’s World Cup victory in 2023.
“I am totally sure that she gave me her permission,” Rubiales told Spain’s National Court on Tuesday in Madrid where he is standing trial. “In that moment it was something completely spontaneous.”
Rubiales, 47, is accused of sexual assault for kissing Hermoso on the mouth and then attempting to coerce her – with the help of three other former football federation officials – into publicly saying the kiss at the World Cup awards ceremony in Australia had been consensual. Read more
Eamonn Holmes joins famous faces at Man United legend Denis Law’s funeral (Mirror)
Manchester United fan, Eamonn Holmes, was among the famous faces attending Denis Law’s funeral today.
The much-loved footballer, who played for Man Utd and Scotland, died last month, aged 84, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and dementia in 2021.
Eamonn, who is a long-time supporter of the Reds, was one of the first to arrive for the service today, which is being held at Manchester Cathedral. Cutting a sombre figure, the TV host made his way into the church, using his walking aid, wrapped up against the cold weather in a long black woollen coat. Read more
Luka Dončić shines on LA Lakers debut in blowout win over Utah Jazz (Guardian)
Luka Dončić scored 14 points in limited playing time during his debut with the Lakers on Monday night, joining their starting lineup alongside LeBron James and immediately getting into the flow during Los Angeles’ 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Dončić got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and No 77. He scored 11 points while the Lakers streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead, and he sat down for good with 3:07 left in the third quarter with the Lakers far ahead in their sixth consecutive victory.
“I was a little bit nervous before,” Dončić said. “I don’t remember the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court, it was fun. And just being out there again felt amazing.” Read more
Tiger Woods withdraws from his signature event as he processes death of his mother (JapanToday)
Tiger Woods abruptly withdrew from the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines on Monday, saying he was still processing the death of his mother.
Kultida Woods died unexpectedly last Tuesday at the age of 80.
“I planned to tee it up this week, but I’m just not ready,” Woods posted on social media. “I did my best to prepare, knowing it’s what my mom would have wanted, but I’m still processing her loss.” Read more