Cash Crunch: PDP accuses APC of mopping-up cash for vote-buying (Vanguard)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress and its Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu of economic sabotage.
The main opposition party accused the APC and its Presidential candidate of mopping up cash from the financial sector with the sole aim of buying votes.
National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said this in a statement in Abuja, on Sunday.
He also stated the party’s position on the ongoing cash crunch and the current economic difficulties being faced by Nigerians. Read more
Court remands Lagos lecturer for alleged incest (Nation)
A Lagos Magistrates’ Court in Ogba has remanded a lecturer at the Lagos State University of Technology formerly (LASPOTECH) (names withheld) in the custody of Kirikiri Correctional Centre for allegedly defiling his 10-year-old daughter.
He was also alleged to have been having carnal knowledge of the minor since 2018.
The lecturer was arraigned on a two- count charge last Friday bordering on defilement and sexual assault by penetration before Magistrate Bola Osunsanmi. Read more
Buhari hails Tems for winning Grammy Award (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari has joined fans and lovers of Nigerian music in celebrating new heights of recognition and appreciation as Afrobeat crooner, Tems, wins “‘Best Melodic Rap Performance” category at the Grammy Awards.
Buhari, in a congratulatory message by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, on Monday in Abuja extolled Tems, Temilade Openiyi, for showcasing her talent to the world, with dedication and hard work.
According to him, this again, has placed Nigeria in the spotlight for excellence. Read more
Lagos tenant escapes after storing hemp, landlord jailed (Punch)
A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has sentenced a 51-year-old landlord, Saheed Ojomu, to five-year imprisonment for allowing his tenant to use his shop to warehouse cannabis.
Justice Daniel Osiagor handed down the sentence to the convict after he changed his not-guilty plea to guilty.
The convict was arrested over the banned substance found in one of his shops on March 31, 2017, by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency. Read more
Why Tinubu postponed Oyo rally (Tribune)
Fuel scarcity and swap redesigned naira notes protest has forced the All Progressives Congress, (APC) to postpone its presidential rally scheduled to hold in Ibadan on Tuesday till February 15, 2023
Party chieftains and supporters have expressed shock over the postponement, noting the level of preparation.
The venue of the rally, the ancient Mapo hall is already wearing a new look with a silver-coloured podium ready in place.
Market men and women around the popular Oja ‘ba market are already preparing for a half-day vacation before the news of postponement filtered in. Read more
Benue: Suspected herders kill six, soldiers injured in gun duel (Punch)
Suspected armed herders at the weekend launched another attack on some communities in Benue State killing six people and wounding three soldiers.
The incident, according to locals occurred at a border between Tse-Abwa Mbapa council ward in Gwer West and Ikobi in Apa local government areas of the state.
The attack on Ikobi community was said to have started since last Thursday that spanned to Saturday. Read more
Alleged N2.9b fraud: Court discharges Okorocha, others (Guardian)
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, discharged former Governor of Imo, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, of N2.9 billion fraud charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling, struck out the EFCC’s suit for being in contravention with Section 105 (3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015, which gives the Honourable Attorney-General (HAGF) of the Federation the power to recall a case.
Justice Ekwo said that the directive of the AGF and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, in a letter dated Sept. 12, 2022, to the anti-graft agency to forward the case file as well as the EFCC’s comments on the issues for consideration and review was binding on the commission. Read more
Killers of Nigerians in Burkina Faso will be punished – Buhari (DailyTrust)
President Muhammadu Buhari has said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Nigerian Embassy in Burkina Faso is engaging with the Burkinabe authorities to make sure that the killers of the 16 Nigerians in the country are appropriately sanctioned.
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu disclosed this in a statement on Monday.
16 members of Jam’iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijaniyya of Nigeria who were on a pilgrimage to the home country of their leader, Sheikhul-islam Ibrahim Niasse in Senegal were stopped and shot dead by Burkinabe soldiers on patrol. Read more
Salma Hayek credits Adam Sandler for seeing past her typecasting (IndieWire)
Salma Hayek Pinault may be showing off her comedy chops with “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” but she’s reflecting on her first chance at being funny on screen.
Hayek Pinault, whose breakout role came in 1996’s From Dusk Till Dawn playing a stripper vampire, admitted that her first chance to break through typecasting came with Adam Sandler casting her in 2010 ensemble comedy Grown Ups.
“I was typecast for a long time,” Hayek Pinault told GQ UK. “My entire life I wanted to do comedy and people wouldn’t give me comedies. I couldn’t land a role until I met Adam Sandler, who put me in a comedy [‘Grown Ups’], but I was in my forties!” Read more
Bonnie Raitt wins Grammy for cover of Manitoba band’s song (CTV)
American singer Bonnie Raitt took home three Grammy Awards this weekend, including one for a cover she did of a Manitoba band’s song.
On Sunday, Raitt won the Grammy for Best Americana Performance for “Made Up Mind,” a cover of The Bros. Landreth’s song from their 2012 album called “Let It Lie.”
The cover appeared on Raitt’s 2022 album “Just Like That,” and marked a big milestone for The Bros. Landreth – a band comprised of Joey and Dave Landreth. Read more
Ridley Scott returns to commercials with a visually stunning film shot on a Samsung phone (AdWeek)
Acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott is famous for sweeping Hollywood sagas, from Blade Runner to Gladiator to House of Gucci. His latest project is an epic on a smaller scale, shot entirely on a Samsung smartphone.
Scott used Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 Ultra to make his short film, titled Behold, which runs just under four minutes. While it shows off the phone’s camera capabilities, it also demonstrates Scott’s signature visual style and storytelling prowess.
The director shot Behold in December in the banlieue of Kalliste in Marseille, France, an area with a negative reputation for crime and poverty. The film’s title refers to the maxim, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and invites viewers to find beauty in a challenging environment. Read more
Adele dedicates Grammy Award to son in emotional acceptance speech (MusicNews)
Adele dedicated her Grammy Award to her son Angelo as she gave an emotional acceptance speech on Sunday night.
The British singer took the stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to accept the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for Easy on Me, which delves into her decision to separate from Angelos father Simon Konecki in 2018.
During her speech, she gave a shout-out to her 10-year-old son for being so “gracious and loving” to her throughout the divorce.
“I just want to dedicate this to my son Angelo,” she said through tears. “Just to my son: I wrote this first verse in the shower when I was choosing to change my son’s life and he’s been nothing but humble and gracious and loving to me the whole time.” Read more
Wild Wild Women: India’s all-female hip-hop collective is singing a new tune (National)
An all-female Indian rap group is using the power of music to highlight women’s issues in socially conservative India. Through its powerful lyrics and catchy beats, Wild Wild Women is striking a chord with audiences in a country where rap music isn’t considered a woman’s domain.
Believed to be India’s first female rap group, the five-member collective was formed in 2020 and consists of rappers, singers and an artist. They say they want to change how women are perceived in the country and their songs reflect the members’ own struggles with entrenched biases against women.
Despite having no formal musical qualifications, what unites the band is their shared passion for music and activism. “We’ve always encountered prejudices at home and patriarchal mindsets from men dominating the music industry,” band member Preeti Sutar, popularly known as Hashtagpreeti, tells The National. “This motivated us to shatter stereotypes about Indian women and female artists in the industry in particular.” Read more
Hong Kong security trial tests judicial independence (DW)
Hong Kong’s landmark national security trial involving 47 pro-democracy politicians and activists began Monday — almost two years after their arrests.
All of them have been charged with subversion for participating in an unofficial primary held in 2020, as they tried to win a majority in the city’s Legislative Council at the time.
Prosecutors accused them of attempting to paralyze the government and overthrow Hong Kong’s chief executive through a “massive and well-organized” plan that involved blocking legislation and vetoing government budgets. Read more
DMX’s daughter is producing fentanyl and drug addiction awareness docuseries (HipHopDX)
DMX‘s daughter, Sonovah Hillman Jr., is preparing a four-part docuseries to raise the awareness of drug addiction and the use of fentanyl — the single most deadliest drug in the United States.
According to a video posted to a GoFundMe page promoting the project, the 10-year-old shared that she had attended a 10-week program facilitated by Drug Abuse Resistance Education [D.A.R.E.], where she was schooled about the dangers of drugs and the ultimate addiction that would follow.
She later saw a clip on TikTok (shown in the video) from Growing Up Hip Hop, where Master P and two of his children Romeo and TyTyana had a heart-to-heart regarding substance abuse. Read more
Nigerian footballer alumps, dies in Spain (DailyTrust)
Former Jigawa United defender, Hadi Ado Bala, has collapsed and died during a home match between his club, CD Madridejo FC and SP Cabanillas in Spain Terceira Division.
The incident reportedly occured on Sunday. The Castilla-La Mancha Football Federation said in a statement that the Nigerian youngstar slumped for no apparent reason in the 39th minute of the match.
Medical personnel on the ground at the Municipal Toledo stadium were said to have immediately come to his aid, but efforts to revive him proved abortive as he was later pronounced dead. Read more
Jesse Marsch sacked by Leeds after slide towards bottom of Premier League (Guardian)
Leeds have sacked Jesse Marsch after their 1-0 Premier League defeat by Nottingham Forest on Sunday left the team outside the relegation zone on goal difference.
“Leeds United can confirm head coach Jesse Marsch has been relieved of his duties,” a club statement released on Monday said. “Jesse joined the club in February 2022 and was instrumental in keeping the club in the Premier League on the final day of last season.
“We would like to thank Jesse and his backroom staff for their efforts and wish them well for the future. The process of appointing a new head coach is underway and we will continue to keep supporters up to date throughout the coming days. Read more
Concerns grow over ex-Newcastle footballer Christian Atsu after Turkey earthquakes (RTE)
Newcastle are anxiously awaiting news of former midfielder Christian Atsu amid reports that he has been trapped in the earthquakes which hit Turkey and Syria on Monday.
The 31-year-old Ghana international, now playing his football with Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor, was said to be missing after team-mates and members of the club’s technical staff had reportedly been pulled from rubble.
Atsu was part of the Magpies team which won promotion back to the Premier League in 2017 after joining on loan for the season from Chelsea, and later completed a permanent move. Read more
Novak Djokovic on course to break rankings record in February (Tennis365)
Novak Djokovic is now just two weeks away from drawing level with Steffi Graf as the longest-reigning world No 1 in the history of rankings.
Djokovic already holds the ATP Rankings record having held the top spot for a total of 375 weeks.
It looks likely that Djokovic will retain the No 1 ranking through the time he needs to break the record during the coming month. Read more
Williams unveil new look and new sponsor for FW45 as 2023 car is launched (PlanetF1)
Williams have taken the covers off the colours of their 2023 challenger, with the FW45 becoming the third Formula 1 car to be shown this year.
The FW45 was unveiled at the team’s ‘season launch’ event on Monday, hosted by popular Formula 1 presenter Will Buxton as he was joined on stage by Alex Albon and new Williams driver, Logan Sargeant.
The livery itself confirmed Williams’ long-rumoured new partnership with Gulf Oil, with its logos featuring on the FW45’s colour scheme – which features the dark blue and black colours of last year, with the change of a matte finish being added to the car. Read more
”King” James poised for NBA scoring record crown (RFI)
One of the oldest records in American sport is set to fall this week when LeBron James finally eclipses Los Angeles Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the most prolific scorer in NBA history.
For the best part of four decades, Abdul-Jabbar has owned the NBA’s all-time scoring record of 38,387 points, a mark that many thought might never be beaten.
Yet after a dazzling 20-year career, the 38-year-old James stands just 36 points away from finally passing Abdul-Jabbar. Read more