Coastal Road: Lekki residents seek Dangote’s intervention (Independent)
Lekki Estates Residents and Stakeholders Association (LERSA), the umbrella body representing estates and communities from 1004 Estate to Epe in Lagos State, has appealed to businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, for help in providing transportation infrastructure in the area.
The appeal was made in a letter to Dangote, Chairman, Dangote Group of Companies, and signed by Olorogun James Emadoye and Arc. Opa Ladega, LERSA President and Vice President.
In the letter, dated 20 March, LERSA expressed delight at the economic developments such as Dangote Refinery, Lekki Deep Seaports and Lekki Free Trade Zone, which it said will bring prosperity to the axis through increased job opportunities.
It, however, noted that there is a need for transportation infrastructure to support the huge investments made by Dangote and other investors, as what is currently available is grossly inadequate. Read more
2023: I’m set to take over from Sanwo-Olu, says APC member, Animashaun-Ajiboye (Punch)
Public administrator, and member of the All Progressives Congress, Mrs. Khairat Animashaun-Ajiboye, has said that she is set to take over the mantle from the incumbent governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as she prepares to take part in the upcoming gubernatorial race in 2023.
Speaking to pressmen at a media parley, held at Excellence Hotel and Conference Hall, Ogba, Lagos, on Thursday, she said that she was poised to take over from the incumbent governor of the state.
She said, “I want to start by greeting the general populace of Lagos State that resides here and that are parts of other communities in Nigeria and all over the world. I greet our mothers, our fathers, our old, our Young, our females, our males, our elders, the owners of this land, and the visitors in this land and at last, I greet our leaders and our people. It is a blessing to be among you this morning.
“My name is Khairat Animashaun-Ajiboye. I would like you to listen to me with a clear mind. I am ready to take over from governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and I believe that I have got what it takes to do so. I have grown through the same social-political system that every normal child went through. I attended a public primary and secondary school, a public college, and University. I was a public servant who used public buses as a source of transportation. Read more
Skales to headline 2022 Lace up trade party
(Nation)
Renowned artist and songwriter Skales has been billed to perform at the 2022 Lace up trade party scheduled to hold on the 26th of March.
The organisers, in a statement, confirmed the ‘Shake Body’ crooner as the headline act to host its upcoming show.
The event which is to hold at the Noble Castle along the Isheri-Igando area of Lagos will also witness other budding acts grace the stage including DJ Ehyo, the official Disc Jockey.
According to the organisers SFI Africa Brands Limited and NaijaVibe.net, the event promises to be mind-blowing as guests will be treated to some fun and games amidst musical performances.
Lagos commences grassroots sensitisation on domestic, sexual violence (Guardian)
Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) in collaboration with Centre for Women’s Health and Information, Yaba, has commenced advocacy and sensitisation programme on domestic and sexual violence throughout the 20 Local Councils of the state.
Already, four councils have been covered in line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s directive, following increasing cases of domestic and sexual violence in the state.
Speaking during a sensitisation programme at Oshodi-Isolo Local Council, Executive Secretary of the agency, Mrs. Titilayo Vivour-Adeniyi, said the event was aimed at sensitising residents about sexual and gender-based violence and offering support services to victims with a view to reducing the rise in violence and defilement.
According to her, it is important that the message gets to the grassroots because the governor has given a mandate that every resident should be appropriately informed and empowered with knowledge of sexual and domestic violence as to what to do if the unfortunate incident happens.
“The town hall meeting has started with Surulere, Ajeromi -Ifelodun Local Council ,the third is Oshodi-Isolo council,” she said. Read more
Community laments effect of spill from Agip facility (ThisDay)
About a month after an oil spill occurred at Lasukugbene, a community in Southern Ijaw area of Bayelsa State following the burst of pipelines belonging to Agip, residents of the area have lamented the effects of the incident.
THISDAY gathered that up till the time of filing of this report, no Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) has been officially carried out by the relevant authorities, after the occurrence of the spill on February 3, 2022.
Lasukugbene community plays host to manifold pipelines and oil wells belonging to Agip Oil Company which has been operating in the community since 1974.
The predominantly fishing community, that has no hospital or health care facilities, relies mostly on local herbs for treatment of their ailments. The people of the community are now in sorrow following the alleged damage to their only source of livelihood-fishing and farming. Read more
Supreme Court upholds de-registration of 22 political parties by INEC (Channels)
The Supreme Court has upheld the de-registration of 22 political parties carried out by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The parties were among 74 others scrapped by INEC in 2020 following their poor performance in previous general elections.
Justice Ejembi Eko on Friday set aside a judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja division which had nullified the de-registration of the political parties.
He was delivering judgment in an appeal instituted by INEC against the judgment of the Court of Appeal. Read more
Buhari warns EFCC against political interference (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abuja admonished the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to avoid being used for partisan politics or used to settle personal disputes.
The President, who gave the warning at the Unveiling of EFCC’s Standard Operating Procedures, Policies, and Manuals, at the State House, urged the Commission to focus on serving the nation and entrenching good governance.
He advised leaders and all operatives of the Commission to resist the temptation of being influenced by political actors for personal gains.
“I must advise the leadership and operatives of this Commission to resist the temptation of being used for partisan politics or be dragged into personal disputes. Read more
Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae among star-studded cast in trailer for Strange Anthology series Roar (People)
Apple TV+’s new anthology series is bringing together nine of Hollywood’s biggest actresses for eight very strange and curious stories.
On Thursday, the streaming network released the trailer for Roar, the new show that features Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, Cynthia Erivo, Merritt Wever, Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Meera Syal, Fivel Stewart and Kara Hayward in what the network describes as “a series of darkly comic feminist fables.”
The show, set to premiere on April 15, comes from GLOW alums Carly Mensch and Liz Flahive, who serve as co-creators and showrunners. It was created based on a book of short stories by Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern.
Each self-contained episode tells the story of “ordinary women in some pretty extraordinary circumstances,” according to a release, “spanning genres from magical realism to psychological horror.” Read more
Irish stars honoured at Oscar Wilde Awards in LA
(IrishIndependent)
Irish cinematic talent was honoured at the Oscar Wilde Awards, hosted by the US-Ireland Alliance in Los Angeles last night.
In its 16th year, the Oscar Wilde Awards honoured Hollywood stars including Jamie Dornan, up-and-coming Irish actor Dónall Ó Héalai, and Kenneth Branagh.
Director and writer Branagh couldn’t be there in person because he tested positive for Covid-19 last week, but actor Belfast native Dornan was there reflecting on the success of Belfast.
Branagh’s wife, Lindsay Brunnock, and several of his family and friends were there to enjoy the event. Read more
Russian army says 1,351 soldiers killed in Ukraine (Guardian)
The Russian army on Friday updated its losses in Ukraine to 1,351 soldiers, while saying that it had evacuated more than 400,000 civilians and condemning Western supplies of weapons to Kyiv.
At a Moscow briefing, senior military officials gave the first update on Russian deaths in weeks, adding that 3,825 soldiers had been wounded.
A senior defence ministry official, Mikhail Mizintsev, said 419,736 civilians had been evacuated to Russia from the separatist eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, as well as the rest of Ukraine. Read more
Kim Jung-un takes starring role in propaganda film to promote North Korea’s massive missile launch (ITV)
North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, wearing a leather jacket and shades, has played a leading role in a propaganda film promoting the country’s launch of its latest massive intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The 11-minute Hollywood action movie-style video featured slow motion and speeded up sequences of Kim Jong-un walking side-by-side with military officials, apparently inspecting what North Korean TV called a “new-type ICBM” ahead of its launch at Pyongyang’s international airport.
He is also seen looking repeatedly at his watch during the countdown to launch and whipping off his sunglasses to look directly at the camera in what is North Korea’s most provocative weapons demonstration since US President Joe Biden took office.
In stills released to accompany the video, the leader and military men are seen cheering after launch as rousing music plays. Read more
Sam Fender opens up on close bond with Elton John but admits he turned down duet (DailyStar)
Sam Fender has no doubt become one of the hottest rising stars with fans including Sir Elton John, Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.
Having released his debut album, Hypersonic Missiles in 2019, the North Shields star had been sharing music since as early as 2017 and working on mastering his talent from the age of 10.
However, aged 18 in 2013, Sam was spotted performing at his local boozer, the Low Lights Tavern, by music manager Owain Davies who later took him on as a client.
Fast forward several years and Fender became an instantly recognisable voice with tracks including Play God and Poundshop Kardashians being loved by millions. Read more
Pachinko’s Jin Ha explains why his new show is so groundbreaking (DigitalSpy)
The Apple TV+ series Pachinko is the long-awaited adaptation of author Min Jin Lee’s novel of the same name.
The epic family story examines the ways one crucial choice can impact an entire generation in a bloodline and features an international cast including Devs star Jin Ha.
Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, Ha opened up about the importance of the project where, for the first time in his career, he is part of an East Asian cast, telling an East Asian-specific story.
Asked about what drew him to the story, Ha said: “I think so much of the story in Min Jin Lee’s book and this production, drew me to want to audition. You know what I mean? Read more
‘It feels like Live Aid’: all-star Concert for Ukraine joins war relief effort (Guardian)
The organiser of next week’s televised Concert for Ukraine has described the event as “comparable to Live Aid”.
“The scale is obviously different – Live Aid was transatlantic,” said Guy Freeman, MD of the production company Livewire Pictures. “But it is comparable in terms of people coming together very quickly in the face of an emergency.”
The event, being broadcast live by ITV and STV on Tuesday, will feature Ed Sheeran, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Camila Cabello, Manic Street Preachers, Snow Patrol, Emeli Sandé and more, and was mobilised in just two weeks after Freeman was horrified by the “relentless” news and wanted to help.
He first contacted ITV before approaching venues. “NEC Group were amazing. They said: ‘We’ve got space at these times at [Birmingham’s] Resorts World Arena.’” Three booking agents volunteered to start contacting touring acts who were able to perform at such short notice. Read more
Nigeria, Ghana clash live on StarTimes (Sun)
The Super Eagles of Nigeria and the Black Stars of Ghana rekindle their rivalry in an epic 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier showing live on StarTimes today at 8:30 pm.
The first leg holds at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi and will be broadcast on NTA channels on StarTimes.
The die is cast and the Black Stars will look to put behind their disappointing run at AFCON 2021 and try to secure the World Cup ticket.
Nigeria and Ghana will face off in a two-legged affair with the winner on aggregates qualifying for the soccer fiesta in Qatar later in the year. Read more
West Ham donate to 9 animal charities after fining Kurt Zouma £250,000 over ‘cat kicking’ video (Sky)
West Ham have made donations to nine animal welfare charities after fining defender Kurt Zouma £250,000 after he was filmed kicking his pet cat.
French international Zouma, 27, had his two cats taken away from him by the RSPCA after footage emerged of him kicking one of them.
The Hammers say “significant payments” have been made to nine animal charities at home and abroad following the incident.
The club said: “West Ham United is pleased to confirm that financial donations have been made to a number of animal welfare charities following the club fine handed to Kurt Zouma. Read more
Alexandre Lacazette reveals the one thing that Mikel Arteta has changed at Arsenal (FootballLondon)
Arsenal captain Alexandre Lacazette has spoken about Mikel Arteta’s impact at the club.
The Gunners endured a torrid start to their Premier League campaign, losing all of their opening three league outings and failing to score a single goal in the process. However, they have since turned it all around, winning 17 of their next 25 league fixtures.
The north London outfit currently sit fourth in the table, three points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, who have played one more match on their local rivals. Now, Lacazette has stressed the importance of ending the club’s five-year UEFA Champions League hiatus whilst also hailing Arteta’s impact at the Emirates Stadium.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, he said: “We are focused on being in the top four. We want to get the team into the Champions League next season. Read more
Dillian Whyte’s lawyer not convinced Tyson Fury fight will go ahead amid bitter row (Mirror)
Dillian Whyte’s lawyer is not convinced his fighter’s clash with Tyson Fury will go ahead.
Fury and Whyte are due to clash at Wembley on April 23 in a mandatory defence of Fury’s heavyweight world title. But the build-up to the clash has been soured by a bitter row between the two teams with Whyte refusing to appear at a press conference to officially launch the fight.
His lawyer Jeffrey Benz claims his client has not been offered a ticket for his mum and has accused Fury’s team of playing “silly games”. And he went as far as to say he is not 100% sure Whyte will walk to the ring.
“Dillian is focused on fighting, he’s straightforward in that regard, he’s assuming the fight will go forward, but you never know what will happen with this opponent at the last minute,” he told talkSPORT. “But Dillian is doing his thing. It’ll be an exciting fight, if it goes forward – probably the fight of the decade. You just don’t know [if the fight will go ahead]. Read more
Max Verstappen’s Red Bull issued reliability warning ahead of Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (Express)
Red Bull have been sent a reliability warning from ex-driver Paul Di Resta ahead of this weekend’s race. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez suffered mechanical failures in the closing stages of last week’s race.
Verstappen was forced to peel into the pits after battling with Charles Leclerc for the lead. Meanwhile, Perez spun on the exit of turn one and retired from what would have been a podium for the Mexican.
Red Bull have claimed they have solved the issue which plagued the cars last weekend but Di Resta isn’t so sure. Speaking to Sky Sports F1, he warned Verstappen will still be “nervous” heading into the closing stages of the race.
He said: “I think they know it hurts losing those points. If it’s going to happen, you want it to happen in the first race. Read more
Novak Djokovic wins appeal and escapes Paris Masters suspension (TennisWorld)
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was reportedly set to be suspended from the Paris Masters as a fine for his late Indian Wells Masters withdrawal but he appealed and won his case, per Ben Rothenberg.
In Dubai, Djokovic admitted he would likely be forced to skip the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami.
Even though it was pretty evident that Djokovic wouldn’t be allowed to enter the United States because of his unvaccinated status, he still decided against withdrawing before the Indian Wells draw was made. Djokovic waited until the last moment and the day before the start of main draw action he announced he was denied entry into the United States.
“While I was automatically listed in the @BNPPARIBASOPEN and @MiamiOpen draw I knew it would be unlikely I’d be able to travel. The CDC has confirmed that regulations won’t be changing so I won’t be able to play in the US.
Good luck to those playing in these great tournaments,” Djokovic wrote on Twitter.