Commuters groan as Lagos commercial buses begin strike over extortion (Channels)
Many commuters were stranded on Monday as the Joint Drivers’ Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN) commenced a seven-day strike over “multiple and excessive extortion” by the Parks Management Committee headed by Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo.
Members of the group include commercial vehicles popularly known as Danfos, and mini-buses locally known as Korope.
Our correspondent, who moved through the Agege, Alimosho, Ifako-Ijaiye, and Ikeja local government areas of the state, observed large crowds at scores of bus stops as commuters jostled for a few available buses who hiked transport fares by up to 100%.
While some commuters grudgingly paid the high fares to connect to their destinations, others took to trekking long distances. The situation, coupled with the lingering fuel scarcity, worsened movement in Lagos. Read more
CHELE completes construction of $1.5b Lekki Deep seaport, hands over to Tolaram (Sun)
The EPC contractor, China Harbour Engineering LFTZ Enterprise (CHELE), a subsidiary of China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has completed the construction of $1.5bn Lekki Deep Seaport and handed it over to Tolaram group, the developer of the port.
To ease cargo evacuation, the Lagos State Government also approved construction of six lanes along the port corridors.
Speaking at the CHELE Completion of Construction ceremony in Ibeju-Lekki, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said that the port is one of the modern deep seaports in the world.
However, he applauded the project and said when it becomes operational, it will generate several billion dollars for the state and country. Read more
Lagos woman jailed 10 years for sex trafficking (Punch)
A mother of five, Chinyere Raman, has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment by a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State for trafficking a lady to Libya.
Justice Abimbola Awogboro handed down the verdict on Friday after convicting her of human trafficking and promotion of prostitution.
Raman was arraigned in 2019 by the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.
She was accused of buying the victim for 300, 000 Libyan dinars from a Cameroonian (said to be at large), for the purpose of subjecting her to exploitation and prostitution. Read more
13 passengers attempting to beat sit-at-home burnt to death (Nation)
No fewer than 13 persons were burnt to death on Sunday night in an accident involving a Toyota bus and a trailer at 4-Corners Junction, near Enugu metropolis, Enugu State.
The victims were burnt beyond recognition as the bus conveying them from Imo to Adamawa State, had a head-on collision with a trailer and exploded immediately.
The victims were said to be attempting to beat the Monday’s sit-at-home order in solidarity with the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu over continued detention by the Federal Government when the bus collided with the trailer.
The accident, said to have occurred at about 10.30pm close to army checkpoint at 4-Corners, attracted the soldiers, who made futile effort to rescue the victims. Read more
Bayelsa monarch sleeps in car, as flood sacks palace (Vanguard)
His Highness, Amos Poubinafa, traditional ruler of Tungbo town in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa now sleeps in his car, as floods have sacked his palace.
“I have been sleeping in my Toyota Sienna for two weeks since the flood ravaged the palace.
“It reached the knee level and made the palace uninhabitable,” the retired Naval officer told newsmen on Monday in Tungbo.
“The car is the only safe place for me; the entire building is flooded and there is no safer place for me to sleep. Read more
Ebola: NCDC cautions Nigerians against non-essential travel to Uganda (DailyTrust)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday cautioned Nigerians and other residents in the nation against embarking on non-essential travel to Uganda for now.
The NCDC Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, gave the caution in a statement he signed on Monday in Abuja.
He stated that the warning is to enable public health authorities to determine how the Ebola outbreak will be contained. As of October 29, 2022, the Ugandan Ministry of Health reported 128 confirmed cases of the Ebola virus and 34 deaths.
Adetifa cautioned that when travelling to Uganda became essential, travellers should avoid contact with obviously sick persons or suspected cases of Ebola. Read more
BSN unveils fully translated Bible in Okun (Vanguard)
The Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN) has unveiled the fully translated Holy Bible in Okun, a Yoruba language dialect spoken in Kogi, Kwara and Ekiti states.
“We now have the full Holy Bible in 27 Nigerian languages.
“Translation or revision is ongoing in 10 other Nigerian languages,’’ Pastor Samuel Sanusi, General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of BSN told a news conference on Sunday in Lagos.
Sanusi said with the completion of the Okun translation, the society had set another record in Bible translation as the exercise was achieved in a record time of five years. Read more
You can’t stop anyone from running, Wike replies Ayu (DailyTrust)
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has challenged the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to stop any of the party’s candidates from contesting the 2023 elections if he can.
Wike, who spoke to journalists in Port Harcourt on Sunday, was reacting to a statement credited to Ayu that he has power to stop Samuel Ortom or any other candidate in the party from contesting election.
Ortom belongs to Wike’s camp which has been calling for the resignation of Ayu as the only panacea to restore peace in the opposition party.
Addressing his supporters that welcomed him home in Gboko, Benue State, Ayu said, “I have been silent over all the things you are hearing against me because I don’t want any crack in the party I belong to in my state. I have the power to say you and you will not go anywhere because I will insist that I must sign before you go anywhere.” Read more
K-Pop singer Lee Jihan dies in stampede in South Korea (MusicNews)
Lee Jihan, a K-Pop singer and actor, was among those who died in the crowd crush in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday.
On Sunday, 935 Entertainment and 9Ato Entertainment, the star’s management companies, confirmed the news. He was 24.
“We are sad to deliver such news today, but Lee Jihan has passed away in the crush in Itaewon last night,” the statement reads, reports Entertainment Tonight. “We would like to express our deepest condolences to his family, who are saddened by the sudden tragic news, and also to everyone who loved him.”
Jihan, born on 3 August 1998, made his first big move in the Korean entertainment industry by competing in the second season of the Korean singing competition Produce 101, in which 101 K-pop hopefuls competed for a spot in an 11-member boy band. He later moved into acting in 2019, starring in TV show Today Was Another Nam Hyun Day. Read more
Taylor Swift’s ‘‘Midnights’’ sees biggest album debut week in nearly 7 years (NBC)
On the eve of the 11th month of the year, Taylor Swift has achieved her 11th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with “Midnights.”
The set enters the chart with 1.578 million album equivalent units in the U.S. — the largest week for any album in nearly seven years, as noted by Billboard. Adele logged 3.482 million units on the Dec. 12, 2015-dated chart with “25.”
Swift is now tied with Barbra Streisand as the female artist with the most No. 1 albums in the chart’s history. She’s the sixth act with over 10 No. 1 albums on the chart, joining the Beatles (19), Jay-Z (14), and Drake, Bruce Springsteen, and Streisand (all with 11). She also becomes the only artist to have five albums debut with over 1 million units sold in their first week in U.S. Nielsen history.
Swift’s 13-track album, officially released on Oct. 21, is already the year’s top-selling album by overall sales; she beats her own record for the largest sales week for an album since her own “Reputation” debuted in 2017. Read more
Lionel Richie will return to UK in 2023 for Blenheim Palace concert (Standard)
US singer-songwriter Lionel Richie has said he “can’t wait” to perform at the Nocturne Live concert series next year, describing the UK crowds as “some of the best in the world.”
The Academy Award winner, 73, is returning to the UK for the first time since 2019 to stage a concert at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire from June 14 to 18.
Richie, who was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, is the first artist confirmed to perform at the 10,000 capacity venue, with more names set to be announced.
He said: “I’m really looking forward to heading to Blenheim Palace next summer. Read more
Prince Jackson says Stevie Wonder facetimed him on dad Michael Jackson’s birthday (People)
Prince Michael Jackson was in for a surprise during a celebration for his late dad Michael Jackson’s 64th birthday.
While speaking to PEOPLE at Friday’s Thriller Night Halloween Party to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the iconic album and single, the King of Pop’s son revealed he got a call from Stevie Wonder while marking his dad’s special day in August.
Noting that he “had a fantastic birthday for my dad,” the 25-year-old, whose birth name is Michael Joseph Jackson Jr said that he and his family “went out to Vegas” for the occasion.
“We have our one show out there, and we host a birthday celebration every year for him,” Prince explained. “Went out there, got to hang out with a lot of people from the fan club communities. It’s a really awesome weekend of just love and celebration.” Read more
Daniel Radcliffe addresses rumours he’s the next Wolverine in ‘‘X-Men’’ films (Deadline)
Daniel Radcliffe has done a lot of work to shed his days as the hero in the Harry Potter film franchise. Even though rumors pointed to him succeeding Hugh Jackman as the next Wolverine in the X-Men movie franchise, the English actor is debunking all those claims.
“It’s purely a press tour rumor; I say something, and then occasionally I get bored of answering that way so I say something different, and that sets it off again. I should just never open my mouth,” he recently told GQ in an interview.
Being easily identifiable by a role is something Radcliffe knows can be difficult to shake off and that’s why he says he doesn’t “ever want to get locked into something that I am not sure I will be able to love the same amount the whole time.”
Earlier this year and while appearing on The View, co-host Ana Navarro asked Radcliffe about the rumors he was next to play Wolverine, something that he denied. Read more
Luke Evans praises Daniel Craig for evolving James Bond past womanising (DigitalSpy)
Luke Evans has praised Daniel Craig and his series of James Bond movies for evolving the character beyond his past reputation for womanising.
Evans was speaking to The Independent about the character, who has been played by seven different actors across 27 films — starting with Sean Connery in 1962’s Dr. No and most recently featuring Craig in his fifth and final Bond outing in last year’s No Time to Die.
The character has had a reputation of womanising, with criticism against this side of the character increasing over the past few years. Craig’s movies, however, have moved 007 somewhat past that. Craig’s Bond had a romance with Léa Seydoux’s Madeleine Swann over
the course of the last two Bond movies, with the pair having a child in No Time to Die. And Evans has praised the recent movies for this development.
“We’re not in the Roger Moore [era] where he sleeps with five women per film, that’s not really what he’s about anymore,” Evans said, explaining that audiences are “more interested in the spectacle, the story”. Read more
‘Candyman’ star Tony Todd recalls earning $1k per bee sting while filming movie (People)
Tony Todd’s Candyman paycheck was as sweet as honey.
With the 1992 horror classic recently turning 30, Todd — who originated the sinister titular villain in the film, and appeared in two sequels in 1995 and 1999 — opened up to Entertainment Tonight about how he was paid around $1,000 for every time he was stung by a bee while filming.
Fans of the film will remember that bees played a major role in one of the more famous, spine-chilling scenes, when Todd’s Candyman is shown kissing Helen Lyle (Virginia Madsen) with a mouth full of the insects.”The bees were the worst nemesis,” said the actor, 67. Read more
India 2022: Bronze winning Flamingos return Tuesday (Sun)
World Cup bronze winning Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team Flamingos, are expected back in the country on Tuesday.
Nigeria Football Federation NFF confirmed in a press statement that the victorious team will return back from India on Tuesday November 1, 2022.
Nigeria claimed her first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup bronze medal on Sunday after a 3-2 penalty shootout win over Germany following a dramatic 3-3 draw in Mumbai.
Both teams started the competition playing against each other, with the Germans coming back from a goal down to win 2-1 at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa. Read more
Oyo SWAN backs Alahusa U13 grassroots soccer tourney (Sun)
The chairman of Oyo State Chapter of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Niyi Alebiosu has pledged the support of the body to a grassroots football competition initiated and sponsored by a sports enthusiast Alhaji Olaide Alahusa.
The grassroots tourney tagged Alahusa U13 Soccer Tournament that kicked off in Ibadan at the weekend.
Alebiosu, while speaking during the draws held to commence the tourney said part of duties of the sports journalists is to support any initiatives geared towards encouraging sports at the grassroots, especially from private individuals that are using their hard earned resources to sponsor sports at grassroots.
“I want to pledge the support of the sporting press in Oyo State to this tournament initiated by Alhaji Olaide Alahusa who has also been a good partner to Oyo SWAN. Part of our responsibilities as watchdog of the society and sports journalists are to support grassroots initiatives of private individuals that are geared towards supporting sports,” Alebiosu noted. Read more
Lionesses star Hannah Hampton is dropped by England over behaviour and attitude problems (DailyMail)
England and Aston Villa goalkeeper Hannah Hampton has been dropped from the national team because of her behaviour and attitude at the team’s camps.
The 21-year-old has not been selected by Lionesses’ boss Sarina Wiegman since their Euros triumph in the summer and looks unlikely to be reinstated back into the team.
The news comes shortly after Hampton turned up unannounced to Villa’s game with Chelsea after being left out of the squad by manager Carla Ward.
Prior to World Cup qualifiers in September, Wiegman claimed Hampton’s absence from the national squad was due to ‘some personal issues that she has to solve so for her at this moment it’s better for her to stay at her club’. Read more
Marcus Rashford pens heartfelt message to fans after Cristiano Ronaldo comparison (Mirror)
Marcus Rashford posted an emotional message to Manchester United supporters on social media after scoring his 100th goal for the club on Sunday afternoon.
The England international, who turns 25 on Halloween, produced a superb header in the 1-0 Premier League victory against West Ham at Old Trafford. Rashford’s winner has drawn comparisons with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is renowned for his towering headers.
“100 goals for this special club!” wrote Rashford. “I’ve been here since I was seven years old and came through every single age group and played on every single pitch so I want to thank all the staff, my family and teammates that have helped make this achievement possible.”
Rashford achieved the impressive milestone in 318 games for the Red Devils. He famously scored twice on his debut in the Europa League against Danish outfit Midtjylland in February 2016 and has since established himself as one of United’s biggest stars. Read more
Madrid held by Girona in Spanish league in another setback (USAToday)
Real Madrid was held by Girona to a 1-1 draw at home on Sunday in the Spanish league to follow up its first loss of the season in all competitions.
Madrid was coming off a 3-2 defeat at Leipzig on Tuesday in the Champions League which ended its unbeaten run.
Going into Sunday’s game, Madrid had won 10 of its first 11 Spanish league matches, with a 1-1 home draw against Osasuna in the seventh round.
The result cuts Madrid’s lead to one point over Barcelona, which won 1-0 at Valencia on Saturday for its 10th win in 12 league matches. Read more
Hamilton says he was affected by booing Mexican crowd (France24)
Lewis Hamilton admitted he had been affected by being booed by sections of the crowd after he finished second behind Max Verstappen in Sunday’s Mexico Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion saluted the big sellout crowd, which created a carnival atmosphere at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigues, before revealing how “awkward” he had been made to feel.
Speaking during the post-race interviews, the Mercedes driver said: “This has been an amazing crowd, but definitely a bit awkward this time around.
“Boos all day, but nonetheless I have so much love for Mexico and for the people here –- and what a great race event they put on this weekend.” Read more