Confession: How I killed Super TV boss – Chidinma (Punch)
A Lagos High Court sitting at Tafawa Balewa Square on Tuesday watched the video recording of the lifeless body of the Chief Executive Officer of Super TV, Usifo Ataga, allegedly murdered on June 15, 2021.
An undergraduate, Chidinma Ojukwu, and one Adedapo Quadri are standing trial for Ataga’s murder.
They were arraigned alongside Ojukwu’s sister, Chioma Egbuchu, accused of stealing Ataga’s iPhone 7.
Ataga’s body was seen in the video lying on the ground facing up, with his hands spread. Read more
Lagos residents lament looming epidemic from overflowing wastewater plant (Guardian)
Residents of Jakande Estate and environs are lamenting the looming epidemic occasioned by the overflow of Oke -Afa Wastewater Plant, located at Jakande Housing Estate, Isolo.
The plant built in 1982, was to serve over 40, 000 people through an activated sludge process, with the capacity of doing primary, secondary and tertiary treatment, while Oke-Afa Canal is the receiving point.
However, the plant, which serves about 50,000 people living in and around Jakande Estate has witnessed no major rehabilitation, apart from a recent minor one.
When The Guardian visited last week, the plant was in a sorry state, while a visible trademark of the plant is the effluent from the pipes overflowing into the streets and drainage system. Read more
LP unveils campaign council for Obi (DailyTrust)
The Labour Party yesterday unveiled the campaign council for its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of the February 25 presidential election.
Unveiling the 1,234-member Presidential Campaign Council, the secretary of the party, Umar Faruk, who stood in for the chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, said the party was ready to champion the history of a new Nigeria.
He said the campaign council will work to renew hope for a better Nigeria for all.
The campaign council is chaired by a retired Inspector General of Police, Muhammed Zarewa, while Doyin Okupe is its director general.
Other members of the council include Oseluka Obaze as the deputy director general and general manager of the campaign. Alhaji Yusuf Bello Maitama is the deputy director general North, while Denzel Kentebe is the deputy director general South. Read more
World Sight Day: Why over 4.25m adult Nigerians are ‘blind’, by ophthalmologists (Guardian)
Ahead of today’s World Sight Day (WSD), ophthalmologists have raised the alarm that over 4.25 million adults in Nigeria, aged 40 and above, suffer from moderate to severe visual impairment or blindness.
WSD is marked every second Thursday of October to raise awareness about retinal diseases and care of the eyes. It is also to support Sightsaver’s work to combat avoidable blindness. The theme of this year’s event is ‘Love Your Eyes’.
The ophthalmologists said cataracts, glaucoma and uncorrected refractive errors are leading causes of blindness. While cataract is the leading cause of blindness (reversible), followed by glaucoma (irreversible), uncorrected refractive errors are the leading cause of visual impairment.
They also decried the situation where Nigeria has 700 ophthalmologists to 200 million people against the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommendation of one ophthalmologist for 50,000 people in developing countries. Read more
Ogun man fakes own kidnap, demands N10m ransom (Punch)
Men of Ogun State Police Command have arrested a 23-year-old man, Edward Okache, for faking his own kidnap and asking his gang to demand N10 million ransom from his family.
Okache reportedly contacted four others: Asamoah Ernest, Isiah Uti, Ephraim Anyijor and charity Lukpata to execute the fake kidnap with a view to getting N10m fund for an online business.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed this on Wednesday in a statement.
The PPRO explained that the suspects were arrested following a report lodged at Mowe divisional headquarters by one Comfort Okache. Read more
I’ll stop extortion of traders by ‘Mama lojas’ in Lagos – Jandor (Vanguard)
Governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Lagos state, Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor has vowed to stop alleged extortion and harassment of traders by leaders of markets, otherwise known as ‘Mama loja’ in the state.
Jandor, in a statement on Wednesday, assured that his administration would serve with integrity and create an enabling environment which will ensure ease of doing business in the state.
His words, “We will be deliberate about the ease of doing business in Lagos by providing an enabling environment to players in our economy both at the formal and informal sectors.
“We will restore hope to our market men and women to make sure no one harasses or extorts them in the name of “Mama loja” (market Leader) and we won’t take away their means of livelihood for a day by closing any market in Lagos under whatever guise. Read more
UNN Student wins N30m star prize at Big Break Moment Africa 2022 (Leadership)
A final year student of the department of Theater and Film Studies in the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Joel Chibuzor Uzor, a.k.a Joel Jonez, has emerged the winner of the Big Break Moment Africa 2022, a TV reality show for talented undergraduates.
At the Big Break Moment Africa grand finale, which was held at the prestigious Eko Hotels and Suites in Lagos, Jonez, a professional dancer, was awarded N30million worth of cash and prizes.
He was given the grand prize which included a 2021 Geely Coolray and N10m cash.
Thousands of undergraduates auditioned for the show in July and 20 of them were selected from different higher institutions across the country, five undergraduates were also selected from the online audition. Read more
Appoint indigenes to key govt positions, group tells Ogun governor (Guardian)
The Ogun Collectives Group has appealed to the Ogun State governor Dapo Abiodun to consider indigenes of the state for key government appointments.
Secretary General of the group, Adekunle Odutade, in a press release signed by OCG, kicked against the alleged appointment of non-indigenes to key positions by the Governor Abiodun.
The group, however, called on Abiodun to stop depriving Ogun indigenes of their rights.
The group explained that the recent appointments of non-indigenes to key positions were counterproductive to the growth and development of Ogun State. Read more
Nollywood filmmaker, producer, Seun Egbegbe, regains freedom after 3 years (Tribune)
Nollywood producer, Seun Egbegbe, has regained his freedom after three years in prison custody.
The filmmaker and producer was remanded on February 10, 2017, after allegedly obtaining money by false pretence from no fewer than 40 Bureaus De Change operators in different parts of Lagos State.
He was accused of swindling the BDC operators by claiming that he had naira to change into foreign currencies and vice versa.
Egbegebe was docked for series of frauds involving N39,098,100, $90,000 and £12,550. Read more
Jamie Lee Curtis sobs over Laurie Strode’s final outing in Halloween Ends during emotional New York Comic-Con tribute (Metro)
Jamie Lee Curtis bid an emotional farewell to Laurie Strode ahead of the release of Halloween Ends this week.
The latest saga in the horror franchise is hitting the big screen in just a few days and is set to be the final outing for Laurie Strode (Jamie) and serial killer Michael Myers.
Appearing at New York Comic-Con for a tribute to her incredible Hollywood career so far – hosted by Drew Barrymore on Saturday – things became too much for the 63-year-old as she walked out on stage.
Sitting down to rapturous applause from the packed-out audience, she began sobbing at the response.
‘I don’t take any of this for granted,’ she said after briefly gathering herself. ‘You just have to understand this is overwhelming. Read more
LA council president resigns her seat over racist remarks leak (BBC)
A top Los Angeles city councilwoman has resigned after she was secretly recorded making racist remarks in a meeting with two other city lawmakers.
Nury Martinez stepped aside as city council president on Monday, but had still clung on to her council seat.
President Joe Biden has led calls for her and two other Democrats to go.
The audio obtained by the Los Angeles Times and posted online is from an October 2021 meeting to discuss redrawing of voting maps. Read more
Green Day teases Nimrod 25th anniversary celebrations (MusicNews)
Green Day have teased some 25th anniversary celebrations for ‘Nimrod’.
The punk rock legends – made up of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool – released their fifth studio album back in 1997, and Friday (14.10.22) marks 25 years to the day since it dropped.
In a cryptic social media post, the group shared the roman numerals XXV on a yellow and black background, referencing the colour scheme for the record’s artwork.
They teased: “Someone’s got a VERY big birthday on Friday… Any guesses who??!”
The LP – which was the follow-up to 1995’s ‘Insomniac’ – featured classic single ‘Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)’, while tracks like ‘Hitchin’ A Ride’ and ‘King For A Day’ are still staples in the band’s live shows. Read more
Ma$e seemingly accuses Diddy of cancelling his tour dates with Cam’ron and Jadakiss (HipHopDX)
Ma$e has seemingly accused Diddy of being behind the cancellation of his upcoming tour dates with Cam’ron and Jadakiss.
The Harlem rapper took to Instagram on Tuesday (October 11) to react to a number of dates on the trio’s 3 Headed Monster Tour being axed.
Ticketmaster’s website reveals concerts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Long Island, New York; and Sunrise, Florida that were scheduled to take place this month are no longer going ahead.
In his Instagram caption, Ma$e appeared to point the finger at Diddy by claiming he has a “#1 hater [behind the scenes]” trying to sabotage his career. Read more
Brendan Fraser gets emotional during 5-minute standing ovation for ”The Whale” in London (People)
Brendan Fraser is getting emotional again.
On Tuesday, the 53-year-old actor came close to tears when honored with a 5-minute standing ovation for his role in The Whale at the London Film Festival.
Fraser went on stage as the credits rolled for the movie screening and took a bow, causing the audience to cheer even louder. He was later joined by director Darren Aronofsky and screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter.
Audience member Steph Tataryn commented that Fraser deserved “ALL THE AWARDS” after watching the movie in the British capital. Read more
Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds reimagine ‘‘A Christmas Carol’’ with song and dance in ‘Spirited’ trailer (Variety)
Despite its 19th century publication, Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” pervades as a popular holiday tale adapted dozens of times for cinema. So what makes the next iteration of this story unique from the rest?
The answer is comedians Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, who are co-starring in the musical “Spirited” — the latest adaptation of the canonical piece of literature. Reynolds will be playing Clint Briggs, a younger, funnier version of the old, crotchety Ebenezer Scrooge, while Ferrell will be portraying the ghost of Christmas Present. However, Clint turns the tables and reexamines the ghost’s past, present and future. For the first time, “A Christmas Carol” is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this hilarious musical twist on the classic Dickens tale.
Produced by Maximum Effort and Gloria Sanchez Productions, the upcoming Apple TV+ original feature is a holiday-oriented musical comedy co-written by Sean Anders and John Morris. Ferrell and Reynolds are already fairly comfortable around a microphone, as their fans on TikTok know from a viral 2021 video where the comedians did their own take on the Grace Kelly song trend. Read more
Israeli Security Cabinet OKs Lebanon maritime border deal (ABC)
Israel’s Security Cabinet on Wednesday voted in favor of the U.S.-brokered maritime border deal with Lebanon, the first of several procedural hurdles before the agreement is formally adopted.
The snap vote by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s senior ministers came a day after he announced that Israel agreed to the terms of the landmark deal between the two countries that have formally been in a state of war since 1948.
Lebanon and Israel both claim around 860 square kilometers (330 square miles) of the Mediterranean Sea that are home to offshore gas fields. At stake are rights over exploiting those undersea resources.
Under the agreement, the disputed waters would be divided along a line straddling the strategic “Qana” natural gas field. Read more
Nayef Aguerd closes in on West Ham debut as David Moyes hints at early return from ankle injury (Standard)
West Ham have been given a boost as manager David Moyes revealed defender Nayef Aguerd is hoping to step up his recovery next week.
Summer signing Aguerd, who moved to the Hammers for around £30million from Rennes, is yet to make his debut for West Ham after suffering an ankle injury in preseason against Rangers.
The centre-back has been gradually working on his fitness and Moyes gave a positive update on his recovery when speaking on Wednesday afternoon.
“Aguerd is beginning to make his way. He’s doing a bit on the grass,” said Moyes. Read more
UEFA chief in hot water for ‘overlooking multiple harassment claims from NWSL players’ (DailyMail)
UEFA is set to demand an explanation from its financial regulations chief after he was implicated in the abuse scandal in US women’s soccer.
According to reports in the US, Sunil Gulati overlooked multiple reports from players of verbal and sexual harassment from coaches within the National Women’s Soccer League.
The issue has rocked the women’s game across the US and Gulati – an ally of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin – now faces serious questions relating to his key role with European football’s governing body.
As former United States Soccer Federation (USSF) president, Gulati is said to have failed to act on a myriad of complaints – according to a report commissioned by the body and carried out by former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. Read more
Sergio Aguero compares Erling Haaland to Messi and Maradona as new Man City era beckons (MEN)
Manchester City’s all-time record goal-scorer Sergio Aguero has compared Erling Haaland to Lionel Messi and the Brazilian great Ronaldo, and believes that the young striker can help bring about a new era at the club.
Big things were expected of Haaland when City announced they had signed him for £51m early in the summer, but the 22-year-old has surpassed even the most optimistic of expectations during the first two months of the season.
The striker has scored a remarkable 20 goals in 13 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, scoring three hat-tricks and breaking numerous records in the process. With 15 goals in nine Premier League matches he already looks nailed on to win the Golden Boot award in his first seasons in the division, and now Aguero believes that he will be looked back on as one of the greatest strikers ever. Read more
Tennis Australia won’t lobby for Novak Djokovic at 2023 Australian Open (SI)
Novak Djokovic won’t get official support with lobbying from Tennis Australia should he seek to enter the country for the first major of 2023, a year after he was deported because he was not vaccinated for COVID-19.
The 21-time Grand Slam champion wasn’t allowed to defend his Australian Open title last January after a tumultuous 10-day legal saga that culminated with his visa being revoked on the eve of the tournament eventually won by Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic originally was granted an exemption to strict vaccination rules by two medical panels and Tennis Australia in order to play in the Australian Open but, after traveling to Melbourne believing he had all his paperwork in order, the exemption was rejected by the Australian Border Force.
“It is not a matter we can lobby on. It is a matter that definitely stays between the two of them,” Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley said Wednesday at a launch for the 2023 event, referring to Djokovic and the Australian government. Read more
Mikaela Mayer says Claressa Shields vs Savannah Marshall card will ‘bring boxing back’ (TalkSport)
Boxing has not exactly covered itself in glory over the last few weeks, but Saturday night’s fight card could bring redemption.
It all began when Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua gave boxing fans hope that we may finally get to see arguably the biggest fight in British boxing history, but as is so often the case in boxing, negotiations collapsed.
This was not the end of the world though, as fight fans still had the highly-anticipated clash between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn to look forward to… until this also fell through due to Benn failing a drugs test.
It also came out in the aftermath that the promoters and the BBBoC (British Boxing Board of Control) had known about the drugs test weeks before they decided to call off the bout, shining a light on the lack of regulation in the sport, as well as the weak deterrents around doping.
Ineos Grenadiers confirm signing of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, their 1st female rider (CW)
Ineos Grenadiers have announced the signing of Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, the first female rider to join the team, and the first rider who is purely joining their “off-road roster”.
The news broke last week, and was confirmed to Cycling Weekly by a source, but now Ineos have confirmed the deal. Ferrand-Prévot has signed a two-year deal with the team, which continues past the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which is her biggest goal.
The Frenchwoman has had a record-breaking 2022, which has seen her win the short track, cross country and marathon mountain bike World Championships, as well as the inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships.
The multi-disciplined star currently rides for the Absolute–Absalon–BMC team and is a four-time World XC champion. Read more
Emma Raducanu splits with Dmitry Tursunov, working with Andy Murray’s former trainer Jez Green (Eurosport)
Emma Raducanu has reportedly parted company with coach Dmitry Tursunov and started working with Andy Murray’s former fitness trainer Jez Green.
Former world No. 20 Tursunov joined Raducanu’s coaching team earlier in the summer and worked with her at the US Open, where she lost in the first round as defending champion.
He was also with Raducanu at the Ostrava Open earlier this month.
However, according to several reports – including in the Times – Tursunov has left the position to join an as yet unnamed rival player, with that partnership possibly beginning as soon as next week. Read more