Contractor suspends Lagos-Ibadan road construction, resumes January (Punch)
The contractor in charge of construction works on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, Julius Berger has suspended works on the expressway to enable travellers plying the route to enjoy hassle-free movements to their various destinations in the country for the festive period.
The Director, Southwest Federal Ministry of Works, Adedamola Kuti, confirmed the development during a telephone conversation with our correspondent on Monday.
He said the barricades causing gridlock on the road would be removed, adding that the construction works would continue in January 2023.
Kuti said, “The issue is that this is the December period and our people are going to travel. So, we want to relax and work on the road so that people can go for their Christmas holiday. Read more
Supreme Court overwhelmed by 6,884 cases, CJN Ariwoola laments (Nation)
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, yesterday said the Supreme Court was overwhelmed by cases, some of which are flimsy.
To him, some of the cases should not be in court, let alone on appeal.
Justice Ariwoola noted that the Supreme Court ranks as the busiest in the world due to Nigerians’ preference for litigation as against exploring other dispute resolution mechanisms.
He urged the National Assembly to speed up the process of amending the Constitution to reduce the number of cases that go to the Supreme Court.
The CJN spoke in Abuja at a special session of the Supreme Court to mark the commencement of the 2022/2023 legal year and the swearing-in of 63 newly conferred Senior Advocates of Nigeria. Read more
APC, Assembly tackle Adeleke, governor sacks 12,000 workers (Punch)
The All Progressives Congress and the Osun State House of Assembly have tackled the new Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, over the six Executive Orders he signed on Monday.
They condemned the new governor for reversing some appointments and job recruitments made by his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola.
In his first official action as governor, Adeleke who was elected under the Peoples Democratic Party platform announced the sacking of alleged 12,000 workers employed by his predecessor.
He also deposed three monarchs and allegedly ordered the withdrawal of the certificate of return of local council chairmen elected under the APC in the October 15 local government elections conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission. Read more
Kaduna APC guber aspirant dumps party (Guardian)
President Muhammadu Buhari’s in-law and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Kaduna State, Sani Sha’aban, has dumped the ruling party.
In a letter to the APC chairman, Hanwa Ward, Sabon Garin Local Council, and read by the Director General of Sha’aban Sani Campaign Organisation, Joshua Ephraim, yesterday, Sha’aban said he decided to leave the party because some elements hijacked the party structure in the state and turned it into their personal estate.
He wrote: “They have no regard for the feelings, yearnings and sensibilities of even the members of the party who supported them and the general populace of Kaduna.
“On good governance, we are treated with disdain and seen as a pariah to those who personally benefit from the skewed realities present in the party. My many admonitions, advice, protests and best efforts at salvaging the party to bring it back into focus to achieve its set objectives have been ignored by you.” Read more
OSIEC withdraws certificates of return (Tribune)
Following the nullification of the Local Government Elections conducted by the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) on October 15, 2022, by a Federal High Court sitting in Osogbo last week Friday, the commission on Monday said it has complied with the court verdict without appealing the judgement.
The court had nullified the election in the case FHC\OS\CS\94\2022 involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vs the Independent National Electoral Commission on the ground that OSIEC did not follow strictly the provisions of section 24 of OSIEC Law, 2022 and Section 28 of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandate the commission to give a notice of 360 days before the conduct of the election.
However, in a reaction to the judgement, the Executive Secretary of OSIEC, Mr. Adedapo Ayodeji Adejumo, in a statement, simply said “the commission hereby announces its decision not to appeal the judgement of the Federal High Court, Osogbo.”
According to him, “the decision of the commission is coming against the backdrop of OSIEC’s failure to follow strictly the provisions of section 24 of OSIEC Law, 2022 and Section 28 of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandate the Commission to give a notice of 360 days before the conduct of the election. Read more
Bauchi housewife dies after co-wife smashes head with pestle (Punch)
A housewife, Maryam Ibrahim, has been arrested for allegedly killing her husband’s first wife, Hafsat, at their residence at Gar Village, Pali Ward, in the Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Maryam killed her co-wife when she used a pestle to hit her head while she was asleep.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, in a statement on Monday, said the duo’s husband, Ibrahim, reported the incident at the Maina-Maji l Police Station, adding that after Maryam perpetrated the crime, the victim was rushed to hospital where the doctor on duty confirmed her death.
Wakil said, “On November 22, 2022, around 6pm, one Ibrahim Sambo, 40, reported that his second wife, Maryam Ibrahim, 20, armed with a pestle, entered into his first wife’s room, Hafsat Ibrahim, 32, and hit her head with the pestle. Read more
Man commits suicide on Bayelsa flyover (Vanguard)
The body of an unidentified man was seen, Sunday, hanging at a flyover some distance from the NNPC mega filling station, Ekeki suburb of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Some believed he might have committed suicide by hanging himself Saturday night.
The body of the man said to be in his late thirties, clad in a blue long-sleeves shirt and brown trousers, was found dangling with the rope he allegedly used on the rail of the flyover by some passers-by on Sunday, according to sources.
It was learned that no suicide note was found on him.
“Until his sad end, he was always seen around the Swali market area. I don’t know if he was mad or not but he was always on his own, “ said a vegetable seller at the popular market, who simply identified herself as Mama John. Read more
Troops rescue nine persons, 90 cows from Kaduna bandits’ camps (Guardian)
Troops of Operation Forest Sanity (OPFS) have rescued nine kidnapped persons, 90 cows and recovered four motorcycles during a raid on suspected bandits’ hideouts in Kaso, Chikun Local Council of Kaduna State.
According to the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the troops engaged the bandits on Tantatu high ground, forcing them to flee from their camp into the forest.
He explained that the troops searched the camp and rescued nine kidnapped persons, namely: Salama Oliver, Husseini Odu, Danjuma Jakanwa, Ezekiel Garba, Obadiah Moses, Taiwo Isaac, Buky Isaac, Ado Adamu and Maigari Shekarau.
He stated: “Initial debriefing of the rescued victims revealed that they had all been kidnapped around the Gurara Dam area. Read more
Operation Desert Light: Europol take down massive cocaine ‘super cartel’ (BBC)
A drug “super cartel” that controlled about a third of Europe’s cocaine supply has been dismantled, police have announced.
Dubbed Operation Desert Light, 49 people were arrested across six European countries, the EU’s police agency, Europol, said.
They included a British national, who is suspected of heading the operation.
More than 30 tonnes (30,000kg) of drugs were seized during the two-year-long investigation, Europol said.
Operation Desert Light saw authorities in Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) work together to bring down the cartel, Europol said in a statement. Read more
Russian soldiers ordered to use rape of children as ‘weapon of war’ (Metro)
Olena Zelenska said Putin’s troops were systematically using sexual violence during the Ukrainian invasion (Picture: Sky News)
Russian soldiers have been ordered ‘from the top’ to use rape, castration and sexual abuse of children as weapons of war, the wife of Ukraine’s president has claimed.
Speaking at a conference in London, Olena Zelenska said Vladimir Putin’s troops were systematically using sexual violence during the invasion of her country.
She also alleged some Russian wives were even urging their husbands to rape Ukrainian women.
Her demand to bring the perpetrators to account comes after a UN report last month found evidence that a string of war crimes had been carried out since the conflict began in February, with most violations committed by the invading Russian forces. Read more
Johnny Flynn and Mark Gatiss to play Richard Burton and John Giulgud in new play (Guardian)
Johnny Flynn is to play Richard Burton opposite Mark Gatiss as John Gielgud in a backstage drama about the theatrical titans’ Broadway production of Hamlet in the 1960s.
Written by Jack Thorne, The Motive and the Cue will be directed by Sam Mendes at the National Theatre in London in May. Tuppence Middleton will play Elizabeth Taylor who married Burton a month before Hamlet began its New York run in 1964.
Burton was nominated for a Tony award in the role of the tragic prince under Gielgud’s direction. Their Hamlet was presented as though it was the final run-through of rehearsals, with no period costumes or elaborate sets. The production, which was also filmed and shown in cinemas, was notable for contrasting the pair’s different approaches to the craft of acting.
The Motive and the Cue will be staged in the National’s Lyttelton theatre with a set design by Es Devlin. It is inspired by the memoir Letters from an Actor by William Redfield, who played Guildenstern opposite Burton, and by Richard L Sterne’s book John Gielgud Directs Richard Burton in Hamlet. Read more
James Winburn, stuntman for Michael Myers in ‘‘Halloween’’, has died (NME)
James Winburn, the stuntman who doubled as Michael Myers in scenes from John Carpenter’s original Halloween in 1978, has died.
As Entertainment Weekly reports, Winburn’s manager confirmed the stuntman died on November 19 following an undisclosed illness. He was 85 years old.
Winburn donned the iconic white mask in Halloween for scenes that actors Nick Castle or Tony Moran – who both portrayed Myers in the original film – were unable to do. This included a scene in the film in which Donald Pleasence’s Dr. Samuel Loomis shoots Myers six times, causing him to fall off a balcony before vanishing.
Though Halloween was arguably his best-known role, Winburn worked as a stunt actor on a wide array of films and TV episodes throughout his life, doubling for the likes of Stan Lee, David Hasselhoff, Peter O’Toole, Barry Bostwick and more. Read more
Justin Bieber says wife Hailey is ‘‘my favourite human’’ in touching birthday post (Standard)
Justin Bieber described his wife Hailey Bieber as “my favourite human being” as he wished her a happy 26th birthday.
The Sorry singer said the US model “made life magic” and that he was “obsessed with everything about you” in a touching Instagram post to mark the occasion.
The couple tied the knot in a secret ceremony in New York in 2018 when Justin was 24 and Hailey was 21.
They exchanged vows for a second time in South Carolina at the end of September 2019. Read more
Margot Robbie claims Hollywood still has sexual harassment problems after #MeToo (DailyMail)
Margot Robbie has revealed that there are still problems with abuse in Hollywood following the #MeToo movement.
The social movement went viral in 2017 following numerous sexual-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein, with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lawrence and Uma Thurman leading a number of high profile stars discussing their experiences.
Yet Margot, 32, has revealed that there’s still a long way to go before Hollywood can say it’s clear of sexual predators, noting ‘it’s a big ship to turn around.’
Speaking at BAFTA: A Life In Pictures, supported by electronics brand TCL, in London on Tuesday evening, she was asked how her experiences in the industry have changed post-#MeToo. Read more
‘‘Move on!’’ Leigh Francis tells Craig David to get over their 20-year Bo’ Selecta! feud (Standard)
Leigh Francis has advised Craig David to “move on” from their Bo’ Selecta row.
The comedian, who uses the comedy name Keith Lemon, had famously impersonated the singer on Bo Selecta, which ran on Channel 4 from 2002 to 2009.
While Francis impersonated several stars on his hit show, it was his impersonation of the 7 Days singer that became the most popular character among viewers.
As David, Francis donned a rubber mask with exaggerated features and walked around with a colostomy bag. Read more
Kudus is hero as Black Stars survive South Korea’s fight back (Guardian)
Mohammed Kudus was the hero yesterday at the Education City Stadium, where Black Stars of Ghana recorded their first victory at the ongoing Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Ghana lost their first game of the competition 2-3 to Portugal and needed to beat South Korea to retain hopes of making the round of 16. They did just that, with Kudus scoring twice in the game that demanded the last drop of sweat from the West Africans.
The Ghanaians took the lead through Mohammed Salisu, albeit against the run of play in the 24th minute, before Kudus, who plays for Ajax Amsterdam, doubled the lead 10 minutes later.
When it seemed that Ghana was coasting to their first win of the competition, South Korea came out stronger in the second half and pulled level with two quick goals from Cho Gue-sung in the 58th and 61st minutes. Read more
United won’t pay £86m for Osimhen (Punch)
Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Victor Osimhen next year but are not prepared to meet Napoli’s huge asking price, which is believed to be in the region of €100m (£86m).
Ronaldo’s exit has left Man United short of options at centre-forward, and the club are believed to be considering moving for a new attacker in January, with head coach Erik ten Hag concerned by his lack of options heading into the second half of the campaign.
Osimhen is thought to be a long-term target for the club.
The 23-year-old has scored 38 goals and registered 12 assists in 76 appearances for Napoli since joining the Italian giants from Lille in September 2020. Read more
Casemiro scores stunning winner as Brazil secure place in World Cup knock-out stages against Switzerland (Metro)
Casemiro’s stunning late strike has sealed victory for Brazil against Switzerland and confirmed their place in the last 16 of the World Cup.
After struggling to break down the Swiss in the first-half, the Manchester United midfielder produced a moment of magic after 83 minutes, lashing a superb half-volley into the far corner.
Vinicius Jr had earlier seen his wonderfully composed finish ruled out by VAR for offside.
Two wins out of two sees Brazil become just the second team to book their place in the knockout round, joining France following their win over Denmark. Read more
Oliseh highlights major points of Qatar 2022 (Punch)
Former Super Eagles coach and a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group for the 2022 World Cup, Sunday Oliseh, has pointed out three key talking points from the matches played at the World Cup.
Speaking at a briefing in Doha, the former Eagles midfielder, alongside members of the TSG, Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni and former Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón, gave an in-depth analysis of the first 16 matches played at the ongoing World Cup in Qatar.
In their analysis, Oliseh, Zaccheroni, and Mondragón pointed out the use of long balls to avoid high pressure, more goals scored from crosses, and counter-pressing with multiple players.
The former Juventus star spoke extensively on long balls and goals scored from counter-play. Read more
World Cup 2022: Wales and England to go head-to-head in Group B (BBC)
Wales and England go head-to-head in a mouth-watering final match in Group B with all to play for in the World Cup.
Robert Page’s Wales team must beat England on Tuesday to stand any chance of progressing to the last 16 in a game that will be broadcast on BBC One and Radio 5 Live.
Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate’s side are aiming to qualify for the next round as group winners and to bounce back from an underwhelming performance against the United States.
In their only other World Cup appearance, in 1958, Wales reached the quarter-finals – can they do the same again or will favourites England cruise into the knockout stages? Read more
Chelsea close to signing Christopher Nkunku (Nation)
Premiership side Chelsea are closing in on RB Leipzig striker Christopher Nkunku. There are reports his medical was done in September with an agreement in place with Leipzig for more than €60m clause/easier payment terms.
The French player has agreed on a long-term deal with the five-time premier league winners Chelsea. Nkunku has scored 20 goals and recorded 13 assists last season in the Bundesliga.
He has continued his impressive scoring rate with 12 games in 14 starts this campaign.
However, the Frenchman who was part of the Didier Deschamps’ squad for the Qatar 2022 World Cup picked up an injury in training, which is now a big concern. Read more