Court dismisses Bobrisky’s fundamental rights suit against EFCC (Channels)
A Federal High Court in Lagos has dismissed a fundamental rights suit filed by Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju, popularly known as Bobrisky, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bobrisky had sought N200 million from the EFCC for “psychotic trauma” and demanded N1 billion from the National Assembly for the “violation of his right to a fair hearing.”
He also urged the court to restrain the EFCC and the National Assembly from “harassing, detaining, or declaring him wanted.” Read more
Osita Chidoka quits PDP (Nation)
Former Minister of Aviation and ex-Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Osita Chidoka, has officially announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Chidoka made the revelation during an appearance on Politics Today, a programme aired on Channels Television on Friday.
In his announcement, Chidoka stated that he is stepping away from active politics to focus on his non-profit organisation, the Athena Centre, which aims to collaborate with like-minded Nigerians in pushing for political reforms in the country.
“Earlier today, I sent a letter to my ward in Anambra State, officially resigning from the PDP. I am leaving the PDP and taking a break from politics for some time to concentrate on the Athena Centre,” he said. “I will work with other Nigerians who share the vision of reforming our political system to promote evidence-based governance. So, effective today, I am no longer a member of the Peoples Democratic Party.” Read more
Lagos Police Rape: Victim’s mother decries silence, stalled justice (Punch)
Mrs Aramide Olupona, the mother of a 17-year-old girl (name withheld) whom an Assistant Superintendent of Police allegedly raped, has accused the police of deliberately stalling the case to enable the suspect to retire in December.
The incident reportedly occurred on June 29 at Ogudu Police Station, in Ojota, Lagos. An ASP, identified as Owolabi Akinlolu, allegedly summoned the 17-year-old secondary school student to the station, claiming they had apprehended the suspect who had stolen her phone two weeks prior.
But the teenager told City Round that when she showed up at the police station, the senior officer reportedly invited her into his office, locked the door, and raped her. Read more
Fani-Kayode Tackles Dangote Over Port Harcourt Refinery (NewTelegraph)
The former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has attacked critics of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) following the commencement of the revived Port Harcourt Refinery.
Fani-Kayode’s comment is in reaction to those he described as some elements within the private sector in the oil and gas industry that want to undermine and understate the revitalisation of the Port Harcourt Refinery.
Speaking on his official X handle on Thursday, Fani-Kayode noted that the oil business is not the same thing as selling sugar, spaghetti, and cement, tackling Aliko Dangote, Chairman of the Dangote Petrochemical Refinery. Read more
Nigeria, France sign agreements on infrastructure, food security (VON)
Nigeria’s President, Bola Tinubu and French President Emmanuel Macron have signed two agreements to foster collaboration in developing essential infrastructure and ensuring long-term agricultural sustainability and food security.
These agreements signed on Thursday in Paris, signify a commitment to enhancing agricultural productivity and infrastructure, targeting critical areas necessary for economic growth and stability in both nations.
Letters Of Intent
Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, and Mr. Armand signed the Letter of Intent. Read more
Lagos set to deliver permanent NYSC camp (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has promised to deliver the NYSC permanent orientation camp at Agbowa, Ikorodu, before 2024 ends.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu gave the assurance at the swearing-in of the 2024 Batch C Stream 1 corps members on Friday.
The event was held at the NYSC temporary orientation camp, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos State. Read more
Lagos Taskforce sacks 2 personnel for theft during raid (Tribune)
Lagos State Taskforce has dismissed two of its personnel following their involvement in theft during a recent raid.
The operation, conducted at a hotel in Gowon Estate known for harboring drug users and traffickers, resulted in numerous arrests.
However, the integrity of the raid was compromised by the actions of two officials whose misconduct was captured on CCTV. Read more
Mixed reactions trail ban on foreign training for lecturers (Leadership)
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s university community have expressed divergent views on the federal government’s cancellation of foreign training for the country’s scholars.
While some applauded the measure, others described it as retrogressive and parochial.
At the opening of a three-day conference organised by the British Council in Abuja on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, the minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, said university lecturers would henceforth be trained in Nigeria. Read more
Snoop Dogg links up with Sting for Dr. Dre-produced “Another Part of Me” (Complex)
Ahead of the release of their new album Missionary, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre shared the new track “Another Part of Me,” which features The Police frontman Sting.
The Dre-produced single is built around an interpolation of The Police’s 1979 hit “Message in a Bottle,” with Snoop singing and rapping in the original song’s melody. He drops references to multiple Tom Cruise movies while the distinctive guitar line from “Message in a Bottle” loops in the background.
Sting provides the second verse with a delivery that’s more rap-adjacent than his typical reggae-influenced new wave vocals. It’s a curious pairing, but it’s clear a lot of thought went into the collaboration. Read more
Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey say their shared Broadway background “Gave Us Fizz” in Wicked (THR)
Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey successfully danced through life on the Wicked set thanks to a shared Broadway background, the pair shared on Sunday.
“I feel like we were both very theater children in the room,” Grande told People. The pop star plays Glinda, the future Good Witch, who falls for Bailey’s Fiyero in Wicked. Bailey added that the “theater children” energy was “incessant.”
Grande made her Broadway debut at 15 in the musical Thirteeen, and Bailey was a child actor the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving on to West End productions like Les Misérables. Read more
Kendrick Lamar secures second number-one album in UK chart with GNX (BelfastTelegraph)
US rapper Kendrick Lamar has secured his second number-one album in the UK chart with GNX.
The 12-track record was a surprise release featuring contributions from American R&B star SZA as well as artist Lefty Gunplay, among others.
Lamar’s other chart topper, To Pimp A Butterfly, soared to number one in the UK’s albums chart following its release in 2015. Read more
Elon Musk blasts Ben Stiller with shock slur after actor said “woke* Hollywood is killing ‘edgier’ comedy (DailyMail)
Elon Musk has blasted Ben Stiller and even used one of his own slurs from the film Tropic Thunder on the actor for expressing doubts that the movie would have been greenlit in today’s woke climate.
The Tesla billionaire – who has been named as co-head of Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – took to his own X platform to have a shot at the 58-year-old comedic actor.
Elon reposted an X user’s screenshot of a DailyMail.com story about Stiller with the headline ‘Ben Stiller says woke America killed “edgier” comedy’ along with a photo of one of Ben’s characters in Tropic Thunder named Simple Jack. Read more
Some Zimbabwean farmers turn to maggots to survive drought and thrive (VOA)
At first, the suggestion to try farming maggots spooked Mari Choumumba and other farmers in Nyangambe, a region in southeastern Zimbabwe where drought wiped out the staple crop of corn.
After multiple cholera outbreaks in the southern African nation resulting from extreme weather and poor sanitation, flies were largely seen as something to exterminate, not breed.
“We were alarmed,” Choumumba said, recalling a community meeting where experts from the government and the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, broached the idea. Read more
Zelensky says Ukraine could temporarily cede territory to Russia in exchange for Nato membership (Independent)
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested he would temporarily cede Ukrainian territory to Russia in exchange for joining Nato.
Mr Zelensky said Nato membership would have to be offered to unoccupied parts of the country to end the “hot phase” of the war and appeared to accept eastern parts of the country would fall outside this deal.
It comes after reports claimed one of US president-elect Donald Trump’s plans to end the war might be for Kyiv to cede the land Moscow has taken in exchange for Ukraine joining the alliance. Read more
As Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo, army closes airport and roads, sources say (RNZ)
Syrian authorities closed Aleppo airport as well as all roads leading into the city, three military sources told Reuters, as rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said they had reached the heart of Aleppo.
The opposition fighters, led by the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, carried out a surprise sweep through government-held towns this week and reached Aleppo nearly a decade after having been forced out by Assad and his allies.
Russia, one of Assad’s key allies, has promised Damascus extra military aid to thwart the rebels, two military sources said, adding new hardware would start arriving in the next 72 hours. Read more
Eagles fall to 44th spot in latest FIFA ranking (Sun)
The Super Eagles have fallen to 44th position in the latest FIFA World Rankings released on Thursday, Bold Sports reports.
This marks an eight-place drop from their previous ranking of 36th last month, making it the biggest drop in the world for this period.
During the ranking window, Nigeria drew 1-1 away at Benin Republic and lost 1-0 at home to Rwanda in their final qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Read more
Falcons eye first win over Les Bleues (Punch)
The Super Falcons of Nigeria will seek their maiden victory over France’s Les Bleues when both teams clash in an international friendly on Saturday (today) at the Stade Raymond Kopa, Angers, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The encounter, scheduled to kick off at 9:30 p.m. local time, serves as a critical test for both teams as they prepare for major tournaments.
While Nigeria has its sights set on the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, France is gearing up for the UEFA Women’s Euro Championship in Switzerland next summer. Read more
Southampton denied shock Brighton win by dubious VAR call (JapanToday)
Southampton were denied victory by a controversial VAR decision in a 1-1 draw at high-flying Brighton on Friday.
Flynn Downes had just cancelled out Kaoru Mitoma’s opener for Brighton when Cameron Archer thought he had put the Saints 2-1 up.
A VAR check of more than four minutes eventually decided Archer was onside but penalised Adam Armstrong, who was offside but did not touch the ball, for interfering with play. Read more
Wales 1-1 Republic of Ireland: Tense Euro 2025 play-off second leg in store after stalemate in Cardiff (Sky)
Wales and the Republic of Ireland drew the first leg of their Euro 2025 play-off final as Olivia Clark’s unfortunate own goal prevented the Dragons from taking a lead to Dublin.
The Aviva Stadium will host the return match on Tuesday after a 1-1 draw in Cardiff, with the winners progressing to next summer’s European Championship in Switzerland.
On this evidence it could be a long night – extra-time and penalties are possible – as there was nothing to choose between the two sides. Read more
Rival of trans golfer Hailey Davidson begs LPGA to make changes and stop her competing: “Up to them to protect us’’ (DailyMail)
Professional golfer Olivia Schmidt has called on the LPGA to change their rule book and stop trans athletes like Hailey Davidson competing against biological women on the course.
Davidson, 31, is currently trying to earn her professional status on the women’s tour, but has received plenty of criticism with almost 300 rival players opposing her inclusion in LPGA qualifying events.
While Davidson has been open about her transition and insists she is regularly outdriven by her opponents on the course, her rivals are still calling for her to be banned from the women’s game, and Schmidt is the latest to speak out. Read more
Australia call up uncapped duo after Hazlewood injury (BBC)
Australia have called up uncapped duo Sean Abbott and Brendan Doggett for the second Test against India after seamer Josh Hazlewood was ruled out through injury.
Cricket Australia said Hazlewood will miss the day-night match at the Adelaide Oval with a “low grade left side injury”.
The 33-year-old, who has taken 278 wickets in 71 Tests, will remain with Australia’s squad in Adelaide to prepare for the remainder of the series. Read more