Danish man gets death sentence for killing Nigerian wife, child (Guardian)
A Lagos High Court on Friday sentenced a Dane, Peter Nielsen, to death by hanging for killing his Nigerian wife and daughter.
Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile convicted Nielsen, 54, on two counts of murder brought against him by the Lagos State Government.
The judge sentenced Nielsen to death by hanging on both counts.
The Dane was charged with the death of his wife and singer, Zainab, and their three-year-old daughter, Petra.
Lagos State Government accused him of smothering Zainab and Petra to death at 3.45 a.m. at No. 4, Flat 17, Bella Vista Tower, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos State. Read more
Customs review depreciation on vehicle duty, begin e-valuation today (Punch)
The Nigeria Customs Service has said it will review depreciation on vehicle duty as it begins the rollout of its Vehicles Identification Number platform for the electronic valuation of vehicles on Friday (today).
According to the Controller Valuation of the Service, Comptroller Anthony Udeze, the depreciation value of vehicles has not been done properly prior to now. He added that a lot of variables had also been considered as the commission sets out to redeploy its VIN platform.
He stated that the platform would present a uniform duty for all stakeholders in the industry. He disclosed this during a sensitisation meeting in preparation for the redeployment of the VIN platform that was held in Apapa on Thursday.
He said, “We have looked at the various values of vehicles. Look at the ones here and you will see the human touch that has been applied to them. The value before that led to the protest was not properly depreciated. Read more
FCT minister of state condemns killings at Dei-Dei market (Guardian)
The Federal Capital Territory Minister of State, Dr Ramatu Aliyu, has condemned in strong terms the killings in Dei-Dei market.
Aliyu, in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Mr Austine Elemue, appealed for calm and peaceful coexistence among the diverse groups in the territory.
It will be recalled that violence erupted at the Dei-Dei market of the FCT on Wednesday following a clash between commercial motorcycle riders and traders, which resulted in the death of five persons.
The minister, while condemning the crisis, tasked indigenes and residents alike to be law-abiding and more tolerant of each other for a very productive and peaceful coexistence.
She stressed that peaceful coexistence was not just moral but everybody’s business. Read more
Wande Coal, Bovi, others take centre stage at Vanguard Awards tonight (Vanguard)
The atmosphere is bound to be electric tonight as the Black Diamond Entertainment honcho, Oluwatobi Wande Ojosipe popularly known as Wande Coal takes the centre stage alongside renowned gospel singer Laolu Gbenjo and his LG Band, as they wow eminent Nigerians and government officials at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, venue of this year’s edition of the annual Vanguard Personality of the Year Award.
Wande Coal, who’s getting ready to embark on a tour of five cities in the United States anytime from next month, is expected to set the stage alight and dazzle the quality audience anticipating nothing short of an incredible performance tonight.
With his intriguing stagecraft, the ‘Mushin to Mo Hits’ crooner will definitely leave the audience asking for more as he performs some of his evergreen songs, including his newly released hit single, “ “Come My Way” produced by Burno and Screwface.
The Afro-pop singer is known to be one artiste that has remained relevant in the Nigerian music scene since he began his career in the early 2000. Though he took a break from music for some time, before returning with his 2016 single dubbed ‘Iskaba.” Coal’s fans can’t wait to reunite with him on stage tonight. Read more
Int. Human Resource Day: CIPM lauds people managers (Sun)
As the world commemorates the 2022 annual Human Resource Day on Friday, May 20th, the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) has joined its voice to celebrate Human Resource Managers across the globe.
The president & Chairman of the Governing Council of CIPM, Olusegun Mojeed, whose Joy and gladness of heart knew no bounds made this remark in Lagos while taking a 2KM road walk with other members of the Institute in Alausa Business District, Ikeja.
Mojeed who is a fellow of the Institute, said, “International Human Resources Day is a global commemoration of the Human Resource profession. The day provides an opportunity to recognize HR professionals and publicize the significant contributions we are making to the people development agenda across the country,”
The human resource expert added that the place of human resource management cannot be relegated to the corporate world, saying that the progress or otherwise of any organisation is to a large extent a function of how well human capital managers could manage the people for the growth and development of both personnel and organisation. Read more
ASUU LAUTECH dissociates self from resumption notice (Independent)
The Academic Staff Union of Universities, Ladoke Akintola Chapter on Friday dissociated itself from the memo issued by the institutions’ Registrar asking students to return to school on May 26.
A release on Friday by the Chairman and Secretary of ASUU professor Biodun Olaniran and Toyin Abegunrin said Academic Staff are fully on strike in line with the directives of the National body of the Union and will not return to class until directed by the National body of the Union.
LAUTECH ASUU “urge the parents, guardians, students and general public to note that our members are not in position to conduct any academic activities.”
The Union stated that her members are fully on strike and asked parents to discountenance the memo and keep their children at home. Read more
2023 Presidency: ‘I’m not running as a Northern candidate,’ Lawan campaigns in Katsina (Channels)
Senate President Ahmed Lawan has asked Nigerians to judge his presidential aspirations based on his qualifications and not where he comes from.
He made the comment while seeking the support of All Progressives Congress’ delegates in Katsina on Thursday.
“Yesterday, I was in Katsina to seek the support of party members, particularly the delegates for my presidential bid ahead of the party primaries later this month,” he said.
“While in the state, I took the opportunity to inform Nigerians that I am not running as a northern aspirant because the impression created is that I’m a northern aspirant or that northerners are saying they are not going to allow power to the South. Read more
Sokoto: Tambuwal lifts curfew, bans procession (DailyTrust)
Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has lifted the curfew imposed on Sokoto metropolis with immediate effect.
He explained that the decision was taken after due consultation with relevant security agencies and stakeholders.
“Acting on enabling powers under section 176 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
section 1, 2 and 4 of the Public Order Act and section 15 of Sokoto State Peace Preservation Law, I hereby lift the curfew,” he said
The Governor however, urged the general public to be law abiding and remain peaceful at all times. Read more
Tom Cruise opens up on powerful reunion with Val Kilmer in “Top Gun: Maverick” (Metro)
Tom Cruise has opened up about the emotional reunion he shared with Val Kilmer in Top Gun: Maverick, 36 years after their characters’ rivalry turned to friendship in the original film.
On Thursday night, the red carpet was rolled out in London’s Leicester Square for the explosive blockbuster, with Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, greeting the cast before heading into the cinema.
The movie is an extremely nostalgic watch for Top Gun fans, especially when Val, 62, and Tom, 59, share the screen once again as Admiral Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky and Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell respectively.
At the UK premiere, Metro.co.uk asked Tom how it felt to reunite with Val, as he said that it was a ‘lovely’ experience while one of the producers emphasised how ‘emotional’ it was to witness. Read more
Nick Cannon releases ‘Raw & B’ mixtape featuring Rick Ross, Chris Brown & more (AllHipHop)
Multi-hyphenated entertainer Nick Cannon returns with new music.
The 41-year-old San Diego native recruited several big names for Raw & B. The project features Rick Ross, Chris Brown, Brandy, Ty Dolla $ign, K. Michelle, 42 Dugg, Jacquees, Hitman Holla, and more.
“This is the gospel of my broken soul,” says Cannon about Raw & B. “This is as real as it gets.”
Previously, Nick Cannon dropped his self-titled album in 2003. That LP hosted the Top 40 hit “Gigolo” featuring R. Kelly. White People Party Music arrived in 2014. Read more
Quavo & Takeoff introduce Unc & Phew duo (sans Offset) with Zany ‘Hotel Lobby’ video (HipHopDX)
Rumors of a fracturing within the Migos camp circulated on social media this week, but that isn’t spoiling Quavo and Takeoff’s fun.
On Friday (May 20), the Atlanta natives debuted their new collaboration “Hotel Lobby,” the first offering from their newly-announced side duo Unc & Phew. The name is a nod to Quavo and Takeoff’s familial ties, despite the small age gap between the 31-year-old and 27-year-old rappers.
Adding cinematic flair to their inaugural offering, Quavo and Takeoff let loose in Las Vegas in the song’s accompanying video, juxtaposing their finely-tuned triplet-flow chemistry with psychedelic drugs, free-flowing alcohol and comedic performances.
The zany video draws heavily from the 1998 movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which itself was based on “gonzo journalism” godfather Hunter S. Thompson’s 1971 novel of the same name. Quavo channels Johnny Depp’s Raoul Duke character — a fictionalized version of Thompson — while Takeoff plays Benicio del Toro’s Dr. Gonzo. Read more
Spain’s ‘Still Life With Ghost,’ ‘Goat Girl,’ ‘The Remnants,’ ‘There Is Evil,’ presented at Cannes’ Producers Network (Variety)
Enrique Buleo’s “Still Life With Ghost,” Ana Asensio’s “The Goat Girl,” Gala Gracia’s “The Remnants of You” and Esteban Alenda Bros.’ “There Is Evil” are some of the film projects pitched at the spotlight event on Spanish cinema at Cannes’ Producers Network on Friday May 20.
Five Spanish production companies– Un Capricho de Producciones, Quatre Films Audiovisuales, Potenza Producciones, Aquí y Allí Films and Solita Films – were selected by Spain’s trade promotion board ICEX and the ICAA film institute to pitch their production slates at the Marché du Film event.
As part of the Production Day, which kicked off with the Producers Network, the five Spanish producers made a video pitch with their projects – the main part of them at development stage – to encourage international partnerships with co-producers and sales agents.
Comedy is the predominant genre among the feature projects selected. Read more
Rebel Wilson claims male co-star sexually harassed her (Guardian)
Rebel Wilson has claimed that a male co-star sexually harassed her.
In an interview with People, the Pitch Perfect and Cats star had said that the incident occurred before #MeToo and the outpour of similar stories.
“He called me into a room and pulled down his pants,” she said. Then she said he asked her to perform a sexual act in front of his friends. “It was awful and disgusting,” she added.
Wilson, whose latest film, Senior Year, is currently the No 1 film on Netflix, said that the unnamed actor then tried to ruin her career. Read more
Minnie Driver says she’s ‘not friends’ with ex-partner Matt Damon (Independent)
Minnie Driver has reflected on her relationship with former romantic partner and Good Will Hunting co-star Matt Damon.
The actor said that she and Damon were “not friends”, but that she has “an enormous amount of love” for him.
Driver and Damon dated for a short while in the 1990s, with Driver later describing it as a “sweet romance” with a “combustible ending”, which was highly publicised at the time due to Damon’s global fame.
in 2017, after Damon characterised the #MeToo movement as being part of a “culture of outrage and injury”, Driver tweeted in condemnation of him, responding “God god, seriously?” and suggesting that men like Damon were “systemically part of the problem”. Read more
Secret Service agents sent home from South Korea after drunken incident (NYPost)
Two Secret Service employees were shipped back to the US from South Korea this week following an alcohol-fueled confrontation with a local cab driver ahead of President Biden’s trip to the country, according to multiple reports.
ABC News reported Friday that an agent and an armed physical security specialist assigned to go to Seoul to help prepare for Biden’s visit went out to dinner on a recent evening and hit up multiple bars.
Later that night, the pair reportedly became intoxicated and the agent got into a heated argument with the cabbie.
Police were eventually called to the scene, though only one of the two workers was reportedly investigated in relation to the incident. Neither of the Secret Service employees were detained, arrested or criminally charged. Read more
Aribo, Bassey nominated for Europa League Player Awards (Leadership)
Rangers Nigerian duo of Joe Aribo and Calvin Bassey have been nominated for the Europa League Player of the Week award.
Their nominations were announced on UEFA website, uefa.com, after the Europa League final between Rangers and Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville on Wednesday.
They will slug it out with Frankfurt players Kevin Trapp and Rafael Borre for the Player of the Week.
Aribo marked a brilliant performance by giving Rangers the lead on 57 minutes, after taking advantage of a mistake by a Frankfurt player. He had a total attempt of two with a total speed of 29.3. Read more
7 bouts await fans as GOtv Boxing Night returns to Ibadan (Guardian)
Oyo State capital, Ibadan, will host the 25th GOtv Boxing Night at the Old Gymnasium of the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium (formerly Liberty Stadium) on June 4.
A total of seven bouts across weight divisions are scheduled for the event.
Speaking on the event, Jennifer Ukoh-Osamwonyi, Public Relations Manager, GOtv Nigeria, said: “Since the first edition of the GOtv Boxing Night, it has become the biggest platform for discovering boxing talent and promoting boxing as a sport in Nigeria.
“For the 25th edition, we expect to see hardworking boxers showcase their skills in the ring. As always, MultiChoice Nigeria is committed to this project and we will continue to provide our support.” Read more
Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag questioned over 2 ‘unimaginative’ transfer targets (Express)
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has been questioned over his reported interest in two Ajax players. Ten Hag is claimed to be keen on bringing Jurrien Timber and Lisandro Martinez with him to Old Trafford but European football expert Gabriele Marcotti has labelled the targets as “unimaginative”.
The Dutchman has arrived in England ahead of starting his position as United boss. He will be at Selhurst Park on Sunday to watch the club’s final game of the season against Crystal Palace.
Transfer plans are already beginning to take shape ahead of the summer window. Defender Timber came through the academy at Ajax and has become a regular in the first team in the last two seasons.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag signed Argentina international Martinez, who can play in defence and midfield, from Defensa y Justicia in 2019. Marcotti is more convinced over the signing of Timber, claiming he is a “phenomenal player”. Read more
Man City boosted by return of John Stones and Kyle Walker (Independent)
Defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker are back in contention for Manchester City’s decisive final Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday.
The pair had been expected to miss the remainder of the season with thigh and ankle injuries respectively but have made quicker-than-expected recoveries.
Both returned to training on Thursday and are in manager Pep Guardiola’s thoughts as he looks to close out a fourth league crown in five seasons.
“We have incredible doctors and physios and they have recovered,” Guardiola said at his pre-match press conference. “They did a partial training and we will see tomorrow. It is good for us to have them back.” Read more
Mick Schumacher issued Formula One warning with ‘queue of drivers’ for Haas seat (DailyStar)
Haas boss Gunther Steiner has warned Mick Schumacher that there is a ‘queue of drivers’ ready to take his seat in Formula One with pressure on the young German increasing.
Schumacher looked set for a first points finish in F1 last time out in Miami but saw the opportunity slip away following a collision with compatriot Sebastian Vettel.
That has increased the pressure upon Mick, son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher, and he has struggled alongside the experienced Kevin Magnusson this season, who replaced Nikita Mazepin following his dismissal from the team after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Steiner has made the situation clear for Schumacher by warning him that a ‘queue of drivers’ are ready to take his spot in F1 if he doesn’t improve. Read more
Rafael Nadal ready for painful French Open campaign (RTE)
Rafael Nadal is hoping his chronic foot problem will ease sufficiently to allow him to challenge for a 14th French Open title.
The 35-year-old is attempting to reclaim the crown taken from him by Novak Djokovic 12 months ago but arrived in Paris in the unusual position of not having won a clay court title so far this season.
Nadal was beaten by his young countryman Carlos Alcaraz at the Madrid Open and then limped through a defeat by Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open in Rome last week.
“I was suffering after that for a couple of days but I feel better,” said Nadal. “That’s why I’m here. Read more
Tiger Woods says ‘walking hurts’ as he makes his PGA Championship return, finishes 1st round +4 (People)
Tiger Woods was back on the golf course Thursday for the first round of the 2022 PGA Championship and will continue to play on Friday despite dealing with some pain.
The 46-year-old athlete was focused as ever on the course of the Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for the tournament’s opening round — though finished with a 4-over 74 after the first 18 holes, a score that landed him in the middle of the pack.
That’s well behind Rory McIlroy, who grabbed the first-round lead with a 5-under 65.
It didn’t look like it would be that way at first, Woods jumping to the leaderboard with early birdies on two holes of his first nine on the day, according to Fox Sports. Read more