Deaths from unknown diseases in Sokoto, Zamfara, others rises to 7-NCDC (Sun)
Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed that number of death from the unknown disease that recently broke out in Sokoto and Zamfara states has risen to seven.
The Centre also confirmed that the disease has extended to Kaduna State, and might be recorded in other neighboring communities.
It also disclosed that a total of 196 suspected cases have been reported across Isa, Sabon Birni, and Ilella Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Sokoto State. Read more
Minister test runs e-gates at Airports (Nation)
Minister of Interior Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo on Friday test ran the electronic gates (e-gates) mounted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, asserting the job is 99 per cent done.
The e-gates, he said, would be deployed for operations by next week.
Tunji-Ojo was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Aishetu Ndayako and the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nanna Nandap among other top government officials. Read more
Hatred for Nigeria police affecting security – PCRC (DailyTrust)
The National Chairman of the Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Mogaji Olaniyan, has called for an urgent need to address what he called widespread hatred towards the officers of the Nigeria Police.
Olaniyan described the narrative as alarming, pointing out that the hatred remains part of the factors affecting the country’s security.
He spoke while addressing newsmen during the 40th celebration ceremony of the Committee held in Abeokuta, the state capital. Read more
Police arrest 8 suspects for attempting to disrupt Kano commissioners’ inauguration (Tribune)
Kano Police Command has arrested eight suspects for attempting to disrupt the inauguration of newly appointed commissioner at the government house.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Usaini Gumel disclosed this on Friday while speaking with journalists in Kano.
According to him, the suspected thugs pose a security threat at the Government House while inaugurating the commissioners at the council chambers. Read more
NSIA grows fund by 119% to N2.258t (Channels)
Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund, managed by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), has grown by 119 per cent in 2023 to N2.258 trillion ($2.47 billion) from N1.032 trillion ($2.27 billion) in 2022.
Chief Executive Officer, of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NURPC), Aminu Umar-Sadiq who presented the NSIA 2023 earnings to journalists on Thursday in Abuja, explained that the Fund received $45.59m as fresh capital from the NUPRC, in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The fund which was set up in 2013 with a seed capital of $1 billion, is made up of the Stabilization Fund, Future Generation Fund, and the Nigeria Infrastructure Fund. Read more
Shippers Council to clampdown on unregistered port service providers (Sun)
The Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) has concluded plans to enforce registration for port service providers and users who fail to register on the council’s online portal by the third quarter of the year 2024.
The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr. Pius Akutah, who was represented by the Director of Consumer Affairs of the Council, Cajetan Agu, disclosed this while speaking at a sensitisation programme with stakeholders on the registration of regulated port service providers and users in Lagos.
He pointed out the importance of adherence to the online registration requirements by all service providers in the port, saying that it was in line with the duties of the council as enshrined in Section 4 of the NCS’s regulation of 2015. Read more
Why Ganduje can’t be removed from office like Oshiomhole – APC (Punch)
The National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, has said it would be wrong for anybody to liken the current travail of their National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, to the political intrigues that led to the removal of the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee from the party secretariat.
The statement was made by the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka while responding to questions surrounding Ganduje’s suspension on Arise TV on Thursday.
Oshiomhole, a former national chairman of the party, and members of the then NWC were elected into office for four years (2018 – 2022) at a national convention in Abuja. Read more
Tinubu’s government has not borrowed from CBN — Edun (Vanguard)
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun, said yesterday that the Federal Government would pin down Ways and Means to deal with the problem of too much liquidity in the system.
Fielding questions from journalists after a meeting with investors at the ongoing Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington DC, yesterday, he said that the fiscal and monetary authorities were complementing each other to bring down inflation. Read more
Rihanna says she’s “got stuff she could make hits out of” for new album (NME)
Rihanna has provided an update on her long-awaited new album, saying she’s “already got stuff she could make hits out of”.
Yesterday (April 17), the Bajan singer attended a launch party for her FENTY x PUMA Creeper Phatty Earth Tone shoe line in London. At the event, she spoke to Entertainment Tonight about her new collection, her fashion sense and motherhood.
After sharing that her sons RZA and Riot‘s favourite song is ‘Wheels On The Bus’, Rihanna revealed if her children would appear on any of her new music. Read more
Taylor Swift’s Tortured poets lyrics detail fury and heartbreak in Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy relationships (People)
Taylor Swift is opening the pages of her diary on her latest album The Tortured Poets Department.
On the emotionally raw record, the pop superstar, 34, details a tumultuous time in her personal life as she was riding yet another career high.
While fans expected the album to be inspired entirely by her six-year relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, Swift surprised the world yet again with a number of tracks that were seemingly written about her brief romance last year with The 1975 musician Matty Healy. Read more
Rick Ross taunts Drake over Millie Bobby Brown relationship while jabbing Birdman (HipHopDx)
Rick Ross has continued taunting Drake over his relationship with Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown while also throwing some more jabs at Birdman.
Posting on his Instagram Stories on Thursday (April 18), Rozay was giving fans a mini tour of his luxury car collection and revved up a few taunts aimed at Drizzy and the Cash Money Records co-founder.
Taking a dig at Birdman, Rozay said as he shows off his cars: “If you was B.G., the n-gga that was on Cash Money and you went and did a 15-year bid, which one do you think B.G. should have came home to? Or is that too much to give a n-gga that gave you is whole life? I’m just asking questions.” Read more
Quentin Tarantino “abandons” upcoming film “The Movie Critic” set to star Brad Pitt (Mirror)
Quentin Tarantino has “changed his mind” about his 10th blockbuster.
The Hollywood director was working on “The Movie Critic”, based on a real-life pundit, for his final film before retirement. But the 61-year-old has reportedly “gone back to the drawing board” and decided to drop the flick, which was set to star actor Brad Pitt.
Tarantino’s said for years that he’ll leave the industry after his 10th movie, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to be “The Movie Critic”. Other insiders reported that lots of script changes had dramatically switched-up the film, which was based in 1977 Los Angeles. Read more
Ukraine says it shot down Russian strategic bomber after strike kills 9 (AlJazeera)
Ukraine’s air force says it shot down a Russian strategic bomber with antiaircraft missiles for the first time since the war began in 2022.
The warplane was downed in Russian airspace, 300km (186 miles) from Ukraine’s border, on Friday after it took part in a long-range air strike that killed at least nine people in the central region of Dnipropetrovsk.
The Ministry of Defence said the plane was returning to its base in Russia after having fired missiles at Ukraine overnight. Read more
Before ‘Breaking Bad,’ Giancarlo Esposito considered arranging his own murder for insurance money (NBC)
Giancarlo Esposito appeared on a recent episode of SiriusXM’s “Jim & Sam” show while promoting his new AMC drama series “Parish” and revealed that he was so broke prior to landing his iconic role of Gus Fring on “Breaking Bad” that he once considered arranging his own murder so that his children could have some financial protection courtesy of his life insurance money.
The actor considered this around 2008, a year before “Breaking Bad” inextricably changed his career and opened the door for roles in “The Mandalorian,” “The Boys” and more.
Asked how he got out of near bankruptcy around 2008, Esposito said, “My way out in my brain was: ‘Hey, do you get life insurance if someone commits suicide? Do they get the bread?’ My wife had no idea why I was asking this stuff. I started scheming. If I got somebody to knock me off, death by misadventure, [my kids] would get the insurance. I had four kids. I wanted them to have a life. It was a hard moment in time. I literally thought of self-annihilation so they could survive. That’s how low I was.” Read more
Israel warned US about drone attack on Iran, Italian foreign minister tells G7 (IrishExaminer)
The United States told the G7 foreign ministers that it received “last-minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said.
Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of ministers of industrialised countries on Capri, said the United States provided the information at a Friday morning session that was changed late on to address the suspected attack.
Mr Tajani said the US informed the G7 ministers that it had been “informed at the last minute” by Israel about the drones, “but there was no sharing of the attack by the US It was a mere information”. Read more
Boniface reacts to making Bundesliga 2023/24 XI shortlist (Punch)
Super Eagles striker, Victor Boniface, has expressed delight at being nominated for a place in the 2023/24 Bundesliga Team of The Season, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The list of nominees was announced in a statement on the league’s website on Wednesday and Boniface’s club, Bayer Leverkusen, posted their eight players who made the shortlist on X formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
“He scores goals, Boniface!” the club wrote on their social media account. Read more
Why we sacked coach Paul Offor – Sporting Lagos (Leadership)
Godwin Enakhena, chairman, Sporting Lagos FC, said the club’s sacked erstwhile coach, Paul Offor, after the 2023/2024 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) Match Day 30.
Enakhena made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
According to Enakhena, Sporting Lagos FC management decided to hire a new coach after reviewing the club’s performance so far in the league. Read more
Sports federations condemn Olympic prize money for athletics (RFI)
An organisation of Olympic sports federations on Friday said the decision by World Athletics to award prize money to gold medallists in its events “undermines the values of Olympism”.
The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) released a statement which made clear how unhappy it was at the announcement by World Athletics president Sebastian Coe that track and field gold medallists at the Paris Games will receive $50,000 (47,000 euros).
World Athletics’ move, announced last week, was a first for a federation at an Olympics. It said it would extend prize money to all medallists in Los Angeles in four years’ time. Read more
GOtv Boxing Night 31: Abimbola targets N1m prize money (Nation)
Lightweight boxing kingpin, Emmanuel ‘Ability’ Abimbola, has declared that he has his eyes on the Mojisola Memorial Ogunsanya Trophy and the N1 million cash prize for the best boxer at GOtv Boxing Night 31. The boxing event is scheduled to hold at the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, on May 1.
Abimbola’s lightweight challenge bought against Azeez Ayobami is one of the seven cracking bouts set for the night.
The boxer won the prize barely a year ago and said it would make a good anniversary to win it again. Abimbola defeated Prince ‘Lion’ Nwoye via a unanimous decision to win the prize at GOtv Boxing Night 28 held on May 1 2023. Read more
Diamond League 2024: Mondo Duplantis and Sha’Carri Richardson in action in Xiamen (BBC)
Mondo Duplantis and Sha’Carri Richardson are among athletics’ global stars set to compete as the new Diamond League season begins in Xiamen, China.
Watch on the BBC as the first of 15 meetings takes place on Saturday, with the series culminating in September’s Diamond League Final in Brussels.
Several exciting match-ups have already been announced as athletes build towards the Paris 2024 Olympics, with Britain’s Josh Kerr and Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen renewing their rivalry over the mile in Eugene on 25 May. Read more
China revokes win for He Jie after investigation into half marathon (AfricaNews)
Organisers have revoked He Jie’s first place in the Beijing Half Marathon last weekend after an investigation confirmed that three other runners had slowed down to let him win the race.
All four runners were disqualified and had to return their medals and award money.
Chinese online users had shared the video from the final moments of Sunday’s race out of suspicion that it had been rigged. The footage showed three African runners letting He, China’s top long-distance runner, move ahead of them shortly before they were about to reach the finish line. Read more