Ex-soccer star, estranged wife bicker over mysterious death of 2-year-old daughter (Nation)
A former Nigerian footballer with an Egyptian Division 1 team has asked his wife to explain the circumstances surrounding the death of one of their daughters, having denied him access to his children for about two years until his youngest daughter’s death a few days ago.
The controversial death of a two-year-old girl has sparked a row between her estranged parents.
The girl, Oluwanieremi Mirabel, was said to have died suddenly on February 2, 2024 in Abeokuta, where she lived with her mother, Omosalewa Ajayi (nee Sobowale) as Ajayi refused to take the body for burial, saying that something was strange about the death of his daughter. Read more
Lagos Rehabilitation Committee begins renovation of dilapidated Tolu School complex (ThisDay)
The Special Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Schools (SCRPS) in Lagos has embarked on renovation of Tolu School complex in Ajegunle-Ajeromi Local Council to address the insecurity and infrastructure deficit at the institution.
The 43 years old complex established by the Lateef Jakande administration has been in a state of disrepair, owing to over population and neglect.
Addressing the media, SCRPS Chairman, Hakeem Smith, said the intervention would restore infrastructure deficiency in the complex and make it world-class. Read more
Economic Hardship: Nigerians tired of govt’s rhetoric, want action – TUC (Channels)
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) wants the Federal Government to go beyond promises and get to work to cushion the economic hardships facing Nigerians.
Since assuming office in May, President Bola Tinubu ended the fuel subsidy and also floated the naira, resulting in a tripling of the prices of petrol and a hike in the cost of living.
Although the Federal Government has rolled out plans to cushion the impacts of the moves with several meetings held between it and organised labour, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Festus Osifo is lamenting the hardship in the country and wants actions to combat it.
He spoke on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today. Read more
Port Harcourt Refinery to begin operations, receives 475,600 barrels of oil (DailyTrust)
The Port Harcourt Refinery is set to start operations following the supply of 475,000 barrels of crude oil by Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited.
A statement by Shell said: “This significant milestone was made possible through intensive preparations, collaboration and the dedication of the Bonny Oil and Gas Terminal, BOGT and Port Harcourt Refinery Company, PHRC teams.”
It stated that some activities, including pressure and leak testing to assure pipeline integrity by relevant subsidiaries of the NNPC Limited and integrity and maintenance activities on the Oil and Gas Terminal, BOT Refinery export pumps and associated instrumentations were carried out at the terminal through diligent efforts of the BOT operations and maintenance teams. Read more
Court releases Okada rider falsely accused of drug dealing after he erroneously pleaded guilty (Independent)
A mild drama ensued at the Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday, February 8, 2024, when a commercial motorcyclist (otherwise called an okada rider) who wrongly pleaded guilty to a drug dealing charge was freed by the court.
The presiding judge, Justice Akintayo Aluko, discharged and acquitted the okada rider, Reuben Ashade, of the charge filed against him by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), after finding no evidence linking him with the crime.
The judge found that the facts of the case, the NDLEA’s evidence and Ashade’s testimony showed that he was not guilty of the offence, despite his guilty plea. Read more
Tinubu signs Electricity Act (Amendment) bill 2024 (Vanguard)
President Bola Tinubu has signed into law the Electricity Act Amendment Bill, 2024.
The bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives on July 27, 2023, and the Senate on November 14, 2023, was sponsored by Honourable Babajimi Benson, who represents Ikorodu Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
The Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to address the development and environmental concerns of host communities and sets aside five per cent of the actual annual operating expenditures of power generating companies (GENCOs) from the preceding year for the development of their respective host communities. Read more
Navy intercepts materials for illegal refineries’ construction, arrests three (Guardian)
In sustaining the fight against crude oil theft in the Niger Delta region, the Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base in Bonny, Rivers State, has arrested three persons and intercepted materials meant for construction of illegal refineries in the area.
The Guardian learnt that the items were intercepted during a patrol by the Base along the Cawthorne Channel in Degema Local Council of the state. The interception further led to the arrest of three individuals involved in the illicit trade.
The Nigerian Navy Forward Operating Base (NNFOB), Bonny,disclosed this while parading the suspects, yesterday, at its base.The arrested suspects,Lawrence Anietie, from Akwa Ibom, Barikpega Eeken, Rivers and Bethel Lambert from Andoni Local Council in Rivers State, upon interrogation admitted that the items were meant to be used to construct cooking ovens for an illegal refining site around the Cawthorne Channel in Bonny. Read more
Abiodun eulogises ex-Ondo MILAD, Opaleye (Punch)
The Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has described the late Major General Ekundayo Opaleye (retd.) as a patriot who epitomised courage, integrity, leadership, and commitment to the Nigerian Army and the country.
The former military governor of Ondo State died on November 18 in Abeokuta. He was aged 77.
Opaleye was the governor of old Ondo State from August 1986 to December 1987.
According to a statement on Friday, during the burial of the late revered elder statesman, at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abiodun, who was represented by his deputy, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, noted that Opaleye’s departure would leave a vacuum in the lives of his immediate family and the state. Read more
Usher Releases 9th Album ‘Coming Home’ (RatedR&B)
Usher is back. The R&B icon has returned with his long-awaited ninth album, Coming Home, via mega, a music collective he co-founded with L.A. Reid, in partnership with gamma.
It’s Usher’s first commercial album release as an independent artist.
The 20-track album includes the previously shared singles “Good Good” featuring Summer Walker and 21 Savage, “Risk It All” featuring H.E.R., “Standing Next to You (Usher Remix)” with Jung Kook, and “Ruin” featuring Pheelz. Read more
Sony Music buys stake in Michael Jackson’s catalog, valuing rights at $1.2+b (Consequence)
Sony Music has agreed to purchase half of Michael Jackson’s publishing and recorded masters catalog in a blockbuster deal valuing his music assets at over $1.2 billion, according to Billboard.
No exact figure is known at this time, but this means Sony will likely pay at least $600 million for its stake — though Billboard reports the valuation could be as high as $1.5 billion.
Regardless of the number, the Jackson deal is expected to be the largest-ever valuation of a musician’s music assets. Queen are currently seeking a $1.2 billion valuation for their recorded music, publishing, and other income streams like royalties from the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. Read more
Netflix original From the Ashes is Saudi Arabia’s biggest global hit yet (National)
From the Ashes, a Netflix original based on a true story that hit the popular streaming platform last month, is officially the most globally resonant film that Saudi Arabia has produced since launching its industry, The National can confirm.
In its first weeks of release, the movie reached the Netflix non-English top 10 films list in 37 countries worldwide, doing particularly well in Latin America. In its second week, the film trended across Mexico, and nearly all of central and South America.
The film has also reached weekly top 10 lists in Jamaica, Luxembourg, Spain, Egypt, Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobago, proving its popularity across five continents. Read more
O.J. Simpson says he’s not in hospice following cancer diagnosis (JustJared)
O.J. Simpson is responding to a recent rumour that he is in hospice care.
On Friday (February 9), Las Vegas outlet Local 10 News reported that the 76-year-old former football player has been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.
Around the same time, speculation that he is in hospice began to circulate.
Later that day, O.J. took to social media to set the record straight.
He posted a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, captioned, “Hospice???”
In the clip, O.J. sat in the driver’s seat of his car and said, “Hey, X world! Hospice? Hos-pice?! You talkin’ about hospice? No, I’m not in any hospice. I don’t know who put that out there.” Read more
Ozzy Osbourne says he denied Kanye West’s request to sample ‘‘War Pigs’’ on new album (Variety)
Ozzy Osbourne has called out Kanye West for sampling a live version of “War Pigs” without permission, describing him an ” an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many.”
Osbourne apparently denied West’s request to feature a section of the Black Sabbath song on the rapper’s new album, but West “went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night” (in Chicago on Thursday).
Osbourne wrote the above on X/Twitter, adding, “I want no association with this man!” Read more
Attack on priest in Jerusalem brings intolerance of Christians back into focus (CNA)
Violence against Christians in Jerusalem continues to make the news following an incident on February 3 when Father Nikodemus Schnabel, the abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition, was attacked by two young Jewish nationalists.
The incident occurred near the Zion Gate on the border between the Armenian and Jewish quarters. A minor and an individual approximately 20 years old spat on the priest and verbally attacked him, shouting insults against Jesus.
The scene was captured live by German journalist Natalie Amiri, who was filming videos with Schnabel at the time of the assault. Read more
Israeli PM Netanyahu orders evacuation of Rafah ahead of expected ground offensive (LBC)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered Israel’s military to prepare for evacuating Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip ahead of an expected invasion.
Mr Netanyahu says he has created a dual plan to evacuate people from the city of Rafah and to defeat the remaining Hamas forces.
Rafah is the last neighbourhood, where more than half of the territory’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge.
A statement from the prime minister’s office has said: “It is impossible to achieve the war objective of eliminating Hamas and leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah. Read more
World elite athletes battle For $50,000 as Lagos City Marathon holds today (Guardian)
The 9th edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon will hold today, with a record 88 elite runners. The 42km race, as usual, will start at the National Stadium, Lagos, by 6.30am and finish at the Eko Atlantic City on Victoria Island.
There is also the 10km race meant for the Nigerian athletes, who cannot cope with the international standards, N1million is at stake for the top finisher.
One of the pacers for the elite athletes, Bernard Cheti, who has been a regular in the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon said all the athletes are ready to compete and return in good times as organisers of the race are looking for the magic 2hrs.8minutes run that will further boost the chances of the Lagos City Marathon becoming a gold label race. Read more
Tinubu to grace AFCON final (Punch)
The President of the Confederation of African Football Federations, CAF, Patrice Motsepe, has revealed that Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu will be attending the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations final.
Nigeria and hosts Ivory Coast will clash in the final of the competition at the Alassanne Ouattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan, on Sunday.
During his press conference on Friday at the Palais de la Culture in Treichville, Abidjan, Motsepe conveyed his optimism about the upcoming final on Sunday, and also mentioned that President Tinubu would be among the guests in attendance. Read more
Protesting German fans attach bicycle locks to goal (ESPN)
Anti-investor protests in German soccer escalated on Friday when fans attached bicycle locks to a goal and displayed banners showing a club executive’s face in crosshairs.
There have been regular protests since last year against a plan to sell a stake in marketing revenues to a private equity investor for an up-front payment. As the league comes closer to an agreement, fans have become more disruptive.
A second-division game between Hamburg SV and Hannover on Friday was repeatedly interrupted. Read more
Dino Rossi resigns from Canada Soccer board of directors, says ‘‘football doesn’t come first’’ at organization (CBC)
Dino Rossi has resigned from Canada Soccer’s board of directors, saying “football doesn’t come first at Canada Soccer these days.”
Rossi, a longtime soccer administrator, was elected to the board representing Ontario in May 2023.
“If you know anything about me, you know how passionate I am about Canadian soccer and especially our national teams,” Rossi wrote in a social media post. “The opportunity to serve the CSA [Canadian Soccer Association] and the sport as a director, especially with the 2026 World Cup coming to Canada, felt like such an exciting opportunity at a pivotal time. Read more
Lamont Roach-Jono Carroll mandatory title fight ordered by WBA (BoxingScene)
Lamont Roach Jr. will head straight into his mandatory title defense.
Two, in fact, should he resume his winning ways.
The recently crowned WBA junior lightweight titlist was ordered to next defend the belt versus Ireland’s Jono Carroll. The ruling was made despite the fact that unbeaten contender Otar Eranosyan won a final eliminator just last summer and is ranked number-one by the sanctioning body.
Eranosyan will instead have to wait out this fight as he is assured a shot at the winner. Read more
Christian Horner: Hearing into Red Bull team boss ends without resolution (BBC)
A hearing into allegations of inappropriate and controlling behaviour against Christian Horner has finished without resolution.
The Red Bull team boss was quizzed on Friday by a lawyer for several hours on charges that relate to his behaviour towards a female employee.
A spokesperson for Red Bull said: “It would not be appropriate to comment before the investigation is completed.”
Horner has denied the claims to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, external. Read more
