Exposed: How CBN reversed itself on old notes but accused media of fake news (DailyTrust)
Following the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that Nigerians should take old N500 and N1000 notes to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), many thronged offices of the apex bank across the nation on Friday.
As early as 1 am, people had lined up in front of the CBN office in Marina, Lagos, where there was an uncontrollable crowd.
Someone who got there at 6 am said he was given tag number 406, meaning over 400 persons were in the queue earlier.
A Kaduna resident, Badamasi Aliyu, told Daily Trust that he was forced to relocate to a hotel close to the CBN office the night before so he could get there early enough. Read more
Ekweremadu’s accuser promised to donate organ to daughter in Visa application, court told (Guardian) Jurors at the ongoing Old Bailey trial of former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice, daughter, Sonia and Dr. Obinna Obeta, yesterday, heard how David Nwamini, the alleged victim of trafficking, mentioned the Senator as the sponsor of his medical treatment to the United Kingdom (UK) in his visa application.
He also stated in the form that Ekweremadu was sponsoring the £15,000 cost of the intended 28-day medical trip to the UK, beginning January 31 of last year. He also said in the form that the purpose of the trip was to enable him donate his organ to Sonia.
In the visa application form, which was part of the evidence that the prosecution tendered at the court yesterday, Nwamini completed the “additional information” section as well, stating that he would be donating his organ to Sonia.
“I will be donating my organ to my cousin, Sonia Ekweremadu, for her sacrifices to my family,” he wrote in the additional information section of the form. Read more
Ex-finance minister blames CBN for new naira crisis (Punch)
A former Minister of Finance, Dr Idika Kalu, has faulted the logistics of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the crisis that has characterized the distribution of new N1000, N500 and N200.
Speaking on Channels Television on Friday, he noted that the new naira scarcity was a result of a huge logistic mistake.
He said, “It is obvious that what we are dealing with is huge logistic mistakes that have been made.”
Kalu added that the CBN ought to have done its preliminary assessment of how long and what it would take to ensure the efficient distribution of the new notes. Read more
Fire guts Owode Onirin iron marts in Lagos (Vanguard)
Properties worth several millions of naira were on Friday destroyed when fire gutted the Owode Onirin iron market along Ikorodu Road, Lagos.
According to a source, the incident occurred in the evening when the fire started in one of the shops in the market.
Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, Dr Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, confirmed no loss of life in the process. Read more
Naira Scarcity: Parents withdraw children from schools over protests in Lagos (Tribune)
Many parents, on Friday, in Lagos, stormed their children’s schools during lectures to pick them home following the widespread protests amidst the cash crunch ravaging the country.
Our correspondent monitored the situation around Abule-Egba, Agbado-Ijaiye, Alakuko, and so forth and observed that students of both public and private schools in the axis were affected.
Many shop owners in the axis including POS operators and particularly those near major bus stops such as Ijaiye, Kollington and Alakuko also hurriedly closed their shops for fear of possible attack by the rioters. Read more
Valentine’s Day: Brand sponsors couple’s marriage proposal (Punch)
A lady, Olabisi, got the surprise of her life on Valentine’s Day when a mobile phone maker, Infinix Nigeria, supported her fiancé, Michael, to organise a surprise marriage proposal for her in Ikeja, Lagos.
Michael had emerged the winner in the company’s ‘Win a Love Proposal’ promotional campaign. The brand then sponsored a surprise proposal event for him and bride-to-be at an event centre in Ikeja.
Olabisi was taken unawares as she was brought to the venue by her lover on the pretext that they were going for a Valentine’s Day dinner. On getting to the venue, she was greeted with a romantic scenery. Read more
Confusion in Adamawa APC over alleged suspension of Binani (Leadership)
The Adamawa State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is facing fresh internal wrangling as the Yola-South local government secretariat of the party yesterday suspended the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed, for six months. The letter made available to LEADERSHIP cited her failure to appear before the disciplinary committee to answer questions on some allegations levelled against her.
Confusion started when the secretariat of the party congratulated Binani over her victory at the Appeal Court, but withdrew the same letter two days after and subsequently suspended her in another letter.
Two letters were issued to that effect yesterday and the first was copied to the stakeholders and all those concerned while the second letter was signed by 21 executive members of the party from various wards in Yola, saying the suspension took effect from yesterday. Read more
Imo: Catholic Church moves to end election violence (Sun)
The Justice Development, Peace, Caritas Commission (JDPC), an organ of the Catholic Church, has explained its interest in the peace accord it initiated for candidates of all the political parties contesting election in Imo State in a bid to curb election violence often associated with elections in the state
According to the director of JDPC, Reverend Gerald Njoku, the accord would be a written commitment by all the candidates of the various political parties involved in the election.
This, he pointed out, would help in checking the violent activities during and after the election. Said Njoku: “As we approach the next rounds of election, the Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri is committed to assisting in conducting a free, fair and credible election in Imo State devoid of violence. Read more
Keanu Reeves reveals the clause every one of his film contracts must have (Parade)
Keanu Reeves has an important clause in his film contracts.
His performances cannot be digitally manipulated without his consent—and he has a good reason why he’s against it.
In an interview with Wired, Reeves discussed how changing his performance with CGI post-production harms his work as an actor.
“I don’t mind if someone takes a blink out during an edit. But early on, in the early 2000s, or it might have been the ’90s, I had a performance changed,” he said, without divulging which film. “They added a tear to my face, and I was just like, “Huh?!” It was like, I don’t even have to be here.” Read more
Stella Stevens, The Nutty Professor and The Poseidon Adventure actress, dies at 84 (EW)
Stella Stevens, the beloved 1960s star who dazzled on screen in The Nutty Professor and Too Late Blues, died Friday, EW can confirm. She was 84.
The actress and bombshell, who had been living in hospice care, died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease, her son Andrew Stevens confirmed. Rock guitarist Bruce Kulick, brother of Stevens’ late husband, Bob Kulick, also honored Stevens in a statement on social media.
“Legendary actress Stella Stevens, my brother’s longtime partner, passed away this morning from a long illness. She is finally reunited with Bob today,” Kulick wrote on Twitter. “She starred in many movies I love. It was very special for my family and I to know her personally. RIP Stella, 1938-2023.” Read more
Filmmakers launch Belarusian Film Academy to give a voice to threatened artists in repressive Putin ally (Variety)
Belarusian filmmakers and industry professionals gathered in Berlin on Friday to announce the launch of the Belarusian Film Academy (BIFA), an organization formed to give a platform to independent filmmakers in the repressive former Soviet republic and staunch Kremlin ally.
Born in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, when more than 130 Belarusian filmmakers signed a collective statement condemning the unprovoked act of aggression, the academy was created to “solidify, unite and support” their voices, according to co-founder Volia Chajkouskaya.
“Living under state censorship and control, we have been searching for ways to unite for a long time,” said Chajkouskaya, a producer, director and founder of the Northern Lights Film Festival. “Since [the start of the Ukraine war], we all continued to face challenges individually and felt that we should unite in solidarity to form a unified front.” Read more
Ed Sheeran to play a homeless drug addict in brand new action-comedy film (Mirror)
Ed Sheehan is set to shock fans as he will soon be seen playing a homeless drug addict in a new action-comedy film.
The 32-year-old father-of-two will star opposite Denise van Outen, Jennifer Saunders, Jaime Winstone, Peter Serafinowicz and Kevin Bishop in a big screen adventure that was filmed in London last year.
The film is titled Sumotherhood and was written and directed by Adam Deacon who was a star of the films Kidulthood, Brotherhood and Anuvahood. Read more
Ice-T honoured with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame (NBC)
A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Friday honouring Ice-T, one day after the 65th birthday of the gangsta rap pioneer-turned-actor.
Ice-T’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit castmate Mariska Hargitay and the series’ creator Dick Wolf and fellow legendary rapper Chuck D spoke during the unveiling ceremony at 7065 Hollywood Blvd., between La Brea and Sycamore avenues.
The star is the 2,747th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the initial 1,558 stars. Read more
Man arrested after 6 killed, including suspect’s ex-wife, in series of shootings in Mississippi, sheriff says (CNN)
Six people are dead and another was wounded Friday in a series of shootings in Tate County, Mississippi after a man opened fire on his ex-wife and potentially other family members, Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance told CNN.
The suspect, Richard Dale Crum, 52, was arrested after the alleged rampage and is facing charges of first-degree murder in connection with the case, the sheriff’s office said. Additional charges are expected to be filed, the department said.
Authorities got the first 911 call around 11 a.m. ET after the suspect pulled into the parking lot of a store in Arkabutla, a small rural town in northern Mississippi, and fired into the car next to him where he fatally shot the driver, Lance said. Another person in the vehicle was not injured. Read more
Osimhen scores 100th career goal (ThisDay)
Super Eagles striker, Victor Osimhen, yesterday scored his 100th career goal as his second goal on the night ensured Napoli beat Sassuolo 2-0.His goal at the Mapei Stadium yesterday has also taken the Nigeria international’s goal haul to 19 this season and in good stead to win the Serie A top scorer’s award.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia opened the scoring for Napoli with a brilliant solo goal in the 12th minute.Osimhen doubled the advantage in the 32nd minute when he rifled the ball home from an almost impossible angle,He found himself with two defenders and scarcely had the space to shoot but caught everyone off guard including the Sassuolo goalkeeper Andrea Consigli when he produced a shot.
It therefore came as a little surprise when Italian coach, Peter Lo Monaco revealed that he believes Osimhen is the best striker that has played for Napoli since Aurelio De Laurentiis became the club’s president.Napoli has been blessed with various attacking talents since De Laurentiis took over the reins in 2004. Naples has been home to some of the deadliest strikers since then. Read more
Qatar-based bid for Manchester United confirmed on deadline day (AlJazeera)
Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, a son of Qatar’s former prime minister, has launched a bid to buy the United Kingdom’s Premier League club Manchester United, whose United States-based owners launched a formal sale process late last year.
A deal for United is expected to shatter records for the sale of a sport business. The club’s current majority owners, the Glazer family, are seeking a valuation as high as 7 billion pounds ($8.42bn), the Reuters news agency has previously reported.
The record 20-time English champions have more than 650 million fans worldwide, according to market research firm Kantar. Read more
Lee Mason quits as Premier League VAR after being axed for costly Arsenal blunder (Mirror)
Lee Mason has quit his role as a Premier League VAR after a costly blunder that saw Arsenal miss out on a win over Brentford.
Mason spent 15 years as a top-level official, having started his refereeing career in 1996, but retired from that role in the summer of 2021. He then became the Premier League’s first dedicated Video Assistant Referee, but has faced anger from Arsenal in recent weeks after making a mistake which cost them what would have been a crucial win over the Bees.
He failed to spot that Ivan Toney’s equaliser should not have stood, with Christian Norgaard having clearly been offside in the build-up to the goal. He was subsequently stood down by the Professional Game Match Officials Board, with the organisation now announcing Mason has quit his job altogether. Read more
Perfect Medvedev ends Auger-Aliassime’s Rotterdam title defence (StraitsTimes)
Daniil Medvedev took his record over Felix Auger-Aliassime to 5-0 as he reached the Rotterdam ATP semi-finals with a straight-sets defeat of the defending champion on Friday.
Medvedev cruised to a 6-2, 6-4 win, hitting just five unforced errors to the Canadian’s 20.
“Today was my best match of the week, but I have to build on this,” said world No. 11 Medvedev. Read more
South Africa name Bavuma as first Black African Test captain (RFI)
Temba Bavuma was on Friday named the first black African captain of South Africa’s Test squad in what Cricket South Africa described as “part of a restructure within the leadership group of the national team”.
Dean Elgar was axed as captain, although he remains a member of the squad which starts a series against the West Indies on February 28.
Chief selector Victor Mpitsang was another casualty of the shake-up, with CSA stating he had been “released” from the role. Read more