Faces and profiles of the new service chiefs (Tribune)
The new Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Leo Irabor, with Army number 8370, was born on October 5, 1965. He is from Ika South of Delta State and he is a member of regular course 34 of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He was once the Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole and later took over as the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) before he was on Tuesday named the Chief of Defence Staff.
Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, the new Chief of Army Staff, with Army Number 8406, was born on August 10, 1966. He is from Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State and a member of the Regular Course 35 of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Before his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, he was the General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu. He was also a former Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole. He took over from Major General Leo Irabor. Read more
NECO releases new date for 2020 SSCE (NewTelegraph)
The National Examinations Council (NECO), has fixed new dates for its 2020 Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSCE) for external candidates.
A statement released by NECO’s Head, Information and Public Relations Division, Azeez Sani on Tuesday in Abuja, noted that candidates were given more time to complete their registration process for the 2020 external SSCE as requested.
The statement reads: “Thus, the examination which was earlier scheduled to commence on Monday 1st February, 2021 and end on Wednesday 3rd March, 2021 will now start on Monday 8th February, 2021 and end on Wednesday 10th March, 2021.
“The Council hereby informs those candidates, who missed some papers during the 2020 SSCE (Internal) due to the ENDSARS protests in some states, to take note of these new dates and report for the examination accordingly at their various examination centers to be designated.
“All candidates are advised to access the revised Examination Time Table on the Council’s website. All candidates, stakeholders and the general public are to take note of the above information.” Read more
70 shops destroyed in Lagos market fire (ThisDay)
Seventy shops and several goods have been destroyed following the Tuesday early morning inferno at the Slade market in Shomolu area of Lagos State.
The incident, which erupted at 1.05am, was said to possibly be from a voltage surge after power supply was restored.
The DG/CEO Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency responded to distress calls at 1.05am.
He added: “Upon arrival, we commenced fire suppression activities. The agency fire fighters alongside the Lagos State and Federal Fire Services worked to complete a thorough damping down exercise.” Read more
CNG to New Service Chiefs: Disband all armed groups, militias (Vanguard)
Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has called on the newly appointed service chiefs to immediately disband all armed groups and militias in the country.
It also urged the security heads to work in harmony with the civil society to ensure that no group has the capacity to challenge the state.
The group in a statement by its spokesman, Abulazeez Sulaiman, also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to ” reassert himself by taking direct control of the fight to secure the nation and to finally reclaim the nation’s forests, highways and sea that have been lost to insurgents, other armed criminals. ”
The statement reads:”The Coalition of Northern Groups has noted the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari has finally acceded to the huge demands made by Nigerians for the replacement of the nation’s Service Chiefs as a step towards addressing the serious shortfalls in our policing and security institutions. Read more
Police says hoodlums set fire on Sunday Igboho’s residence (Guardian)
Oyo State Police Command said hoodlums are responsible for the fire incident in the Ibadan residence of Sunday Adeyemo known as Igboho.
Police spokesman Olugbenga Fadeyi in a statement said the hoodlums loaded in a bus and taxi shot in the air several times before putting fire to the house located at the Soka area of Ibadan.
“The mini sitting room got burnt in the process while the value of other properties is yet to be estimated,” Fadeyi said. Read more
Unmarried policewoman sacked for getting pregnant (Punch)
The Nigeria Police Force has sacked an unmarried female corporal, Olajide Omolola, for getting pregnant.
This is contained in a police wireless message with reference number CJ:4161/EKS/IY/Vol.2/236, DTO:181330/01/2021 which was obtained by The PUNCH.
The signal originated from the Department of Finance and Administration in Ado Ekiti and was addressed to the Divisional Police Officer at Iye Ekiti where Omolola is based. Read more
NEMA to build 325 houses for flood victims in Katsina (ThisDay)
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has commenced arrangement for the building of 325 houses for communities that were displaced by the 2018 flood in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The housing scheme located in Farun Maje community, comprises schools, clinics, shops, security outposts, mosques and other basic social amenities.
The Director-general of NEMA, AVM Muhammadu Muhammed, who unveiled this to journalists while inspecting the project site on Tuesday, said the project would be executed in collaboration with the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) through its Work Centre.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo had on July 15, 2018, visited the flood-ravaged local government area to assess the level of damage caused by the natural disaster. Read more
Teni hints of new music project with Davido (DailyTrust)
Teniola Apata, also well known as Teni Makanaki has dropped a hint about a new song collaboration with one of the most successful Africa’s music artist, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido.
While the name of the new song was not revealed, Teni, in a series of tweets on Tuesday expressed her excitement about the new music project.
She said: “Davido came to my shoot, stayed 8hours did everything we wanted and more @davido thank you thank you, WE HAVE A HIT ON THE WAY!!!” Read more
“Omo Ghetto” becomes highest grossing Nollywood film in 2020 (Independent)
“Omo Ghetto” (The Saga), a movie by Actress Funke Akindele-Bello, popularly known as Jenifa has been declared Nollywood’s highest grossing movie of all time.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2020 comedy film has broken a four-year record formally held by Kemi Adetiba’s ‘The Wedding Party’.
In a statement released by Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria (CEAN), the 2020 comedy film has so far grossed N468,036,300 after holding the number one spot for its third week in a row.
“Omo Ghetto’ has officially broken a four years record by knocking off Kemi Adetiba’s 2016 Comedy movie” The Wedding Party” Read more
Biden moves to put anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman on $20 bill (BBC)
The Biden administration has said it will seek to push forward a plan to make anti-slavery activist Harriet Tubman the face of a new $20 bill.
A note featuring Ms Tubman, who was born a slave in about 1822, was originally due to be unveiled in 2020.
The US Treasury said she would replace former President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner.
But the effort was delayed under former President Donald Trump, who branded it “pure political correctness”. Read more
Wife reportedly stabs husband after confusion over old pics of them having sex (NYPost)
A Mexican woman flew into a rage and stabbed her husband when she found what she thought were snaps of him on his phone having sex with another woman — who happened to be her when they were dating years ago.
Police responded last week to reports of a domestic dispute at the couple’s home in Cajeme, Sonora, where they discovered the man with multiple stab wounds on his arms and legs, the Daily Mail reported.
Chinese man who killed judge over divorce trial sentenced to death
His wife, identified as Leonora A, reportedly went ballistic when she found the explicit photos on his phone showing him having sex with who she thought was another woman.
Without asking him about the photos, Leonora allegedly began attacking her shocked hubby, identified as Juan N., who finally managed to wrestle the knife from her hands and asked her what set her off, the outlet reported. Read more
South African president urges wealthy nations not to hoard COVID-19 vaccines (VOA)
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa told a virtual meeting of the World Economic Forum that those who have hoarded vaccines need to release them “so that other countries can have them.”
“The rich countries of the world went out and acquired large doses of vaccines,” Ramaphosa said. “Some countries even acquired up to four times what their population needs … to the exclusion of other countries.” Read more
Angela Merkel warns Davos against vaccine race (DW)
The German chancellor has urged wealthy countries to work together on fighting the pandemic. Nations, particularly in the developing world, say they are struggling to acquire vaccination doses.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday urged against a vaccine race between richer countries, saying that a multilateral effort was the best way to exit the coronavirus pandemic.
Addressing the World Economic Forum’s virtual summit by video link, Merkel said it was also essential to support programmes subsidising poor countries’ access to vaccines.
“It has become even clearer to me than it was beforethat we need to choose a multilateral approach, that a self-isolating approach won’t solve our problems,” she said. Read more
Astronomers discover huge exoplanet has the density of cotton candy (CBC)
Roughly 212 light years away in the Virgo constellation lies a super-large exoplanet that has astronomers revising their theory of how giant gas planets form.
The exoplanet, called WASP-107b, was discovered in 2017. At the time, it was difficult to accurately pinpoint its mass. But what astronomers did know is that it was already unusual.
It is a particularly large planet, roughly the size of Jupiter, but with an orbit that is just a mere nine million kilometres away from its host star, WASP-107, which is estimated to be about three billion years old. Read more
South Korea uses AI to re-create late superstar’s voice with new songs (CNN)
For the first time in 25 years, the distinctive vocals of South Korean superstar Kim Kwang-seok will be heard on national television singing new material.
It’s a feat made all the more extraordinary because the famous folk singer is dead.
National broadcaster SBS plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to bring Kim’s voice back to life on a new program, “Competition of the Century: AI vs Human,” to air later this week.
It’s not the first time AI has been used to revive a famous singer in South Korea. Read more
Hollywood icon Jane Fonda to receive Cecil B. DeMille award at 2021 Golden Globes (Metro)
Hollywood legend Jane Fonda will receive the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2021 Golden Globe awards. The iconic actress, 83, will be the latest recipient of the honor as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association celebrates her impact on the industry. HFPA President Ali Sar said in a statement: ‘The Hollywood Foreign Press Association takes great pride in bestowing the 2021 Cecil B. de Mille Award to Jane Fonda. Read more
Tokyo 2020: Uncertainty persists over Olympics and Paralympics as IOC meets (BBC)
When members of the International Olympic Committee’s executive board dial in to their first video conference of the year on Wednesday, they will do so amid mounting uncertainty over this summer’s delayed Tokyo Games.
Last year’s unprecedented postponement was arguably the biggest peacetime decision ever taken in sport. But that would be completely overshadowed by an actual cancellation.
Such a seismic move would have profound consequences for Olympic and Paralympic sport, and be a crushing disappointment for athletes across the world, so what forces could prove decisive over the coming weeks?
New year, new doubts
So far, Japan has escaped the worst of the coronavirus pandemic, with far fewer deaths than the tragic numbers suffered in other parts of the world. Read more
LeBron James fueled by clapping Cavaliers exec in homecoming (NYPost)
LeBron James’ first game in Cleveland in over two years was a doozy, as his Lakers beat the Cavaliers 115-108 and stayed perfect on the road. James’ ridiculous late scoring tear was the catalyst to their victory – 21 of his 46 points came in the fourth quarter.
The scoring outburst was apparently spurred on by a Cavaliers executive sitting in Cleveland’s socially-distanced first row. After James missed a 3-pointer late in the third quarter, the exec in question celebrated, clapping a little too loudly for James’ liking.
“I felt he was a little too excited about seeing me miss,” James said after the game. “I knew I had another quarter and the fourth quarter is my favorite. It’s a good thing for him I only come here once.” Read more
Bale gets a boost with rare praise from Mourinho (Guardian)
Gareth Bale’s goalscoring performance was labelled as “good” by Tottenham Hotspur manager Jose Mourinho after the Premier League club came from behind to beat Championship side Wycombe 3-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round tie.
Mourinho’s assessment will boost the spirits of the 31-year-old Wales star, who has had an underwhelming second spell at Spurs since coming on a season-long loan from Real Madrid.
He has been hampered by fitness issues and mostly been confined to Europa League games, playing just 45 minutes of Premier League football since early November. Read more
Tuchel set to accept Chelsea challenge (Punch)
Thomas Tuchel is set to be the next high-profile coach to become Chelsea manager several years after he first spoke with them about the job.
The 47-year-old German will be the 15th change of manager since Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 and replaces Frank Lampard.
Tuchel follows some noteworthy predecessors in Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, who have also fallen foul of Abramovich in the past — the former fired a season after delivering the domestic double. Read more
Enyimba, Wikki Tourists triumph in double header at ATBS Bauchi (DailyTrust)
Former African champions, Enyimba FC of Aba and Wikki Tourists of Bauchi recorded victories in the week six double header of the ongoing Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL, season decided on Monday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa stadium in Bauchi.
In the first match of the day, relegation threatened Adamawa United narrowly lost 1-2 to Enyimba FC.
Youngster Anayo Iwuala gave the ‘people’s elephants’ the lead in the 6th minute when he capitalised on a defensive mix-up to score from close range.
In the 12th minute, Enyimba themselves nearly paid a price for the same offence but Adamawa United’s Ibekwe dilly-dallied before aiming for the post and John Noble in goal for the visitors recovered in time to make the crucial save. Read more
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer questions Chelsea’s decision to sack Frank Lampard (Metro)
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has questioned Chelsea’s decision to sack Frank Lampard after just 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge. Lampard was dismissed on Monday morning after a recent slump in form saw his Chelsea side fall to ninth in the Premier League table. Despite losing five of their last eight games in all competitions, Chelsea remain just five points off champions Liverpool in fourth place and they’re through to the last-16 of the Champions League, where they’ll face Atletico Madrid. However, there was an air of resignation in Lampard’s demeanour after defeat to Leicester City last week and he becomes the tenth manager to be sacked by Roman Abramovich in the Russian’s 17-year reign at Stamford Bridge. Read more
Manchester United FC striker Rashford fit after knee scare (Vanguard)
Manchester United FC Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Marcus Rashford was fit for Wednesday’s Premier League match with Sheffield United.
Rashford had a scan on his knee after the FA Cup win over Liverpool at the weekend but the England forward is set to play as United try to protect their two-point lead.
“He trained this morning. He is available for selection.