Family, corps members remember corper killed in Lagos train-bus accident (Guardian)
The family and corps members serving in Lagos, yesterday, recounted the ordeal of Miss Aina Oreoluwa Juliana Oreoluwa, one of the victims of the Lagos train-Bus accident last Thursday, which claimed the lives of six persons.
Oreoluwa, until her death served with Lagos State Ministry of Education in Ikeja Local Council.
The 28-year-old graduated from Osun State University where she studied Chemistry and Applied Science.
Speaking with The Guardian yesterday, the deceased’s uncle, Mr. Tope Aina said the family has been in serious pain since her death and funeral. Read more
#EndSARS: Court orders Lagos govt to pay assaulted Uber driver N5m (Punch)
Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, on Tuesday, ordered the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police to pay an Uber driver, Adedotun Clement, the sum of N5 million as compensation.
Clement was allegedly assaulted by officials of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency and the Nigeria Police Force during the first anniversary of #EndSARS on October 20, 2021, at the Lekki Toll-Gate while he was carrying a passenger from the Island to the Mainland and was intercepted by the officials.
Following the pandemonium that ensued after policemen and the officers of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency fired tear-gas canisters to disperse the peaceful protesters and arrested many of them, Clement temporarily abandoned his car like other motorists and ran for his life. Read more
Lagos residents accept old naira notes as banks struggle (Nation)
Lagos residents on Tuesday began to accept the old N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes for transactions following a validation from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to do so.
The CBN in a statement by its acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mr Isa AbdulMumin, on Monday, directed the commercial banks to comply with the Supreme Court judgement of March 3.
CBN said: “Accordingly, the CBN met with the Bankers’ Committee and directed that the old N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes remain a legal tender alongside the redesigned banknotes till Dec. 31. Read more
N304.1m Fraud: Court admits more evidence against ex-NIMASA DG (Channels)
Justice Tijani Ringim of the Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos, on Tuesday, admitted in evidence several documents tendered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against a former acting Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Haruna Baba Jauro, and two others.
Jauro alongside Dauda Bawa and a company, Thlumbau Enterprises Limited, is being prosecuted on 19 counts bordering on stealing and money laundering to the tune of N304,118,500.
At the resumed sitting today, the prosecution presented its third prosecution witness, PW3, Orji Chukwuma, an investigator with the Commission. This is according to a statement by EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren. Read more
‘‘Sanwo-Olu’s visit to Oyedepo not political’’ -Aide (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, has said that his principal’s visit to the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, also known as Winners’ Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has nothing to do with politics.
He said it is preposterous for anyone to link the Governor’s visit to politics or elections.
Vanguard reported that Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday morning, shared a picture of himself and Oyedepo on his verified Twitter page.
The post, however, sparked reactions from some Nigerians who claimed that the governor has been going from one church to another in a desperate bid to get votes ahead of Saturday’s election. Read more
Aregbesola mobilises Hausa community for Sanwo-Olu (Nation)
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has urged the Hausa Community, Artisans and the traditional leadership of Ojokoro in Agege local government area of Lagos State to come out en masse and vote for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday.
Aregbesola also called for massive votes for all candidates of the All Progressives Congress(APC) for the House of Assembly.
According to Aregbesola’s media aide, Sola Fasure, the Minister toured the Abattoir area as well as embarked on a door-to-door campaign to ensure massive votes for all candidates of the APC. Read more
Certificate forgery: 43 Nigerian nurses face criminal charges in US (Vanguard)
No fewer than 43 Nigerian nurses in the United States are currently facing criminal charges over certificate forgery.
The 43 Nigerians are among the 75 persons being probed by the Texas Board of Nursing for false educational credentials.
According to information on the Board’s website about the probe, tagged ‘Operation Nightingale’, the individuals who acquired the fraudulent nursing credentials used them to qualify to sit for the national nursing board exam. Read more
Okorocha’s commissioner jailed for fraud (DailyTrust)
A former commissioner for transport in Imo State, Lasbery Okafor-Anyanwu, was on Tuesday sentenced to a three years imprisonment.
Anyanwu, who served under former Governor Rochas Okorocha, was sentenced after he was found guilty of the charges preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Okafor-Anyanwu, from Oru East Local Government Area is the elder brother to Prince Marshall Okafor Anyanwu, who was chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state and the current state chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Read more
Jason Kennedy praises Ashley Graham for handling Hugh Grant’s Oscars ‘‘nonsense’’(PageSix)
Ashley Graham has Jason Kennedy’s stamp of approval after her awkward Hugh Grant interview on the Oscars 2023 red carpet.
“Don’t worry @ashleygraham … now you see why Hugh Grant isn’t one of our favorites to interview live,” the entertainment journalist tweeted on Sunday.
“Well done working around his nonsense,” the 41-year-old continued. Read more
Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield to Star in ‘We Live In Time’ for StudioCanal (Deadline)
After setting the internet on fire Sunday night when they presented at the Oscars together, Academy Award nominees Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield have now found their own project to co-star in as sources tell Deadline the two are in negotiations to star in StudioCanal We Live In Time. John Crowley is on board to direct with Nick Payne penning the script. StudioCanal developed the script and will produce with Sunny March.
Plot details are being kept under wraps other than it being described as a funny, deeply moving and immersive love story and if deals close the plan is to shoot later this year. EVP Global Production, Ron Halpern and SVP Global Production, Joe Naftalin are overseeing for StudioCanal.
While they have yet to star in a project together, fans of both actors couldn’t stop talking about the two on social media after they presented the screenplay Oscars together. Little did they know something was already in the works and their respected fans will get their wish granted sooner rather than later. Read more
Tom Cruise celebrates Sir Michael Caine’s 90th birthday celebrations (DailyMail)
David Walliams took to Instagram on Tuesday to wish Sir Michael Cain a happy 90th birthday.
The comedian, 51, shared snaps with the acting legend from inside his celebrations, which also included Tom Cruise, 60.
Beaming for a slew of pictures together, the action movie star and former Britain’s Got Talent judge appeared in high spirits to mark the special day.
And it comes just days after Tom decided to skip out on the star-studded Academy Award ceremony on Sunday, despite his smash hit Top Gun: Maverick being nominated for six awards, including the coveted Best Picture Award. Read more
Lucy Liu reacts to calls for a Charlie’s Angels reboot with Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz (ET)
Lucy Liu isn’t totally ruling out a return to Charlie’s Angels.
ET’s Ash Crossan spoke to Liu at the Shazam! Fury of the Gods premiered in Los Angeles Tuesday, where Liu said that while she doesn’t know “what lies ahead,” she would love to work with her fellow angels, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz again.
“I don’t know. I mean, of course, we love each other. So, any opportunity to work together would be fun, but I don’t know what lies ahead. Obviously, there’s been many iterations of Charlie’s Angels,” Liu said. “And people really want to see women together and be powerful. So, that’s a very positive thing.” Read more
Quentin Tarantino prepping alleged final film (Variety)
Quentin Tarantino is about to shop his 10th film project, which the director has long said will mark his final feature film.
The Pulp Fiction mastermind is preparing to invite multiple buyers to read his latest screenplay in the coming days, one source familiar with the pending auction said. The Oscar winner is seeking a deal similar to the one he brokered for his last film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the source added. This means a robust theatrical release commitment and ownership of the film’s copyright (in the case of Sony Pictures and Once Upon a Time, the deal said the movie copyright would revert to Tarantino after 20 years).
The script reading process feels similar to the extreme security measures taken around Once Upon a Time, where studio executives had to schlep to the office of Tarantino’s agent in Beverly Hills and read pages in a conference room. The protocols were put in place after a significant leak of Tarantino’s screenplay for the 2015 film The Hateful Eight. Read more
Lenny Kravitz to host and perform at iHeartRadio Music Awards (MusicNews)
Lenny Kravitz has been tapped to host and perform at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
The Fly Away hitmaker will pull double duty as the emcee and a performer at the annual music awards show on 27 March.
“I’m thrilled to host and perform at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards to celebrate the best in music,” Kravitz said in a statement. “As always, the show will feature some great surprises and unforgettable performances that music fans across the country won’t want to miss.” Read more
US drone crashes after encounter with Russian jet (BBC)
A Russian fighter jet has collided with a US drone, causing the unmanned US aircraft to crash into the Black Sea, the American military says.
The incident highlights the increasing risk of direct confrontation between Russia and the US over the Ukraine war.
The US says the drone was on a routine mission in international airspace when two Russian jets tried to intercept it.
Russia said the drone crashed after a “sharp manoeuvre”, and denied that the two aircraft made direct contact. Read more
I almost quit athletics before becoming world champion — Amusan (Punch)
World 100m hurdles champion and record holder Tobi Amusan has hinted that she almost quit athletics last year but for her coach.
The 25-year-old athlete last year became the first Nigerian world champion in athletics, when she won the 2022 World Championships 100m hurdles gold medal, setting the current world record of 12.12secs in the semi-final, followed by a 12.06secs in the final.
She also won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, before retaining her Diamond League Trophy in Zurich in a new meet record of 12.29secs. Read more
Napoli vs Frankfurt: Osimhen guns for 50th goal in 90 Napoli appearances (Guardian)
Victor Osimhen will look to score his 50th goal in a Napoli shirt when his club meet Eintracht Frankfurt in a Champions League encounter at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Wednesday.
Osimhen, since joining Napoli during the summer transfer window of 2020 for a fee of €70m, has scored a hugely impressive 49 goals in only 89 appearances in all competitions for the club.
The Super Eagles attacking sensation, who also has 14 assists to his name as a Napoli player, will also aim to re-discover his scoring form after firing blanks in his last two matches. Read more
Haaland hits 5 as Man City reach quarter-finals (BBC)
Erling Haaland rewrote the record books by scoring an incredible five times as Manchester City swept RB Leipzig aside to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Haaland becomes the fastest and youngest player to reach 30 goals in Europe’s elite club competition.
He is also the youngest player to score five times in a single Champions League game, joining Argentina great Lionel Messi and Brazil forward Luiz Adriano as the only players to do so. Read more
FIFA confirm 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches and a new round of 32 stage (IrishTimes)
The 2026 World Cup will have 104 matches instead of the traditional 64 due to the expanded format, with 48 teams taking part, global governing body Fifa said on Tuesday.
The 2026 edition, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first edition of the quadrennial tournament where 48 teams are taking part.
“The Fifa Council unanimously approved the proposed amendment to the Fifa World Cup 2026 competition format from 16 groups of three to 12 groups of four with the top two and eight best third-placed teams progressing to a round of 32,” Fifa said. Read more
Aussie Open champion Sabalenka reaches first Indian Wells q-finals (StraitsTimes)
Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka reached the Indian Wells quarter-finals for the first time on Tuesday, continuing her strong 2023 campaign with a battling 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Barbora Krejcikova.
Czech Krejcikova was the woman who ended Sabalenka’s perfect 2023 run with a victory over the Belarusian in the quarter-finals at Dubai last month.
She had a chance to extend the match, but Sabalenka saved a breakpoint in the final game and closed it out. Read more
Max Verstappen warned about major threat in Saudi Arabia (F1News)
Despite only being on the race calendar since 2021, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit has already become a fan favourite, with there never being a dull moment when racing in Saudi Arabia.
The quick street circuit features a number of high-speed corners and overtaking zones, making for exciting racing and dramatic scenarios.
Lewis Hamilton won the first Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia after a controversial battle with Max Verstappen and the Dutchman got revenge last year by winning in Jeddah. Read more