Female passenger breaks bottle, stabs Lagos Uber driver over N4100 fare (Punch)
An Uber driver, identified only as Adewale, has accused a passenger, Laura, of stabbing him with a bottle during an argument in the Agungi area of Ajah, Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Adewale conveyed the lady from Ajao Estate to her friend’s house in Ajah on Tuesday.
After they got to the place, the driver demanded payment, but Laura reportedly claimed that she could not transfer money to him because her bank’s mobile application was not working.
Speaking with our correspondent, the 42-year-old driver said the passenger went inside the building to get money from her friends and returned with N2,000. Read more
Lagos is ready for business, Sanwo- Olu assures Sweden, Denmark, Finland (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, assured Sweden, Denmark, and Finland of its government readiness to collaborate with them to harness the potential of the state’s landmass and face challenges headlong with innovative solutions as a 21st Century Mega City.
He said with a landmass of less than 0.4 percent, the state government was ready and open for collaboration investments from willing partners as well as the political will to address issues on climate change.
Sanwo-Olu made the statement while speaking at the Nordic – Nigeria Connect Smart City Lagos 2021, a high-power conference on Smart City solutions and circular economy themed: “Developing a Greener Lagos,” held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.
The Nordic countries include: Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Read more
EFCC invites Fani-Kayode over ‘forgery’ (Leadership)
Former minister of aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode was yesterday invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegation bordering on forgery of medical reports to justify the continued absence from his money laundering trial.
An EFCC official, who doesn’t want his name mentioned, told LEADERSHIP that the former minister who arrived at the commission’s office in Lagos at about 1pm was interrogated on the matter.
He said Fani-Kayode was invited yesterday to answer questions relating to the forgery of a medical report to evade his trial before a Federal High Court, Lagos.
The source said the commission’s its preliminary investigations showed that the medical report tendered by the former minister was forged. Read more
LCCI, Lagos commit to agribusiness value-chain, food security (Guardian)
To address food security concerns, technology and stimulate youth participation in agricultural production to promote sufficiency in food supply, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, have called on economic managers to prioritise investment in the nation’s agribusiness value-chain.
This, they stated, would ensure that the value chain works effectively from farm to table while prioritizing the need for food security and food sufficiency in the country by involving youth participation to promote wealth and reduce social decadence.
Speaking at the 2021 LCCI Secondary School Essay Competition with the theme, ‘The Role of Agribusiness in Food Security and National Development’, the Commissioner for Agriculture Lagos State. Mrs. Abisola Olusanya charged youths on participation and involvement in agribusiness value-chain adding that this would create wealth and enhance better living standards of the economy.
She noted that the world is currently facing multiple problems of food scarcity, global warming, low crude oil prices and volatility of the exchange rate while stressing that Nigeria is not left out of this global crisis considering her position in crude oil exportation. Read more
NAMA suspends two-day flight disruption across 4 airports (Sun)
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said that the Flow Control, embarked upon by the Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) on Tuesday, November 23, 2021, has been suspended.
Its Managing Director, Capt. Fola Akinkuotu, said the suspension is to pave way for a follow-up meeting between NAMA management, the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the association, scheduled to hold later in the day.
Flight disruptions and delays had commenced in the early hours of Tuesday, November 23, across four airports (Abuja Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano) after NATCA directed Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) to begin three hours ‘flow control’ for two days, causing departures to be spaced at 20 minutes interval.
The action, which commenced at 6am Tuesday morning, was precursor to a two-week warning strike which NATCA said it would embark on if the management of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) does not meet its demands to improve their working conditions following the death of Mr. Aniekan Effiong in the early hours of Monday, November 22. Read more
#EndSARS: Amnesty, others knock FG as Lai rubbishes Lekki massacre report (Punch)
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, snubbed the call by the United States and the United Nations for the implementation of the leaked report of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses, rubbishing the report in its entirety.
The panel had stated in its report that at least nine persons were killed on the night soldiers and policemen stormed the tollgate to disperse #EndSARS protesters, describing the incident as a “massacre in context.”
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had told the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, last week that the Federal Government would not comment on the matter until a White Paper had been issued on the report.
Blinken had responded by saying that the US was waiting to see how the federal and state governments would respond. He followed up later by threatening that Nigeria could be hit by an arms embargo if it was established that human rights abuses were being perpetrated with impunity against Nigerian citizens by government agents. Read more
Soldier, suspected IPOB member killed in crossfire (Nation)
The Army yesterday confirmed the killing of a soldier and a suspected member of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) during a shootout in Imo State.
Properties were set ablaze as troops and suspected members of IPOB’s security arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), clashed in the Awommamma community of Oru East Local Government Area on Monday.
There was tension in the community yesterday as many residents fled their homes.
Commercial activities were adversely affected, but security agents have taken over the area to restore order. Read more
CBN disburses N41.2b to cut wheat imports (Punch)
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, has said the bank has disbursed N41.2bn under its intervention schemes to cut wheat production.
Speaking after the Monetary Policy Committee meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, he said, “The bank also disbursed the sum of N41.2bn for the commencement of the brown revolution, a large-scale wheat programme to wean us off imports by 35 per cent in the first year.”
He said between September and October 2021, the bank, under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme, disbursed N43.19bn to support the cultivation of over 250,000 hectares of maize, sorghum, soya beans and rice during the 2021 dry season.
He said N5.88bn was disbursed to finance six large-scale agricultural projects under the Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme. Read more
‘ISWAP trying to establish caliphate in Niger’ (Nation)
Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) is planning to establish a caliphate in Niger State, the government raised the alarm yesterday.
Secretary to the Niger State Government (SSG) Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, who raised the alarm, said the terrorist group was planning to establish a Caliphate in Borgu Local Government Area as its base in the North Central state.
He told reporters at a news conference in Minna, the state capital, that the group was responsible for the recent abduction of the Dodo of Wawa.
The SSG disclosed that ISWAP was targeting trying to establish its Caliphate around the Kainji National Park which is located in Borgu Local Government Area. Read more
Osun produces first gold bar, raises team on illegal mining (Punch)
The Osun State Government on Tuesday announced the production of its first gold, saying it had adopted strategic measures to effectively handle volatile mining operations in the state.
Governor Adegboyega Oyetola made the disclosure in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, at an event to mark the day dedicated to the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development at the ongoing South-West Local Governments Agriculture and Mineral Resources Trade Fair.
The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Benedict Alabi, explained that the strategies adopted included setting up a committee to handle mining issues and regulating mining activities by registering miners to guide against quackery, and illegal mining.
Oyetola added that holding meeting with the mining communities and the artisanal miners to sensitise them on relevant issues including security and conducive environment was vital to the growth of the sector. Read more
2 Netflix employees withdraw labour complaints, one resigns following Dave Chappelle protests (TheMix)
In the wake of the vocal but widely self-embarrassing Netflix employee protests against their hosting of Dave Chappelle’s recent The Closer special, two of the streaming giant’s displeased transgender employees have withdrawn labor complaints previously filed in objection to the comedian’s stand-up routine, with one further announcing that they have resigned from the company.
The two employees revealed their respective retractions beginning on November 22nd, when software engineer Terra Field, who was reportedly one of the employees suspended for their attempt to make their accusations of transphobia against Chapelle heard by forcefully attending the streaming giant’s Quarterly Business Review (though she was later reinstated), took to her personal blog to inform the public, “I have resigned from Netflix as of 11/21/2021.”
“This isn’t how I thought things would end, but I am relieved to have closure,” Field added. “I am going to take a month to rest, recover, and consider what I want to do next. I have been working full time since 2003 and I don’t think I’ve ever taken more than a week or two off at once other than for medical leave. Hopefully the time will allow me to remember the things I love and miss about this work.”
Aside from her unauthorized attendance of the aforementioned executive meeting, Field also came to widespread attention for a lengthy thread in which she accused Chappelle and his special of attacking “the trans community, and the very validity of transness – all while trying to pit us against other marginalized groups.” Read more
Waukesha SUV driver charged as sixth victim (boy, 8) dies (Independent)
Prosecutors in Wisconsin yesterday charged a man with intentional homicide in the deaths of five people who were killed when an SUV was driven into a Christmas parade that also left 62 people injured, including many children.
Prosecutors also say a sixth person, a child, has died and more charges are pending. The child was named as Jackson Sparks (8), whose brother Tucker (12) was also hospitalised after the crash but is expected to be discharged.
Darrell Brooks Jr was charged with five counts of intentional homicide in the crash on Sunday in Waukesha, a Milwaukee suburb. Conviction on first-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence, Wisconsin’s stiffest penalty.
Mr Brooks made his initial appearance in court on Tuesday. He could be heard crying during the proceedings, leaning over with his head nearly in his lap, and his attorney resting a hand on his back. Read more
Samsung announces $17b chip plant for Texas (Aljazeera)
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said it would build a $17bn chip plant outside Austin, Texas, to make advanced chips used in phones, cars and other electronic devices.
The plant would create 2,000 high-tech jobs with construction to begin in the first half of next year, and production due to start in the second half of 2024, Samsung said in a statement on Wednesday. It would also create at least 6,500 construction jobs, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said in a press release.
The world’s biggest memory chipmaker and second-largest contract chip manufacturer had also considered sites in Arizona and New York for the plant, which will be much bigger than its only other US chip plant in Austin.
Samsung chose Texas again due to its infrastructure, government support and proximity to its existing plant, it said. Read more
UN chief emphasises need for economic opportunities for Colombia ex-rebels (Hill)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has emphasized the importance of efforts to enhance economic opportunities for former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group, Reuters reported.
“We must redouble efforts to guarantee the sustainability of these projects, with financial and technical support, and land and housing,” Guterres said on Tuesday while visiting a reintegration camp located in Antioquia province.
The FARC signed a peace deal with Colombia’s government in 2016 that led to the demobilization of 13,000 members, including 7,000 combatants, according to Reuters.
The initial agreement also ended the FARC’s role in Colombia’s longest-running internal conflict, which has left more than 260,000 people dead and millions displaced, the news agency reported. Read more
Apple sues spyware company NSO group over iphone hacking alledged (Sky)
Apple has filed a lawsuit against NSO Group, the private spyware company which has been accused of providing despotic regimes with the tools to hack into the mobile phones of their critics.
The lawsuit, filed in Northern California on Tuesday, describes NSO Group as “amoral 21st century mercenaries” that develops technology which “invites routine and flagrant abuse” as detailed by Apple.
It follows a similar case launched by WhatsApp, and comes on the heels of the US government earlier this month sanctioning the Israeli business on the grounds that it allowed foreign governments “to maliciously target government officials, journalists, businesspeople, activists, academics, and embassy workers”.
The Commerce Department explained the sanctions were “a part of the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to put human rights at the centre of US foreign policy, including by working to stem the proliferation of digital tools used for repression”. Read more
CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NBC ignore NYT bombshell report on Hunter Biden’s business deal with Chinese company (Fox)
It wasn’t long ago that a New York Times bombshell about business ties between the president’s son and a foreign entity would have received wall-to-wall coverage, but that was not the case with the paper’s newest report about Hunter Biden.
According to the Times, an investment firm that counts Biden among its founders helped a Chinese company purchase one of the world’s most lucrative cobalt mines from an American company while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president. This is renewing concerns about potential conflicts of interest and whether the now-current president had any knowledge about his son’s business dealings, which he had previously denied.
However, the stunning report published by the Times received zero coverage on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS and NBC, according to transcripts.
The lack of scrutiny towards President Biden’s son is nothing new. During the final weeks of the 2020 presidential election, the liberal networks famously avoided covering Hunter Biden’s damning laptop that further shed light on his foreign business dealings. Read more
Biden gives Harris cold shoulder at DC soup kitchen after reported tensions (NYPost)
President Biden seemed to snub Vice President Kamala Harris Tuesday as they helped prepare meals at a DC soup kitchen during their first public appearance together in more than a week.
Biden made no attempt to demonstrate any fondness for his VP in front of the cameras after Harris allies slammed Biden to CNN last week for giving her tough jobs, such as handling the border crisis, and accused the West Wing of giving her less support than white members of the administration.
When asked by a reporter what he was grateful for, Biden put an arm around DC Central Kitchen chef Dawain Arrington — who was standing to the president’s left with Harris at Biden’s right — and said, “The people I’m standing next to are what I’m thankful for. He got up. He was knocked down, but he got up.”
Moments earlier, first lady Jill Biden directed Harris to a spot next to her husband, but the president didn’t appear to greet his second-in-command. Read more
AFCON 2021: Minister goes spiritual for Super Eagles to win title (Leadership)
Minister of youth and sports development, Sunday Dare has gone spiritual to ensure that the Nigeria’s Super Eagles win their fourth Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title next year in Cameroon.
Nigeria finished in third place at the last edition of the tournament in Egypt two years ago and the minister believes they can go two notches higher when next year’s event gets underway in January 2022.
“I have created the mental picture of this golden (AFCON) trophy in my head and I will use it as a prayer point every morning,” Dare told the journalists and officials of Total Energies, AFCON sponsors, at the press conference to herald the three day trophy tour of Lagos on Monday.
Minister said Nigeria is the country with the most podium finishes in the history of the competition, winning a medal fifteen (15) times out of eighteen (18) appearances. Read more
NBA-Warriors’ Thompson says Poole reminds him of his younger self (Metro)
Golden State Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson said teammate Jordan Poole reminds him of himself at a younger age, an observation that should send shivers down the spines of opponents everywhere.
Thompson, who is inching closer to a return after missing the last two seasons with leg injuries, said he has been impressed by his 22-year-old replacement, whose scoring has been a big factor in the Warriors’ NBA-best 15-2 record.
“I’ve had a really close look at what Jordan has been doing the past couple years,” Thompson told reporters on Tuesday about the third-year player.
“Jordan came in as a rookie who had a crazy amount of energy – had a lot of sauce to his game – and just needed to harness it a little bit. Read more
Syracuse TB Sean Tucker believes he’ll be back in 2022 (Fox)
Syracuse running back Sean Tucker says he’ll make a decision about his future after the season but believes he’ll return to the Orange in 2022.
“I believe a lot I’m going to be here,” Tucker told reporters Tuesday, adding that a coaching change could alter his plans.
Coach Dino Babers has had only one winning season as his sixth year at the helm draws to a close, but that was a 10-win campaign in 2018 that finished with the Orange ranked No. 18.
When asked Monday at his weekly press conference about his job security, the 60-year-old Babers delivered a simple answer. Read more
Seton Hall falls to Ohio State after Meechie Johnson Jr.’s game-winning 3 (NYPost)
Meechie Johnson Jr. made a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left and Ohio State beat No. 21 Seton Hall 79-76 on Monday night in the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
Seton Hall guard Jamir Harris stole it and raced for a fast-break layup to tie it at 76 with 15.9 seconds left. Ohio State elected not to call a timeout and Johnson made his team’s 11th 3-pointer — from NBA range.
Seton Hall got it to Tyrese Samuel for a decent look at the buzzer but it bounced hard off the backboard.
E.J. Liddell led Ohio State (4-1) with 28 points, making all 10 of his free throws and shooting 8 of 17 from the floor. Justin Ahrens scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half and Kyle Young had 12 points and eight rebounds. Johnson was 2 of 5 from the field for eight points. Read more
Benzema faces verdict in French ‘sex tape’ trial (France24)
A French court Wednesday issues its verdict on whether Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema conspired to blackmail his former France team-mate Mathieu Valbuena with a sex tape, in a case that tarnished both their careers.
The allegations against Benzema, which date to 2015, led to him being cast out of the French squad for five years before being brought back into the fold in May in time to play in Euro 2020.
But even a guilty verdict would not likely lead to a further banishment, with French football federation president Noel Le Graet saying Benzema could keep his place in the national team even if convicted.
Prosecutors are calling for him to be given a 10-month suspended sentence. Read more
Holders book Champions League last-16 spot as Trevoh Chalobah, Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner score (Sky)
Holders Chelsea thrashed Juventus 4-0 to secure their place in the Champions League knockout stages with what Thomas Tuchel described as an “amazing performance” at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel’s side, already three points clear at the summit of the Premier League, jumped above Juventus at the top of Group H with a display of utter dominance in west London.
The Blues took the lead midway through the first half when Trevoh Chalobah fired home from an Antonio Rudiger knockdown following a Hakim Ziyech corner (25), before ramming home their superiority with a rampant second-half showing.
The outstanding Reece James scored Chelsea’s second, and his fifth of the season, with a stunning, angled drive from the right-hand side of the box (55), with Callum Hudson-Odoi becoming the third homegrown scorer of the night when he finished off a slick team move soon afterwards (58). Read more
Carmelo Anthony claims Leon Rose doesn’t get enough praise for Knicks’re-emergence (TalkBasket)
In a typical fan’s perspective, the primary reason for the New York Knicks’ rise from the ashes is the mentorship presence of Tom Thibodeau — a calm-minded, proven tactician with a stiff, defense-first approach in the game.
Some may have Julius Randle — the man who shouted “New York, we here!” while raising the bar of his compelling game, winning the league’s Most Improved Player award and being recognized as an All-star for the first time in his career last season.
But from the minds of the former Knicks icon Carmelo Anthony, executive Leon Rose shall receive its very own flowers and recognition for being the architect of Mecca’s revival in the basketball scene.
Having an interview with Ian Begley and Scott Thompson of SNY, Anthony said that Rose deserves more credit as the President of the Knickerbockers. Read more