Few days after release, fake new N1,000 notes in circulation (Vanguard)
Few days after the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, released the redesigned naira notes in the denominations of N200, N500 and N1,000, fake copies of the new N1000 naira notes have been released into the economy.
A mobile money and bank agent in a video disclosed this saying that a customer performed a bank transaction through his wife’s Point of Sale (PoS) using the fake copy of the redesigned N1,000.
He went ahead in the video to show the difference between the fake and original redesigned N1,000 note.
According to him, the original note has a gold seal at the bottom of the right hand side of the note and the seal cannot be erased when scratched. Read more
No crisis over Oloja of Lagos stool, says family (Guardian)
The Oloja of Lagos Chieftaincy Family has raised the alarm over what they termed illegality being put together by unknown persons to create unrest within the family, with the aim of disrupting the peaceful atmosphere currently enjoyed within the Ereko, Idumota and Balogun area of Lagos Island.
This is just as the family denied online reports that the Lagos State Government is making moves at resolving the crisis surrounding the Oloja of Lagos stool, a first class chieftaincy title in the class of Akarigbere chiefs of Lagos.
They claimed that there is no crisis in the family concerning who occupies the vacant stool and as such, the state government has no crisis to resolve.
In separate statements, jointly signed by the General Secretary, Prince Sikiru Adeoye Kosoko and Head of Family, Alhaja (Chief) Mutiat Ashabi Abimbola Alli-Balogun, the family distanced themselves from a press statement issued on behalf of the family on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, titled: ‘Kosoko Chieftaincy Family Dispute Set To Be Resolved By State Government.’ Read more
Lagos inaugurates digital land processing (Punch)
Lagos State Government has disclosed plans to digitise all land documents in the state.
It stated the project would allow interested persons in property acquisition or real estate transactions to access information on government portals relating to properties and land in Lagos State from anywhere in the world.
In a statement made available to The PUNCH on Friday, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Electronic Geographic Information System and Physical Planning, Dr Olajide Babatunde, disclosed this during a panel discussion on Deploying Technology for Transparency and Growth of the Lagos Real Estate Market at just concluded Third Lagos Real Estate MarketPlace Conference and Exhibitions held in Lagos recently.
He said that transactions in the real estate sector require transparency such that an effective and sustainable platform can be created for local and foreign investors to actively participate in the sector. Read more
EFCC can’t probe state expenditures, says Agbakoba (Nation)
To a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has no constitutional backing to probe how a state spends its money.
The senior advocate argued that the Supreme Court had clarified that the scope of the agency’s mandate as contained in Section 46 of the EFCC’s Act, did not include state expenditures.
Referencing the EFCC’s recent case against a nephew of Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and the previous N20 billion bail-out controversies, the lawyer described the situation as an unwarranted media trial.
Agbakoba, who spoke on Sunday with reporters in Lagos on “The Rule of Law in Nigeria Today”, argued that how a state spends its money is – under the law – the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) or state House of Assembly’s business, not that of the anti-graft agency. Read more
Withdrawal limit: No date fixed for govs to meet Buhari –Presidency (Sun)
The Presidency has said no date has been fixed for President Muhammadu Buhari to meet with a delegation of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) over their rejection of the N100,000 and N500,00 cash limit for individuals and corporate organisations recently announced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
A presidential source said President Buhari’s itinerary is not known, having just returned to the country from the official visit to Washington DC, the United States of America, where he participated in the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit.
The governors had at their meeting on Thursday, December 15th in Abuja deliberated on the matter and resolved to appeal to Buhari to retain the prevailing cash withdrawal limits in the country and extend the January 30th, 2023 deadline for the phasing out of the redesigned Naira notes.
The governors, who said their resolution was nonpartisan, stated that the Buhari administration’s goal of protecting the poor in rural regions would be negatively impacted by the policy. Read more
DSS withdraws operatives attached to Adeleke (DailyTrust)
The Department of State Services (DSS) has withdrawn its operatives attached to the governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke; the government house and the governor’s office.
Insinuations were rife that DSS withdrew its men because the governor insulted them.
But the governor’s spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, in a statement, explained that the withdrawal was a result of interagency rivalry between the DSS operatives and the police attached to the governor.
Olawale said the matter was between the police and DSS, and not the governor. Read more
Hoodlums set Imo Magistrate’s Court ablaze (Punch)
Suspected hoodlums on Sunday razed a section of the Owerri Magistrate’s Court in Imo State.
This is coming barely 24 hours after the Orlu High Court was burnt by fleeing hoodlums.
The Magistrate’s Court which is located at the heart of the state capital is housing the Owerri High Court.
A source told our correspondent that the suspects came with explosives and targeted a section of the roof of the facility. Read more
Suspected thugs attack APC senatorial candidate’s motorcade in Kano (Guardian)
No fewer than 17 people, at the weekend, sustained injuries when suspected political thugs unleashed an attack on the campaign motorcade of Kano Central senatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulsalam Abdulkarim.
The incident, which occurred at Gayawa Village in Ungogo Local Council of Kano State, triggered pandemonium in the community for several hours.
An eyewitness stated that the senatorial candidate, fondly called AA Zaura, narrowly escaped unhurt in the attack that left more than 10 campaign vehicles vandalised.
Zaura’s media aide, Ibrahim Mua’azzam, who confirmed the development, said the incident occurred when the senatorial candidate was returning from a condolence visit. Read more
Adele plans to start lingerie brand as well as flog perfume and jewellery in the US (DailyMail)
She’s already an award-winning singer-songwriter.
But Adele reportedly doesn’t plan to let her talents stop there, as she is allegedly starting a lingerie brand.
The Rolling In The Deep hitmaker, 34, is also planning on selling other items, such as jewellery, perfume and clothes, according to The Sun.
The publication reports that her company Melted Stone has filed to use the name ‘1, 2, Free’ to trademark goods in the US — after gaining approval in the UK. Read more
Craig David ‘pained’ after closing heart off to love for 25 years following heartbreak aged 16 (Metro)
Craig David was so devastated after an early break-up that he struggled to be ‘vulnerable’ again for the next two decades.
The 7 Days singer has always kept his dating life away from the spotlight and has barely been linked to other celebrities over the years.
However, it seems Craig, 41, wasn’t hiding a secret partner all this time but rather, struggled to build a serious relationship after going through heartbreak in his teenage years.
Opening up about his personal life, the musician recalled being 15 or 16 when he enjoyed a two-week ‘whirlwind’ romance with a ‘girl who [he] was so into’. Read more
Kid Cudi teases upcoming collaborations with Young Thug (NME)
Kid Cudi has revealed that he recently hit the studio with Young Thug, minting songs for both of their respective upcoming releases.
The revelation came during a Tweet spree of Cudi’s last Friday (December 16), where he posted that he and Thug recorded two songs together last year. One of those, he said, will appear on Cudi’s upcoming ninth album – which is likely to be his final full-length effort – while the other one will be released at Thug’s discretion. According to Cudi, both songs are “fuckin INSANE”, and we “have no idea”.
November saw Cudi confirm that he’s hard at work on the follow-up to ‘Entergalactic’, which arrived back in September alongside an accompanying animated film. The album, Cudi’s eighth, featured singles like ‘Do What I Want’ and the Ty Dolla $ign-assisted ‘Willing To Trust’, as well as other collabs with the likes of Don Toliver and Steve Aoki.
In October, Cudi admitted that he sees himself “nearing the end” of his music career, and is considering a pivot to a new career as a kindergarten teacher. Read more
ANC conference: Mkhize rivals Ramaphosa in tight ANC party race (BBC)
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa is in a tight party leadership race against his former health minister – who he forced to resign amid corruption allegations.
Zweli Mkhize is enjoying a last minute surge at the African National Congress conference in Johannesburg, reports say.
The candidates are fighting for the support of some 4,426 delegates.
The winner will lead the party to the next general elections in 2024.
If Mr Mkhize does win he would become ANC leader, but Mr Ramaphosa would remain president. Read more
China Box Office: Avatar 2 opens far below tracking at $57.1m as Covid outbreak bites (THR)
Disney and 20th Century’s Avatar: The Way of Water opened in China over the weekend to $57.1 million, a starting haul that would be considered a heroic comeback for Hollywood in the increasingly choppy China market — if the movie were made by any filmmaker other than James Cameron.
Presale rates and other online measures of audience interest had suggested Avatar 2 would open in China with well over $100 million. But a growing COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing and other major cities appears to have dampened consumer activity and scrambled all precedents. Analysts now believe the film’s performance will be characterized by a long ebb and flow of earnings rather than a tsunami.
“China’s theatrical industry continues to labor under the impact of COVID, with significant impact to original estimates,” says Rance Pow, CEO of regional box-office consultancy Artisan Gateway. “This includes what may be a reluctance of people to return in force to public spaces, including cinemas — ironically, as COVID policies become more adaptable to local conditions. If so, Avatar 2‘s long runtime may work against it. However, the film is sporting excellent social media scores, James Cameron has an immense fan base in China, and his films have an established performance record of legging out well.” Read more
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial model from 1982 Spielberg classic sells for $2.5m at auction (People)
The original mechanical model from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has snagged a staggering sum.
The highly desirable film item (for those with very deep pockets) was part of the recent Julien’s Auctions and TCM Presents: Icons and Idols Hollywood auction, going for a final bid of $2,560,000, according to the auction house.
The no. 1 “hero” used with the actors, the aluminum alloy skeletal model of E.T. was originally estimated by the auction house to fetch between $2 million and $4 million. Bidding opened at $500,000. The winner was not identified.
“Pre-dating modern CGI technology and effects, this one-of-a-kind cinematographic relic (constructed in 1981) features 85 points of movement and is regarded as an engineering masterpiece,” the lot description reads. Read more
Musk asks Twitter users if he should stay in charge of social media platform (France24)
Elon Musk is asking Twitter’s users to decide if he should stay in charge of the social media platform after acknowledging he made a mistake Sunday in launching new speech restrictions that banned mentions of rival social media websites.
In yet another drastic policy change, Twitter had announced that users will no longer be able to link to Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon and other platforms the company described as “prohibited.”
But the move generated so much immediate criticism, including from past defenders of Twitter’s new billionaire owner, that Musk promised not to make any more major policy changes without an online survey of users.
“My apologies. Won’t happen again,” Musk tweeted, before launching a new 12-hour poll asking if he should step down as head of Twitter. “I will abide by the results of this poll.” Read more
I’m not under pressure at Ratels – Olowookere (Punch)
After guiding Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team to a third-place finish at the 2022 U-17 Women’s World Cup in India, coach Bankole Olowookere says he is not under pressure as he began the 2022/23 Nigeria Women’s Football League season with Naija Ratels on a winning note, The PUNCH reports.
The Flamingos stunned tournament’s favourites US to reach the semi-finals of the cadet competition for the first time, before losing to Colombia to book a place with Germany in the third-place match.
On returning home from India, Olowookere resumed work with Abuja-based Ratels, and his young side began the season with a comfortable 3-1 win over newly-promoted Heartland Queens on Wednesday.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Thursday, Olowookere said he was aware of the expectations from Nigeria, following his feat in India but insisted he was not feeling any pressure. Read more
Jolly Nyame Stadium solves AFN’s search for northern competition venue, says Okowa (Guardian)
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), at the weekend, said it has for long been searching for standard stadiums in the northern part of the country to host its competitions.
That problem, according to the Federation, has been solved by the Jolly Nyame Stadium, Jalingo, Taraba State. AFN President, Tonobok Okowa, led the AFN on an inspection visit of the stadium shortly after the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) at the Taraba State final.
Speaking after the tour, Okowa, however, expressed sadness at the present situation of the stadium, saying, “What I can say is the maintenance.”
Promising to use his office to push for the rehabilitation of the tracks for tournaments to be hosted in the near future. Okowa, who disclosed that the association is already working out plans to bring in competitions to the state, said “If the governor wants to do something for us, we will really be happy. I will love AFN to bring competitions here. It would be a good thing.” Read more
Deschamps to decide on future but outlook bright for Mbappe’s France (RFI)
Didier Deschamps said he would wait before deciding whether to remain as coach of France in the wake of their World Cup final defeat, but the future prospects remain bright for a side brimming with young talent and led by Kylian Mbappe.
Deschamps was hoping to lead the 2018 world champions to back-to-back titles in Qatar, and they came agonisingly close, losing the final to Argentina on penalties following a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time.
The shoot-out defeat prevented Deschamps -– who captained Les Bleus to glory in 1998 –- from becoming the first coach to win the World Cup twice since Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s.
The 54-year-old, in charge since 2012, is now out of contract but French Football Federation President Noel Le Graet had said Deschamps would be offered new terms if he reached the semi-finals. Read more
Croatia continue raucous celebrations after winning the 3rd place play-off at the World Cup (DailyMail)
The Croatia players returned to Zagreb to a raucous reception after finishing third at the World Cup in Qatar.
Zlatko Dalic’s side had been ridiculed on social media for ‘celebrating’ beating Morocco 2-1 in the third place play-off, having been distraught after coming second in the 2018 Russia World Cup.
But Luka Mordic and his team-mates were happy to continue the celebrations with thousands of fans on Sunday.
The Real Madrid star, 37, had revealed his pride at securing the bronze medal. Read more
Poole’s career night lifts Warriors past Raptors (Global)
Jordan Poole poured in a career-high 43 points as the Golden State Warriors handed the Toronto Raptors their fifth straight loss, 126-110 on Sunday.
The five-game slide is the Raptors’ (13-17) most prolonged dry spell since they dropped seven in a row to conclude the 2020-21 season.
Meanwhile, the defending-champion Warriors (15-16) halted a three-game losing streak.
In the absence of injured two-time MVP Stephen Curry, Poole went 14-of-23 from the field, including five three-pointers, to top his previous best of 38 points. Read more
Tiger Woods: 2022 ”tough but rewarding” says 15-time major winner (BBC)
Tiger Woods says 2022 was “one of the more rewarding years I’ve had in a while” and is aiming to play all four majors next year.
The American, a 15-time major winner, is still recovering from severe leg injuries suffered in a car crash in February 2021.
He has also developed plantar fasciitis – pain in the base of his foot.
It means the 46-year-old has been limited to only nine rounds of competitive golf this year. Read more
