Foreigners troop to Nigeria as citizens Japa in search of greener pastures (DailyTrust)
A recent visit to the departure hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos was a beehive of activities with thousands of Nigerians leaving the country. From findings, majority of them were going with a one-way ticket, which means that they have no intention of coming back soon, if at all they would return.
This is the reality of the moment as the japa syndrome that has hit the country’s fabric has continued unabated, with thousands of Nigerians leaving the country on a daily basis in search of what is usually known as the greener pastures in Europe, America and other countries, where they believe there are opportunities.
The founder of a medical facility in Lagos recently complained how he lost virtually all his personnel (doctors and nurses) to the Japa syndrome, leaving him virtually stranded and unable to cope with the number of patients trooping to his clinic. Read more
Elder Erukaa killed by abductors in Benue (Nation)
Elder Washima Erukaa who was abducted by gunmen on the 23rd September, in his Zakibiam residence, Ukum Local Government area of Benue State, has been reportedly killed by his abductors.
Elder Washima was a one-time chairman of Katsina Ala and Ukum Local Government area of the state.
The Nation gathered from a reliable member of the family that the kidnappers informed them that Erukaa, who is 80 years died in hands of his captors and has since been buried. Read more
NYSC deploys 1,691 prospective corps members in Bauchi State (Guardian)
NYSC has deployed 1,691 prospective corps members in Bauchi State for the 2023 Batch ‘C’, Stream 1 orientation exercise.
Mrs Rifkatu Yakubu, Coordinator of the scheme in Bauchi State, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Bauchi that the exercise would begin on Nov. 1 and end on Nov. 21.
It would hold at the NYSC Permanent Orientation Camp at Wailo in Ganjuwa Local Government Area of the state, she said. Read more
Sanwo-Olu pledges support for creative industry (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has restated his administration’s commitment to strengthening the creative industry.
The governor, who closed the Emmy Kasbit show at the Lagos Fashion Week 2023, noted that he was proud of the state’s strong footing in art and culture.
Sanwo-Olu expressed this in a series of tweets shared via his profile on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday. Read more
World Polio Day: Rotary sensitises communities in ‘‘End Polio Now’’ Walk (ThisDay)
To mark the World Polio Day, the Rotary Club Lagos Island (zone one and two) embarked on a road walk in Lagos to sensitise the public especially mothers and guardians on the need to immunise and vaccinate their children against polio.
The road walk tagged: ‘End Polio Now’ which is expected to take place in different parts of Lagos and Ogun state kicked off in Lagos Island during the week and about 6 kilometers were covered altogether. The walk started from Tinubu Square (TBS) and moved to Falomo axis and back to TBS. Rotarians in large numbers carried banners and hand flags with various inscriptions including “End Polio Now” as they walked polio out in Nigeria accompanied by music and live bands. Read more
NDLEA nabs France-bound businessmen at Abuja airport for ingesting cocaine (Vanguard)
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have arrested two businessmen at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, NAIA, Abuja, with consignments of cocaine and heroin going to Hong Kong and France concealed in their bellies.
While 38-year-old ThankGod Chimamkpa Emenike was arrested at the boarding gate of the Abuja airport on Friday 20th October during the outward clearance of passengers on Air France flight 818 to Paris, another passenger, 41-year-old Agbo Chidike Prince was taken into NDLEA custody on Saturday 21st October while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 950 to Hong Kong via Addis Ababa.
NDLEA said, “They were both arrested and detained after their body scan revealed they ingested illicit drugs. Read more
Bandits abduct district head, 5 others in Zamfara (Channels)
Bandits have abducted the district head of Ruwan Rana under the Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Alhaji Magaji Makau and five others.
It was gathered that the bandits who were on motorcycles entered the community on Saturday night and started shooting sporadically, forcing residents to scamper for safety.
Police authorities in the state are yet to confirm the latest attack. Read more
My election into IPU executive committee gains for Nigeria — Akpabio (Tribune)
President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, has described his election into the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as an enormous opportunity for Nigeria.
Speaking to newsmen on arrival from the summit, which was held in the Angolan capital, Luanda, Akpabio said his election would positively impact the country through the creation of employment and developmental opportunities for young Nigerians, who are seeking to become diplomats.
“A lot of employment opportunities would be created, a lot of offices would be opened; sub-national offices would be opened and a lot of young Nigerians who wish to be diplomats will have the opportunity of working there. Read more
Megan Thee Stallion unveils details of new single, ‘‘Cobra’’ (NME)
Megan Thee Stallion has unveiled details of her new single, ‘‘Cobra’’, which will be released next week.
Megan unveiled details of the new song this Friday (October 27) and it’s the first single since the lawsuit against her former record label was settled.
The rapper had finally parted ways with former label 1501 Certified Entertainment this month, who she was engaged with in a lengthy legal battle lasting four years. As a result, she also announced her new album would be completely self-funded: “The budget is coming from me, m*********ing Hot Girl Productions.” Read more
Buffy Sainte-Marie, Academy Award-winning songwriter, has indigenous roots questioned in CBC report (Deadline)
A detailed investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has raised questions about the indigenous persona of singer/songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie.
Sainte-Marie has been feted as the first Indigenous person to win an Academy Award for co-writing the song “Up Where We Belong” for the film An Officer and a Gentleman.
Sainte-Marie, 82, has claimed that she was born on Tribal land and adopted by white parents. The CBC countered that in a report published Friday and in an accompanying episode of the documentary series The Fifth Estate. The media outlet obtained a birth certificate saying Sainte-Marie was born to parents of European ancestry in Massachusetts. Read more
Gaza residents break into U.N. warehouse for supplies as Israeli barrage continues (NPR)
Thousands of Gaza residents broke into warehouses and distribution centres of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency, grabbing flour and “basic survival items,” the organization said on Sunday.
“This is a worrying sign that civil order is starting to break down after three weeks of war and a tight siege on Gaza,” the organization said in a statement.
Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip were intense overnight. The IDF said it had struck more than 450 terror targets during the past day, and that IDF forces continue to expand ground activities. It said an IDF officer was severely injured by a mortar shell in the northern Gaza Strip. Read more
Richard Dreyfuss had a “pretty awful” time seeing Broadway play about Jaws (HuffPost)
Richard Dreyfuss has gone on the attack over his depiction in “The Shark Is Broken,” a Broadway show about the making of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.
Dreyfuss, who played marine biologist Matt Hooper in the 1975 thriller, said in a Thursday story by Vanity Fair that he attended the comedy-drama “to see if it really was gonna hurt” — before confirming just that.
The Oscar winner complained that “The Shark Is Broken” portrayed a feud between himself and fellow actor Robert Shaw, who played shark hunter Quint in the film. Dreyfuss said their real-life friendship never hit rough waters, adding that they’d just make lighthearted jabs at one another “to make the hours go better, faster.” Read more
Priyanka, Kamal Haasan attend opening of Jio MAMI Film Festival (EasternEye)
The Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023 kick-started with an opening ceremony that was attended by major cine personalities, including Kamal Haasan, Mani Ratnam, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
The 10-day film gala has returned with its first on-ground edition after a gap of three years. It commenced with the ceremony, held at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) with filmmakers Karan Johar, Hansal Mehta, Vishal Bhardwaj and wife Rekha Bhardwaj, Zoya Akhtar and producer Ektaa R Kapoor, also in attendance.
Actors Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rajkumar Rao with wife Patralekha, Bhumi Pednekar, Sonam Kapoor, Karisma Kapoor, Babil Khan, Arjun Rampal, among others, marked their presence at the festival as well. Read more
Israel pounds Gaza as Red Cross warns of “intolerable” suffering (NewArab)
Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza Sunday, calling for civilians to flee south where it vowed aid would increase, as the Red Cross warned of “intolerable” suffering.
The United Nations warned thousands more civilians could die in Gaza as Israel declared the war had entered a “second stage”, stepping up its ground operations inside the strip.
Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 8,000 people, half of them children, the health ministry in Gaza said. Read more
1 killed, 8 injured in shooting at Indianapolis Halloween party (NYPost)
One person was killed and eight others were injured after shots rang out at a Halloween party in Indianapolis Sunday morning.
Officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department received reports of a shooting during a large party on the northeast side of the city just after midnight Sunday.
When officers arrived at the commercial building, they saw a large group of young people fleeing the area and discovered nine people between the ages of 16 and 22 had been shot, FOX59 reported.
Celine Boutier seals Maybank Championship title after marathon play-off (StraitsTimes)
France’s Celine Boutier converted a birdie on the ninth play-off hole to seal a dramatic, rain-filled inaugural Maybank Championship title on Sunday after beating Thailand’s Atthaya Thitikul in Kuala Lumpur.
The 29-year-old’s triumph also tied the second-longest sudden death play-off in LPGA history, equalling the mark set at the 2012 Kingsmill Championship.
Boutier had to play a total 81 holes before she finally secured her sixth LPGA Tour title, four of which have come in 2023. Read more
Sanusi charges Super Falcons as Nigeria braces up for Ethiopia (Independent)
The General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr. Mohammed Sanusi at the weekend charged the Super Falcons to work as a team and bring their A-game to Tuesday’s 2024 Olympics second round, second leg qualifier against the Lucy of Ethiopia at the M.K.O Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.
Sanusi spoke after watching the nine-time African champions trained at the Turf Arena in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and also reminded players and officials that Nigeria has been absent from the past three Women Olympic Football Tournaments and this certainly does no credit to the country’s rating as a leading global power in women’s football.
“The whole world still talks about how you captivated everyone at the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand during the summer. The Government of Nigeria, the NFF and all stakeholders remain very proud of you. Read more
New Zealand 11-12 South Africa: Springboks win record 4th Rugby World Cup title (BBC)
South Africa clinched a record fourth Rugby World Cup title by doing just enough to deny 14-man New Zealand and retain their crown in a helter-skelter final in Paris.
The Springboks seemed to have control when, with Handre Pollard’s dead-eyed goalkicking having already given them a 9-3 lead, Sam Cane caught Jesse Kriel high in the 27th minute.
The New Zealand captain was shown a red card on review and another Pollard penalty left the All Blacks a man down, nine points behind and in deep trouble. Read more
Parents of Liverpool winger Diaz kidnapped in Colombia (Guardian)
The mother of Liverpool’s Colombian winger Luis Diaz was rescued from kidnappers on Saturday but a search remains on for his father, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Saturday.
Petro posted on X, formerly known as twitter, that Diaz’s mother was rescued in Barrancas in the northern part of the country.
“We continue in the search for the father,” added Petro. Read more
Doohan won’t return to F2 in 2024, but F1 ‘‘still the goal’’ (F1i)
Australian hopeful Jack Doohan has confirmed that he won’t return to the FIA Formula 2 Championship in 2024, but the 20-year-old is expected to remain Alpine’s F1 reserve next season.
Doohan, who finished sixth in the series in 2022 and who currently sits fourth ahead of Formula 2’s finale in Abu Dhabi next month, believes there would be nothing to gain by remaining in the junior championship for a third season.
However, the Aussie says that Formula 1 remains his top priority for the future, even if he ventures away from the elite next year. Read more
Zheng Qinwen, Beatriz Haddad Maia to play in WTA Elite final (ESPN)
China’s top player Zheng Qinwen prevailed against compatriot Zhu Lin 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 on Saturday to become just the second Chinese player to make the final of the WTA Elite Trophy.
The 18th-ranked Zheng needed 3 hours, 19 minutes to see off the 37th-ranked Zhu, who entered the tournament as a wild card.
Zheng has now won eight matches in a row, including winning the Zhengzhou Open this month. She also won the Asian Games gold medal, against Zhu, last month. Read more