Forex speculators post heavy losses as naira rebounds (Nation)
The naira yesterday made a significant gain of N175 to dollar at the parallel market.
The naira rebound happened about 24 hours after the Supreme Court judgement affirming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory at the 2023 Presidential elections.
The local currency, which exchanged at N1,315 to the dollar at the parallel market on Thursday, closed yesterday at N1,140 as speculators dumped dollar at willing buyers. Read more
Supreme Court judgement: Atiku to address national issues Monday (Vanguard)
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar is expected to address the press on national issues on Monday.
The PDP Publicity Office disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.
This comes on the heels of the Supreme Court judgement, which dismissed the former vice president’s appeal for lacking in merit and affirmed President Bola Tinubu the winner of the February presidential election.
According to the statement, Atiku will address issues of serious importance to the nation. Read more
Umahi inspects 3rd Mainland Bridge, others with ferry (DailyTrust)
Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, is currently on a tour of the Third Mainland Bridge and other bridges in Lagos State.
Umahi embarked on the tour with officials of the Ministry led by the Controller of Works in Lagos, Mrs. Olukorede Kesha.
The first port of call for the Minister was the Third Mainland Bridge which he inspected by ferry from the under water. Read more
Fight Against Terrorism: Turkey to deliver T-129 ATAK helicopters to Nigeria (ThisDay)
The Republic of Turkey, has disclosed that T-129 ATAK helicopters are ready for onward delivery to Nigeria.
Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Hidayet Bayraktar, who made the disclosure during the Turkish 100th National Day in Abuja, said within the context of Türkiye’s partnership policy with Africa, Nigeria held a key position.
Bayraktar also said being the most populous country and the largest economy of Africa, Nigeria is a rising power in the African region. Read more
Nigerians aren’t ready for good governance, they don’t react – Rotimi Amaechi (Tribune)
The former Minister of Transportation and ex-governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has stated that he no longer desires to comment on Nigeria’s political issues because Nigerians do not react appropriately hence are not ready for good governance.
According to Rotimi Amaechi, Nigerians are not ready for good governance, hence his decision to keep mute.
He made these assertions as a guest speaker at the 2023TheNiche Annual Lecture themed “Why We Stride and Slip: Leadership, Nationalism, and the Nigerian Condition,” held on Thursday in Lagos. Read more
MohBad: House of Reps intervene, summons Naira Marley, others over copyrights issues (Leadership)
Members House of Representatives, Nigeria, has summoned singer, Azeez Fashola, aka Naira Marley, following increased concerns over the works of deceased singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, popularly known as MohBad, an ex-signee of his Marlian record label.
The letter of summons routed through the President of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), also invited late Mohbad’s manager and legal team.
Report has it that the summons made by the Committee on Justice, Youth and Legislative Compliance, dated October 26, and signed by the Committee’s Clerk, Yusuf Ibrahim, sought to provide insight into the situation and guide the committee on potential legislative action. Read more
Ribadu assures on smooth Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi Gov polls (Nation)
National Security Adviser (NSA) Mallam Nuhu Rubadu has reassured there will be no intervention in the off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi.
Ribadu made this statement on Friday at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in Abuja during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) about the governorship elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi.
He said to guarantee a free, fair, and credible election, the security services would collaborate with INEC. Read more
FG to use tertiary institutions’ idle lands for farming (Punch)
The Federal Government has revealed a plan to utilise idle acres of land in tertiary institutions for farming as part of measures to boost food supply across the country.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, stated this at the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Eastern Nigeria Union Conference Centenary Public Lecture and Food Summit with the theme ‘”Ending Food Shortage in Nigeria, How to Apply The Surplus Concept’, in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Kyari, who was represented by the ministry’s Deputy Director, Nutrition and Food Safety, Nuhu Kilishi, said letters had already been transmitted to the institutions, seeking their consent. Read more
Sandra Bullock looks forlorn in first sighting since partner Bryan Randall’s death (Metro)
Sandra Bullock has been seen in public for the first time since the tragic loss of her partner.
The actress, 59, was left devastated in August when her long-time partner Bryan Randall died at the age of 57.
His family confirmed the sad news in a statement, explaining that he died after being diagnosed with ALS – a type of motor neuron disease – several years ago. Read more
Kanye West’s reported concert in Italy cancelled due to safety reasons (NME)
A reported concert held by Kanye West to celebrate his upcoming album with Ty Dolla $ign has been cancelled over safety concerns before it was even announced.
Rumours about West performing at the RCF Arena (previously known as Campovolo) in Reggio Emilia, Italy earlier this month were rife, with claims that it was initially scheduled for earlier in October.
Now, The Daily Mail has reported that the show was postponed due to bad weather and a train strike in the area, and that the rescheduled show for today (October 27) has now been scrapped over safety. Read more
Netanyahu meets Israeli hostages’ families anxious over Gaza war plans (BBC)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has met families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas, who have expressed concern about the intensifying attacks on Gaza.
The Missing Families Forum said the night when troops moved into northern Gaza had been “the worst” so far.
It complained that no-one had explained “whether the ground operation endangers the well-being of the 229 hostages”.
Mr Netanyahu has promised to do everything possible to bring them home. Read more
Deadly road accident in Egypt kills at least 32 (AfricaNews)
A passenger bus slammed into a parked vehicle on Saturday (Oct .28) morning on a highway linking the Egyptian capital, Cairo, and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, killing at least 32 people, authorities said.
The multi-car pileup, which set some vehicles ablaze, left at least 63 others injured, said the Health Ministry. Ambulances rushed to the scene of the crash on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road to transport the injured to nearby hospitals, it said.
Local media reported that the bus was on its way to Cairo when it hit the parked vehicle. Other cars slammed into the bus with some catching fire. Read more
Justin Timberlake has ace up his sleeve that will ‘overshadow’ Britney Spears says expert (Mirror)
Justin Timberlake has been advised on which move to take next amid the bombshells dropped by Britney Spears and her tell-all memoir.
In the book, titled The Woman In Me, Britney shares the dark secrets of her three-year relationship with Justin, revealing that she fell pregnant with his child and had an abortion and claiming that he cheated on her with All Saints star Nicole Appleton, another unnamed celebrity and “slept with six of seven girls” in the weeks after they “officially” broke up in 2002.
Seemingly as a result of the online hate, Justin turned off his Instagram comments which will limit the messages displayed on his photos. The claims from Britney include that Justin got her pregnant, but didn’t want to be a father so they opted for an abortion. Plus, the pop princess claimed that Justin would put on a blaccent around Ginuwine. Read more
New Model Army announce new album “Unbroken” (MusicNews)
The brand-new studio album “Unbroken”, released on January 26th, 2024, on earMUSIC, is the modern face of New Model Army, bringing together both their old school energy and their contemporary sophistication to create one of the finest albums of their long career. It was written and recorded over quite a long period of time, with the process interrupted by both the delayed 40th Anniversary shows and the recent Sinfonia live orchestral project.
A very New Model Army album, full of guitars but with the emphasis on the rhythmic power of bass and drums which characterizes all the band’s work, with Unbroken, the band continue to push the boundaries of their signature sound while staying true to their heart. The subjects and moods are variable, creating a diverse collection of tracks which touch on topics ranging from social and political commentary to deeply personal reflections. Read more
US strikes Syria bases used by Iran-linked groups (BBC)
The US has carried out air strikes against two weapons and ammunition storage facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the strikes were in response to recent attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militia groups.
The US strikes were “separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas,” he said in a statement. Read more
Lobi stake unbeaten run at Rivers Utd as Pillars battle Rangers (DailyTrust)
Lobi Stars have a tough task ahead of them against Rivers United on Sunday as they aim to maintain their unbeaten run in the 2023/24 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).
In the ongoing season, Lobi Stars have won two matches and drawn the two to place second on the log while Rivers United are 15th having won a game, drawn one and lost the other two matches.
The visitors are in a better form than their hosts but the latter have a better head-to-head record. Read more
Ngannou eyes Joshua fight after Fury (Punch)
Former UFC champion Francis Ngannou has called out Anthony Joshua for a bout as he looks ahead to more boxing fights after facing Tyson Fury on Saturday (today) in Saudi Arabia.
Ngannou walked out on the UFC to pursue boxing and held talks to fight Deontay Wilder and Joshua.
Both fights still remain possible in the future as the Cameroonian looks set for a stint in boxing having confidently predicted he will beat Fury then face him again in a rematch. Read more
NPFL reschedules 5 matches involving, Insurance, Rivers United, Doma United (Leadership)
The board of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) have rescheduled five matches due to logistics reasons.
This latest development was confirmed by the Chief operating officer of the NPFL, Davidson Owumi who stated that the teams affected are Rivers United, Lobi Stars, Doma United, Bendel Insurance, Rangers Int’l, Remo Stars, Gombe United and Bayelsa United matchday 6 and 7 fixtures has been rescheduled for logistics reason. Read more
Crystal Palace 1-2 Tottenham: James Maddison shines as Spurs go five points clear at top of Premier League (Sky)
James Maddison was Tottenham’s game changer again as a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace moved them five points clear at the top of the Premier League, their biggest ever lead in the competition.
Tottenham’s entertainers were tamed during a low-key first half in south London but Maddison’s cross-shot soon after the interval forced Joel Ward to turn into his own net.
The playmaker then showed brilliant footwork in the box before feeding sub Brennan Johnson to pull the ball back for in-form Heung-min Son to add a second and his eighth of the season. Read more
Jenni Hermoso scores winner for Spain in 1st game since World Cup kiss scandal (CBC)
Jenni Hermoso came off the bench to score a late winner for Spain against Italy on Friday in her first international game since the World Cup final, where the kiss she was subjected to by the Spanish soccer federation president caused an international uproar.
Hermoso was on hand to slot home a rebound in the 89th minute to give Spain a 1-0 victory in a Women’s Nations League group game in Salerno, Italy.
She had come on as a substitute in the 68th minute in her first game for the national team since helping Spain win the World Cup title. She then found herself at the centre of the crisis that engulfed Spanish soccer after she was kissed on the lips by Luis Rubiales at the awards ceremony in Australia. Read more
Sabalenka tries to seal year-end No.1 spot at WTA Finals (France24)
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka will try to hold off Poland’s second-placed Iga Swiatek for the year-end world number one spot when the WTA Finals begin Sunday at Cancun, Mexico.
The $9 million season-ending outdoor hardcourt showdown of eight top players features round-robin group matches to decide semi-final pairings ahead of the November 5 championship match.
Sabalenka, the reigning Australian Open champion, was the runner-up in last month’s US Open and reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the French Open. Read more