Gospel artiste Osinachi Nwachukwu dies (Independent)
Popular Gospel artiste, Osinachi Nwachukwu is dead.
PM News reports that she died on Friday after a protracted illness.
The cause of death was said to be throat cancer.
Osinachi, who sang in Igbo, was famous for the hit song Ekwueme by Prospa Ochimana, released in 2017.
She featured in songs like “Nara Ekele” by Pastor Paul Enenche (Dunamis, Abuja), “You no dey use me play” by Emma. Read more
Human trafficking: LASG, NAPTIP set to train 12 survivors on skills acquisition (Vanguard)
The Lagos State Government, in partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has concluded plans to enroll12 survivors of human trafficking into one-year skills acquisition training programme as part of its economic empowerment programmes.
The Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA), Mrs. Cecilia Dada stated this when she received the Zonal Commander of NAPTIP, Mrs Comfort Agboko, and other officials of the agency on a courtesy visit to her office.
Dada reiterated her Ministry’s commitment to the eradication of human trafficking and all forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in the State, through a strengthened partnership with NAPTIP.
She stressed that the state government was determined to sensitise the citizenry against all forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, especially on issues associated with human trafficking. Read more
Court sentences baron to six years imprisonment over attempt to export banned drug (Nation)
Justice Ayokunle Faji of Federal High Court, Lagos yesterday sentenced a drug baron, Aniede Chimezie Bright, to six years imprisonment for attempting to export 7.10 kilogrammes of Methamphetamine to Madrid in Spain.
Justice Faji convicted and sentenced the drug baron after he pleaded guilty’.
The convict had earlier pleaded not guilty to a lone count charge of unlawful export of the banned substance when he was first arraigned before the court in 2021.
The offence, according Mr. Abu Ibrahim, NDLEA prosecutor, is contrary to and punishable under Section 11(b) of National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. Read more
Nigeria, Netherlands institutions partner on crop cultivation techniques (Vanguard)
Institutions from Nigeria and the Netherlands have signed a partnership to enhance the exchange of knowledge for protective vegetable cultivation.
the Nigerian team was made up of representatives of JMSF Agribusiness Ltd, Eupepsia Place Ltd (Soilless Farm Lab) along with the leading communicator, the Africa Farmers’ Stories while Koppert Biological Systems, Pan African Seeds BV, Priva, Viscon, Leiden Delft Erasmus universities and Seed2Feed Foundation represented the Dutch Partners.
A member of the Nigerian delegation to the Netherlands Mrs Victoria Madedor, noted that her team had been having virtual meetings with the Dutch side for almost two years and that it was great to finally have the Nigerian delegations visiting the Netherlands to actualise the partnership.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) sets forth the terms and understanding between the Nigerian partners and the Dutch partners, to speed up the implementation of protected cultivation and soilless farming techniques among Nigerian horticulture farmers in Nigeria. Read more
WIFFEN Best Doc winner’s new film advocates recognition, support for domestic caregivers
(Leadership)
Winner of the maiden Women International Film Festival Nigeria (WIFFEN), Best Short Documentary, Itxaso Diaz’s new short film The Burden Is On Me advocates for the recognition and support for domestic caregivers in Spain.
Diaz was in Abuja, Nigeria, to receive the award this week for her film The Story of Us Women, and took the advantage to screen her latest short film at the Spanish Embassy in Abuja.
The 25 minutes film features four women and a male who have found themselves the primary caregivers of their elderly parents, spouses, and children living with disabilities, and who for lack of support system, are liable to suffer isolation, mental, emotional stress and physical breakdown from working 24/7 taking care of their defendants.
For many African families, caring for the elderly, sick or loved ones with disabilities is an extended family responsibility. We will have them either living with a member of the family while the rest of the extended family unit pitches in to help, or families taking turns taking care of them, providing a much needed breathing room for caregivers to care for themselves. Read more
‘Blood Sisters’ is Netflix first Nigerian original series (ThisDay)
Following the release of the trailer for “Blood Sisters,” Netflix and EbonyLife Studios’ CEO, Mo Abudu have clarified the thriller as the streamer’s first Nigerian original series. Initial Twitter reactions queried the streamer over the four-part series, as prior to the trailer and announcement of the movie release date, Kemi Adetiba’s limited “King of Boys” series was believed to be the Nigerian original series.
Reacting to curious Twitter users, Abudu took to her official Instagram post with a statement. “Today, Netflix and EbonyLife Studios announce our pulsating limited series that will launch globally and exclusively on Netflix on the 5th of May 2022. This is officially Netflix’s First Nigerian Original Series as per the press release issued by Netflix today,” the film executive wrote.
Netflix’s Manager, Content for Africa, Dorothy Ghettuba also confirmed the streamer’s stance in an Instagram post. She said: “From @moabudu and her outstanding team at @ebonylifestudios comes our first Nigerian original series Blood Sisters. What is it about? Glad you asked. It is about two friends, a dark secret and an unforgiving family. It is crazy y’all. Yo!!”
The Adetiba directed limited series was presumed to be the streamer’s first Nigerian original series after the Akin Omotoso led one was back-burned. Recall that late last year, Netflix EbonyLife Studios revealed the cast of Blood Sisters, a Biyi Bandele and Kenneth Gyang directed four-part crime thriller. The pulsating series will premiere globally and exclusive to Netflix on May 5th, 2022. Read more
Man jailed for attempt to steal from Obasanjo
(Punch)
A Magistrate Court in Abeokuta has, on Friday, sentenced a 33-year-old man, Seun Sowemimo, to 12 months imprisonment without the option of a fine, for attempting to steal from ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Sowemimo, whose address was not provided, pleaded guilty to the two counts of theft and causing breach of peace.
The Magistrate, Mrs. Olajumoke Somefun, said that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the convict was guilty as charged.
Prosecuting ASP Olakunle Shonibare had earlier told the court that Sowemimo scaled the fence into Obasanjo’s compound in Abeokuta on April 1 with the intent to steal. Read more
Remove dead persons from voter register now, HURIWA urges INEC (Punch)
Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, on Friday, tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission to expunge the names of dead persons and child voters from its voter register ahead of the 2023 general elections.
HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said anything short of the removal of child voters and dead persons would produce fraudulent polls next year.
The PUNCH had earlier reported INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, said that the names of dead voters and child voters cannot be removed from the voter register due to the absence of reliable data on births and deaths.
The group said the implication of this is that Nigeria may go into the 2023 general elections with a faulty voter register marred by multiple registrations and underage persons which could undermine the credibility of the elections as well as make the commission incur unnecessary costs. Read more
2023: CSOs back Kalu, Abaribe, Elumelu, others
(Sun)
Ahead of primaries of various political parties for senatorial and House of Representatives seats in the 10th National Assembly, a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria, have called for the reelection of 14 out of the 469 serving federal lawmakers.
The group under the aegis of Coalition of Media and Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria, made the call on Friday at a press briefing held at the Senate wing of the National Assembly.
According to the national coordinator of the group, Mr. Alex Enemanna, advocacy for re-election of the 14 serving federal lawmakers will be taken to their political parties before the conduct of primary elections slated for next month on the basis of right of first refusal as far as party tickets are concerned.
The 14 Federal lawmakers as announced by the coalition are Senators Ali Ndume (APC Borno South) , Orji Uzor Kalu (APC Abia North), Smart Adeyemi (APC Kogi West), James Manager (PDP Delta South), Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia South), Abiodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti South), Sani Musa (APC Niger East) and Olamilekan Adeola (APC Lagos West) . Read more
Will Smith gives his verdict on Academy’s decision to ban him from Oscars for 10 years (Mirror)
Will Smith has said he agrees with the punishment that has been handed down to him by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences following The Slap.
The 53-year-old King Richard actor sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood last month when he soundly slapped comedian Chris Rock, 57, square in the face after the star made an ill-judged joke about the hairstyle of Will’s 50-year-old alopecia-suffering wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
And while the A-List seemed to immediately forgive Will for his violent actions by giving him a standing ovation mere minutes later when he was awarded the Best Actor Oscar, the Academy have been less forgiving.
Concluding an investigation on Friday, those in power of the organisation announced that Will is now banned from the Oscars for the next 10 years – meaning he cannot attend the awards until 2032. Read more
Pixar’s Turning Red beats Ryan Reynolds’ The Adam Project to number one spot (DigitalSpy)
Pixar’s latest feature movie Turning Red has beat out Ryan Reynolds’ The Adam Project to the number one spot on Nielsen’s streaming top 10.
Turning Red set a Disney+ record after premiering last month, becoming the most-watched film premiere on the streaming platform in its first three days, and now it has reached number one on Nielsen’s weekly streaming chart – with 1.701 billion minutes viewed between March 7 and 13 (via Deadline).
The film follows a Chinese Canadian 13-year-old named Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang), who’s hereditary curse means that she transforms into a giant red panda anytime she expresses a strong emotion.
The movie was never originally intended to debut on Disney+, but Disney announced in January that it would skip cinemas and head straight to the streaming platform. Read more
11 people evacuated from ‘Transformers’ ride at Universal Studios Hollywood during power outage (TheWrap)
Universal Studios Hollywood’s Transformers ride transformed into a bit of a headache on Thursday, as a group of people had to be evacuated from the attraction mid-ride.
According to the theme park, there was a brief power outage in the area that affected both the Transformers ride and some of the attractions in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. 11 people were on the Transformers ride when it occurred, resulting in the Los Angeles Fire Department needing to evacuate them when the ride stopped.
“As a result of a power interruption from So Cal Edison, we experienced a brief power dip which resulted in exiting guests from some attractions.” Universal Studios Hollywood said in a statement on Thursday night. “Power has been fully restored and we’re working to get a few remaining attractions back online. The theme park remains open.”
None of the riders were injured in the incident. It’s unclear what caused the power surge. Read more
Girl who wore red coat in Schindler’s List provides help to Ukrainian refugees (Standard)
The woman who once played ‘the girl in the red coat’ in Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film Schindler’s List is now helping Ukrainian refugees on the Polish border.
Those who saw Schindler’s List will have never forgotten the girl in the red coat. In Steven Spielberg’s three-hour epic about the Holocaust, filmed entirely in black and white, the young girl’s coat is the only glimmer of colour.
As she walks through the streets of Kraków in Poland – the location of one of the largest Jewish ghettos in World War Two – she quietly slips between scenes of mass shootings and hysteria. The young girl draws the eye of the protagonist, businessman Oskar Schindler, who is viewing the scene from a hill above. Her red coat is a straightforward symbol of loss, innocence and Jewish suffering. It became one of cinema’s most memorable and haunting shots.
Now, almost 30 years later, the actress who played the young girl is at the Polish border coordinating volunteers as they welcome Ukrainian refugees, and she’s being called a hero. On her Instagram Oliwia Dabrowska posted a picture of her younger self in Spielberg’s film, with the caption, “She was always the symbol of hope. Let her be it again.” She also added the Russian and Polish flags and a heart emoji. Read more
Dizzee Rascal dodges jail as he is ordered to wear tag for assaulting ex-fiancee (LBC)
Dizzee Rascal has been given a 24-week curfew and a 12-month restraining order for assaulting his ex-fiancee.
It comes after the grime artist, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was found guilty of attacking Cassandra Jones following a trial in March.
The order means he will be unable to visit Ms Jones and will have to follow an 8pm to 6am curfew for six months.
Mills was accused of becoming “abusive and aggressive” during a row over child contact and finances. Read more
Asda under pressure after pay rise lags behind Tesco and Sainsbury’s (Guardian)
Asda is under pressure to raise pay for its shop floor workers after wage increases at Tesco and Sainsbury’s this week left the Leeds-based chain as the UK’s lowest paying supermarket.
The UK’s third largest supermarket chain pays workers a minimum of £9.66 an hour, or £10.83 in London, making it the only big chain to pay less than the independently verified living wage of £11.05 in the capital and £9.90 elsewhere.
More than half Asda’s shop floor workers have had to borrow cash from friends and relatives in the past year; 8% have used a food bank and more than one in 10 (12%) have used a payday lender, according to a survey of 2,000 of the supermarket’s workers by the GMB union.
Nadine Houghton, the union’s national officer, said: “Asda needs to get a grip. It is now the lowest paying of the big four supermarkets and one of the lowest paying supermarkets overall. There is a cost-of-living crisis and for many Asda workers, covering basic bills is a struggle.” Read more
“Night Raiders”, “Scarborough” emerge victorious at 5th night of Canadian Screen Awards (CBC)
Night Raiders and Scarborough, two of the most acclaimed films to emerge from Canadian cinema this year, have each won five awards on the fifth evening of the Canadian Screen Awards.
The awards, which are administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to celebrate excellence in film, television and digital media, have been ongoing since Monday. The week-long affair will conclude on Sunday evening with a televised awards ceremony.
Earlier this week, nominees in the broadcast news, documentary, sports programming, digital and immersive media, children’s and animation, lifestyle and reality, and drama and comedy crafts and scripted programs and performances categories received accolades for their work.
During Friday’s event, nominees were recognized for their achievements in the cinematic arts. Read more
Buhari redeems 28-year FG vow to ‘94 Eagles (Punch)
The Federal Government on Friday fulfilled its promise of allocating houses to the victorious 1994 Super Eagles Team after 28 years.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, handed over the Certificate of Occupancy of three bedrooms Federal Government houses to each team member in Abuja.
The promise was actually made by the then military government of Gen. Sani Abacha, when the Super Eagles Squad won the African Cup of Nations in Tunis, Tunisia, in 1994.
The players presented with CoOs are Peter Rufai, Austine Eguaveon, Victor Ikpeba, Isaac Semitoje, Sunday Oliseh represented by his brother Albert Oliseh, and Uche Okafor represented by his daughter Tochukwu. Read more
Call for sack of Pinnick-led NFF board in order –Babayaro (Independent)
The calls for the resignation of the Amaju Pinnick-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board are in order.
This is the position of former Super Eagles goalkeeper, Emmanuel Babayaro, while reacting to the calls in so many quarters for the present board of the NFF.
Recall that since the failure of the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, so many Nigerians have called on the board to throw in the towel.
And Babayaro, while in a chat with our correspondent, said much as entire blame should not be on the Amaju-led board, the call for their resignation was in order given that football in the country has not fared better under them. Read more
Pep Guardiola gives Jurgen Klopp rivalry low-down ahead of Man City vs Liverpool (MEN)
Pep Guardiola says he will be inviting his great rival Jurgen Klopp into his office for a glass of wine after Sunday’s title showdown … but only if Manchester City win! The Blues boss joked about his relationship with Klopp, which has remained on a civil level despite the fact the two teams have gone head to head for major honours in the last five years.
Guardiola declared that Liverpool are the greatest rivals of his managerial career, even surpassing the toxic enmity between his Barcelona side and Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid – a relationship that the Spanish media dubbed “The Disease”. Guardiola first locked horns with Klopp when he went to Bayern Munich and the German was in charge at Borussia Dortmund, with the Liverpool boss finishing as runner-up in Guardiola’s first season.
But it is since Guardiola joined City in 2016, a year after Klopp landed at Anfield, that the rivalry has really taken off. Unlike the difficult relationship with Mourinho, this one has remained respectful, on and off the field. And he joked that he would be perfectly happy to share a glass of red wine with his opposite number after the table-topping clash at the Etihad on Sunday – as long as he is on the winning side.
“If we win I will invite him, I’d love to,” grinned Guardiola, before adding: “He makes world football a better place to be. A huge competitor but I think it’s good – at the end we have many things but we have spoken together in Germany, here, the way his teams play.” Read more
UEFA charge Atletico Madrid over fans’ conduct at Manchester City (RTE)
Atletico Madrid have been charged with discriminatory behaviour in relation to the conduct of their supporters at Tuesday night’s Champions League match against Manchester City.
Supporters of the Spanish club were caught on camera appearing to perform Nazi salutes during the quarter-final first-leg tie at the Etihad Stadium.
UEFA announced on Friday that disciplinary proceedings had been instigated against Atletico. The club have been charged with discriminatory behaviour and with the throwing of objects.
UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) will decide on the matter in due course. Read more
Tennis great Boris Becker found guilty in bankruptcy trial, could face jail (ESPN)
Tennis great Boris Becker could face a jail sentence after being found guilty on Friday of illicitly moving thousands of dollars from a bank account after he was declared bankrupt.
A jury at London’s Southwark Crown Court convicted Becker on four charges under the Insolvency Act, including removal of property, concealing debt and two counts of failing to disclose estate.
The German star was found to have transferred hundreds of thousands of pounds (dollars) after his June 2017 bankruptcy from his business account to other accounts, including those of his ex-wife Barbara and estranged wife Sharlely “Lilly” Becker.
He was also convicted of failing to declare a property in Germany and hiding an 825,000 euro ($895,000) bank loan and shares in a tech firm. Read more
Charles Leclerc was upset by ‘arrogance’ criticism: ‘Touches me personally’ (Express)
Charles Leclerc may be leading the Drivers’ standings, but he believes Red Bull have more pace than they have shown so far this weekend. He said today: “Yes, I think already today they have more than what they’ve shown just because they did not put the lap together. “Max (Verstappen) had a bit of traffic in his fast lap. It is going to be very close, so we will have to maximise our car to be starting on pole on Sunday.” Leclerc will be hoping to extend his lead at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
The Monegasque driver has been one of F1’s rising stars in recent years, securing race wins and podiums despite Ferrari’s inconsistency.
However, his success led to accusations of arrogance from some F1 fans, something Leclerc admitted got to him.
Speaking in December 2020, Leclerc addressed this, telling Sky Italia: “One [piece of criticism] that touches me more than others is arrogance, because I know very well that I haven’t changed. Read more
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk rematch has new date ‘pencilled in’ for title fight (DailyStar)
The rematch between Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk has had a new date pencilled in for the highly anticipated title fight.
Usyk defeated Joshua via a unanimous decision at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London last September to claim the WBA super, IBF and WBO heavyweight world titles. Their planned rematch had looked in doubt after Usyk returned to his native Ukraine to help defend his country against the invading Russian forces but the rematch now looks set to take place this year.
Whilst June 25 had been discussed by the fight’s promoters, sources have told Fight Freaks Unite that the fight is now set for July 23.
Usyk’s promoter Krassyuk had hinted at a potential late June date for the fight when speaking to the BBC last month, but the fight is now pencilled in for July instead. Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn and Krassyuk are now said to be working on confirming a location for the scheduled rematch. Read more