How my father’s counsel has helped me – Hamzat (Nation)
The Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, on Saturday said he was a beneficiary of his late father’s goodwill. Hamzat said this at the 41-day Fidau prayers in honour of his father, late Oba Olatunji Hamzat, in Lagos. The deputy governor said that he would also attribute his success in life to his late father’s regular counsel. “What I will always remember my father telling us all the time is that we should be careful of what we do, because every action has a consequence. Read more
Senate presidency: I withdrew in obedience to party, says Sen Kalu (Punch)
The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Uzor Kalu says, he did not step down with his quest for the position of Senate President but withdrew in obedience to party directives and for peace to reign. Sen. Kalu who was addressing faithful, friends and relations who thronged his Igbere country home in Bende LGA of the state on the occasion of victory/thank you party said he couldn’t have disobeyed President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s National Working Committee, NWC According to the All Progressive Alliance, APC Senator, “I won, APC won, President Buhari won, and Adams Oshiomole won”, adding, “I could have won the Senate Presidency, but will not work in peace with the party.” Read more
FG committed to building more ports, says Osinbajo (Guardian)
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Saturday said the Federal Government was committed to building more ports across the country to decongest the gridlock in and out of the Apapa ports. Osinbajo made this known in an interview with newsmen after inspecting the Lilipond transit truck park, Creek Road and other network of roads leading to the Apapa port. The vice president was accompanied to the tour by Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman, among others. Read more
How executive, legislature can avert budget delay, by Adeyeye (Nation)
The senator representing Ekiti South senatorial district, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, has stressed the urgent need for the federal executive and legislative arms to avert late passage, signing and implementation of the federal budget. Adeyeye, a former Minister of State for Works, canvassed collaboration between the two arms in budgeting processes, from the formulation stage to presentation before the National Assembly. Read more
INEC debunks ICT director’s resignation rumour (Guardian)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Saturday said the purported resignation of its director of ICT, Chidi Nwafor, is fake and should be disregarded. “The rumour circulating that our Director ICT, Engr. Chidi Nwafor has resigned is totally false and should be disregarded,” INEC said on Saturday. “The Director and another staff have just returned from South Africa where they represented INEC at the high-level 5th Annual Meeting of ID4Africa Movement in Johannesburg (18 – 20 June 2019),” it added. Read more
Gbajabiamila receives rousing reception from APC members at Lagos airport (Guardian)
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, on Saturday, received a rousing reception at the Lagos Airport, as joyous members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gathered to welcome him. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gbajabiamila arrived the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in a Nigeria Air Force aircraft with registration number 5N-FGN at 2.50 p.m. The speaker, who is representing Surulere Constituency 1 at the Federal House of Representatives, was welcomed by fellow lawmakers from Lagos State and others, amidst jubilation by party members. Read more
Bauchi Assembly: Court restrains Damina against parading himself as factional Speaker (Nation)
A court sitting in Bauchi has restrained the factional Speaker, Bauchi House of Assembly, Kawuwa Shehu Damina and his Deputy Tukur Ibrahim against parading themselves as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively. Delivering judgement, Justice A.M. Karin Madaki on Friday granted an order of interim conjunction following an application filed by Abubakar Suleiman and 12 other lawmakers. The application was filed against Bauchi State House of Assembly, Bauchi State Attorney Gebeteql, Kawuwa Shehu Damina and 16 others as defendants, on June 21st, 2019. Read more
Fire razes car near Unilag Senate building (Guardian)
A wildfire has consumed a Toyota Car parked near the Senate building, University of Lagos, Akoka. The fire which some students tagged as ‘mysterious’ started at about 11.50am on Saturday. The university’s firefighters could not curtail the inferno, hence a call was made to the Lagos State Fire Service station who arrived on time to save the situation from escalating. Read more
Broadcast journalists to benefit from $150,000 award (Nation)
Nigerian broadcast journalists will soon be awarded monetary benefits that totals, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000). The award which recognises radio and television broadcasters will be made open to the public for voting before the final awardees are selected. Chairman Radio and Television Personality Awards Nigeria (RTPWN) Dr. Samuel Wilcox said that the money will be distributed amongst different categories. Read more
NTDC Boss urges media, Nollywood to project nation’s image positively (Guardian)
Mr Folorunsho Coker, Director General, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has urged the media and filmmakers in Nollywood to project the country’s image positively. Coker told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday that with the understanding of the concept of developmental journalism, the media should use such to promote the country’s image for tourism to strive. He said that reporting that a strange sickness had ravaged the nation as headline news sometimes may be detrimental to the country and the effect was more harmful than good. Read more
Militants killed while attacking Kenya police base (BBC)
Three suspected al-Shabab militants have been killed after they attacked a police camp in Kenya’s eastern County of Garissa, close to the border with Somalia, police say. Other fighters were repulsed by security officers, a statement said. At least eight Kenyan police officers were killed in an al-Shabab bomb attack last week in north-eastern Wajir County. Read more
Boris Johnson says UK must prepare for no-deal Brexit at Tory leadership hustings (Metro)
Boris Johnson said the country must prepare itself for a no-deal Brexit as he rallied support at first of the Tory leadership hustings. Speaking to party members in Birmingham he said he was the man to lead the UK out of the EU and ‘pitchfork this incubus off our backs’. The frontrunner in the battle for Number 10 said the country would be showing ‘conviction’ by being ready to fall back on WTO rules on October 31. Read more
Hong Kong extradition bill: Police brutality inquiry ruled out (BBC)
Hong Kong Justice Secretary Teresa Cheng has rejected calls to investigate police brutality during ongoing mass protests in the Chinese territory. However, she did apologise for the Hong Kong government’s handling of the extradition bill which is at the root of the unrest. Police vowed a “stringent” response to the latest protest, when their headquarters was besieged for 15 hours. Read more
Merkel says neo-Nazis must be tackled “without taboos” (Guardian)
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said Germany must resist neo-Nazis “without any taboos” following the killing of a local politician by a suspected right-wing extremist. Such violence “must be resisted from the outset and without any taboos,” Merkel said during an address to the Protestant Church Congress in the western city of Dortmund. Read more
Iran executes man on charges of spying for US (BBC)
Iran has executed a former defence ministry employee on charges of spying for the US, state media report. Jalal Hajizavar was convicted by a military court after spying equipment and documents were found at his home, according to the IRIB news agency. He reportedly worked as a contractor for the defence ministry’s aerospace organisation but left the role nine years ago. It comes at a time of escalating tensions between the US and Iran. Read more
Cambodia: Sihanoukville building collapse death toll rises (BBC)
A seven-storey building has collapsed in Cambodia, killing at least seven people with others reported missing, officials say. At least 21 people have been injured – several critically – as the search for survivors continues into the evening. The under-construction building in the coastal city of Sihanoukville was owned by a Chinese company. In recent years, Sihanoukville has been transformed by the construction of Chinese hotels and casinos. Read more
Mark Ronson is glad his heartbreak allowed him to make new album (Metro)
Mark Ronson has confessed that he is glad he could use his recent heartbreak to inspire his new album. The 43-year-old DJ and producer has revealed that his latest album, Late Night Feelings, is his most personal work to date; it is his first since his divorce last year to Josephine de la Buame. ‘I think it was the emotional state I was in that probably jump-started the whole record, but then it’s so many other people’s stories and emotions and things wrapped into it too,’ he said. Read more
Cardi B rocks Fenty lingerie in BTS picture from stripper revenge movie Hustlers (Metro)
Cardi B has posted another behind-the-scenes sneak peek at her as Diamond, her stripper character in upcoming heist movie Hustlers. In a borderline NSFW outfit, the mum-of-one posted a picture of her latest outfit on the shoot to Instagram, writing: ‘Diamond likes to wear @fenty lingerie’. Shout out to Rihanna for making lingerie good enough for a professional dancer, we guess. Read more
2019 AFCON: Mahrez concerned about unknown quantity Kenya (Guardian)
Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez is wary of Kenya being something of an unknown commodity when the two teams kick off their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign on Sunday. “We do not know much about Kenya. We (the current players) never played against them,” Mahrez told a news conference on Saturday. “We have watched a lot of videos of them and we have played similar teams.” Read more
Women’s World Cup: Marta, Formiga doubtful against France – Brazil coach (Punch)
Brazil’s two biggest stars, Marta and Formiga, are struggling with injuries ahead of their women’s World Cup last-16 match against France on Sunday, coach Vadao said. Marta, who became the all-time World Cup record goalscorer with the penalty that gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over Italy and a place in the second round, is not at “100 percent” for the game in Le Havre. The 41-year-old Formiga has ankle problems and is a doubt for the match. Read more
Giampaolo hoping to turn clock back for fallen giants AC Milan (Guardian)
New AC Milan coach Marco Giampaolo said Saturday he was ready to seize the opportunity to turn the clock back for former European greats AC Milan days before taking over at the San Siro. The 51-year-old former Sampdoria boss replaces Gennaro Gattuso on a two-year deal reported to be worth two million euros ($2.2 million) annually. “I worked really hard to get this chance,” Giampaolo, who will take over on July 1, told Milan TV. Read more
Barty reaches Birmingham final to boost world number one bid (Punch)
French Open champion Ashleigh Barty is one win away from becoming the first Australian to be crowned women’s world number one in 43 years after reaching the final of the WTA event in Birmingham on Saturday. Barty beat Barbora Strycova 6-4, 6-4 in the Birmingham semi-finals to advance to her third final of the season and extend her winning streak to 11 consecutive matches. The 23-year-old hit 11 aces and 24 winners and did not drop her serve once in one hour and 24 minutes on court against Strycova. Read more
Federer to meet Goffin in 13th Halle final after beating Herbert (Punch)
Roger Federer’s Wimbledon preparations continue to run smoothly after he reached the final of the ATP event in Halle for a 13th time with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Andy Murray’s new doubles partner Pierre-Hugues Herbert on Saturday. World number 43 Herbert, 28, struggled in his first-ever meeting with 20-time major winner Federer, who is chasing a record-extending tenth title in Halle this year. The straight-sets victory provided welcome respite for Federer, who was forced to battle through gruelling three-set encounters with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roberto Bautista Agut earlier in the week. Read more
Eddie Hearn believes Deontay Wilder will scrap Luis Ortiz rematch and fight Tyson Fury next (Metro)
Eddie Hearn does not believe Deontay Wilder will take the risk of fighting Luis Ortiz again and will instead bring forward his rematch with Tyson Fury to the end of the year. The Bronze Bomber announced in May he would be taking on Ortiz, though neither a date nor a venue were confirmed, while a rematch against Fury was pencilled in for February or March of 2020. But having seen Anthony Joshua stunned by the unfancied Andy Ruiz Jr., Hearn says Wilder will be keen to secure an enormously lucrative rematch with Fury as soon as possible. Read more
