I was disorganised when my wife delivered triplets – Okada rider seeks help (Vanguard)
A commercial motorcyclist in Lagos, Waheed Nosiru, on Thursday, cried out over his inability to offset the sum of N250,000 being a hospital delivery bill for his wife Modinot, who gave birth to a set of triplets.
Waheed who lives in Igbo-Olomu, in the Agric area of Ikorodu, said the set of triplets, who arrived on Saturday, 23rd April 2022 was supposed to be a source of joy but with his present financial condition, he is finding it difficult to cope with the expenses after delivery.
The babies, all girls, were delivered at Beautiful Gate Hospital, Igbo-Olomu, Isawo, through ceasarian operation.
However, all efforts to raise funds to clear the sum of N250,000 hospital delivery bill and meet up with other expenses by the family have been knotty, for that, he had to seek help.
Speaking with our correspondent, he said his eight years old marriage was blessed with two boys ages seven and four before his wife was confirmed pregnant again. Read more
Eid-el-Fitr: Lagos makes a U-turn, cancels Wednesday holiday (Punch)
The Lagos State Government said it only approved May 2nd and 3rd as public holidays to celebrate the 2022 International Workers’ Day and the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
The government also told workers in the Centre of Excellence to disregard its earlier circular which approved three straight days as public holidays.
The Head of Service in the state, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, in a circular to workers dated April 27, 2022, had approved May 2-4 as public holidays.
However, upon the declaration by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, that May 2-3 were approved, the Lagos HoS made a U-Turn and approved the same, urging workers to disregard the first circular. Read more
LASG demolishes shops under burnt Apongbon Bridge (Guardian)
The Lagos State Government (LASG) on Friday demolished shops and other structures constructed under the burnt Apongbon Bridge on Lagos Island.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Apongbon Bridge was razed by fire on March 23 due to activities of the traders, leading the Federal and the Lagos State Governments to issue a seven-day eviction notice to the traders with shops under the bridge.
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had, on March 27, given the traders a three-day ultimatum to vacate or risk demolition of their shops.
NAN reports that as early as 9.00 a.m. on Friday, April 29, the Lagos State Taskforce had moved to the site with their bulldozers, and began demolishing the shops. Read more
Police arrest 7 suspected armed robbers in Lagos (Independent)
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested seven armed robbery and murder suspects.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Ikeja-Lagos SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the arrest which was made on April 22, 2022, led to the recovery of a silver-colored Toyota Sienna bus with Reg No. LSR 509 HB, a locally-made double barrel pistol and four live cartridges at Mojirade Street, Shibiri, Lagos.
According to him, the prompt arrest of the suspects followed a tip-off from Lagosians to the Divisional Police Officer of Ilemba Hausa Division who led his men to the criminal hideout where seven members of the gang were arrested while others fled.
The statement named the suspects as; Esther Newman ‘F’, Joel Anaba ‘m’, Ruben Ude ‘m’, Chinedu Emenike ‘m’, Abuchi Peter ‘m’, Chima Simon ‘m’ and James John ‘m’. Read more
Lagos 2023: Sanwo-Olu’s deputy, Hamzat may settle for Senate (Vanguard)
Strong indications have emerged that the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu may likely run for re-election in the 2023 gubernatorial poll with the incumbent Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Jaji as mate.
This followed revelation that the incumbent deputy governor, Dr, Obafemi Kadiri may likelyo vie for senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
It was gathered that the choice of Jaji as the Deputy Governor is being considered to balance the gender equation as well as attract the full support of womenfolk which forms the bulk of the voters and give them a sense of belonging. It is instructive to note that during the previous administrations in the state, particularly, former governors Babatunde Fashola and Akinwumi Ambode had female deputies. Read more
IPMAN urges clamp down on illegal refineries (Nation)
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has urged government at all levels to intensify efforts to check the operations of illegal refineries in the country.
IPMAN’s President, Mr Chinedu Okoronkwo, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
Okoronkwo said the recent explosion at one of the illegal refineries at Abaezi forest in Ohaji-Egbema Local Government Area of Imo had again brought to the forefront the dangers of engaging in such nefarious activities.
He said: “IPMAN as a body commiserates with the government and people of Imo over the deaths and injuries recorded in the incident. Read more
Ex-Senate president Nnamani declares for presidency (Guardian)
Former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani, on Friday, declared his intention to run in the 2023 presidential election under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, vowing to improve the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Nnamani, however, called for the reduction of the costs of interest and nomination forms for aspirants seeking elective posts under the APC, saying that such costs do not align with the nation’s current socio-economic realities.
Addressing journalists on Friday in Abuja, the former senate president while making his declaration, said compared to other aspirants who had declared intention so far he is the most suited for the job of the president.
Some aspirants like a former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello; Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi and a former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Kalu; and ex-Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, Cross River State, Governor Ben Ayade, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, Minister of State, Education, Emeka Nwajiuba have openly declared their interest to succeed Buhari whose second tenure ends on May 29, 2023. Read more
Fans throw brassiers as Burna Boy performs on stage (Nation)
Grammy award-winning singer Burna Boy has been spotted on stage with several brassieres.
The Afrobeats star Burna Boy became the first Nigerian artiste to sell out a show at the Madison Square Garden, USA.
In a viral video, which captured his energetic performance as he thrilled guests, some females who were thrown into a frenzy in the process decided to “Odogwu” in their own way.
The event, which took place on April 28, 2022, in New York saw these females remove their undergarment, brassieres precisely and throw them at Burna Boy while he did what he does best. Read more
Kano billionaire hotelier, Fadallah, is dead (DailyTrust)
Kano based billionaire hotelier and the owner of famous Tahir guest palace, Tahir Fadlallah, has died in Beirut, Lebanon on Friday morning.
Aged 78, the famous hotelier was flown to Beirut two years ago over COVID-19 complications.
He was admitted to Clemenceau Medical Centre in Beirut where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit of the hospital until his death.
He left behind a wife and five children. Read more
‘The Hunger Games’ to return to cinemas with prequel ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ (Metro)
If you thought you’d seen the end of The Hunger Games, do we have news for you.
The franchise is returning to cinemas with a blockbuster prequel titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and, hear that, that is the sound of punters volunteering as tribute.
Now, we’ve known this for quite some time, but now studio bosses have confirmed it’s slated to hit cinemas in November 2023.
Much like all the other movie news we’ve been welcomely bombarded with this week, an update on the film’s release date was unveiled during a presentation at the CinemaCon event in Las Vegas on Thursday. Read more
Red Hot Chili Peppers to “celebrate” Taylor Hawkins at New Orleans Jazz Festival (NME)
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith has said that the band will “celebrate” the life of Taylor Hawkins during their upcoming show at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
The ‘Unlimited Love’ group stepped in to replace Foo Fighters at the event following the tragic death of their drummer Hawkins on March 25. Dave Grohl and co. subsequently cancelled all of their scheduled dates for 2022.
RHCP will now headline the New Orleans event this Sunday (May 1). Speaking to Billboard, Smith explained how the set will pay tribute to Hawkins, with whom he was good friends. “We’re taking Alison, his wife, with us and it’s going to be a celebration,” he told the outlet.
“That’s what she wants. She doesn’t want it to be anything other than, ‘Let’s celebrate music, let’s celebrate our friends, let’s celebrate Taylor. This is what he would want and he would be very happy that you guys are playing and he would want it [to] be nothing but a positive experience’.” Read more
Bananarama to release new album to mark 40th anniversary (MusicNews)
Bananarama are set to release a new album to mark their 40th anniversary.
The pop duo – made up of Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward – have released the new single, ‘Favourite’, today (29.04.22), the pair’s first new music since their 2019 comeback LP ‘In Stereo’.
The electro-pop song was originally featured on Sara’s singer-songwriter daughter Alice Dallin-Walker’s (Alice D) 2018 LP ‘Narcissus’, and she still features on the new rendition, but they have made it their own.
Keren said: “It’s just a brilliant pop song.
We’ve done a different take on it but with Alice on backing vocals because we couldn’t not use her ad libs, they’re just too good.” Read more
‘Lord of The Rings’ star Simon Merrells leads sci-fi thriller ‘A Million Days,’ signature selling in Cannes (Variety)
“The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power” star Simon Merrells and “We Hunt Together” Hermione Corfield will lead the sci-fi thriller “A Million Days.”
Signature Entertainment (“Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts”) will introduce the film to buyers at next month’s Cannes Film Festival as part of its international sales slate. The film is the third pic from photographer and director Mitch Jenkins, whose debut feature “The Show” was written by graphic novel legend and “Watchmen” creator Alan Moore.
The film stars Simon Merrells (who will soon appear in the “Lord of the Rings” prequel series for Amazon’s Prime Video) alongside Hermione Corfield (“Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi”), Kemi-Bo Jacobs (“London Has Fallen”) and Darrell D’Silva (“Wrath of Man”).
The year is 2041 and the next step in the future of humankind is imminent. After decades of training and research, the mission to create the first lunar colony is about to launch with Anderson as lead astronaut. Jay, an AI purpose built for the mission, has simulated every possible outcome for the expedition. Tensions arise when the chilling motives of Jay become apparent, sowing the seeds of distrust between Anderson and the group that had gathered to quietly celebrate the launch. As the night descends into chaos, the group’s faith in one another and their mission begins to crack, with the knowledge that the decisions they make before sunrise will change humanity forever. Read more
Absolute Dominion’: Netflix martial arts pic casts Alex Winter, Patton Oswalt, Julie Ann Emery & more (Deadline)
Alex Winter (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Alok Vaid-Menon (Random Acts of Flyness), Andy Allo (Chicago Fire), Désiré Mia, Jennifer Jajeh (Transparent), Juliana Joel (American Gigolo), Julie Ann Emery (Better Call Saul), June Carryl (Y: The Last Man), Junes Zahdi (Counterpart), Laith Ashley (Pose), Mario D’Leon (Power), Nora Armani (The Blacklist: Redemption), Oluniké Adeliyi (The Expanse), Patton Oswalt (I Love My Dad), Reagan Gomez (Queen Sugar) and Shawn Mousavi (Echo 3) will star in the action-drama Absolute Dominion, which Lexi Alexander wrote and is directing for Netflix and Blumhouse Television.
In the martial arts pic currently in production, it’s 2085 A.D., and the world has been destroyed by religious warfare. Desperate to save humanity, global governing forces host a gripping, no-holds-barred, martial arts tournament. Last fighter standing wins Absolute Dominion for one faith.
Alexander, Jason Blum, John McKeown and Scott Putman are producing, with Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold exec producing for Blumhouse Television. Stunt Coordinator Phil Tan is overseeing fight choreography.
Alexander is a former World Kickboxing Champion who worked her way up from stuntwoman to Oscar-nominated director with her live-action short film Johnny Flynton, a drama about a boxer. She followed up her Academy Award nomination with feature films including the SXSW Jury & Audience Award winning drama Green Street Hooligans, Marvel’s Punisher: War Zone and Lifted. Read more
The curtain falls on Russian films in Europe (MoscowTimes)
“I can’t speak in Russian to my daughter in the street anymore,” an artist living in Rome told The Moscow Times. “And I have no hope that I will be invited to show my works anywhere.”
Since the war began in Ukraine, Russian cultural figures have found themselves locked out of the international cultural scene.
For Russian filmmakers, the sudden change came after the Ukrainian Film Academy launched a petition at the end of February on change.org calling for a comprehensive boycott of the Russian film industry. “The Council of Europe should exclude Russia from the Eurimages funding program,” it read. “Festivals should no longer show films from the Russian Federation. Producers should suspend all contracts and no longer grant any film rights to Russian distributors, and Western distributors should no longer show Russian films or include them in their programs.”
Russian film industry representatives immediately went silent. “We can’t comment.” “We are very sorry, but we won’t be participating.” “Please read the official announcements about the situation.” These were the responses to personal messages and official inquiries. No one wanted to be named. Read more
UK to send team to Ukraine to gather evidence of war crimes, Truss says (Guardian)
Britain will send investigators to Ukraine to help gather evidence of war crimes, including sexual violence, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, said on Friday.
Both Ukrainian prosecutors and the international criminal court (ICC) are investigating potential war crimes in Ukraine since Russia’s 24 February invasion, which the Kremlin calls a “special military operation” to demilitarise its neighbour.
Moscow denies committing war crimes in Ukraine or targeting civilians during a war that has killed thousands, devastated many cities and towns and forced 5 million people, mostly women and children, to flee abroad.
Speaking after meeting with ICC officials, Truss said a British team would head to Ukraine in May with a special emphasis on investigating rape as a possible war crime. Read more
NWFL: Lakeside Queens, 3 others qualify for championship (Nation)
Lakeside Queens Football Club of Bariga have qualified for the Championship cadre of the Nigeria Women Football League.
The Championship cadre is the first cadre of the National Women Football League and the ticket was won after a five-day tussle involving 16 teams in Benin City, Edo State.
The Lagos-based team under the tutelage of Coach Tobi Ganiyu was impressive in the ancient city as they won all four matches played in the competition. In their first match, the Lakeside Queens defeated Abruka Queens 2-0, whipped Ijebu United Queens 3-0 in the second match and walloped Celestial Queens 6-0 in the third.
Only on Tuesday, despite heavy downpour, Lakeside defeated Kazeem Eletu Queens 1-0 in a match that was concluded in the early hours of Wednesday in Benin. Read more
Arteta expecting more ‘twists and turns’ as Arsenal fight for final Champions League spot
(Football365)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta believes the race for a spot in next season’s Champions League has more “twists and turns” in it with five games left to play.
The Gunners bounced back from three consecutive defeats with a win at Chelsea and followed that up with victory over another top-four rival, Manchester United, while Tottenham dropped points at Brentford.
Arsenal head into the weekend two points clear in fourth place as they bid to put an end to their five-year exile from Europe’s top-tier competition, but Arteta believes it will be far from straightforward.
“I think there will still be twists and turns, we still have difficult matches today,” the Gunners boss said. Read more
Benzema, Vinícius likely to rest in Madrid’s title decider (USAToday)
Karim Benzema and Vinícius Júnior will likely be rested on Saturday for the match that can give Real Madrid the Spanish league title, coach Carlo Ancelotti said Friday.
Madrid needs a draw against Espanyol at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium to clinch its record-extending 35th league title, and second in three seasons.
Ancelotti said everyone wants to play in the possible title decider, but he has to take into account that Madrid faces a must-win game against Manchester City next week in the second leg of the Champions League semi finals, when the Spanish powerhouse will have to overcome a one-goal deficit to keep its European title hopes alive.
“I think Benzema and Vinícius will get some rest,” Ancelotti said. “I feel that if players are well they need to play, but if someone needs to rest I’ll let them rest. Not because it will be an easy match, but if there is a risk of injury they’ll be rested.” Read more
Jake Paul: Eddie Hearn tells Problem Child he will never be world champion in live interview (GMS)
Jake Paul and Eddie Hearn have been going head-to-head for a week or so now, most of it in good spirits.
The pair are in fight camp together as they prepare for the headline bout between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano. Hearn is of course representing ‘the Bray Bomber’ whilst Paul is in Serrano’s corner.
Not only have they put a bet worth $1 million on the fight, they have also had a lively debate in front of the camera regarding Paul’s future in the sport.
A lot of traditional boxing fans turn their nose up at the YouTuber but it is hard to argue against his start to life in the ring. Read more
Tiger Woods outlined bold plans and revealed why his comeback was on during Masters dinner (Express)
Tiger Woods outlined why he chose to return at the recent Masters Tournament during a speech at the event’s champions’ dinner. Woods had not featured on the PGA Tour since suffering severe injuries in a high-speed car crash in Los Angeles 14 months prior.
The severity of the accident led to worries that arguably golf’s greatest-ever player would never compete again, however after an extensive rehabilitation the 15-time major winner made a fairytale Augusta comeback. Three weeks on from his return, fellow legend Jack Nicklaus has revealed the thought process behind Woods’ decision.
Nicklaus told PGA Tour radio that Woods addressed his fellow champions on his plans when at the Masters dinner prior to the event. Woods is believed to have said: “Why in the world would I wait a year to play if I know I’m gonna hurt both years?
“Why don’t I just get back and start playing and just suck it up.” Despite being back out on the golf course he is still feeling the effects of the crash almost a year-and-a-half on, and this was evident when Woods made his way off the 18th green on Masters Sunday after he hobbled back towards the clubhouse. Read more
Belarusian Victoria Azarenka says no sense in Wimbledon ban (ESPN)
Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka said the Wimbledon ban on players from Russia and her country makes no sense, and the former world No. 1 called on the tennis governing bodies to take action against the decision.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), which hosts the grass-court Grand Slam, took the decision in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the stand was swiftly condemned by the men’s and women’s tours.
The ATP and the WTA denounced the AELTC decision as “discriminatory,” with Steve Simon, the women’s tour chief, last week warning of “strong reactions.”
“If you are asking me if I agree with Wimbledon or I see their reasoning after being on a personal call with them, I don’t see their reasoning,” Azarenka, who sits on the WTA players’ council, told reporters in Madrid on Thursday. Read more