I’ll deliver on my promises in spite of challenges, Tinubu tells Nigerians (Guardian)
President Bola Tinubu has told Nigerians that he will deliver on the promises he made inspite of the challenges currently facing the country.
Tinubu said this on Wednesday in his address to Muslims to usher in the New Islamic Year while imploring them to imbibe the important values of patience, perseverance, and faithfulness, which were the hallmarks of Prophet Muhammad.
He also urged the public to engage in prayers and supplications to God Almighty to direct and protect the path to greatness and prosperity of Nigeria.
“As we persevere and struggle to confront our present challenges and the temporary pain we experience, I enjoin you to remain hopeful that there is light and prosperity at the end of the tunnel,” Tinubu said. Read more
We won’t favour Tinubu, Atiku, Obi at tribunal – CJN (DailyTrust)
Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayoode Ariwoola, has denied rumours that he had a telephone conversation with President Bola Tinubu and the Director-General of Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, over the pending post-election petitions before the Presidential Election Petitions Court.
Ariwoola said the judiciary has no plans to favour any of the petitioners and the respondents in the petitions pending before the court, especially Tinubu, the Peopes Democratic Party (PDP)’s Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party (LP)’s Peter Obi.
In a statement by the Director of Information of the Supreme Court, Dr Festus Akande on Wednesday, the CJN said there is no iota of truth in the narrative in the social media. Read more
Lagos residents send SoS to Sanwo-Olu, CP over incessant robbery attacks (Tribune)
Residents of Lawani Street, off Ishaga Road, Surulere Area of Lagos State, have sent a Save-our-Soul (SoS) to the state governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and all security agencies over frequent robbery attacks on the street.
According to reports, the dare-devil robbers usually operate in a group between 2 am – 3:30 am, had been attacking the street since last year, and had raided the area four times in two weeks in this month of July alone.
The residents claimed that property worth millions of naira had so far been lost to the frequent robbery attacks on the street. Read more
I’m sorry, Mmesoma finally apologises to JAMB (Nation)
The 19-year old candidate in the 2023 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), Mmesoma Ejikeme, accused by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of result forgery has apologised to the examination body for her action.
She read an apology letter in an investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee to probe the matter headed by Sada Soli.
She pleaded for leniency as she promised such would not happen again. She said she had never been involved in examination malpractice all her life. Read more
NAFDAC begins arrest, prosecution of drug hawkers, says Prof Adeyeye (Vanguard)
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Wednesday in Lagos decried the nefarious activities of drug hawkers nationwide, warning that any hawker arrested by the agency will be prosecuted and will face a jail term.
Announcing this in Lagos, during a sensitisation workshop on Dangers of Drug Hawking and Ripening of Fruits with Carbide” the director general of NAFDAC, Prof Christianah Adeyeye said the agency’s enforcement officers are currently carrying out synchronised nationwide operations.
She maintained that no offender will be spared from facing the full wrath of the Law. Read more
Man who portrays himself as ‘‘American Sugar Mummy’’ jailed in Kwara (Guardian)
A 24-year-old man Francis Stephen Oke Eghele has been sentenced to six months imprisonment for representing himself as a female American to defraud unsuspecting victims.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said Eghele was convicted by Justice Adenike Akinpelu of the Kwara State High Court sitting in Ilorin on Tuesday, July 18, 2023.
He was convicted alongside one Adeniyi Adekunle Aliyu from Iworoko, Ado Ekiti, Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State over a similar offence. Read more
Remi Tinubu pledges to boost empowerment of women (ThisDay)
The first Lady, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday, pledged to support the empowerment of women for greater impact in national development.
Tinubu disclosed this during the renaming of the Maryam Babangida National Centre for Women Development (MBNCWD) and induction of first women achievers on the Nigeria Women Hall of Fame in Abuja.
According to her, the legacies left by the late former Head of State, Dr Maryam Babangida ameliorated the sufferings of Nigerian women, especially those in rural areas. Read more
NESG names Tayo Aduloju as next CEO (Leadership)
The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has announced the appointment of Dr. Tayo Aduloju as its new chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2024.
Dr. Aduloju, who currently serves as the chief operating officer and Senior Fellow for economic policy, strategy, and competitiveness, will succeed the current CEO, Mr. ‘Laoye Jaiyeola, upon the completion of his two-term tenure.
Under Mr. Jaiyeola’s transformational leadership, NESG has taken a quantum leap, utilising technology and data to promote the inclusive and sustainable growth of Nigeria’s economy while upholding its core principles of a free-market economy, the rule of law, and governance in the national interest, NESG said in a statement. Read more
Whoopi Goldberg walks off talkshow during heated discussion (NME)
Whoopi Goldberg walked off the set of ABC’s The View during a heated discussion about selfies yesterday (July 18).
The actor was moderating the roundtable for the show’s ‘‘Hot Topics’’ discussion, during which the panel was discussing Miranda Lambert pausing a recent concert to scold an audience member for taking selfies during her show.
Co-host Sunny Hostin said that she was “going to take as many selfies as I want if I paid $757 for tickets” (via Entertainment Weekly), to which the Sister Act star replied: “You know what? Stay home.” Read more
Christopher Nolan calls Quentin Tarantino a “purist” (FarOut)
Christopher Nolan, the British director behind “Oppenheimer”, has called the American auteur Quentin Tarantino “very purist” with regard to his retirement plans. The Pulp Fiction actor has long asserted that his forthcoming tenth movie would be his final cinematic offering.
Tarantino recently said he’s “ready to quit” making movies after three decades in the industry. His forthcoming movie, “The Movie Critic”, which will be his tenth when regarding Kill Bill volumes one and two as one movie, appears to be his swan song. He will be only 60 years old on his supposed retirement day, an early retirement relative to others in the line of work.
For comparison, Francis Ford Coppola is 84 years old and still active in the industry, with his latest project, “Megalopolis”, nearing completion and looking set for release in 2024. Read more
Barbie has best ticket presales since Avatar: The Way of Water (Deadline)
“You’re being managed on Barbie” was a snarky text I received last night, “it’s at least $130m.”
The point of that is the projections out there for the Greta Gerwig directed feature take of the Mattel doll are indeed wild. Rivals were spotting $90M-$125M; Warners asserting $75M. Today, to support the crazy fever of moviegoing were about to witness this weekend, the BoxOffice Company is reporting that Barbie is outpacing all other films this year since Avatar: The Way of Water. You’ll remember that James Cameron directed sequel debuted to $134m.
Oppenheimer Actor Matt Damon Promised His Wife In Couples Therapy He Was Taking A Break Unless Christopher Nolan Called
The BoxOffice Company powers Google, IMDB, Bing, TikTok, Apple and others for showtimes. Read more
French Actor-Director Nicolas Bedos being investigated on rape, sexual assault charges following 3 complaints (Variety)
French actor-director Nicolas Bedos, who is facing trial in February 2024 for an alleged sexual assault under the influence of alcohol dating from June 1, is now being investigated on rape and sexual assault charges after three complaints were filed with the Paris prosecutor.
News of the preliminary investigation was first reported in a bombshell investigative report published by French outlet Mediapart. The investigation cites four women, two of whom addressed a letter to the public prosecutor. The prosecutor’s spokesperson confirmed to Variety that a preliminary investigation was opened on July 5 on charges of alleged sexual assault and rape “after receiving three distinct complaints against Nicolas Bedos.”
Bedos’ attorney Julia Minkowski declined to comment. Read more
China says foreign trade faces ‘extremely severe’ situation, blames geopolitics for slump (CNBC)
China’s Commerce Ministry on Wednesday said non-economic factors were growing and interfering with the country’s foreign trade which was facing an “extremely severe” situation in the second half of this year.
“Some countries’ forceful push for ‘decoupling,’ ‘severing [supply] chains’ and so-called ‘de-risking’ are human-made obstacles blocking normal commerce,” Li Xingqian, the head of the ministry’s external trade department, said in Mandarin, according to a CNBC translation. He was speaking to reporters at a press conference about the ministry’s work in the first half of the year.
China’s exports, a significant contributor to domestic growth, have plunged in recent months as global growth has slowed. Read more
Miranda Lambert stops concert mid-song to call out fans for taking selfie (NBC)
Miranda Lambert put her Las Vegas show on pause Saturday to call out a group of fans for taking a selfie while she was singing.
The three-time Grammy winner had started singing “Tin Man” before she noticed the selfie-taking group and asked for the music to cut.
“I’m gonna stop right here for a sec,” Lambert said.
“These girls are worried about their selfie and not listening to the song. It’s pissing me off a little bit.” Read more
Travis King: US soldier in N Korea had been held after fighting in Seoul (BBC)
Travis King, the American soldier who fled to North Korea, had been detained for getting into fights in South Korea before he crossed the border.
Court documents showed he also damaged a police car and had recently spent time in a detention facility in Seoul.
The 23-year-old serviceman had been recently released and was being sent back to the US when he escaped. Read more
“I am clean of doping violation charge” – Tobi Amusan declares (Guardian)
Tobi Amusan, Nigeria’s queen of the tracks and Women’s hurdles world record-holder has dismissed a doping rule violation charge levelled on her by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).
“I am a clean athlete, and I am regularly; (maybe more than usual) tested by the AIU,’’ the 26-year-old athletics sensation posted on her Instagram page on Wednesday after the charge.
“I was tested within days of my third `missed test’. I have faith that this will be resolved in my favour and I will be competing at the 2023 World Championships in August,’’ she stated. Read more
Osasu slams NFF over poor record keeping (Punch)
Journalist Osasu Obayiuwana has hit hard at the Nigeria Football Federation for their inability to keep records of the number of matches amassed by national team players, The PUNCH reports.
Obayiuwana shared a voice note on his twitter page where he revealed how the NFF relied on data given by the players.
“There are just basic things that you will expect from the NFF and one of them is to know the number of games that every player for Nigeria would have. That’s something that should be in the record of the NFF,” Osasu said. Read more
England to play Scotland in Sunderland in September (BBC)
England will play their Women’s Nations League opener against Scotland on Friday, 22 September at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
It will be the Lionesses’ first match after the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which begins on Thursday.
England will then play the Netherlands in Utrecht on 26 September.
The Championship game between Sunderland and Cardiff City that was scheduled for 23 September will now be held a day later on Sunday. Read more
Mauricio Pochettino shares heartbreaking reaction to Dele Alli interview with Gary Neville (LiverpoolEcho)
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has described hearing the difficulties Dele Alli has faced.
The Everton midfielder released an emotional interview with Sky Sports’ Gary Neville last week. During the brave 40-minute chat, the 27-year-old detailed his struggles which saw him spend a period of this summer seeking rehab in the USA.
Following the release of the interview, there was an outpouring of support and emotion from football fans and Blues supporters alike. Gary Lineker and Harry Kane were among those to show their appreciation to Dele while Everton published a statement on the issues that came to light. Read more
Carlos Alcaraz still No. 1 in ATP; Vondrousova No. 10 in WTA (ESPN)
Carlos Alcaraz held on to No. 1 in the ATP rankings Monday by virtue of his victory over No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, and Marketa Vondrousova’s first Grand Slam title pushed her all the way up to a career-high No. 10 on the WTA list.
Vondrousova jumped 32 places from No. 42 thanks to her 6-4, 6-4 win against Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s final at the All England Club. Vondrousova, 24, of the Czech Republic, was the lowest-ranked and first unseeded women’s champion at the grass-court major.
Alcaraz’s 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 defeat of Djokovic on Sunday marked the third time in the past four major tournaments that the men’s title match determined who would be at No. 1. Read more
Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend drops £23m lawsuit alleging she was kicked out of his £42m mansion (Mirror)
Erica Herman has dropped the £23 million lawsuit she made against Tiger Woods after the case was filed last year, according to reports.
Woods’ former girlfriend filed a case to sue Woods for allegedly putting together a plan to throw her out of his £42m ($54m) mansion in Jupiter Island, Florida – where the two lived for six years.
Herman claimed that Woods had persuaded her to go on a short holiday away from Florida and when she arrived at the airport, his representatives told her she had been locked out of the home. Read more