I’ll fight alongside Tinubu to the last, says sacked minister (Punch)
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s relieving her of her duty as Minister of Women Affairs, Uju-Ken Ohanenye has resolved that she would “fight alongside” the President to fix Nigeria.
The former minister stated this in a statement on her official X.com account @BarrUjuKennedy on Saturday.
While pledging her commitment to Tinubu’s ‘Renewed Hope Agenda”, the former minister urged Nigerians not to lose hope but to be optimistic that Nigeria will be great again. Read more
LASTMA nabs fake traffic officer extorting motorists (Leadership)
Officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), have apprehended a 45-year-old Adewunmi Taiwo for impersonating as LASTMA officer on Oshodi Bridge in Lagos.
LASTMA’s Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, Adebayo Taofiq disclosed that the fake traffic officer was apprehended through a resolute operation conducted by officials, while the man was detained on Oshodi Bridge.
He noted that the individual had been posing as an official to intimidate and extort money from commercial and private motorists in the vicinity. Read more
Army pulls out 5 retired generals in Lagos (DailyTrust)
The Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps (NAOC) on Friday pulled out five retired Major Generals in Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the officers bade the army farewell at the headquarters of NAOC, Abalti Barracks, Surulere, Lagos.
The reviewing Officer, Maj.-Gen Omotomilola Akintade, who spoke on behalf of the other four, said that the journey was a tough one, noting that there were periods of pain, strength, weaknesses, war and peace. Read more
Gov Mbah mourns death of popular Enugu musician, Igbo Jah (Channels)
The Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah has mourned the untimely death of popular Enugu musician, Okezie Mba, popularly known as Igbo Jah.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Command, State Headquarters, Enugu. DSP Daniel Ndukwe said the musician was reportedly leaving the Squad’s Headquarters after a friendly visit, when, for reasons yet to be ascertained, a police officer fired his rifle, hitting the victim.
According to the statement, the incident occurred around 8:10 p.m. on October 25, 2024, at the Tactical Squad’s Headquarters. Read more
Voter apathy, security concerns mark Kano LG elections amid Court orders (Tribune)
The ongoing local government council elections in Kano State are witnessing significant voter apathy, with security operatives, particularly members of the Nigeria Police, failing to provide adequate security at various voting centres.
Meanwhile, A Federal High Court sitting in Kano and presided over by Justice Simon Amobeda, on Friday, to has again sacked the 44 Local Government chairmanship and councillorship candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) submitted to the state independent electoral commission for the Saturday election.
Although the atmosphere in the town and the electoral process were generally calm, members of the vigilante group, Hisbah, and other state security personnel were deployed to polling units to maintain law and order during the election. Read more
I’m richer than 90% of my role models – Burna Boy (Nation)
Award-winning singer Burna Boy has bragged about his riches, stating how some of his role models are not half as rich as he is.
Sharing on his Instagram story, he stated that perseverance and determination can lead to achieving the unthinkable, stressing on the importance of not undermining anyone’s potential, as everyone has the capacity to succeed.
Burna Boy encourages young individuals, especially from marginalised communities to believe in themselves and their abilities, and to never limit their dreams based on their current circumstances. Read more
Ogun teacher in trouble as pupil dies after 162 frog jumps (Punch)
A student of the Obada Idi-Emi High School in the Imeko Afon Local Government Area of Ogun State, identified simply as Ariyo, has died after a teacher allegedly beat him with 162 strokes of the cane for breaking a dustbin.
An activist identified as Adetoun shared the incident on Instagram on Friday.
According to Adetoun, the teacher had reportedly brought a dustbin to Ariyo’s class with instructions that the students should not break the dustbin. Read more
Tinubu congratulates Botchwey on election as Commonwealth Secretary-General (Nation)
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, on her election as the next Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
Leaders of the 56 Commonwealth nations, meeting in Apia, Samoa, selected Botchwey, a former lawmaker, to assume the role on April 1, 2025.
Botchwey, 61, is only the second African to lead the Commonwealth in its 75-year history, following Nigeria’s Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who served from 1990 to 2000. Read more
Madonna’s heartbreaking one-word statement as she visits brother’s grave with daughter Lourdes (OK!)
Madonna has visited the grave of her late brother Christopher, sharing a deeply personal tribute after his passing earlier this month. Taking to Instagram, the 66 year old music legend posted solemn pictures from her visit with her daughter Lourdes Leon to Calvary Cemetery in Kawkawlin, Michigan.
The touching pilgrimage saw Madonna at Christopher Ciccone’s final resting place—the artist and designer lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on October 4 at age 63. Alongside the sombre images, Madonna uploaded a photo of the green marble headstone, etched with her brother’s name and dates, with the heartbreaking caption: “Homecoming………….”. The ‘Queen of Pop’ also shared a moment where red roses were laid on the grave while Levon Henry serenaded them with Duke Ellington’s “Single Petal of a Rose” on the saxophone. Read more
Nicole Scherzinger, who helped form One Direction on X Factor, pays tribute to Liam Payne: “So Hard to Process” (THR)
Nicole Scherzinger, who is credited as being responsible for the formation of One Direction during the 2010 season of The X Factor, is paying tribute to Liam Payne.
In a social media post shared Friday, the singer penned a letter to Payne, who died in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the age of 31 after falling from the Casa Sur Hotel balcony.
“Dear Liam, I will forever cherish and treasure the time we shared together, from fifteen years ago when One Direction was born, right up until just a few weeks ago. It was such a blessing to get to work with you recently. We shared the same love and passion for music and I will forever remember the meaningful and joyful conversations we had,” she wrote. Read more
Tensions rise at Tommy Robinson march with thousands walking through London (Metro)
Tensions are rising as an estimated 3,000 Tommy Robinson supporters march through central London.
A demonstration left Victoria Station to reach Westminster before it was ground to a halt at Buckingham Gate.
‘Shall we burst through and f*** [the police] up?’ one man shouted. Others urged for calm, with one saying: ‘The police are trying to rile us up. It is a disgrace. We need to try and stay calm. Read more
At least 115 dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides in Philippines (ABC)
The number of dead and missing in massive flooding and landslides wrought by Tropical Storm Trami in the Philippines has exceeded 100 and the president said Saturday that many areas remained isolated with people in need of rescue.
Trami blew away from the northwestern Philippines on Friday, leaving at least 81 people dead and 34 others missing in in one of the Southeast Asian archipelago’s deadliest and most destructive storms so far this year, the government’s disaster-response agency said. The death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from previously isolated areas.
Dozens of police, firefighters and other emergency personnel, backed by three backhoes and sniffer dogs, dug up one of the last two missing villagers in the lakeside town of Talisay in Batangas province Saturday. Read more
Student took own life after uni refused to excuse her despite desperate email (Mirror)
Natasha Abrahart had struggled with “crippling anxiety” in the leadup to her death, with a forthcoming public presentation on her mind
A couple whose undergraduate daughter had crippling social anxiety when she took her own life after alerting university staff to her suicidal feelings, are calling for duty of care to students to become statutory for higher education providers.
Bob and Maggie Abrahart’s daughter Natasha had become so anxious about a forthcoming public presentation that she had emailed staff at the University of Bristol, where she was studying physics, saying: “I’ve been having suicidal thoughts and to a certain degree attempted it.” Read more
Malaysia, Ethiopia agree to strengthen bilateral ties (AfricaNews)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met with his Malaysian counterpart on Saturday as he continued his visit to the country.
Following the talks in Putrajaya, Abiy told reporters that both nations had agreed to collaborate further in several sectors including agriculture, industry and trade and investment.
“There are plenty of opportunities from both sides,” he said standing alongside Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim. Read more
Trump supporters who bought his lies about the last election face reality in court (NBC)
With just days left until the 2024 election, Donald Trump supporters who fell for his lies about fraud in the last election continue to face legal consequences for storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, even as Trump managed to stave off his own criminal trial and again become the Republican presidential nominee.
On Friday afternoon, a young Trump supporter who stormed the Capitol faced sentencing inside a federal courthouse in Washington, just a few hundred feet away from the crime scene. Caleb Berry, a now 23-year-old who stormed the Capitol along with members of the far-right Oath Keepers group, stood before the judge in a black shirt and apologized to everyone in the courtroom, and to the country. Read more
AFCON Qualifiers: CAF hands victory to Nigeria, fines Libya $50k (Vanguard)
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has awarded three points, and three goals to Nigeria for the abandoned game against Libya.
The decision follows an investigation into the botched October 15 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Benghazi by the CAF Disciplinary Board.
Nigeria had walked away from the tie following poor treatment by the host country that left Super Eagles players and staff stranded at an abandoned airport for almost a day. Read more
WAFU Zone B qualifiers: Flying Eagles coach assures of better performance in semi-finals (Leadership)
Head coach Aliyu Suberu has said Nigerians will will see a better Flying Eagles side in the semi-finals of the WAFU Zone B qualifiers in Togo.
After losing 1-0 to Burkina Faso in their opening game, the Flying Eagles bounced back with a hard-fought 2-1 win against Cote d’Ivoire on Thursday.
The win saw the Flying Eagles finish top of Group B while Cote d’Ivoire was second. Burkina Faso crashed out. Read more
Zheng to face injury doubt Kenin in Tokyo final (France24)
Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen moved into the Tokyo final but her opponent Sofia Kenin was left sweating on her fitness after retiring from her doubles match on Saturday.
Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, beat Britain’s Katie Boulter 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the Pan Pacific Open final and was then joined by China’s Zheng, who beat Russian Diana Shnaider 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.
Kenin went back out on court to play her doubles semi-final with partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands, only to retire with a leg injury while 5-2 down in the first set. Read more
Katie Boulter’s Tokyo run ended by Sofia Kenin in the semi-finals (Independent)
Katie Boulter was knocked out of the Pan Pacific Open after being beaten in straight sets by Sofia Kenin in the semi-finals.
The British number one missed the chance to reach her third final of the year following a 6-4 6-4 loss to the 2020 Australian Open champion in Tokyo.
The American broke in the fifth and seventh games of the opener before Boulter pulled one break back and saved three set points, only for Kenin to serve out the set at the second attempt. Read more
‘I want to be first full-back to win Ballon d’Or’ (BBC)
Liverpool and England’s Trent Alexander-Arnold says he wants to be the first full-back to win the Ballon d’Or and be remembered as the “greatest right-back to have played football”.
No full-back has won the world player of the year award, which was first presented in 1956.
Alexander-Arnold, 26, said he would choose winning the Ballon d’Or over the World Cup. Read more
New Zealand inflict India’s first home Test series defeat in 13 years (AlJazeera)
India crashed to a humiliating three-day home defeat by 113 runs in the second Test in Pune on Saturday as New Zealand became the first touring team to seal a series win in the country for 13 years.
It was also the Kiwis’ first series win India and comes after they ended a 38-year wait for a Test win in India in the first match of the series.
India’s second innings total of 255, having been set a target of 359, was bolstered by number nine Ravindra Jadeja’s 42 as he led a comeback from 167-7. The star of the show was New Zealand’s left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner who claimed six wickets to take his total for the match to 13. Read more