I’ve ‘resigned’ from impregnating women — 2Baba (DailyTrust)
Award-winning Nigerian artist, Innocent Idibia popularly known as 2Baba, has announced that he has resigned from impregnating women.
Tuface said this while performing one of his hit songs, “True Love”, during the Idoma carnival in Benue State, asking his audience repeatedly “where is my true love?”
Low response from them, prompted him to make the statement.
He said in pidgin, “I see say some babe dey fear to shout for that side. Abeg, make una no fear to shout, I no dey give belle like that again, I don stop. Ask anybody, they will tell you I am Innocent Idibia. I no dey do that kind thing again. No be small thing, I don resign for that kind matter.”(sic)
Currently, Tuface has seven children, his previous relationship with his baby mama Pero had produced three kids, with Sumbo Adeoye the singer has two kids.
He is married to a Nigerian Actress, Annie and their union has been blessed with two kids. Read more
NSCDC arrests 35-year-old woman for stealing 22 goats in Bauchi (Punch)
A 35-year-old woman, Zainab Malam Barka, of Madara district of katagum Local Government Area, has been arrested by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Bauchi State Command for allegedly stealing goats.
The Public Relations Officer of the Command in the state, Garkuwa Adamu, who paraded Zainab alongside others, explained that she specialises in stealing goats with the help of a 50-year old Usman Abubakar.
He said preliminary investigation revealed that she stole 22 goats in two batches with the first batch of 8 goats stolen on 23rd December, 2021 and taken to Hardawa market where she sold them at the rate of N77, 000.
He added that, a week later, she went back to the same location and stole 14 goats which she took to Misau market for sale as usual.
According to him, luck however ran out of her and she was arrested by NSCDC personnel attached to Misau Division. Read more
Customs intercepts 30,000 litres of PMS in Lagos (Leadership)
The Seme command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on Thursday said it intercepted 30,150 litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) also known as petrol at the verge of being smuggled into neighbouring Benin Republic.
The command’s public relations officer, Hussaini Abdullahi in a statement made available to Leadership, said the interception was in continuation of the command’s efforts to suppress smuggling of petroleum products out of the country.
Abdullahi, however, said the smuggled petroleum products were intercepted along the creeks within Seme and Badagry.
He said, “In continuation of our efforts to suppress smuggling of petroleum products within nooks and crannies of the command, officers and men of the Seme area command on a routine patrol along the creeks within Seme and Badagry intercepted another large quantity of petroleum products in sacks. Read more
Lagos Pilgrims Board gets new members, secretary (Nation)
Lagos State Governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has appointed Mr Shakir Ayinde Gafar, an engineer as the Chairman of Lagos State Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board.
A statement by the Head of Service, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola said the governor also appointed Imam AbdulHakeem Kosoko as the Executive Secretary of the board. Other members of the board are Dr Fausat Dabiri; Alhaji Yusuf Ara; Dr AbdulKabir Paramole; Lola Shonibare and Alhaji Mojeed Sanni.
The statement stated that the new Board Chairman and members are to serve for a renewable period of three years as provided in the extant laws with effect from January 1, 2022.
The appointment, the statement said, followed the expiration of the tenure of office of the previous members. Read more
We’re in Nigeria to serve public conversation —Twitter (Tribune)
Twitter has expressed delight that its services have been fully restored to Nigeria, affirming that just as in other countries of the world, its presence is to serve public conversation.
It gave the stand in a tweet Thursday via the handle @ Policy, saying that the company is committed to Nigeria.
Titled ‘Twitter public policy,’ the microblogging site explained in the tweet that Twitter is used by people for commerce, cultural engagement, and civic participation.
It said, “We are pleased that Twitter has been restored for everyone in Nigeria. Our mission in Nigeria and around the world is to serve the public conversation.
“We are deeply committed to Nigeria, where Twitter is used by people for commerce, cultural engagement, and civic participation.” Read more
Why Nigerians should not wear military camouflage – General Irabor (Channels)
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has advised Nigerians to shun the use of camouflage for now, although it is not against the law for civilians to wear military gear.
For the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, the present security situation does not allow the use of military gear by people who are not personnel of the DHQ.
He gave the clarification on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, in reaction to a question about the crackdown on the use of military gear by civilians.
“The criminals among us have had to take advantage of the military, police, and other security agencies’ gear to perpetrate crime,” said General Irabor.
Nigerian Government inaugurates 23-member EFCC board (VON)
A 23-member board of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC has been inaugurated in Abuja.
Performing the inauguration on behalf of the Nigerian Government, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, congratulated members on their appointment which he said, was a demonstration of the confidence of the President in their integrity, intellectual abilities and competence to contribute to the mandate of the Commission.
“You are, however, required to put in your best to combat financial and economic crimes in the country. The Commission is empowered to prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalize economic and financial crimes and is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of other laws and regulations relating to economic and financial crimes, as well as fight terrorism
“I therefore expect that all hands will be on deck to generate robust policy initiatives that will help this administration achieve its fight against corruption and revamp the economy. Similarly, in carrying out your responsibility as Board Members, you must also eschew corruption totally as the Government will not hesitate to sanction all infractions,” he said.
Tokunbo Toriola honours 11 participants at the 3rd edition Of Ibarapa debate competition (Independent)
As part of giving back to his community, Hon. Tokunbo Toriola has honoured 11 participants at the just concluded grand finale of the Idere-Update annual Inter-community debate competition held at the Femadex Royal Gardens and Hotel, Idere.
Toriola, who was a special guest at the event, awarded an undisclosed cash gift to the 11 out of the 14 participants as a way of commending them for a job well done.
He said “Although three contestants emerged as the ultimate winner; but it was necessary to appreciate the others who could not make the final three as a way of encouraging them to put in their best for coming competitions.”
Hon. Tokunbo Toriola is a Seasoned Sustainable Agriculture, Procurement and Supply chain professional with demonstrated expertise in the procurement of Agricultural commodities, storage of raw materials, work-in-process inventory, and the flow of agricultural goods from point of origin to the point of consumption. Read more
Rele Arts Foundation unites Africans with Lagos exhibition (Sun)
Four young contemporary Nigerians, a Ghanaian and a Zimbabwean artist, are currently exhibiting 32 works of art in different media at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos State. The exhibition opened on Sunday, January 9, 2022,and runs till February 5.
The Young Contemporaries 2022 exhibition is organized by The Rele Arts Foundation, and it features Jessica Soares, Ayobami Ogungbe, Neec Nonso, Kenneth Oghenemaro, Michael Jackson Blebo and Nothando Chiwanga.
Some of the artworks include Ayobami Ogungbe’s Another Style, Be Like That, Eleyin ‘Ju ege, Ewa ibeji, Wolimo. Jessica Soares’ include Esther, Her Mother’s Daughter, Make Believe, Nnene, My Mother’s Mother, and The Beret, Uncertain. Kenneth Oghenemaro’s works are Beam Me Up, Finding Air (I) and (II), The Alternate Fall (I) and (II), The Ameliorator. Michael Jackson Blebo’s works include Fully Empty, In My Dreams, Romance of Time, Solitude, and Urban Commons. Neec Nonso’s works are Abiku, Babatunde, The Last Supper, Yéwande, Babarinde and Egungun. Nothando Chiwanga’s works include Hunhu Wandinoda, Kupira gotsi, Mwenga wacho, and Yakakwana here.
Initiated in 2016, the programme identifies, mentors and promotes emerging and early career artists from Africa by equipping them with tools and resources for artistic development. Each year, the Foundation guides artists through its Bootcamp/ residency programme towards the creation of critical projects, encouraging innovative explorations of existing inquiries, as well as the birth of fresh ideas. Read more
SON gets new ISO certification to check cybercrimes (Punch)
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria has unveiled plans to checkmate cyber crimes with its ISO 27001 Information Security Management Systems Courses certification.
The certification is aimed at standardising the nation’s Information Technology sector.
Director-General, SON, Mallam Farouk Salim, made this known in a report generated from the agency’s certification validation exercise made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos.
Salim said obtaining the certification was to checkmate hacking and other cyber crimes which had led to huge financial losses, worth over N200 billion annually. Read more
Britney Spears and sister Jamie Lynn’s rift grows with social media feud (BBC)
Britney Spears and her sister Jamie Lynn have become engaged in a public dispute over a recent TV interview and the pair’s past relationship.
The singer accused her younger sibling of using the interview on Wednesday to promote her new book “at my expense”.
Britney said Jamie Lynn had “never had to work for anything” and the family “love to pull me down and hurt me”.
Jamie Lynn said Britney’s statements were “absolutely not the truth” and she was “always here” for her sister.
The 30-year-old also said she had to explain to her children “why our family continues to get death threats, as a result of their aunt’s vague and accusatory posts, especially when we know she could tell the truth”. Read more
NBC orders pilot for ‘Quantum Leap’ sequel series (UPI)
NBC has announced it ordered a pilot for a sequel to its science-fiction series, Quantum Leap.
“It’s been 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished,” the network said in a press release Thursday.
“Now a new team has been assembled to restart the project in the hopes of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it.”
No casting has been announced yet. Read more
Kofi Kinaata reveals why he has no album out yet (MyJoy)
Highlife musician and songwriter, Kofi Kinaata has disclosed why he has no album yet.
According to the Takoradi-based musician, his delay in releasing an album is that most songs on albums do not get the necessary attention they deserve.
He explained that “a song like ‘Thy Grace’ wouldn’t do well on an album because, in this Ghana that we are, people don’t have the attitude of listening to albums.”
“They will just pick one danceable song, play it on air and make it popular and people will dance to it. They don’t even listen to the lyrics. Somebody will be dancing to a song for like 6 months and he doesn’t know what they are saying in there,” he said on E Vibes. Read more
Kendrick Lamar working on movie with ‘South Park’ co-creators (HipHopDX)
2022 has been pegged as the year Kendrick Lamar will make his long-awaited return to music with a brand new album, following up 2017’s Pulitzer Prize-winning DAMN. But the Compton native’s first move of the new year finds him branching out beyond rap.
According to Deadline, Kendrick is entering the movie industry by co-producing an upcoming live-action comedy film for Paramount Pictures alongside his former longtime manager Dave Free and South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
Written by Vernon Chatman, the untitled movie is about a young Black man interning as a slave reenactor at a living history museum who discovers that his white girlfriend’s ancestors once owned his.
“On behalf of Paramount Pictures and the wider ViacomCBS family, we look forward to ushering in the first theatrical collaboration from these creative visionaries, and galvanizing audiences worldwide around a powerful storytelling experience,” said Paramount Pictures’ President & CEO, Brian Robbins. Read more
Thomas Rhett is releasing a new album ‘Where We Started’ (TheTennesean)
On April 1, Thomas Rhett will release “Where We Started,” his follow-up studio album to 2021’s ?”Country Again: Side A.” It’s the sixth album in the three-time Academy of Country Music Awards Male Artist of the Year’s decade-long mainstream career that has yielded nearly 20 multi-platinum and gold-selling number-one hits.
Notably, pop superstar Katy Perry is the guest on the album’s title song and closing track “Where We Started.” It’s a roots-style duet that offers a sentimental, honest, and autobiographical reflection on the romance between Rhett and his wife of nine years, Lauren Akins. Riley Green, Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, and Russell Dickerson will be featured as album collaborators.
In a recent Zoom conversation, the acclaimed performer noted that he’d written nearly 200 songs over the past five years. Some of them were part of “Country Again: Side A,” whereas others have found their way to his forthcoming album. Logic would state that Rhett would call his follow-up album “Country Again: Side B.” However, he highlights this album’s title track — written with his frequent co-writers Jon Bellion, Jesse Frasure, and Ashely Gorley — as “[spurring] a lot of other songs…that made the project different,” he says. “This will be a versatile record with a song for everyone,” he continues.
His marriage — which celebrates its tenth anniversary in 2022 — is a consistent theme on the record, as other tracks like current country radio single “Slow Down Summer,” plus “Bass Pro Hat,” “Bring the Bar,” “Paradise,” “The Hill,” “Mama’s Front Door,” and “Us Someday” address how his love for his partner has endured and grown. Read more
Denzel Washington wants A Man On Fire musical (Unilad)
If Denzel Washington could bring one of his films to the stage, he’d choose Man on Fire.
A man can be an artist in anything, food, whatever. It depends on how good he is at it. Washington’s art is acting, and with 2004’s Man on Fire, he painted his masterpiece.
Directed by Tony Scott, it stars the Oscar-winner as John W. Creasy, a former CIA officer hired by a wealthy family in Mexico to protect their daughter, Pita (Dakota Fanning), amid a spate of brutal kidnappings. When she’s taken, he hunts down the gang responsible. ‘I’m gonna kill ’em; anyone who was involved, anybody who profited from it, anybody who opens their eyes at me.’
Critics weren’t so warm to the film upon release, but it’s since enjoyed a reappraisal as one of Scott and Washington’s most underrated efforts – probably because it was already phenomenal in the first place. He sticks a bomb up a man’s butt and shoots an RPG into the middle of a street – if you’re not having fun, what’s wrong with you? Read more
Euro Cinema Group predicts 75% box office growth in 2022 (THR)
European cinema group UNIC is predicting a major box office bounceback this year, forecasting ticket revenue across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) could jump 75 percent to $7.8 billion.
The blockbuster success of Marvel/Disney superhero tentpole Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as strong local titles, including French comedy Les Tuches 4 and Russian fantasy adventure drama Posledniy bogatyr 3, have raised hopes that 2022 could mark the end of the coronavirus pandemic plunge at the European box office.
Spider-Man, which became the first film released after the start of the pandemic to earn more than $1.5 billion at the global box office, brought audiences back to theaters en masse across Europe. The movie, starring Tom Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch and Zendaya, has taken in more than $105 million in the U.K. and Ireland, some $55 million in France and more than $41 million in Russia.
“Having faced the unprecedented challenges of the COVID pandemic, 2021 saw cinemas across the globe move swiftly along the road to recovery, with all signs suggesting that 2022 will be a pivotal year for the industry,” the UNIC said Friday. “Across Europe in particular, last year saw significant gains in 2020 box office revenues as cinema audiences flocked back to an exciting and diverse slate of new releases.” Read more
Okocha lauds Eguavoen, Moses Simon (Sun)
Three-time AFCON champions Nigeria outplayed the tournaments’ record seven-time winners to make a strong statement of intent at AFCON 2021 in Cameroon.
“This is the Nigeria that we want to see, going out there dominating games and showing their ability to compete especially when it comes to their understanding about the tactical side of the game,” Okocha told SuperSport.
Okocha added that interim Super Eagles coach Austin Eguavoen has found that element that was previously missing in the team.
“Eguavoen got it right. He got the right balance and we played as we should be playing, which is dominating possession and dominating the physical side of the game,” Okocha said. Read more
Arsenal in talks with Premier League over whether Spurs game can go ahead (Guardian)
Arsenal and the Premier League are in discussions regarding whether Sunday’s north London derby will go ahead, with Mikel Arteta’s side heavily affected by injuries and Covid-19.
At least 12 players could be unavailable for the match at Tottenham and, with the league’s rules stating a game can be called off if a team are unable to field 13 outfield players and a goalkeeper, Arsenal are investigating whether they will be able to request a postponement.
Arsenal went into Thursday night’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool with eight first-teamers, four of whom are away at the Africa Cup of Nations, absent but their concerns have increased since then. Granit Xhaka will be suspended and Cédric Soares and Bukayo Saka picked up knocks at Anfield.
Martin Ødegaard was the only senior player known to be absent with coronavirus and the Premier League’s stance may be determined by the results of Covid-19 testing carried out at the club on Friday. Read more
Ranieri ‘confident’ in his Watford team ahead of important week (Football365)
Claudio Ranieri is feeling confident as Watford head into a huge week at the bottom of the Premier League table.
The Hornets are currently 17th in the table but have not won a match since their surprise 4-1 victory over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United on November 20.
Over a seven-day period starting on Saturday, Watford travel to Newcastle before taking on Burnley and Norwich in a week that could have a significant impact at the bottom of the table.
“Yes, this is a big game, big match for us, for them,” the Watford boss said. Read more
Martina Navratilova tells Novak Djokovic ‘go home’ and walk away from Australian Open (DailyStar)
Martina Navratilova has told Novak Djokovic to ‘go home’ and walk away from the Australian Open, following a controversial week for the Serbian.
Djokovic initially arrived in Melbourne last week, however he was detained on arrival by border force officials after his visa was rejected.
The world No. 1 was then moved to a quarantine hotel facility in the city, before having his initial rejection overturned by a court judge on Monday.
It seemed that despite entering the country unvaccinated against COVID-19, the Serbian was now set to compete in the Grand Slam despite this going against tournament and national ruling. Read more
Aston Martin appoint Mike Krack as team principal (BBC)
Aston Martin have appointed former BMW motorsport boss Mike Krack as team principal.
The move is part of the restructuring of Aston Martin as they seek to become one of the leading players in F1.
Krack joins Aston Martin after gaining extensive experience in motorsport management at BMW and Porsche. He has also been an engineer in F1 for Sauber.
The 49-year-old said his new role was “a challenge that I plan to embrace with energy and enthusiasm”. Read more
‘Never in a million years’: Tyson Fury dismisses Anthony Joshua’s chances of beating him (Independent)
Tyson Fury has dismissed the suggestion that he would be knocked out by Anthony Joshua, saying it would “never” happen “in a million years”.
The pair’s fellow British heavyweight Derek Chisora has been beaten by Fury and sparred with Joshua, and the 38-year-old has backed “AJ” to come out on top if he faces the “Gypsy King”.
Fury has taken exception to Chisora’s claim, however, insisting he would stop Joshua within three rounds.
“This is a message for Derek Chisora,” he said in a Twitter video. “I’ve just seen that you’ve said you think AJ would blast me out. Read more
Raheem Sterling wins Premier League Player of the Month for December (Punch)
Manchester City forward, Raheem Sterling, has been voted the Premier League Player of the Month for December.
The England international had scored five goals and provided one assist during a month where City won all seven Premier League games.
He won the award ahead of team-mate Joao Cancelo, who was also nominated.
He’s the first City player to win the award this season.
“I am delighted to win this award again – but December was an amazing month for the whole team,” he was quoted by City’s website. Read more