Joblessness made me join police –Retired ASP, Ajisafe (Punch)
A 65-year-old retired Assistant Superintendent of Police, Olufemi Ajisafe, has spoken about his experience and regrets in the Nigeria Police Force, saying that joblessness made him join the force
He said, “I came from a poor background; my father was a bicycle repairer, and my mother was a petty trader. When I was in school, I wasn’t even privileged to go further in my education. I came down from Ikole-Ekiti to Lagos to work as a factory worker. I was later laid off, and that was what prompted me to become a policeman.
“I attended St. Saviors African Primary School, now known as our Savior Primary School, between 1963 and 1970. I attended St. Michael Anglican Modern School from 1971 to 1972; then I went to Egbe-Oba High School from 1973 to 1977, all in Ikole-Ekiti. When I finished my secondary school I went to work as an apprentice, then I came down to Lagos and worked with Bata Nigeria Limited.Read more
Teni: I really want to be a billionaire(Nation)
Nigerian Superstar, Teni Apata has shared how she hopes to be a billionaire and live a better legacy for her children the same way her late father did for her.
Teni made this known on an Instagram live interview recently with a financial firm.
Disclosing her future financial journey plans, the ‘Billionaire’ singer said “I want to be a billionaire for real. When I sang that song, I wasn’t joking, I love life, I love to enjoy, I love taking care of my people, I love to take care of my family, I love to be able to give a helping hand, and honestly if you love to help you have to have some kind of money”.
Noting what she would do if she becomes a billionaire, she said, “First of all I will give scholarships to people because I went to school with some international students and I know that sometimes they could not pay their school fees, that’s another area I will focus on, another is housing, they shouldn’t be homeless people, give people free houses and then expose them to helping them harnessing their skills, once they can stand on their own let them go bring new people in, but you need funding for these things so I have to have money and always be wealthy”.
The ‘Uyo Meyo’ singer recounted how her parents taught her to be financially free and how the teachings helped her in managing her finances. Read more
Men are polygamous by nature –Nkechi Blessing (Sun)
Nollywood actress, Nkechi Blessing Sunday will never quit her marriage because of infidelity; rather she would stay back and fight for what she loves.
In an encounter with Saturday Sun, the curvy actress said, “First of all, God won’t give me a cheating partner and if eventually he cheats, it is never enough for me to leave my marriage. I do not support cheating because no woman wants to share her husband, but these are things that one cannot control. Men are polygamous by nature. If I see signs, I would have a heart-to-heart talk with him and also adjust my ways. I know humans cannot be satisfied but I have to keep doing my best. There are a lot of attractive females everywhere, so it takes the grace of God for a man to stay faithful to a woman. However, the only situation that will make me pack my load and leave is when a man hits me.”
Nkechi, who has recently been flaunting her lover on social media, says further that she is not scared of home breakers. Read more
More than a month after Ikoyi high-rise collapse, family awaits news on breadwinner’s whereabouts (Guardian)
Engr. Oladunni Ogunfuwa, one of the workers at the collapsed Ikoyi high-rise building in October
Adejuwon Ogunfuwa’s husband Oladuni was an engineer working on the site of a high-rise that collapsed on Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, in October.
She had called her husband who often resumed work there on Monday to return home on Fridays. He did not pick. That, she said, “was the beginning of the ugly story that refused to end.”
“All of a sudden, I received a call from one of our pastors who had heard the news of the collapsed building,” Adejuwon told The Guardian.
“He (the pastor) knows that my husband worked at a site in the Island, but was not sure which particular one. He asked if I had heard from him. He told me he had called his phone but it was switched off.” Read more
Katsina Deputy Speaker’s sister escapes after 105 days in captivity (DailyTrust)
The younger sister of Katsina Deputy Speaker, Hon. Shehu Dalhatu Tafoki, has escaped from bandits’ den after 105 days in captivity.
Confirming the development, the lawmaker said she escaped during a military onslaught on the enclave where she was kept.
Asma’u Dalhatu was abducted on September 4, when bandits stormed Tafoki village in Faskari local government area of Katsina state.
They stormed the town around 1 am and headed straight to the village head’s residence, which is the family house of the Dalhatus.
They had kidnapped Asma’u and her sister.Read more
Court remands pastor, wife, daughter over murder of 7-year-old in Ekiti (Guardian)
An Ekiti State Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, remanded a pastor, Olajiga Banji (63), his wife Olajiga Victoria (57) and daughter, Olajiga Sikemi (31), at the Nigeria Correctional Centre, Ado Ekiti.
The Chief Magistrate, Michael Faola ordered the defendants to be remanded in the Nigeria Correctional Centre pending issuance of legal advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The police prosecutor, Inspector Bamikole Olasunkanmi, said the defendants on December 6, 2021, were reasonably suspected to have committed an offence of murder and negligence, leading to the death of 7-year-old Demilade Fadare in Adehun Area of Ado Ekiti.
According to the police prosecutor, the deceased father, Fadare Oluwasola, explained after searching for Demilade, who went to buy pap for their breakfast on a fateful day, got the information at the Police Station that the body of his daughter was found in their neighbour’s house in a cooler with a trace of her blood on the floor. Read more
South West monarchs to meet on insecurity in region — Owa of ldanre (Vanguard)
Monarchs in the Southwest would soon converge to fashion out means to tackle insecurity unconventionally in the region.
The Owa of Idanre kingdom, Oba Fredrick Aroloye said this when the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi paid him a visit during his 45th coronation anniversary.
Oba Aroloye charged the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi on the need to arrest the spate of insecurity in the region through unconventional means.
He said “It’s documented that you, Ooni of Ife, are the Arole of Oduduwa. I have many documents here with me to prove that.
” You have many vital roles to play now at this point in time. There’s insecurity in Yorubaland. We need to tackle this unconventional way. Read more
I watched bandits burn my 4 kids, mum in Sokoto —injured victim (Tribune)
A 30-year-old widow, Hajiya Shafa’atu, has narrated how bandits attacked a vehicle she was travelling in on Monday at a location in Sabon Birni Local Government of Sokoto State and murdered her four children, mother and some relatives of hers.
Shafa’atu, who spoke to newsmen at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, where she was being treated for the injuries she sustained during the attack, said she and the other passengers were on their way to Kaduna State when they came under heavy fire from the bandits.
According to the young widow, she was travelling with her four children, mother, immediate younger brother, a niece and a nephew when the incident happened on Sabon Birni-Isa Road. Read more
Censors board, stakeholders move to ban smoking in movies (Punch)
The National Film and Video Censors Board has commenced engagement with practitioners and stakeholders in the movie and entertainment industry to enforce the law banning smoking in movies.
Executive Director, NFVCB, Adedayo Thomas, made this known on Saturday while presenting a communique at the end of the entertainment industry stakeholders’ roundtable in Lagos.
The roundtable focused on the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and the National Tobacco Control Regulations 2019 in Lagos, as they relate to the movie and entertainment industry, generally.
Thomas said that the engagement is geared towards ensuring that practitioners in the movie industry adhered to no-smoking laws in Nigerian movies, among other relevant laws of the country.
The meeting was hosted by NFVCB with technical support from Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa.Read more
Metallica’s 40th anniversary concerts will stream live on Amazon(NME)
Metallica fans outside San Francisco will be able to watch the metal titans’ 40th anniversary shows next week, as both will stream live via Amazon.
Both gigs are set to go down at the Chase Center next week – the first on Friday December 17, then the second on Sunday 19 – with limited tickets still available via Ticketmaster. For those unable to attend in the flesh, however, the sets will be streamed live, free of charge, on Amazon’s Twitch account. They’ll also stream for Amazon members globally on the shopping giant’s Amazon Music and Prime Video platforms.
Following the streams (which will begin at 9pm PT on both nights, which is 5am GMT), 2022 will see Metallica release the sets for on-demand viewing on the Prime Video channel The Coda Collection. A concrete release date for that launch is yet to be announced.
As part of their partnership with Amazon, Metallica have linked up with DJ Mode on Amazon Music to launch their own temporary radio station, The Metallica Takeover. It’ll be available exclusively to Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers and Prime members; per the band’s website, it’ll feature “exclusive interviews and other features giving listeners something unique each time they tune in”.Read more
Inauguration poet Amanda Gorman ‘preserves the memory of a pandemic’ in new collection(Guardian)
Amanda Gorman, who became the youngest inauguration poet in US history when Joe Biden was sworn in as president, says she is attempting to “preserve the public memory of a pandemic” in a new collection published this week.
Gorman shot into the public eye when she recited her poem The Hill We Climb at the inauguration in January, speaking of how “there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it, / If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
A selection of her early work was published by a small press in 2015, but this first major collection, Call Us What We Carry, which was published on Tuesday by Chatto & Windus in the UK, includes both Gorman’s inaugural poem and her response to Covid-19.
In Fugue, she writes: “Every cough seemed catastrophe, / Every proximate person a potential peril”, capturing how “we fell heart-first into the news, / Head-first, dread-first …” Read more
Lin-Manuel Miranda on his songwriting process and Filipino connection(ABS-CBN)
Just like he conquered Broadway, Lin-Manuel Miranda is poised to also make a significant impact in Hollywood as his films are in contention for major trophies this award season.
His directorial debut, the musical ‘tick, tick… BOOM!’ is in the running in the best film and best director categories. His songs in ‘Encanto: A Magical World’ are also gaining notice.
“Whenever I wasn’t working on ‘tick, tick, BOOM!’ I was doing ‘Encanto.’ We did our first research trip to Colombia in 2018 and we came back from there so inspired with all these musical inspirations and story inspirations, and so it really began in 2018 and probably finished what feels like five minutes ago. We were really writing kind of down to the wire, I would say, April or May of this year,” Miranda said.
Miranda also shared his songwriting process for ‘Dos Oruguitas,’ the main song of ‘Encanto.’Read more
Dhanush on working with Russo Brothers for “The Gray Man” (OutlookIndia)
South star Dhanush, who makes his Hollywood debut with filmmaker duo Anthony and Joe Russo’s ‘The Gray Man’, said he always wanted to try his hand at foreign films but never expected to be working with the directors of ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
Dhanush is part of an ensemble cast of the Netflix film, which includes popular names like Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Rege-Jean Page, Jessica Henwick, Billy Bob Thornton and Wagner Moura.
The action-thriller movie is based on Mark Greaney’s 2009 novel of the same name and revolves around a freelance assassin and former CIA operative Court Gentry (Gosling).
It follows Gentry as he is hunted across the world by Lloyd Hansen (Evans), a former member of Gentry’s CIA team.
Dhanush, known for critically-acclaimed movies such as ‘Aadukalam’, ‘Raanjhanaa’, ‘Asuran’ and ‘Karnan’, expressed his excitement to be working on ‘The Gray Man’.
“It is way too early to talk about it. I loved the experience of working on it. It has been a very good learning experience for me,” the 38-year-old actor, who is in the city to promote his upcoming Hindi movie ‘Atrangi Re’, said the actor.
Asked if he ever had the desire to be working on such a huge project, the two-time National Award-winning actor said he was indeed keen on discovering new territories as a performer.
“I always wanted to explore new territories. But I was not expecting this to happen. It is an interesting opportunity, which might open new doors for me,” Dhanush added.
The actor previously featured in 2018’s English-language movie ‘The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir’, directed by Ken Scott. Read more
Brooke Shields says child prostitute film “Pretty Baby” ‘wouldn’t be made now’ and ‘that’s a tremendous loss’ (Independent)
Brooke Shields has reflected on playing a child prostitute in the 1978 film Pretty Baby.
The American actor, now 56, was 11 when she starred in Louis Malle’s film as a child who grows up in a brothel and is then auctioned off to the highest bidder.
She was filmed naked and her mother, Teri, received widespread criticism for allowing her daughter to be in the film.
Speaking in a new interview with The Times Magazine, Shields said she believes elements of post-#MeToo protectiveness have gone too far.
“I think it’s too much,” she said. “You look at movies such as Pretty Baby, you look at Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet or you look at any coming of age movie that Louis Malle did, like Au Revoir les Enfants or Lacombe, Lucien or whatever. There was always a sexual element to them. Read more
Billy Bob Thornton was so drunk in 1 ‘Bad Santa’ scene he fell asleep standing up (ShowbizCheatSheet)
Billy Bob Thornton is an artist who has worked in a wide variety of genres. An author, performance artist, musician, and actor, Thornton first rose to fame for his work in the critically-acclaim film Sling Blade, portraying Karl Childers. However, a whole other generation of fans knows Thornton for his leading role in the iconic comedy film Bad Santa. One of those movies that made an immediate impact, Bad Santa remains a holiday classic to this day—likely, in some fashion, due to the serious commitment to character that Thornton displayed behind the scenes.
By the time Bad Santa was released in 2003, Thornton was already a major star. However, in his role as a department store Santa Claus who has a fondness for whiskey, Thornton became an even bigger force to be reckoned with in Hollywood. As Thornton once revealed, he got in character by actually imbibing quite a bit before filming started.
As reported by BuzzFeed, Thornton once admitted that there was one scene, in particular, where he showed up completely drunk. It was the scene in which his character has a drunken meltdown at the mall and attacks a decorative donkey. In preparation for that scene, the actor drank three glasses of red wine, a vodka and cranberry juice, and then a few beers. “By the time I got to that scene there, I barely knew I was in a movie,” Thornton joked. He also admitted to being drunk for the scene when he rides an escalator, at one point falling asleep while standing up, only to be jolted awake when he reached the top. Ultimately, the take turned out perfect and that was the one that was used in the finished film. Read more
‘Today we lost a punk rock legend’ – Tributes pour in after death of Angelic Upstarts frontman Mensi (ShieldsGazette)
Thomas Mensforth, known as Mensi and understood to be in his 60s, died in hospital where he had been bravely fighting Covid for some time.
The band’s official Facebook page announced his death on Friday, December 10.
In a post they said: “Today we lost a punk rock legend. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and all those he inspired.”
The band had earlier provided an update to fans on Monday, December 6 after a message from Mensi’s family to say he was in intensive care but was fighting every day.
He was the frontman of the Angelic Upstarts who formed in South Shields in 1977 and were hailed as one of the first street-punk bands. Read more
James Bond boss responds to fan theories about the next 007 (DigitalSpy)
No Time To Die marks the end of an era as Daniel Craig bids farewell to his incarnation of the titular spy and the beginning of renewed speculation regarding who could take over the role.
From Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding to The Witcher’s Henry Cavill and No Time To Die star Lashana Lynch, the future direction of the franchise – especially in terms of increasing representation and diversity – has caused much debate amongst fans.
But one recent theory gaining traction is that James Bond and Madeleine Swann’s daughter, Mathilde, could take over the mantle from her father as the next 007.
Producer Michael G Wilson wouldn’t give anything specific away in a recent interview on the No Time To Die: The Official James Bond Podcast, but did acknowledge that all theories are “valid”. Read more
Weightlifting: Edidiong wins Nigeria’s 6th medal at world championship (Leadership)
Edidiong Umoafia yesterday won silver medal in men’s 67kg category at the ongoing International Weightlifting Federation, (IWF) World Championship in Uzbekistan which also serves as 2022 Commonwealth Games qualifier.
Edidiong won the medal in the Commonwealth Championship thereby increasing Nigeria’s medal haul to 6 currently.
The 19 years old won silver in the Commonwealth Championship in the 67kg with a total lift of 295kg.
He was placed 12th position in the IWF World Championship.
He joined Stella Kingsley (gold) and Olarinoye Adenike Adijat (gold) who all won Commonwealth Championship Gold at the competition. Read more
Eto’o elected head of the Cameroon Football Federation (Guardian)
Former international Samuel Eto’o has been elected president of the Cameroon Football Federation, the body announced on Saturday.
The former Barcelona and Inter Milan star gained 43 votes to beat acting president Seidou Mbombo Njoya, who collected 31.
The vote was held after the Court of Arbitration for Sport in January annulled Njoya’s victory in a 2018 election.
When filing his candidacy on November 17, Eto’o, a four-time African footballer of the year, said: “I will be the next president of the federation despite all the cheating.”
Eto’o said Njoya, who he supported in 2018, had “failed miserably”.
Cameroon will host the African Cup of Nations in January, a tournament delayed a year by the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more
Simon Moses stunner completes Nantes comeback; Godwin Mensha the best in the PGPL (Soccernet)
The Nigerian international was the hero for the Canaries on Friday night in a five-goal Ligue 1 thriller
Simon Moses came off the substitute bench to net an excellent winning goal as Nantes came from a two-goal deficit to beat Lens 3-2 at the Stade de la Beaujoire in a Ligue 1 game week 18 encounter.
After an excellent start to the season, which saw him contribute a goal and five assists in his first eight league matches, Moses had endured a torrid time in recent weeks.
The Super Eagles winger had only managed just one assist in his last eight games and was under public scrutiny ahead of Friday evening’s clash against high-flying. Read more
Club Brugge frustrated Dennis’ move to Man United, Arsenal — Agent (Guardian)
Manchester United and Arsenal both registered past interest in current Watford striker Emmanuel Dennis, his agent has claimed.
Dennis has dazzled for the Vicarage Road outfit after heading to the Premier League, having already scored six goals and recorded five assists.
He put pen to paper on a five-year deal with the club over the summer, but may have headed to either United or Arsenal if they had matched Club Brugge’s price tag.
However, both were put off by the £25million valuation slapped on the electric frontman – and Watford pounced themselves with a deal worth just £3.4m. Read more
Kuzuhara, Colby advance to semifinals of Orange Bowl Tennis Championships (MiamiHerald)
Enjoying a hometown advantage, second-seeded Bruno Kuzuhara joined fellow American Ryan Colby in the final four of the boys’ 18s in the Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships Friday afternoon at Veltri Tennis Center in Plantation.
Kuzuhara, 17, who emigrated from Sao Paulo, Brazil, with his parents to Broward County when he was 1, eked out a tight first set before dispatching the 10th-seeded Coleman Wong of Hong Kong, 6-4, 6-1.
“I travel a lot to play so I rarely get to play and go back home every day,” said Kuzuhara, a longtime resident of Coconut Creek, whose parents have a Japanese background. “I have lots of friends and family cheering me on and giving me support.
“The first set was back and forth with very few break points, but at 4-5, I hit a good deep return and he missed it for the break. In the second set I kept telling myself to stay in there mentally and my opportunity will come.” Read more
Record-breaking 8 catches for Carey (TheWestAustralian)
Alex Carey has enjoyed a record-breaking Test debut to cherish forever, snaffling eight catches at the Gabba before opening the batting.
Carey replaced Tim Paine behind the stumps in the Ashes opener, becoming the first Australian wicketkeeper to start their Test career on home soil since Adam Gilchrist.
The South Australian’s glove work was tidy throughout the lopsided match.
Carey was rewarded with five edges in England’s second innings, bringing his match tally to eight catches. Read more
Hong Kong rugby: Tigers go third after late win over Kowloon (SCMP)
A moment of inspiration from USRC Tigers’ scrum-half Liam Slatem in the dying seconds of a pulsating encounter at King’s Park was enough to give his side a narrow 15-13 win over DAC Kowloon on Friday night.
The Hong Kong captain’s quick thinking from a penalty inside his own half caused chaos in the Kowloon defence, and when they infringed for a second time Jake Myers slotted over the penalty sealing an impressive comeback.
Victory moved Tigers temporarily into third in the Dettol Men’s Premiership ahead of Saturday’s matches, while the losing bonus point means Kowloon remain second no matter what happens around them.
It was the second time in two weeks that Tigers have won at the death, and while delighted with the result Lewis Evans, their director of rugby, said it was not part of the plan. Read more