June 12: Nigerians are angry, PDP tells Tinubu (DailyTrust)
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of foisting hardship on Nigerians, saying the people are angry over the situation of the country.
The party also said the APC has desecrated the democratic principles, legacies and values which the late Chief MKO Abiola laboured and died for.
PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, charged Nigerians to use the occasion of this year’s Democracy Day to “speak against the anti-democratic tendencies of the APC which is asphyxiating, inflicting hardship, trampling on the Will and rights of the citizens and seeking to foist a totalitarian system on our nation”. Read more
Confusion in court as EFCC tenders Buhari’s approval of Naira redesign (ThisDay)
There was a slight confusion yesterday, as the federal government moved to tender documents showing that former President Muhammadu Buhari, approved the redesign of the nation’s currency in 2022.
The immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, is presently being prosecuted for redesigning the N200, N500 and N1,000 notes, allegedly without the approval of Buhari as well as that of the Board of Directors (BoD) of the CBN.
To prove its case against Emefiele, the anti-graft agency had on May 28, called a former Director of Currency Operations at the CBN, Mr. Ahmed Bello Umar. Read more
Minister writes HoS about sexual harassment allegations against Perm Sec (Channels)
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, has notified the Head of Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, about persisting allegations of sexual harassment against the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Ibrahim Lamuwa.
A married female employee of the ministry, through Femi Falana, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and her lawyer, informed Tuggar of Lamuwa’s alleged sexual advances.
According to a letter to Yemi-Esan dated May 27, Tuggar felt it necessary to write to her following the “gravity of the matter”. Read more
Lagos gears up for Yoruba Week celebration (Punch)
The Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Art, and Culture is concluding plans to unveil the grand Yoruba Week celebration, slated for September 2024.
A statement on Tuesday noted that the event will showcase the cultural heritage of the Yoruba people through traditional music, dance, art exhibitions, and delectable culinary delights.
“With Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu now the esteemed Chairman of the South-West Governors’ Forum, this year’s Yoruba Week is destined to be a majestic celebration of unity and culture,” the statement said. Read more
PDP suspends party chieftain in Alimosho indefinitely (Vanguard)
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the Alimosho local government of Lagos State, has announced the indefinite suspension of the former state chairman of the party, Mr Segun Adewale, also known as Aeroland, for anti-party atrocities.
Aeroland, suspended by the party for one month in 2021 for anti-party activities, was declared suspended indefinitely.
Fielding questions from newsmen at the party secretariat on Tuesday, the chairman of the party in Alimosho Alhaji Shodiya Isiaka, disclosed that the matter was reported to the elder council to explore the crisis-resolving mechanism embedded within the party. Read more
Fire guts Kano Polytechnic’s department building (Channels)
Fire has gutted the School of Technology at Kano State Polytechnic located on Matan Fada Road in Kano metropolis.
The fire engulfed the entire Department of Art and Industrial Design building on Tuesday.
An eyewitness, Abba Ahmed, said the fire was noticed around 5am as the intensity could not let them put out the fire. Read more
Reps urge NASS to intervene in Plateau Assembly impasse (Vanguard)
The House of Representatives has urged the Leadership of the National Assembly (NASS) to intervene in the crisis that has bedeviled the Plateau House of Assembly.
They also want NASS to ensure that the remaining members-elect of the Plateau House of Assembly were sworn-in for equity, fairness and justice.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Ahmed Wase (APC-Plateau) during plenary in Abuja on Tuesday. Read more
Footage of Sexyy Red’s wild brawl at Newark Liberty International Airport surfaces (Vibe)
Sexyy Red was involved in a brawl at Newark Liberty International on Saturday (June 8) and now a video has surfaced showing the entire ordeal.
TMZ shared the clip on Tuesday (June 11), showing the “Skee Yee” rapper and her entourage getting into it with another group, which resulted in multiple arrests. In the video, the St. Louis star can be seen walking up with a stanchion as if she was preparing to hit someone with it.
Fortunately, a guy can be seen pulling her away, keeping her from getting into the thick of it. However, it appears that Red, né Janae Nierah Wherry, stepped out of frame and continued to possibly get physical. Read more
Gucci Mane mourns death of ex-1017 rapper Enchanting: ‘‘A True Star’’ (HipHopDX)
Gucci Mane is mourning the loss of his former 1017 artist Enchanting, amid news the rapper has died.
The Shade Room, citing the rapper’s team, attributed the rapper’s death to “a reported overdose.”
The rapper’s sister said early on Tuesday (June 11) that Enchanting was in the intensive care unit, before later confirming she’d passed. Read more
Kevin Spacey says he’s losing his home due to debt from legal bills (People)
Kevin Spacey is losing his Baltimore home due to debt, according to the actor.
On Tuesday, June 11, the Usual Suspects alum, 64, appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored, where he discussed his ongoing legal troubles. A preview of the interview was shared on social media ahead of the episode’s airing.
“Where do you live now?” Morgan, 59, asked his guest in the clip shared to X (formerly known as Twitter). Read more
Dwayne Johnson suffers injury on set of “The Smashing Machine” (Standard)
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed he has suffered an elbow injury while filming his new wrestling drama “The Smashing Machine”.
The US biographical sports film sees Johnson as former wrestler and mixed martial artist Mark Kerr, opposite British star Emily Blunt as his on-screen wife Dawn Staples and Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk – who recently beat Tyson Fury to become world heavyweight champion.“Any time your film is called The Smashing Machine, you’re kind of going to get smashed up,” US actor Johnson said in a video on Instagram. Read more
Simon Cowell wishes he could still profit off One Direction (NME)
Simon Cowell has opened up about the possibility of One Direction reuniting, and explained why he wishes he had ownership of the band name.
The music mogul and talent show judge opened up about the boy band during a recent interview on Stephen Bartlett’s The Diary Of A CEO podcast, where he looked back at his time forming the band on the 2010 series of The X Factor.
All five members of the band – Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Liam Payne – auditioned for the show 14 years ago as solo artists and were ultimately put together as a group by Cowell during the series. They then went on to release five Number One albums and become one of the most successful boy bands of all time. Read more
Biden vows to respect guilty verdict in son’s gun trial (BBC)
US President Joe Biden has said he will respect a jury’s decision to find his son guilty of gun crimes, after a week-long trial that laid bare a tumultuous time for the family.
The 12-person jury found Hunter Biden, 54, guilty of lying about his drug use on a form while purchasing a handgun in 2018. He faces possible jail time following the verdict, which marked the first criminal prosecution of a sitting president’s child.
His conviction on all three felony counts comes as President Biden campaigns for re-election in November, and less than two weeks after his election rival Donald Trump was himself convicted of a crime in New York. Read more
Fire at famous market kills 1,000 animals (Sky)
More than 1,000 exotic animals have perished after a fire ripped through a famous market in Thailand.
Snakes, puppies and Siamese fighting fish were among the pets and other animals killed as the blaze ravaged around 1,300 sq m of stalls at the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok in the early hours of Tuesday.
Some 118 shops were destroyed and an initial inspection suggests the fire was caused by an electrical fault, police said. Read more
Onyekwere shifts focus to NYC Grand Prix, Nigerian trials (Punch)
Nigerian women’s discus thrower Chiom Onyekwere looks to make a huge impression at this weekend’s NYC Grand Prix and Nigeria Trials, which hold from June 16 to 18 inside the main bowl of Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin-City following a sterling outing at the 2024 USATF New York City Grand Prix last weekend, PUNCH Sports.
The 28-year-old threw a Seasons Best of 61.35 m at Icahn Stadium to finish second behind Cuba’s Yaimé Perez, who heaved 68.31, while Jade Lally of Great Britain took the bronze with a throw of 59.30. Read more
We’ll fight hard to qualify for 2026 World Cup — Super Eagles (Vanguard)
The Super Eagles of Nigeria has expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s performances in the games against South Africa and Benin Republic, respectively.
Nigeria played out a 1-1 draw, on Friday, in the first game against South Africa at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo.
However, on Monday, the team lost 2-1 to the Cheetahs of Benin, which is a blow to their hopes of reaching the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Read more
Lewandowski to miss Poland’s Euro 2024 opener (BBC)
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski will miss his side’s opening Euro 2024 game against the Netherlands on Sunday because of a thigh injury.
The 35-year-old sustained the injury in a 2-1 win against Turkey on Monday as both sides played their final warm-up game before the tournament.
Lewandowski, who plays for Barcelona, came off after 33 minutes. Read more
Erik ten Hag to continue as Manchester United manager after season review (Guardian)
Erik ten Hag will remain as Manchester United manager. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s season review concluded that a record of two trophies in two seasons, his development of Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho, plus the Dutchman’s professionalism and dignity meant he deserved the chance to continue. Negotiations over a new contract for the Dutchman have already begun.
The decision signals a reverse in the assessment of Ten Hag’s likely future. Ratcliffe and his advisers were previously minded to remove him, yet a number of factors ultimately persuaded them Ten Hag should remain. Read more
TNT Sports reaches 10-year deal to carry the French Open beginning next year (ABC)
Warner Bros. Discovery and the French Tennis Federation made official on Tuesday what had been revealed over the weekend — the French Open will air on TNT Sports in the United States beginning next year.
TV sportscaster Noah Eagle announced at the end of NBC’s coverage on Sunday that TNT Sports would be the new home of the tournament.
The 10-year agreement will average $65 million per year, a sizable jump from the $12 million a year the French Tennis Federation had received from NBC and Tennis Channel for the U.S. rights. Read more
Rory McIlroy calls off divorce from wife Erica in shocking U-turn just days before US Open (Telegraph)
Rory McIlroy goes into the US Open in a buoyant mood after announcing that he and his wife Erica have called off their divorce.
The sport was stunned when it was revealed on the Monday of last month’s US PGA Championship that the pair were going their separate ways after seven years of marriage. The couple have a three-year-old daughter.
But two days before the season’s third major begins, a lawyer representing McIlroy filed a motion to voluntarily dismiss a divorce petition that was filed in Florida last month citing that the marriage was “irretrievably broken”. The case has now been closed, according to court records. Read more