Lagos begins clearing shanties, obstructions along Red Rail Line project (Nation)
The Lagos State government on Saturday began clearing shanties and reclaiming Right of Way (RoW) of the Red Rail project corridor from Agbado, Ogun, to Ebute Metta, Lagos.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the enforcement team was led by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide.
Olumide was accompanied by the Special Adviser, e-GIS and Urban Development, Dr Olajide Babatunde; General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr Gbolahan Oki and senior directors of both the agency and ministry. Read more
1 killed, 6 arrested as Katsina students clash over female schoolmate (Channels)
A 200-level student of the Computer Science Department at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma (FUDMA), Katsina State simply identified as Abubakar has been confirmed dead following a clash between students over a relationship with a female student.
The tragic incident involving eight students of the university was said to have taken place at Darawa quarters, Dutsinma LGA, Katsina State on Thursday around 1:20 pm.
The spokesman for the state police command, ASP Abubakar Sadiq, in a statement on Saturday, said the incident was a result of a heated altercation between the students, which escalated, leading to the death of one of the students involved. Read more
Nigeria@63: Shelve planned strike, Speaker Abbas begs Labour (Tribune)
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has congratulated Nigerians as they celebrate the country’s 63rd Independence Anniversary, stating that the country would be great again.
While calling on fellow citizens and compatriots to keep hope in the country alive, the Speaker said doomsayers and pessimists would soon be disappointed.
Despite the myriad of challenges facing Nigeria, Speaker Abbas noted that the country still has the prospect and potential to reclaim its leadership position in the comity of nations, especially with its abundant human and natural resources. Read more
Customs intercepts 105 wild birds worth N24m in Badagry (Vanguard)
The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service on Saturday said that it had intercepted 105 wild birds being smuggled through Seme-Badagry Expressway.
The Controller of the Command, Comptroller Timi Bomodi, in a statement, said that the Duty Paid Value (DPV) of the birds was worth N24,912,928.
Bomodi said officers of the command ,while on patrol of Seme -Badagry Expressway , found the birds after intercepting two buses, one coming to Nigeria from Togo and another heading to Benin Republic from Katsina on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28 respectively. Read more
Passengers escape unhurt as fire guts bus on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Punch)
Fourteen passengers inside a commercial bus escaped unhurt as their vehicle was gutted by fire in the early hours of Saturday, on the long bridge of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
PUNCH gathered that the Toyota Hiace, with number plate AFN117YL, which was headed to Ilorin carrying 14 passengers, and took off from the Ijora motor park in Lagos State nearly skidded off the road when one of the tyres burst, causing it to fall on its side as it hit the sidewalk of the bridge.
The bus, which had already caught fire, finally came to a stop in the middle of the road as the passengers scampered for safety. Read more
8 abducted CAC members escape (Nation)
Eight out of the 25 members of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oka Igann, Akure, have escaped from their abductors.
They were abducted by five gunmen while going to a wake keep at Ose Local Government Area.
It was gathered that their escape was made possible due to hot pursuit of the kidnappers by combined security operatives of the Ondo Amotekun Corp, anti-kidnapping unit of the Police and the Army. Read more
Rumpus in Kaduna over conflicting tribunal verdicts on governorship election (Leadership)
There seems to be a disquiet in Kaduna State over Thursday’s judgement of the State’s Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.
The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 election, Isah Ashiru, has insisted that the governorship election remains inconclusive, saying that the claim by Governor Uba Sani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that his election was affirmed by the Tribunal was misleading.
Ashiru stated this at a press briefing on Friday following the judgement of the Tribunal which touched on the merit of the case. Read more
Nigerian Army General bags Guinea Bissau National Award (Guardian)
President Umaro Embaló of the Republic of Guinea Bissau, has decorated Brig.-Gen. Al-Hassan Grema of the Nigerian Army, with the National Order of Merit, Cooperation and Development Medal of his country.
Brig.-Gen. Grema was the pioneer Force Commander, ECOWAS Stabilization Support Mission in Guinea-Bissau (ESSMGB), which was deployed to Guinea Bissau in April 2022.
The Acting Director Defence Information, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, in a statement on Saturday, said the general was decorated with the award on Sept. 27 at the Presidential Palace in Bissau. Read more
15-year-old girl ‘gang-raped, murdered, dumped in 50ft-deep well’ (DailyMail)
A 15-year-old girl, who was reported missing by her grandfather, is said to have been gang-raped and murdered in India, according to police.
The tenth-grade student was reportedly kidnapped by three individuals last Saturday.
She was then found dumped in a 50ft-deep well in the Ramgarh Shekhawati region of Sikar city, in north west India. Read more
Ed Sheeran reveals why he skipped promotional singles and music videos for his new album “Autumn Variations” (AS)
Ed Sheeran’s new album Autumn Variations dropped Friday, September 29. This album marks the British pop star’s first independent release on his label, Gingerbread Man Records. More than that, it sees Sheeran changing his release strategy. The new album will have no singles or music videos attached to it.
In an interview with CBS Mornings, Sheeran explained why he decided to skip promotional singles and videos for his latest album. In part, he wants to let go of expectations and let the album, as a whole, speak for itself.
“Each record before, I’ve done, like all the big going and doing all these radio interviews, and going on the late-night shows, and doing all this stuff,” he explained. “The record, there’s not even a single for it. There’s not a music video. I’m just putting it out.” Read more
Food prices rising due to climate change, El Nino, and Russia’s war (VOA)
Restrictions on the export of the vegetable by neighboring Tanzania has led prices to triple. Some traders have adjusted by getting produce from Ethiopia.
How do you cook a meal when a staple ingredient is unaffordable?
This question is playing out in households around the world as they face shortages of essential foods like rice, cooking oil and onions. That is because countries have imposed restrictions on the food they export to protect their own supplies from the combined effect of the war in Ukraine, El Nino’s threat to food production and increasing damage from climate change.
For Caroline Kyalo, a 28-year-old who works in a salon in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi, it was a question of trying to figure out how to cook for her two children without onions. Restrictions on the export of the vegetable by neighboring Tanzania has led prices to triple. Read more
Movie about OceanGate Titan Submersible tragedy in the works (People)
A fictional depiction of the tragedy on board OceanGate’s Titanic-bound submersible Titan is being adapted into a movie.
On Friday, multiple outlets reported that MindRiot Entertainment and producer E. Brian Dobbins, whose credits include 2023’s White Men Can’t Jump and The Blackening, are teaming up to co-produce the movie, currently titled ‘‘Salvaged’’, with MindRiot cofounders Justin MacGregor and Jonathan Keasey writing the script.
Salvaged will cover events before, during and after this summer’s tragedy, in which OceanGate’s CEO Stockton Rush and four passengers aboard the Titan submersible were killed, Deadline reported. Read more
Top comedians react to new Golden Globes stand-up category (Variety)
The comedy community is just grateful to be nominated.
Top professional funny people have weighed in on this week’s news that the annual Golden Globe awards have introduced two new categories, one of which will honor best performance in stand-up comedy on television.
Comedy is a notoriously tough sell when it comes to awards season, though the Globes have always shown love in the form of a dedicated category for comedies and musicals in the best picture in the space. The live special format has reached global saturation and popularity thanks to streaming platforms, YouTube and social media. Six solo comics, or a breakout member of a troupe or ensemble, will duke it out for the prize for the first time on the January 7 telecast. Read more
Britain’s beloved Sycamore Gap tree felled in ‘‘deliberate act of vandalism’’ (SMH)
Britain’s Sycamore Gap tree, a much-loved landmark whose dramatic silhouette featured in a Hollywood film and was photographed by tourists from around the world, has been cut down in what police called a “deliberate act of vandalism”.
Police said they had arrested a 16-year-old male on Thursday (UK time) in connection with the felling of the statuesque sycamore in northern England, which is set in a natural dip in the otherwise treeless, sweeping landscape alongside Hadrian’s Wall.
It was also known as the “Robin Hood Tree” after featuring in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Read more
New York City: State of emergency declared as torrential rain floods subways, roads and basements (Standard)
New York City was under a state of emergency on Friday as heavy rains shut down part of the city’s subway system, left streets flooded and blocked access to a major airport terminal.
State governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency over the “extreme rainfall”, after more than five inches of rain fell in some areas overnight.
As much as 7 inches more was expected throughout the day, she said. Read more
Osimhen scores, leaves penalty as Napoli down Lecce 4-0 (Vanguard)
Super Eagles forward Victor Osimhen came off the bench and scored the second goal in the Serie A encounter against Lecce on Saturday.
Osimhen was not named in the starting XI put forward by coach Rudi Garcia, but the Nigerian forward scored for the second game running after the incident where the official Napoli TikTok mocked him for his penalty miss against Bologna.
The 24-year-old scored minutes after coming on in the second half to replace Giovanni Simeone. Osimhen headed the ball home from a perfectly floated cross from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the back post. Read more
Okocha hails Boniface’s impressive start at Bayer Leverkusen (Punch)
Former Nigerian international, Austine ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, has praised Victor Boniface for his impressive showing at Bundesliga club, Bayer Leverkusen.
The 22-year old joined Die Werkself from Belgian Pro League outfit, Union St Gilloise this summer and has scored six goals in five league appearances.
He was named Bundesliga best player in August and also scooped the Rookie of the Month prize. Read more
USA push back against European Ryder Cup tide (France24)
The United States are fighting back against a European Ryder Cup tide as the holders lead in two of four Saturday afternoon fourballs matches in Rome.
Zach Johnson’s US were trailing by seven points at the end of a disastrous set of morning foursomes in which they lost three, including a record-breaking hammering at the hands of Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, as Europe moved 9.5-2.5 ahead.
The Americans are bidding for a first Ryder Cup win on European soil in three decades. Read more
RB Leipzig fire sporting director amid Bayern Munich links (ESPN)
RB Leipzig parted ways with its sporting director Max Eberl on Friday citing a “failure to commit to the club” amid speculation linking him with Bayern Munich. The decision came a day before Leipzig plays Bayern in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig said Eberl had been “relieved … of his duties with immediate effect.” The club denied the decision was linked to the team’s performance or signings.
“His failure to commit to the club has led to us making this decision. It has nothing to do with the squad’s rebuild or results on the pitch,” the club said. Read more
“Unlucky” Sergio Ramos own goal helps Barca beat Sevilla (France24)
Real Madrid legend Sergio Ramos’s own goal handed his old enemy Barcelona a narrow 1-0 win over Sevilla on Friday in La Liga, taking the Catalans top of the table.
Veteran centre-back Ramos deflected Lamine Yamal’s header into his own net in the 76th minute to break the deadlock in a tight clash.
The 37-year-old said this week he had planned a special goal celebration if he scored against Barca after his summer return to Spain from Paris Saint-Germain, but putting through his own net was not part of the plan. Read more
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to fight for heavyweight titles in Saudi Arabia (Guardian)
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will finally fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. An exact date for the long-delayed contest has yet to be confirmed but both men have signed contracts for a fight that current speculation suggests could take place on 23 December or in January.
There will be relief among boxing supporters that the sport’s tarnished flagship division could at last have a unified champion for the first time since Lennox Lewis held all the belts in 1999. However, there should also be dismay that boxing has yet again succumbed to the lure of Saudi’s sportswashing strategy. Read more