Lagos debunks graduate internship programme on social media (Guardian)
The Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment has debunked a viral social media post about an ongoing graduate internship programme.
The director of public affairs, Babatunde Adele, said in a statement that the viral social media post imploring unemployed youths with NYSC certificates and LASRRA numbers to register for the ongoing internship programme did not originate from the ministry.
“Although the Ministry has been in charge of the Graduate Internship Programme over the years. It is, however, necessary to clarify that the commencement date for the 2023 edition of the programme is yet to be made public,” Adele said. Read more
I’ll be Nigeria’s president if it pleases God – Peter Obi (Sun)
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in this year’s elections, Mr Peter Obi, has said that he would be president of Nigeria if God has endorsed him to be.
Obi, who spoke on Friday during a public presentation of a compendium on him entitled: Peter Obi: “Many Voices, One Perspective” at Finotel Hotel, Awka, Anambra State, said that he was not desperate to be president of the country.
He said that he was confident that the judiciary would do the right thing in his ongoing suit challenging the outcome of the polls especially the process adopted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) contrary to its own guidelines for the elections. Read more
How we recovered stolen N100m TETFund projects grant from our staff — Osun college (Tribune)
Management of the Osun State college of Education, Ila-Orangun has revealed that the institution has recovered a sum of N100 million Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) fund meant to execute certain projects but stolen by some college staff.
The college bursar, Dr. Olanrewaju Oyedeji who dropped this hint at an interactive session in his office on Friday, explained that the stolen fund had affected construction of the 2013 Amphitheater project valued about N400 million in the school saying this had also forced TETFUND to blacklist the campus on many further benefits that could come to the school.
He emphasized, “the school was blacklisted by TETFund over the failure of an Amphitheatre project sited in the school despite the fact that about N400 million was invested in it, out of the money given out by the agency to fund the project. Read more
NYSC D-G visits Lagos orientation camp (Vanguard)
Brig.- Gen Yushau Ahmed, Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has urged corps members to embrace the Skills Acquisition Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) programme during their service.
Ahmed said that the main focus of the SAED was to ensure that after service, they became employers of labour, as people no longer relied on the government for ‘white-collar’ jobs.
The director general spoke during his visit to the 2023 Batch A, Stream 2 corps members in Lagos on Friday. Read more
UNILAG Alumni Group donates to university, adopts 1 student to train
(Punch)
The University of Lagos Alumni Group has made donations to the school while also adopting a student to train and be more involved in the development of the university.
At a meeting between the alumni group and the governing authority of UNILAG on Thursday, the Chairman of the UNILAG Alumni, Owoeye Adedeji, along with other members presented some printers and a fridge to the school.
Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Professor Folashade Ogunsola, expressed her gratitude to the group and praised the members for their support. Read more
IGR: FG introduces digital platform to ease business in FCT (DailyTrust)
The Federal Government has announced the implementation of a digital platform to ease the establishment and growth of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Mallam Muhammad Bello, the FCT Minister, disclosed this on Thursday in Akure, the Ondo state capital, during a stakeholders’ resolution retreat organised by the FCT Internal Revenue Service.
Bello said the digital platform known as “FCT Business Portal” would be used for the issuance of permits, licenses, and other approvals. Read more
Shettima warns against rancorous parliament (ThisDay)
The Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, has warned against the consequences of having a rancorous National Assembly as it will strain the relationship between the legislature and executive, denying the people dividends of democracy.
Shettima gave the warning when Tajudeen Abbas (Kaduna) and Benjamin Kalu (Abia), endorsed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of the House of Representatives speaker and deputy speaker respectively met with him in Abuja Friday evening.
The meeting was at the instance of the joint task group of the 10th House, comprising members of all the political parties with members-elect into the green chamber at the February 25 general election. Read more
Osinbajo commissions Kano River Irrigation Scheme to impact millions (Leadership)
In what will transform the condition of farming communities along the Kano River Basin, the federal government has added another feather to its cap in the agricultural sector as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday inaugurated the multi-billion-naira Kano River Irrigation Scheme which will touch at least one million lives.
The scheme is a component of the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria Project (TRIMING).
Speaking at the commissioning of the scheme in Bunkure, Kano, Prof. Osinbajo in a statement by his media aide, Laolu Akande said; “The project is an innovative approach adopted by the federal government which has opened access to life-changing opportunities for the farming communities that are involved with it. Read more
Johnny Depp lands $20m June Dior deal, the biggest men’s fragrance contract ever (People)
Johnny Depp and Dior are continuing their partnership — at a high price.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor has signed a new $20 million-plus deal with Dior, according to a report from Variety, which noted that the mega-deal is the largest men’s fragrance deal in history. Previously, the largest was Dior’s $12 million deal with Robert Pattinson.
Depp has been working with the brand since 2015, even after Dior faced backlash when the actor was in the midst of legal troubles. Read more
Kylie Minogue announces new album ‘‘Tension’’ (NME)
Kylie Minogue has announced a new album, ‘‘Tension’’.
The follow-up to the Australian pop star’s 2020 album ‘Disco’ is set to land on September 22. Minogue once again teamed up with longtime collaborator Richard “Biff” Stannard, while ‘Disco’ contributor Duck Blackwell has also been brought on board.
“I started this album with an open mind and a blank page,” Minogue remarked in a press release. “Unlike my last two albums there wasn’t a ‘theme,’ it was about finding the heart or the fun or the fantasy of that moment and always trying to service the song. I wanted to celebrate each song’s individuality and to dive into that freedom. I would say it’s a blend of personal reflection, club abandon and melancholic high.” Read more
Jamie Foxx out of hospital and recuperating, daughter says (BBC)
Jamie Foxx is recuperating after spending time in hospital, according to an update on the actor’s condition shared by his daughter on Instagram.
Corinne Foxx said on Friday her father has been out of hospital for “weeks” and even recently played some pickleball.
She also thanked people for their “prayers and support”.
The 55-year-old actor recently spent time in hospital due to a “medical complication”. Read more
Ed Sheeran goes Country as he duets new single ”Life Goes On” with Luke Combs at 2023 ACM Awards (People)
They may come from different genres, but Ed Sheeran and Luke Combs sound pretty great together.
At the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards on Thursday, the British singer-songwriter performed his new song “Life Goes On” and was joined by the country star for a duet version — that hopefully gets released soon.
Right after Combs, 33, performed the hit “Love You Anyway” from his Gettin’ Old album, the camera turned to Sheeran, 32, who played guitar and sang “Life Goes On,” which is featured on his new album – (pronounced “Subtract”). Midway through the acoustic rendition, Combs joined him to harmonize on the track. Read more
Country music star Jimmie Allen’s former manager accuses him of sexual assault and harassment (NBC)
A woman accused country music star Jimmie Allen of sexual assault and harassment while she worked as his manager for two years, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Thursday.
The 25-year-old said she graduated college magna cum laude, and was hired by management group Wide Open Music as Allen’s day-to-day manager, according to the complaint filed in Tennessee.
The company allegedly knew Allen was a threat to female subordinates and didn’t “protect her from, the extreme sexual harassment, abuse, grooming, and manipulation she would endure in order to keep her job,” the lawsuit claimed. Read more
Sudan crisis: Jeddah agreement branded “meaningless” as fighting resumes (MEE)
On Thursday night, a “declaration of commitment” was signed in Jeddah by Sudan’s warring factions, following nearly a week of talks mediated by hosts Saudi Arabia and the United States.
This declaration was not a ceasefire. As if to underline that fact, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary returned to their war on Friday, with air strikes and artillery rounds pummelling the capital Khartoum.
None of the six humanitarian ceasefires announced by the United States and Saudi Arabia during the course of the conflict has so far been held. Read more
Violent incidents mark final days of Turkey’s election campaign (AlJazeera)
The campaign leading up to Turkey’s elections this weekend has been marred by outbreaks of violence across the country.
Incidents of stone-throwing, physical attacks on election workers and gunmen shooting up party offices have all been recorded in recent weeks as Turkey heads towards knife-edge polls in which President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking to extend his 20-year rule.
There are also concerns that the political rhetoric at election rallies could be igniting violence. Speaking at the weekend, Devlet Bahceli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) that backs the government, denounced the opposition as “traitors [who] will get either aggravated life sentences or bullets in their bodies”. Read more
Argentina 2023: Ambassador Ikurusi charges Flying Eagles to go for glory (Sun)
The Nigerian Ambassador to Argentina, Mr. Philip Ikurusi has charged the Flying Eagles to not only evoke the spirit of their 1989 and 2005 predecessors, but to also go a step further by winning for Nigeria for the very first time the FIFA U20 World Cup trophy in Argentina this summer.
Mr. Ikurusi made the call when he visited the team’s camp at Howard Johnson Hotel & Resorts in Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina on Tuesday evening. The diplomat also advised the players to be focused and play as a unit, as success in football can only be achieved through team work.
“I am here to officially welcome you to Argentina, the host nation of the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup finals. Read more
Ugbade rues Eaglets AFCON, World Cup ouster (Punch)
The head coach of the Golden Eaglets Nduka Ugbade said his team would have won against Burkina Faso if they had converted their chances.
The Eaglets lost 2-1 to Young Etalons in the quarter-finals of the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria.
The defeat meant elimination from the tournament, and ending the World Cup ticket ambition for the five-time world champions who created lots of scoring opportunities. Read more
Erling Haaland and Sam Kerr voted Football Writers’ Association player of the year (IrishTimes)
Erling Haaland and Sam Kerr have been voted the men’s and women’s English Football Writers’ Association’s Footballers of the Year, respectively.
Kerr, the Chelsea forward, claims the award for a second successive season, while Haaland, the Manchester City striker, is only the fourth player to win it in a debut campaign, doing so with a record 82 per cent of the vote.
The Norwegian has scored 51 times in all competitions, including a record 35 Premier League goals. The 22-year-old said: “To win the Football Writers’ Award in my first season in English football is an honour. I try every single day to be the best I can be, and to be recognised like this means a lot to me. Read more
LAFC’s Timothy Tillman files 1-time switch from Germany to USMNT (ESPN)
LAFC midfielder Timothy Tillman has filed a one-time switch with FIFA in order to represent the U.S. men’s national team, a source has confirmed to ESPN.
The news was first reported by The Athletic.
Tillman, 24, was born in Germany to a German mother and American father and previously represented the country of his birth at Under-15 through Under-19 level. He is the older brother of Malik Tillman, who made his debut for the USMNT in June 2022. Read more
Miami Heat reach the NBA Conference Finals by beating New York Knicks (DailyMail)
Jimmy Butler starred once again for the No. 8 seed while Jalen Brunson’s second monumental effort of the week was not enough to save the Knicks’ season.
Butler scored 24 points in the 96-92 victory at the FTX Arena as Miami won their semifinal series in six games.
He also collected eight rebounds as the Heat became just the second eighth seed to reach the Finals since 1984. Read more
Djokovic beats Etcheverry in Rome opener, Swiatek surges through
(StraitsTimes)
Holder Novak Djokovic began his hunt for a seventh Italian Open title by battling past the unseeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry 7-6(5) 6-2 on Friday while women’s champion Iga Swiatek delivered a masterclass to reach the third round.
Djokovic got off to a shaky start by dropping his serve in the opening game of the second-round match. The Serbian, who pulled out of the Madrid Open last month, wore a compression sleeve on his right arm, sparking concerns about a niggling elbow issue.
The 22-times Grand Slam champion, who had a first-round bye, also appeared unwell at one point and asked his team for medical assistance during a changeover. Read more