Lagos gives Lekki illegal building owners 7 days to vacate (Punch)
The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, has issued a seven-day contravention notice to owners of buildings on Orchid Road, Agungi, Ajiran, Conservation Road, Osapa all along the Ikota River.
The Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Kunle Adesina, made this known in an X post on Monday in Lagos.
Adesina said Wahab made the declaration alongside the Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment, Olakunle Rotimi-Akodu, after an inspection tour of the Ikota River corridor. Read more
Singer 9ice bags chieftaincy title in Ogun (Nation)
Famous singer, Alexander Abolore Adegbola Akande, popularly known as 9ice has been conferred with a chieftaincy title in Ogun state.
The award-winning musician broke the exciting news on his Instagram page and shared a few photos.
He said he is now the “Amuludun of Ijofin Kingdom” which means the “Chief entertainer of Ijofin kingdom”. Read more
Tinubu leaves Abuja to attend COP28 in Dubai (Vanguard)
President Bola Tinubu will on Wednesday depart Abuja for Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to attend the COP28 Climate Summit, also known as the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP28).
At the World Leaders’ Summit, which takes place on December 1 and 2, 2023, under the theme “Unite, Act, and Deliver,” President Tinubu will deliver a national statement, highlighting Nigeria’s stance on various thematic issues, including renewable energy and climate financing. Read more
Senate quashes bill seeking to allow parties replace NASS members (Channels)
The Senate has quashed a bill for an act to amend the Electoral Act 2022 seeking to allow political parties nominate and replace validly elected candidates in the event of resignation, death or vacancy (of seats) of serving members in National Assembly (NASS) and State Assemblies and for connected matters.
The sponsor of the bill, Senator Karimi Sunday representing Kogi West Senatorial District, explained that the bill seeks to amend the Electoral Act 2022 to allow the political party that won an election nominate and replace candidates into National Assembly and State Houses of Assemblies whenever vacancy occurs due to death or resignation of the candidate during the pendency of his tenure in office.
He said the bill will primarily avoid waste of public resources on conducting a fresh election in the federal and state constituencies. Read more
Over 160,000 Boko Haram terrorists have laid down arms – Gov Zulum (Vanguard)
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State on Tuesday revealed that the ongoing sustainable onslaught by the military in the fight against Terrorists has led to the voluntary surrender of over 160,000 Boko Haram terrorists in the North East of Nigeria.
Zulum disclosed this when the Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru and his counterpart of State, Alhaji Bello Matawalle led the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa and other Service Chiefs on a courtesy call at the Government House, Maiduguri.
The Governor said the visit by a high-level delegation from the Defence Ministry goes to show the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s resolve to end insecurity and bring about lasting peace in the region and the country as a whole, in line with the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’. Read more
EFCC warns Nigerians against ATM card swap fraud (Channels)
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has alerted Nigerians against unauthorised bank withdrawals linked to Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card swapping fraud.
The commission issued the alert on Monday in a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale.
According to the EFCC, fraudsters engaged in this activity typically keep a debit card from the same bank and, under the guise of assisting a confused bank customer at an ATM, swiftly swap the card while memorising the PIN used with fake cards. Read more
Court adjourns Emefiele’s trial to January 2024 (Guardian)
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja has adjourned the trial of former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele to Thursday and Friday, January 18 and 19, 2024.
Emefiele is facing a six-count amended charge bordering on alleged procurement fraud to the tune of N1.6 billion.
Emefiele pleaded not guilty to the charges and was granted bail on Friday, November 17, to the tune of N300 million with two sureties. Read more
Food Security: NALDA Records Bumper Harvests Across States (ThisDay)
The National Land Development Agency (NALDA) has said its mandate to boost food security and revive rural agriculture has started to yield positive results across the country.
It said its interventions had resulted in bountiful crop harvests from NALDA farm estates across the six geopolitical zones.
Following the recovery of abandoned lands and subsequent establishment of integrated farm estates across the country, as well as provision of farm input to farmers, the agency said it achieved tremendous success in both farms built and run solely by the agency. Read more
Jennifer Lopez previews Sean Paul-sampling single ahead of long-awaited New Album (HipHopDX)
Jennifer Lopez is getting ready to roll out her first solo album in nearly 10 years, and she’ll be kicking things off with the Sean Paul-sampling single, “Can’t Get Enough.”
The singer and actor teased a 30-second preview of the song on Sunday (November 26), ahead of its January 10 release. The track samples the dancehall star’s 2003 hit “I’m Still In Love With You” – which itself samples Alton Ellis’ 1960s classic, “I’m Still In Love With You Girl.”
J. Lo also released a trailer for This Is Me…Now, which she’s dubbing a “musical experience.” The album is due out February 16. Read more
Kelan Logan-Derench: Family ‘absolutely broken’ after 5-year-old British boy dies while on holiday in Egypt (Sky)
A five-year-old British boy has died after falling into a swimming pool while on holiday in Egypt.
Kelan Logan-Derench from Sutton Coldfield in Birmingham was on his first holiday abroad when he had the “tragic accident” on Saturday 25 November.
The boy was on holiday with his mother Ciara, elder sister Cienna and his grandmother at the time. Read more
Israel-Hamas war: Both sides claim cease-fire violations (NBC)
Both Hamas and Israel blamed each other for cease-fire violations today, with the IDF saying that soldiers were injured after Hamas fighters opened fired at them in northern Gaza.
“Three explosive devices were detonated adjacent to IDF troops in two different locations in the northern Gaza Strip,” it said in a statement.
Hamas said Israel clearly violated the truce agreement and that there was “field friction,” calling for mediators to press Israel to adhere to the terms of the truce. Read more
Taylor Swift crowned Apple Music’s artist of the year for 2023 (Standard)
Taylor Swift has been crowned Apple Music’s artist of the year for 2023 after a record-breaking year for the pop superstar.
The US singer, 33, has sold out stadiums across the Americas, won a host of awards and continued to dominate the charts with the re-release of her albums Speak Now and 1989, this time as Taylor’s Version.
More Apple Music subscribers listened to Swift in 2023 than any other artist in the world, setting a new record for the most listeners for any act in a single year on the platform, according to the streamer. Read more
New Alien movie is set between the first 2 movies (DigitalSpy)
Cailee Spaeny has confirmed that the upcoming Alien movie will be set between the first two films.
The actress, who is one of a number of stars previously confirmed for Fede Álvarez’s new film, opened up a bit about the project – rumoured to be titled Alien: Romulus – in a new interview with Variety.
“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie,” Spaeny said. “They brought the same team from Aliens, the James Cameron film. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came on and built ours. Read more
Eddie Izzard to play every part in Hamlet on return to New York stage
(LBC)
Eddie Izzard is returning to a New York stage this winter for an ambitious version of Hamlet in which the comedian will be the only one on stage.
Izzard will play all the William Shakespeare parts in a staging adapted by Izzard’s brother Mark and directed by Selena Cadell. Performances at Greenwich House Theatre will run from January 25 to March 3.
“It’s a great challenge but there is no point living and not going for challenges,” Izzard told The Associated Press on the eve of the play’s announcement. “You’re just at the edge of your skill set and pushing out even further.” Read more
Russian court extends detention of WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich (AlJazeera)
Russia will keep American reporter Evan Gershkovich in custody for another two months as he awaits trial for espionage, a Moscow court has ruled, heightening concerns about the fate of the jailed journalist.
In a closed-door hearing on Tuesday, the Moscow court extended Gershkovich’s detention until January 30, an expected outcome in a country that rarely releases prisoners with serious charges ahead of trial.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Gershkovich’s employer, slammed his continued detention as a “brazen and outrageous attack” on the free press, calling for his immediate release. Read more
Super Eagles: Errors in goalkeeping must be corrected before AFCON 2024 — Rufai (Guardian)
Peter Rufai, an ex-Super Eagles goalkeeper, says errors in the goalkeeping department of the national team should be urgently attended to before the 2024 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote D’Ivoire.
Rufai gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Lagos.
Rufai, who was capped 65 times for the Super Eagles, said he was optimistic about the quality of the players, but noted that there was more to be done. Read more
Barça’s Gavi out for up to 10 months after ACL surgery — source (ESPN)
Barcelona midfielder Gavi is expected to be out for eight to 10 months after undergoing knee surgery on Tuesday, a source told ESPN.
Gavi, 19, tore his anterior cruciate ligament and suffered an associated injury to the lateral meniscus while playing for Spain against Georgia last week.
He will miss the rest of the season with Barça and will also be unavailable for Euro 2024 with Spain next summer, with the tournament due to begin on June 14 in Germany. Read more
Newcastle United supporters fly to France for Champions League match against PSG (ITV)
Newcastle United fans were in good spirits as they arrived at the airport ahead of their flight to Paris this morning.
Clad in black and white, supporters told ITV Tyne Tees their hopes remained high for NUFC’s Champions League game against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night (28 November).
Newcastle United are only two points behind progressing through to the Champions League knockout stage in spite of sitting at the bottom of Group F. Read more
Erik ten Hag and Bruno Fernandes agree on Man Utd fear ahead of crunch Galatasaray clash (Mirror)
Erik ten Hag has warned his Manchester United players not to lose their heads in the face of hostility against Galatasaray on Wednesday night.
United must win in Istanbul to ensure they remain in control of their chances of reaching the last 16, with Galatasaray and their fans certain to try to provoke and intimidate Ten Hag’s side. Against that backdrop, Ten Hag has reminded his players of the need to be disciplined and calm in the Turkish capital, in order to give themselves the best possible chance of securing the win they need.
“You have to stay calm in your head and don’t get too emotional and control your emotions,” said Ten Hag. “Don’t give them anything – the referee as well – don’t give them a moment they can take. Read more
Russell calls for ban to be imposed on F1 staff in 2024 (RN365)
George Russell has called for a ban on paddock personnel from completing all 24 planned races in the 2024 season.
Formula 1 was set for 24 races in 2023, but the Chinese and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix were ultimately cancelled, although F1 bosses are keen to add as many races as possible onto the calendar.
This has led to an increase in triple-headers and huge timezone shifts with the United States-Mexico City-Sao Paulo races being back-to-back-to-back while the season-finale in Abu Dhabi was part of a double-header with Las Vegas. Read more
Japanese golfer Ryo Hisatsune voted European tour’s top rookie (ESPN)
Ryo Hisatsune was voted as the European tour’s top rookie on Tuesday after a memorable season that saw the 21-year-old Japanese player win the French Open and earn dual membership with the PGA Tour.
Hisatsune became the first Japanese golfer to receive the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year award, beating a list of contenders that included highly rated Swede Ludvig Aberg.
Hisatsune was outside the world’s top 200 at the start of the 2023 season. Three years ago, he lost his card on Japan’s leading tour. Read more