Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: Gridlock worsens amid road work suspension (Punch)
The gridlock at the Longbridge, Ogun State end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway caused by the reconstruction of the road, has worsened despite the company handling the project, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, suspending operations.
The Director, South-West Federal Ministry of Works, Adedamola Kuti, had said the company suspended work to enable a hassle-free movement of travellers during the Yuletide.
About a week later, the Federal Road Safety Corps, Ogun State Command, in a statement, said the company had started removing the crash barriers on the road.
However, days after both claims, there has been no traffic improvement on the road as commuters continue to spend long hours in traffic. Read more
Nigerians react as ICPC detains D’Banj’s over N-power fraud allegation (Guardian)
There was outrage yesterday over the detention of Nigerian Music star, Oladipo Daniel Oyebanjo, otherwise known by his stage name D’Banj, by
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) , over his alleged involvement in N-Power Programme fraud case.
Many Nigerians took to social media to express surprise and pour out their annoyance on the matter.
The ICPC said it detained the music star after receiving petitions on the diversion of N-Power funds running into billions of naira, regarding disbursement to beneficiaries by the Federal Government.
N-Power is a scheme established by the Federal Government on June 8, 2016, to address youth unemployment, and help increase social development.
It was gathered that D’banj allegedly conspired with some government officials to engage ghost beneficiaries in the N-Power payment scheme with funds meant for beneficiaries being traced to accounts linked to D’banj. Read more
Ajah police killing, very sad, unfortunate- Sanwo-Olu (Vanguard)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has described the killing of Gafaru Buraimoh, on Tuesday, after a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police officer hit him during an incident around Ajah axis as “sad and unfortunate.”
Sanwo-Olu, in a condolence message through his Chief Press Secretary, CPS, however, sympathized with the bereaved family, friends and associates over the sudden death.
The Governor, expressed sadness over the incident with determination of his administration to work with the police in their investigation ‘to unravel the remote and immediate cause of the shooting that led to the untimely death of an innocent citizen, with a view to ensuring that justice is served.”
According to Sanwo-Olu: “No one deserves to die in that manner. Buraimoh was one of our million citizens with hope for a better life. His death is a sad episode for me personally and the state as whole because injury to one is injury to all. Read more
Lagos police arrest officer behind shooting of Ajah resident (Guardian)
Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of the officer behind the shooting of a young man identified as Gafaru Buraimoh in Ajah area of Lagos.
The officer, an Inspector of Police, who allegedly gunned down Buraimoh, a resident of Happy Land Estate, Ajah, was said to have been immediately disarmed and detained.
The Command’s spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement, yesterday, said: “At About 11:40p.m. on Tuesday, December 6, 2022, there was a shooting incident involving men of Ajah Division, resulting in the unfortunate death of Gafaru Buraimoh of Happy Land Estate, Ajah.
“The officer behind the shooting, an Inspector of Police, was immediately disarmed and detained as a full-scale investigation commenced.
“The Lagos State Police Command through the Area Commander, Elemoro, Agboola Olajide and Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ajah has since notified and established contact with the family. Read more
Bribe-seeking policemen raid Lagos community, residents blame DPO (Punch)
Landlords and residents of Isheri-Idimu in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have lamented what they described as the arbitrary arrest and assault on people in the community by men of the Idimu Police Division.
Officers of the division were also accused of extorting money from motorcycle riders over the failure of their union leaders to remit certain fees to them.
On Friday, December 2, around 8.25pm, PUNCH Metro observed as the officers, numbering about 15, stormed the Powerline unit of the motorcycle operators and beat up some of the riders.
The policemen, who arrived in two commercial buses, were also seen assaulting traders and passengers who attempted to intervene, as they made away with six motorcycles. Read more
Start-up Act supports entrepreneurship for digital economy –LCCI (Sun)
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has said the Nigeria Start-up Act, 2022 supports entrepreneurship, sound regulation and an efficient tax system for a digital economy.
President of the chamber, Dr Michael Olawale-Cole, made the remark at a seminar organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Group in collaboration with Professional Practice Group seminar themed: “Insights into the Nigeria Start-up Act, 2022,” in Lagos.
The Start-Up Act was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on October 19 to harness the potential of the country’s digital economy through co-created regulations.
Olawale-Cole noted that the theme of the seminar was apt considering that the Act supports the tech-start-up ecosystem in Nigeria and seeing that the Nigerian ICT sector was one of the fastest growing sectors in the economy. Read more
FAAN moves to place Nigeria amongst top ranking cargo processing nations (Tribune)
Determined to make Nigeria’s aviation cargo processing and facilitation increase in volumes and rank among the first in Africa, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has inaugurated an aviation cargo road map development committee that will help the organisation tackle the challenges identified to be hindering the capacity of the country in processing enough cargo freighting across the country’s airports.
Speaking at the inauguration of the committee, the Managing Director of FAAN, Captain RabiuYadudu said the emergence of the committee was the fallout of the challenges recently pointed out in a communique issued at the end of the first aviation and cargo conference held in 2021 and 2022 code named Chinet 2021 and Chinet 2022.
According to Yadudu: “I am happy today, because these challenges were identified by the various organisations represented in this Committee, I am about to inaugurate. Read more
IGP launches portal to report stolen vehicles (Channels)
As precautionary measures to tackle vehicle theft, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has launched a platform for Nigerians to report cases of stolen vehicles.
Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday, said the digitalized platform – Central Motor Registry (CMR) – successfully completed and commissioned by the IGP is situated at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.
He said the platform launch followed the “IGP’s quest to ensure a digital environment for policing the country for robust and more proactive measures in crime prevention, investigation, and prosecution.”
“The newly digitalized Central Motor Registry Command Centre will make it possible for members of the public to report vehicles stolen from as far back as 1st January, 2018, and yet-to-be-recovered to input the vehicle details on the online platform to serve as a reliable data point for the possible recovery of the vehicle,” he stated. Read more
Couple, both 100, die hours apart after nearly 80 years married (Metro)
A husband and wife, both 100 years old and married for nearly eight decades, died holding hands hours apart.
Hubert and June Malicote met at the Church of God in Hamilton, Ohio, in 1941, and tied the knot two years later.
The husband and wife died 20 hours apart on November 30 and December 1, respectively, at Hospice of Hamilton.
‘Hubert preceded June in death by only hours, marking the end of their 81-year love story,’ his obituary reads. Read more
Teenager elected as youngest black mayor in US (BBC)
An 18-year-old college student in the state of Arkansas has reportedly become the youngest black mayor to be elected in the US.
Jaylen Smith just left high school in May. On Tuesday, he was voted in to lead the rural town of Earle, 30 miles (48km) west of Memphis, Tennessee.
He’s not the first 18-year-old mayor in US history, but that hasn’t stopped his family celebrating the major win.
“My mom can’t stop crying,” Mr Smith told the Washington Post on Wednesday.
A Democrat, he won in the town of 1,800 residents as most US political watchers were tuned in to a Senate contest over in Georgia. Read more
Veronica Ryan wins 2022 Turner prize for work including Windrush tribute (Guardian)
Veronica Ryan, who created the UK’s first permanent artwork to honour the Windrush generation, has won the 2022 Turner prize, one of the world’s most prestigious awards for visual arts.
Ryan, 66, becomes the oldest artist to win the prize. She was nominated for the Windrush sculpture, which was unveiled in Hackney, London, last year, and for her solo exhibition Along a Spectrum at Spike Island, Bristol.
Ryan – who received an OBE last year – was born in Plymouth, Montserrat and came to the UK as a child in the 1950s. She creates sculptural objects and installations using containers, compartments and combinations of natural and fabricated forms to reference themes such as displacement, fragmentation, alienation and loss.
The jury awarded the prize for the “personal and poetic way she extends the language of sculpture”. They also praised the noticeable shift in her use of space, colour and scale both in gallery and civic spaces. Read more
Wonder Woman 3 doesn’t make the cut under DC Films’ new regime (Wrap)
The 3rd installment in the “Wonder Woman” franchise is not moving forward at Warner Bros. Discovery, according to a report in the Hollywood Reporter.
Additionally, newly installed DC Studios Chiefs James and Peter Safran will present their plan for the DCU to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav next week.
According to the report, director Patty Jenkins, who directed the first two “Wonder Woman” films, recently submitted her treatment for the third film and was then notified by Warner Bros. Pictures co-chairs and co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, along with Gunn and Safran, that the film “did not fit in with the new (but still unfolding) plans.”
Although cost wasn’t a factor, “Wonder Woman” headliner Gal Gadot was due to receive $20 million for the third film while Jenkins would have received $12 million. Read more
LeAnn Rimes postpones concerts after suffering vocal cord bleed (MusicNews)
LeAnn Rimes has been forced to cancel two concerts after suffering vocal cord issues.
The How Do I Live hitmaker took to Instagram on Wednesday to post a handwritten note in which she revealed she would be rescheduling her Joy: The Holiday Tour gigs set for Riverside, Iowa and Nashville, Tennessee this weekend.
“It completely and utterly breaks my heart to have to announce that I will be rescheduling this weekend’s shows,” she wrote. “While sick with the flu, my doctor discovered a bleed on my vocal cord, caused by the violent cough that came along with being sick. I am getting better, but I am unable to talk or sing… doctor’s orders!”
The singer went on to insist that she was “devastated” by the news. Read more
Peter Cooper, Grammy-nominated producer, journalist and historian, dies at 52 (THR)
Peter Cooper, a Grammy-nominated producer, highly regarded Nashville journalist and Country Music Hall of Fame executive, died Dec. 6. He was 52.
His family confirmed the death, posting on Facebook that he died in his sleep after suffering a severe head injury following a fall late last week.
A South Carolina native, Cooper joined the staff of The Tennessean as its prime music writer in 2000 before moving to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014 as museum editor.
“He grew to assume the role of museum senior director, producer and writer, driving several important creative initiatives and bringing a poetic grace to them all,” the hall’s CEO Kyle Young said in a statement. “He developed and implemented mission-oriented programs, exhibitions, podcasts and, as a writer, elegantly described the rich character of the country music story. His talents were immense, but his heart was even bigger, and he touched the lives of those he encountered in immeasurable ways. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.” Read more
Elon Musk turns Twitter into ”hotel” for staff (BBC)
The BBC has been given photos of Twitter office space that has been converted into bedrooms, which San Francisco authorities are probing as a possible building code violation.
One image showed a room with a double bed, including a wardrobe and slippers.
An ex-worker said new Twitter boss Elon Musk has been staying at the headquarters since he bought the firm.
He last month emailed all Twitter staff saying they “will need to be extremely hardcore” to succeed. Read more
Hat-trick hero Mbaoma tips Enyimba for trophy (Guardian)
Enyimba’s Chijioke Mbaoma notched a hat trick as the Peoples Elephant defeated Bendel Insurance 4-3, yesterday, to move to the top of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)-Dozy Mmobuosi Foundation pre-season tournament.
On MatchDay 2 of the tournament, 10-man Shooting Stars of Ibadan fought spiritedly to hold Enugu Rangers to a 1-1 draw and stay second behind Enyimba.
The result means Enyimba are guaranteed a place in the finals, irrespective of the outcome of the remaining games.
Nwobodo gave Rangers the lead after 56 minutes, but Samuel Ayorinde, who was picked as the man of the match, brought Shooting Stars level.
Enyimba and Insurance had a fireworks filled first half that produced five goals with Insurance leading 3-2 to the dressing room. Read more
Osimhen relishes Charleroi experience (Punch)
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen paid a surprise visit to his former club Royal Charleroi as Napoli kick-started preparations for the second half of the season.
Osimhen joined Belgian club Charleroi in 2018 on a season-long loan, having failed to score in any of his 16 appearances for Wolfsburg.
After a successful spell with the Belgian side, playing 36 games and scoring 20 goals, Charleroi activated their option to acquire Osimhen following his satisfactory performances on loan.
Osimhen took advantage of the proximity of the Belgian club’s retreat to that of Napoli in Antalya and visited the team that launched him after buying him from Wolfsburg. Read more
Belgium star Hazard quits international football (RFI)
Belgium star Eden Hazard announced his retirement from international football on Wednesday, days after the team crashed out of the World Cup in the group stage.
The Real Madrid forward, 31, made the announcement on social media, saying “a page turns today”.
“Thank you for your unparalleled support,” he posted on Instagram. “Thank you for all this happiness shared since 2008. I have decided to put an end to my international career. The succession is ready. I will miss you.”
The Belgium team tweeted: “All the best, captain.” Read more
Morocco players dedicate famous World Cup win over Spain to Abdelhak Nouri (DailyMail)
Morocco players paid an emotional tribute to Abdelhak Nouri after their famous win over Spain at the World Cup.
After beating Spain 3-0 in a penalty shootout, the Moroccan players were photographed with a shirt with the former Ajax player’s name and the number 34.
Nouri, who is of Moroccan descent, suffered a cardiac arrest in a pre-season match for Ajax against Werder Bremen in Austria in 2017.
The 20-year-old was placed in a coma and Ajax revealed five days after the match that the Dutchman had suffered ‘severe and permanent’ brain damage. Read more
Karolina Pliskova re-hires coach she fired after Wimbledon (TennisWorld)
Former world No 1 Karolina Pliskova has announced that she is re-hiring coach Sascha Bajin.
After Wimbledon, Pliskova announced her decision to split with Bajin.
Five months later, Pliskova is back to working with Bajin. Pliskova hired Bajin for the first time ahead of the 2021 season and their first stint lasted a year and a half. “I’m mainly coming back because I still believe that I can help Karolína with my observations.
Her game has gradually improved since her hand injury and in my eyes she has proven that she can still compete with the best in the world. We will want to follow up on these performances, which is why we have decided to renew our connection. Read more
Golf: Woods says ”tough road” ahead in recovery from foot injury (StraitsTimes)
Tiger Woods said that while his golf swing is in great shape his injured right foot needs time to heal and that he looked forward to using a cart when he tees it up at The Match on Saturday.
The 15-time Major champion withdrew ahead of last weekend’s Hero World Challenge after developing plantar fasciitis, tissue inflammation that causes pain in the heel.
“I can hit golf balls, it’s just hard to get from point A to point B, so [the cart] will certainly help a lot,” Woods told reporters on a call promoting the event on Wednesday.
“I’ve got to get this plantar to heal and that just takes time. It’s not something that happens overnight. It’s going to take a lot of rest and healing and unfortunately, treatment. Read more