Lagos-Ibadan: Julius Berger announces traffic diversion at Kara (Punch)
The construction firm, Julius Berger, in charge of the Lagos-Sagamu section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, has announced traffic diversion from Saturday, October 29, 2022, to allow for the complete repair of the road.
In an interview by The PUNCH, a representative of the construction firm who craved anonymity, said the diversion was to ensure the bad portion of the road is quickly fixed for motorists to ply.
The representative said, “With everything being under control and as envisaged, we should be moving traffic on the long bridge inwards Kara to the finished point to ensure the repair of the bad portion of the road causing major gridlock.
“We might have that happen on Saturday or Sunday, and you (residents and motorists) will experience a standstill movement at any time on the road and it is for the betterment of the road travellers. Read more
Again, NPF dismisses alleged massive bomb planting in Abuja (Tribune)
The Police High Command on Saturday again dismissed the alleged massive planting of bombs everywhere in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja and its environs as being alleged in some quarters, describing it false and fake news which should be ignored
This was contained in a reaction by the Force Public Relations Officer, FPRO, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi to the fresh speculations making the rounds that bombs were being planted everywhere in the nation’s Federal Capital Territory by terrorists as parts of plans to strike the city.
According to the FPRO, “it is surprising and disheartening to read in the news and on social media that bombs are being planted in every area of the Federal Capital Territory, even from some individuals who are presumed to be peace ambassadors and patriotic agents of national unity in Nigeria
“I don’t think it will do our country any good to continually spread such fearful rumours to further create more panic among citizens and residents of the FCT and Nigeria at large. Read more
Police arrest ‘notorious cultist’ going for operation in Ogun (DailyTrust)
Operatives of the Ogun Police Command have arrested an alleged member of a cult group (Eiye confraternity), Olamide Olabode, while on his way to launch an attack.
The police spokesman, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, said the “notorious” suspect was in company with other members of the group who escaped arrest.
He said the suspect was arrested at Oke-Iganmu area of Ilaro/Papalanto road, when members of a patrol team from Ilaro division sighted the suspect and two others on a Bajaj motorcycle.
According to him, the suspect who was sitting at the back of the motorcycle, quickly jumped down and ran into the bush with a bag.
“He was hotly chased and arrested, while the other two sped off on the motorcycle,” Oyeyemi said. Read more
Abuja terror alert: Jabi Lake Mall reopens (Vanguard)
The management of Jabi Lake Mall has announced the reopening of the mall, after shutting down operations for two days.
The announcement was contained in a statement on the company’s Instagram handle on Friday.
On why it reopened, the mall noted that the assurances of the federal government, Heads of Security Agencies, and the Federal Capital Territory Minister precipitated the reopening.
Recall that the police Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had dismissed reports that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was saturated with explosive bombs. He noted that the report was fake and urged Nigerians to disregard it. Read more
Naira Redesign: CBN should bar personal domiciliary accounts, says economist (Channels)
An economist, Tope Fasua has urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to bar individuals from operating domiciliary accounts in order to stabilise the naira and quash currency speculation.
“Personal dorm accounts are mostly unnecessary; only companies that are doing international trade transactions or financial market companies should be able to hold dorm accounts because they have a reason to,” he said on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme on Saturday.
A domiciliary account is not intended to save money but allows the owner to fund it with foreign currencies such as dollars, pounds or euros to perform foreign transactions.
However, with the naira’s constant struggle in the foreign exchange market, it is not uncommon for Nigerians to convert the naira to dollars at the parallel market and save in their dorm accounts, fuelling currency speculation as demands for dollars soar. Read more
Insecurity: Turkish drones, helicopters to arrive in Nigeria – Ambassador (Guardian)
Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Nigeria, Hidayet Bayraktar, has said that drones and helicopters from Turkey will soon arrive in Nigeria as part of efforts to strengthen the security architecture of the country.
Bayraktar made this known during the commemoration of the 99th National Day of the Republic of Turkey in Abuja.
Bayraktar described the security support from Turkey to Nigeria as an achievement from the defence cooperation contract signed between both countries in 2021.
He said that Turkey was set to extend all kinds of support to Nigeria in its efforts to counter its security threats by sharing its experience, technical expertise and technology. Read more
Terror alert: Julius Berger shuts operations in Abuja (Punch)
Julius Berger, a construction company has closed down operations in the capital city.
The closure was in response to the ongoing security concern within the Federal Capital Territory and Central Abuja.
In a statement made available to the press on Saturday, the company advised its staff to avoid public premises during the weekend adding that temporary relocation to other sites may be considered.
“It is advised to avoid all public events within the FCT environment, including supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, bars, clubs and other areas where many meet. This advice is applicable from, 28.10.2022 in the evening until Monday, 31.10.2022 in the morning. Read more
Flooding: Nasarawa govt may demolish shops in Lafia market (Guardian)
Mr Yakubu Kwanta, Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources in Nasarawa State, says the state government may demolish shops blocking waterways at the Lafia Modern Market.
Kwanta made the statement while speaking to newsmen after the October monthly sanitation in Lafia on Saturday.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Abdullahi Agwai, Kwanta said the state government was doing everything possible to reduce the impact of the flooding in the state.
“The ministry will not allow anybody to block the water ways. It is not a friendly environmental practice. We won’t allow it,” he said. Read more
Rihanna dances under beach sunset in stunning Lift Me Up music video (Metro)
Rihanna is back in the music biz which, of course, means a new music video!
The Umbrella hitmaker, 34, has had fans in despair over the past six years, as we’ve waited (not so) patiently for new music.
But, that wait is over thanks to Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever, as the Fenty Beauty founder released her new single, Lift Me Up, as part of the soundtrack.
The Barbadian star shows off her gorgeous vocals on the delicate track, with lyrics including: ‘Lift me up, hold me down, keep me close, safe and sound; Hold me when you go to sleep, keep me in the warmth of your love when you depart, keep me safe and sound.’ Read more
Trevor Noah insists he never said ‘entire UK is racist’ amid Rishi Sunak row (Guardian)
Comedian Trevor Noah says he did not claim “the entire UK is racist” after a row over a skit he did about the appointment of Rishi Sunak as PM.
On US news programme The Daily Show earlier this week, Noah had said there had been a “backlash” over Mr Sunak.
His comments were criticised in the UK, with many including ex-chancellor Sajid Javid calling Noah “simply wrong”.
But Noah has now defended his segment, saying he was reacting to racists, and: “That’s why I said. ‘Some people’.”
Mr Sunak is the UK’s first British Asian prime minister and officially took over as Conservative leader and PM on Tuesday, after a leadership process. Read more
Dolly Parton hopes to enlist Jimmy Page and Robert Plant for her rock album (AS)
Dolly Parton has a dream collaboration.
On her forthcoming rock album, she wants to bring together one of the greatest duos of all time from one of the most celebrated bands of all time: Robert Plant and Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin.
In the past calendar year, much has been made about Parton’s relationship with rock and roll. The famed country star was nominated to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2021 and at first declined the nomination, thinking her impact on rock wasn’t worthy of the award, but later happily accepted it and she will be officially entered into the Hall on Nov. 5, 2022, along with fellow artists Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Eurythmics, Lionel Richie, and Carly Simon.
As rumors swirl about her impending rock album, Parton has told fans she wants to bring together Plant and Page one more time. Read more
Diddy officially declared a billionaire, surpasses Kanye West on hip-hop rich list (HipHopDX)
Diddy has now officially been declared a billionaire, surpassing Kanye West on the Hip Hop rich list shortly after the Yeezy mogul lost his billionaire status.
According to Forbes, Ye was stripped of his title as a billionaire on Tuesday (October 25) after he and Adidas ended their lucrative partnership together.
As Kanye is now valued at around $400 million, the outlet Substack proclaimed in a list compiled by Forbes former Senior Entertainment Editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg that Diddy has now surpassed Ye on the list of rap’s top five richest moguls. However, JAY-Z still reigns supreme with a net worth of $1.5 billion.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is now valued at an even billion, making him the second wealthiest rap mogul behind Hov. Diddy’s lucrative surge into the billionaires club comes thanks to his longtime investments with Ciroc – valued at around $60 million – DeLeon tequila and his media network Revolt. Read more
‘RRR’ roars at Japan Box Office (Variety)
S.S. Rajamouli’s blockbuster “RRR,” starring Ram Charan and NTR Jr, is racking up the numbers at the Japanese box office.
After an impressive worldwide run, where it grossed $145 million, including $14.5 million in North America, the film released in Japan on Oct. 21.
Keizo Kabata’s Twin released the film in 209 screens and 31 Imax screens in Japan across 44 cities and prefectures, the widest release for an Indian film in the country. Rajamouli, NTR Jr and Ram Charan visited Japan for a promotional tour for the film.
In a week, “RRR” collected JPY73 million ($495,000), making it the highest first week collections for an Indian film in Japan, according to Twin. “RRR” opened at No. 10 and the top nine films were all local Japanese films. “RRR” was the highest grossing foreign film of the week, ahead of “The Bad Guys,” “Spencer” and “Jurassic World Dominion.” Read more
Brooklyn Nets owner “disappointed” after Kyrie Irving promotes antisemitic film on Twitter (CBS)
Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai said Friday he is “disappointed” that Kyrie Irving appears to support a film “based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation.”
The Nets’ star guard posted a link for the film “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” on Twitter on Thursday. The synopsis on Amazon said the 2018 film “uncovers the true identity of the Children of Israel.” The synopsis adds that viewers will “find out what Islam, Judaism and Christianity has covered up for centuries in regards to the true biblical identity of the so-called ‘Negro’ in this movie packed with tons of research.”
According to Rolling Stone, the film, based on the 2015 book, asserts that “many famous high-ranking Jews” have “admitted” to “worship[ing] Satan or Lucifer.”
Tsai and the Nets reacted quickly to the latest trouble stirred up by Irving, who had previously supported the idea of the Earth being flat and last month on social media shared an old clip from conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. Read more
Hospitals in Ukraine’s Kherson region being cleared out by Russians, Ukrainian military officials say (USAToday)
Russian troops moved large numbers of sick and wounded comrades from hospitals in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region and stripped the facilities of medical equipment, Ukrainian military officials reported Saturday as their forces fought to retake a province overrun by invading soldiers early in the war.
Kremlin-installed authorities in the mostly Russian-occupied region had previously urged civilians to leave the city of Kherson, the region’s capital — and reportedly joined the tens of thousands of residents who fled to other Russia-held areas ahead of an expected Ukrainian advance.
“The so-called evacuation of invaders from the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson region, including from medical institutions, continues,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in an update. “All equipment and medicines are being removed from Kherson hospitals.”
The military’s claims could not be independently verified. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a nightly video address Friday the Russians were “dismantling the entire health care system” in Kherson and other occupied areas. Read more
Osimhen treble fires Napoli past Sassuolo and six points clear (Guardian)
Victor Osimhen continued his red-hot return from injury with a hat-trick in Napoli’s 4-0 win over Sassuolo which sent his team six points clear at the top of Serie A on Saturday.
Nigeria forward Osimhen struck twice in the first 19 minutes in Naples and then dinked home his third with 13 minutes remaining to ensure Napoli extended both their club-record winning streak to 13 matches and their lead on champions AC Milan, who face Torino on Sunday.
The 23-year-old has burst back into the team after over a month out with a thigh injury, rattling in six goals in his last four matches between Serie A and the Champions League.
Saturday’s clinical display of finishing took his league tally this season to seven goals in eight appearances and moved him level with Bologna’s Marko Arnautovic at the top of the scoring charts. Read more
Flamingos need focus to beat Germany, Galadima says (Sun)
Ibrahim Galadima, Chairman of Kano State Sports Commission, says the Flamingos need focus to excel in their third-place match against Germany on Sunday at the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.
Galadima told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that the team have done well though with their accomplishment so far in the competition in India.
He said their performance was an acknowledgment of the fact that Nigeria’s female national teams at all levels have always been doing well in their competitions.
“In a match, everything is not all about victory but about what a team has learnt during the match. Read more
Bayern put 6 past Mainz to move top of Bundesliga (Eurosport)
Sadio Mane missed a penalty, but scored the rebound and set up two more as Bayern Munich romped to victory over Mainz.
It only took Bayern five minutes to go in front when Mane found Serge Gnabry in the middle and he had time to steady himself before slotting home.
The goal of the day came just before the half-hour mark when Jamal Musiala exchange passes on the edge of the box with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting before striking home from the edge of the area.
It was three just before the break when VAR found Mane was brought down in the box and though he hit a poor penalty, Robin Zentner parried the ball straight back to him and he gleefully scored. Read more
Leicester 0-1 Manchester City: Kevin de Bruyne shines for champions in Erling Haaland’s absence (BBC)
Manchester City have been The Erling Haaland Show this season but in his absence one of the most enduringly world-class members of the club’s all-star cast demonstrated exactly why he remains irreplaceable.
Haaland was forced to sit out the visit to Leicester City after suffering a combination of illness and injury that saw him substituted at the interval against former club Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in midweek.
They were bound to miss the 22-year-old with a remarkable 17 goals in 11 Premier League games and his absence looked like it may be a key factor as Leicester erected a blue wall of defensive defiance from the kick-off, then invited Manchester City to break it down.
It is at times like this the big players make a big difference – step forward Kevin de Bruyne. Read more
Jake Paul explains his training regime and strict diet for Anderson Silva fight (Mirror)
Jake Paul has outlined the “tough diet” and intense training regime he’s been on to prepare for his fight with Anderson Silva.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer weighed in at career-low weight for the sixth fight of his professional career against UFC legend Silva tonight, stepping on the scale at 186.4lb. 47-year-old Silva looked to have had no issues making the weight having fought at 185lb for most of his UFC career. Paul admitted his diet for the fight has been tough but insisted he could make the light-heavyweight limit if he put himself through an MMA-style weight cut.
“Breakfast is just an omelette with one piece of toast. Sometimes I’ll skip lunch. I’m not really a big lunch person,” he said. “It makes me tired and that makes me drop in weight. I’ll usually have a snack and some fruit and the snack is a high fibre protein bar. Dinner is chicken or steak with quinoa, or quinoa with fish. Not a lot of carbs.
“So it’s been a really tough diet coming down to 187 but we’re wanting to do it the right way. Where I can wake up the morning of the weigh-in and have pasta if I want to. I could get to 175 next week if I wanted to do an MMA style weight-cut. But we cut the weight ahead of time so I never have to sit in the sauna and steam room and I’ll actually be the same weight.” Read more
George Russell makes admission about his recent driving (F1News)
At the start of the season, George Russell looked like an inspired signing for Mercedes, and a future world champion, picking up podiums and regularly outperforming F1 legend and teammate Lewis Hamilton.
In recent races, however, the young Brit’s reputation has taken a bit of a knock, with Russell being accused of ruining other drivers’ races in a recent spate of collisions that have affected the races of others.
The Mercedes driver has had incidents with both Mick Schumacher and Valtteri Bottas in Singapore, Zhou Guanyu at Silverstone and most recently Carlos Sainz last time out in Austin, forcing the Spanish pole sitter to retire after one corner.
Russell is looking to prove that these incidents are just a minor blip, rather than a true reflection of himself, by having a clean and successful race this weekend in Mexico. Read more