Lagos indebted to retirees by over N30b, says pensioners’ chair (Guardian)
The Chairman, Association of Retirees and PFA Pensioners, Lagos State, Michael Omisande, has said Lagos State is indebted to people who retired between 2018 and 2021 by over N30b due to non-payment of their benefits.
He revealed this, yesterday, at a press briefing on the pains of retirees in Lagos State.
He said because of the problem, some of the affected retirees have died or are being afflicted by diverse ailments. He said others have been evicted from their apartments.
He said the association wrote several letters to the state governor to draw his attention to the ugly situation but not much came out of the efforts.
He, therefore, called on government to urgently pay all outstanding arrears, which have accumulated for the past three to four years. He also demanded that government pay accrued interest on entitlements and upgrade the pension of all contributory pensioners. Read more
Lagos moves to ensure safety compliance in hotels (Punch)
ThE Lagos State Government has said it will intervene in the hospitality industry to ensure hotels in the state comply with safety practices.
The Director-General, Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr Lanre Mojola, said this on Thursday during a stakeholders’ forum on hotel safety, on Victorial Island.
He said, “Hotels never close and they are places one visits to have an experience one cannot have at home, hence there is need to sensitise stakeholders on safe hotels practices, ensure co-operations and proper coordination of work activities within the sector and provide stakeholders with relevant information on any risks to their health and safety.
“As safety professionals our eyes are meant to be trained to identify and manage these hazards. This involves carrying out risk assessments such as monitoring wires that are hanging, fuses coming into the building, chair that is broken or the ambience that is not right.” Read more
Lagos urges residents to emulate Christ’s virtues at Yuletide (Guardian)
Lagos State Government has charged residents to be Christ-like during the Yuletide by imbibing and emulating virtues of obedience, meekness, sacrifice and humility identified with Jesus Christ.
The state’s Commissioner for Home Affairs, Anofiu Elegushi, who stated this, yesterday, at the 2021 Lagos State Christmas Carol of Nine Lessons, themed, “The Amen,” organised by the first family and the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Lagosians had every reason to be thankful, especially having survived the many variants of the coronavirus.
The commissioner, however, said while the residents are in joyous mood towards the Christmas and New Year celebrations, they should be mindful of the fact that COVID-19 is still out there, seeking whom to devour.
“It is that time of the year again when we sing songs of praise and give thanks to God in Hymns and Psalms. The Yuletide season is here and it gives me great pleasure to welcome all distinguished guests to this auspicious occasion. We give God the glory for all the blessings He has showered upon each and everyone of us from January till date.” Read more
Family confirms death of Lagos diploma holder who jumped into lagoon (Punch)
The family of a National Diploma certificate holder, Lekan Odunare, has confirmed his death after he jumped into a lagoon in an attempt to commit suicide.
Our correspondent gathered that the body of the victim, who jumped into the lagoon in the Epe area of Lagos State on Tuesday morning, was found on Thursday.
A grieving family member of the victim who craved anonymity confirmed the development in an interview with The PUNCH on Thursday.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that Odunare was captured in a video circulating on social media sitting on the rails of a bridge before plunging into the waters. Read more
Church members abducted during vigil in Ondo (DailyTrust)
Members of a church in Akure, Ondo State capital, were kidnapped while holding a vigil service on Wednesday.
A six-month old baby and the pastor of the church were among those kidnapped in the operation.
Operatives of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo announced the arrest of the gang behind the incident.
The suspect, who reportedly disguised as a woman, was arrested in a nearby bush after he invaded the church located in Edo lodge area of Akure with members of his gang.
Amotekun State commander, Adetunji Adeleye, said the suspect, Igbekele, was arrested on the spot while others escaped.
He said they rescued three women from the kidnappers including the female pastor and the six months old baby.
The commander also paraded 21 others who specialised in kidnapping, stealing and selling of Indian hemp as well as a gang which specialise in stealing phones using motorcycles. Read more
Alleged reckless driving: Court admits driver to N500,000 bail (Vanguard)
A Chief Magistrates’ Court in Kogi on Thursday admitted a driver, Ismail Mamudu, to bail in the sum of N500,000 for alleged dangerous and reckless driving.
The police charged Mamudu with dangerous and reckless driving.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Chief Magistrate Mohammed Tanko, ordered the defendant to produce one surety, who must reside in Lokoja.
Tanko adjourned the case until Jan. 6 for hearing.
Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Ubana Ubi told the Court that the defendant had on June 9 drove dangerously and reckless, hit and caused damage to another vehicle with registration number of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau along Antakpe Junction in Lokoja. Read more
3 judges in trouble over conflicting court orders (Sun)
The National Judicial Council (NJC) has barred three High Court judges from promotion for five years for issuing conflicting ex-parte orders in the cases involving the former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus .
They are Justice Okogbule Gbasam of the High Court of Rivers State; Justice Nusirat I. Umar of the High Court of Kebbi State, and Justice Edem Ita Kooffreh of the High Court of Cross River State.
Breaking News, Nigerians can now work in Nigeria and get paid in US Dollars Click here to apply today .
Director of Information, Soji Oye, said the decision to sanction the erring judicial officers was taken at a meeting chaired by Justice Mary Odili.
The statement said the affected judges have been barred from promotion between the next two to five years, issued them with warning letters and placed them on its watch list.
Part of the statement read: “The meeting which was chaired by the Deputy Chairman of Council, Hon. Justice Mary Peter-Odili, CFR agreed with the recommendations of the Investigation Committee set up in September 2021 that Hon. Justice Okogbule Gbasam of the High Court of Rivers State be barred from elevation to higher Bench for two years whenever he is due, as he failed to exercise due diligence in granting the ex-parte order in suit No: PHC/2183/CS/2021 between Ibealwuchi Earnest Alex & 4 others and Prince Uche Secondus & another, as there was no real urgency, in the circumstances of the matter, that would have required an ex-parte order. Read more
FG warns Nigerians as COVID-19 cases rise by 630% in 10 days (Punch)
The Federal Government on Thursday warned Nigerians to take responsibility for their health as COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the country.
The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunmimbe Mamora, who stated this in an interview with one of our correspondents, said, among other measures, there was the need for Nigerians to take responsibility for their to tackle coronavirus.
Mamora said this as COVID-19 cases continued to increase, with the country recording 5,398 infections between December 6 and 15.
Data obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Thursday indicated a sharp increase in infections as only 739 cases were recorded between November 26 and December 5, indicating 630.45 per cent increase within 10 days. Read more
Okowa signs 2022 Appropriation Bill of N479b, five others (Guardian)
The governor also signed five other bills, including Delta State House of Assembly Service Establishment Bill 2021, Delta State Registration of Community Development Associations Bill 2021, Delta State Debt Management Bill 2021, Delta State Erosion and Watershed Management Bill 2021 and Asaba Specialist Hospital Bill, 2021.
Signing the Appropriation Bill in Asaba, Okowa assured residents the state would strive to implement capital projects embedded in the budget and complete all projects before the end of his tenure.
He commended the House of Assembly for the speedy passage of the bill and said his assenting to the Bill before the end of December would avail the state government the opportunity to plan towards budget implementation from January.
“We thank God for the good work the House has done; the very important one is the Delta State Appropriation Bill 2022, now signed into law. Read more
Tom Holland plans acting break to ‘focus on starting a family’ amid Zendaya romance (Metro)
Tom wants to chill out after six years of working non-stop (Picture: Getty)
Tom Holland might be missing in action from the big screen in the coming years as the actor plans to take a break to focus on ‘starting a family’.
Fans are already shedding tears with the bittersweet release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is likely the final instalment Tom will star in.
It’s been quite a promo run for the actor as he’s blessed us with all the epic red carpet moments with co-star and girlfriend Zendaya, after (unintentionally) going public with their long-rumoured relationship this summer.
With the Spider-Man franchise wrapped up (for now), Tom, 25, will next appear in action-adventure film Uncharted alongside Mark Wahlberg, set for release in 2022, and he was just confirmed to play Fred Astaire in an upcoming biopic. Read more
Appellate court questions Harvey Weinstein rape conviction (PageSix)
An appellate court has called into question Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction over what one judge called “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from certain witnesses.
The Appellate Division, First Department five-judge panel heard oral arguments Wednesday as Weinstein’s lawyers sought to overturn the fallen movie mogul’s February 2020 conviction.
Some of the judges seemed skeptical of several of lower court Judge James Burke’s rulings to allow testimony of Weinstein’s prior bad acts to come into trial, including the additional women’s testimony — whose allegations weren’t included in the criminal case. Burke also gave prosecutors the green light to question Weinstein on unrelated bad deeds had he chosen to take the witness stand.
Appellate Judge Sallie Manzanet-Daniels called the non-charged testimony from the three additional women “incredibly prejudicial” and expressed concern for allowing the opportunity for testimony on Weinstein’s other bad acts to come in. Read more
Omicron: New report indicates Africans’ willingness for vaccination (Guardian)
With the Omicron variant dominating COVID-19 discussions, a new report, released yesterday, indicated that Nigerians and other African nationals were overwhelmingly willing to get vaccinated.
The report, from the Partnership for Evidence-Based Response to COVID-19 (PERC), stressed that across 19 countries, 78 per cent of people surveyed showed serious interest in vaccination.
However, as of November 2021, less than seven per cent of the African continent had been vaccinated.
According to the document, the gap between acceptance and coverage demonstrates a substantial unmet need and underscores the importance of consistent and predictable vaccine supply, as well as increased support for vaccination programmes in Africa.
The latest PERC report considered why global vaccination efforts have been plagued by inequity, besides the logistical challenges to vaccinating the continent. Read more
Dozens feared dead or critically injured in building fire in western Japan (Sky)
Up to 27 people are feared to have died or been critically injured in a building fire in western Japan.
State broadcaster NHK said the fire broke out on the fourth or fifth floor of an eight-story building in a shopping and entertainment area in the city of Osaka.
It said the victims were found in a state of heart or lung failure.
The blaze was mostly extinguished after 30 minutes according to local media. Read more
Shudu Musida returns to SA after Miss World postpones pageant (TheSouthAfrican)
Miss World contestant Shudu Musida is returning to South Africa after the 70th edition got postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.
The organisers have stated that more ‘additional positive COVID-19 cases’ had been detected as of yesterday (15 December).
#MissWorld 2021 temporarily postponed due to number of contestants testing positive for Covid-19. #MissWorld2021 will be rescheduled within the next 90 days. pic.twitter.com/03PZ3dDwLE
— Musa Khawula (@khawula_musa) December 16, 2021
The organisers of the 70th edition of the Miss World pageant have postponed the competition due to COVID-19 concerns. Read more
Search warrant issued for Alec Baldwin’s phone over fatal ‘Rust’ shooting (NYPost)
Authorities in Santa Fe, New Mexico issued a search warrant on Thursday for Alec Baldwin’s cell phone to probe the death of the cinematographer he fatally shot on the set of the movie “Rust.”
The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office believes there are key conversations on Baldwin’s phone related to what led to the prop gun death of Halyna Hutchins in October.
Investigators previously asked the 63-year-old actor for his phone but he told them they would need to get a warrant, according to the document, which was obtained by The Post.
Baldwin fired a prop gun while rehearsing a scene of the western film, killing Hutchins and wounding the film’s director. Read more
Flush with vaccines, Asia sees return to normal slip out of reach (AlJazeera)
COVID-19 vaccines promised to be the Asia-Pacific’s ticket to returning to normal life.
Nearly a year after the jabs arrived, life across the region is far from normal, as authorities continue to restrict freedoms, particularly when it comes to travel, despite peaking vaccination rates.
The sobering reality, which has been underscored by the emergence of the Omicron variant, raises questions about the region’s end goal in fighting a virus that scientists broadly agree will exist and mutate for the rest of our lives.
Authorities’ failure to stick with pledges to live with COVID-19 despite world-leading vaccination rates raises the spectre of never-ending restrictions – and a region that is permanently less free and interconnected – unless societies can learn to adapt to higher rates of disease.Read more
In return to action, Tiger Woods, son trail favourites on PNC Championship (Guardian)
Tiger Woods will make his first tournament appearance since being seriously injured in a car accident earlier this year when he joins forces with his son, Charlie, as a +1000 wager on the PNC Championship, reports sportsnet.ca.
Despite undergoing surgery to repair extensive injuries to his lower right leg, Woods has exceeded expectations with his plans to participate in the 24th edition of the PNC Championship this weekend at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, Fla.
Woods’ last appearance on the PGA Tour came 13 months ago at the 2020 Masters, where he finished in 38th place. He subsequently joined his son, Charlie, at this event last December, with the father-son duo finishing five strokes back in seventh place.
While concerns linger over Woods’ fitness to return to action so soon after his accident, no doubts remain about Charlie’s touch on the links after wowing onlookers with an impressive performance in practice earlier this week. Read more
‘Seething’ Thomas Tuchel blasts Chelsea’s poor finishing in Everton draw(Metro)
Thomas Tuchel took aim at Chelsea’s wasteful finishing after his side dropped potentially crucial points in this season’s Premier League title race with a disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Everton.
Rafa Benitez found himself under intense pressure ahead of Everton’s trip to Stamford Bridge after a run of just one win in 10 matches, but the visitors produced a spirited performance to frustrate an out-of-sorts Chelsea.
The Champions League holders had appeared on course for victory as Mason Mount kept his composure to score his fourth goal in as many league games in the 70th minute.
But the Toffees responded almost immediately through Jarrad Branthwaite, who latched onto Anthony Gordon’s free-kick and squeezed the ball past Edouard Mendy at the back-post to send the away end into raptures. Read more
4 more Premier League games postponed over COVID-19 (Punch)
The Premier League have postponed four more matches this weekend as the coronavirus crisis wreaked further havoc on the English top-flight on Thursday.
Covid outbreaks across the Premier League forced officials to cancel Southampton’s game against Brentford, Watford’s meeting with Crystal Palace and West Ham’s fixture against Norwich on Saturday.
Leicester’s trip to Everton on Sunday is also off following the late postponement of their Thursday clash with Tottenham.
Manchester United’s scheduled game against Brighton on Saturday was postponed earlier on Thursday due to the Old Trafford club’s virus problems.
Five of the 10 Premier League matches scheduled for the weekend have now been scratched from the schedule. Read more
Nadal Has Low Expectations For Australian Open (DailyTrust)
Rafael Nadal says he does not have big expectations for the Australian Open as he prepares to play for the first time since a foot injury ruled him out of the final months of the 2021 season.
The 35-year-old Spaniard plays Britain’s Andy Murray today at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship, an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi.
Nadal has played one event – Washington in August – since early June. Read more
Jurgen Klopp disagrees with Thomas Frank’s call to postpone Premier League games amid Covid-19 outbreak (Metro)
Jurgen Klopp isn’t convinced a break to the Premier League amid the ongoing breakouts of coronavirus several clubs are experiencing would be of ‘massive benefit’.
Liverpool’s game against Newcastle, a 3-1 win at Anfield for the home side, was just one of two Premier League matches on Thursday evening after Leicester City’s clash with Tottenham was postponed.
Before kick-off, the Premier League confirmed another four matches this weekend had been called off with clubs struggling to contain the new wave of coronavirus cases linked to the Omicron variant, leaving managers short of players who are isolating.
Earlier this week, Brentford boss Thomas Frank called on all matches to be postponed this coming weekend to help break the chain with the next set of games then coming after Christmas. Read more
Chargers’ Donald Parham in stable condition after slamming head on turf (NYPost)
Los Angeles Chargers tight end Donald Parham was in stable condition and being evaluated for a head injury after being removed on a stretcher during a game against Kansas City on Thursday night.
Parham appeared to lose consciousness and was helped off the field on a stretcher early in the first quarter. He was taken to Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where he was undergoing further tests and imaging.
Parham, in his second year with Los Angeles, got his hands on a 5-yard pass from Justin Herbert in the back of the end zone on fourth-and-goal, but he dropped the ball when the back of his head slammed into the ground. Read more
Timea Babos out of AO because she is not willing to comply with rules set (TennisWorld)
Former world No. 25 Timea Babos has announced her withdrawal from the Australian Open as she simply can’t comply with the rules set for the 2022 Australian Open. Babos made nine Australian Open main draw appearances in singles but never made it past the second round.
However, Babos enjoyed doubles success at Melbourne Park as she and Kristina Mladenovic won the 2020 Australian Open doubles title. “The world has unfortunately changed a lot since our 2020 Australian Open doubles victory.
This year in Melbourne, I got a huge, almost unprocessed slap from my partner, then came my own COVID illness and then my stubborn injuries,” Babos said. “With all will, I there myself into training a few months ago and started returning to the world of competitive tennis.
“Because of my weaker singles ranking and my doubles success, I’m obviously facing a series of dilemmas in the future, but one thing’s for sure, I won’t give up because I know and believe there’s more to it than that.” Read more