Lagos Island Clash: NURTW branch chairman, Kunle Poly, Sego arrested (Independent)
National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) branch Chairman, Alhaji Abdulazeez Adekunle Lawal, popularly known as ‘Kunle Poly’ and Mustapha Adekunle, the State Treasurer for NURTW otherwise known as Sego have been arrested by Lagos Rapid Response Squad (RRS)
The duo was arrested by CSP Olayinka Egbeyemi over constant clashes in Idumota and its environs which has intermittently crippled commercial activities in the area.
The arrest was effected on Monday at a meeting where the two NURTW members along with some other stakeholders converged.
The latest clash which occurred last week Thursday reportedly led to the death of a victim while commercial activities were paralysed in the area for some time until a joint team of police officers were deployed immediately to the area to restore peace. Read more
LCCI recommends phased fuel subsidy removal (Guardian)
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has recommended a phased removal of petroleum subsidy to mitigate its effect on the masses.
Dr Chinyere Almona, Director-General, LCCI, gave the advice in a statement on Tuesday in Lagos in reaction to the plans of the Federal Government to suspend fuel subsidy removal due to some impediments.
Almona said the phased subsidy removal should be accompanied by complementary investment in critical infrastructure aimed at supporting production in the economy.
According to her, more production meant more job creation, poverty reduction and improved economic growth. Read more
Violent Clashes: Lagos bans NURTW, places RRS on alert (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government, on Tuesday, suspended the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) activities at Eyin Eyo, Church Street and Idumota Bridge, in Lagos Island, indefinitely.
The indefinite suspension became necessary following violence in those areas.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Oluwatoyin Fayinka announced the suspension.
Fayinka stated this at a stakeholders meeting comprising NURTW, Central Business District, CBD, and Lagos State Market Women Association (Iya Oloja General and Iya Oloja of Lagos Island) held at Alausa, Ikeja, to address the crisis often caused by activities of transport union members. Read more
Police arrest 23-year old suspected burglar in Ibadan (Punch)
The Fele Divisional Police in Ibadan, Oyo State, has confirmed the arrest of a 23-year old man, Awoola Tobi, who allegedly burgled and stole mobile phones and accessories to the tune of about N2m around Choice Plaza, Challenge, Ibadan.
The state Police Relations Officer, Adewale Osifeso, described Awoola as a “habitual burglar” in a statement on Monday.
Osifeso noted that combined investigations and swift intelligence made it possible to track and arrest the alleged culprit.
The police recovered 16 Iphones, a white earpiece, one unbranded white-coloured airpods, a Sony Vio laptop, one Dell laptop, and a black shuttle bag. Read more
FG unveils National Policy on 5G (Vanguard)
The Federal government on Tuesday launched the National Policy on Fifth Generation Networks (5G) for Nigeria’s Digital Economy.
Speaking at the launch presided over by President Mohammadu Buhari, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) said that the deployment of fifth generation (5G) network, “will play a vital role in improving the security situation in the country”.
The Minister in his presentation to the President, maintained that that “5G network is a viable platform for security institutions to leverage on, in tackling the security challenges that have bedevilled the country, by harnessing the potential of digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Robotics etc. which explore real-time information for maximum efficiency.”
He further disclosed that the “5G Network will enhance transparency and economic development as its potential for job creation is unprecedented.” Read more
Timi Frank demands immediate release of Journalist abducted in Bayelsa by DSS (Independent)
Comrade Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday, condemned the abduction of a journalist from his house in Bayelsa State by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), on Sunday.
It will be recalled that operatives of the DSS numbering about 15 invaded the residence of the journalist and publisher of track news. ng, Bara Ogidi, and whisked him away in the presence of his wife and children to an unknown destination.
Frank in a press statement said that the action of the DSS is believed to be in connection with Ogidi’s consistent reportage of an alleged controversial libel suit involving the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Simbi Wabote, and the publisher of Pointblank news, Mr. Jackson Ude, presently being heard in the United States of America (U.S.A).
Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP), Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, in a statement in Abuja, said it has been confirmed that Wabote ordered the arrest of the journalist using his office to compromise the DSS. Read more
RATTAWU tasks Nigerians on compassion to disabled persons, gifts FG staff automated wheelchair (Tribune)
The National President of Radio, Television, Theatre and Arts Workers Union of Nigeria (RATTAWU), Comrade Kabir Garba Tsanni, has appealed to the Federal Government and well meaning Nigerians to show compassion to persons with disabilities in the country.
Tsanni made this call when RATTAWU paid a humanitarian visit to Cyprian Ekwensi Department of Arts and Culture, to give Mr Joe Ofumadu an automated modern wheelchair to ease his basic movement.
The RATTAWU National President, further urged Nigerians to stand by each other especially the disabled, noting that it is an obligation for humans to aid one another.
While presenting the wheelchair, Tsanni said, “On behalf of the Central Working Committee (CWC), National Executive Council (NEC) and indeed the teeming members of the union, it is my pleasure to present to you this automated modern wheel-chair in order to ease your basic movement. The decision of the union to do this is predicated on commitment and dedication to the service of mankind through union. Read more
5 Nigerian tech start-ups set to join global innovations through Adanian Labs venture (Independent)
As part of its activities to launch in the Nigerian market, Adanian Labs, a dynamic ecosystem that aims to innovate, launch and scale disruptive solutions, is on a mission to identify with select innovations, which are going to be part of its 12-month venture building programme.
According to the labs, this will see start-ups receive USD$ 120,000 worth of pre-seed funding.
Also, as part of its vision to be the leading Pan African tech lab investing in African innovations created to solve problems on the continent and beyond, Adanian Labs will be hosting a demo day where 25 shortlisted start-ups will pitch in-person to a panel of adjudicators for a chance to be selected as the final five successful start-ups to be incubated at Adanian Labs South Africa.
“Local partnerships are key in realising the Adanian Labs’ vision. It excites us to have created strategic partnerships with local entrepreneurs. As Adanian Labs, we aim to build the next generation of socially impactful and commercially driven companies that will change the world from Africa,” says, CEO, John Kamara, CEO, Adanian Labs. Read more
Ex-BBN’s Omashola welcomes baby boy with fiancée (Nation)
Ex-BBNaija season 4 housemate Omashola has welcomed a baby boy with fiancée.
The media personality revealed this via an Instagram post on Tuesday where he shared a short clip in which he was seen opening and popping a bottle of champagne.
In the post’s caption, Omashola made the announcement. He wrote: “It’s a boy.”
This was several days after the reality TV star shared a video of his fiancée’s sonogram which displayed the baby’s movement in the womb. Read more
Authorities win in altered ending of ‘Fight Club’ shown in China (NME)
A Chinese streaming platform is sharing a version of Fight Club in which the ending has been changed from the original.
Viewers using Tencent Video in China will see a different ending to David Fincher’s 1999 film, where the scene of exploding buildings is replaced with a black slate and a caption: “The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding.”
China has restrictive censorship rules, which could explain why the film’s original ending has been altered. NME has contacted Tencent Video for a response.
Fight Club follows the story of a depressed insomniac man (Ed Norton) who meets a soap salesman called Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). The protagonist comes to live in Tyler’s squalid house after his apartment is destroyed. Read more
Javier Bardem says he jumped out of a cake dressed as a Bond girl for Daniel Craig’s birthday (Independent)
Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem have shared a story about Bardem jumping out of a cake, dressed as a Bond girl for Craig’s birthday.
The actors, who became good friends on the set of 2012 Bond film Skyfall, looked back on the prank during a new run of Variety’s “Actors on Actors”series.
With their birthdays being one day apart in March, they once decided to throw a combined celebration – however, Bardem decided to add an extra surprise for his co-star.
“I remember you were in drag, but I know that’s a whole other story,” Craig recalled. Read more
S Club 7’s Paul Cattermole offers premium-rate psychic readings as he makes career change (Mirror)
S Club 7’s Paul Cattermole has continued to progress on his shock career change after leaving
the music industry behind him to become a tarot card reader.
The popular ’90s star, 44, took it upon himself to master the skills and now thinks he’s got what it takes after he completed his learning with a week-long educational course.
And he will be offering members of the public the chance to use his newfound skills by calling a premium phone line costing £39.95 for a 20-minute session.
The singer-turned-card-reader details his skills on the website Ask The Answer, where he wrote: “I have an abundance of experience and knowledge to share with you from my days in pop band S Club 7 to my present role as a spiritual psychic where my reputation over the years has earned me the title of Psychic Detective. Read more
Kanye West & The Game’s “Eazy” fails to debut in the Top 40 (AllHipHop)
Once again, Kanye “Ye” West had the world talking about him. The 44-year-old musician/fashion designer joined forces with The Game to release the headline-grabbing “Eazy” single.
“Eazy” generated a lot of attention because of one particular line. Kanye West used the song to take a shot at his estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s rumored new boyfriend.
“God saved me from that crash, just so I can beat Pete Davidson’s ass,” rapped Kanye West on the track. Davidson, a longtime member of the Saturday Night Live cast, reportedly hired additional security as a result of Ye’s lyrics.
Despite all of the publicity surrounding “Eazy,” Ye and Game’s latest collaboration was unable to break into the Top 40 of Billboard’s Hot 100. The song landed at #49 on the latest chart.
David Bowie, Kacey Musgraves, H.E.R., Rosalia featured in new M&M’s ‘Album Art’ packs series (Variety)
With the recent news that M&M’S updated the footwear of the Green and Brown M&Ms from heels to sneakers and stilettos to flats, the iconic candy company is unveiling a new line of “Album Art” packs, with designs inspired by David Bowie, Kacey Musgraves, H.E.R. and Rosalía.
“It’s so cool to be included on the new M&M’s ‘Album Art’ pack collection,” H.E.R. said. “I’m a huge M&M’S fan, and have been forever so of course when I heard about this program and all that it represents, I had to work with the brand. M&M’s is all about celebrating differences and using fun to bring people closer together — that really resonates with me. The brand is leveraging the power of music to bring people together and create a world where everyone feels they belong. It’s such a fun, unexpected collaboration.”
The four artists are “each known for inspiring a wide range of entertainment-loving fans to be their true selves and for promoting a sense of belonging,” the announcement says. “The four ‘Album Art’ packs artists span a variety of music genres and were selected to ensure fans from different cultures, backgrounds and generations are seen and represented.” Bowie — the lone male represented in the connection — is represented with a throwback to his “Aladdin Sane” glam era; the green M&M is the backdrop for Musgraves’ Grammy-winning “Golden Hour” cover and Rosalia’s “El Mal Querer”; the brown M&M recreates the debut album cover for “H.E.R.”
“From our perennially favorite chocolate to new product innovations to must-visit retail stores, the M&M’s brand has a long-standing history of bringing joy and fun to fans, and M&M’S Album Art is the next step on this journey,” said Sarah Long, Mars Wrigley North America’s chief marketing officer. Read more
Megan Thee Stallion on her nostalgic new coach campaign: ‘I’ve been wearing this brand all my life’ (People)
Megan Thee Stallion has always been a Coach girl.
The 26-year-old rapper, tastemaker and fashion trendsetter, has teamed up with Coach yet again – bringing her “Hot Girl” attitude and signature swagger to the brand’s Spring 2022 Campaign.
“I feel like working with Coach is just so nostalgic to me because I’ve been wearing this brand all my life,” Megan tells PEOPLE about what her latest collaboration with the heritage fashion brand means to her.
“My grandmother used to take me shopping and buy me little Coach wristlets and the little small purses – and now I’m all grown up, and I get to wear everything and have all the big purses,” she adds. Read more
Logos Hope berths at Tema Port for floating book fair in Ghana(MyJoy)
The largest floating book fair worldwide, Logos Hope, has docked at the Tema Port.
With approximately Christian 400 volunteers on board, the vessel moored at Clinker Ghacem Gate to begin its 38-day book fair.
The fair will have over 5,000 quality different book titles covering a wide range of subjects including science, sports, hobbies, cookery, arts, medicine, languages, at affordable prices.
Managing Director, Logos Hope, Mr Randy Grede, speaking at the opening of the fair thanked the government for opening its doors to the team since the emergence of the pandemic.
He noted that the fair will be a means to spread knowledge and hope to many. Read more
France, UN join West African states in denouncing Burkina Faso’s army takeover (France24)
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday condemned what he called a “military coup” in Burkina Faso, a day after soldiers said they had seized power in the West African country.
Macron said that France was “clearly, as always” in agreement with the Economic Community of West African States “in condemning this military coup”.
The regional organisation as well as Western powers and the United Nations have denounced the takeover and called for the release of President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
Burkina Faso, where France is the former colonial power, is among five Sahel countries where French troops have been assisting local forces against jihadist insurgencies, though Macron announced plans last year to start drawing down French forces. Read more
Super Eagles were distracted by ‘constant calls, promises’ – Idah Peterside (Vanguard)
Super Eagles former goalkeeper, Peterside Idah, has said constant calls and promises of cash rewards from top government functionaries and prominent Nigerians distracted the team against Tunisia in the African Cup of Nations tie.
Idah spoke on Monday on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme as he analyzed factors that contributed to the defeat and exit of the team at the tournament.
The former international said it was wrong to have allowed the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; the Chief Executive Officer of Air Peace, Allen Onyema; and the President of the Nigerian Football Federation, Amaju Pinnick, to address players during halftime.
Idah maintained that when people who are not part of the coaching team are allowed to address players during halftime, promising them cash rewards, the players get distracted. Read more
Mislav Orsic: Burnley in advanced talks to sign Dinamo Zagreb midfielder as Clarets push for signings this week (Sky)
Burnley are in advanced talks over a deal for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Mislav Orsic, as the Premier League’s bottom side push hard for new signings this week.
Orsic, who has previously been linked with a move to Arsenal, is a name familiar to English fans after he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham to knock them out of the Europa League last season.
The 29-year-old also scored the winner in Dinamo Zagreb’s Europa League win at West Ham last month.
Orsic has played 29 times in all competitions for Dinamo Zagreb this season and has scored eight goals. Read more
Kevin De Bruyne sends stark warning to Manchester City squad ahead of title run-in (SI)
Approaching the hectic winter period, Manchester City were trailing Liverpool and Chelsea in what was shaping up to be one of the tightest title races in Premier League history.
All the talk surrounded who could topple Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea juggernaut, who were flying high at the top of the table in late November.
However, after an incredible 12 game-winning run in the Premier League, it is Manchester City who holds an eight-point gap at the summit – with Chelsea a further two points behind.
Much like previous title wins, the Blues have put together a run of games that have cemented themselves as the firm title favourites. Read more
Karim Adeyemi transfer ‘taking shape’ as Liverpool set to miss out on wonderkid (Mirror)
Liverpool look set to miss out on signing Karim Adeyemi after Borussia Dortmund made a decisive move in the race for the Red Bull Salzburg star.
Adeyemi has emerged as one of the most exciting young players in Europe this season and has been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Barcelona have all monitored the 20-year-old striker, while RB Leipzig, Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain have all been linked, but Dortmund are now poised to sign the Germany international.
Adeyemi has scored 18 goals in 25 appearances for Salzburg this season and is under contract with the Austrian side until June 2024. Read more
Claressa Shields: Boxer ‘committed’ to continuing MMA career (BBC)
Claressa Shields will return to the Professional Fighters League in 2022 to continue her journey as a two-sport athlete, the promotion’s chief executive Peter Murray has confirmed.
American Shields, who is the only boxer in history to hold all four major world titles simultaneously in two weight classes, switched to MMA in 2021.
The 26-year-old made a winning debut but lost her next fight and is set to return to boxing in February to defend her middleweight titles against Slovenian Ema Kosin in Cardiff.
“Yes, Claressa will be back [in the PFL] – she’s committed to becoming a two-sport athlete in both boxing and MMA,” said Murray. Read more
Hamilton’s X44 team retains Loeb and Gutierrez (MotorsportWeek)
Extreme E squad X44 will continue to field WRC legend Sebastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez in this year’s series.
Loeb and Gutierrez finished level on points with Rosberg X Racing in the inaugural championship in 2021 but missed out on the title on countback of victories.
The team, founded by seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, announced on Tuesday that it will continue with Loeb and Gutierrez for 2022.
“I’m very happy to be driving for X44 again in Season 2 of Extreme E,” said Loeb, who won last weekend’s Monte Carlo Rally, his 80th victory in the series. Read more
Collin Morikawa ready for reset at Dubai Desert Classic after frustrating week in Abu Dhabi (Sky)
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa admitted his game is not where he would like it to be ahead of his latest DP World Tour appearance at the Slync.io Dubai Desert Classic.
The world No 2 could have moved above Jon Rahm at the top of the world rankings at last week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, only to barely make the cut and stutter to a tied-62nd finish.
Morikawa spent extensive time working on his game on Monday ahead of this week’s Rolex Series event, live on Sky Sports, with the American ready to hit the reset button as he searches for a first win of 2022.
“I have a lot to work on,” the American Ryder Cup star conceded. “Spent all Monday afternoon working. It was probably the hardest, longest I’ve worked in a while pre-tournament on a Monday but it’s good. Read more