Lagos: Naked man found dead inside car (Punch)
Residents and passers-by around Isheri, Olowora Road, Ojodu Berger in Lagos woke up on Thursday to behold a strange scene in the neighbourhood.
The corpse of a yet-to-be-identified man was said to have been found in a car in the neighbourhood.
An eyewitness, who spoke with PUNCH Metro on the condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, said the man was found naked in a black Toyota car.
As of the time of the discovery, his corpse was said to be lying across the front seats of the car with his head on the driver’s seat and leg stretched across the passenger’s seat. Read more
Be prepared for thunderstorms, heavy rains, NiMet tells northern residents (DailyTrust)
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has alerted residents of some northern states to prepare for heavy rainfall in the coming days.
According to a release issued on Thursday “Thunderstorm cells are currently observed over the northern parts of the country including Borno, Taraba, Gombe, Bauchi and Kano.
These are expected to propagate westward to give equally thunderstorm to some cities.”
The statement added that the current thunderstorm cells are expected to propagate easterly to give thunderstorms accompanied with squall to cities in Plateau, FCT, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Adamama, Yobe, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina states in the next 2-6 hours. Read more
Lagos emerges third most culturally vibrant African city (Guardian)
Johannesburg is the most culturally vibrant city in Africa, according to the Creative Vibrancy Index for Africa (CVIA) that ranks how 12 African cities support and enable the arts, culture, and creative industries.
The index provides a comprehensive overview of the environment for artists and creative entrepreneurs in Johannesburg (South Africa), Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo), Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya), Tunis (Tunisia), Marrakech (Morocco), Luanda (Angola), Accra (Ghana), Cairo (Egypt), Lagos (Nigeria), Harare (Zimbabwe) and Dar-Es-Salam (Tanzania).
The cities were ranked based on availability and access to cultural venues and facilities; cultural policies that support the arts, and the cities’ capacity to promote culture. Johannesburg has the highest overall ranking score for creating the most enabling environment for creativity, followed by Cairo and Lagos. Read more
Lagos technician bags life jail for defiling neighbour’s daughter (Punch)
A 26-year-old automobile technician popularly known as rewire, Sunday George, was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment by an Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court for defiling his neighbour’s 12-year-old daughter.
The judge handed down the verdict after finding George guilty of the offence of defilement of a minor.
Justice Abiola Soladoye held that the prosecution proved the charge of defilement against the convict beyond a reasonable doubt. Read more
Inauguration: Buhari relocates to Glass House (Leadership)
Ahead of the inauguration of the president-elect, Bola Tinubu, President Muhammadu Buhari has moved into the Glass House at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The iconic residence has served as a transitional abode for the outgoing president and their spouse during the handover period.
The Glass House has also traditionally played a crucial role in the transition of power, providing a symbolic and practical space for the outgoing president and their spouse. Read more
I’ll revive Police SRS in first 100 days of second term ― Makinde (Tribune)
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, declared on Thursday, that his administration will revive the Police Swift Response Squad (SRS) in the first 100 days of his second term in office, adding that such a step will help deal with criminal elements in the state.
The governor stated this while hosting the new Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 1I, which covers Oyo and Osun States, AIG Sikiru Akande, at the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Ibadan.
The governor commended the efforts of all the security agencies during the last general election in the state, which was adjudged the most peaceful election in Nigeria. Read more
INEC publishes particulars of candidates for Imo, Kogi, Bayelsa guber (Sun)
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has announced that it will, today, publish the personal particulars of the candidates participating in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi States governorship election.
National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in a statement disclosed that the publication will be done in the the state headquarters and local government offices in the three states.
The electoral umpire appealed to Nigerians to scrutinise the list, particularly, any aspirant who participated in his/her party’s primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination at the Federal High Court. Read more
Senate Presidency: Northern APC Senators threaten revolt over zoning template (Vanguard)
Northern senators, especially those elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have threatened to revolt against the party if the controversial zoning template for leadership of the 10th National Assembly was not revisited.
Specifically, former Governor of Zamfara State and Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari, said the entire North would revolt over the issue.
He spoke when some Senate presidency aspirants visited the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC, yesterday, in Abuja. adopted Senators Godswil Akpabio and Jibrin Barau.
It also zoned the Speakership and Deputy Speakership to North-West and South-East and chose Tajudeen Abass and Ben Kalu for the slots. The party said those selected were also the choices of President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Read more
Janelle Monáe announces new album, celebrates with a song for her “Lipstick Lover” (RollingStone)
Janelle Monáe has announced her first album in five years, The Age of Pleasure, with a new single, “Lipstick Lover.” On Wednesday, she teased the single with a short clip of her emerging from a shallow pool as the track played in the background. The video — where she wore a soaked see-through t-shirt with the word Pleasure plastered across it — quickly gained traction online.
“As we enter into The Age Of Pleasure Lipstick Lover is our freeassmothafucka anthem inspired by f.a.m. for f.a.m,” Monae wrote in a statement about the album, which is set for release on June 9. “This is our audio oasis made with love and signed with cherry red kisses from me to you.”
Janelle’s promo imagery winked at a popular 1972 poster for Jamaica tourism featuring Trinidadian model Sintra Bronte. Fittingly, “Lipstick Lover,” is her take on romantic reggae, an ode to a moment of queer intimacy dotted with sugary harmonies and an earworm hook. The visual for the song was directed by Janelle and Alan Ferguson. Read more
Jamie Foxx’s family reportedly “preparing for the worst” as actor remains hospitalised (NME)
The family of Jamie Foxx are reportedly “preparing for the worst” as the actor remains in hospital.
The Oscar-winning actor is still being treated four weeks after “suffering a serious medical emergency”. According to reports in the US, Foxx is at a medical facility in Georgia where he is being kept “under observation”.
Details of Foxx’s condition have not been disclosed, but a source close to the actor told TMZ that he “needs all the prayers and well-wishes his fans can muster”. Read more
Yayoi Kusama’s biggest New York show in years is a late-career triumph (Artnews)
Yayoi Kusama belongs to a select class of 20th-century artists whose work is instantly recognizable the world over. She stands alongside figures such as Picasso, Pollock, Warhol, and Basquiat, all of whom produced work that today draws crowds. But their crowds are not quite like the ones brought by Kusama, whose shows bring lines wrapping around blocks, often just so that visitors can spend less than a minute in her iconic “Infinity Rooms,” take a selfie, and post it to social media.
That’s been the case since at least 2013, when the artist had her first exhibition with David Zwirner in New York. And it will likely be the case again with her latest one at the gallery, which opens Thursday evening and runs until July 21. This latest show is spread across three connected spaces on West 19th Street in Chelsea, making it David Zwirner’s biggest show by her to date.
The grand scale is likely to be met by huge attendance numbers. David Zwirner’s 2021 Kusama show welcomed over 94,000 people. Read more
Killer Mike shares new single “Motherless” (DIY)
With his first solo album in over a decade due out next month, Killer Mike has shared the latest single to be taken from it. Watch the video for ‘Motherless’, directed by Shane Smith, below.
Alongside that video, Mike has also shared for the first time the video for the previous single, ‘Don’t Let the Devil’, directed by Davi Peña.
Taken together, the two videos make up a short film that is a tribute to Mike’s late mother. Speaking about them, Mike has said, “These aren’t meant to be sad videos or eulogies. Read more
SEVENTEEN scores 5th straight No. 1 on top album sales chart (Billboard)
SEVENTEEN keeps up its perfect track record on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart (dated May 13) as the act’s SEVENTEEN 10th Mini Album: FML debuts atop the list – the 13-member Korean pop ensemble’s fifth consecutive No. 1, of five total entries. All have also bowed at No. 1. The title sold 132,000 copies in the United States in the week ending May 4, according to Luminate – the fourth-largest sales week for an album in 2023 and SEVENTEEN’s best sales week yet.
Like many K-pop releases, the CD edition of FML was issued in collectible CD packages (14 total, including exclusives for Barnes & Noble, Target and the Weverse webstore), each containing a standard set of items and randomized elements (postcards, mini posters, bookmarks and stickers).
FML was also available as a standard digital download album, as well as via 17 digital download variants that were sold exclusively through the act’s official webstore, each with alternate cover art. Four of them have two bonus tracks – one instrumental track and a voice memo from certain group members – that are different on each album. The remaining 13 alternate digital albums all have the album’s standard tracklist, just with a different cover (one for each of the group members). Of FML’s first-week album sales, 98% were CDs, while the remaining 2% were digital album downloads. The set was not available in any other retail format (such as vinyl or cassette).Read more
Labour MP accuses shadow minister of sexually assaulting her after summer party (Metro)
A Labour MP has reported a shadow minister to the police for allegedly assaulting her.
The unnamed woman claims she was attacked after a London summer party in July 2021.
She informed several senior members including at least one other shadow minister, Tortoise Media first reported. Read more
Russia denies advances by Ukrainian forces along front line (BBC)
Russia’s defence ministry has denied reports by pro-Russian sources that Ukrainian soldiers have made advances on the front line in east Ukraine.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group fighting on the Russian side, accused regular Russian troops of abandoning positions around Bakhmut.
Russian military bloggers reported Ukrainian advances or troop movements in several areas on Thursday. Ukraine’s president said earlier it was too early to start a counteroffensive. Read more
Rivers Utd fight back to earn point at relegation-threatened Wikki Tourists (DailyTrust)
Wikki Tourists’ battle to escape relegation became more complicated yesterday after they were forced to a 1-1 by visiting Rivers United in the rescheduled Match Day 15 of the 2023 Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) abridged season.
The rescheduled match played at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium Bauchi offered Wikki Tourists a golden opportunity to brighten their chances of survival ahead of the final round of matches on May 18 but the embattled elephants fumbled again.
The captain of the side, Idris Guda Mohammed had the chance from the spot to put his side ahead before the break but squandered the chance to the consternation of the home fans as the half ended in a barren draw. Read more
NPFL clubs kick against rescheduled fixtures, play-offs date (Punch)
Affected clubs in Group A of the abridged 2022/23 Nigeria Professional Football League have expressed displeasure over the proposed date for the Super 6 play-offs by the Interim Management Committee of the league.
In a letter sent to the clubs, which was obtained by our correspondent, the IMC proposed Tuesday May 23 to Saturday June 3 for the Super 6 play-offs, while the regular season in Group B would end on Sunday May 21.
According to the IMC, the need to accommodate the outstanding fixtures of Rivers United necessitated the shift in schedule, while match-day 18 will be completed in Group A on May 14 as scheduled. Read more
Nigeria out of U17 AFCON (Guardian)
Nigeria’s Under 17 team, Golden Eaglets have crashed out of the ongoing Under 17 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Algeria. The team lost 1-2 to their Burkina Faso counterparts in the quarter finals of the event at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on Thursday.
The result means that Nigeria could not secure a ticket to the 2023 FIFA Under 17 World Cup in November, after failing to reach semi finals of the ongoing AFCON.
In the match, Aboubacar Camara put the Burkina Faso team in the lead, at the 45th minute of play, following a defensive error from Tochukwu Ogbiji. Read more
Napoli increase Osimhen price tag to €160m (Vanguard)
Serie A champions, Napoli have reportedly increased their asking price for striker, Victor Osimhen after he inspired the club’s first scudetto in 33 years.
According to Italian outfit, Il Matino, Azzurri have stepped up the asking price of the Nigerian forward from €150 to €160 in view of a feisty scramble for the 24-year-old striker this summer.
Bayern Munich, PSG, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are among top-tier clubs interested in securing the services of Osimhen in the summer transfer window. Read more
Roma earn advantage over Bayer Leverkusen (BBC)
Edoardo Bove’s second-half goal gave Jose Mourinho’s Roma the advantage over Bayer Leverkusen after the first leg of their Europa League semi-final.
The 20-year-old passed into the bottom corner after Tammy Abraham’s shot was saved to score his first European goal. Leverkusen’s best chance saw Florian Wirtz drag wide in the sixth minute.
They had a chance to equalise in the 86th minute but Jeremie Frimpong’s effort after a mistake by Rui Patricio was blocked. Read more
West Ham on verge of rare European final after AZ Alkmaar comeback win (Metro)
West Ham came from a goal behind to beat AZ Alkmaar 2-1 in the first leg of the Europa Conference League semi-final at the London Stadium.
Dutch side Alkmaar frustrated the home team in the first half and took a surprise lead when Tijjani Reijnders beat Alphonse Areola from distance.
But West Ham – bidding to reach a first European final in 47 years – turned the tie around in the second half thanks to Said Benrahma’s penalty and Michail Antonio’s goal. Read more
