Lagos to probe death of three-year-old boy in hospital (Guardian)
The Lagos State Ministry of Health, yesterday, pledged to probe the death of a three-year-old boy who died of alleged negligence and misconduct at one of the State Government-owned secondary care facilities, the Eti-Osa Maternal and Childcare Centre, Lekki-Ajah.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, in a statement, said the incident, which occurred between Friday, 23 and Saturday, September 24, 2022, was rather unfortunate and sad.
He also condoled with the family of the deceased, saying the ministry is investigating the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident.
He said: “For the avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to note that the management of the facility had also officially reported the incident to the Ministry while an investigation into the allegation and the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident has since commenced at the facility level. Read more
Independence Day: FG declares Monday public holiday (Guardian)
The Federal Government on Wednesday declared Monday, October 3, 2022, as a public holiday to mark the nation’s 62nd Independence anniversary celebration.
The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, who made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government, congratulated all Nigerians on this year’s celebration.
Aregbesola in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Shuaib Belgore, assured of government’s commitment to tackling all the challenges facing the nation and bringing smiles to the faces of all the people, reiterating the eminent position of Nigeria in the comity of nations and the greatness ahead of the country.
He said “The world is going through dire economic and security challenges which have also affected our nation. However, I am assuring us all that the government will not abandon the people, but will continue to confront all these challenges with all the might at our disposal until respite comes our way. Read more
Lagos created 10,500 direct jobs, says Sanwo-Olu (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the state has created 10,500 direct jobs for citizens through its support of 1,835 small businesses with N985m.
The governor disclosed this, according to a statement on Wednesday, during an event by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry/Lagos Economic Summit Group and Private-Public Partnership held on Victoria Island.
Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, added that the administration’s initiatives have elevated the economic status of the state.
He said, “The state government has supported 1,835 small businesses with N985m which has led to the creation of 10,500 direct jobs in the state, just as the government has also invested N1bn into the agricultural value chain to provide food and create jobs in the state. Read more
Watchtower Christian Assembly celebrates 10th anniversary (Leadership)
There was unlimited praise, singing and dancing as members of Watchtower Christian Assembly (WCA), a pentecostal church headquartered in Ikeja, Lagos, celebrated the 10th year anniversary of the church on Sunday, September 25, 2022.
The celebration service was themed; ‘My Help’.
Men, women, youths and children of the church were beautifully dressed dancing to songs from the choir as they worshipped God.
The church was completely filled up such that some congregants had to remain standing while the service lasted. Read more
Ogun lepers commend Abiodun for not neglecting colony (Guardian)
Residents of the Lepers Colony, Iberekodo, in Abeokuta, have commended Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun for not neglecting the community and giving members a pride of place in the scheme of things in Ogun State.
Speaking on Wednesday at the Governor’s Office when he led some residents on a courtesy visit to the governor, the leader of the community, Mr. John Odunawo, expressed gratitude to the state government for not neglecting them through the provision of regular stipends by the wife of the governor, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun.
He said: “We are here this morning to thank our governor and his wife for taking care of us. She has been giving us stipends on a regular basis to take care of ourselves.
“As you can see, we are old men and women. Our condition will not allow us to do any meaningful work and we depend on people to survive. Unlike governments in the past, this government has really assisted us.” Read more
No insurance cover for train terrorism victims — NRC boss, Okhiria (Vanguard)
The Managing Director of Nigeria Railways Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, said on Wednesday that there was no insurance cover for passengers on its train services across the country.
He also disclosed that the suspension of the Abuja-Kaduna train service in the last five months had cost the corporation N531 million in revenue loss.
Okhiria, who stated this at a quarterly press briefing of the corporation in Lagos, said the train passengers killed and held captive by terrorists during the attack on the Abuja-Kaduna rail would not receive any compensation from the insurance company.
He maintained that “although the corporation had an insurance policy for both rolling stock and train passengers, it did not cover banditry and terrorism. Read more
Rotary Club Victoria Island East unveils Ukaeru as 35th president (Guardian)
Rotary Club of Victoria Island East has unveiled the Chief Executive Officer, Come Homes and Properties, Rotarian Macdonald Ukaeru, as its 35th imaginative President and Rotarian Juwon Amodu, as President-elect.
The club also inducted eight new members and raised funds that would enable it to embark on some projects.
Ukaeru, while speaking at the event held in Victoria Island, Lagos, under the distinguished chairmanship of the Chief Executive Officer, Victory Group Ltd., Otunba Sola Olatunji, expressed delight over the honour accorded him to lead the group and urged members to support his administration to achieve their objectives.
He noted that the gathering was because of members’ love for humanity and said that he joined the group barely five years ago to enable him to assist individuals and groups that require assistance. Read more
Lagos trains health marshals (Nation)
Lagos State Government has organised one-day training. It has also injected occupational, safety and health marshals into the five technical colleges, the Director General (D-G), Lagos State Safety Commission, Mr. Lanre Mojola, has said.
He added: “These are part of efforts to ensure a safe and healthy work environment in our schools.”
Mojola spoke on Tuesday at a training held at the Lagos State Technical College, Agidingbi, Ikeja.
The D-G, represented by the Technical Adviser to the commission, Mr. Seun Awojobi, congratulated the participants on being selected among others as the representatives of their colleges. Read more
“Gangsta’s Paradise” rapper Coolio dead at 59 (BBC)
US rapper Coolio, known for the iconic hit “Gangsta’s Paradise”, has died at the age of 59.
His longtime manager Jarez Posey told US media the artist was found unresponsive on the bathroom floor of a friend’s house in Los Angeles.
Coolio started making music in the 1980s, but he cemented his place in hip hop history when he recorded Gangsta’s Paradise in 1995.
The exact cause of his death on Wednesday has not yet been revealed.
However Mr Posey told TMZ, which first reported the news, that paramedics believed he may have had a cardiac arrest. Read more
Harry and Meghan placed alongside Andrew and minor royals on Royal Family website (Metro)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been moved next to the disgraced Prince Andrew after a reshuffle of the Royal Family’s website.
Harry and Meghan once sat around halfway down the page beneath senior royals, below the likes of Prince Edward and Princess Anne, but still above lesser-known family members.
But the couple’s position on the site has been altered following the death of the Queen.
Royalists noted that the order of Royal Family members listed on the website had changed over the last month. Read more
Disney dragon character Figment getting feature treatment from Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit and Point Grey (Deadline)
A Disney film is in the works featuring the character Figment, a small purple dragon who serves as the mascot of Epcot’s Imagination Pavilion in Orlando. The feature hails from Seth Rogen’s Point Grey with Pokémon Detective Pikachu‘s Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit set to write, Deadline has learned.
Figment was created by Walt Disney Imagineers Tony Baxter and Steve Kirk, among other collaborators, in 1983, the same year it made its debut in the Epcot ride Journey Into Imagination. Figment is the embodiment of the imagining process— a figment of your imagination.
Although one of Disney’s more obscure characters, Figment has a devoted fan base that has ensured his role at the park is never diminished. Various attempts to remove the ride or decrease his presence have been met with loud protests. Read more
Newport Beach Film Festival Honours to include Ron Howard, Eddie Redmayne and Keke Palmer
(Variety)
The Newport Beach Film Festival has announced its 2022 Festival Honors, which includes Oscar winners Ron Howard and Eddie Redmayne and actors from Jonathan Majors and Patton Oswalt to Keke Palmer and Colson Baker (aka Machine Gun Kelly.) The artists will be honoured at a brunch in conjunction with Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch taking place on Oct. 16 at Balboa Bay Resort.
Howard is receiving the Variety Legends and Groundbreakers Award for his creative leadership. After starting as an actor in such classics as “The Andy Griffith Show” and “Happy Days,” Howard became an Oscar-winning filmmaker whose movies as director include “A Beautiful Mind” and “Apollo 13.” Most recently he directed “Thirteen Lives,” the true story of the rescue of a soccer team and their coach from a cave in Thailand. “Thirteen Lives” is available on Amazon Prime.
Another Oscar winner in attendance is Eddie Redmayne, who will attend the NBFF Centerpiece screening of his new film “The Good Nurse” on Oct. 15 before being honored with the Icon Award the following day. The Netflix film stars fellow Oscar winner Jessica Chastain, with Redmayne playing Charlie Cullen, a nurse known as the “Angel of Death” and regarded as one of the most prolific serial killers in history.
DGA-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Paul Feig is receiving the Career Achievement Award for his work, which includes directing hit films including “Bridesmaids” and “A Simple Favor” and serving as a producer on such programs as “Minx” and “Welcome to Flatch.” Feig is the director, producer and co-writer of “The School for Good and Evil,” which Charlize Theron and Kerry Washington topline and will be released Oct. 19 in theaters and on Netflix. Read more
Drake co-signs Lucki’s new album ‘‘Flawless Like Me’’ (HipHopDX)
Drake has shown some love to Chicago rapper Lucki on his Instagram Story by sharing one of the lyrics from his new album FLAWLESS LIKE ME.
The 6 God hopped on his IG Story on Tuesday (September 27) with a screen capture of the lyrics to Lucki’s song “13” where he referenced Drizzy.
The verse in question references Drake’s love for the city of Houston. “I’m in Houston, I feel like Aubrey, I just spoiled a ho in ghost,” Lucki raps
Drake shared the post, and when Lucki caught wind of it he jumped on Twitter to share the news while also celebrating getting Future as a feature. He also retweeted a picture of HITS Daily Double projected sales chart that shows Lucki coming in at No. 13 with 22,000 units moved. Read more
Sarah Jessica Parker misses NYCB gala after ‘sudden, devastating family situation’ (PageSix)
Sarah Jessica Parker, who was being honoured at the New York City Ballet’s 10th Annual Fall Fashion Gala on Wednesday night, had to run out of the event last minute following what was described as a family emergency.
A source who was in attendance at the gala tells Page Six that moments after the actress arrived at the David H. Koch Theater at the Lincoln Center, she left again.
We are told that, in a bizarrely dramatic moment, they announced from the stage that she had to pull out of the event because of a “sudden devastating family situation.”
Reps for Parker did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment. Read more
Bridge collapses as vehicles cross in Brazil’s Amazon (Aljazeera)
At least three people have been confirmed dead, with as many as 15 missing after a bridge collapsed as some vehicles were travelling across it in the northern Brazilian state of Amazonas, firefighters and local media said.
The Amazonas Fire Department said on Wednesday it was looking for more than a dozen people after the concrete bridge on the BR-319 highway in Careiro, a town about 100km (62 miles) south of the provincial capital Manaus, collapsed.
Some vehicles were crossing the bridge at the time it gave way, and 14 people were injured, officials added. Photos showed the central section of the bridge lying in dark brown water with some vehicles, including a white truck, submerged in the river.
Local media outlet G1 quoted multiple witnesses as saying that the bridge had developed a crack, which was causing a traffic jam before the collapse. Read more
Peseiro defends Uzoho, hails team defence (Punch)
Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro, has defended goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, in the wake of his team’s 2-1 loss to Algeria in an international friendly on Tuesday, The PUNCH reports.
A badly positioned Uzoho was beaten by a 28-yard shot from Youcef Atal after a corner kick was poorly cleared by the Eagles.
This was not the first time that the Cyprus-based goalie had been beaten with long-range shots.
The 26-year-old had spilled Thomas Partey’s fierce shot just outside the box in March when the Eagles were held 1-1 in Abuja, ended the team’s qualification hopes for the World Cup. Read more
FG puts NFF electoral process on hold over court order (Guardian)
The Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) elections scheduled to hold in Benin, tomorrow, may not hold after all. This is because the Federal Government, yesterday, said in a statement that while it is still studying the court processes, the stakeholders in the polls should obey the court order halting the electoral process.
In a statement signed by the Ministry of Sports’ Director, Press and Public Relations, Manga Mohammed and made available to The Guardian, the Federal Government called on stakeholders in Nigerian football to “remain calm and abide by the court order, by not doing anything or taking any further steps particularly, as regards the NFF elections scheduled for Friday, September 30, 2022, in Benin.”
It said the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ismaila Abubakar, gave the advice in Abuja, adding: “The ministry is not oblivious of the recent developments concerning the elective congress of NFF, which, ordinarily, had been scheduled to take place on September 2022.
“The ministry is also aware of the court order made by Hon. Justice I.E. Ekwo of the Federal High Court on September 15, 2022, whereby the court had directed all parties, including NFF and the Minister of Youth and Sports Development to maintain status quo ante pending the final Order of Court.” Read more
Socceroos’ FIFA World Cup group-stage opponents Denmark to wear protest kit in Qatar
(ABC)
Socceroos’ World Cup group-stage opponents Denmark will wear jerseys that protest the human rights record of host nation Qatar, with a black option unveiled on Wednesday to honour migrant workers who died during construction work for the tournament.
“The colour of mourning,” kit manufacturer Hummel said in a post on Instagram releasing the black third-choice design.
“While we support the Danish national team all the way, this shouldn’t be confused with support for a tournament that has cost thousands of people their lives,” the company said.
The designs seem to complete a promise made by the Danish football federation last November to wear clothing with “critical messages” at the tournament in Qatar. Read more
FIFA, Tottenham publicly condemn racist abuse towards Richarlison (CBC)
When FIFA president Gianni Infantino dashed from Geneva to Paris to watch World Cup favourite Brazil in its final warmup game before Qatar, he couldn’t have expected to be confronted by such visual proof of the racism that continues to infect soccer.
Not least because the sport’s world governing body disbanded its anti-racism task force — declaring it had “completely fulfilled its temporary mission” — shortly after Infantino was elected in 2016.
FIFA has implemented a detailed strategy to combat all forms of discrimination, but the incident at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, when a banana was thrown at Richarlison as he celebrated scoring a 19th-minute goal in Brazil’s 5-1 win against Tunisia, showed just how much work is still to be done.
The Tottenham striker later tweeted: “As long as it’s `blah blah blah’ and they don’t punish, it will continue like this, happening every day and everywhere. No time bro!” Read more
Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall is left bewildered by ‘weird’ goalpost farce in 1-0 win over Ajax (DailyMail)
Arsenal’s Champions League clash with Ajax turned into a farce on Wednesday night after the English club discovered the goals were ten centimetres too small.
The Gunners, who eventually progressed to the group stage of the competition with a 1-0 victory, had noticed in the warm-up that the posts were not the right height.
Last-minute adjustments were made before kick-off, with further alterations made at half-time, leaving Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall bewildered.
‘It’s been a very weird experience coming here, a big club like Ajax but we had to measure the goals before the game and it turned out the goals were too small by 10 centimetres,’ Eidevall said. Read more
Carlos Alcaraz enters 2022 Time100 Next after stellar season (TennisWorld)
TIME magazine published its annual TIME100 Next, recognizing the rising stars from different industries. Carlos Alcaraz earned his place on the Phenoms list following a cracking season that made him the world’s leading player!
The 19-year-old Spaniard conquered men’s tennis by a storm, needing only a couple of years to transform himself from a prominent junior into the most vital link in the chain. Thanks to his excellent results, Carlos became the most successful teenager since Rafael Nadal, already winning a Major and two Masters 1000 titles!
The young gun had notable achievements in 2021, reaching the verge of the top-30 at 18. Alcaraz lost a thriller to Matteo Berrettini at this year’s Australian Open and bounced back in Rio de Janeiro. The Spaniard won his second ATP title and became the youngest ATP 500 champion since the start of the series in 2009. Read more
Lando Norris hoping to end a streak at the Singapore Grand Prix (PlanetF1)
McLaren’s Lando Norris is hopeful of improving his finishing position further this weekend, after claiming seventh in five recent races.
The British driver has already arrived in Singapore ahead of this weekend’s action at Marina Bay, with F1 returning to Singapore for the first time since the 2019 event.
Norris has finished in seventh place at five of the last six races, with the Belgian Grand Prix being the outlier as he finished 12th on that occasion.
With Norris also occupying seventh place in the Drivers’ Championship, the position of being ‘best of the rest’ behind the top three teams is one Norris is hopeful of improving on this weekend in Singapore. Read more