Lagos Uber driver dies while conveying reverend sister (Punch)
A Uber driver, Anthony Okafor, has died while conveying a passenger, said to be a reverend sister, to a destination in Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Okafor picked the woman from the Ikeja airport and started coughing and gasping for breath in the Egbeda area, where he stopped the car.
His condition was said to have worsened as some good Samaritans rushed him to a hospital for treatment.
A source noted that Okafor drove a Toyota Camry with number plate EPE 869 GK.
“He was rushed to the Talent Hospital in Egbeda, Lagos State, where he was confirmed dead on Saturday, August 21, 2021,” he added. Read more
IPO testifies against bank employees on alleged felony, unlawful detention trial (Guardian)
Police Investigation Officer (IPO) of Alapere Police Station, Lagos, Inspector Kemi Ruth, yesterday, testified against the four staff members of YHS Financial Company, a microfinance institution, accused of felony and unlawful detention of their customer.
The IPO gave evidence on ill treatment meted to the victim, Tope Ibrahim, at Ogudu Magistrate court, during the resumed hearing of the case, which was adjourned on August 10, 2021.
After the testimony, Magistrate A.O. Daodu, adjourned till December 6, 2021, for continuation of trial.
According to the charge sheet, on August 6, 2021, the culprits, Faith Adekunle (F), Awosika Tosin (M), Olakunle Cokar (M) and Jimoh Olawale Moruf (M) now at large, unlawfully deprived the victim, a resident of Unity Estate, off Ojokoro, Ikorodu, Lagos, her liberty and freedom of movement by detaining her at their office, located at No 536, Ikorodu Road, Iyana School Bus Stop, beside General filling station, Ketu Lagos. Read more
Agreement with Lagos not to end strike – Resident doctors (Punch)
The President, Association of Resident Doctors at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Dr Azeez Ojekunle, has said the body will continue its strike despite reaching an agreement with the state government.
Ojekunle said this in an interview with our correspondent on Tuesday.
He stated, “Our national body declared the strike; it alone has the right to call it off. The state government has laid down templates to respond to the issues on the ground and the gesture is welcomed.
“There are promises to implement the agreement as soon as feasible. We trust the words of the governor; he is a man of integrity and we hope that our trust will not be betrayed.
“The final decision lies with the congress of the LASUTH ARD; we will be meeting soon.” Read more
FG denies owing doctors, vows to stop borrowing to pay salaries (Guardian)
Against widespread reports, the Federal Government, yesterday, maintained that it was not owing the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) or any health worker nationwide.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, who stated this during a meeting with the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU) in Abuja, explained: “NARD goes about telling Nigerians that government is owing them salaries and is not taking the problems in the health sector serious. But this is not true. It is incorrect. No doctor, nurse, pharmacist or any other health worker, including the driver, is owed a monthly salary. Government pays as and when due.
“The truth is that NARD doctors fail to tell Nigerians that their colleagues, who are owed salaries, are the ones illegally recruited and were therefore neither captured by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation, nor was their payments provided for by the Budget Office of the Federation.” Read more
Police arrest 64-year-old man for allegedly defiling a 2-year-old girl (Vanguard)
Police in Ogun State have arrested a 64-year- old man, Taiwo Ayotunde, for allegedly defiling a two-year-old girl.
Police spokesman, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi said in a statement that Ayorinde was arrested on Tuesday at Adiyan community in Agbado-Ifo Local Council Area.
Oyeyemi explained that the arrest followed a complaint lodged by the victim’s mother.
“The mother of the victim lodged a complaint at the Agbado Divisional Police Headquarters that her daughter could not walk properly, and that upon close scrutiny, she noticed blood gushing out of her private part. Read more
Court admits video clips as exhibit on Igboho’s residence during alleged invasion by DSS (Tribune)
A High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday admitted as exhibit, video clips of alleged invasion by the Department of State Services (DSS) on the residence of Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Adeyemo, a.k.a Sunday Igboho, on July 1.
Igboho’s counsel, Mr Yomi Alliyu, filed a N500 billion fundamental human rights enforcement suit against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), DSS and Director of State Services, Oyo State, over the invasion.
Alliyu had earlier informed the court that his client’s house and cars were damaged and that two people were allegedly killed by security agents during the invasion. Read more
JAMB replies El-Rufai, says institutions determine cut-off marks (Punch)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has said it does not award “preferential cut-off marks” to students who sit the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination from the northern part of the country.
The board also said the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was wrong in saying that UTME candidates of northern extraction enjoyed special privileges or lower cut-off marks not benefited by candidates in other parts of the country.
JAMB’s Head of Information and Media, Fabian Benjamin, said this in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday in reaction to the governor’s comment on Monday. Read more
NNPC: Why there’s hike in price of cooking gas (DailyTrust)
The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, says the challenges in sourcing adequate supply of cooking gas has led to the increase in prices of the commodity.
Kyari disclosed this during a working visit to the headquarters of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Abuja on Tuesday.
“Today, this country is under supplied with gas. I can tell you that we are having difficulty feeding our network across the country with gas, every day, it is a trouble to deliver gas. Once your supply is weak, it will affect pricing”, the NNPC GMD said.
“The supply mechanism of our LPG is very weak, that is why we are collaborating extensively to make sure that we are able to extract LPG from our gas resources so that it is made available to the market. Once supply becomes high, definitely, the price will definitely be impacted.” Read more
Janet Jackson shares teaser for new documentary “Janet” (Pitchfork)
Janet Jackson has revealed release details for Janet, a forthcoming documentary about her career that she co-produced with Randy Jackson. The two-part film will air over two nights on Lifetime and A&E, but a specific date has not yet been announced. Watch a teaser for JANET below.
The documentary arrives nearly three years after Jackson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Janelle Monáe performing the honors. It also marks the 40th anniversary of Jackson’s debut album Janet. Earlier this year, some of her work was archived in the Library of Congress, alongside material from LaBelle, Kool & the Gang, Nas, Kermit the Frog, and more.
Read Pitchfork’s feature “Revisiting Poetic Justice, a Coming-of-Age Moment for Janet Jackson,” plus the Sunday Reviews of Jackson’s albums Rhythm Nation 1814 and Damita Jo. Read more
Britney Spears’ father formally files to end conservatorship (BBC)
Britney Spears’s father has filed papers in a Los Angeles court to end the 13-year conservatorship that saw him overseeing her life and finances.
Jamie Spears wrote that his daughter “is entitled to have this court now seriously consider whether this conservatorship is no longer required”.
Spears has sought to remove him from the role twice in the last two years.
The pop star has described their relationship as “abusive” and refuses to perform under his management. Read more
Before Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi,’ Simu Liu was a prolific stock photo model (VICE)
Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a long time coming as the first Marvel movie to feature an Asian lead and predominantly Asian cast. The film stars Asian cinema icons like Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh but at its center is Canadian actor Simu Liu as the titular superhero. He may be most known as the martial arts master Shang-Chi, but you can trust the internet to unearth people’s awkward past and turn them into memes.
Now all over social media are photos of a fresh-faced Liu posing in a series of stock photos. The actor is poking fun at himself, too, joining the memefest to celebrate the movie’s success.
“Me laughing at the people who thought we’d flop,” he tweeted, captioning a stock photo of him pointing at a laptop screen with his fake office colleagues. Read more
The raunchy comedy that ruined Zooey Deschanel’s career (Looper)
The doe-eyed actress Zooey Deschanel appeared in a slew of movies before landing the role of Jessica “Jess” Day on the comedy “New Girl.” The series, which earned Deschanel an Emmy nomination for best lead actress in a comedy series in 2012, aired for seven seasons on Fox and chronicled the lives of Deschanel’s character, a quirky schoolteacher-turned-principal, and her three male roommates. In 2014, “New Girl” was the lead-out program following Super Bowl XLVIII, joining an elite club that includes the hit series “The Office,” “Friends,” and “Glee” ranks. Once a hot prospect in Hollywood, Deschanel’s career has since stalled.
Deschanel has worked with some serious Hollywood heavyweights, including Jennifer Aniston (“The Good Girl”), Kate Hudson (“Almost Famous”), Will Ferrell (“Elf”), Jim Carrey (“Yes Man”), and Mark Wahlberg (“The Happening”). One of her standout performances was playing a lead role in 2009’s “500 Days of Summer.” In 2011, as she transitioned from the big screen to a small screen star, Deschanel appeared in the film that seems to have effectively put an end to her movie career. Read more
Cuba starts vaccinations for toddlers amid a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases in the country (Insider)
On Monday, Cuba started vaccinating toddlers as young as two in a global first, aiming to get all children inoculated before schools reopen, reported AFP.
The country of 11 million people is using locally-produced COVID-19 vaccines — Abdala and Soberana — that are not recognized by the World Health Organization. Local clinical trials, however, have shown that the two vaccines have an efficacy rate of more than 90%, reported The Guardian.
The country is hoping the inoculation effort will get its children back to school. Children have been attending schools through lessons on television programs due to the lack of universal internet access since March 2020. Authorities have said schools will reopen gradually in October after all children are vaccinated, reported AFP.
The “Venom” sequel is coming sooner than expected (Culturess)
After the Labor Day success of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Sony has decided to move up the release date of the Venom sequel we have all waited for.
We won’t have to wait anymore!
According to box office reports, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made over $90 million with $75.5 million in its first three days in theaters. Are you just as excited to see Venom: Let There Be Carnage on October 1st?
This is what you need to know about the Venom sequel
The film received multiple delays when the COVID pandemic first hit. It was first set to be released in October 2020. You may remember falling in love with the original Venom film back in 2018. It was a big fan favorite. The original film made over $855 million at the global box office, and was the sixth highest-grossing movie at the time. Now the sequel promises will have just as much guts and gore. Read more
Nigeria vs Cape Verde: Ahmed Musa celebrates 100th cap with victory (Punch)
Captain Ahmed Musa celebrated his 100th cap for Nigeria with a precious win that took the Super Eagles to a firm position at the top of Group C of the African race of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
A 75th-minute own goal by Cape Verde earned Nigeria a 2-1 win in their qualifying clash in Mindelo on Tuesday, a result that stabilized the Super Eagles’ leadership of the pool as they await a home-and-away fixture against Central African Republic next month.
Dylan dos Santos steered the home team in front after 19 minutes of an intense back-and-forth by both sides, when he slipped behind the Eagles’ rearguard and slammed a rocket of a shot past goalkeeper Maduka Okoye.
The three-time African champions refused to be brow-beaten, and launched series of attacks, with Chidera Ejuke forcing the opposing goalkeeper to an acrobatic save in the 27th minute. Two minutes later, an alert Victor Osimhen would pull Nigeria level, stabbing home from close range after the goalkeeper punched following a defensive blunder. Read more
US Open: Teenager Leylah Fernandez beats Elina Svitolina to reach semi-finals (BBC)
Teenager Leylah Fernandez produced another fearless performance to beat Elina Svitolina and set up a US Open semi-final with Aryna Sabalenka.
Canada’s Fernandez, who turned 19 on Monday, showed all of her devastating power to win a tense tie-break 6-3 3-6 7-6 (7-5) in New York.
Svitolina, 26, had overturned a 5-2 deficit in the third but could not stop Fernandez’s thrilling, powerful play.
Second seed Sabalenka dominated French Open winner Barbora Krejcikova 6-1 6-4.
Fernandez has beaten defending champion Naomi Osaka, 2016 winner Angelique Kerber and now Olympic bronze medallist Svitolina in her run to her first major semi-final. Read more
Go for glory, Makinde charges 3SC after win over Bendel Insurance (Guardian)
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, yesterday, lauded players and management of the Shooting Stars Supporters Club (3SC) for securing a much-needed victory on their way to promotion to the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL).
The Oluyole Warriors, as the 3SC is fondly called, defeated Bendel Insurance 2-1 in one of the opening matches of the on-going Nigerian National League (NNL) Super Eight in Enugu.
Makinde, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, hailed the spirit of the 3SC players, charging them to reclaim the glory of the club. Read more
250 players to serve-off 3rd VEMP Tennis Open Sept 24 (DailyTrust)
No fewer than 250 players will battle for mouth-watering cash prizes at the forthcoming third edition of the VEMP National Tennis Open which will serve off on Thursday, September 24 to October 2.
The tournament, which will be staged at the National Tennis Centre, Package B of the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja is being sponsored by VEMP Limited in conjunction with Nigeria Tennis Federation (NTF).
A whopping N6.5m is set aside for winners in the men and women’s events.
The tournament will see participants battle for the ultimate prize in four categories namely Men’s Singles, men’s doubles, Women’s Singles, and Women’s doubles. Read more
How Grandma of 5 Transformed Herself Into a Triathlete After Battling Obesity (WomansWorld)
Sue Reynolds has always had a bright smile and an upbeat spirit. In her 60s, the grandma of five proved just how courageous she was by battling her way to the top as a world-class athlete, representing Team USA multiple times in sprint triathlons that require her to swim, bike and run for hours. But, as she shares with Woman’s World, that hasn’t been her biggest fight.
In 2010, Reynolds was facing a battle she’d been up against all her life: obesity. “I was 335 pounds and I’d tried more than 50 diets, plus I was struggling to fit into restaurant booths and put on my socks each day…I’d hit rockbottom,” she says. But it was in that dark moment that she saw a glimmer of hope. “I was eating breakfast when something clicked. All my life, my answer to ‘why’ I wanted to lose weight was because I’d be more attractive or someone wanted me to be thinner. But suddenly, my ‘why’ changed: I wanted a better life. I wanted more for me.” Read more
Griezmann scores twice as France beat Finland to end five-game winless run (BBC)
Antoine Griezmann scored twice as France beat Finland in their 2022 World Cup qualifier to get back to winning ways.
The reigning world champions had to come from behind in their last two qualifiers to draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine.
Victory was never in doubt in this game as Griezmann finished off a fine move in the first half to open the scoring.
He made it 2-0 early in the second half, finishing from a tight angle. Read more
