LASU beats UNILAG, other varsities at NANS competition (Punch)
Lagos State University has emerged winner of the southwest inter-tertiary debate organised by the National Association of Nigerian Students.
The competition with the theme, ‘Clash of Thoughts’, had contestants from University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ekiti State University, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Michael Otedola College of Primary Education, Epe, amongts others.
The grand finale of the competition took place on Thursday at the Buba Marwa Auditorium in LASU Ojo campus. LASU, represented by Shukroh Adeyemi and Titilope Ibrahim, got a rating of 88.3%, thus defeating the other nine institutions.
University of Lagos placed second with a rating of 84.3%, while University of Ibadan, Federal College of Education accrued a score of 80.3%. Read more
Rector harps on dress code, discipline as LASPOTECH admits over 2,000 (Guardian)
Dr Oluremi Olaleye, Rector, Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Ikorodu, on Saturday charged students of the institution to abide by its dress code and other rules and regulations in their best interest.
Olaleye, the 11th Rector of LASPOTECH, gave the charge at the matriculation ceremony of the various schools of part-time studies of the institutions
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that more than 2,000 students were formally admitted into part-time studies in the institution, at the event.
It is important to inform you that the institution is guided by rules and regulations; as students, it is in your best interest to obey the rules and be guided by the regulations. Read more
Lagos-Ibadan expressway gridlock: Passengers trek long distance to reach destinations (Vanguard)
The gridlock on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, on Saturday, left many motorists and commuters stranded, as passengers were seen trekking long distance to get to their destinations.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that FRSC and other agencies had been battling with the gridlock since Friday.
NAN gathered that most motorists slept on the highway as a result of the traffic snarl, while FRSC and other agencies were busy balling with the situation to ease traffic flow.
NAN also reports that the gridlock had extended to some parts of Ibadan metropolis, such as Soka, New Garage, Challenge and Ojoo, with motorists and passengers having difficulties getting to their respective destinations. Read more
Lagos NSCDC assures of security to Dangote factories (Guardian)
The Lagos state Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr Paul Ayeni, on Saturday, conducted a security check on Dangote facilities in the state, with a view to providing them adequate security cover.
Ayeni, during the visit to Dangote Oil Refinery and Petrochemicals Company Limited at Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, said that the check was also to improve synergy between NSCDC and the Dangote companies.
He emphasised that NSCDC was committed, more than ever before, to protecting the facilities, to enhance the nation’s economic performance. Read more
Indigeneship: Ibrahim Taofeek is bona fide member of Gbajumo dynasty of Lagos- Family (Vanguard)
The Gbajumo dynasty has denied a recent post making rounds on social media, alleging that Professor Mohammed Taofeek Olalekan Ibrahim is not from Lagos state and a member of the Gbajumo dynasty.
The Gbajumo family made this known in a statement signed by Engr Mutiu Gbajumo and Alhaja Muibat Ajala, obtained by VANGUARD on Saturday.
According to the duo, a controversy thrown on the social media by a social critic Abisoye Oshodi, where he proclaimed that Prof. Ibrahim Taofeek is not a Lagosian is misleading and should be ignored by the members of the public. Read more
Jailed INEC official not working for me, Akpabio breaks silence (Guardian)
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio, has refuted claim that the jailed INEC Electoral Officer, Prof. Peter Ogban was convicted for rigging election in favour of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Akpabio said this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary,Mr Aniete Ekong, while reacting to the claim by Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), that Ogban was working towards rigging the election in his favour.
Ekong described the claim as spurious, unfounded, and malicious.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ogban, a professor of Soil Science at the University of Calabar was sentenced to three years imprisonment by an Akwa Ibom High Court for electoral fraud. Read more
Wike hails Burna Boy as pride of Rivers (Vanguard)
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has hailed the Grammy Award-winning Afrobeat star, Damini Ogulu, popularly called Burna Boy, as the pride of the state.
Wike spoke when Burna Boy, his parents and management team paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Saturday.
The governor in a statement by his Special Assistant to the governor on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, said the State is proud of Burna Boy for the rare distinction of becoming a winner of the prestigious Grammy award.
Wike said: “There is no Rivers person that will say he or she is not happy with the kind of pride you’ve brought us. I am very happy and I can tell you, whatever you think we can do to promote you, we will continue to do it.” Read more
Trailer crushes three to death in Ogun (Punch)
Three persons were on Friday night crushed to death in an accident involving a truck and a motorcycle around Abiola Way, close to Iyana Mortuary in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Public Relations Officer, Ogun Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, Babatunde Akinbiyi, confirmed the accident to the News Agency of Nigeria in Abeokuta on Saturday.
Akinbiyi explained that the motorcycle rider, according to an eyewitness, lost control and got crushed in an attempt to overtake the trailer.
The eyewitness said that the rider and his two passengers died on the spot. Read more
Father of Meghan Markle now wants Oprah to interview him (PageSix)
Meghan Markle’s father personally delivered a letter to Oprah Winfrey, offering up his side of the story in the family drama involving his estranged daughter.
Thomas Markle, a retired Hollywood lighting director, drove to the talk show diva’s sprawling estate in Montecito, Calif., Thursday where he was photographed handing a security guard a personal note offering himself up for an exclusive interview, the Sun reported.
Winfrey interviewed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry earlier this month. Meghan spoke about feeling “betrayed” by her estranged father, who leaked a private letter from his daughter to reporters in the lead-up to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
Markle has long sought out Winfrey to air his side of the story. “I was going to write Oprah a letter asking her to let me have an opportunity to speak,” he told the newspaper last year. Read more
Alexander Skarsgard learned sign language to communicate with deaf Godzilla Vs Kong co-star (Metro)
Godzilla Vs Kong actor Alexander Skarsgard has revealed he learned sign language to communicate with his co-star, Kaylee Hottle, who is deaf. While she’s a newcomer to the industry, the actress, who plays Jia in the film, ‘steals the show’ according to Alexander, with the Legend of Tarzan star having nothing but praise for the youngster. Explaining that he learned American Sign Language so as he could communicate with Kaylee, Alexander added to Junkee: ‘It’s fascinating how comfortable she is in front of the camera and how quickly she takes notes from the director Adam [Wingard]. ‘He’ll explain something and she’ll be like “got it, got it” then she’ll just do it and everyone’s like “the f**k … how did she?” ‘She’s so professional and just incredibly … there’s so much going on on her face, her expression and the subtleties of that is fascinating to watch.’ Read more
Suez Canal: Fresh effort to refloat wedged container ship (BBC)
A fresh effort is under way to refloat a giant container ship blocking Egypt’s Suez Canal.
Canal authorities say 14 tugboats are trying to take advantage of Saturday’s high tide and more will arrive on Sunday if today’s attempt fails.
The Ever Given became wedged in the canal – one of the world’s busiest waterways – on Tuesday.
More than 300 ships are stuck on either side of the blockage. Some ships have had to reroute around Africa. Read more
Asian American politician removes shirt to show wounds, prove patriotism (NYPost)
Lee Wong removed his shirt at a local board meeting this week to prove his patriotism.Fox19
An Asian American politician and US Army veteran removed his shirt at a local board meeting this week to prove his patriotism.
“Is this patriot enough?” Lee Wong asks, as he stood and opened his white-collar shirt at a West Chester Township, Ohio, Board of Trustees meeting Tuesday night, showing wounds he said he suffered in his service.
Wong, a Republican who ran for the Ohio state senate last year, told Fox 19 Now that he has suffered incidents of discrimination since coming to America at age 18 in the 1960s to attend college.
He was attacked in Chicago for being Asian soon after arriving, an incident which “put me in the hospital,” he said. Read more
World may be facing another toilet paper shortage due to shipping container crisis, industry boss warns (RT)
The largest producer of wood pulp, which is needed to make toilet paper, has warned that the demand for shipping containers could delay deliveries to producers, with the Suez Canal blockage only making things worse.
The Brazil-based company, Suzano Sa, which produces around a third of the world’s hardwood pulp, said it’s becoming harder to secure shipping containers for transportation.
The company’s CEO Walter Schalka told Bloomberg that if the issue worsens, a worldwide toilet paper shortage could be inevitable. He added that the company has already had to push back shipments originally scheduled for March into April. If trade disruptions continue, loo-roll producers may find themselves unable to make toilet paper unless they have sufficient stocks, Schalka said. Read more
Apophis asteroid will not hit Earth for 100 years, Nasa says (BBC)
Earthlings can breathe a sigh of relief after US space agency Nasa confirmed the planet was “safe” from a once-feared asteroid for the next 100 years at least.
Nasa had deemed Apophis to be one of the most dangerous asteroids to Earth after its discovery in 2004.
Close calls in 2029 and 2036 were predicted and later ruled out. A slight threat still remained for 2068.
But now Nasa has dismissed that threat based on new analysis of the asteroid. Read more
Iran & China ink 25-year strategic partnership accord as both nations face US pressure (RT)
A cooperation deal between Iran and China covering a quarter of a century has been signed in Tehran, furthering Iran’s role in the Chinese global infrastructure initiative. Both nations are being targeted by US sanctions.
The landmark document was signed during a televised ceremony by visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif. The document was described by the Iranian side as “a complete roadmap with strategic political and economic clauses covering trade, economic and transportation cooperation.”
The Chinese minister hailed Iran’s independence of foreign policy, according to Iranian media, saying that it “is not like some countries that change their position with one phone call.”
Wang arrived in Iran on Friday for a series of meetings with top Iranian officials, including President Hassan Rouhani and Ali Larijani, the ex-speaker of the parliament and a senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Read more
Eagles end Squirrels’ 8-year unbeaten home record (Punch)
A late strike from Paul Onuachu earned Nigeria bragging rights as the Super Eagles defeated Benin Republic 1-0 in the matchday 5 of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers at the Charles de Gaulle stadium in Porto-Novo on Saturday.
The victory meant that the Eagles ended Benin’s eight-year unbeaten home record, which stretched back to 2013.
It was also the Eagles first victory in over a year – spanning four games – after they defeated Lesotho 4-2 in matchday two of the AFCON qualifiers in November 2019. Read more
Iwobi out of Benin clash after testing positive for COVID-19 (Vanguard)
Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi will not play a part in the match against Benin Republic after testing positive for COVID-19.
Vanguard reports that Iwobi who was part of the invited players also travelled with the team to Port Novo but tested positive during the Covid-19 check following the team’s arrival from Lagos on Friday.
He will also miss next Tuesday’s clash against the Crocodiles of Lesotho at the Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos.
Benin’s duo of Rodrigue kossi and Jacques Bessan will also miss out for the same reason. Read more
Ivory Coast and Morocco qualify for Cup of Nations finals (BBC)
A 3-0 win over Niger has put Ivory Coast through to the Finals of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Goals from Serge Aurier, Max Gradel and Wilfried Kanon did the damage for the Elephants, who now are guaranteed to progress thanks to a better head-to-head record against Group K rivals Madagascar, no matter what happens in the final round of matches.
However there was a shock in Group F as Cape Verde beat already-qualified Cameroon 3-1.
They came from a goal behind – Pierre Kunde scoring first for the Indomitable Lions – thanks to Kuca, a Macky Bagnack own goal, and a fine third by Ryan Mendes.
A key factor in the game was the strong Atlantic wind, which was at the backs of the Cape Verde players in the second half. Read more
Gareth Southgate casts doubt on Jordan Henderson’s chances of featuring at European Championships (Metro)
England head coach Gareth Southgate says Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to be fit for this summer’s European Championships. Henderson was forced off with a groin injury in Liverpool’s 2-0 defeat to Everton last month and the 30-year-old midfielder was expected to be sidelined for five weeks after undergoing surgery. And while the operation was deemed to be a success, the Liverpool captain – who has won 58 caps for his country – is still some way from being able to return to training and was therefore not considered for the Three Lions’ World Cup qualifiers with San Marino, Albania and Poland. Read more
Everything at March Madness has an official NCAA sponsor (NYPost)
Everything fans and viewers see at the NCAA Tournament is carefully curated.
NCAA officials are hawkish, making sure official brand sponsors and partners are front and center, going as far as making players, coaches, and media change their paper cups when moving into visible areas.
Overlooked guard fueling one of March Madness’ biggest Cinderellas
March Madness, indeed.
The basketballs (made by Wilson) and the backboards (Spalding) are a few of the more obvious partnerships, though they go way deeper.
Here’s a look at some of weirdest NCAA sponsors that are sure to flash across TV screens everywhere. Read more
James Harden ‘feels like the MVP’ after Brooklyn Nets beat Detroit Pistons (BBC)
James Harden says he feels like he is the NBA’s Most Valuable Player after helping the Brooklyn Nets beat the Detroit Pistons.
The 31-year-old scored 44 points with 14 rebounds and eight assists as the Nets won 113-111.
Brooklyn have won 24 of their 31 matches with Harden in the team since he joined them in January.
Asked about the MVP award, Harden said: “Do I feel like I belong in the discussion? I feel like I am the MVP.”
The MVP is given to the best performing player of the season and is voted for by members of the NBA media. Read more
Arsenal target Real Betis midfielder Nabil Fekir (Metro)
Arsenal have entered the race to sign Nabil Fekir from Real Betis this summer, according to reports in Spain. Mike Arteta is understood to be keen on bolstering his midfield options this summer and reports this week have claimed that Arsenal are also interested in Fekir’s teammate at Betis Guido Rodriguez. However, Estadio Deportivo report that Arsenal are ‘very interested’ in signing Fekir this summer but the Gunners will also face competition from Barcelona. The report also claims that Fekir could be gearing up for a move this summer as he has signed up to a new agency in Spain. Read more
Adesanya loses juicy BMW endorsement over rape comment (Punch)
BMW has dropped Kiwi UFC superstar Israel Adesanya as an ambassador following his comments about rape.
Adesanya was due to be unveiled as the new face of the BMW New Zealand on Monday, the same day as the launch of the new BMW M3 and M4 models.
However, the offensive comments Adesanya made earlier this week on social media -threatening to rape a fellow UFC fighter Kevin Holland – have landed him in hot water.
“Bro, I will f….n rape you,” Adesanya said as part of what he perceived as “fight talk.”In a statement to the Herald, BMW said, “Due to the comments made by an athlete online, we have reviewed our pending association with said athlete and we have decided not to push forward with a specific ambassador for the brand at this time in New Zealand.” Read more