Maina jailed 61 years for money laundering (Punch)
Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday sentenced a former chairman of now-defunct Pension Reforms Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina, guilty to 61 years’ imprisonment but to run concurrently for eight years.
The court had found him guilty of inducing staff of Fidelity Bank to open bank accounts for him without conducting due diligence and money laundering.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Abang also found him guilty of concealing his true identity as signatory to accounts opened in UBA and Fidelity Bank by using the identity of his family members without their knowledge.
These accounts were said to have cash deposits of N300 million, N500 million and N1.5 billion.
The court held that Maina stole monies meant for pensioners as he could not prove where he got same from. Read more
Evans: Witnesses refuse to testify for security reasons (ThisDay)
Two prosecution witnesses in the trial of alleged kidnap kingpin, Chukwudimeme Onwuamadike alias Evans, and Victor Aduba, a dismissed army personnel, have refused to testify in court, citing security reasons.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that state counsel, Mr Yusuf Sule, made the disclosure on Monday before an Ikeja Special Offences Court.
“We have two witnesses but they said they would not be able to come to court to testify, for security reasons.
“The second witness is the younger brother of the kidnap victim. They said they would prefer to testify over zoom. Read more
Comedian Gordons’ mother marries at 72 (Nation)
Mother of popular stand-up comedian Gordons has married at 72.
The ace comedian, obviously elated for his mother, shared the news via an Instagram post.
Sharing a photo from the event, Gordons affirmed that true love does exist as he heartily congratulated his mother for finding love at 72.
He wrote: “My mother got married yesterday at the age of 72. Don’t tell me true love doesn’t exist. Congratulations mama.” Read more
2 men arraigned over alleged forceful eviction of tenants (Vanguard)
For allegedly evicting their tenants forcefully, two landlords, Chuks Okoye, 62, and Abubakar Lawal, 40, on Monday appeared before an Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
The defendants, whose house addresses were not provided, are standing trial on two count charges of conspiracy and forceful eviction.
The prosecutor, Asp Simeon Uche, told the court that the defendants committed the offences on Oct. 25, at No 5, Tedi st, in Ojo area of Lagos State.
He alleged that the defendants resorted to “self-help”, tried to evict one of their tenants, Sunday Komolafe, who resides with his family in the service quarters in the said property. Read more
Sanwo-Olu bags 2020 Zik Prize in Good Governance (Punch)
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu emerged as the winner of the 2020 Zik Prize in Good Governance during the 2021 Zik Leadership Award ceremony, held in Lagos, on Sunday.
Sanwo-Olu announced this via his verified Facebook page on Monday, adding that he accepted the award “with a greater sense of patriotism and commitment.”
The Zik Prize in Leadership Award scheme, which was established in 1995, has now evolved to become one of Africa’s most respected award schemes.
Sharing pictures of the event, Sanwo-Olu wrote, “It is a thing of utmost joy and honour to win an award named after Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, an iconic nationalist and erudite statesman whose life personified service. Read more
Nigeria facing new threat, says Magashi (Nation)
The Minister of Defence Major General Salihu Magashi (rtd) on Monday raised the alarm that the prevailing security challenges have opened Nigeria to a new dimension of food insecurity threat.
He observed that the prevalence of the current has endangered not only national security but food security as well.
According to him: “Food security has been adversely affected with the attendant rise in the prices of foodstuff across the country which portends a new dimension of threat.
“This makes it imperative for the various security agencies in the country to continue to collaborate to tackle these menaces in order to create an enabling atmosphere for economic activities to thrive and to attract Foreign Direct Investment”. Read more
Renowned scholar, theatre director, Bayo Oduneye, dies at 87 (NewTelegraph)
Renowned theatre scholar, arts administrator, and Artistic Director of the National Troupe of Nigeria, Professor Bayo Oduneye, is dead. He was 87 years old.
Popularly called ‘Uncle B’, Prof. Oduneye, who is one of Nigeria’s most respected theatre directors and stage managers, and has trained a whole generation of theatre artistes in the country, passed on in the early hours of Monday.
The National Association of Nigerian Theatre Arts Practitioners (NANTAP), in a statement signed by its President, Israel Eboh fta, stated that the theatre icon’s death is a great loss.
“With heavy heart, we announce the transition of our elderstatesman, Distinguished Fellow of the Association, erudite theatre scholar and teacher, mentor, astute arts administrator and director par excellence, Prof. Bayo Oduneye fta, who answered the call to glory in the early hours of today. Read more
Food insecurity now a national security threat —FG (Vanguard)
The federal government has said it is worried that the prevalence of various security threats in different parts of the country is endangering not only economic growth but also food security.
“In particular, food security has been adversely affected, with the attendant rise in prices of foodstuff across the country which portends a new dimension of threat”.
Minister of Defence, Major Gen Bashir Magachi (rtd) who made this known at the opening of the 2021 Defence Advisers/Attaches Annual conference in Abuja said that “the threat has made it imperative for the various security agencies in the country to collaborate to tackle the menace in order to create the enabling atmosphere for economic activities to thrive and to attract Foreign Direct Investment”
*It also means that the security agencies must explore all avenues within their respective systems to come up with innovative ways of identifying and confronting the challenges facing us as a nation” Read more
We have over 1.7b litres of petrol in stock – NNPC (Nation)
The Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Limited has advised consumers not to engage in panic buying of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) petrol as it has over 1.7 billion litres of the product.
Its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Malam Garba Deen Muhammad, made the disclosure in a statement.
He said: “The general public is hereby advised not to engage in panic buying of Premium Motor Spirit, more commonly known as petrol.
“The NNPC has over 1.7 billion litres of petrol in stock and more product is expected to arrive into the country daily over the coming weeks and months. Read more
Kwara APC elders blast minister over verbal attacks on Gov AbdulRazaq (Leadership)
Leaders and elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, on Monday, came hard on the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh Lai Mohammed, for allegedly denigrating the state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The elders under the aegis of Kwara APC Elders Caucus were reacting to the disparaging comments made by the minister about the governor in a recent newspaper interview.
“For Lai Mohammed to denigrate Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s political status in Kwara State and his role in the funding of the 2019 electioneering campaigns and election proper is most unfortunate,” the spokesman of the elders, Ambassador Nurudeen Mohammed, declared at a news conference in Ilorin, the state capital.
Mohammed was flanked by other leaders of the group, including Barr. Kunle Sulyman, Senator Mohammed Ahmed, Chief Wole Oke and Chief James Ayeni. Read more
Voter’s registration: INEC decries poor turnout in Enugu, says it is worrisome (Tribune)
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Enugu State, has said the recorded low turnout of intending voters in the ongoing continuous voters’ registration exercise in rural communities in the state is worrisome.
Speaking at the formal inauguration of Udi Local Government Area executive of a non-governmental organization called “Enugu State Citizens Support for Equity and Good Governance, ESCSEG”, held on Monday in Udi, the INEC Electoral Officer in Udi, Mrs Cecilia Ejimofor, said the poor turnout would impact negatively on the electorate.
Mrs Ejimofor noted that the continuous voters’ registration exercise was a strategy put in place by the electoral body to provide more opportunities to eligible voters to have voters’ cards with a view to fulfilling their civic responsibility in the 2023 elections.
“I commend this group, Enugu State Citizens Support for Equity and Good Governance for moving its enlightenment campaign on voters’ registration exercise to Udi Local Government Area of the State. Read more
Singapore to decide on COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 this month (Peninsula)
Singapore is expecting its expert committee on COVID-19 vaccines to make a recommendation on the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot for children aged 5 to 11 years old later this month, the country’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday.
The city-state is considering a plan to give children one-third of the adult dosage, similar to the United States, Ong added.
About 8,000 of Singapore’s cumulative 218,333 COVID-19 cases have involved children below the age of 12, with five severe infections, according to the health ministry.
Singapore, where 85% of the 5.45 million population has been fully vaccinated, has been pushing to get as many inoculated as possible and live with the virus. Read more
COP26 summit: Obama urges governments to take greater action on climate change (Globe&Mail)
With pressure growing for decisive action out of this year’s UN climate talks, Barack Obama is bringing his political weight to bear Monday on negotiators for nearly 200 governments, urging them to greater ambition in cutting climate-wrecking emissions and dealing with the mounting damage.
The UN climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, is the former American president’s first since he helped deliver the triumph of the 2015 Paris climate accord, when nations committed to cutting fossil fuel and agricultural emissions fast enough to keep the Earth’s warming below catastrophic levels.
Climate summits since then have been less conclusive, especially as the U.S. under President Donald Trump dropped out of the Paris accord. President Joe Biden has since rejoined.
Obama’s appearance on the sidelines of the talks is meant to remind governments of the elation that surrounded the striking of the Paris accord, and urge them to more immediate, concrete steps to put the 2015 deal into action. Read more
French schoolchildren don masks again as Covid-19 cases surge (France24)
Schoolchildren in large parts of France were ordered Monday to again wear face masks in class, less than a month after being allowed to remove them, as the country tries to tamp down a surge in Covid cases.
Primary schools in 40 of France’s 101 departments or administrative areas, which had been mask-free for weeks, are affected by the order, which comes a day before President Emmanuel Macron addresses the nation about the health crisis.
Under the government’s Covid protocol, primary school pupils have to wear masks when the incidence rate rises above 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants over five consecutive days.
With nearly 75 percent of the population inoculated against the coronavirus, France is one of Europe’s vaccine leaders. Read more
Germany’s Social Democrats nominate new party leadership duo (Politico)
The executive board of Germany’s Social Democrats on Monday nominated Lars Klingbeil to become co-chairman of the party, together with current SPD co-chairwoman Saskia Esken.
Klingbeil is currently the SPD’s secretary-general and managed the party’s victorious federal election campaign ahead of Germany’s vote in September. The social democratic candidate for chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is currently negotiating a “traffic light” governing coalition with the Green party and the liberal Free Democrats, which Scholz would lead.
“If we do everything right, we have a social democratic decade ahead of us. In Germany, but also in Europe,” Klingbeil said in a video statement Monday. He added that the center left’s path to success is unity: “We all play together and aim at the same goal.”
Klingbeil represents the moderate SPD faction — to which Scholz also belongs — while Esken is part of the more leftist wing of the party. Read more
Blizzard-hit SoftBank launches buyback after $10b Vision Fund loss (IrishTimes)
SoftBank Group Corp slumped to a quarterly loss on Monday, as its Vision Fund unit took a $10 billion hit from a decline in the share price of its portfolio companies and as China’s regulatory crackdown on tech firms weighed.
Even as the value of its assets slide, the Japanese tech conglomerate said its stock is undervalued and will spend up to 1 trillion yen ($9 billion) buying back nearly 15 per cent of its shares.
While CEO Masayoshi Son has likened SoftBank to a goose laying “golden eggs”, Monday’s results underscore the headwinds for the investment business.
“We are in the middle of a blizzard,” Son told a news conference, adding he was “not proud” of the Vision Fund’s performance in the quarter. Yet he said the company was making steady steps to double the numbers of “golden eggs” compared to last year. Read more
Huawei reportedly set to salvage honour with sale of server x86 business (Register)
Huawei is reportedly poised to offload its x86 server business after US sanctions left it unable to buy the silicon it needs to build boxes, according to Bloomberg.
Negotiations with possible buyers continue, with the newswire reporting that the purchaser is a consortium including a government-backed buyer who has asked not to be identified – at least not yet. The value is unknown but thought to be multiple billions of yuan – a billion yuan is around US$156M.
The rumors have been swirling for a while. In July Chinese media reported the company was considering selling a portion of its x86 server business once Chipzilla’s export license to Huawei expires and the flow of components comes to a grinding halt.
The Trump-era sanctions – upheld by the Biden Administration – not only prohibited American use of Chinese telecom gear, but also blocked both AMD and Intel chips from reaching Huawei. Read more
Lucy Mecklenburgh announces she’s pregnant and expecting second child with fiance Ryan Thomas (Metro)
Lucy Mecklenburgh has announced the lovely news that she’s pregnant with her second child.
The former Towie star shared the news in a cute Instagram post with her one-year-old son Roman, who she shares with fiance Ryan Thomas, taking centre stage.
In the image, Lucy is seen holding up a photo of the ultrasound scan with her baby bump on show while Roman adorably lifts up his jumper to reveal his stomach too.
It’ll be former Coronation Street actor Ryan’s third child as he also shares daughter Scarlett with former partner Tina O’Brien. Read more
Rachel Riley’s row with Anne Robinson could escalate as she plans to bring baby on set (DailyStar)
Countdown presenter Anne Robinson and Rachel Riley are reportedly not getting along well on set, and things could escalate as Rachel has hinted she could bring her newborn baby on set.
Rachel, who is pregnant with her second child, is heading off on maternity leave but has hinted she plans to look after her baby at work, which could rile Anne.
Riley said: “When you have a newborn and especially when you have a toddler as well, you don’t have time for a shower, so when I get back to work someone will be paid to do my hair and makeup.”
“You don’t recognise yourself the first time you go back because you’ve just been in mum mode and haven’t washed your hair for a while.” Read more
Maggie Farrelly set to be first woman to ref men’s senior county final (Balls)
Maggie Farrelly is set to become the first woman to referee a men’s senior county final.
She has been appointed for this weekend’s Cavan Senior Football Championship final replay between Gowna and Ramor United.
“History in the making,” Cavan GAA announced on Twitter.
Farrelly has been a trailblazer in Gaelic games officiating. In 2015, she became the first woman to take charge of a men’s inter-county game when she refereed an Ulster Minor Football Championship quarter-final between Fermanagh and Antrim. The following year, she refereed a McKenna Cup match between Fermanagh and St Mary’s. Read more
Eddie Jones takes swipe at Emma Raducanu with advice for youngster Marcus Smith (Metro)
Eddie Jones has suggested tennis sensation Emma Raducanu’s ‘distractions’ off the court are the reasons for her struggles since winning the US Open.
Raducanu made history in September as she became the first ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam, winning the US Open without dropping a set.
Since bursting onto the scene at Flushing Meadows, Raducanu has become a global star and made several public appearances at the likes of the Met Gala and the premiere of the new James Bond film.
But England rugby head coach Jones believes the teenager has become distracted and has warned fly-half Smith, the 22-year-old seen as the next breakout star of the game, not to follow in the same path. Read more
ROI call up O’Dowda for injured Collins (SkySport)
Bristol City winger Callum O’Dowda has been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Luxembourg.
O’Dowda, 26, receives his first call-up since March and comes into Stephen Kenny’s squad in place of Cardiff City striker James Collins who has been ruled out through injury.
Collins, 30, was sidelined for Cardiff’s 2-1 win against Huddersfield in the Championship on Saturday through a hand injury.
The Republic sit in fourth place in their qualifying group for the 2022 World Cup, with their hopes of making it to Qatar over after winning only one of their six qualifiers so far. Read more
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos hints at significant involvement for Keagan Dolly against Zimbabwe (TheSouthAfrican)
Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has hinted at a possibly significant involvement for Keagan Dolly against Zimbabwe.
Dolly received his first call up to the Bafana Bafana side under Broos last week, rewarding the Chiefs forward for the brilliant form he has been in, since regaining full fitness and momentum in the colours of the Soweto giants.
After a large outcry from South African football fans for the inclusion of both Dolly and Mamelodi Sundowns forward Themba Zwane, Broos answered questions about the pair. After Bafana Bafana successfully fended off Ethiopia in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers, the Belgian mentor did lament that although he was happy with the results, he felt his squad would benefit from more quality.
That is when Broos came out and said that all South African footballers were eligible for the Bafana Bafana squad, with nobody purposely frozen out due to an agenda. He then went further to give hope to fans by stating that both the names of Dolly and Zwane had been under consideration for a while already. Read more
Oscar Pistorius parole process to start in South Africa (BBC)
South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, in prison for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, may soon meet her parents as part of the process leading to parole being considered, officials say.
He is eligible for possible release after having served half his sentence.
But he first has to take part in what is called “restorative justice”.
Pistorius shot Steenkamp dead in 2013 saying he mistook her for a burglar at his home in the capital, Pretoria. Read more
Kamaru Usman open to Colby Covington trilogy down the road (BJPENN)
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman says he is open to a Colby Covington trilogy fight down the road if his rival works his way back up.
Usman defeated Covington via unanimous decision in the main event of this past Saturday’s UFC 268 pay-per-view card. Just like their first meeting at UFC 245 in December 2019, which came down to the wire before a late stoppage in the fifth round. The rematch was a close fight, with Usman edging out a tight decision on the judges’ scorecards. It was an excellent matchup and even though he lost, Covington showed once again that he is the second-best welterweight in the division. It just so happens that Usman is the best fighter in the weight class and he has now beaten Covington twice.
While Usman is busy enough with the likes of Leon Edwards, Khamzat Chimaev, and the other contenders at 170lbs, he knows that Covington is talented enough in order to work his way back up the welterweight title shot pecking order. Speaking to the media following UFC 268, Usman admitted he can see Covington getting back to the top of the division.
“That guy’s tough. He’ll tune up a lot of guys in the division. We’ll see. It’s up to him. If he’s willing to do the work and get back up here and if I’m still here, then we’ll make it happen,” Usman said of Covington (via MMAFighting.com). Read more