Manpower shortage: One officer doing job of two policemen — IGP Egbetokun (Tribune)
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has disclosed a plan of his administration to double the manpower strength of the Police Force in the country, saying that one police man is currently doing the job of two policemen.
Addressing men and officers of the Kwara State Police Command during a one-day visit to the state Command in Ilorin, the state capital on Friday, Egbetokun said that there is shortage of manpower in the Police Force.
Egbetokun, who said that the plan to increase the manpower would be gradual, added that President Bola Tinubu has recently given approval for yearly recruitment in Police. Read more
Tinubu appoints 2 NCS board members (Vanguard)
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of two qualified Nigerians to serve as Members on the Board of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) for a term of four years as representatives of the organised private sector:
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale gave the names of the two board members of NCS as Dr. Aba Ibrahim and Dr. Muda Yusuf.
According to the statement, “President Tinubu wishes the new appointees well in their deliberations, and expects that the views and perspectives of the private sector are fully articulated, such that the objectives of the Renewed Hope agenda in the active promotion and attraction of investment across multiple sectors of the economy are completely realized through the efficient implementation of ongoing reforms within the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).” Read more
RCCG inaugurates ICU in Lagos (Punch)
The Redeemed Christian Church of God, on Friday, inaugurated an Intensive Care Unit at the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The ICU, which was donated by Region 36, was named after the General Overseer of the ministry and his wife, Pastor Enoch and Folu Adeboye.
Speaking at the event, Adeboye’s wife, who lauded the initiative, said good health is important to humanity, noting that people should be more interested in pursuing good health than riches. Read more
LG, firm renovate school in Lagos community (Nation)
LG Electronics Nigeria, in partnership with consumer electronics retailer, Fouani Nigeria Limited has partnered to renovate and equip the United Christian Junior Secondary School building in Apapa, Apapa Local Government Area, Lagos State.
This joint effort will help to improve educational standards at the school by providing students with a modern, safe, and comfortable learning environment. Read more
FG will patronise only local vehicle assemblers with robust after-sale service (ThisDay)
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite has said the federal government would patronise only auto assemblers with robust after-sale service.
The minister stated this, virtually, at a stakeholders’ engagement forum on the implementation of the Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan organised by the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) in Lagos during the week.
The meeting was in line with the mandate of the NADDC to position the Nigeria Automotive Industry as one of the leading automotive manufacturing nations of the world, the NADDC and major automakers met to brainstorm on possible ways of promoting the Nigerian Automotive Industry. Read more
Ondo deputy gov, lawmakers, others embrace peace after Tinubu’s intervention (Punch)
The months-long political crisis in Ondo State may have come to a halt as President Bola Tinubu late Friday waded into the matter and elicited resolve from the opposing factions to embrace peace and maintain status quo.
This was as the Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, pledged to carry all commissioners and officials along in handling the state’s affairs and the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Oladiji Olamide, resolved to halt all impeachment moves against Aiyedatiwa.
The resolutions came after nearly six hours of deliberations between the President and state officials, including members of the All Progressives Congress, who converged on the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, until late on Friday night. Read more
Put people’s interest first, Tinubu tells APC Governors (DailyTrust)
President Bola Tinubu has advised governors elected on the platform of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) to always put the interest of the people first and work for the good of their states.
The president gave the advice on Friday when he received the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, the returning Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, and the Governor-Elect of Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, in Abuja, on Friday.
He expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the elections, which he described as free, fair, and peaceful. Read more
Northern Elders express concern over nation’s judiciary (Leadership)
The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) says it is deeply concerned about the current state of affairs within the Nigerian judiciary.
In a statement, NEF’s convener, Professor Ango Abdullahi, stressed the need for the judiciary to be cautious in its actions to prevent the erosion of its integrity, public trust, and confidence.
Professor Abdullahi expressed dismay at the controversies surrounding several recent judicial decisions, particularly those concerning elections. Such occurrences, he noted, are disheartening and pose a significant threat to the future of democracy in Nigeria. Read more
Paris Hilton confirms she’s welcomed daughter named London in surprise announcement (Standard)
Paris Hilton has announced that she and husband Carter Reum have welcomed a daughter, via surrogate.
The reality TV star took to Instagram on Thanksgiving Day to share the happy news alongside a picture of a pink newborn outfit that featured the name, “London”, embroidered across the front.
She captioned the post: “Thankful for my baby girl.” Read more
Bradley Cooper says he would do “Hangover 4” in an ‘‘instant’’ (People)
Bradley Cooper is always up for a “fun” role, he told The New Yorker Radio Hour host David Remnick on a Nov. 24 episode, and that would include jumping back into an already proven comedy film franchise.
In a conversation about his new film, “Maestro”, Cooper, 48, revealed that despite his recent transition into more serious roles, he isn’t opposed to going back to his comedy days. When Remnick asked if the actor would do another Hangover movie, Cooper did not hesitate to say yes.
“I would probably do “Hangover 4” in an instant,” the filmmaker said. “Just because I love Todd [Phillips], I love Zach [Galifianakis], I love Ed [Helms] so much, I probably would.” Read more
13 Israelis, 10 Thais, 1 Filipino freed by Hamas – Qatar (Channels)
A total of 24 hostages — 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and one Filipino — were handed over Friday to the Red Cross in Gaza by Hamas, Qatar, which mediated the deal, said.
“Those released include 13 Israeli citizens, some of whom are dual citizens, in addition to 10 Thai citizens and a Filipino citizen,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
He said 39 women and children detained in Israeli jails had also been freed under a deal to exchange hostages seized by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners. Read more
Martin Scorsese delays Marrakech Atlas Workshops mentorship, citing personal reasons (Variety)
Martin Scorsese will no longer attend nor participate in the Marrakech Film Festival’s Atlas Workshops, citing personal reasons.
The award-winning filmmaker was slated to serve as artistic godfather for Marrakech’s industry arm, which spotlights development titles and works-in-progress from dynamic new talents from across the MENA world. Lending his name to this year’s class, Scorsese planned to mentor the selected filmmakers, offering one-on-one artistic and strategic advice for each and every project.
Unable to travel due to personal reasons, and preferring to engage with workshop participants in a more direct way, the filmmaker will take a rain check, promising to return, in person, for a subsequent edition. News broke from sources close to the Atlas team, while neither festival nor filmmaker are expected to make a formal statement. Read more
Jack Harlow stays strong for 2nd week at Number 1 with “Lovin On Me’’ (MusicNews)
Jack Harlow has swept away the competition to dominate for a second week at Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart with “Lovin On Me”.
Last week, the Louisville rapper scored his first-ever UK chart-topper with the track (a vibey rap-pop track influenced by the hip-hop sub-genre of bounce) and comes out again on top today. Lovin On Me remains the UK’s most-streamed song this week (6 million streams).
Performing a major revival, cassö, RAYE & D-Block Europe’s Prada is back to a re-peak at Number 2, while Tate McRae’s greedy also rises back up to its previous peak of Number 3. Tate also scores a second Top 20 entry today, with new banger exes this week’s highest new entry at Number 12. Read more
Ireland’s Prime Minister condemns anti-immigrant protesters who rampaged through Central Dublin (HuffPost)
Ireland’s prime minister on Friday condemned anti-immigrant protesters who rampaged through central Dublin after three young children were stabbed, saying the rioters simply wanted to cause chaos, not protect the country’s way of life.
Police made a number of further arrests on Friday evening as they mounted a significant security operation in Dublin to ensure that there was no repeat of Thursday’s disorder. A number of people were taken away in police vans following sporadic altercations.
Police arrested 34 people after Thursday night’s rioting when up to 500 people looted shops, set fire to vehicles and threw rocks at crowd control officers equipped with helmets and shields. Read more
Israel to summon Spanish, Belgian envoys after bizarre appearance at Rafah crossing (TimesOfIsrael)
The Israeli government said Friday it would summon the Belgian and Spanish ambassadors following remarks by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his Belgian counterpart Alexander de Croo on the war between Israel and Hamas.
The announcement came after the two leaders appeared at Egypt’s Rafah crossing on Friday where the first 13 of the Israeli hostages were set to arrive ahead of their release to Israel after 49 days as Hamas hostages, and gave a bizarre press conference in which they criticized Israel for the suffering of Palestinian civilians.
Sánchez also called for European Union recognition of a Palestinian state, saying Spain might do so on its own. Read more
Mbappe scores as Ligue 1 leaders PSG beat Monaco (BBC)
Paris St-Germain warmed up for a vital Champions League tie against Newcastle by beating Monaco 5-2 to go four points clear at the top of Ligue 1.
Goncalo Ramos put the hosts ahead, but Gianluigi Donnarumma’s clearance fell to Takumi Minamino and he levelled.
Kylian Mbappe’s converted penalty restored the lead for PSG, who scored twice more in the second half through Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha. Read more
Total Promotions replies Elegbeleye over NPFL broadcast deal (Punch)
There seems to be no end in sight over the controversy surrounding the broadcast rights of the Nigeria Premier Football League as the acclaimed rights owners, Total Promotions, responded to the claims of NPFL chairman, Gbenga Elegbeleye, who said no contract existed between both parties, The PUNCH reports.
This is coming on the heels of the statement released by the NPFL board, as well as the comments made by Elegbeleye during a radio interview on Kennis FM.
In the interview, Elegbeleye, just like the league body had said in a statement, described the claims of Total Promotions as baseless because the parties in which Total Promotions signed contracts with were defunct by court orders. Read more
Harry Kane breaks 2 more records as remarkable Bayern Munich goalscoring start continues (Mirror)
Harry Kane has broken two more records as he scored once again to fire Bayern Munich to the top of the Bundesliga.
The England captain has been enjoying a dream season for Bayern since joining them from Tottenham in the summer. He has been in remarkable form, and has already broken a number of records, including scoring the most goals by a Bayern player in his first five Bundesliga appearances.
Despite Kane’s incredible exploits in front of goal, Bayern had seen themselves be surpassed by Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the table, with Xabi Alonso’s side sitting top as the perennial champions travelled to Koln on Friday night. Read more
FIFA to investigate Brazil-Argentina fan fracas (RNZ)
FIFA has started disciplinary proceedings over the crowd disturbances that caused a delay in the World Cup qualifier between Brazil and Argentina at the Maracana Stadium, soccer’s world governing body said on Saturday.
Brazil and Argentina fans started fighting behind one of the goals during the national anthems at Thursday’s game, prompting police to charge at the travelling contingent with batons drawn.
The visiting world champions, led by captain Lionel Messi, went over to the terraces to try and calm the situation before leaving the pitch for more than 10 minutes. Read more
Magic upset Celtics 113-96 in NBA In-Season Tournament for 6th straight win (Fox)
Moritz Wagner scored 27 points and the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics 113-96 for their sixth straight win Friday, throwing the Eastern Conference’s Group C up for grabs in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament.
Paolo Banchero had 23 points and seven rebounds for Orlando. Franz Wagner finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Cole Anthony came off the bench with 16 points.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 26 points. Jaylen Brown added 18, but made just 2 of 16 shots after scoring 12 points in the first 10 minutes. Read more
Davis Cup: Australia’s Alex de Minaur and Alexei Popyrin outclass Finland to return to Davis Cup final (Sky)
Australia ended the surprise run of Finland to reach the Davis Cup final for the second year in a row.
Giant-killers Finland defeated Croatia and the USA in the group stage in September to qualify for the quarter-finals for the first time and then upset defending champions Canada on Tuesday.
Backed by thousands of fans in Malaga thanks to a sizeable local population of ex-pats, they hoped to continue the fairy-tale but found Australia too strong. Read more