Money-seeking council officials block Lagos road, beat drivers (Punch)
A truck driver, Muhammad Adejumo, was on Saturday assaulted by some council officials who mounted a roadblock at the Isheri Roundabout in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Adejumo said the men, who claimed to be collecting levies on behalf of the Egbe/Idimu council, hit him with a rod while trying to stop him from driving past them.
Our correspondent, who witnessed the incident around 11pm, observed as the men, numbering about 10, wielded sticks and demanded money from truck drivers plying both sides of the road.
While some of the truck drivers handed out cash to them, others sped past them. Read more
Lagos becomes co-owner of Odu’a Investment Company (ThisDay)
The Lagos State Government has officially become a co-owner of the Western Nigeria Investment Group, the Odu’a Holdings, the Group Chairman of the company, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, stated this when he presented to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Government Odu’a Investment share certificate.
The presentation took place during a courtesy visit to the governor by the company’s board and management at Lagos House, Ikeja.
The Odu’a Group, which was set up by the government of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the days of the Western Region, is owned by the Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states governments.
Ashiru, during the presentation, said the company decided to hand over the Share Certificate to Governor Sanwo-Olu to silence doubting Thomas’s who don’t believe that Lagos State is part of the Odua Group. Read more
Lagos reopens Third Mainland Bridge today after rehabilitation (Vanguard)
Lagos State government will, today, reopened the Third Mainland Bridge, after it was closed for rehabilitation works on some sections of the ever busy bridge, on Sunday, between 9am and 4 pm.
Before the intervention of the state government to rehabilitate the identified failed and peeled asphaltic sections of the 11.8 kilometre-long bridge, it was discovered that some sections were riddled with potholes on both sides of it.
Vanguard’s visit to the bridge revealed that large potholes could be spotted at several portions on both sides of the bridge, while there were openings on the expansion joints.
In a moving vehicle, you could see the lagoon water through openings on the expansion joints. Read more
3 die, 10 injured in Abeokuta – Sagamu Expressway accident (Guardian)
Three persons were killed while 10 others sustained injuries in a lone accident involving a Mazda bus at Onipepeye area on the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway on Sunday.
Mr Ahmed Umar, FRSC Sector Commander in Ogun, confirmed the accident to newsmen in Abeokuta.
He blamed the accident on excessive speeding as the driver of the bus, marked APP 297 YC, lost control at a bend and summersaulted.
He added that 15 persons were involved in the accident comprising of four men, nine women, a boy and a girl, saying that 10 people were injured while two men and a woman died. Read more
Osun fixes October 15 for council poll (Nation)
Osun State Independent Electoral Commission (OSIEC) has fixed October 15 for the local government election.
Chairman of the commission, Segun Oladitan made this known on Monday during a news conference in Osogbo capital of Osun State.
He said: “The State House of Assembly had recently enacted Osun State Independent Electoral Commission Law 2022 which had been duly assented to by Mr. Governor.
“As at date, all the inhibiting factors and circumstances have been ameliorated, thereby making the coast very clear for the Commission to conduct Local Government Election Elections. All previous laws on Local Government Elections in the State had been repealed. Read more
Osun ex-convict loots shops, steals goods worth N34m (Punch)
Osun State Police Command has arrested an ex-convict, Akintunde Olaniyi, who had allegedly broken into 9 shops stealing electrical materials, mobile phones and other items worth over N34 million.
A statement by the Command’s spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, obtained in Osogbo on Sunday, said before he was caught, the suspect had broken into about 9 shops located within Ede metropolis.
Opalola said Olaniyi was sometimes in 2018 tried and convicted for a year jail term, which he observed in Ile-Ife correctional facility.
According to her, the suspect was arrested after an investigation into a complaint lodged at A’ Divisional Police Headquarter, Ede, by a shop owner in the town, who alleged that since March, 2022, his shops had been reportedly broken with items worth millions of naira stolen. Read more
Death of 50 Infants: Rivers APC vows to invest massively in health sector (ThisDay)
Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has vowed to invest massively in the health sector and ensure welfare of health professionals across all strata in the state, if elected in the governorship election in 2023.
The party made the promise in reaction to the recent death of about 50 infants over measles outbreak in Kugbo community, Abua/Odual Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement yesterday APC assures the people that its governorship candidate, Tonye Cole has the capacity to revamp the health system and ensure other positive development in the state.
The party sadness on the tragedy that has resulted in the death of the number of infants, adding that it would have been a preventable incident if robust healthcare policy programme were in place. Read more
2023: Fulani Group Disowns Miyetti Allah’s Statement On Obi (Independent)
A Fulani professional group, Coalition of Fulbe Professionals in Africa, COFPIA, has distanced itself from a statement authored by one Alhaji Alhasan Salah, National Secretary of Miyetti Allah, Kautal Hore, which claimed to be against the candidature of former Anambra State governor and the candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi, in the 2023 presidential election.
COFPIA enjoined Nigerians to disregard any statement from Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore, saying the group did not speak for Fulani ethnic group or represent the Fulani in any way.
Alhasan, who is the National Secretary of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, the most controversial Fulani group in Nigeria,had in an interview with a national paper, said the Fulani nation would not support the candidature of Obi,who is contesting the 2023 presidential election under the Labour Party.
Alhasan had described Mr Peter Obi not only as a tribal bigot but also as someone who hates the North and by extension the Fulani tribe. Read more
50-year-old man nabbed with 77 pellets of cocaine in Enugu (Channels)
Anti-narcotic officers at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu have arrested a 50-year-old Mgbeobuna Victor Eberechukwu for ingesting 77 pellets of cocaine.
NDLEA’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, disclosed in a statement on Sunday that Mgbeobuna was arrested on Saturday 6th Aug following his arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia onboard an Ethiopian airline flight.
The suspect who hails from Idemili South LGA, Anambra state passed out the 77 wraps of the illicit drug in eight excretions spanning four days.
In a similar development, three suspected drug peddlers in Kaduna: Saifullahi Sani, Salisu Nafi’u and Abdulrazaq Mamman, were arrested in Zaria on Thursday 11th August with One Million One Hundred and Twelve Thousand Three Hundred and Fifty (1,112,350) tablets of Tramadol (225mg and 100mg) weighing 38.3kg. Read more
Nigerian Navy ship Kada arrives Port of Bissau (Guardian)
Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) KADA on Saturday 13 August 2022 arrived in Port of Bissau after a seven days voyage from Lagos.
The sail to Guinea Bissau was in line with the government directive for the Nigerian Navy to convey military hardware meant for its own troops in carrying out a stabilization mission in Guinea Bissau.
NNS KADA’s Ship Company was received by the Nigerian Ambassador to Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde, Amb John James, the ECOWAS representative in Guinea Bissau, Prof Hamidu Boli, Deputy Force Commander Colonel Antoine Kore amongst other dignitaries.
In a statement by the Commander, Command Information Officer, Western Naval Command, Edward Yeibo, he said during the reception of NNS KADA, Amb John James was filled with joy in receiving a vessel of such magnitude in Guinea Bissau. Read more
Adele opens up about scrapped Las Vegas shows (HuffPost)
Adele has opened up about her scrapped Las Vegas concerts, admitting the show she had planned was lacking in “soul”.
Earlier this year, the chart-topping star shared a tearful video on social media, explaining to fans that she was postponing her Weekends With Adele residency a night before she was due to go on stage.
The Grammy-winning musician was met with something of a backlash to the announcement, telling Elle in a new interview: “It was the worst moment in my career, by far. By far. I was so excited about those shows. It was devastating.”
At the time, Adele said the shows had to be postponed due to “delivery delays” and members of her team being struck down with Covid, admitting in her video: “My show ain’t ready.” Read more
50 Cent says Beyoncé ‘jumped’ him over Jay-Z feud (NYPost)
Rapper 50 Cent has revealed the moment he found himself confronted by none other than Beyoncé over his feud with Jay-Z.
The “Many Men” hitmaker said the rapper’s wife “jumped out” at him and “was ready to fight” after he stopped by to talk to her husband in Las Vegas many years ago.
“She was on a window sill. We were in Vegas,” he recalled during Friday’s appearance on “The Breakfast Club.”
The 47-year-old rapper said the “Break My Soul” singer “jumped out” and pulled a confrontational face at him. Read more
Johnny Depp to direct 1st movie in 25 years (THR)
Johnny Depp has lined up his first film directing gig in 25 years, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal.
A quarter of a century after he directed both himself and Marlon Brando in 1997’s The Brave, his feature directorial debut, Depp is set to get behind the camera for Modigliani, about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, and will co-produce alongside Al Pacino and Barry Navidi.
Based on the play by Dennis McIntyre and adapted for the screen by Jerzy and Mary Kromolowski, the film will tell the story of the painter and sculptor in Paris in 1916. Long considered by himself a critical and commercial failure, Modigliani navigates a turbulent and eventful 48 hours that will become a turning point in his life, ultimately solidifying his reputation as an artistic legend. THR understands that production is set to start in Europe in the spring of 2023, with casting to be revealed shortly.
“The saga of Mr. Modigliani’s life is one that I’m incredibly honored, and truly humbled, to bring to the screen,” said Depp, who produces for IN.2, the European arm of his production company Infinitum Nihil. “It was a life of great hardship, but eventual triumph — a universally human story all viewers can identify with.” Read more
Kevin Bacon dislikes working on chaotic sets (FilmNews)
Kevin Bacon and his They/Them director John Logan bonded over their mutual dislike of chaotic and unsafe sets.
The Footloose actor takes on a chilling new role in the slasher film, which marked triple Oscar-nominated writer John’s directorial debut.
They/Them, which John also wrote, tells the story of an LGBTQ+ conversion camp run by Kevin’s Owen Whistler, who uses unsettling psychological techniques on his campers.
Talking to Collider about finally working with Gladiator writer John, Kevin discussed the vibe on set. Read more
Stars of House Of The Dragon to walk red carpet at London premiere (BelfastTelegraph)
London is set for a fiery awakening as the premiere for the forthcoming Game Of Thrones prequel series, House Of The Dragon, is held on Monday.
Based on George RR Martin’s Fire And Blood, and set two centuries before the events of Game Of Thrones, the new series chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen and the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons.
Stars and creators of the show will walk the red carpet on Monday in Leicester Square, ahead of the show’s launch on Sky and streaming service Now from August 22.
The HBO drama features a star-studded cast, including The Crown’s Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, younger brother of King Viserys and heir to the throne, while Olivia Cooke plays Alicent Hightower, the daughter of Otto Hightower, hand of the king. Read more
‘Bullet Train’ and ‘Super-Pets’ lick $100M+ worldwide; ‘Minions’ nears $800M – International Box Office (Variety)
Sony’s Bullet Train was the global and international box office leader for the studios during its sophomore frame with an added $17M from 61 overseas markets for an offshore cume of $60M and global riding the rails past $100M for $114.5M through Sunday.
The international holdover markets dropped 40%; word of mouth is good and there’s a track ahead for the Brad Pitt-starrer as Korea, Italy and Japan are still to come. Korea’s Yonhap news agency this week dedicated a story to the fact that Pitt is due to visit the market for the first time in eight years, reportedly jetting in to promote the film later this week.
France was the lead market on BT this weekend with $1.7M (though locally Toei’s One Piece Film: Red caused a ruckus with what we hear was a No. 1 start at $3.34M). The French cume on BT is $5.8M. The UK is currently at $6M. Mexico has grossed $5.4M, followed by Australia’s $4.1M and Saudi Arabia and Spain at $3.6M each. The global IMAX cume is $6.3M. Read more
Dwayne Johnson explains why he lobbied to get Black Adam a standalone movie (DailyMail)
Dwayne Johnson has explained why he wanted the Black Adam character to have his own standalone film.
The 50-year-old superstar, speaking with Vanity Fair Thursday, said that he persuaded Warner Bros. to give the comic book villain a separate movie instead of blending the stories with his archrival character, Shazam.
The wrestler-turned-actor initially signed on to play the role in 2014, opposite Zachary Levi as Shazam.
‘When the first draft of the movie came to us, it was a combination of Black Adam and Shazam: Two origin stories in one movie,’ Johnson told the publication. ‘Now that was the goal – so it wasn’t a complete surprise.’ Read more
Liverpool boss hits out at early critics of Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland (Sky)
Jurgen Klopp believes critics were too quick to judge new Premier League strikers Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez and brands the latter as a “proper striker” ahead of his Liverpool home debut.
Last week, Nunez came off the bench to score one and set up another in the Reds’ 2-2 draw with Fulham on the opening weekend of the Premier League season – with the Uruguayan hoping to add more to his tally in the Monday Night Football clash with Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports.
But Klopp believes too much was made of Nunez’s first pre-season game, which saw Liverpool lose 4-0 to Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United in Bangkok with the Reds forward missing one big opportunity in particular.
“Five weeks ago, when we started pre-season, he had his first game and it didn’t look great from the outside world,” Klopp tells Soccer Saturday reporter Bianca Westwood. “Not for us, but it’s crazy how quick we judge people… wow! Read more
Ryan Giggs’ threatened to headbutt ex’s sister ‘next’ during heated row, court hears (ITV)
Former footballer Ryan Giggs told a woman “I will headbutt you next” after allegedly assaulting her older sister, a court has heard.
Emma Greville, 26, said Giggs placed his hands on the shoulders of his former girlfriend Kate Greville during an argument and headbutted her in the lip with “lots of force”.
Giving evidence from behind a screen at Manchester Crown Court, Emma Greville said Giggs then went on to blame her for the incident at the ex-Manchester United player and Wales boss’ home in Worsley, Salford.
She told the court her sister had been planning to leave Giggs when he went away with the Welsh football team on touring duties. Read more
Nasarawa set to host YSFON U-16 North-Central zonal football tournament (Sun)
All is now set for Nasarawa state to host Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria, YSFON, U-16 football championship for the North-Central Zone of Nigeria.
Daily Sun Reports that participating States within the zone are in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, as draws were held on Sunday ahead of Monday kick-off date at the football pitch of Science School, Lafia.
F.C.T., Abuja and Benue are joined by host, Nasarawa State, for the two-day tournament.
The competition will be played in a round-robin format with Nasarawa State taking on Benue State in the first match slated Monday, 15th August, 2022, by 9 o’clock in the morning before the FCT, Abuja, will square up against Benue later in the day by 4 pm. Read more
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel rips officials after Spurs draw, suggests Anthony Taylor should not ref Blues again (CBS)
Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte tried to shrug off the dramatic face off that earned them red cards in a thrilling London derby but the performance of Anthony Taylor was no laughing matter for the Chelsea manager as he suggested the referee should not take charge of Blues’ matches again.
Both managers had been booked in the immediate aftermath of the first equalizer in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea before a post-match handshake lasted altogether too long as they squared up to each other once more at the final whistle.
Conte had reacted in exuberant fashion to both equalizers, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg driving low from outside the box on 68 minutes before Harry Kane rose to flick home a corner in the dying minutes of the match. Tuchel was hardly blameless either. When Reece James fired Chelsea into the lead for the second time he proceeded to sprint down the touchline in celebration, right past the Tottenham dugout.
Referee Anthony Taylor gave both managers a straight red at the final whistle, which would rule them out of their next game. The on field fireworks did not extend into the post match press conferences, where both coaches were keen to laugh off their histrionics, with Tuchel even suggesting that he had somewhat enjoyed the set to and thought Conte might have also. Read more
Craig Burley questions Carlo Ancelotti’s team selection as Real Madrid beat newly-promoted Almeria (DailyMail)
Craig Burley expressed his confusion at Carlo Ancelotti’s team selection for Real Madrid’s La Liga opener Sunday, as the reigning Spanish champions limped to a 2-1 win vs. newly-promoted Almeria.
Madrid struck twice in the second half – including a wonderful David Alaba free kick – to grab all three points, but started the game with senior figures like Alaba, Luka Modric and Casemiro on the bench in favour of a younger lineup.
‘I was a little perplexed, first day of the season to be not playing your strongest team,’ Burley said.
‘But [Ancelotti] obviously wants guys to get game time sooner rather than later. ‘ Read more
Japan’s Saki Baba wins U.S. Women’s Amateur in golf blowout (ESPN)
Saki Baba routed Monet Chun of Canada 11 and 9 on Sunday to become the second Japanese winner in U.S. Women’s Amateur history.
The 17-year-old Baba won the last six holes, ending the match with a birdie on the par-3 27th hole at Chambers Bay.
“It’s just amazing. I just can’t believe it,” Baba said through a translator. “I was able to (play) my kind of golf. Yeah, everything just went smoothly.”
Baba joined 1985 champion Michiko Hattori as the only Japanese winners. Read more
Canadian Open: Simona Halep beats Beatriz Haddad Maia to win 3rd title (BBC)
Simona Halep produced a battling performance in Toronto to beat Brazil’s Beatriz Haddad Maia in three sets and claim a third Canadian Open title.
The 2019 Wimbledon champion pulled through 6-3 2-6 6-3 to cement her rise back up to sixth in the world rankings.
Halep, 30, dropped from second in the world to 20th after missing a large part of last season with injury.
Spain’s Pablo Carreño Busta beat Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 6-3 6-3 to win the men’s title. Read more