NAFDAC uncovers fake missionary health caregivers in Rivers (Leadership)
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has uncovered a group of fake free health caregivers posing as missionaries in Rivers State.
NAFDAC’s South-South Zonal Director, Pharmacist Chukwuma Oligbu who disclosed this to journalists in Port Harcourt on Monday, said the fake health caregivers were operating at the Abuloma Community Town Hall in Port Harcourt City local government area of the state.
Oligbu, who stated that a woman was arrested at the venue while administering drugs to some unsuspecting residents, said unregistered products were also recovered from the suspect. Read more
N6.9b fraud: I’ve no case to answer, Fayose tells court (Punch)
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has filed a no-case submission in response to the N6.9bn fraud charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos heard the no-case submission and subsequently reserved a ruling on it.
Fayose was represented by a former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), while Olalekan Ojo (SAN) reprsented Spotless Investment Limited joined as the second defendant. Read more
Suspected rapist machete 14-year-old girl to coma in Abia (Vanguard)
A suspected rapist identified as Chinazum Ubani,has macheted a 14 year old girl to coma at Obete Nchina Village, Ntighauzo community in Obingwa council area of Abia State.
The girl was said to have gone to fetch firewood with her mates at a bush in the village when they were attacked with a machete by Chinazum.
The suspect allegedly attempted to rape the 14 year old whose name was given as Felicia,but was resisted. Read more
DSS nabs another kidnap kingpin going for Hajj (DailyTrust)
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), on Monday, intercepted a suspected kidnap kingpin identified as Sani Galadi at Sultan Abubakar International Airport, Sokoto.
It was learnt that Galadi, who was arrested at about 11:15am at the airport during a screening exercise for pilgrims, was trailed by the intelligence officers and finally arrested at the Hajj terminal.
Daily Trust reports that Galadi’s arrest came less 24 hours after a wanted kidnap kingpin was also arrested at the hajj camp in Abuja while en route to Saudi Arabia. Read more
Lagos clears service lane of Ladipo market following The Guardian reports (Guardian)
The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation yesterday cleared the service lane of Ladipo auto spare parts market at Toyota Bus Stop along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Lagos.
This followed several reports by The Guardian on the activities of individuals who had converted the road into a parking lot and mechanic workshop.
During the operation, the Removal of Abandoned Vehicles and Park Monitoring Committees, a unit of the ministry, towed no fewer than 10 vehicles. Read more
FG: Rollout of N3.3tn 90,000km Fibre Lines, 7,000 Telecom Towers Begins Q4 2025 (ThisDay)
The Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has disclosed that the rollout of the N3.3 trillion 90,000 kilometres of fibre lines, 7,000 Telecom Towers infrastructure nationwide will formally commence in Q4 2025.
Besides, he stated that the sector witnessed massive growth under President Bola Tinubu, attracting $191 million in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Q1 2024—a ninefold increase from $22 million in Q1 2023.
This was as the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, underscored the strategic role of the capital market in driving the federal government’s vision of a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Read more
Falana kicks against compulsory voting bill, declares it unconstitutional (Channels)
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has strongly opposed the proposed bill to make voting compulsory in Nigeria, declaring it “unconstitutional” and “impractical” under the current legal framework.
The bill, co-sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and Labour Party lawmaker Daniel Asama Ago, seeks to amend the Electoral Act to make voting mandatory for all Nigerians of voting age in national and state elections. It proposes a six-month jail term or a fine of ₦100,000 for eligible citizens who fail to vote.
During the plenary on Thursday, Ago, who represents Bassa/Jos North, argued that the bill aims to curb voter apathy and reduce vote-buying. Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu supported the bill, citing Australia as a model where compulsory voting has reportedly enhanced civic responsibility. Read more
Dua Lipa takes PPL’s ‘most played artist’ crown for 2024 (Musically)
British CMO PPL has announced its annual ‘most played’ charts for the UK, based on TV and radio airplay as well as plays in public places including bars, gyms and shops.
Dua Lipa takes top spot in the chart ahead of Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, David Guetta and Coldplay. Dua Lipa previously topped this chart in 2020, and this time round she has ended Sheeran’s run of three years atop the rankings.
According to PPL, Dua Lipa’s music is played an average of 400 times a day, with ‘Houdini’ her top track of 2024. Read more
Inhaler announce biggest UK headline shows to date at London Royal Albert Hall and Liverpool Arena (NME)
Inhaler have announced their biggest UK headline shows to date – find out all the details below.
The Irish indie heroes announced two massive UK shows yesterday (May 19), both of which are set to take place in October. On October 11, Inhaler will take over the Liverpool M&S Bank Arena, where they’ll be joined by special guests The Snuts, and the return of The Bandits. It will mark The Bandits’ first show back since disbanding in 2004.
On October 31, Inhaler will headline the Royal Albert Hall in London, where they’ll be joined by currently undisclosed special guests. Read more
King sends private message of support to Joe Biden after cancer diagnosis (Independent)
The King has written privately to Joe Biden to express his support after the former US president was diagnosed an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
Charles, who is still undergoing his own treatment for an undisclosed cancer, sent his best wishes to Mr Biden in the wake of his health news.
Mr Biden was diagnosed on Friday, with tests revealing the cancer had spread to his bones.. Read more
Rocket Lab-launched satellites to help Ukraine in war against Russia (RNZ)
A group of satellites that Rocket Lab has helped put into space is poised to aid Ukraine’s military in the war with Russia.
Rocket Lab USA launched its third mission for Japanese company iQPS at the weekend from its spaceport on Māhia Peninsula.
It has been widely reported Japan has agreed to provide Ukraine’s military intelligence agency for the first time with advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery from satellites run by iQPS (Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space). Read more
US terminates $60m in Harvard grants over alleged antisemitism (TimesofIsrael)
The US Department of Health and Human Services says that it was terminating $60 million in federal grants to Harvard University saying the Ivy League institution failed to address antisemitic harassment and ethnic discrimination on campus.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has frozen or ended federal grants and contracts for the university worth nearly $3 billion in recent weeks.
Since taking office in January, the Republican president has sought to use federal research funding to overhaul US academia, which he says has been gripped by anti-American, Marxist and “radical left” ideologies. Read more
Guinness prices could rise due to £111m tariff blow despite UK-US trade deal (Express)
British drinks powerhouse Diageo has revealed it is bracing for a £111million hit from US tariffs, despite the UK government having secured a trade deal with former US President Donald Trump.
The FTSE 100 firm, behind household names like Guinness, Smirnoff, and Johnnie Walker, told The Sun it will be impacted by a ten per cent baseline tariff on imports — a blow to one of Britain’s leading exporters.
Chief executive Debra Crew confirmed the company will look to absorb the higher costs through various measures, including price hikes in the US, which could soon leave American drinkers paying more for their favourite tipples. Read more
Nigerian boxers rage as Oluwasegun’s corpse remains in Ghana (Punch)
Nigerian boxers have expressed outrage over the continued delay in repatriating the remains of Oluwasegun Olanrewaju from Ghana, 50 days after the fighter’s tragic death following a bout at the Bukom Arena.
The development comes two days after a seven-member committee submitted its final report on the circumstances surrounding Olanrewaju’s death to Ghanaian Minister for Sport and Recreation, Kofi Adams, but with no clear timeline for when the boxer’s body will be returned to his grieving family.
“It just feels like the sports minister does not care about Nigerian boxers, as if we are nothing to them,” professional boxer Taiwo Esepo told our correspondent. Read more
Gateway Games 2024: Rivers, Lagos sweep gold medals in weightlifting (Leadership)
Ruth Nyong from Rivers State and African Champion Omolola Onome Didih from Lagos State were the standout performers on Day 2 of the Weightlifting event at the 2024 National Sports Festival, aptly named the Gateway Games 2024.
Both weightlifters delivered outstanding performances, collectively securing four gold medals and two silvers for their respective states in the women’s 49kg and 55kg categories.
In the Women’s 49kg class, Nyong excelled by winning two gold medals and one silver. She achieved a remarkable lift of 75kg to secure gold in the snatch and followed that with a total lift of 167kg for her second gold. Originally hailing from Akwa Ibom State, Nyong added a silver medal for Rivers State with her 92kg lift in the Clean & Jerk. Read more
Chelsea Women dance to viral ‘Shake Body’ song after FA Cup win (Vanguard)
Nigerian Afrobeats singer Skales has continued to make waves on the global stage as his 2014 hit single Shake Body once again captures international attention.
Following their emphatic 3-0 victory over Manchester United in the Women’s FA Cup final, the Chelsea Women’s team turned their locker room into a buzzing dance floor, celebrating their win in style.
At the heart of the celebration was Shake Body, the infectious party anthem by Skales, which set the perfect tone for the jubilant scenes. Read more
Emma Raducanu disagrees with question after win as Brit admits to being ‘aggressive’ (Express)
Emma Raducanu was quizzed on her performance after beating Daria Kasatkina (Image: WTA)
Emma Raducanu disagreed with a question during her post-match interview after breezing past Daria Kasatkina in Strasbourg. The young Brit looked assured as she cruised to victory in straight sets, beating her Australian rival for the very first time. It saw Raducanu maintain her impressive form on clay after reaching the fourth round of last week’s Italian Open.
Raducanu made a flying start and took the first set in rapid fashion, with Kasatkina being made to pay for her repeated mistakes. The latter came back fighting in the second set but Raducanu was undeterred and held firm to close out the match. She managed eight break points in total, which was largely down to the aggressive style of play she adopted. Read more
Eddie Hearn: ‘‘If Jack Catterall loses to Harlem Eubank he is done’’ (BoxingScene)
Eddie Hearn is hoping to finally get one over the Eubank family when Jack Catterall fights Harlem Eubank at the AO Arena in Manchester, England on July 5.
Hearn recently watched his fighter Conor Benn scored the loser at middleweight against Chris Eubank Jnr in April. Their fight at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was a huge occasion for British boxing and propelled both Benn and Eubank Jnr into the limelight.
Eubank Jnr’s performance and victory over Benn has made his profile even bigger, and to the extent that his relatives are perhaps reaping the benefits. His cousin Harlem has built his profile on the British terrestrial television platform Channel 5, and off the back of the momentum of Eubank Jnr-Benn has been matched with the 31-year-old Catterall. Read more