Naira Scarcity: Journalist dies while trekking to office (DailyTrust)
An Ibadan-based radio presenter popularly known as Baba Bintin slumped and died on his way to work in the early hours of Saturday.
Daily Trust reports that the presenter died on his way to the Fresh FM station where he had a programme with the duo of Komolafe Olaiya and Olalomi Amole at Ayefele Music house, Challenge, Ibadan, Oyo State capital.
The late presenter usually relieves information on market opening days across the state and beyond. Read more
Court jails woman 18 years for child stealing, convict indicts lawyer (Punch)
A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Awka, Anambra State, has sentenced a 42-year-old woman, Victoria Enwerem (Anosike), to 18 years’ imprisonment for stealing children.
Enwerem was arraigned in the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court on three counts of conspiracy to steal children, fraudulently enticing and habouring children, and forcefully isolating children from the lawful possession of their parents.
The offences are punishable under the Criminal Code, Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 1991, and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition and Protection) Laws of Anambra State, 2017. Read more
Real reason train crushed Lagos staff bus – Driver (DailyTrust)
The driver of the Lagos State staff bus crushed by a train at the PWD/Shogunle railway line, on Agege Motor Road, Lagos, has revealed the reason behind the Thursday collision which claimed six lives and injured about 84 others.
Oluwaseun Osinbajo said the bus developed a mechanical fault on rail track, claiming that the crash was not his fault.
According to Vanguard, he was overheard narrating to some of his relatives who were waiting for him there.
Osinbajo, who has been detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Yaba, however, begged families of the victims to forgive him. Read more
We’ll arrest anyone that rejects old Naira notes in Ekiti — Oyebanji (Vanguard)
Governor Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti has said the government would arrest and prosecute traders and service providers who reject the old N500 and N1,000 denominations.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Yinka Olubode and made available to newsmen on Saturday in Ado-Ekiti, Oyebanji appealed to traders and business owners in the state to stop creating hardship for residents.
The governor explained that the old N500 and N1000 denominations remained legal tender by virtue of the ruling of the Supreme Court which extended its validity date till December 31. Read more
Lagos BRT/Train Crash could have been avoided – Adeboye (Independent)
The general overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has commiserated with families of those whose lives were lost in the accident involving a train and the state government BRT staff in Lagos.
Adeboye in a statement expressed sadness and prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives and the quick recovery of those injured in the accident.
He said, “We are saddened by the report of the unfortunate Bus/ Train accident of Thursday, 9th March 2023 at the PWD rail crossing, off the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Sogunle, Lagos State. Read more
Tinubu will govern for 8 years, hand over to northerner-Igbokwe (Nation)
The Special Adviser to Lagos Governor on Drainages Joe Ibokwe has predicted that the President Elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will complete two terms.
He was responding to a troll who challenged him for supporting the re-election of Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo Olu. Igbokwe had written: “President-Elect ASIWAJU BAT is a good friend of the Igbo and he did his best for prominent Igbo businessmen and women in Lagos including me.
“This is payback time and we should do this by voting for GOV SANWO OLU en-mass on March 18.” Read more
Oyo Guber Poll: Ladoja endorses Folarin, knocks Makinde (DailyTrust)
Ahead of the forthcoming governorship and state assembly elections in Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja, a former governor, has endorsed the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Teslim Folarin.
Recall that a few days ago, the political dynasty of the former governor, Ladoja Idera De Leaders and Stakeholders, had declared support for Folarin’s gubernatorial ambition.
Daily Trust reports that Ladoja made the endorsement public at a meeting with some of his loyalists on Saturday. Read more
NSCDC seizes 150 drums of Cameroon-bound petrol, arrests 2 (Punch)
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in Akwa Ibom on Saturday said it seized 150 smuggled drums of petrol and arrested two suspects on March 9.
The NSCDC Commandant in Akwa Ibom, Mr Yusuf Imam, disclosed this while briefing newsmen in Uyo on Saturday.
Imam said the Marine Unit of the command acted on intelligence and arrested the suspects on the high seas as they conveyed the products in a wooden boat en route to Cameroon. Read more
Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda releases new solo single ‘‘In My Head’’ (NME)
Linkin Park‘s Mike Shinoda has released a new single ‘‘In My Head’’.
The song features Kailee Morgue on vocals as the Nu Metal icon lends this brand new effort to the official Scream VI soundtrack. The song officially dropped on Friday (March 10), with Shinoda saying he was “excited to share” the track with fans – having teased it heavily.
With a lo-fi intro that gives way to heavy beats pulsing as Shinoda showcases his rapping skills, the track moves into an electro-flavoured pop banger that follows in the vein of (and builds on) 2018’s ‘Promises I Can’t Keep’ and last year’s ‘Happy Endings’ which featured Iann Dior and UPSAHL. Read more
How a Mexican-born debut novelist created a beautiful monster (LATimes)
Monstrilio, a debut novel by Gerardo Sámano Córdova, is aptly titled — an unearthly hybrid that’s part horror, part literary meditation on grief, part wildly entertaining tale of an impossible being forced to live in the shadow of the dead boy he replaced. At once heartbreaking and unapologetically strange, this is a cross-cultural, syncretic, folksy, razor-sharp narrative about the horrors of grief and the eternal debate over nature versus nurture.
Santiago, the son of Mexican immigrants, was born in New York City with only one small, misshapen lung; not expected to survive the night, he miraculously lived for 11 years. When death finally finds Santiago, his mother, Magos, cuts her son open with a kitchen knife and slices off a small chunk of his deformed lung before moving back to Mexico with her mother and leaving behind her husband, Joseph.
Magos hears a folktale about a boy grown from a heart and, acting purely out of instinct and desperation, keeps the organ fragment in a jar and feeds it drops of chicken broth until it gains sentience. It grows eyes, hair and a tail-like appendage it uses to move around. Before long, Read more
In a first since 1961, the Oscars carpet will not be red (AP)
Many things about the Academy Awards have changed over the years, but for the past six decades there has been at least one constant: The red carpet. The hues have varied over the years, but it has always been some shade of red. Until this year.
On Wednesday outside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, workers unspooled a champagne-colored carpet as Jimmy Kimmel, who is hosting the 95th Oscars on Sunday, presided over the occasion.
“I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet over a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed,” Kimmel said. Read more
Stevie Nicks pays tribute to Christine McVie with ‘‘Landslide’’ performance (FarOut)
Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel played the first night of their ‘Two Icons, One Night’ co-headlined tour at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The Inglewood date was the first of a nine-date venture and featured several collaborative efforts between the two music legends.
Joel joined Nicks on stage for a rendition of ‘‘Stop Draggin’’ ‘‘My Heart Around’’, and Nicks obligingly returned the favour to play ‘‘And So It Goes’’ with Joel. One of the most touching moments, though, was when Nicks paid tribute to her former Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie.
Before playing a version of ‘‘Landslide’’, Nicks said through teary eyes, “I have to imagine she’s still here. It’s all I can do.” Check out the video of the moving performance below. Joel and Nicks’ co-headline tour is set to roll on, with the next date confirmed for Arlington, Texas, on April 8th. Read more
Jane Fonda quips women will resort to ‘‘murder’’ to protect abortion rights (NYPost)
“Hanoi Jane” is at it again.
Decorated actress and controversial activist Jane Fonda suggested on “The View” Friday that American women might have to resort to “murder” to regain autonomy of their bodies in the aftermath of Roe v. Wade reversal.
The Oscar winner made the comment when the hosts asked her what could she possibly do other than march and protest to stop the recent spread of laws curbing abortion in many states.
“Well, I’ve thought of murder,” Fonda quipped, in a comment that may have been lost under crosstalk until Lily Tomlin asked her to repeat herself. Read more
In LA, Clooney-backed school works to boost Hollywood diversity (France24)
At just 14 years old, Ja’saray Juarez debates what makes a good ad with her friends — catchy music, clever camera work and appealing characters are all part of the mix. She will eventually film her own commercial to show her class.
In a few years, the freshman hopes to launch her career behind the camera, thanks to a special program at her Los Angeles high school for hundreds of young people from underrepresented communities looking to break into showbiz.
Since September, the public high school has been home to a magnet program for film and television studies that has received financial backing from Oscar winner George Clooney. Read more
Iran and Saudi Arabia agree to restore ties after China-brokered talks (Guardian)
Iran and Saudi Arabia, the two great oil-producing rivals of the Middle East, have agreed to restore ties and reopen embassies seven years after relations were severed.
The agreement came after Chinese-brokered talks were held in Beijing. “As a result of the talks, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies … within two months,” Iran’s state news agency Irna reported, citing a joint statement.
Riyadh cut ties with Tehran after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in 2016 following the Saudi execution of the revered Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The rivalry between predominantly Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia has dominated Middle East politics in recent years, spreading into Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. Read more
Mixed fortunes trail 2023 NPFL “new boys” (DailyTrust)
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) kicked off on January 8, 2023 with optimism and self-belief oozing from the camps of the 20 clubs that are competing in the abridged league.
This infectious optimism was shared by all including the four clubs, debutants Doma United and the trio of Bendel Insurance, Bayelsa United and El-Kanemi Warriors who were returning to elite football after some years in the lower divisions.
Video Player is loading.
While ‘new boys’ Bendel Insurance and El-Kanemi Warriors were pitched in Group A along with Enyimba, Akwa United, Nasarawa United, Remo Stars, Plateau United, Gombe United, 3SC, Kwara United, Bayelsa United and Doma United found themselves in Group B with experienced campaigners like the defending champions, Rivers United, Enugu Rangers, Lobi Stars, Sunshine Stars, Niger Tornadoes, Wikki Tourists, Dakkada and Abia Warriors. Read more
Obioma, Odigie win February NPFL honours (Punch)
Enyimba forward and current Nigeria Professional Football League top scorer, Emeka Obioma, has been crowned the NPFL League Bloggers Players of the Month for February following his heroics in the month under review.
With five goals in February, Obioma beat off competition from Bendel Insurance goalkeeper, Amas Obasogie, last month’s winner, Osarenkhoe Imade, and three other players to win the award.
In the coach of the month category, Bendel Insurance handler, Monday Odigie, claimed the award for a second consecutive time this season. Read more
BBC’s flagship soccer show faces boycott over Gary Lineker impartiality row (CNN)
The BBC is facing a boycott of its flagship soccer show “Match of the Day,” as well as other soccer coverage, following its announcement that presenter Gary Lineker would “step back” from the program, after he became embroiled in an impartiality row when he criticized British government policy on Twitter.
As Britain’s public broadcaster, the BBC is bound by “due impartiality” – a much debated term which the organization defines as holding “power to account with consistency” while not “allowing ourselves to be used to campaign to change public policy.”
So when Lineker criticized the government’s controversial new asylum seeker policy on Twitter and was subsequently stepped down from his presenting duties this week, it sparked a controversy leaving the BBC under fire from opposition politicians, the BECTU union who represent BBC staff, and its former director general Greg Dyke. Read more
Salah misses penalty as Bournemouth shock Liverpool (France24)
Mohamed Salah missed a penalty as Liverpool came back down to earth with a bump in their shock 1-0 defeat at struggling Bournemouth on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side travelled to Dean Court in high spirits after their historic 7-0 thrashing of arch rivals Manchester United last weekend.
But Liverpool’s hopes of using that remarkable result as a springboard to push for a top four finish in the Premier League were given a brutal reality check on the south coast. Read more
Tiger Woods denies he had a tenancy deal with ex-girlfriend (BBC)
Lawyers for Tiger Woods have denied that he and his ex-girlfriend, who is suing him, had a deal that allowed her to share his Florida home with him.
Erica Herman is seeking $30m (£25m) from a trust held by Mr Woods, claiming she was tricked into packing her bags for a holiday, then locked out.
A non-disclosure agreement she signed with Mr Woods in 2017 requires that any legal disputes be settled out of court.
She is trying to have that agreement cancelled by a court. Read more
Krack says ‘‘experienced’’ Aston team can handle the pressure upfront (F1i)
Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack says Team Silverstone can handle the pressure of fighting amongst F1’s frontrunners thanks to its experience and “fantastic” crews.
In Bahrain, Aston emerged as a genuine top-three contender, with Fernando Alonso outpacing both Mercedes drivers and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz on his way to a podium finish behind Red Bull’s unassailable chargers, race winner Max Verstappen and runner-up Sergio Perez.
However, Aston will need to confirm its new-found status as F1’s top midfield contender in upcoming races. Read more