NDLEA: Singers Zinoleesky, Mohbad in our custody (Nation)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has confirmed the arrest of singers Zinoleesky and Mohbad.
The singers, who are signed under Marlian records, were arrested after a midnight raid on their Lagos residence.
Their arrest was confirmed by the NDLEA spokesman, Femi Babafemi, who said Cannabis and Molly were recovered by operatives during the raid.
Babafemi said: “Our men raided an area in Idado estate where Bịara Market boys stay. Some quantities of Cannabis sativa and Molly were recovered from their apartment and car,” he told TheCable Lifestyle. Read more
Lagos Assembly adopts recommendation on staff housing, board bill 2021 (Leadership)
Lagos State House of Assembly has adopted recommendations of the House Committee on Establishments, Training, Pensions and Public Service on the Lagos State Government Staff Housing Board Bill, 2021.
The proposed Law is aimed at repealing the Lagos State Government Staff Housing Board Law, 2015 and re-enacting the same for effective and efficient performance and better service delivery.
Presenting report on the bill during plenary, the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Oluyinka Ogundimu highlighted the recommendations of the Committee, noting that the submissions and contributions raised by the stakeholders during the Public Hearing were incorporated.
Observations were raised by members during the deliberations over the civil servants strictly, composition of the Board membership, the reversion of acquired lands not used by government, seeming master servant relationship in the bill amongst other issues. Read more
Ex-BBNaija’s Lucy lambasts those doubting her age (Nation)
Reality TV star Lucy Essien has taken a swipe at ‘unbelievers’ over her ‘32’ years of age.
Essien was among the 20 housemates who contested in the BBNaija Lockdown season 5 edition and the tenth to be evicted from the house in her time.
While it’s a tradition for housemates to state their age in the course of applying for a slot on the show, however, many who watched the reality show have continued to doubt Lucy’s age which reads 30 as of 2020.
She said: “Some people’s logic is so messed up. So, I want to claim age, I did not see younger age to claim? I will now claim 32!” Read more
NCDC says Nigeria’s infodemic management system effective (Guardian)
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in collaboration with Breakthrough Action-Nigeria and African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), said its robust and strategic rumour management system has been effective in managing infodemics.
Dr Chinwe Ochu, Director, Prevention Programmes and Knowledge Management, Head of Research, NCDC, made this known on the sideline of the Media Preparedness against Future and Current Outbreak Response Programme Brainstorming session on Wednesday in Lagos.
Ochu explained that NCDC had a robust rumour management system that utilised a software to scan the social media and Internet for trending news.
“We usually classify this news as valid, misinformation or disinformation. When rumours contain information that can constitute a public health threat, we usually counter such rumours with scientific evidence and facts. Read more
Court fixes date to hear Abba Kyari’s bail application (Channels)
Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed February 28, to hear the bail application filed by the detained former commander of Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Force Intelligence Bureau, of the Nigerian Police Force, Abba Kyari.
Justice Ekwo fixed the date, after counsel to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Mr Mike Kassa informed the court on Thursday that the bail application was not served on him.
Kassa added that though the applicant counsel served him with a motion on notice, he was yet to be served with the bail application.
However, Kyari’s counsel, Cynthia Ikenna insisted that there was a proof of service to that effect. Read more
By-Election: REC signs result sheet for foolproof results in Ondo (Independent)
The by-election held in Akure North/Akure South federal constituency in Ondo State on Saturday may be free, fair and credible to a certain extent as the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Ambassador (Dr.) Rufus Akeju, signed all results sheets for the 408 polling units.
This measure, according to the Head, Operations, Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) headquarters, Mr Yusuf AbdulRazaak, was to ensure the results of the election from each polling unit is fool-proof.
AbdulRazaak explained that the REC would append his signature on the right top corner of the Form EC 8B(II) for uniformity.
He noted that any result sheet from any polling unit that had no signatures of the REC would not be accepted. Read more
Without Buhari, Nigeria would have been like Venezuela —Ngige (Vanguard)
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, Wednesday described leadership as very critical to the survival of any human society, saying without President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria would have been like Venezuela.
Ngige said Nigeria was passing through hard times, not because of the current government, but as a result of poor planning over the years.
Deputy Director, Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan, in a statement said the minister spoke in his office after his induction as a Distinguished Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Corporate Governance, INSLEC, a leading global professional body of both present and aspiring leaders, entrepreneurs and people in corporate governance.
This came as the President/Chairman of the council, Professor Gabriel Emecheta, said the decision to elect Ngige as a Distinguished Honorary Fellow of the INSLEC speaks volumes about his pristine and differentiated worth as a leader, mentor and bridge builder. Read more
Officer shot by bandits dies in hospital (DailyTrust)
ASCll Mohammed Maradun, a Customs officer with Federal Operations Unit (FOU), Zone B, Kaduna, has been killed by bandits.
Armed men had invaded his residence at Rigachikun Community of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna in the wee hours of Wednesday.
Six persons, including a bride-to-be, were abducted in the attack while the deceased sustained gunshot injury.
However, he died while undergoing surgery at an undisclosed hospital. Read more
Appeal Court reduces ex-Rep Lawan’s sentence (Nation)
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reduced to five years the sentence of former House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan.
Lawan was convicted by a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on June 22, 2021 on a three-count charge of soliciting bribes, agreeing to accept bribes and actually accepting a $500,000 bribe from businessman, Femi Otedola.
The High Court of the FCT, in a judgment by Justice Angela Otaluka, sentenced Lawan to seven years on count one; seven years on count two, and five years on count three.
But in a unanimous judgement on Thursday, a three-member panel of the Court of Appeal, led by the court’s President, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, quashed Lawan’s conviction on counts one and two. Read more
Osinbajo commissions doctors’ apartments, schools, roads in Borno (Independent)
Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo was in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, on Thursday, to launch the 30th edition of the Federal Government’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Clinic during which he commissioned four out of over 500 projects executed by Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
The Vice President arrived at Maiduguri around 11 am and was received by Governor Zulum alongside Senator Kashim Shettima, national and state assembly members, other top government officials and party leaders.
He arrived in the company of the Ministers
of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Maryam Katagun, Minister of state for Agriculture, Baba Shehuri who is from Borno, and some national assembly members also from Borno.
The VP drove from the airport to commission a newly built medical doctors’ quarters along the airport road in Maiduguri. The tastefully designed quarters comprise 78 units of three-bedroom apartments from 13 blocks of two-storey buildings with each block having six apartments. The quarters were fully fenced, landscaped, flowered and provided with sporting facilities and a playground. Read more
Heavy fighting breaks out near Chernobyl nuclear waste storage (Metro)
Russian troops have entered an area near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, an adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister has claimed.
The Ukrainian President believes Vladimir Putin’s forces are attempting to capture the plant itself as fears grow of a nuclear catastrophe.
Volodymr Zelensky said his troops are fighting to prevent a repeat of the radioactive disaster which struck the area in 1986.
Fighting is already believed to be raging in Chernobyl, near the facility which went into meltdown nearly 40 years ago.
Forces from Russia are said to have entered the area from the Belarusian side. Read more
SA’S Riky Rick remembered in touching song (EWN)
News of rapper and fashion icon Rikhado Muziwendlovu Makhado’s passing saw South African celebrities share pictures and videos of times spent with him at industry functions and in more intimate home-like settings. Big Zulu, born Siyabonga Nene, is one of the celebrities noted by Makhado’s fans as a close friend.
Riky Rick, as he was popularly known, and Big Zulu worked jointly on the latter’s runaway hit _Mali eningi, _which was released in late 2020. The song was a huge success and saw the birth of the “mali eningi challenge” made popular by Duduzane Zuma.
The town went on to form a bond that extended beyond music, sharing videos and pictures of themselves exchanging gifts, attending a braai together and catching up on Instagram live whenever Big Zulu was in his native city of Bergville.
Sharing a love for hip hop, fashion and a comfortable lifestyle was well documented in the lyrics of Mali eningi, with Riky Rick creatively applauding Big Zulu for landing a shoe deal with Italian footwear and accessories retailer Carvela and Brentwood, which is often associated with elegance and social status in the black community, particularly in the taxi industry. Read more
Eurovision 2022: Russia can still compete despite Ukraine invasion (Independent)
The Eurovision Song Contest has suggested it has no intention of banning Russia from competing, despite president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Organisers reiterated the annual competition’s status as a “non-political cultural event”, amid ongoing attacks by Russia on its neighbour.
“The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political cultural event which unites nations and celebrates diversity through music,” a statement from the contest said.
“The [European Broadcasting Union] public broadcaster members in both Russia and Ukraine have committed to participating in this year’s event in Turin and we are currently planning to welcome artists from both countries to perform in May.” Read more
LL Cool J Says it’s an ‘honour’ to host and perform at the 2022 iHeartRadio Music Awards (People)
The iHeartRadio Music Awards have found their host — and he’s pretty cool!
On Thursday, the award show announced that LL Cool J is scheduled to host and perform at the event on March 22.
“It’s an honor to return to the stage as host of the iHeartRadio Music Awards and bring live music back to fans all over the world as we celebrate our favorite artists,” LL Cool J, 54, whose real name is James Todd Smith said in a press release. “I have a special performance for the fans, and the show will have some great surprises throughout the night. See you there!”
The award show, which celebrates the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the app in 2021 is set to stream live on Fox from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. ET. It can also be heard live on iHeartMedia radio stations and on the iHeartRadio app. Read more
Ukrainian family featured in Oscar-shortlisted documentary ‘The Distant Barking of Dogs’ evacuated (Variety)
In the wake of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Danish producer Monica Hellström (“Flee”) and Sundance-winning helmer Simon Lereng Wilmont have joined forces to orchestrate the evacuation of some of the subjects portrayed in their Oscar-shortlisted documentary “The Distant Barking of Dogs.”
Hellström told Variety that she and Lereng Wilmont quickly enlisted the help of their assistant director and local production coordinator to evacuate Oleg Afanasyev and his grandmother Alexandra, the protagonists of “The Distant Barking of Dogs,” from their war-torn village of Hnutove in Donetsk. The news was first reported by the website Nordic Film and TV News.
Meanwhile, the children at the shelter that was the focus of “A House Made of Splinters,” which just earned Lereng Wilmont a best director award at Sundance last month, have also been evacuated to a safer area after facing a bombing threat.
Hellström, who produced “Flee,” “The Distant Barking of Dogs” and “A House Made of Splinters” through her banner Final Cut for Real, has also joined forces with Lereng Wilmont to raise funds through the non-profit org Voices of Children for kids who have been evacuated from shelters in Eastern Ukraine, including those depicted in their documentary “A House Made of Splinters.” Read more
Colin Farrell went to Starbucks as The Penguin from ‘The Batman’ (NME)
Colin Farrell has revealed that he went to Starbucks to test out his prosthetic makeover on The Batman.
The actor plays antagonist Oswald Cobblepot aka The Penguin in the upcoming film that’s directed by Matt Reeves (The War For The Planet Of The Apes), which marks Robert Pattinson’s debut as the caped crusader.
On the first day of his makeup and prosthetic test, Farrell explained that he visited a Starbucks in Burbank, California to see if people would recognise him.
Speaking to Collider, Farrell said: “The first day we tried the whole thing out, we took it for a drive, a spin metaphorically speaking. We did it in Burbank. It took about six or eight hours. It was a team of ten or fifteen people. And it was really fun. Read more
Video game developers cash in on Africa’s booming mobile market (France24)
Two manga-like avatars lock swords against a comic strip backdrop, as Alexander Poone explains the different worlds of “The Traveller” — a video game based on a graphic novel.
The 27-year-old from Johannesburg is showcasing his creation at the annual Africa Games Week taking place in Cape Town.
Organisers of the continent’s largest gathering of game developers aim to help the gaming industry meet demand for African-made content and boost the potential of local talent.
Most of the games on the market are from America, Europe and Japan, but African content is negligible, said Poone. Read more
Dennis may make Super Eagles return (Sun)
Watford forward Emmanuel Dennis, could play a role in Nigeria’s World Cup play-off against Ghana next month after holding clear-the-air talks with the president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
Dennis did not play at the recent Africa Cup of Nations, with the NFF claiming Watford were “bearing fangs” over the situation.
The forward had not originally been named in Nigeria’s squad for the tournament as he was out of favour under former boss Gernot Rohr.
When Rohr was sacked on the eve of AFCON it looked like Dennis may join as a late call-up, but he stayed to help Watford’s relegation fight. Read more
NFF apologises to Super Falcons, says delay at Abuja airport unfortunate (Punch)
The Nigeria Football Federation has described as ‘unfortunate’ the incident that saw players and officials of the Super Falcons delayed for over three hours at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on arrival from Abidjan on Thursday morning.
According to the NFF General Secretary, Dr Mohammed Sanusi, the team was delayed due to COVID-19 protocols, adding that the situation was beyond the NFF.
He, however, said the NFF had apologised to the players and officials over the incident.
This was contained in a statement titled, ‘NFF says airport incident ‘unfortunate’,’ shared on the verified Facebook page of the NFF on Thursday. Read more
UEFA to move Champions League final from Russia after Ukraine invasion (MEN)
Russia is set to lose the right to host this season’s Champions League Final, according to widespread reports.
Saint Petersburg’s Gazprom Arena had been granted the honour of hosting the biggest game in European club football, but the continent’s football governing body has reacted quickly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Official confirmation is expected to come on Friday following an emergency meeting, where a new host will be discussed.
“Following the evolution of the situation between Russia and Ukraine in the last 24 hours, the UEFA President has decided to call an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee for Friday February, 25 at 10am CET, in order to evaluate the situation and take all necessary decisions,”UEFA said in a statement. Read more
FA Cup: Man sentenced for attacking Nottingham Forest players (BBC)
A man has pleaded guilty to attacking three Nottingham Forest players during their FA Cup win over Leicester City.
Cameron Toner, 19, assaulted Brennan Johnson, Keinan Davis and Djed Spence during the game on 4 February.
At Nottingham Magistrates’ Court, he admitted three counts of common assault and going on to a playing area at a football match.
Toner, from Leicestershire, was sentenced to four months in a young offender institution. Read more
Josh Taylor convinced Jack Catterall has made tactical mistake ahead of showdown (Mirror)
Josh Taylor believes Jack Catterall has made a mistake if he has paid too much attention to the Scot’s clash against Regis Prograis to prepare for his undisputed challenge.
The pair will meet in Glasgow this weekend as Catterall looks to produce an upset and snatch Taylor’s undisputed super-lightweight crown.
Both Taylor and Catterall have spoken at length regarding their tactical plans for the domestic clash, with both men willing to either engage in a dog-fight or try to outbox each other.
However Taylor believes studying his previous southpaw clash could be a mistake and has admitted he now has new levels of self-discipline since his undisputed title victory. Read more
Formula One: 4-time champion Vettel says he will not race in Russia (StraitsTimes)
Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel said he will not take part in the Russian Grand Prix even if it goes ahead as planned after Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on Thursday (Feb 24).
Russia has held grand prix races since 2014, with this year’s event scheduled for Sept 25.
Formula One officials have said they are “closely watching” developments, but they have not commented on whether the Russian GP would go ahead as scheduled in September.
“My own opinion is I should not go,” the 34-year-old German, who races for Aston Martin, told reporters during pre-season testing in Barcelona. Read more
Andy Murray identifies key issue holding him back and makes career prediction (Express)
Andy Murray has criticised his mentality after crashing out of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships. The Brit had returned to the tournament for the first time since 2017, when he won it as the world No 1, and was looking to reach a milestone 700th career victory against Jannik Sinner but was defeated by the Italian in straight sets.
Murray has suffered early exits at his last few tournaments going back to the Australian Open.
He made his first final in more than two years at the Sydney ATP 250 in January and has since lost in the second round of his last four tournaments in Melbourne, Rotterdam, Doha and Dubai.
The current world No 89 also parted ways with Jan De Witt at the conclusion of the Aussie Open, opting not to extend their trial period after splitting with long-time coach Jamie Delgado in the off-season. Read more