Nigerians shower parents of quadruplets with over N10m after diaper lament (Punch)
The outpouring of donations for one Sodiq Olayode, whose wife, Abiodun, recently gave birth to quadruplets, has surpassed N10 million.
This development comes after a colleague, James, identified as #jamysax on X.com, shared Olayode’s struggle with the need for diapers for the quadruplets, who used 105 diapers in six days.
His post gained the attention of netizens on X.com, which spurred the donations made to Olayode’s bank account that James provided on Wednesday. Read more
Drivers, housemaids, others included in N70k minimum wage — Akpabio (Tribune)
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced that the newly approved minimum wage applies universally to all workers in both the public and private sectors, including maids and other domestic staff. He made this statement during the plenary session on Tuesday.
The bill was swiftly passed by both chambers of the National Assembly shortly after it was transmitted by President Bola Tinubu. During the plenary, Akpabio stated, “If you are a tailor and you employ additional hands, you cannot pay them below N70,000. If you are a mother with a newborn child and you want to hire a housemaid to look after your child, you cannot pay the person below the approved minimum wage. It is not a maximum wage. It applies to all and sundry. Read more
Dangote Refinery’s success will end fuel subsidy, ex-minister tells FG (Channels)
A former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, on Wednesday, urged the Federal Government, relevant ministries, departments and agencies to give total support to the $20bn Dangote Refinery in Lagos, Nigeria.
Shittu, a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily show, said the success of the 650,000 barrels per day facility will wean Nigeria’s purse off decades-long subsidies on petroleum products.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, faces energy challenges, with all its state-owned refineries non-operational. The country is heavily reliant on imported refined petroleum products, with the state-run NNPC being the major importer of the essential commodities. Read more
Reps kick against FCT’s Park and Pay policy (NewTelegraph)
The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has faulted the park and pay introduced by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in the capital city.
The Chairman of the Committee, Muktar Betara who made this known at an interactive session with the FCTA Transport Secretariat demanded details on how the park and pay arrangement was established, who authorised it, and how remittances are made to the coffers of the FCDA.
The chairman queried the mandate secretary about the contract process. “How was the contract established? In appointing your concessionaires, what procedure did you follow? How much has been remitted to the FCDA from January to date Who gave you the approval” Betara asked. Read more
NERDC gives Lagos office facelift after criticism on social media (Leadership)
The National Education Research Development Council (NERDC) has repainted its office building in Lagos after being criticised for the level of dilapidation on social media.
The action followed a series of posts highlighting the deteriorated state of the building.
On Wednesday morning, an X user, @miztumz, shared an image of the repainted building, tagging another social media user, @winexviv, and captioned, “They repainted it because of your tweet.” Read more
Shelve planned protest, embrace dialogue, Abiodun tells youths (Vanguard)
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun has appealed to Nigerian youths to constructively engage the government in finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s problems, rather than engaging in protests that could cause more harm to the country.
Abiodun made the appeal when he met with the coalition of youth organizations in the state at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
The governor, who recalled the destruction of lives and properties occasioned by the EndSARS protests across the country in 2020, said protests could only aggravate issues without necessarily finding solutions to them. Read more
Access Bank granted 18m digital loans worth N740b in 7 years, revamps QuickBucks (ThisDay)
Access Bank on Tuesday said it had granted 18 million digital loans worth over N740 billion since 2017. The bank disclosed this at a press briefing to unveil its newly revamped QuickBucks, a mobile banking application for digital loans.
“Since 2017, when we issued our first digital PayDay loan, we have granted 18 million digital loans worth over N740 billion, where customers can access up to N10 million instantly. Nigerians need the financial support that our digital loans offer more than ever, whether it’s the market woman who needs to replenish her inventory, or the young couple who need some extra funds to pay for their children’s education, everyone can benefit from some assistance”, Group Head, Consumer Banking, Access Bank, Njideka Esomeju, said at the media briefing. Read more
Customs seizes 41,425 litres of petrol, 9 cars illegally fitted with tanks (Nation)
The Operation Whirlwind of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized a total of 41,425 litres of petrol loaded in Jerry cans and drums from dealers suspected to be smuggling petrol across the Adamawa State borderlines with the Republic of Cameroon.
The special operation unit similarly confiscated nine cars of various brands illegally fitted with tanks and allegedly used to load fuel from around Adamawa State to Cameroon.
The national coordinator of Operation Whirlwind, Comptroller Hussein Ejibunu, disclosed this on Wednesday during a press briefing in Yola, saying the seizures were made between when the NCS Comptroller General announced the first set of seizures earlier in May this year and now. Read more
Strictly’s Janette Manrara’s 4-word response after Peter Andre tearfully addresses show stint (OK!)
Strictly Come Dancing star Janette Manrara penned a four-word reply after Peter Andre leapt to the defence of some of the show’s professional dancers amid recent allegations.
Peter spoke out amid the show drama – recently Graziano Di Prima was axed amid gross misconduct claims towards ex-celeb partner Zara McDermott, while Giovanni Pernice, who has also been axed, has faced accusations about his training approach by Amanda Abbington.
It Takes Two host Janette found herself pulled into the scandal when her previous celebrity partner, Will Bayley, opened up on a serious injury he sustained during a live performance. Read more
Timothée Chalamet transforms into Bob Dylan in ‘‘A Complete Unknown’’ trailer (THR)
Timothée Chalamet channels Bob Dylan in the first trailer for James Mangold’s upcoming biopic “A Complete Unknown.”
The Dune actor takes on the role of the iconic folk singer-songwriter, who became a counter-culture force in the 1960s. Chalamet has also said he does his own singing for the role — just like his Dune Part 2 co-star Austin Butler did for his role in Elvis — building on his musical work following his performance in Wonka. Read more
Marvel’s Kevin Feige says ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’’ is “just the beginning” of “more mutants coming” to MCU (Deadline)
Kevin Feige is teasing that Deadpool & Wolverine is “just the beginning” for mutants within the MCU.
At the world premiere of the Marvel Studios film, Feige told Marvel Live, “It’s just the beginning. I’ve said that mutants are coming, and it all starts with this movie.”
He continued, “I can’t wait for people to see what [Deadpool & Wolverine] has in store and know that this is the beginning of mutants finally arriving into the MCU.” Read more
Sudan: Paramilitary leader says he will attend ceasefire talks in Switzerland (AfricaNews)
The leader of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, said on social media on Tuesday that he plans to attend ceasefire talks in Switzerland next month.
They have been arranged by the United States and Saudi Arabia in a bid to bring an end to 15 months of intense fighting between the paramilitary group and the army.
The US State Department said the talks will aim to build on discussions between the two sides that broke down late last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Read more
Town’s independent 1920s cinema to close (BBC)
The future of an independent cinema is uncertain after its manager decided not to renew the lease.
The Royalty Cinema in Bowness-on-Windermere has been open since 1927, and Charles Morris has been the manager since 1992.
Mr Morris said: “The level of admissions currently is about a quarter of what it was in our heyday, which isn’t enough to pay the wages, the electricity and the gas bill.” Read more
India to spend billions of dollars on job creation (VOA)
The government in India will spend $24 billion on boosting employment opportunities for young people, as job creation emerges as the biggest challenge confronting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third term.
The government also announced financial support for development projects in two states ruled by its regional allies.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party failed to win a clear majority in recent elections and has formed a coalition government. Although the country’s economy is growing briskly, high unemployment and distress in its vast rural areas were cited as the key reasons for the party’s loss of support. Read more
Trump, Harris trade insults in newly energised US presidential campaign (VOA)
The race for the US presidency got a jolt of new energy Tuesday, with former President Donald Trump and his newly minted Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, showing no hesitation in disparaging each other as they hurtle toward the November poll.
Meanwhile in Washington, President Joe Biden quietly returned to the White House, after his recovery from COVID-19, to heightened expectations that he’d use his remaining time in office to achieve foreign policy goals.
Trump shifted quickly to attacking Harris after Biden, 81, dropped his reelection bid on Sunday under pressure from Democratic colleagues concerned about his frailty, mental acuity and falling poll numbers.
Omotayo, Edem, others get opponents at Paris 2024 Olympic Games (ThisDay)
As the official draw for the table tennis competitions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is set to take place on Wednesday, July 24, Nigeria’s trio of Olajide Omotayo, Offiong Edem, and Fatimo Bello will know their first-round opponents when the event kicks off on July 27 at South Paris Arena.
A total of 172 players, (86 in men’s and 86 in women’s category), will compete across five medal events (two per gender and a mixed) at the Paris Olympic Games, while Omotayo who will be making his second appearance at the games will start his campaign from the Preliminary Rounds of the Men’s Singles.
Like Omotayo, Edem who is making her fifth Olympic Games appearance as well as debutant Bello will also start their participation in the Preliminary Rounds of the Men’s Singles. Read more
Nottingham Forest, Ipswich battling to sign Iheanacho (Sun)
Premier League duo, Nottingham Forest and Ipswich Town are reportedly battling for the signature of Nigerian striker, Kelechi Iheanacho.
The 27-year-old is currently a free agent after leaving Championship winners Leicester City upon the expiration of his contract last month.
According to Football Insider, Iheanacho has already received offers from clubs in Greece and Turkey, but he could yet continue his career in the Premier League. Read more
Argentina national anthem is booed at Paris Olympics amid racism storm (DailyMail)
Argentina’s national anthem was booed ahead of the men’s football team’s first game at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday afternoon amid a racism storm involving Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
The South American nation kickstarted their campaign against Morocco, and the players lined up for the customary anthems before kick-off.
As the Argentina anthem played around the venue in Saint Etienne, it was met with widespread boos from the crowd. Read more
Canada send 2 staff members home over drone incident (BBC)
Canada women’s manager Beverly Priestman will not take charge of her side’s Olympics opener against New Zealand after two members of her backroom staff were sent home for allegedly flying a drone over the Kiwis’ team training session.
Priestman, 38, has “voluntarily withdrawn” from Thursday’s match in St Etienne after the New Zealand Olympic Committee reported that a drone had been flown over their training session on Monday.
Jasmine Mander, Priestman’s assistant, has been sent home along with “unaccredited analyst” Joseph Lombardi. Read more
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz cautious on Olympic doubles medal prospects (National)
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz know they will not win anything on reputation alone when they team up at the Paris Olympics but vowed on Wednesday to do everything in their power to overcome a lack of preparation.
Nadal, the 2008 singles gold medallist, will pair up with Alcaraz in a tennis dream team at Roland Garros, looking to also add to the doubles title he won with close friend Marc Lopez at Rio in 2016.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion was keen to play down expectations though ahead of his final Olympics, with Nadal and Alcaraz pairing up for the first time. Read more
Kyle Shanahan says Bill Belichick declined offer to join 49ers (ABC)
Bill Belichick had at least one offer to continue his NFL career on the sideline this season.
Kyle Shanahan said on “The TK Show” podcast, hosted by The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami in an episode that was posted Monday, that he offered the former New England Patriots coach a spot on his San Francisco 49ers staff but was turned down.
“I did, I threw it out to him,” Shanahan said. “He loves football so much that you never know what he … I can’t believe that he’s not a head coach of a team right now. I know what I would do if I was an owner, so that shocks me, and the last thing you want to do is insult someone like Bill Belichick. But I know he just loves ball in its simplest form, so I threw it all out to him, whatever he wanted to do.” Read more