NLC, TUC Declare Indefinite Strike From October 3 (Channels)
The leaders of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) will commence an indefinite strike on Tuesday, October 3.
This followed a joint press briefing held by both leadership of the union in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Tuesday (today).
The unions also asked their state chapters to mobilise for protests across the country. Read more
Insecurity: Tinubu approves purchase of 12 Cayuse attack helicopters (Tribune)
The Federal Government of Nigeria in support of the operationalisation of Nigerian Army Aviation has approved the acquisition of the initial 12 MD 530F Cayuse Attack Helicopters.
The attack helicopters will actualize the operationalization of the Nigerian Army (NA) Aviation to effectively tackle security challenges bedeviling the country, the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, said at the opening of the maiden Nigerian Army Aviation Seminar, on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said the 12 MD 530F Cayuse attack helicopters would operationalise the Nigerian army aviation unit, which was set up to improve ground troops’ agility, responsiveness, and efficacy during operations. Read more
Taking back Nigeria’ll come without violence — LP (Sun)
Labour Party (LP) has reiterated the commitment of its presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to achieve a new Nigeria without resulting to violence.
In a statement by the LP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, yesterday, the party said it was aware of various trending stories in print and video suggesting that Obi would soon be arrested.
It said the stories were draped with some so-called prophecies calling for prayers for Obi as he would be arrested. Read more
Tribunal: Sanwo-Olu hails verdict, commits to delivering campaign promises (Punch)
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has hailed the judgement of the Lagos Election Petition Tribunal, which came in favour of the All Progressives Congress.
This was contained in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, On Monday.
The tribunal, which sat for about 10 hours, and led by lead Judge, Justice Arum Ashom, dismissed two petitions filed against Sanwo-Olu’s victory in the March 18, 2023 election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission. Read more
Police arrest 2 for stealing metal drainage covers (Guardian)
The Lagos State Police Command said on Tuesday it has arrested two suspects for stealing fabricated metal drainage covers.
The Police in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), said its officers caught the men in the act while on patrol.
“Around 5:00 a.m. today, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) on patrol of Freedom Way, Ikate, Lekki, arrested two suspects stealing fabricated metal drainage covers in the area,” the statement read in part. Read more
MohBad: Reps seek for Justice, monitoring of ongoing investigation (Vanguard)
The House of Representatives have called for the monitoring of the ongoing investigation of Mohbad’s death, particularly the allegations of harassment and unpaid royalties.
The House also urged the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) to put measures in place immediately to protect the rights of Mohbad’s songs and lyrics, addressing copyright infringements and ensuring the proper management of his musical assets while securing his son’s benefits from his musical legacy.
The House further mandated the committee on Justice and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance. Read more
Court stops impeachment of Ondo deputy gov Aiyedatiwa (Nation)
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday, restrained the Ondo State House of Assembly from impeaching the Deputy Governor, Mr Lucky Aiyedatiwa, over alleged gross misconduct.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling shortly after Aiyedatiwa’s counsel, Kayode Adewusi, moved the ex-parte motion to the effect.
The judge also restrained Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu from nominating a new deputy governor and forward the same to the lawmakers for approval pending the hearing and determination of the substantive matter. Read more
Akpabio begs aggrieved senators to eschew divisive tendencies (ThisDay)
The Senate resumed plenary after six weeks recess on Tuesday with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, appealing to his aggrieved colleagues to eschew divisive tendencies.
His appeal is coming following speculations that some of his colleagues from the northern part of the country were plotting to remove him as the presiding officer over allegations of lopsided distribution of committee chairmanship in favour of his loyalists.
The aggrieved senators through their spokesperson, Senator Elisha Abbo, had in a recent statement also accused Akpabio of refusing to checkmate President Bola Tinubu’s appointments in favour of the Yoruba especially in the financial sector. Read more
Taylor Swift says “Eras” tour concert film will get worldwide release (UPI)
Taylor Swift says her Eras tour concert film will have a worldwide release.
The 33-year-old singer announced Tuesday that “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour”, a new film documenting her Eras tour, will screen in theaters worldwide, in addition to its North American release.
“The tour isn’t the only thing we’re taking worldwide…….. Been so excited to tell you all that The Eras Tour concert film is now officially coming to theaters worldwide on Oct 13!” Swift said on social media. Read more
Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter Zoleka Mandela dies of cancer at 43 (CBS)
South African anti-apartheid struggle hero Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter, Zoleka Mandela, has died of cancer aged 43, her family said on Tuesday. Known for having detailed her long battle against the disease, the author was admitted into hospital on Monday as part of her ongoing treatment, a family spokesman said.
“Zoleka passed away… surrounded by friends and family,” said Zwelabo Mandela.
She was the child of Mandela’s youngest daughter, Zindzi Mandela, and her first husband, Zwelibanzi Hlongwane. Read more
Spotify will not ban all AI-powered music, says boss of streaming giant (BelfastTelegraph)
The boss of Spotify has said he would not completely ban content generated by artificial intelligence from the music streaming service.
Daniel Ek told the BBC he thought there were legitimate use cases for the technology in music, but that it should not be used to impersonate real artists without their consent.
He said there were three “buckets” of AI use in music: tools such as auto-tune, which he said was acceptable; software which impersonated artists, which was not; and a more controversial middle ground where AI-generated music was inspired by a specific artist but did not directly mimic them. Read more
Parliamentary vote set for Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy (AlJazeera)
The last absolute monarchy in Africa, the Kingdom of Eswatini, will hold parliamentary elections on Friday, with political parties banned from contesting.
The constitution emphasises “individual merit” as the basis for selecting lawmakers, who cannot be affiliated with any political group. Being in the good graces of King Mswati III, who wields absolute power, also carries much weight.
About 585,000 registered voters will be called to choose 59 members of the lower house of parliament, which plays only an advisory role to the monarch. Mswati, who can veto any legislation, will directly appoint another 10 lawmakers. Read more
David McCallum: NCIS and The Man from U.N.C.L.E actor dies aged 90 (BBC)
British actor David McCallum is being remembered as a “true renaissance man” after his death at age 90.
McCallum was most recently known for playing a pathologist on hit CBS TV programme NCIS, which went on to generate several spinoff series.
In the 1960s, McCallum played a secret agent on the hit spy drama The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Scottish-born actor died in New York on Monday. His death was due to natural causes. Read more
Russia hits Ukrainian Port in drone attack (VOA)
Ukraine said Tuesday that Russian forces used 38 drones to attack the country overnight, and that some made it past Ukrainian air defenses and caused damage at a port in the Odesa region.
Oleh Kiper, the governor of Odesa, said on Telegram that the Russian attack damaged port infrastructure in the Izmail area, which is a key part of Ukrainian grain exports on the Danube river.
Kiper said the attack injured two people and damaged more than 30 vehicles. Ukraine’s air force said it destroyed 26 of the 38 Iranian-made Shahed drones deployed by Russia. Read more
Driver charged in actor Treat Williams’ death pleads not guilty to negligence (UPI)
A Vermont man charged in connection with the death of actor Treat Williams in a June motorcycle crash pleaded not guilty to gross negligence in an initial court appearance on Monday.
Ryan Koss, 35, entered the plea during an arraignment hearing in Bennington County Superior Court, the Brattleboro, Vt., Reformer and WPTZ-TV in Burlington reported.
During the hearing, Koss and his attorney pleaded not guilty to the single count leveled against him by state prosecutors, who contend Koss was driving recklessly when a motorcycle driven by the 71-year-old Williams ran into his 2008 Honda Element outside of an auto repair shop in Dorset, Vt., on June 12. Read more
NBA star, Onyeka set to dump Nigeria for Philippines (DailyTrust)
NBA star, Onyeka Okongwu is considering switching his international representation from Nigeria to the Philippines for the Olympic qualifiers.
Okongwu, who plays as a center for the Atlanta Hawks, was included in the 60-man provisional list for the qualifiers by the Philippines’ Gilas team.
Despite being eligible to represent the United States also due to being born in California, Okongwu is open to dropping them in favour of the Philippines. Read more
Sports minister arrives Egypt to bid for AFCON 2027 hosting (Punch)
The Minister of Sports Development Senator John Owan Enoh arrived in Egypt Tuesday with representatives of the Nigeria Football Federation to bid to host AFCON in 2027.
Punch Online reports that President Bola Tinubu on August 16, appointed the Cross River State-born politician as the Minister of Sports Development.
In a post via Enoh’s official X account on Tuesday, he wrote, “With representatives of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), I have arrived in Cairo, Egypt. We are here to attend the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Executive Committee meeting, as representatives of the Nigerian Government. Read more
₦150m at stake as NPFL kicks off Saturday (ThisDay)
The Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) has officially announced
Saturday, September 30 as the commencement date for the 2023/24 season of the Nigerian topflight league.
In a letter dated Monday, September 25, the Chief Operating Officer of the league, Davidson Owumi, also notified the 20 participating clubs that the champions of the season would receive ₦150million which is a 50% increase from last season’s prize money. Read more
Fiji, NZ to fight for 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup spot (RNZ)
Fiji and New Zealand are set to play in the final of the Oceania Football Confederation Under-16 Women’s Championships in Papeete on Tuesday (French Polynesia time).
Fiji advanced to the final following a dramatic penalty shootout 3-2 victory over hosts Tahiti, while tournament favourites New Zealand crushed Tonga by 7-nil in a dominant outing.
The two teams will fight for a place at the 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic. Read more
Steve Kerr lauds connectivity of Warriors’ new-look roster (ABC)
About a year ago, the Golden State Warriors were entering training camp while navigating what coach Steve Kerr then called the biggest crisis during his tenure in San Francisco. That incident was never fully resolved, fracturing the camaraderie within the locker room and ultimately plaguing their success on the court.
When the Warriors traded Jordan Poole for Chris Paul in July, there were some questions on whether the move would improve team chemistry — getting rid of one player who was at the center of last season’s drama and replacing him with someone who has a history of rivalry with the franchise and some of the key players.
But now, one week from media day, both Kerr and newly appointed general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. feel confident that the chemistry and connectivity within their team is at a high. Read more
LIV Golf faces legal action from Adidas as bitter feud continues (Express)
Adidas have sensationally attempted to block five trademark applications by LIV Golf. The sportswear giants believe the Saudi-backed tour’s logos are too similar to its iconic three-striped emblem.
Adidas have filed a Notice of Opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark, pointing to the similarities between their famous logo and the designs presented by LIV Golf. The German brand claim LIV Golf’s logo “incorporate[s] three stripes in a manner that is confusingly similar to the adidas Marks in appearance and overall commercial impression”.
The famous Adidas logo features three stripes and their various forms of products – from trainers to water bottles, hats and many more – often incorporate it. Meanwhile, the LIV Logo is in an ‘L’ shape featuring three stripes between four thick black lines. Read more