No lives lost in Abule Egba pipeline explosion, says LASEMA (Guardian)
The Lagos State Emergency Agency (LASEMA) said no lives were lost at the fire outbreak which occurred at Abule Egba in Ojokoro Local Council Development Area of Lagos State on Wednesday. The fire outbreak occurred at about 2:00 am when some suspected oil thieves vandalised an NNPC pipeline, which resulted in massive inferno that destroyed properties worth millions of Naira. LASEMA general manager Adesina Tiamiyu disclosed that houses, vehicles, houses and other properties were lost during the incident. Read more
Military, police begin manhunt for Badeh’s killers (Nation)
The military and the police have launched a probe into the murder of a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh (retd) – an incident that has shocked eminent Nigerians. Some crack detectives have been deployed in Nasarawa State by Inspector-General (IG) Idris Kpotun Ibrahim. More details emerged yesterday on the murder of the former Chief of Air Staff, with the Nasarawa State Police Command confirming that his driver survived the attack. A friend of Badeh, who was also in the car, was abducted by the gunmen. Read more
I’ve changed the narrative for presidential campaigns — Ezekwesili (Vanguard)
Presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said she has raised the bar in making 2019 election campaigns issue and value-based and has forced the dominant parties to start focusing on same. She said this during a meeting with the International Republican Institute, IRI and the National Democratic Institute, NDI, which are fielding a Joint International Elections Observer Mission. Read more
SDP Chairmen Forum asserts Duke’s candidacy (Guardian)
Forum of state chairmen of Social Democratic Party (SDP) has said they are committed to continued support and mobilisation for Mr. Donald Duke, as the party’s presidential candidate in next year’s election. The forum explained that the stand is in spite of the ruling of the Abuja High Court presided over by Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf, which nullified him in line with the Provisions of Article 15; 3(ii) of the Constitution of SDP 2018 as (amended). In a statement yesterday, the forum’s chairman, Oke Idawene and Secretary General, Abubakar Dogara, said the judgment has no basis, considering that the court has no locus standi to deny and scuttle the inalienable rights of a presidential flag bearer, who was duly elected and returned as the party’s candidate. Read more
Improved security, upgraded infrastructure’ll boost Nigeria’s tourism — Lai Mohammed (Vanguard)
abuja—The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the present administration’s efforts at improving security and upgrading infrastructure is a deliberate policy to promote tourism in Nigeria. The Minister, who stated this when he received the Secretary-General of the D-8, Mr. Dato’ Ku Jafafar Ku Shaari, on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja on Tuesday, noted that without the provision of security and critical infrastructure, tourism development will remain a mirage. Read more
2019: It will take God to market APC guber candidate, says Okorocha (Nation)
Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, Wednesday night, said it will take God to market the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Hope Uzodinma to win the 2019 election. The Imo governor said that while it will be easy to deliver President Muhammadu Buhari, it will be impossible to convince any person to vote for the APC candidate, Uzodinma. Okorocha also stated that he is not the problem of the embattled APC governorship candidate. A statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Sam Onwuemeodo, said, “it would require God talking from heaven and telling Imo people, “Chief Hope Uzodinma is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” before Imo people could consider changing their minds. If not, Imo people know those who cannot be their governor. Chief Uzodinma knows this fact and he should stop using the governor to deceive his sponsors”. Read more
Enugu psychiatric hospital workers embark on 3-day warning strike (Vanguard)
All workers, except doctors, at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Enugu, FNHE, yesterday, embarked on a three-day warning strike to press home their demand for the management of the hospital to redeem the agreement it entered into with the labour leaders of the hospital. The workers said they agreed on two weeks within which the management and the board would meet their demands, else they would resume the strike. They said they had waited for nine months without the management fufilling the obligations, hence they embarked on sit-without-work action which would last from Wednesday to Friday this week. Read more
US ground troops ‘withdrawing from Syria’ (BBC)
The Trump administration says US troops are being withdrawn from Syria, after the president said the Islamic State (IS) group had been “defeated”. The Pentagon said it was transitioning to the “next phase of the campaign” but did not give details. Some 2,000 troops have helped rid much of north-eastern Syria of IS, but pockets of fighters remain. It had been thought defence officials wanted to maintain a US presence to ensure IS did not rebuild. Read more
It will be good if govt can keep their promises to players – Godwin Izilein (Vanguard)
Godwin Izilein led the Super Falcons to South Africa in 2004, where the girls won the tournament with a score of 18-2. Although the Super Falcons have a reputation of making the nation proud everywhere they go; the team led by Coach Izilein is the best till date. Izilein discovered the likes of Yakubu Aiyegbeni, Edema Fulude and Monday Degbontan to mention a few. Today, he is 76 years old and in this chat, he talks about Nigerian football, the Super Falcons and a more. Read more
Eaglets know AFCON foes today (Punch)
Nigeria’s U-17 side, the Golden Eaglets, will know their group opponents of the 2019 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday when the draw is staged in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, reports Completesportsnigeria.com. The draw ceremony will take place at the Mlimani City Conference Centre, Dar Es Salam. Hosts Tanzania are seeded in Group A, while Guinea who finished third at the last edition of the competition are seeded in Group B. Guinea got the nod after defending champions, Mali and second placed Ghana failed to qualify for the competition. Read more
‘I have a future without Manchester United,’ says Mourinho (Guardian)
Jose Mourinho said on Wednesday he has a “future without Manchester United”, speaking for the first time since he was sacked by the Premier League club. The Old Trafford hierarchy sacked Mourinho in the aftermath of Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Anfield that left the 20-times champions an embarrassing 19 points behind league leaders Liverpool after just 17 matches. But the former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan boss refused to go into details about his departure. Read more
Alli hit on head by plastic bottle (BBC)
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli was struck on the head by a plastic bottle thrown from the crowd during the Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal. The 22-year-old was hit near the touchline as Arsenal prepared to take a throw-in in the 73rd minute at Emirates Stadium. He reacted with a 2-0 gesture to fans – referencing the scoreline at the time. “In a different country, maybe they close the stadium for a few games,” said Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino. “It’s lucky it wasn’t a big problem but I think people need to be careful, and we need to try and avoid this type of action. Some people behave very bad.” Read more
Hat-trick hero Bale fires Real Madrid into Club World Cup final (Guardian)
Gareth Bale hit an 11-minute hat-trick on Wednesday as Real Madrid strolled into the Club World Cup final by beating Kashima Antlers 3-1 in Abu Dhabi. Bale scored in the 44th, 53rd and 55th minutes at the Zayed Sports City Stadium to put Madrid within touching distance of a record fourth success in this competition, and their third triumph in a row. Real are currently tied with their La Liga rivals Barcelona, having each won it three times before, but it would be a major surprise if the European champions were not hoisting the trophy again on Saturday, when they face hosts Al Ain in the final. Read more
Tanzania’s Diamond Platnumz banned from performing (BBC)
Top African pop star Diamond Platnumz has been barred from performing in Tanzania after he played a song which the authorities had banned for being sexually suggestive. The song Mwanza contains the Swahili word for “horny”, and dancers are seen in a video simulating sex. Diamond Platnumz had treated the ban with “disdain” by singing the lyrics at a concert, the arts regulator said. The popular Tanzanian singer has been dogged by controversy in recent years. In April he was questioned by police after posting on Instagram a video clip of himself playfully kissing a woman. Read more
Two arraigned for allegedly killing Osun pregnant woman (Punch)
A middle-aged man, Fatai Adegoke, and a 29-year-old woman, Khadijah Adeleke, have been arraigned before an Osogbo Chief Magistrates’ Court for allegedly killing a pregnant woman. The accused were on Wednesday arraigned before Magistrate M. A. Awodele, but their plea was not taken. It was gathered that the suspects allegedly killed one Risikat Adegoke on Saturday, October 27, 2018, thereby committing an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 324 of the Criminal Code. Read more
One dies as man sets family of four ablaze in Lagos (Punch)
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested one Shola Adewunmi for allegedly setting ablaze the shanty that housed a petty trader, Bose Enitan, and her three children, Esther (17), Ayo (9) and Nifemi (5), in the Power Line area of Alagbado. Enitan’s neighbour, who identified himself only as Anthony, said the fire, which started late on Tuesday, killed one of Enitan’s children. He said, “The fire started in the night when Enitan and her children were asleep. It was easy for us to break into the house and when we entered, the entire room was engulfed in smoke. We managed to rescue the woman and two of her children from the fire. But Nifemi died, while Ayo, Esther and their mother sustained burns.” Read more
Man stabs wife, says, ‘I have no money for Xmas shopping’ (Punch)
A Kenyan man, Daniel Sikuku, on Wednesday, allegedly stabbed his wife after they had a disagreement over money, she wanted to buy foodstuffs for Christmas celebration. It was reported that Sikuku stabbed his wife in the shoulder with a kitchen knife at their Angorom Village home after she requested for Ksh1, 500 (N5,345.76) to buy foodstuff for Christmas Day. Sikuku, who has been arrested told police that he had told his wife that he did not have the money she was requesting for, but she wasn’t interested in his excuses. Read more