NUPRC plans relocating departments to Lagos (Leadership)
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has announced plans to relocate some of its units from Abuja to Lagos.
This is coming after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) had already moved some of their departments and office from Abuja to Lagos, respectively.
According to a memo dated February 14, 2024, with reference CSA/HGA/MRP/ML/001, and signed by NUPRC executive commissioner, Dr. Kelechi Ofoegbu, a copy of which was sighted by LEADERSHIP, the commission said the relocation was driven by the need to enhance service delivery, reduce operational costs and make adequate utilisation of assets in Lagos. Read more
Kidnapping: Lagos police counsel school proprietors on safety (Punch)
The Lagos State Police Command has charged school managers in the state to adopt measures that will guarantee the safety of students in their care.
The Area Commander in charge of Area C, ACP Oladunni Ayoola, gave the charge on Wednesday during a stakeholder dialogue held at the command headquarters in the Surulere area of the state.
According to Ayoola, most of the schools in the state need to start to adopt the use of technology. Read more
18-year-old bags 2-year imprisonment for $500 fraud (Nation)
Justice Ismail Ijelu of an Ikeja Special Offences Court on Wednesday sentenced an 18-year-old Secondary School Certificate (SSCE) holder, Henry Bilabi to a two-year imprisonment for impersonating on Tiktok to defraud unsuspecting citizens of $500.
The convict was however given an option of N1 million fine which must be paid within 30 days.
Justice Ijelu sentenced Bilabi following his plea bargain agreement to the charge of impersonation proffered against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Read more
Fubara’s selective implementation of agreement putting Rivers on edge – APC (Vanguard)
The Rivers State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Tony Okocha, has said the decision of Governor Similaye Fubara, to cherry pick items on the peace agreement he signed following the intervention of President Bola Tinubu in the state political crisis, is pushing the state to the brink.
Okocha told reporters in Abuja, on Thursday, that it was distasteful for the governor to ignore provisions of the agreement which major stakeholders in the state agree is the path to peace.
The APC Chairman explained that he found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that the governor has so far refused to honour the agreement to allow members of the state legislature to function. Read more
NDDC expresses worry over rising cases of cancer in Africa (Sun)
The Chairman of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Chiedu Ebie, has described as disheartening cases of cancer in Africa.
Ebie said the monstrous disease has claimed million of lives including women and children in the continent.
He spoke while declaring open free breast and cervical cancer screening at the Central Hospital, Agbor, Delta State as part of activities marking the year 2024 World Cancer Day. Read more
Protesting Delta community accuses police, hunters of being behind kidnapping (Tribune)
Residents of ancient Ughelli kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, on Wednesday, staged a peaceful rally across the metropolis, accusing the police and hunters of being the brains behind the incessant kidnappings in the kingdom.
The carnival-like rally literally paralysed commercial activities and vehicular movement for several hours as the protesters barricaded roads within Ughelli metropolis over alleged misconduct of the Police and local vigilante.
Armed with placards with inscriptions such as, ‘Freeman is a kidnapper he must go, “Police brutality is getting too much,” “Police in Ughelli are fighting the innocent, instead of criminals,” ‘Too much of police illegal activities in the land,” and “Ughelli Police should allow our people free movement,” among others, the protesters accused a sect of the police and hunters attached to the Ughelli Area Command of alleged kidnapping. Read more
Private Cemetery Operators call for enforcement of law prohibiting home burial in Ekiti (ThisDay)
Concerned about the hazards it poses to the health of the people mainly out of ignorance, a consortium of cemetery operators has urged the Ekiti State Government to implement the law prohibiting home burial in the state.
The Chairman, Citigate Park and Garden Limited, a private cemetery outfit in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Dr. Ayo Olaiya, canvassed this while speaking on behalf of his colleagues to journalists on the need for families to embrace the modern trend of burying the dead at specially designated places outside their homes.
The disease control expert said the consortium of cemetery operators in Ekiti State deemed it apposite to once again remind the state government that a law to that effect had been enacted during the regime of Governor Kayode Fayemi, but only waiting for implementation. Read more
60 Reps propose bill to return Nigeria to parliamentary system (DailyTrust)
Sixty members of the House of Representatives have sponsored three bills proposing alterations to the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended) to transition from the current presidential system to the parliamentary system of government by 2031.
The three bills were introduced on the floor of the House on Wednesday by the Clerk of the House for first reading.
They were sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda and 59 other members.
Hilary Swank reveals her twins’ names for the first time on Valentine’s Day (People)
Hilary Swank found the perfect day to share her twins’ names: Valentine’s Day.
On Wednesday, the two-time Oscar winner shared a photo of daughter Aya and son Ohm, both 9 months, sitting on a beach, with their names written in the sand and faces toward the water. Aya wore a pink onesie and Ohm wore blue.
“I have a busy week of talk shows ahead where I’ll be sharing about my new film and a fun partnership, but I figured what better day to share the names of my two little loves with you all first,” Swank, 49, captioned the post. Read more
Leslie Uggams: From pioneering ‘Roots’ to ‘American Fiction’’s compelling matriarch (BET)
American Fiction, the deeply satirical film about a writer’s experience being pigeonholed into making stereotypically “Black” art, became the unexpected darling of this year’s award season, with five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and noms for lead actor Jeffrey Wright and supporting actor Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction has put its acclaimed cast in the spotlight with a searing, thoughtful statement on race in America.
Yet for Leslie Uggams, who plays Agnes, the mother of Wright’s Monk, the well-deserved praise for a sneakily smart statement on race wrapped in entertainment is hardly a new endeavor––it’s been a through line in her 50-plus years in film and TV.
First making Black (and TV) history in 1969, when she became the first Black person to host a network variety show (The Leslie Uggams Show) since Nat King Cole’s show in the mid-1950s, Uggams later became a trailblazer and household name with Roots, the 1977 TV mini-series adaptation of Alex Haley’s novel––a series that still holds viewership records almost 50 years later. Read more
American Pie star Seann William Scott files for divorce from wife (FilmNews)
American Pie star Seann William Scott has filed for divorce from his wife Olivia Korenberg after four years of marriage.
According to court documents obtained by People, the actor – best known for playing Steve Stifler in 1999’s American Pie – filed for divorce from his wife Olivia on Tuesday, four years after they tied the knot.
Seann, 47, cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the split. The date of the former couple’s separation was listed as 2 October last year. Read more
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer appeals rape verdict at New York’s highest court (Variety)
Harvey Weinstein‘s lawyer urged the highest court in New York to overturn his conviction on Wednesday, saying that too many accusers were allowed to testify at his trial.
Arthur Aidala challenged the trial judge’s ruling allowing three women to testify as “Molineux” witnesses. The women spoke about sexual assaults that were not among the charges, but did help establish a pattern of misconduct.
Had Weinstein testified in his own defense, the prosecutors also would have been allowed to raise 28 allegations of other bad acts, including that Weinstein threw a table of food at an employee and threatened to sever someone’s genitals. Read more
Robert Plant “can’t find words” to write new music (NME)
Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has opened up about his struggles with writing new music.
Speaking to Rolling Stone recently to announce his upcoming tour with Alison Krauss, the pair shared about what they’ve been up to in recent times. While Krauss revealed that she has been back in the studio, Plant said he’s been “going through all that stuff that I never released and never quite got finished”.
When asked specifically if he’s been working on new music, Robert Plant said: “I’ve got a Tascam digital recorder, and I sing, and I put the vocals through a guitar pedal, and then I record them on that over there, and it sounds great. Why bother to go to the studio? But I can’t find words. This is a very difficult time to try and wax lyrical out there.” Read more
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un oversees test of new surface-to-sea missiles (AlJazeera)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the test of new surface-to-sea missiles, according to state media, while ordering his military to strengthen its readiness in disputed waters north of the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong.
The report on the launches by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday came a day after South Korea’s military said North Korea had fired multiple cruise missiles in waters off its eastern port of Wonsan. The test was Pyongyang’s sixth missile launch event of the year.
The KCNA report said Kim supervised the “evaluation test-fire of new-type surface-to-sea missile Padasuri-6 to be equipped by the navy”, and expressed “great satisfaction over the results of the test-fire”. Read more
Netanyahu vows Rafah attack, pulls out of cease-fire talks (VOA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed again Wednesday to attack Hamas militants in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, even as he pulled Israel out of cease-fire talks in Cairo because he said Hamas had not changed what he described as “ludicrous demands” to halt the fighting.
The Israeli leader gave no indication when he might order his forces to attack Rafah. He said that hundreds of thousands of civilians now crammed into the region near the Egyptian border would first be allowed to vacate the area, although he gave no indication where they would go.
Netanyahu is under growing pressure from world leaders to not attack Rafah, but he said on his account on the messaging app Telegram, “We will fight until complete victory, and this includes a powerful action in Rafah as well, after we allow the civilian population to leave the battle zones.” Read more
Super Eagles move 14 places up in FIFA ranking after impressive AFCON (Channels)
The Super Eagles are now 14 places higher in the latest FIFA ranking following a great showing at the just-concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Nigeria lost to Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition concluded last weekend and have deservedly climbed up the FIFA ladder after that impeccable showing.
“Indeed, across the two continents, no fewer than six teams have scaled ten places or more. Amongst the African sides, Côte d’Ivoire (39th, up 10) reap the rewards of their continental triumph on home soil, secured following an eventful tournament campaign,” FIFA wrote on its website while announcing the latest ranking. Read more
WTTC: Toriola leads Team Nigeria to Korea (Punch)
Nigerian table tennis legend, Segun Toriola, will lead Team Nigeria to the 2024 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan, South Korea, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The WTTC tournament, which also serves as a qualifying tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, holds from February 16 to 25.
According to a statement from the Nigeria Table Tennis Federation, Toriola was picked to replace former national coach Nosiru Sule based on his wealth of experience and his cordial relationship with most of the top players in the national team. Read more
Barcelona ‘place Andreas Christensen, Raphinha, Jules Kounde on transfer list’ (SportsMole)
Barcelona are reportedly willing to sell Andreas Christensen, Raphinha and Jules Kounde during this summer’s transfer window to ease their financial problems.
The Catalan outfit will have to make some first-team sales in the upcoming market to balance the books, especially as the club are planning to also make additions.
According to Marca, the likes of Pedri, Gavi, Ronald Araujo and Lamine Yamal are seen as untouchables in the squad, but Christensen, Raphinha and Kounde will be allowed to leave for the right price.
Any sale of Christensen would see the Catalan outfit book a profit, as the Denmark international moved to Camp Nou on a free transfer from Chelsea in the summer of 2022. Read more
Bay FC signs Zambian soccer star Racheal Kundananji for reported $787k world record fee (CNN)
Bay FC, the newest team in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), has made an ambitious statement of intent ahead of the upcoming season by signing Zambian international Racheal Kundananji.
Kundananji reposted the team announcement on her Instagram account. She is believed to be the most expensive female soccer player in history.
“People in Zambia will be surprised, but they will be so happy,” the forward told BBC Sport Africa. “I want to give the [Bay FC] fans what they want – to enjoy the games, to enjoy seeing me playing and scoring.” Read more
Bayern Munich woes mount with UCL 1st-leg loss at Lazio (ABC)
Ciro Immobile scored a 69th-minute penalty to earn hosts Lazio a 1-0 victory over 10-man Bayern Munich on Wednesday in their Champions League round of 16 first-leg clash.
Immobile converted his spot-kick after Bayern defender Dayot Upamecano’s clumsy challenge on Gustav Isaksen for which the France international was sent off with a straight red card.
Disciplined Lazio stifled the German side’s attacks and Bayern were toothless throughout, failing to get a single effort on target in the match. Read more
My postpartum body is ‘not picture perfect’ after baby no. 2 – Serena (CompleteSports)
Four-time Olympic gold medal winner, Serena Williams has advised new mothers to appreciate their body regardless of the changes that comes with childbirth.
She made this call via her Instagram handle, where noted that she is feeling good about her postpartum body six months after giving birth to baby No. 2, and she wants to inspire other mothers to feel the same way.
She shared a photo of herself in a bikini while holding her daughter Adira, who was born in August 2023. Read more
