NURTW suspension: Why Lagos hasn’t announced park managers – Govt (Punch)
The Lagos State Government says the Babajide Sanwo-Olu government is still shopping for park managers following the suspension of the National Union of Road Transport Workers Union in the state.
Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, made this known in a chat with The PUNCH on Monday.
The Sanwo-Olu government had on March 10, 2022, suspended all operations of NURTW in the state following the leadership crisis that engulfed the union and the subsequent withdrawal of Lagos NURTW Chairman, Musiliu Akinsanya, aka MC Oluomo.
In a statement on March 10, 2022, titled, ‘Lagos Suspends NURTW From Parks’ and signed by Omotoso, the state government had said, “After considering the provisions of the law, the Government hereby suspends the activities of NURTW, which must cease to operate in all parks and garages in Lagos State. Read more
Sanwo-Olu affirms commitment to funding implementation of social protection policy (Guardian)
Lagos govt, NCF urge conservatory approach to tackle climate change
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has unveiled the state’s social protection policy to combat the socio-economic vulnerability to poverty and deprivation at all levels in the society.
The policy is a framework that will provide direction, clarity and ensure consistency in the implementation of different programmes and initiatives by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the state.
In a statement, yesterday, Sanwo-Olu, at the public presentation of the policy handbook, said the recent global economic downturn and uncertainty orchestrated by COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging realities compelled the government to provide the policy. Read more
Simi makes history with 100m streams on Audiomack (Nation)
Singer Simi has become the first Nigerian female artiste to reach 100million streams on Audiomack.
She was elated for the historical achievement on the popular global music streaming platform.
The Duduke singer expressed gratitude for the honour, praising God and fans for the accomplishment.
The mother of one tweeted: “@audiomackafrica thank you so much for the honour. First female to get 100 million plays on audiomack. I like it very much” she wrote. Read more
LASTMA dismisses officials for misconduct, police hunt informant (Punch)
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has confirmed the dismissal of two officers and the reduction in the rank of four officers, who were found guilty of misconducts while performing their duties in the state.
The agency’s Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Filade Olumide, confirmed the development in a statement on Monday.
He added that the management of LASTMA had affirmed that some officers of the agency who were found culpable of gross misconduct while performing their official duties had faced disciplinary action in line with the extant rules as guided by the Lagos State Civil Service rules and regulations.
The statement read in part, “LASTMA management added that the Personnel Management Board (Disciplinary) which was held to look into all the reported misconduct of the officers, considered the allegation of bribery, corruption and serious act unbecoming of a public officer levelled against them and found some officers culpable of serious misconduct as stated in the public service rule. Read more
Buhari to commission airport terminal in Lagos on Tuesday (Channels)
President Muhammadu Buhari will on Tuesday be commissioning the newly built international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
The terminal has the capacity to process 14million passengers per annum and was built on a landmass of approximately 56,000 square metres and has 66 check-in counters.
A statement by the acting general manager, corporate affairs, Faithful Hope-Ivbaze, says that there will also be a signing of a memorandum of understanding with the Lagos State Government on the 9km Airport-Shasha-Alimosho link Road to be constructed by the State Government.
The terminal was also built in Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Enugu, in a bilateral arrangement between the Federal Government of Nigeria, and the People’s Republic of China. Read more
Buhari, APC betrayed Nigerians – Yakasai (Independent)
Scion of Yakasai dynasty, and former controversial aide to Governor Ganduje, Alhaji Salihu Tanko Yakasai on Monday accused President Muhammadu Buhari, and the ruling All Progressives Congress of betraying the trust of Nigerians.
Yakasai jrn who addressed Reporters in Kano subsequently announced his exit from the party he joined in February, 2013.
The former Director General, Media and Publicity to Ganduje was fired for allegedly telling the truth to power while in office .
Yakasai lamented that “Regretfully, the trust and confidence we reposed in the APC (the government as well as the party) on two occasions (first and second terms) was betrayed.
Court strikes out Umahi’s stay of execution (DailyTrust)
A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out applications by Governor Dave Umahi, his deputy Kelechi Igwe and the 16 lawmakers seeking a stay of execution of their sack.
Justice Inyang Ekwo on Monday struck out the applications after the applicants withdrew the applications.
“Upon being informed that records of appeal have been transmitted, and application to withdraw the stay of execution, the application is hereby struck out,” he said.
The court had on March 8 removed the officials over their defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Read more
Court sacks 20 Cross River lawmakers over defection (Guardian)
A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, declared the seats of 20 lawmakers from Cross River vacant over their defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC).
Justice Taiwo Taiwo, in a judgment, dismissed the defence argument that the PDP (plaintiff) had no locus standi (legal rights) to institute the case.
Justice Taiwo ruled that the argument of the lawmakers that there was rancour in the PDP which necessitated their defection to APC was a ploy to mislead the court.
The judge, who granted all the reliefs sought by the PDP, held that it was disheartening that politicians in the country treat citizens as if they do not matter once they get into office. Read more
Fuel Scarcity: Lagos depot owners wade in as Abuja situation worsens (DailyTrust)
As fuel scarcity rages in Abuja and other areas, the Ijegun-Egba Tankfarm Owners and Operators’ Association in Lagos has promised to deliver 40 trucks of petrol daily to the Federal capital Territory (FCT) from Monday.
The association said it is ready to give out 40 trucks from its 106 million litres in stock.
The capital city has continued to witness vehicular queues across retail outlets amidst issues of logistics and other crises.
The Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, last weekend said many truck owners had stopped loading products over the hike in diesel prices to power trucks. Read more
Matrix Energy Group opens new corporate head office in Lagos (Independent)
Matrix Energy Company has opened a new state-of-the-art corporate head office on Friday, March 18, 2022. The dazzling and conducive building is located at Ademola Street, off Awolowo Road Ikoyi, Lagos.
The shining and well-built office has a touch of a carefully planned architectural structure, reminiscent of the modern design of the West.
The newly built head office of the oil and gas company – painted white and blue – has a quality that epitomizes ingenuity and imagination. The chosen color of the building – white and blue – matches the official colors of the company.
Matrix Energy Group is a fully integrated oil company established in 2004. It has customers worldwide and continues to grow in size each year. Read more
Noel Gallagher and The Edge will appear on Confidence Man’s new album (NME)
Confidence Man‘s Janet Planet has confirmed to NME that Noel Gallagher and U2‘s The Edge will appear on the Aussie duo’s new album.
Back in 2019, Gallagher told BBC Radio 1 how he had attended a party with The Edge and Confidence Man, which ended with him arguing with the duo’s neighbour on their behalf after complaints were made about the level of noise coming from the party.
A rumour had also been swirling that The Edge had contributed tambourine on the band’s new album ‘TILT’, due out April 1 via Heavenly, and Planet was asked by NME in a new interview whether there was any truth in it.
“Noel and The Edge are actually both hidden on the record somewhere,” she responded, adding: “I’m not supposed to talk about it. You’ll have to do some research on the YouTube comments.” Read more
Willie Nelson, Avett Brothers, ZZ Top set for Outlaw music festival tour (UPI)
Willie Nelson & Family will be headlining the Outlaw Musical Festival tour starting in June alongside a rotating list of country music stars.
Nelson will be joined by the likes of The Avett Brothers, ZZ Top, Brothers Osborne, Chris Stapleton, Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and more, on select dates.
Also set to perform on select dates are Billy Strings, Gov’t Mule, Zach Bryan, Steve Earle & The Dukes, Allison Russell, Charley Crockett, Larkin Poe, The War and Treaty, Brittney Spencer and Particle Kid.
The tour begins June 24 at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis before it wraps up on Sept. 23 at the Waterfront Music Pavilion in Camden, N.J. Read more
VGMA wasn’t fair to me for not nominating ‘Wobedi Adanseɛ’ in this year’s awards – Piesie Esther (MyJoy)
Gospel musician, Piesie Esther, has expressed her disappointment with organisers of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMA) for failing to nominate her song ‘Wobedi Adanseɛ’ in this year’s awards.
She says although the song has garnered the attention of gospel music lovers and industry players since its release in 2021, the VGMA Board declined to put it up for competition.
Speaking to Roselyn Felli on Prime Morning, Monday, the ‘Me Nti Ase’ hitmaker underscored that the song deserved a nomination because “the message, the lyrics, the video and everything was on point.”
She stated that her song has done better than some of the nominated ones and merited a chance. Read more
Ariana DeBose recalls when her mom came to West Side Story set and met ‘Señor Spielberg’ (People)
Family is everything for Ariana DeBose.
In a new interview for PEOPLE’s Oscars portfolio, the first-time nominee reveals that her mother got to visit her on the set of West Side Story, and meet the film’s legendary director.
“My mother got to visit, and she met Señor [Steven] Spielberg,” says DeBose, 31. “And watching Gina become speechless was amazing. Love you, Mom.”
The on-set visit came the same day DeBose filmed the gym dance near the beginning of the movie — a scene she says she “really enjoyed” doing because “it was six days of sweaty bliss.”
“And it was one of the few moments that the Sharks and the Jets and all of our extras really got to be in the same space,” she explains. “And it was really complicated, but I had a great time.” Read more
‘Writing With Fire’ writes Oscar ticket with story of courageous Indian women journalists (Deadline)
Writing With Fire’s Oscar nomination for Best Documentary Feature wasn’t just a huge achievement for directors Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas. It was a triumph for all of India.
The married couple became the first Indian filmmakers to earn a nomination in that category.
“The fact that this was the first Indian documentary feature to be nominated became just such big news. It was everywhere,” Thomas tells Deadline. “A billion people sort of erupted in joy because we’re a film-loving nation. We produce a lot of films in the year, but for a documentary — nobody remembers when was the last time the whole country got so excited… The next two days [after the nomination announcement] the phone sort of melted, with in-boxes imploding and everyone wanting a bite, and it was just crazy.”
Thomas says it took a while for the gravity of the nomination to sink in. Read more
Disney faces backlash over LGBTQ controversy: ‘It’s just pure nonsense’ (Guardian)
Brandon Wolf has fond memories of his five years working as a dancer at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom near Orlando, Florida.
“It was one of the best times of my life because I moved to Orlando to find a place to belong, to find a community, to discover a world where I could be an out queer person of colour and be proud of that,” the 33-year-old says. “I certainly found that in the central Florida community that I have grown to love. I found that in my fellow cast members and I’m very grateful for my time being able to work with them at Disney.”
The Walt Disney Company, one of the world’s biggest media and entertainment empires, prides itself on a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) friendly culture. But today its reputation for inclusivity and tolerance is under scrutiny – as are its deep ties to the political establishment and the lack of LGBTQ representation in its films.
Disney’s workers have been staging walkouts in protest at chief executive Bob Chapek’s lacklustre response to Florida legislation dubbed “don’t say gay”. The controversial bill bars instruction on “sexual orientation or gender identity” in schools from kindergarten through grade 3. Read more
Yuz Aleshkovsky, author of songs, books about Soviet gulag, dies at 92 (RFE)
Yuz Aleshkovsky, one of the Soviet Union’s best-known dissident writers, has died in the United States at the age of 92.
Aleshkovsky’s son, Aleksei Aleshkovsky, said on March 21 that his father had died in Tampa, Florida.
Generations of Soviet citizens knew Aleshkovsky’s popular songs, such as Comrade Stalin, You Are Big Scholar, even though they were not officially allowed to be performed.
Aleshkovsky was born in Siberia and was sentenced to four years in prison in 1949 while serving in the Soviet Army on a charge of car hijacking. Aleshkovsky drew from his years of experience in the Soviet prison system to write his songs and books. Read more
Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden charged over criticising referee after Chelsea defeat (BBC)
Newcastle United’s Isaac Hayden has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association after the defeat at Chelsea on 13 March.
The 26-year-old tweeted about referee David Coote’s officiating.
“Some performance against 12 men today,” Hayden posted – comments deemed in breach of FA Rule E3.1 for attacking the integrity of the match official.
Chelsea won thanks to a late goal from Kai Havertz, who had earlier escaped a red card for an elbow on Dan Burn. Read more
From refugee to Serie A, 18-year-old Cissé scores in debut (USAToday)
From refugee to amateur soccer player to Serie A scorer, 18-year-old Moustapha Cissé has been through plenty in the last couple of years.
Cissé arrived in Italy as a refugee in 2019 and soon joined Lecce-based team ASD Rinascita Refugees — an amateur team that plays in the eighth tier of Italian soccer. He was with that team until last month, when Atalanta signed him to a professional contract.
On Sunday, Cissé made his Serie A debut when he came on as a substitute in the 65th minute against Bologna. He scored the only goal of the match 17 minutes later.
“Besides his great soccer skills, he’s an exceptional guy,” Atalanta assistant coach Tullio Gritti said. “He came to Bergamo and then trained with us, he’s extremely polite, his politeness is an example despite the fact that life hasn’t been easy for him. Read more
Tottenham target Paulo Dybala prepares to ditch Juventus and ‘open talks’ on free transfer (Express)
Tottenham have been put on high alert by Paulo Dybala’s latest contract development as reports suggest that the Argentine is prepared to quit Juventus this summer when his contract expires. The Lilywhites are among a host of teams linked with the forward’s signature as his entourage get to work on securing a free exit.
Having underwhelmed last campaign, Dybala is producing impressive numbers this time out with eight goals and five assists in 21 Serie A matches. Despite his on-pitch success, tension behind the scenes has occasionally spilled over onto the pitch as player and club remain deadlocked on the issue of a new deal.
Back in January, Dybala scored the opener in a 2-0 win over Udinese before staring down vice president Pavel Nedved in the stands. The clear friction left interested parties awaiting further updates on his future.
A big one came on Monday after the player’s entourage met with Juve officials to work out the next best move. After two hours, they went their separate ways and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano claims that Dybala will not sign a new deal and tie down his future in Turin.
Nigeria vs Ghana: Ighalo, Balogun, 4 others arrive Super Eagles camp (Punch)
Six players have arrived at the Super Eagles training camp in Abuja ahead of Nigeria’s 2022 FIFA World Cup play-off tie against the Black Stars of Ghana.
The players are William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun, Semi Ajayi, Ola Aina, Frank Onyeka, and Odion Ighalo.
Technical Adviser Augustine Eguavoen had called up 24 players for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off round against the Black Stars of Ghana.
The PUNCH had reported that Eguavoen replaced injured Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi with Lorient midfielder Innocent Bonke. Read more
Frank Warren: Joshua has been exposed; I think Joe Joyce will wear him down, knock him out (BoxingScene)
Promoter Frank Warren sees a lot of chinks in Anthony Joshua’s armor that he believes his client, Joe Joyce, can take advantage of.
Talk of a fight between the British heavyweights has been brewing ever since Joshua, the former unified titlist in the division, hinted that he may take a stay-busy, interim bout as he waits for the Ukraine-Russia conflict to subside. Joshua was scheduled to fight Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine this summer, but it appears that Usyk, who is back home helping defend his people from the Russian invasion, is in no position to participate in a boxing bout anytime soon.
In response, Joshua has floated names such as Deontay Wilder, Otto Wallin, and Joyce as potential opponents for his summer date. The idea would still be to face Usyk later in the year.
Recently, both Joshua and Joyce had a minor spat on social media. Read more
Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova spotted together at Miami Open (GMS)
Young tennis stars Emma Raducanu and Amanda Anisimova have been spending time with each other in advance of the Miami Open.
The 19-year-old Raducanu and 20-year-old Anisimova are both preparing for the WTA 1000 event, with the main draw set to get underway tomorrow.
Aside from training hard on the courts, the pair have also been relaxing by hanging out with each other – at least according to their Instagram Stories.
Raducanu shared a selfie of herself and Anisimova, with the caption: “In Miamiii”. She also used the chopsticks emoji, suggesting they were eating Asian food together. Read more
Boris Becker set for court trial after failure to transfer trophies in bid to settle huge debts (TennisHead)
After declaring bankruptcy five years ago, Boris Becker will now stand trial in court after failing to hand over his tennis trophies to settle debts of $65 million (£50 million).
Six-time Grand Slam legend Boris Becker declared bankruptcy back in 2017 but has been called to stand trial in Southwark Crown Court.
This comes as a result of him being accused of not having complied with obligations to disclose information and a failure to provide his tennis trophies in an attempt to raise funds to settle his $65 million (£50 million) debts.
Amongst the memorabilia the German great was required to turn over was the 1985 Wimbledon title, as well as the 1991 and 1996 Australian Open trophies. It is understood that the trophies are said to be worth a total of $2.3 million (£1.8 million). Read more
Leclerc urges Ferrari to capitalise on exploits at Bahrain Grand Prix (RFI)
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc urged his team to build on the stunning performances that swept him and Carlos Sainz to the top two places at the Bahrein Grand Prix on Sunday.
The 24-year-old from Monaco finished the race at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir just over five seconds ahead of his teammate.
Lewis Hamitlon in a Mercedes was third. The world champion Max Verstappen was unable to finish the course after developing engine trouble three laps from the end.
“It is only the beginning, it’s now time to work harder than ever to stay there ,” said Leclerc on social media. Read more