Osinachi: Don’t wait for death, call for help, Queen Naomi tells women (Independent)
Queen Naomi Silekunola Ogunwusi, the wife of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has urged women in abusive relationships or marriages to call out for help and not wait till death comes.
She disclosed this on Monday via her Instagram page while reacting to the death of gospel music musician, Osinachi Nwachukwu, who allegedly died at the hands of her abusive partner.
Recall that the singer was announced dead on Friday, after being on life support for the past two months.
She wrote, “Woman, thou art loosed! (Luke 13:12) You have a right to say no. It is your right to be tired. You can put your hands in the air, Cry for help if you have to; Say no even if the world can’t reason with you. Because in the grave they still will not. Don’t wait until death comes, In anticipation for a pity party.
“Death is the end of hope. Are you hoping he would come to love you and respect you, stop mentally, emotionally, and physically abusing you? If you die, that’s where hope ends. Call for help, nobody is a saint.
“We are all work in progress. Are you a perfectionist and you want the world to keep seeing the perfect side of you? Stop playing God. Let God be God and man be man. Accept that it can’t work if it won’t work. Read more
Sanwo-Olu, others to speak at Young Achievers Nigeria Awards (Leadership)
Minister of youth and sports development, Mr. Sunday Dare, wife of the Lagos State Governor Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu and the managing director of First Bank, Dr. Sola Adeduntan, are among eminent personalities expected at the Young Achievers Nigeria Awards.
Tagged as the biggest, most flamboyant and the most celebrated youth event in Nigeria, the 11th Young Achievers Nigeria Awards will be held on the 29th May in Lagos.
According to a release signed by the publisher and convener of the awards, Mr. Adeduntan Ibrahim Yinka Young Achievers Nigeria.com (Magazine) is the youth celebrity magazine behind the event.
He said the youth celebrity news portal has been showcasing young Nigerian barrier breakers who have broken the ceilings of limitations to excel in their various fields since 2009. Read more
Aggrieved PTD members petition NHRC, allege victimisation (Independent)
Some members of Ejigbo branch of Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Lagos State, have sought the intervention of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), over what they described as lawlessness and victimisation by their leaders.
The aggrieved members made the appeal recently when they stormed NUPENG’s Lagos office to submit a copy letter of the alleged containing their grievances.
The members led by Comrade Olaitan Isiak Buna’s Human Rights Monitoring Agenda (HURMA) drew NHRC’s attention to the alleged acts of lawlessness and victimisation of Comrade Marufu Akanni Eleja’s led union, which they said is capable of constituting threats to peace.
The aggrieved members in their petition captioned, “Petition in Respect of Alleged Lawlessness and Victimisation by Comrade Marufu Akanni Eleja, Chairman, Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Ejigbo Branch, Lagos.” Read more
2023: Why I met with APC govs – Tinubu (Punch)
The National Leader of All Progressives Congress and presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, has explained why he met with members of the Progressives Governors Forum on Monday.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that Tinubu met with the APC governors at the Kebbi State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja, hours after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo declared his intention to succeed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) in 2023.
The governors in attendance include Governors Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, Bababjide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano, Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, Mai Mala Binu of Yobe, Simon Lalong of Plateau, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa, amongst others.
The meeting came less than 24 hours after Osinbajo hosted the governors at his Aguda House residence on Sunday evening; where he disclosed his intention to run for the APC presidential ticket. Read more
Femi Otedola reacts to Mr Eazi, Temi’s engagement (Channels)
Nigerian businessman, Femi Otedola, has reacted to the engagement of Temi, his daughter, to her long-term boyfriend and musician, Mr Eazi.
On Sunday, Temi shared a loved-up video clip wherein the singer proposed to her.
While reacting to the proposal, the billionaire wrote, “Somebody is taking my baby” in a terse post.
His reaction comes hours after the short video of the lovebirds at a seashore with the musician going down on one knee to seek her hands in marriage. Read more
ASUU insists on implementation of renegotiated 2009 agreement (Guardian)
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Abuja zone says there will be no resumption in public universities until renegotiated 2009 agreement is signed, implemented and the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) deployed.
The ASUU Zonal Coordinator, Dr Salawu Muhammed Lawal, made this known during a press conference at the University of Abuja in Gwagwalada on Monday.
According to him, the members are ever ready to return to their duty post as soon as their demands are met by the Federal Government.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the zone comprises Federal University of Lafia, Federal University of Technology Minna, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, and the University of Abuja. Read more
Gunmen kill driver, set bus ablaze in Enugu (Punch)
There is palpable tension in Enugu State metropolis as gunmen reportedly killed a driver and burnt his sienna bus at the Holy Ghost area of the state capital.
The gunmen also reportedly disrupted early morning businesses and chased away people who came out to board vehicles to travel to various parts of the country.
The incident which occurred early Monday morning, The PUNCH gathered, had sent traders and business owners back home while transport companies were forced to close.
Although it was not clear the motive behind the attack, it was rumoured that the attack might not be unconnected with the every Monday sit-at-home championed by the Indigenous People of Biafra members to protest the continued incarceration of their leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. Read more
Why Deeper Life embraced use of television, social media, others — Kumuyi (Vanguard)
The General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has said that the need to expand the propagation of the gospel informed the decision of Deeper Life bible church to embrace the use of television, the radio, and social media and other technological inventions.
Kumuyi said that the church cannot sit back watching wicked people using the provisions of technology to advance their agenda, hence, the need for the church to wake up and use the same technology for the gospel’s sake.
The Octogenarian preacher spoke in a video uploaded on Sunday via Facebook by the Ekiti State chapter of the church regretting that the church was a latecomer in taking advantage of technological tools.
Anything at the disposal of the people that are doing evil, we are going to take it away from them and use it for the propagation of the gospel. Read more
JAMB releases UTME mock results (Guardian)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has released results of the 2022 mock Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) conducted on April 9.
JAMB made this known in its Weekly Bulletin of the Office of the Registrar, on Monday in Abuja.
“Consequently, candidates who sat for the examination are to visit www.jamb.gov.ng and click on ‘2022 Mock Result Checking’ and input their UTME registration number to access their results,” it stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that no less than 175, 000 candidates sat for the examination at JAMB’s 757 centres nationwide. Read more
Faith Hill to present at 2022 CMT Music Awards — her 1st time back in 12 years! (People)
Faith Hill is returning to the CMT Music Awards!
PEOPLE can exclusively announce that the country star, 54, will grace the stage at this year’s awards ceremony on Monday evening.
Hill, alongside her 1883 costar, Isabel May, will present the coveted video of the year award, which will be the final and biggest award given out during the night’s festivities.
The occasion will mark Hill and May’s first awards show appearance together, as well as Hill’s first time at the CMT Music Awards in over a decade. The “Breathe” singer last appeared at the event 12 years ago in 2010. Read more
Chris Bailey, singer of Australian rock band The Saints, has died aged 65 (NME)
Chris Bailey, lead singer of Australian rock band The Saints, has died, at the age of 65.
The band confirmed the news of Bailey’s death on their official Facebook page this morning. No cause of death was given. The post read: “It is with great pain in our hearts that we have to inform you about the passing of Chris Bailey, singer and songwriter of The Saints, on April the 9th 2022.”
“Chris lived a life of poetry and music and stranded on a Saturday night.”
Bailey was born in Kenya in 1957 to Irish parents, spending the first seven years of his life in Belfast. They relocated to Brisbane, Australia, where Bailey met guitarist Ed Kuepper and drummer Ivor Hay at high school. The trio formed the band in 1973 (originally called Kid Galahad and the Eternals), which would go through various line-ups over the following years. Read more
Liz Carr calls for theatres to host facemask-only performances (BBC)
Actress Liz Carr has suggested theatres consider hosting separate performances of shows for audiences who still want to wear facemasks or socially distance.
The Silent Witness star won best supporting actress at Sunday’s Oliviers for her role in The Normal Heart.
As live audiences have mostly abandoned wearing masks, Carr suggested venues could offer “Covid-safer” performances.
“Theatre should remain accessible even to those of us who have health conditions,” she told BBC News. Read more
Johnny Depp and Amber Heard to face each other again- this time on camera (Sky)
As tales of drugs binges, trashed properties, and even a severed finger and bloody messages written on walls came out at the High Court during the summer of 2020, it was hard to imagine why Hollywood A-lister Johnny Depp had chosen to put his reputation through libel proceedings.
The details that came out during what was described as the “trial of the century” would no doubt have been highly damaging to Depp’s career, even if he had won. As it turned out, he lost; the judge arguably sounding the death knell when he concluded that a Sun newspaper headline calling the actor a “wife-beater” was “substantially true”.
Despite this, he is doing it all again, determined to clear his name. The star has always strenuously denied allegations of abuse and says he has been boycotted by Hollywood because of the claims.
In the UK, he sued the publication. In America, he is suing his ex-wife, Amber Heard herself, over a column she wrote in the Washington Post in December 2018. While the actress did not mention him by name in the article, she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse”. Read more
Simon Cowell says I’m done with Botox, made me look like ‘horror film’ (TMZ)
Simon Cowell is done with face fillers, because he says it turned his mug into a “horror film.”
Simon looked … different at the Kids’ Choice Awards 2022 as he sauntered in … actually, remarkably different — in a good way.
Simon posed with other judges from “America’s Got Talent” … showing off his new appearance since he has stopped getting Botox treatments.
As for why … it’s the age-old truism — emphasis on age — that guys generally look worse when they get shot up with fillers. As Simon put it, he looked “like something out of a horror film”. Read more
Larry David will return for ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ season 12 (TheWrap)
HBO has long said that the network will make more “Curb Your Enthusiasm” whenever Larry David wants, and it appears he wants some more.
Rich Eisen, who hosted an Emmys FYC panel for “Curb” over the weekend in Los Angeles said he asked David if there will be another season.
“He said yes,” Eisen shared on Twitter Sunday.
That means at some point in the future, there will be a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Season 12.
Season 11, which featured guest stars including Seth Rogen and Bill Hader, premiered in October 2021. Read more
French bank Société Générale loses billions in Russian pull-out (RFI)
French banking group Société Générale has announced that it is ceasing activities in Russia and selling its majority stake in the indigenous operation Rosbank, French firms have been urged to leave Russia in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Hundreds of foreign companies, ranging from financial firms to retailers and fast-food restaurants, have pulled out of Russia since the invasion began on 24 February.
French firms, which are the biggest foreign employers in Russia, have been among the slowest to withdraw, prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to urge them to leave during his address to the French parliament on 23 March.
Société Générale said in a statement that its withdrawal from Russia would cost it 3.1 billion euros. Read more
Lagos Speaker appeals for increased collaboration on sports development (Tribune)
The Speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly Rt. Hon Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa has appealed to Philanthropic organisations to partner with schools in order to harvest the hidden sports talents of students in public schools.
He made this call during the 9th edition of the Intercollege Sport Competition of First Generation Secondary Schools in Lagos State.
Obasa noted that the first set of Footballers and best athletes were gotten from secondary schools.
“The atmosphere here is a nostalgia of what it was in the past when students competed favourably among themselves before cultism and other vices crept in. Read more
Carlo Ancelotti addresses Everton exit decision after Real Madrid call (LiverpoolEcho)
Carlo Ancelotti has addressed his summer exit from Everton once again – claiming that he would have stayed at the club if anyone other than Real Madrid had contacted him.
The Italian took over at Goodison Park in December 2019 following the sacking of Marco Silva. He remained in charge of the club for 67 matches, winning 31 of those games.
However, in June 2021, Everton fans were shocked by Ancelotti’s decision to leave the club, taking up the vacant position at Real Madrid after Zinedine Zidane’s departure. He was replaced at Goodison Park controversially by Rafael Benitez, who was sacked in January 2022.
Speaking ahead of the Spanish giants taking on Chelsea in their Champions League quarter final, the Italian has looked back on his decision to leave Merseyside, and admitted that he “couldn’t say no” when the opportunity to return to Real Madrid cropped up once more. Read more
Arsenal target Alexander Isak booked for ‘illegal penalty’ in Real Sociedad win (DailyStar)
Alexander Isak was left completely red-faced after getting booked for taking an ‘illegal penalty’ during Real Sociedad’s victory over Elche in La Liga on Sunday.
The Swedish striker thought he’d equalised after converting from the penalty spot, but his poor attempt at a stuttered run-up ended up costing him. For some bizarre reason, Isak decided to stop dead in his tracks – which is against the rules – allowing the keeper to dive out of the way, before slotting the ball home on the other side.
It was immediately flagged by the referee, who pulled out a yellow card and awarded an indirect free-kick as Elche’s players began swarming around him. Knowing he’d ballsed up, Isak barely protested, offering little but a look of embarrassed resignation.
Luckily for the 22-year-old, Sociedad turned the game around, grabbing two first-half goals to seal a 2-1 victory, but it could’ve all been so much more straightforward. Read more
Man City and Liverpool seek perfection in push for glory (France24)
Pep Guardiola is demanding perfection from his Manchester City side to keep Liverpool at bay after a pulsating match between the Premier League title challengers finished all square.
Sunday’s 2-2 draw at the Etihad between the two outstanding sides of the current era was billed as a potential title decider even though each have seven matches still to play.
The expectant crowd was treated to a feast of attacking football in Manchester but at the end of it nothing much had changed.
Defending champions City remain just one point ahead of their rivals, who were 14 points off the pace in January. Read more
Bulls will face Bucks in first round of playoffs (NBC)
The Chicago Bulls have known for a few days they will enter the NBA playoffs as the Eastern Conference’s No. 6 seed.
Now, they know their first-round opponent.
A loss to the Cavaliers, combined with a Celtics win over the Grizzlies, on the final day of the regular season dropped the Milwaukee Bucks into third place in the East and squarely into the Bulls’ path.
Needless to say, it’s a brutal matchup for the Bulls in the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2017. Not only did the Bucks win the cross-interstate season series 4-0 in 2021-22, they did so in rather convincing fashion, averaging a margin of victory of 14.8 points — 24.5 in the final two games, blowout results on March 22 and April 5.
They also employ two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, a matchup nightmare who averaged 26.8 points, 13.5 rebounds and five assists across these teams’ four meetings this season, All-Star forward Khris Middleton and two-way stud Jrue Holiday in addition to a strong supporting cast headlined by Brook Lopez, Bobby Portis, Pat Connaughton, Grayson Allen and Wesley Matthews. Read more
Scottie Scheffler wins the Masters, taking his first major championship (PBS)
That new No. 1 ranking for Scottie Scheffler looks even better in a Masters green jacket.
Two months after Scheffler finally broke through for his first PGA Tour victory, he capped off a most incredible 56-day stretch by making his fourth win the biggest of them all, the Masters by three shots over Rory McIlroy for his first major.
Even as a junior, he was wearing long pants in stifling Texas heat because he wanted to look the part of a tour pro he always wanted to be. Winning the Masters was beyond his hopes.
“I never made it this far. It was just a dream of being here and competing,” Scheffler said in Butler Cabin, moments before Hideki Matsuyama helped him into the green jacket. “I can’t put into words what it means that I’ll be able to come back here for a lifetime.” Read more
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc scores grand slam with F1 Australian Grand Prix win (Fox)
Riding high after a decisive victory for Ferrari in the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday, Charles Leclerc’s belief in the team’s prospects are growing by the race.
A grand prix billed as a showdown between Leclerc’s Ferrari and the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finished with the Monaco driver as a one-sided winner.
The 24-year-old Leclerc extended his lead in the drivers’ championship to 34 points while claiming his second win of the season after victory in the season-opening race in Bahrain.
A crowd of 128,294 in Melbourne were treated to an emphatic triumph by Leclerc, who was able to hold off Verstappen during the opening laps and defended well mid-race under safety car conditions to pull away for a decisive 20.524-second victory. Read more