Oworonsoki demolition: Housing deficit soars by 7,000 units (Tribune)
The recent demolition of houses at Oworonshoki waterfront community in Lagos by the state government has further widened the accommodation gap in the country, Dayo Ayeyemi reports.
It’s no longer news that the Lagos State Government, through its Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, descended on Oworonshoki waterfront community in Kosofe Local Government Area of the Lagos State penultimate Thursday and demolished scores of houses in the environment.
The affected houses/spots in Oworonshoki are; Oke-Eri, Oluwaseyi, Community, Cornerstone, Ogo-Oluwa, and Lagos streets, among others. Read more
Forex crisis: CBN likely to flood market with dollar (Nation)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has concluded plans to stem the continuous slide of the naira against the dollar.
Top of these plans is to flood the market with dollars, it was learnt yesterday.
A CBN board member, who spoke to our correspondent under anonymity, said: “At this point, the bank is going to inject foreign exchange into the market to stabilise the exchange rate.
“It will be a desirable thing, and that’s the essence of having reserves to stabilise the naira at any point in time.” Read more
Coup: Arrest, prosecute those inciting military against Tinubu — MURIC (Vanguard)
The Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, has urged the Nigerian Army to expose, arrest and prosecute individuals who are inciting the military to overthrow President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The call came in response to the army’s revelation that certain factions have been goading it to stage a coup, citing soldiers’ welfare and the recent coup in Niger as justification.
In a statement yesterday, MURIC commended the army for standing firm against these insidious efforts. Read more
Appeal Court affirms Abure as LP national chairman (Sun)
Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has affirmed Julius Abure as national chairman of Labour Party (LP).
In the case of Mr. Lucky Shaibu v. Julius Abure & 5 ORS (Appeal No: CA/B/93/2023), Justice Theresa Ngolika Abadua, Fatima Akinbami and Justice Sybil Nwaka-Gbagi in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal of the Appellant.
LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement, recalled that one Lucky Shauibu who claimed to be a member of the party in Ward 3 Executive in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State had suspended Abure. Read more
15 LASTMA officials wounded in clash with soldiers as others vacate duty posts (Vanguard)
No fewer than 15 officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, have reportedly been injured in the ongoing crisis between them and some soldiers in Lagos.
Consequently, LASTMA officials withdrew from their duty posts in Lagos State, over fear of being attacked by soldiers.
From Ojota to Mile 2, there was no sight of the officials. Those on the BRT lanes were not exempted from the withdrawal either. Read more
Lagos CAN defends Sanwo-Olu’s commissioner-nominees (Punch)
The Christian Association of Nigeria, Lagos State chapter, has defended the list of cabinet member-nominees sent to the Lagos State House of Assembly by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for screening, saying the choice of the governor was “based purely on merit, competence, and sufficient capabilities to deliver on the set goals and objectives of the government.”
Speaking at a press briefing held on Monday at the Chapel of Christ the Light, Alausa, the Chairman, CAN, Lagos chapter, Rev. Stephen Adegbite, condemned the remarks of some Muslim groups, including the Joint Muslims Forum and Muslim Rights Concern, against the nominations, saying the remarks were “distasteful” and “condescending”. Read more
Disregard rumour of order to invade Niger Republic, Army Chief urges Troops (Tribune)
The chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, has urged the troops of the Nigerian Army to disregard any rumour peddling around that the Army has been given marching orders to invade the Niger Republic.
He further urged them to be combat-ready at all times, saying the Army is ready to defend Nigeria’s integrity if the need arises.
He further urged them to disregard any rumour peddling around that the Army has been given a marching order to invade the Niger Republic. Read more
Fuel scarcity imminent as kidnappers, FX scarcity torment oil marketers (Sun)
Petroleum products marketers on the platform of Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA) have advised consumers, especially those up north, to prepare for a fresh round of fuel scarcity as they battling several challenges threatening their business and creating energy scarcity.
The National President of NOGASA, Mr. Benneth Korie, at a media briefing in Abuja on Monday, listed failed roads, kidnapping and killing of tanker drivers, in addition to worsening foreign exchange scarcity, among key issues suffocating them. According to him, the naira has tumbled to an all-time low of about N950/$1 in the parallel market, amid scarcity in the I&E window, thus making it difficult to sustain importation and sales with the current template. Read more
Bandits kidnap cleric, wife, newborn, other child in Kaduna (DailyTrust)
Suspected bandits have abducted a respected Islamic scholar, Malam Abubakar Mushawy Ibrahim, alongside his wife and two children in Kaduna State.
One of the abducted children was said to be a day-old when the kidnap occurred last Wednesday.
The bandits had forcefully entered the scholar’s residence in Fondisho, a community along the Kaduna-Zaria highway. Read more
50 Cent says Los Angeles is ‘finished’ after local Nordstrom is robbed of $300k in merchandise (TheMessenger)
50 Cent is speaking out after a Los Angeles-area shopping center was robbed over the weekend.
In an Instagram post, the rapper shared a photo of a local Nordstrom being vandalized after a large group of suspects smashed display cases, grabbed merchandise and ran out of the store.
“I told you LA was finished,” 50 Cent wrote on Instagram Sunday. “They are gonna have to lock the doors, appointment only. SMH.” Read more
Clarence Avant: Music industry legend known as the “Black Godfather” dies aged 92 (BBC)
Clarence Avant, whose talent as a manager, mentor and deal-maker earned him the nickname ‘The Godfather of Black Music’, has died aged 92.
A former head of Motown, he worked with everyone from Bill Withers to Michael Jackson, and founded one of America’s first Black-owned radio stations.
Avant died at home in Los Angeles on Sunday, his family said in a statement. Read more
Algeria could move to ban Barbie for “Western deviances” (ABC)
Blockbuster film Barbie could face further bans across the globe, this time in Algeria.
The film has come under fire with the Algerian Ministry of Culture and the Arts reportedly citing it “promotes homosexuality and other Western deviances”, local 24H Algerie news site said on Monday.
Garnering over $1 billion in global box office sales, the film has already been playing in the nation for several weeks. Read more
NFL star whose life inspired The Blind Side alleges he was misled about adoption (BelfastTelegraph)
Former NFL star Michael Oher, whose life inspired the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side, has alleged that he was misled by the family that took him into their home.
In court documents obtained by US outlets, Oher claims that Leigh Anne Tuohy and Sean Tuohy placed him under a conservatorship, rather than adopting him.
The petition accuses the Tuohy’s of enriching themselves at his expense by continuing to “falsely and publicly” represent themselves as his adoptive parents “to the date of the filing of this petition”. Read more
Rachel Zegler gets viral backlash as comments about Snow White remake resurface (NBC)
Disney’s live action remake of the 1937 cartoon Snow White isn’t scheduled for release until March. But its lead actress, Rachel Zegler, is already at the heart of a social media controversy over comments she made last year.
Interview clips of Zegler from September have resurfaced on social media, where people are criticizing her comments about the film, the title princess and the Prince Charming character.
In a sound bite that has gone viral, Zegler suggested scenes featuring her co-star Andrew Burnap, who plays Prince Charming, could be cut from the film. In another sound bite that has become the center of discourse, Zegler described her version of Snow White as a leader who doesn’t need a prince to save her. She also told an interviewer that she saw the original film only once before she was cast because she found the film scary as a child. Read more
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berates officials over storm damage (StraitsTimes)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated “irresponsible” officials for failing to prevent damage from a tropical storm that swept through the Korean peninsula last week, state media said on Monday.
Tropical Storm Khanun, which battered Japan before taking a circuitous route towards the Korean peninsula, moved across North Korea early on Friday, bringing heavy rain to the South.
Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact on the isolated and impoverished North due to its weak infrastructure, while deforestation has left it vulnerable to flooding. Read more
Georgia grand jury returns indictments in Trump 2020 election inquiry (Guardian)
An Atlanta-area grand jury returned 10 indictments on Monday night, according to the cover page for the charging papers, in the investigation of Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the 2020 election in Georgia.
The specific charges and the names of the defendants were not immediately clear. In the Fulton county courthouse, the indictments were walked over to Georgia superior court judge Robert McBurney, who did not make public any of the contents of the indictments.
But the high-profile investigation led by Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney, is widely expected to result in charges against Trump and multiple allies, especially given the nature of the witnesses summoned to testify to the grand jury on Monday. Read more
Tyler Adams: Bournemouth look to activate £20m release clause for Leeds midfielder (BBC)
Bournemouth are looking to sign midfielder Tyler Adams from Championship side Leeds United by activating his release clause, which is understood to be £20m.
The United States player, 24, joined Leeds last summer from German side RB Leipzig for about the same price.
Adams looked set to move to Chelsea but that fell through earlier this week.
He would become the 11th member of the Leeds squad that was relegated from the Premier League last season to leave. Read more
Propel Sports thrills organisers ahead NPFL’s August 26 kickoff (Guardian)
With the new Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) 2023/24 season set to begin on August 26, the organisers, stakeholders and fans of the country’s league football have commended the competition’s broadcast partners, Propel sports Africa for the innovations they are introducing into the championship.
Leading the encomiums is NPFL’s strategic partners, GTI Asset Management & Trust Limited, who praised Propel Sports Africa for the innovations seen in the build-up for the OTT live streaming of the elite league.
Head of Media and Publicity, GTI/TNFF, Andrew Ekejiuba, in a statement, yesterday, praised Propel Sports Africa for promptly training cameramen that would man the AI cameras listed for live streaming of the matches across the country. Read more
Chelsea sign Caicedo for reported British record £115m fee (France24)
Chelsea completed the signing of Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo on Monday for a reported Premier League record fee of up to £115 million ($146 million).
The Blues said the 21-year-old has agreed an eight-year contract at Stamford Bridge, with a club option for a further year, after Chelsea beat off competition from Liverpool for his signature.
It is the second time Chelsea have broken the British transfer record in seven months after spending £107 million on Enzo Fernandez in January. Read more
VAR missed “blatant” Onana foul in Man United win – O’Neil (ESPN) Wolverhampton Wanderers have been issued an apology after a decision not to award a penalty during their 1-0 defeat to Manchester United, according to manager Gary O’Neil.
André Onana slammed into Sasa Kalajdzic in stoppage time at Old Trafford, but on-field referee Simon Hooper did not award a penalty.
VAR Michael Salisbury checked and cleared the incident after deciding it was not a clear and obvious error, but O’Neil claimed afterward that Select Group 1 Manager of the PGMOL Jonathan Moss admitted it was a mistake. Read more
Venus Williams, 43, earns 1st win over a top-20 opponent in 4 years at Cincinnati (USAToday)
Tennis legend Venus Williams on Monday won her first match of the 2023 Western & Southern Open over No. 16 Veronika Kudermetova 6-4, 7-5. It’s Williams’ first victory over a top-20 opponent in four years.
Williams, a wildcard in the tournament, overcame deficits of 4-1 and 4-0 in the first and second sets, respectively, to advance to the round of 32.
“(I was) definitely in some big holes today that I usually don’t play from— I’m usually ahead,” Williams said, giggling. “It was definitely different, but that’s tennis and that’s what’s so exciting … the satisfaction from today is just all the work that goes into just being here at all.” Read more
Ex-NFL RB, Arkansas star Alex Collins dies at 28 after motorcycle crash (ABC)
Former NFL running back Alex Collins died after he was involved in a motorcycle crash in Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, on Sunday night, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. He was 28.
Collins crashed into an SUV on West Oakland Park Boulevard while driving a motorcycle and went through the rear passenger side window. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The crash is under investigation.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Alex Collins this morning,” Collins’ family said in a statement Monday night. “Alex was cherished by his family and friends as well as supporters from all around the world. All who truly know him can attest to his drive, determination, and larger-than-life personality.” Read more