Panic over death of Ojodu-Berger okada riders’ chair (Guardian)
Pedestrians and residents of the Ojodu-Berger area of Lagos State were yesterday, thrown into fear, following the killing of the chairman of the Ojodu-Berger Okada Riders Association, Mr. Alaba Williams also known as ‘Onimama’.
Many of the residents could not access the popular Kosoko bus stop in the area, where the death of the chairman allegedly occurred, for fear of attack.
The area, which used to be a beehive of activities with pedestrians transiting from one location to the other, suddenly became a shadow of itself as many Okada riders fled the area for fear of arrest by the police.
The Guardian gathered that Williams was stabbed to death in the early hours of yesterday, following an argument between him (Williams) and a fellow Okada man, while he was allegedly demanding a settlement fee for dropping a passenger at the bus stop. Read more
Climate change responsible for flooding – Lagos govt (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has said flooding on Lagos Island is caused by the effects of climate change and blocked drains in the area.
The Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Mr. Tunji Bello, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, adding that a massive pumping station equipped with high-capacity tanks would be provided.
He said, “A permanent solution to the issue of flooding in Idumagbo, Oroyinyin, Ojo Giwa, and environs on Lagos Island would be put in place before the end of the year, but I want to assure residents that what has been provided at the Ilubirin end, for now, is a temporary measure which takes a minimum of two days to pump water after every heavy rainfall.
“The major problem responsible for flooding is the depressing nature of the area which has made it difficult for water to naturally drain into the canals. What was experienced in Idumagbo and its environs are the effects of climate change as Lagos is one of the cities projected as one of the sinking cities in the world. Read more
CSCS shareholders approve N3.7billion dividends (Leadership)
The shareholders of the Central Securities Clearing System(CSCS) Plc unanimously approved the payment of N3.7billion as cumulative dividends to be paid by the company to its investing public.
The shareholders, who gave the approval at the 28th annual general meeting(AGM)of the firm in Lagos on Friday, applauded the executive management for an incredible performance, despite the challenging operating environment.
The dividends, which translated to 83.7% payout ratio, further reflects the resilient profitability of the company, notwithstanding the impact of lower trading activity on most Exchanges in the Nigerian capital market and inflationary pressures.
Consolidating on its diligent earnings diversification drive, the company grew revenue from core operations and ancillary services by 39.2 per cent to N6.4billion from N4.6billion in 2020, as it almost quadrupled earnings through ancillary services from N526million in 2020 financial year to N2.2billion in 2021 financial year. Read more
Tax countries poaching our human resources, Phillips Consulting tells FG (DailyTrust)
Founder and Chairman of Phillips Consulting, Mr. Foluso Phillips, at the weekend suggested that Nigeria should begin to tax countries extracting Nigeria’s human assets abroad.
He said income tax received by these countries should be shared with Nigeria “because of the investment we have made in training our people.”
According to him, “even for those who were trained abroad, each one was funded by Nigerian parents. I know that would be a hard sell, but it’s such a loss to this country for now.”
He spoke in Lagos while delivering a lecture on “Nigeria American Trade Relations – Back to the Drawing Board” at the inauguration of the 19th National President of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC), Dame Adebola Williams. Read more
Govt rejects scholarship recommendation for sacked Ikoyi building consultant (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has turned down a recommendation by the Ikoyi building collapse tribunal to sponsor the consultant who raised the alarm over professional ineptitude that characterised the construction project, The PUNCH has learnt.
A member of the tribunal, Godfrey Chukwurah, who made the disclosure to our correspondent in an exclusive interview, said the tribunal’s recommendation came in light of the discovery of the significant observations made by the consultant (whose name he did not disclose).
According to him, the consultant, who was the representative of Prowess Engineering Limited, the consulting firm of Fourscore Heights Limited, had noted that the columns on the ground floor lacked the capacity to carry the high-rise building.
He said, “There was a young man who was working for Prowess. He had written remarks that all the columns on the ground floor should be demolished. He was working with the consultant engineer. He’s the one who was representing the engineer on site. Read more
Emefiele should resign, says ex-SSG Basorun (Nation)
Second Republic Secretary to Lagos State Government (SSG) Olorunfunmi Basorun yesterday asked Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele to resign.
He said if he failed to quit, the Federal Government should relieve him of his position, having joined the presidential race on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Basorun, a lawyer and retired CBN deputy director, said it was dangerous for the economy if the governor of the apex bank retained his job while playing politics.
He said his foray into politics would distract him from focusing on his job as a key regulator of the economy. Read more
ASUU may rollover strike, holds crucial NEC meeting (Tribune)
THE leadership of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may roll over the ongoing two months of warning strike following the inability of the Federal Government to meet most of the demands of the Union.
A credible source from the ongoing National Executive Council meeting of ASUU held in Abuja hinted that the strike would be extended to give the Federal Government enough time to respond to the demands of the lecturers.
By this Friday, the two months roll over industrial action would expire without the Federal Government meeting their demands.
A member of the NEC told Nigerian Tribune that the strike might be extended with the submissions given so far at the meeting. Read more
Only military personnel who served up to 15 years from 1977 to 1992 are entitled to pension entitlements – Pension Act (Vanguard)
Against the backdrop of fresh threats by a group of retired ex-soldiers to initiate a nationwide protest action over alleged non-payment of their pension entitlements, authorities of the Military Pensions Board have explained that only ex-soldiers who spent up to 15 years between 1977 to 1992 in the military are entitled to pension benefits according to extant laws.
The Pensions Board said these sets of ex-soldiers who didn’t make 15 years in the military are only entitled to payment of gratuities for the years spent.
The group of ex-soldiers led by Babawande Philips after several correspondences with the Ministry of Defence, the Defence Headquarters and Military Pensions Board on the need to include military personnel who served up to 10 years in pensions payment failed, threatened to initiate a nationwide protest to make the federal government accept their demands.
It would be recalled that the fight over the request by the group and other veteran groups urging the government to reduce the tenure of ex-soldiers entitled to collection of pensions dates back to over 15 years ago with subsequent government’s insisting on the law. Read more
Rock Federation holds media unveiling in Abuja
(Leadership)
The unveiling of Rock Music Festival by the Rock Music Federation of Nigeria held at Sandralia Hotel, with performances by rock bands led by rock musician, King Faj, to the delight of the audience comprising of major entertainment practitioners, creatives, and rock music enthusiasts.
Speaking during the press conference, project director and founder, Rock Music Federation of Nigeria, Amb. Phil Roberts, said that the goal of the festival is to draw Nigeria’s attention to the possibilities in the creative industry and the need to diversify the economy.
According to him, “The recent fall in global crude oil prices has once again demonstrated the urgent need for Nigeria to diversify her exports of other products. Oil prices have fallen over 60% from peaks of June 2014 till date and this is likely to linger for a long time.
“This is causing unprecedented economic challenges in Nigeria including a fall in foreign reserves, devaluation pressure on the Naira, increased unemployment, falling investments, amongst others. Read more
Kendrick Lamar shares 1st new single in 4 years, ‘The Heart Part 5’ (NME)
Kendrick Lamar has shared ‘The Heart Part 5’, the first single to be lifted from his fifth studio album ‘Dr. Morale And The Big Steppers’ ahead of its release this Friday (May 13).
The song serves as Lamar’s first solo single since 2018’s ‘All The Stars’, which featured SZA and served as the lead single from Lamar’s curated Black Panther soundtrack. As its title suggests, ‘The Heart Part 5’ is the latest instalment in a series of tracks Lamar has released across his career – parts one and two were released in 2010, part three was released in 2012 and part four was released in 2017.
An accompanying music video has been shared for the single, co-directed by Dave Free alongside Lamar himself. Lamar raps the song in front of a red background, before his face is transformed via deepfake technology to resemble people such as Kanye West, Kid Cudi and Will Smith. South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are given “special thanks” in the video’s credits.
Lamar made his return to music following a nearly three-year absence in late 2021, appearing on two tracks by his cousin Baby Keem – ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Range Brothers’ – that featured on Keem’s debut album ‘The Melodic Blue’. The pair performed ‘Family Ties’ and ‘Vent’ together at Coachella last month. Read more
American Idol rocked by Covid (Hello)
American Idol experienced a bit of shake up in the latest installment as it was revealed that Covid had affected two of its biggest breakouts.
In the new episode, host Ryan Seacrest revealed during the opening remarks that two of the contestants, Noah Thompson and Fritz Hager, had tested positive for Covid.
He shared that both felt unwell at the start of the week and once they tested positive, were quickly isolated for the safety of the rest of the contestants.
Noah will be performing virtually from his hotel room while the audiences will be treated to Fritz’s rehearsal video in lieu of a performance. Read more
U2’s Bono and The Edge perform ‘show of solidarity’ for Ukraine in Kyiv metro station (ITV)
U2’s Bono and The Edge performed a concert in a Kyiv metro station on Sunday, in a “show of solidarity” with Ukraine.
The Irish rock star, who appeared alongside the band’s guitarist, sang the U2 classics Sunday Bloody Sunday, Desire and With Or Without you to a small crowd.
The stars tweeted that they had been invited to Kyiv to perform by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself.
In videos shared on social media, the pair can be seen performing the Ben E King classic Stand By Me alongside Ukrainian soldiers. Read more
Benzino publicly shames daughter Coi Leray after she defends Eminem (HipHopDX)
The public discourse between Benzino and his daughter Coi Leray continued on Saturday morning (May 7) when the former Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta personality weighed in on her recent comments about Eminem.
Benzino, who wasn’t happy about Eminem’s induction into the 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, was evidently bothered by his daughter’s defense of Slim Shady. Shortly after Benzino’s tweets, the Trendsetter rapper fired back, “I’m about love, equality, respect and forgiveness. I have nothing against Eminem, 25 years of my life all I know is he is a very talented artist and actor! (8 Mile was great) Let’s build bridges and get over them before you burn the bridge and burn it.”
Her father replied, “As far as the lil [parrot emoji] who keeps talking about love and forgiveness. Well there’s this word called ‘loyalty’ and a commandment that says ‘Honor thy Mother and Father’ As far as burning bridges, there is no bridge bigger than the one you burnt with your own blood.”
Benzino continued shaming Coi Leray by reminding the 24-year-old artist most people don’t have her best interests at heart, adding, “One day you will realize that the people in these blogs comment section do not really care about you like I do & your label execs will have you sell your soul to make millions.” Read more
Moon Knight’s Oscar Isaac reflects on X-Men: Apocalypse disappointment (DigitalSpy)
Moon Knight star Oscar Isaac has spoken out about his role in X-Men: Apocalypse, revealing what he wishes could have been different in the movie.
Star Wars and Dune actor Isaac played the role of villain En Sabah Nur / Apocalypse, one of the world’s first mutants, in the 2016 movie, which received mixed reviews on its release.
While speaking to The New York Times, the star was asked whether he had “disowned” his role in Apocalypse – an idea which he confirmed is very much not the case.
“No, I don’t disown it. I know exactly what I went in there wanting to do and the reasons why,” he said. “There were these amazing actors involved that I really wanted to work with, [James] McAvoy and [Michael] Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. Read more
Kang Soo-yeon, veteran Korean actor, dies at 55
(Variety)
Kang Soo-youn, a Korean actor who was a star of 1980s and 1990s film and TV, died on Saturday. She was 55.
She was admitted to hospital in Seoul on Thursday after reportedly suffering a heart attack and being found unconscious. She died in hospital after a cerebral hemorrhage.
Kang was a child star from the 1970s and appeared in multiple films and TV shows in the pre-modern era.
After such a busy start, Kang was ready for a new direction in her career by her twenties. She received it, age 21, when she earned the best actress prize at the 1987 Venice Film Festival for her role in Im Kwon-taek’s “The Surrogate Womb.” Two years later, she won the best actress award in Moscow for another Im title “Come, Come, Come Upward.” Read more
Dozens feared dead after Russian bomb destroys school in eastern Ukraine (PBS)
Dozens of Ukrainians were feared dead Sunday after a Russian bomb flattened a school sheltering about 90 people in its basement, while Ukrainian troops refused to surrender at a besieged steel plant that Moscow’s invading forces sped to seize before Russia’s Victory Day holiday.
The governor of Luhansk province, one of two areas that make up the eastern industrial heartland known as the Donbas, said the school in the village of Bilohorivka caught fire after Saturday’s bombing. Emergency crews found two bodies and rescued 30 people, he said.
“Most likely, all 60 people who remain under the rubble are now dead,” Gov. Serhiy Haidai wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Russian shelling also killed two boys, ages 11 and 14, in the nearby town of Pryvillia, he said.
The largest European conflict since World War II has developed into a punishing war of attrition due to the Ukrainian military’s unexpectedly effective defense. Since failing to capture Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, Moscow’s forces have attacked cities, towns and villages in eastern and southern Ukraine but not gained much ground, according to Western military analysts.
Nigeria trounce Ghana 2-0 in U20 AFCON qualifying tournament (Vanguard)
Nigeria’s U20 boys, Flying Eagles defeated their Ghanaian counterparts 2-0 in the opening match of Group B of the WAFU B U20 Championship in Niamey on Sunday, scooping all three points and putting a foot in the semi finals of a competition from where the zone’s flag bearers to next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations will emerge.
Ibrahim Muhammad put the Nigerians’ noses in front after only six minutes, and the seven –time African champions showed composure, confidence and calmness as they dominated the Black Satellites easily.
Adams Olubi could have made it 2-0 for Nigeria towards the end of the first half but fluffed his lines after a good team move had carved open the Ghanaian rearguard and left him with only the goalkeeper to beat.
The Flying Eagles eventually made sure of the three points in the second half at the Stade General Seyni Kountché, when substitute Ahmed Abdullahi slotted into the net in the 78th minute after a series of onslaughts left the Ghanaians in disarray. Read more
Juventus not interested in Manchester United midfielder Matic (FootballItalia)
Italian sources have been quick to shoot down reports that Manchester United defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic could join Juventus as a free agent.
The veteran is out of contract this summer and free to choose his next destination without a transfer fee.
The Daily Star suggested this weekend that Matic had chosen a proposal from Juve to continue his career in Serie A.
It would earn him a signing-on bonus and a salary worth €5m per season. Read more
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Real Madrid: Yannick Carrasco penalty secures derby win to boost Champions League bid (Standard)
Atletico Madrid won the derby bragging rights after Yannick Carrasco’s penalty secured a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday night.
After Real Betis fell to a late defeat at home to Barcelona earlier in the weekend, the first-half spot-kick pushed Atletico towards another crack at the Champions League next season with a top-four finish.
Atletico, who welcomed the newly crowned LaLiga champions to the Wanda Metropolitano without the traditional guard of honour, came out pressing high as Angel Correa and Carrasco had two great chances to open the scoring within the first ten minutes.
Carrasco put the hosts ahead in the 40th minute, after a penalty was awarded to Atletico following a VAR review for a foul on Matheus Cunha. Read more
Jamie Carragher slams “idiot” Luke Ayling after red card for “disgusting” two-foot lunge (Mirror)
Jamie Carragher has called Leeds captain Luke Ayling “an idiot” after he was sent off on Sunday for a shocking two-footed tackle on Arsenal youngster Gabriel Martinelli.
The 30-year-old, who started his career with the Gunners, recklessly flew into the challenge at pace and left Martinelli on the floor. The Brazilian’s team-mates were furious with the tackle and a scuffle between the two sets of players unfolded at the Emirates.
Referee Chris Kavanagh booked Ayling for the foul, but VAR asked the official to take another look at the challenge. Kavanagh inevitably changed his mind and gave the Englishman his marching orders. Martinelli was able to continue playing.
“He’s jumped in with two feet, studs showing,” Arsenal legend Alan Smith told Sky Sports. “He was annoyed, I think, that the flag didn’t go up – but that kind of challenge has no place in football these days. I would be surprised if the ref doesn’t change his mind here.” Read more
Miami GP: George Russell at a loss after dropping back in qualifying (GMS)
Mercedes driver George Russell said he could not really work out why he dropped back to P12 in qualifying after showing good practice pace at the Miami Grand Prix.
The British driver had sparked hopes that he would be in contention potentially even for pole in qualifying with a really strong performance on Friday in the two practice sessions.
Indeed, he was close to Charles Leclerc as he went second quickest in FP1 whilst he topped the timesheets in FP2 and, naturally, that would have given him hope ahead of a potentially competitive weekend.
However, qualifying suggested that the team had made a step back in terms of tuning the car ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, with him only able to go 12th fastest and he revealed that the porpoise effect had gotten worse over the course of the weekend as he reflected on the session. Read more
In a massive boxing upset, Dmitry Bivol takes out Canelo Álvarez (NPR)
Russian light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol stunned the boxing world Saturday night, winning by a unanimous decision against star Canelo Álvarez – only the second defeat of Álvarez’s superlative professional career.
Normally, the undefeated champion – Bivol, who has held the World Boxing Association’s light heavyweight title since 2017 – would get top billing, the second boxer to enter the ring, the lead name on the poster.
But Álvarez, one of the sport’s biggest draws, was no typical challenger. Before the match, he was ranked as the world’s best boxer pound-for-pound by The Ring magazine. Last year, he was named the undisputed world champion at super middleweight.
So it was Álvarez who walked into T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Saturday night as the 5-1 favorite – but it was Bivol who walked out the winner. Read more
Novak Djokovic rooting for Carlos Alcaraz as star’s ‘huge’ Madrid Open weapon highlighted (Express)
Novak Djokovic has explained the “huge” weapon Carlos Alcaraz possesses in the altitude at the Madrid Open ahead of the teenager’s final against Alexander Zverev. The world No 9 beat Djokovic in their first meeting in Saturday’s semi-final and the top seed explained how he struggled at the hands of Alcaraz’s kick serve.
Alcaraz became the first man in history to beat Djokovic and Nadal back-to-back on the clay by defeating them en route to his maiden final in Madrid. He now faces defending champion Zverev but has a fighting chance according to his latest victim, as the world No 1 explained how Alcaraz had a secret weapon in his locker.
Explaining how the seventh seed was able to use Madrid’s unique conditions to his advantage while most players struggled in the altitude, the three-time former champion said: “His kick in altitude here is huge, and it was just difficult to deal with his ball, and I wasn’t feeling my return from that side.”
Thanks to the altitude, the ball bounces even higher on Alcaraz’s kick serve at the Caja Magica, something that could be crucial against 6’6 Zverev, who is five inches taller than the home favourite. Djokovic also thought Alcaraz had a strong mentality, something else that will be important in his second Masters 1000 final. Read more