Police end Magodo estate siege as Sanwo-Olu intervenes (Tribune)
The siege laid to Magodo Estate Phase 2 by police officers who came with those seeking to reclaim the land on which the estate was built, is over today, (Wednesday) with the withdrawal of the officers by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Kotangora.
The officers who came with the bailiffs on Tuesday to mark hundreds of houses in the estate for possible demolition, creating massive tension among the residents, encamped at the Magodo Police Post and spent the night, until Kotangora came to pull them out at about 11 am.
The two gates leading to the estate, which were firmly shut by the leadership of Magodo Residents Association (MRA), to prevent the bulldozer brought by the claimants from accessing the estate and possibly pull down, marked buildings, have also been thrown open, for inward and exit movements.
The temporary relief came after the visit of the Mayoress of Ikosi-Ketu LCDA, Samiat Abolanle Bada, to the police post, where a private discussion took place between her and Kotangora.
With the gun-totting officers in tow, both Kotangora and Bada returned to the shut main gate, connecting Shangisha, to address the worried residents who had gathered in their numbers and the MRA leadership. Read more
Lagos spent over N3b to equip police in 2021, Sanwo-Olu reveals (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Wednesday, said over N3 billion had been spent to equip the Nigeria Police in 2021 in its quest to ensure the safety and security of residents.
He gave the assurance that his government in 2022 would ensure the state remains the most secured and safe state with far-reaching support to security operatives in Nigeria.
The governor, who stated this at the 15th town hall on security by the state government, organised by Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, with the theme, “Re-conceptualising Safety and Security In Lagos State,” maintained that the government would continue to play the leading role to secure the state, saying it has demonstrated the commitment in the past and will remain resolute in the quest to enhance peace and security. Read more
Yuletide: LASTMA assures Lagos motorists of adequate traffic control (Punch)
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority has assured Lagos motorists of adequate traffic control during the festive season. Giving the assurance, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr Bolaji Oreagba, reiterated that traffic personnel are fully on the ground to professionally manage traffic before, during and after the yuletide.
In a statement signed by the Assistant Director, Public Affairs of LASTMA, Olumide Filade, Oreagba gave this assertion while strategising with the Comptrollers and Zonal Heads at the LASTMA headquarters on Monday.
Oreagba said, “All motorists are urged to maintain speed limits as they embark on their journeys into, within and outside Lagos. Entry and exit points into Lagos will be fully manned by our officers for adequate control and management of traffic. Major entry/exit roads in Lagos like, Lagos – Ibadan, Lagos-Abeokuta, Lagos – Badagry, Lekki -Epe Expressways and Lagos – Ikorodu – Sagamu Highway, would be adequately covered by our personnel for smooth and seamless traffic flow.
“Major road intersections are not left out in our strategy for coverage by our officers to ensure a traffic-free Yuletide and ‘ember months end season for all Lagosians and visitors.” Read more
Miss Nigeria: Hisbah under fire over move to invite Shatu Garko’s parents (DailyTrust)
The Kano state Hisbah board is currently under fire over its plan to invite the parents of Shatu Garko, winner of Miss Nigeria 2021.
Garko, an 18-year-old Hijab wearing model from Kano, emerged winner of the contest, which held in Lagos on Friday night.
But Commandant-General of the board, Harun Ibn Sina, had told Daily Trust that participation in beauty pageants was against Islamic teachings.
Citing verses and examples from holy books, he had said, “We investigated and confirmed that the girl called Shatu Garko is from Kano state and an Indigene of Garko Local Government area of Kano state. Read more
Romeo’s pizza, Coldberry open Lagos shop (Nation)
An American styled fast food brand, Romeo’s pizza and Coldberry Ice cream has made an entrant into Lagos metropolis.
The leisure and holiday makers delight has opened its first outlet in the Surulere area of Lagos with subsequent ones to unfold. Romeo’s pizza is a franchise of Romeo’s pizza of State of Ohio in the United States.
Chairman, Irukka Online Limited, owners of the franchise, Ifeanyi Onwubiko, Romeo’s pizza operates with the same standard world-wide.
What that means is that it is the same quality of pizza that Americans are enjoying that he has brought to Nigeria. Read more
FEC approves ₦3.3b for Gashua Water Supply Scheme (VON)
The Federal Executive Council on Wednesday approved ₦3.3 billion for the execution of two Water Supply projects in Yobe State, North-East Nigeria.
Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, who spoke to State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting, made the disclosure.
“Council today approved a memo for the execution of two contracts for Gashua Water Supply Project Phase II in Yobe State.
“Lot ‘A’ was in the sum of N1.27 billion and Lot ‘B’ in the sum of N2.24 billion. Essentially, one lot is for extension of water supply service to Zango and Sabon Garin Lamido, consisting of boreholes, solar panels and so on. Read more
FG declares public holidays for Christmas, New Year celebrations (DailyTrust)
The federal government has declared Monday 27th, Tuesday 28th December 2021 and Monday, 3rd January 2022 as public holidays to mark Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year Day celebrations, respectively.
Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made the declaration on behalf of the federal government in a statement by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, on Wednesday morning.
He felicitated with Christians and all Nigerians at home and in the diaspora on this year’s Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Aregbesola enjoined Christians to practice the doctrines of Christ, which include but are not limited to faith, hope and love.
“We must emulate the life of Jesus Christ in His practice and teachings on humility, service, compassion, patience, peace and righteousness, that His birth signifies. Read more
Electoral Act: Override Buhari, listen to Nigerians, Northern group tells NASS (Sun)
The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) on Wednesday called on the National Assembly to override President Muhammadu Buhari and exercise its constitutional provision by vetoing the rejected electoral act by the president.
AYCN President Isah Abubakar said in a statement that his organisation was disappointed by the action of Mr President at the expense of millions of Nigeria who look forward to prove electoral system.
According to him, ‘we noted with total dismay the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to refuse to sign the amended electoral act into law. With this unpopular decision, President Buhari will be remembered as the President who never stood by the majority of his citizens but allowed himself to be caged by a few elements who can’t win elections in their various units without rigging.
‘This would not be the first time Mr President would present himself as an agent that is averse to democratic advancement. During the lifespan of the 8th Assembly led by Senator Bukola Saraki, the electoral act was amended and forwarded to him for an assent which he shy away from citing flimsy reasons despite being the principal beneficiary of Yar’adua/Goodluck Jonathan’s led electoral reform. Read more
Pregnant women protest alleged suspension of ante-natal services in Edo Central Hospital (Independent)
Alleged suspension of ante-natal services in government hospitals by the Edo State government sparked sporadic protests by pregnant women in Benin City on Wednesday.
The women in their numbers, who protested to the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Edo State Council, said they went to the Central Hospital, Benin for their regular ante-natal care but were turned back by the staff of the hospital who were said to have been working on the instructions of the state government.
Addressing journalists at the Edo state NUJ Secretariat in Benin, Mrs. Happy Imafidon, one of the pregnant women said soon after they reported at the Central hospital for their usual Wednesday appointment, they were turned back and from their enquiry, they were told that they were only acting on instructions and that they were free to visit the private hospitals if they have any issues till further notice.
She said angered by what they were told by the health workers on duty, they decided to embark on a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the government to their plight. Read more
India could raise marriage age for women from 18 to 21 (VOA)
In India, the government has proposed legislation to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years old, bringing it on par with men and saying it will empower women. But many women activists say the planned law would do little to address deep-seated societal problems that result in millions of young girls being married at an age even younger than 18.
“We are doing this so that they can have time to study and progress. The country is taking this decision for its daughters,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said after The Prohibition of Child Marriage [Amendment] Bill was introduced in parliament
Tuesday. The action comes more than a year after he said, during an Independence Day speech, that the government is considering raising the legal age of marriage for women.
The government says the aim is to provide equal opportunity to women by giving them more time to complete their education, access employment opportunities, attain psychological maturity before marriage and ensure gender parity.
“In a democracy, we are 75 years late in providing equal rights to men and women to enter into matrimony,” Smriti Irani, minister of women and child development, said in parliament Tuesday. Read more
‘Animal Crossing’ is the most inclusive game for women, says new survey (NME)
A survey of 1000 female gamers has said that women find Animal Crossing: New Horizons the most inclusive video game to play, with PUBG the second and Roblox the third.
Grand Theft Auto: Online was bottom of the ranking, just below Call Of Duty: Warzone and Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare.
The data, gathered by Frontier, asked women to score a range of 40 games based on their friendliness, their inclusivity and their positive depiction of women.
It comes alongside the data that nearly half (47%) of the gamers surveyed started playing video games as a regular hobby in the past 2 years while 52% said that gaming is currently a “very” or “extremely” important part of their social life. Before the pandemic, only 46% of women agreed. Read more
AJ Odudu and Kai Widdington will get to perform Strictly final show dance next year (DailyStar)
Strictly Come Dancing stars AJ Odudu and Kai Widdrington will finally get to dance their final show dance on the upcoming 2022 tour.
The TV presenter and her professional dance partner were left heartbroken after an injury forced to them to pull out of the BBC dance competition just hours before the final.
AJ and Kai prepared a spectacular show dance to Naughty Boy’s track Runnin’ but they were unable to perform it last weekend after AJ injured her foot.
However, it was has now been confirmed that the pair will be able to show off their routine during the Strictly 2022 Arena tour. Read more
Mandy Teefey says daughter Selena Gomez was ‘proud’ of her for sharing about recent health crisis (People)
Mandy Teefey was a vision of happiness while shooting the December cover of Entrepreneur magazine with daughter Selena Gomez and Newsette founder Daniella Pierson in support of their new mental health company, Wondermind.
But behind her big smile, she was struggling.
“I almost passed out doing the shoot,” Teefey, 45, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. “We had to break so many times, but all my friends and loved ones around me helped me get through it. I was smiling and laughing most of the time because I was going to faint. Don’t judge how someone looks because you don’t know what’s underneath that picture.”
Less than a month before the shoot, Teefey had been hospitalized with life-threatening double pneumonia that she says had been “exacerbated” when she caught COVID-19. Read more
Portfolio committee wants to convene urgent Indaba to discuss initiates’ deaths and best practice methods (SowetanLive)
The portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs wants to hold an urgent male customary initiation Indaba.
This comes as the committee said it was shocked and saddened by the deaths of 32 initiates in the Eastern Cape.
“The committee notes that the spike in initiation deaths coincides with the relaxation of regulations that imposed a temporary ban on male customary initiation.
“It is of great concern to the committee that this tragedy continues unmitigated despite its recent series of engagements with the relevant male customary initiation role players, both nationally and provincially, in a bid to hold those responsible to account,” said committee chairperson Fikile Xasa on Wednesday. Read more
COVID: South African study suggests Omicron milder than Delta (Aljazeera)
A South African study has suggested there are reduced risks of hospitalisation and severe disease in people infected with the Omicron coronavirus variant versus the Delta one, though the authors say some of that is likely due to high population immunity.
Questions about Omicron’s virulence are at the heart of scientific and political debate in many countries, as governments grapple with how to respond to the spread of the variant while researchers race to understand it.
The study, which has not been peer-reviewed, found that people diagnosed with Omicron in South Africa between October 1 and November 30 were 80 percent less likely to be admitted to hospital than those diagnosed with another variant in the same period.
Among patients admitted in that period, those with Omicron had a similar chance of developing severe disease as those with other variants. Read more
Doctor Strange set to battle himself as he meets up with Wanda Maximoff in epic Multiverse of Madness trailer (Metro)
The trailer for Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness has officially been released, with it making some huge reveals about the future of the MCU.
Spider-Man: No Way Home fans will have already seen the trailer in the cinema, but with Marvel officially releasing it, the hype is definitely amping up for the movie’s May 2022 release.
Benedict Cumberbatch returns as the sorcerer, who is attempting to find out more about the multiverse, which has already wreaked havoc across the universe.
As we catch up with him following the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, he says: ‘The multiverse is a concept about which we know frighteningly little.’ Read more
Boxing ring announcer David Diamante severely injured in motorbike crash (Metro)
Boxing ring announcer David Diamante says he will ‘have to learn to walk again’ after suffering severe injuries in a motorbike crash.
The 50-year-old, who was announcing in the ring for Derek Chisora’s rematch against Joseph Parker at the Manchester Arena on Saturday evening, was involved in an accident in Brooklyn on Monday.
Diamante was rushed to hospital in critical condition and had suffered three spinal fractures, broken ribs and injuries to his knee.
He required five hours of surgery and says he is aiming to return as quickly as possible but acknowledges there is a ‘risk of complications’. Read more
LMC announces indefinite postponement of Sunshine Stars, Wikki match (Leadership)
The League Management Company, LMC, has postponed indefinitely, the matchday 1 fixture of the 2021/2022 Nigeria Professional Football League, NPFL season involving Sunshine Stars FC of Akure and Wikki Tourists of Bauchi, indefinitely.
The league organisers announced the postponement without a new date on Tuesday.
In a post on its official Facebook page, LMC noted that it would take a decision on the match which was initially billed to hold on Sunday but later shifted to Monday which could not also hold.
It however did not stipulate a definite date when the decision on the match or sanctions against the two clubs would be made. Read more
Barcelona agree £45m fee for Man City forward Ferran Torres despite financial crisis (Mirror)
Barcelona and Manchester City are close to agreeing a deal for the transfer of forward Ferran Torres for an initial fee in the region of £45million.
The Spain international will move to the Camp Nou in January with an agreement set to be reached, with a further £9million in add-ons set to be included in the switch.
City had initial been holding to an asking price of £60million for the 21-year-old, but are now willing to accept an offer following several weeks of negotiations.
Barca’s well-documented financial problems ensures the deal is likely to raise eyebrows, but the Catalan club have secured bank loans in recent months to raise funds for transfer investment. Read more
Pundit likens Arsenal EFL Cup hero Nketiah to Wright (Football365)
Former England international Trevor Sinclair says Eddie Nketiah reminds him of Ian Wright after the Arsenal striker bagged a hat-trick in a 5-1 victory over Sunderland in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.
The Gunners secured a comfortable victory to reach the last four as Nketiah shone on a night where club-record signing Nicolas Pepe got on the scoresheet and 18-year-old Charlie Patino toasted his first-team debut with a goal.
Nketiah, 22, is out of contract in the summer and has reportedly turned down a contract offer as he struggles for game time, especially in the Premier League where he has played just 38 minutes so far this season.
And Sinclair thinks Nketiah’s movement is similar to that of Arsenal legend Wright, who scored 185 goals for the Gunners. Read more
PCB to build a high-tech cricket stadium in Islamabad by 2025 (CricketPakistan)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja attended a press conference on Wednesday in which he addressed all the cricketing problems Pakistan is facing, the governing body’s plans for the future, and provided ample solutions to those.
While on the subjects of infrastructure, Ramiz Raja heavily criticised the conditions of the stadiums in Pakistan and that they are not up to the standards of international cricket.
“The seats are not good, the viewing galleries are not good either. There is absolutely nothing that is there which can attract sponsors. There are a lot of things which need to be fixed on a lot of different levels,” said Ramiz during the conference.
Ramiz explained how attaining the rights to host ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is a huge win for Pakistan but claimed that PCB has to ensure an international-level experience for the entirety of the tournament. Read more
Golf dad creates women’s developmental tour to debut in January (Yahoo)
Women’s professional golf is getting a boost.
The East Coast Women’s Professional Golf Tour will debut in January as another mini-tour option for aspiring LPGA players. The tour is an outgrowth of the National Women’s Golf Association tour, which was purchased by Mark Berman, who also founded the PXG Women’s Match Play Championship.
The new tour’s focus will be to deliver a more economically viable and regionally focused pathway for women’s player in the eastern third of the country.
“Our goal is to complement the other tours rather than compete,” Berman said. “We’ll keep an eye on schedules, so players don’t have to choose one over another. At the same time, there are plenty of players looking for tournaments. We’re creating events in areas where players are currently underserved, helping them cut down on front-end costs. We are committed to a tournament experience that demonstrates how valued and meaningful these players are as women and athletes, while preparing them for the Symetra Tour and LPGA Q-School.” Read more
Iman Shumpert says LeBron James ‘ruined’ the NBA with his Heat move because it made fans view the game differently (Insider)
LeBron James’ infamous move to the Miami Heat in 2010 changed how fans view and talk about the NBA, according to former NBA guard Iman Shumpert.
Shumpert, who played with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014-15 to 2018-19, told the “Bootleg Kev Podcast” that James’ move altered the perception of loyalty in the NBA.
“‘Bron ruined basketball. He thought he was making it better, I get it, but —” Shumpert said.
Shumpert explained that he believes James made fans view the game in a more transactional manner. Read more