Police parade 14 invaders of Justice Odili’s home (Guardian)
The Nigeria police high command has arrested 14 suspects who raided the home of Supreme court judge, Justice Odili.
The suspects consist of syndicates drawn from police, military, journalism and the legal profession.
Police spokesman Frank Mba, who paraded the suspects, said seven of them, including two soldiers are at large.
He vowed that all suspects at large would be apprehended.
Mba noted that the leader of the illegal operation is a fake Chief Superintendent of police. Read more
Low turnout for Lagos fair over high ticket fee (DailyTrust)
Six days into the ongoing 35th edition of the Lagos International Trade Fair has been characterized by low turn-out of patrons to the fair.
Exhibitors have also complained of poor sales due to the low turn-out which they blamed on the ticket fee pegged at N500 on the first and second day of the fair before it was reduced to N350.
In spite of the reduction to N350, exhibitors lamented that in view of the economic situation of the country, the cost of ticket to gain entrance into the fairground was high.
As a result of the low turn-out of patrons, some traders had to reduce the prices of their items in order to attract customers to their wares.
An exhibitor, UCEE conception, seller of electrical appliances expressed that the turn-out has been poor, saying it was as a result of the high cost of ticket fee coupled with the unfriendly economic situation of the country.
A sales representative in one of the electrical appliance companies lamented that they have not been meeting their target of N1 million due to poor sales and that they hardly make half of the target daily. She described the turn-out as poor compared to last year. Read more
Building Collapse: Lagos NIS calls for adoption of GPS technology (Independent)
As a remedy to the prevalence of building collapses within and outside the state, the Lagos branch of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS) has called for the adoption of the Global Positioning System (GPS) technology.
This was indicated while briefing the press on the position of the institution in the recently collapsed 21-storey building on Gerrard Road in Ikoyi, where scores of people lost their lives.
While briefing the press, Adeleke Adesina, Chairman of the institution, disclosed that nowadays, smart cities must consider the importance of the GPS technology as an important player for monitoring high-rise buildings still under normal behaviour.
“The advantage of using GPS technology is that it can detect if the structure has drifted even for a few centimeters. Besides that, GPS provides cost effective and 3D information that will be useful for structural engineers. Read more
Lagos reopens Olusosun dump after 48-hour closure (Punch)
The Lagos Waste Management Authority has reopened the Olusosun Landfill after a 48-hour closure announced earlier.
Speaking on the reopening, the Managing Director/CEO of LAWMA, Mr. Ibrahim Odumboni, said the temporary closure of the landfill became necessary to prepare the site for the anticipated increase in waste disposal activities during the forthcoming Yuletide festivities.
He said this in a statement titled, ‘LAWMA reopens Olusosun landfill for operations,’ on Thursday.
He said, “December will have more influx of trucks due to the volume of waste that would be generated during the period. 70 per cent of waste generated in Lagos is deposited at Olusosun. Read more
Foundation moves to empower over 1,500 women in Lagos (Sun)
Adonai Empowerment Foundation (AEF), an NGO, will on Saturday, November 20, give N2.5 million worth of business grants to 50 women as well as distribute relief materials to over 1,500 women in Lagos State.
This was disclosed by the Foundation’s Lead Director, Mo Oladapo, at a press briefing on Wednesday in Festac, Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area.
According to him, this year’s annual charity event, the 31st in the series, would focus on giving grants for micro and small businesses to women, providing medical checks and drugs for the women as well as distributing relief materials.
Titled “Compassion charity event”, apart from poor widows and aged women who are the main focus of the organisation, other categories of people that would benefit include struggling market women, and orphaned children or children of the poor, as well as struggling young students/entrepreneurs. Read more
LASG engages stakeholders on construction of Fadaini-Obale road, Apapa (Independent)
The Lagos State Government, in furtherance of its THEMES agenda, has engaged stakeholders on the construction of Fadaini- Obale road in Apapa Iganmu Local Council Development Area of the State.
Speaking at the meeting held at Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Alausa, Ikeja the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako stated that it was the norm for Lagos State Government to engage the people and seek their inputs as the starting point for embarking on public infrastructure projects.
Speaking through the Special Adviser on Urban Development, Hon. Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, Salako noted that that the Administration of Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu had lived up to the expectation of participatory governance by making the bottom-up approach mandatory in the delivery of public amenities.
Noting that issues around the seamless delivery of Right of Way for the smooth execution of the project constituted a major agenda for discussion, he called for the cooperation of the people throughout every facet of the project. Read more
Court orders arrest of ex-judge for allegedly beating bailiff (Nation)
A Chief Magistrate Court in Adamawa State has ordered the Commissioner of Police to arrest a former High Court Judge, Hon. Justice Micheal Goji.
Chief Magistrate Abdullahi Digil ordered the arrest of the ex-judge for allegedly beating a court bailiff, Amos Ndari, who went to his residence in the Federal Housing Estate Girei, near Yola, to serve him with a court summons.
Justice Goji was alleged to have confronted the court bailiff and molested him, tearing his clothes.
The bailiff was earlier directed by the magistrate court to serve the former judge with summons following a complaint lodged before it by the State Board of Internal Revenue. Read more
Troops eliminate 31 terrorists, arrest 71, as 1186 surrendered in 2 weeks (Vanguard)
The Defence Headquarters says troops of Operation Hadin Kai, eliminated 31 terrorists, arrested 71 and received 1,186 surrendered insurgents in two weeks in the North East.
The Acting Director, Defence Media Operations, Brig.-Gen. Bernard Onyeuko, disclosed this while briefing newsmen on the operations of armed forces between Oct. 29 and Nov. 11 on Thursday in Abuja.
Onyeuko said that two of the arrested terrorists were women logistics suppliers namely, Mrs Aisha Umar (19) with a two-year-old child and Mrs Kaltumi Bakura (20) who were residents at IDP Camp in Bama.
He also disclosed that a total of 97 kidnapped civilians were rescued while a total of 122 assorted weapons were recovered during the period. Read more
UK Govt congratulates people of Anambra for peaceful election (Tribune)
United Kingdom Thursday offered its congratulations to Prof. Charles Soludo who has been declared winner of the Anambra State governorship election.
In a statement made available to journalists said ” the Government of UK note that the results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission are consistent with the results obtained through the civil society Parallel Vote Tabulation process carried out by YIAGA Africa.
According to the statement, “Our mission, which observed the preparations for the poll, acknowledges the collective effort of stakeholders in the conduct of the election. The people of Anambra have demonstrated resilience and a commitment to democracy.
“We recognize that independent Nigerian voices have expressed concerns about the conduct of the electoral process, in particular around logistics, accreditation of voters, deployment of polling officials, and low voter turnout. Read more
Sylvester Stallone nearly died during making of “Rocky IV” after iconic Ivan Drago fight (Metro)
Sylvester Stallone has revealed he nearly died after filming an iconic Rocky IV fight scene alongside Dolph Lundgren for the 1985 classic.
The actor was rushed to hospital in Canada after a fight scene in the film went very wrong on set and he was ‘pulverised’ by his co-star, who played Ivan Drago.
Recalling the now-legendary film for his YouTube channel in a clip titled The Making of Rocky vs. Drago by Sylvester Stallone, the 75-year-old actor, who played Rocky Balboa, revealed doctors feared that he would be ‘talking to angels’ after the scene.
The star even said he had nuns praying for him in intensive care. Read more
‘No Jab, No Job’: Care home chaos commences with up to 60,000 staff banned from working (DailyMail)
Care homes were hurled into chaos today after the new ‘no jab, no job’ policy kicked in and forced up to 60,000 staff out of work.
All care home workers in England, including cleaners and receptionists, were legally required to have had both of their Covid vaccines by midnight.
It’s thought that as many as 57,000 failed to hit the deadline, which care bosses say will create dangerous staffing levels that puts residents’ lives at risk.
Unions have warned the move was like ‘taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut’, given that 90 per cent of the workforce was already vaccinated. One facility in Liverpool revealed it had lost seven per cent of its staff overnight. Read more
Blundering Boris Johnson gets two world leaders mixed up at COP26 climate summit (Mirror)
Blundering Boris Johnson muddled up two world leaders with each other in an official statement at COP26.
The slapdash Prime Minister said he was “moved” when Mia Mottley, the PM of Barbados, said “we are digging our own graves” at the climate summit’s opening ceremony.
Yet while Ms Mottley did give a powerful speech at the gala, she did not say that quote.
It was said by UN Secretary António Guterres in another speech about half an hour earlier. Read more
Alabama boy born after 21 weeks and one day breaks Guinness world record as most premature baby to survive (Sky)
A boy from Alabama, who was born after 21 weeks, has set a world record as the most premature baby to survive.
Guinness World Records and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) announced on 10 November that Curtis Means weighed 14.8 ounces (419.5g) at birth and has set a new world record.
He was born 132 days premature on 5 July 2020, with a twin who didn’t survive. Curtis is now healthy and 16 months old.
Dr Brian Sims, who was at the birth, said statistics show a baby born so young has virtually no chance of survival but Curtis beat the odds. Read more
Geoffrey Cox ‘rents out flat taxpayers helped fund while claiming for second home’ (Independent)
Under-fire MP Sir Geoffrey Cox is reportedly renting out a London home that taxpayers helped fund while also claiming £1,900 a month for a second home in the capital.
It comes after Labour demanded a probe amid the allegation the former Conservative attorney general appeared to use his Commons office to conduct work outside his parliamentary duties.
It also emerged the Tory MP – one of the Commons wealthiest – voted via proxy from the Caribbean in April while it was claimed he missed more votes this week as he was on the island of Mauritius.
Facing intense scrutiny in the midst of a wider row over sleaze in politics, Sir Geoffrey, who has earned millions in addition to his salary as an MP, issued a defiant statement on Wednesday, insisting he did not believe he had broken any rules and would co-operate with any investigation. Read more
Pakistan: Imran Khan slammed for negotiating with Peshawar school attackers (DW)
Dost Muhammad was shellshocked when he heard that the Pakistani government had started negotiating with the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The group was responsible for attacking a military-run school in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, laying siege to it, and killing 132 schoolchildren.
Muhammad lost his 14-year-old son, Asad Aziz, a grade 8 student, in the attack, which is dubbed “the worst terrorist attack” on Pakistani soil.
“The government did not take us into confidence over the negotiations with the murderers of our children. They have no right to decide alone and talk to the TTP. They should have consulted us before engaging with them,” Muhammad told DW.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan’s children are living in the UK; he can’t feel our pain,” he added. Read more
Government must do better on standards, says Rishi Sunak (Guardian)
Rishi Sunak has said the government “must do better” in upholding standards in public life, as Conservative MPs continue to be mired in sleaze allegations.
The prime minister took the unusual step on Wednesday of insisting the UK was “not remotely a corrupt country,” after a tumultuous week in which he reversed a decision to prevent the former MP Owen Paterson being censured for paid lobbying.
Since the botched attempt to protect Paterson, a string of stories has emerged about Tory MPs with lucrative outside interests – including the former attorney general Sir Geoffrey Cox, who has earned up to £6m as a barrister since becoming an MP in 2005.
Sunak, himself a multimillionaire, was asked about the probity of MPs taking on second jobs in addition to the £82,000 they receive for representing their constituents. Read more
Golfer Oboh to grace Lagos Open (Punch)
First Bank and organisers of the 60th edition of the Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship have announced that Nigeria’s foremost lady golfer, Georgia Oboh, is one of the big names that will grace the annual golf event scheduled to hold at the Golf Section of Ikoyi Club 1938 from November 18 to 21.
This was made known at a press briefing at the Ikoyi Club House Terrace, Lagos on Wednesday.
Oboh, who is Nigeria’s only woman in the Ladies European Tour, is a product of the First Bank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship and is one of the professionals that will take part in the championship.
The event is a World Amateur Golf Ranking listed competition that attracts the best golfers from the amateur scene. Participating in the competition contributes to the points for golfers to aid their WAGR rankings.
Speaking on the significance of the tournament, Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, First Bank, said, “For us at First Bank, the championship is already special because time in itself makes it special. Read more
Mark Cavendish ‘changes bikes like underwear’ – teammate Iljo Keisse ahead of 6 Days of Ghent (Eurosport)
Iljo Keisse has joked that Mark Cavendish “changes bikes like underwear” as the Deceuninck–Quick-Step riders prepare for the Six Days of Ghent.
The formidable pair will team-up for the iconic track cycling event, which takes place between November 17-22 and they have been attempting to perfect their preparations ahead of it – though Keisse says Cavendish is becoming the ultimate tinker man.
“We trained together on Monday and he had some speed, he seemed OK,” Keisse told Het Nieuwsblad.
“When he stopped after 15 laps on Monday, I thought: here we go again. In the end he was only off the bike for five minutes and finished the rest of the training.” Read more
NBA: James Harden and Kevin Durant shine in latest Brooklyn Nets win (BBC)
James Harden recorded a triple-double and Kevin Durant continued his scoring streak as the Brooklyn Nets won 123-90 at the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
Harden finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists as Brooklyn won for the third time on their current six-game road trip to improve to 8-4.
Four-time scoring champion Durant added 30 points to start the season with 12 consecutive games of 20 or more points.
The 33-year-old currently leads the NBA for average points per game with 29.5. Read more
Steven Gerrard explains decision to take over at Aston Villa and quit Rangers (Mirror)
Steven Gerrard claims he was enticed to Aston Villa after the board outlined their “ambitious” blueprint to take the club forward.
The former Liverpool and England captain also sent his “sincere gratitude” to Rangers as his three-and-a-half year stint at Ibrox came to an end.
Gerrard, 41, was appointed Villa manager on Thursday morning, four days after the club sacked Dean Smith following a run of five consecutive Premier League defeats.
He led Rangers to the Scottish Premiership title last season and his new bosses are said to have been impressed by his record in continental competition. Read more
‘Harsh comments’ – Emma Raducanu ‘knows what she’s doing’ says Barbara Schett after Eddie Jones views (Eurosport)
Barbara Schett has come to the defence of Britain’s Emma Raducanu after England rugby coach Eddie Jones said “there’s a reason” she had struggled since winning the US Open, citing off-court distractions.
Jones claimed that “the front page of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar… wearing Christian Dior clothes” had seen Raducanu become distracted, and his comments prompted outrage given the incredible triumph from the 18-year-old after arriving at Flushing Meadows as a qualifier.
Eurosport expert Schett, who is a tournament ambassador at WTA Linz where Raducanu was playing, has defended the rising star and urged people to give her time and “not make harsh comments like that”.
“It’s always easy for people to make comments about somebody’s life, and the England rugby coach probably doesn’t know tennis very well,” Schett told Eurosport. Read more
Manchester City’s Janine Beckie: ‘I’ve needed thicker skin living over here’ (Guardian)
Janine Beckie has a biblical verse tattooed on the inside of her left wrist. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength,” declares Isaiah 40:31. “They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
The Manchester City and Canada forward is a committed Christian whose faith has helped shape a career which has carried her from a childhood in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, to Texas, New Jersey and, most recently, north-west England.
“It’s a really, really important part of my life,” says the 27-year-old, who helped Canada secure Olympic gold in Japan last summer. “I was raised as a Christian and it’s about how I operate, how I treat other people and even how I feel about myself. It’s something incredibly important to me and influences everything I do, how I react to things. I’m learning from it, all the time.”
Beckie’s faith helped her cope with the disappointment of exclusion from Canada’s 2015 World Cup squad before she established herself in a side that beat Sweden on penalties in August to secure much-cherished gold. Read more
Bellator 271: From walking out on boxing to an MMA world title tilt – meet Sinead Kavanagh (BBC)
Grit, determination, warrior. Those are the three words coach John Kavanagh uses to describe his fighter and Bellator title challenger Sinead Kavanagh.
The 35-year-old is in Florida to take on featherweight champion Cris Cyborg at Bellator 271. Kavanagh’s own assessment of herself is very similar to her coach: “A machine, never gives up, works hard.”
The two Kavanaghs are not related, but Sinead has made a home at SBG Ireland training under John. She made her professional debut just five years ago, having once been a rising star on the boxing scene alongside Olympic champions Katie Taylor and Kellie Harrington.
Sinead trained with both women, as well as British fighters Savannah Marshall and Tasha Jonas. Read more