Railings prevent tragedy at Ojuelegba Bridge (Guardian)
Tragedy was averted yesterday when protective railings prevented a truck loaded with plywood from falling off the Ojuelegba Bridge and hitting other cars.
The incident, which led to a heavy gridlock, occurred a few weeks after a trailer fell from the same bridge and landed on cars, killing a driver.
The truck fell while plying the bridge, but the railings of the bridge held the container from falling on vehicles below the bridge.
The truck bearing the container tilted after climbing the bridge and the container fell.
It took a few hours before officers of the Lagos State Traffic State Management Authority (LASTMA) came to remove the truck from the busy road. Read more
Lagos to upgrade computer systems in MDAs (Punch)
The Lagos State Government has expressed its readiness to upgrade the computer systems (applications) in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the state.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Olayinka Fashola, disclosed this on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ workshop on the system upgrade project in Alausa, Ikeja.
She said, “As part of the digital transformation in Lagos State, the Ministry of Science and Technology is set to produce an upgrade of the existing systems that will enhance efficiency and effectiveness in public service.
“We will be upgrading our human resource system with the creation of online performance, online management and leave platform and an e-pay slip in partnership with our Information Technology partner, Soft Alliance. Read more
PDP Lagos 4 Lagos sacks chairman over alleged N100m gift (Vanguard)
The Lead Visioner of Lagos 4 Lagos, Dr. Olajide Adediran, popularly known as Jandor has ordered the sacking of the chairman of the movement, Prince Sunday Ajayi, over allegation of N100 million gift from a leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, the ruling party in Lagos.
The sack came following approval of the apex body led by Jandor to relieve Ajayi who was accused of sabotage and anti-group activities.
According to a source within the group, the security orderly attached to Ajayi has also been withdrawn and barred from coming to the Liberty Place, the headquarters of the group forthwith.
Ajayi was alleged to have been a mole for the APC all along. Read more
FRSC: Sanwo-olu renews driver’s license, commends process (Guardian)
Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state visited the Eti-Osa Driver’s Licence Centre of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to renew his driver’s licence on Tuesday.
The Governor was received by the Commander, Lagos Sector Command, Mr Olusegun Ogungbemide in company with some senior officers of the Corps in Lagos.
A statement by the Corps Public Education Officer (CPEO), Assistant Corps Marshal (ACM) Mr Bisi Kazeem, said that the Governor went through the tripartite processes necessary for the biometric capture.
Kazeem quoted Sanwo-Olu as saying that the process was very impressive, easy and smooth. Read more
Why I haven’t attended church in years –Ifu Ennada (Punch)
Reality TV star, Iheme Uloma, popularly called Ifu Ennada, says the reason she has not attended church in years is that pastors are misinterpreting what the Bible says.
Citing an example, Ifu Ennada, in a post on Instagram, said a preacher once told his congregation to sow special seeds of N50,000 to receive special blessings during a church programme.
The actress said the church was just a building where people gathered to worship, adding that what mattered most was people’s faith and relationship with God.
She said, “I haven’t been to church in years. The churches I was attending at the time were trying to kill my faith in Christ. A lot of the things they did were the opposite of what the Bible says. Imagine a preacher saying he has special blessings for the church, but only for people who can sow special seeds of N50k and above. Read more
George warns Lagos PDP against illegal dues for aspirants (Guardian)
Former Deputy National Chairman and Board of Trustees member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, yesterday expressed surprise at the demand for administrative fees from aspirants by the Lagos State working committee, saying such extra payment is illegal.
The committee had in a memo dated April 19, 2022, and signed by the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Hakeem Amode, to all aspirants, stated that the Assembly aspirants should pay an administrative fee of N50,000 to the Financial Secretary.
The committee also directed that N200,000, N350,000 and N500,000 should be paid by the House of Representatives, senatorial and governorship aspirants respectively as an administrative fee.
George, in a statement yesterday, urged the aspirants to ignore such directives, saying such an “administrative charge” is unknown to PDP’s constitution and is illegal. Read more
Anambra: Soludo names Omenugha, Bob-Manuel, others in new appointments (Sun)
Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, has appointed Nelson Omenugha as his special adviser on Youth Empowerment Programme.
Omenugha, convener of Youths Earnestly Seek Soludo, carried out aggressive grassroots campaigns for the governor with his team before the November 6, 2021 governorship election.
The group, which later changed its name to Youths Earnestly Support Soludo after the election, has since been mobilising more support for the new governor, saying the idea was to ensure he succeeds in delivering on his campaign promises to Ndi Anambra.
Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Paul Nwosu, in a statement, listed seven other new appointees of the governor. They are: Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (MD/CEO, ICT Agency), Chike Anyaonu (MD/CEO, Anambra State Housing Development Corporation) and Joe Anatune (MD/CEO, Anambra State Signage and Advertising Agency). Read more
Officers feared dead as NAF aircraft crashes in Kaduna (Leadership)
A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) trainer aircraft crashed in Kaduna, Kaduna State on Tuesday evening.
Sources said the two pilots onboard are feared dead.
A source told LEADERSHIP that the Super Mushak, which is a trainer aircraft, crashed in Kaduna while on a training mission.
The aircraft, according to sources, crashed inside a NAF facility in Kaduna State. Read more
ESPOLY Rector charges on physically challenged persons to live fulfilled life (Independent)
The Rector of the Enugu State Polytechnic (ESPOLY), Reverend Father Nnamdi Nwankwo, has challenged persons with disabilities not to see their disability as an excuse to live a hopeless life.
Father Nwankwo reminded them that there is a lot of hope for them to live, fulfil and actualise God’s plan for their lives.
The ESPOLY Rector stated this on Friday in Enugu during an event organised by a non-governmental organisation, Initiative for Eradication of Poverty and Empowerment of the Disable (IFEPED) to provide Mobility Aids to People with Disabilities.
The Catholic priest reiterated that God has plans and assignments for everyone on earth, irrespective of one’s physical or psychological condition, hinting that the plan must be fulfilled. Read more
Nicki Minaj says she’ll “delay the album” if “We Go Up” music video doesn’t get enough love (HNHH)
Mama Minaj is ready to put her “foot back on bitches’ necks.”
Nicki Minaj went up for us, and now she needs her fans to go up for her. Earlier today (April 19th), the mother of one delivered the music video for “We Go Up” featuring Fivio Foreign, which found the two rap stars shutting down the streets of New York for a very stylish takeover.
At the time of publication, the YouTube visual has been viewed just under 150K times and is sitting at 97K likes. It’s unclear exactly what numbers the 39-year-old would like to see the stats climb to, but her most recent tweets make it very clear that repercussions will be serious if audiences don’t come through.
“If y’all don’t do what needs to be done with the #WeGoUpVideo I will significantly, and I DO mean significantly…delay the…the…the…oh what’s the word…oh! The album. That’s right,” she wrote a few hours ago, teasing that she was channelling the energy of Meryl Streep’s famous catty character from The Devil Wears Prada. Read more
Harry Styles announces new dates for Australian tour (SMH)
Pop megastar Harry Styles will play four Australian shows early next year as part of his Love on Tour world tour.
Two days after the English singer’s headline performance in a sequined jumpsuit at Coachella, the 28-year-old has revealed his stadium tour will start in Perth on February 20, followed by Melbourne on February 24, the Gold Coast on February 28, and Sydney on March 3.
The former member of boy band One Direction, which shot to fame in 2010, released his chart-topping second solo album Fine Line in 2019 and won the 2021 Grammy Award for best pop solo performance with his song Watermelon Sugar.
His new single, As It Was, from the forthcoming album Harry’s House, topped the ARIA singles chart earlier this month. Read more
Russia says Ukraine war enters new ‘phase’ (AlJazeera)
Russia says it has begun a new phase of the invasion of Ukraine as fighting raged in the Donbas region and officials urged civilians to flee.
“Another phase of this operation is beginning and I am sure it will be a very important moment in this entire special operation,” Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during an interview broadcast by the India Today TV channel on Tuesday.
Russia’s defence ministry said that “high-precision air-based missiles” had hit 13 Ukrainian positions in parts of the Donbas while other air raids “hit 60 military assets”, including in towns close to the eastern front line.
Ukraine’s armed forces also confirmed that fighting had increased throughout the east, just hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had kicked off the widely anticipated offensive in Ukraine’s industrial heartland. Read more
Ezra Miller arrested on second-degree assault charge in Hawaii (People)
Ezra Miller is facing more legal trouble after being arrested in Hawaii early Tuesday morning.
Around 1:10 a.m., police responded to a report of an alleged assault that occurred at a get-together at a private residence in the Leilani Estates subdivision in lower Puna, according to a news release from the Hawaii Police Department.
“During the course of their investigation, police determined that the individual, later identified as Ezra Miller, became irate after being asked to leave and reportedly threw a chair, striking a 26-year-old female on the forehead, resulting in an approximate half-inch cut,” read the news release, which also noted that the woman refused treatment for her injury.
The Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore actor, 29, was arrested around 1:30 a.m. for second-degree assault after being found during a traffic stop at the intersection of Highway 130 and Kukula Street in Kea’au, per police. Read more
Liza Minnelli was ‘sabotaged’ at 2022 Oscars ceremony, longtime collaborator claims (HuffPost)
Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli brought the chaotic 2022 Oscars to a close last month when they appeared together to present the award for Best Picture to “CODA.”
Not long after the March 27 ceremony was thrown into disarray when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage, Gaga and Minelli’s joint appearance drew praise from entertainment outlets. Minnelli was greeted with a standing ovation.
But a collaborator and friend now claims the “Cabaret” star was “very disappointed” by the experience.
“She was sabotaged,” singer Michael Feinstein said in an appearance on SirusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” that aired Tuesday. Read more
Ben Affleck, Matt Damon reunite for film about Nike’s quest to sign Michael Jordan (Variety)
Ben Affleck can’t stop reuniting with his famous partners.
The Oscar winner and co-screenwriter of “Good Will Hunting” is re-teaming with his Boston bestie Matt Damon on a new feature film from Amazon Studios, Skydance Sports and Mandalay Pictures. It will center on the sports marketing executive who relentlessly pursued basketball legend Michael Jordan in the mid-’80s. Affleck will direct, star and co-write. Damon will produce, co-write and star.
The “Argo” director will play Nike co-founder and billionaire Phil Knight. Damon will star as Sonny Vaccaro — whose pursuit of Jordan to partner with the shoe brand seemed impossible at the time, but would become the most significant relationship between an athletic brand and player in the global, multi-billion-dollar sneaker industry.
The film will follow Vaccaro’s conquest and introduce audiences to Jordan’s parents, in particular his powerful and dynamic mother, as well as former coaches, advisors, friends and those close to Jordan. The collaboration marks the first time Affleck will direct Damon. Both men will do a pass on Alex Convery’s original script, which appeared on the 2021 Black List (an annual ranking of Hollywood’s best unproduced scripts). Read more
Netflix loses subscribers for first time in decade (France24)
Netflix shares lost a quarter of their value Tuesday after the company revealed its ranks of subscribers shrank in the first quarter of this year.
It was the first time in a decade that the leading streaming television service had lost subscribers. The company blamed the quarter-over-quarter erosion to suspension of its service in Russia due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Netflix ended the first quarter of this year with 221.6 million subscribers, slightly less than the final quarter of last year.
The Silicon Valley tech firm reported a net income of $1.6 billion in the recently ended quarter, compared to $1.7 billion in the same period a year earlier. Netflix shares were down more than 25 percent to $259.30 in after-market trades that followed release of the earnings figures. Read more
AFCON qualifiers: Eagles draw S’Leone, G’Bissau, Sao Tome (Punch)
Three-time African champions Nigeria were on Tuesday paired with Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Sao Tome and Principe in Group A of the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 34th edition of the biennial African football showpiece is scheduled to hold from June 23 to July 24, 2023, in Ivory Coast.
The draw ceremony, which served up plenty of interesting match-ups, took place on Tuesday evening at the SuperSport studios in Johannesburg, South Africa.
A total of 48 countries, including hosts Ivory Coast, are eligible to feature in the final stage of the qualifiers scheduled to begin in June across the continent. Read more
Manchester United loss to Liverpool was ’embarrassing, humiliating’ – Ralf Rangnick (ESPN)
Ralf Rangnick branded Manchester United’s performance in their 4-0 defeat to Liverpool as “embarrassing, maybe even humiliating” and said as many as 10 new players might have to arrive in the club’s rebuild.
United were hammered at Anfield on Tuesday night, just six months after Liverpool won 5-0 at Old Trafford.
Rangnick pulled no punches in his post match assessment and said the new manager — likely to be Ajax Amsterdam coach Erik ten Hag — would have to rip up the squad in the summer.
“It is embarrassing, it is disappointing, maybe even humiliating,” Rangnick said. “Especially the first half we were just not up to it. Read more
European round-up: Inter thump AC in Milan derby Coppa Italia semi-final (RTE)
Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez grabbed a first-half double to help his side secure a place in the Coppa Italia final with a 3-0 second-leg victory over AC Milan at the San Siro.
They will next face Juventus or Fiorentina who meet in their semi-final return in Turin on Wednesday, with the hosts 1-0 up.
Inter, who played out a goalless stalemate with Milan in their first game, scored after four minutes when Martinez, starting ahead of Edin Dzeko, smartly turned in Matteo Darmian’s cross at the near post for his second goal in as many games.
Milan almost levelled before the half-hour through Rafael Leao but the Portuguese was denied by an excellent reflex save from Samir Handanovic. The Slovenian made another smart stop minutes later to keep out Alexis Saelemaekers. Read more
Retired Russian tennis ace Maria Sharapova takes to social media to reveal she is pregnant in cheeky post (WestAustralian)
Former world No.1 Maria Sharapova has used the occasion of her 35th birthday to announce that she is pregnant with her first child.
The Russian five-time grand slam champion, who retired from the sport in 2020, shared the news on Instagram to her 4.2 million followers.
“Precious beginnings!!!,” she wrote along with a photo of her standing on a beach and smiling.
“Eating birthday cake for two has always been my specialty.”
In December, Sharapova and British businessman Alexander Gilkes revealed that they were engaged. Read more
Jerry West demands retraction, apology over portrayal in HBO series ‘Winning Time’ (ABC)
Former Los Angeles Lakers executive Jerry West demanded a retraction and an apology for what he called “a baseless and malicious assault” on his character in the HBO series “Winning Time,” in a letter sent by his legal team to the network and producer Adam McKay on Tuesday evening, which was obtained by ESPN.
West’s lawyers allege that “Winning Time falsely and cruelly portrays Mr. West as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic,” which “bears no resemblance to the real man,” and ask for a retraction no later than two weeks from the receipt of the letter.
“The portrayal of NBA icon and LA Lakers legend Jerry West in ‘Winning Time’ is fiction pretending to be fact — a deliberately false characterization that has caused great distress to Jerry and his family,” said Skip Miller, a partner at the Miller Barondess, LLP law firm in Los Angeles and attorney for West. “Contrary to the baseless portrayal in the HBO series, Jerry had nothing but love for and harmony with the Lakers organization, and in particular owner Dr. Jerry Buss, during an era in which he assembled one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
“Jerry West was an integral part of the Lakers and NBA’s success. It is a travesty that HBO has knowingly demeaned him for shock value and the pursuit of ratings. As an act of common decency, HBO and the producers owe Jerry a public apology and at the very least should retract their baseless and defamatory portrayal of him.” Read more
British Cycling offers ‘full support’ to Bradley Wiggins over grooming claims (Mirror)
British Cycling have sent a safeguarding team to reach out to Bradley Wiggins and offer their ‘full support’ after the Tour de France winner said he was sexually groomed by a coach when he was just 13 years old.
Wiggins won the 2012 Tour and secured Olympic gold medals at the Athens, Beijing, London and Rio Games to go down as one of the greatest athletes in British history.
British Cycling, the governing body of the sport in Britain, confirmed it had offered Wiggins support after his revelation. A spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by the matter raised by Sir Bradley Wiggins and our safeguarding team has made contact with him today to offer our full support.
“We would encourage anybody who has suffered abuse or has concerns about the welfare of others – regardless of when the incident took place – to utilise the support offered both by our trained team at British Cycling and the dedicated NSPCC Helpline, which in turn helps us to ensure that our sport is a safe and welcoming place for all.” Read more