RCCG suspends Pastor Iluyomade whose wife threw lavish party after Wigwe’s death (Tribune)
The City of David Parish of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Lagos has taken the decision to suspend Pastor Idowu Iluyomade following the controversial birthday celebration of his wife.
This decision comes shortly after the passing of Herbert Wigwe, former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc.
According to a report by ChurchTimes, a top pastor within the church, who chose to remain anonymous, revealed that the suspension of Pastor Iluyomade was initiated by the governing council of the church. Read more
Organised Labour enforces compliance in Zamfara, Katsina, Pickets bank (Channels)
The organised labour in Zamfara State and Kastina moved from one public and private establishment to the other to enforce total compliance with the nationwide indefinite strike directed by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The enforcement team led by the chairman of the Zamfara State Council of the NLC Sani Haliru and his TUC counterpart Sai’du Mudi shutdown activities in the state capital.
The team picketed one of the banks at Sani Abacha road in the Gusau metropolis for allegedly failing to comply with the strike and refusing to grant the enforcement team access to its premises, unlike the other banks who granted them unfettered access and complied with the strike. Read more
Judiciary workers shut Lagos courts (DailyTrust)
The major gates to the Ikeja High Court have been shut due to the nationwide industrial action by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the gates were shut on Monday by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Ikeja Branch.
NAN correspondents, who monitored the development in Lagos, observed that lawyers and litigants were turned back from entering the court premises. Read more
Strike: Courts, banks, schools comply in Rivers (Punch)
Banks, courts and schools in Port Harcourt and its environs are shut in compliance with the nationwide strike declared by the Nigerian Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.
Organised Labour commenced the strike following the inability of the Federal Government to reach an agreement on a new minimum wage.
Our reporter who went around reports that all banks along the stretch of Ikwerre Road, Aba Road, Trans-Amadi and Olu Obasanjo Road are shut. Read more
Financial sector will witness more Islamic banks – CBN (Vanguard)
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed that the financial sector will witness more Islamic banking.
The CBN Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at a reception in honour of the Secretary-General, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Arbitration Centre (OIC-AC), Dr. Umar Oseni, organised by his mentees.
Cardoso, who was represented by Director Legal Services, CBN, Mr Kofo Salam-Alada, explained that when the idea of Islamic banking was first initiated, naysayers thought it was an attempt to ‘Islamise’ the country or the financial sector. He said ironically, most people did not know that the first person who spearheaded the journey was a pastor. Cardoso stated: “Some years back, the CBN started a journey for the introduction of the Islamic Banking and Financing in Nigeria. It came when a young man was appointed governor of CBN. But most people never knew that the first person who spearheaded the journey was a pastor of the church. Read more
You are harming people you claim you are fighting for’, Onanuga slams NLC, TUC (Nation)
The special adviser to President Tinubu on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga, criticised the nationwide strike organised by the labour unions.
He claimed that the strike was harming Nigerians by disrupting activities in hospitals, airports, and many other government agencies.
Onanuga made this statement in response to a photo showing travellers being stranded at airports across the country. Read more
APMT’s CEO encourages students to build careers in maritime (ThisDay)
The Country Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals Nigeria, Frederik Klinke has encouraged secondary school students to take interest in the maritime sector with a view to building rewarding careers in the sector.
Klinke, while speaking at APM Terminals Apapa, Lagos on Thursday during a career seminar on the maritime industry, as part of activities marking the 2024 Children’s Day, said the industry offers exciting career opportunities for the future generation.
He encouraged the students to embrace hard work and diligence. Read more
LP suspends former Edo House of Assembly Speaker (Channels)
The Labour Party in Edo has suspended the membership of a former speaker of the state House of Assembly, Elizabeth Ativie who along with some other persons had appeared in a video which captured the purported swearing-in of a 17-member caretaker committee for the party in the state.
In a stakeholders meeting in Benin City on Saturday, the state chairman of the party disclosed that Ativie was suspended in her ward, Ward 4, Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State on May 4th and the suspension was subsequently ratified at the local government area level on May 30. Read more
Flo Milli, Tierra Whack and Tems tapped for Tiny Desk all-female Black Music Month series (HipHopDX)
Flo Milli, Tierra Whack and Tems have all been selected alongside a wide range of other female artists who will participate in NPR Tiny Desk Concert series’ celebration of Black Music Month.
According to a statement from NPR, this year’s programming, which kicks off Monday (June 3), will feature an all-woman lineup ranging across genres and generations not only performing in the iconic series, but also being celebrated.
“This Black Music Month, we’re giving the ladies their flowers!,” said host and series producer Bobby Carter in the statement. “We’re releasing nine Tiny Desk concerts from Black women who’ve paved the way for what we hear today in Black music and others who are carving out their own paths. All of them are queens in their own right who represent a beautiful array of genres, generations and walks of life.” Read more
Rita Ora suffers horrific fail as she interacts with fans at Mighty Hoopla festival (Mirror)
Rita Ora took to the main stage at Mighty Hoopla over the weekend, entertaining the sold-out crowd but the chart-topper was dealt a humiliating blow during her set
Rita Ora was left looking rather red-faced during her Mighty Hoopla set over the weekend.
As she took to the stage before headliner Jessie Ware, Rita treated fans to a string of her biggest hits including Ritual, Your Song, I Will Never Let You Down and Anywhere. The packed audience were encapsulated by her high-energy set as she danced around the stag at Brockwell Park, London. Read more
Whoopi Goldberg stages a ‘joyful joyful’ Sister Act 2 reunion on the view for film’s 30th anniversary (People)
Oh happy day! The stars of Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit are reuniting!
PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that Whoopi Goldberg will get back together with her former costars from the 1993 sequel for an episode of The View set to air Wednesday, June 5 on ABC.
Kathy Najimy (Sister Mary Patrick) and Wendy Makkena (Sister Mary Robert) — who starred alongside Goldberg in the first Sister Act film as well — are among the alums who will appear in the special, which was filmed at the end of May in New York City. Read more
3 friends hug in ‘final embrace’ before being swept away by flash floods (Metro)
Three friends were seen hugging each other just seconds before they were swept away by flash floods in Italy.
Footage shows Patrizia Cormos, 20, her friend Bianca Doros, 23, and her boyfriend Cristian Molnar, 25, standing in the fast flowing river along the Natisone River in Friuli.
But the water levels began to surge after days of heavy rain, leaving the group stranded on a tiny pebble island. Read more
Zelenskyy disappointed at world leader turnout for Ukraine peace summit (National)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed disappointment that “some world leaders” had not signed up to a peace summit this month, after China signalled Xi Jinping would not attend and with US President Joe Biden yet to commit.
Mr Zelenskyy made the remarks at a security forum in Singapore as he sought to rally support for the conference on Ukraine taking place in Switzerland in June.
He also appealed for more military aid for Ukraine, which has been ceding ground to Russian troops. Read more
Court overturns early release of Greek neo-Nazi leader (AlJazeera)
The founder of Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party has been ordered back to prison after an appeals court overturned a widely criticised decision to release him on parole.
The judicial council of the court of appeals decided on Monday that Nikos Michaloliakos, who was granted early release on May 2, was “unrepentant” and should not have his sentence shortened. The 66-year-old was sentenced to 13 and a half years in prison in 2020 for heading a “criminal organisation” that attacked and in some cases killed immigrants, refugees and political opponents.
Michaloliakos was released last month after a board of judges approved his request, taking into account the time he had served and his health. The move drew criticism from political parties and nongovernmental organisations. Read more
US denied access to Americans detained in Congo coup plot (AfricaNews)
The US Embassy in Congo said Monday that Congolese authorities have not shared details or provided access to the Americans who were arrested following a coup attempt last month, following pleas for help from one family trying to confirm whether their son is alive.
Congo’s army has released the names of three Americans accused of having a role in the attack led by little-known opposition figure Christian Malanga on May 19. The State Department says one of its highest priorities is providing consular assistance to Americans detained abroad, including regular visits to ensure medical care and assisting with finding an English-speaking lawyer.
“We have requested DRC authorities grant consular access to any U.S. citizens who may have been detained and have not received it to date,” U.S. embassy spokesperson Greg Porter said in an email to The Associated Press. Read more
Dele-Bashiru shifts focus to World Cup qualifiers after amazing season (Punch)
Hatayspor midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru says he’s focused on the Super Eagles crucial 2026 World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin Republic amid transfer speculations linking him with a move to Italian side Lazio.
The 23-year-old had a fine 2023/24 season scoring eight goals with five assists in 36 Super Lig games, which sparked interests from some of Europe’s best sides, as well as from oil-rich Saudi Arabia.
Interestingly, Dele-Bashiru scored his eighth league goal of the season in Hatayspor’s 2-0 defeat of Rizespor to escape relegation from the Turkish topflight. Read more
Paramilitary Basketball Tourney: NSCDC attributes back-to-back victory to team work, dedication (Leadership)
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) Basketball team have attributed their dominance of the Paramilitary Basketball Tournament to team work, commitment and dedication.
The Defenders defeated Nigerian counterparts, the Baton, in a keenly contested final of the Paramilitary Basketball Championship to win the title back-to-back after winning last year’s edition.
The NSCDC Basketball Team manager, Mr Oseni, said the victory did not come to them as a surprise, stressing that the team came out to win and not make up the number for the tournament. Read more
Kristaps Porzingis set to return to the Boston Celtics for the NBA Finals (NBC)
Whether injured Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis will be ready in time for the start of the NBA Finals this week is still to be determined.
But signs are pointing to him being able to return to the court sooner rather than later during Boston’s matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.
The 7-footer hasn’t appeared in a game since sustaining a strained left calf in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round playoff series against Miami on April 29. Read more
Chelsea appoint Leicester’s Maresca as manager (BBC)
Chelsea have appointed Leicester manager Enzo Maresca as their new boss on a five-year contract with the option of an extra year.
The Italian replaces Mauricio Pochettino, who left by mutual consent on 21 May after just one season at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca, 44, took charge of the Foxes in June 2023 and led them to the Championship title last term. Read more
Magilton: Finidi’s knowledge, experience will impact well on Eagles (CompleteSports)
Former Ipswich midfielder Jim Magilton believes Super Eagles head coach Finidi George has the knowledge and experience to make the senior national team stronger and better.
Recall that Magilton played with Finidi in the Ipswich squad after he joined the team in 2001 in a deal worth around £3.1 million.
However, speaking with BBC Sports Africa, Magilton stated that the former Ajax star has a wonderful bank of knowledge and experience that he can translate to success with the Super Eagles. Read more
Giants expecting TE Darren Waller to retire (ABC)
New York Giants tight end Darren Waller is likely to make a decision by next week’s mandatory minicamp about his playing future, and people in and around the team expect that he’s going to retire, multiple sources told ESPN. Those close to him believe he’s leaning in that direction.
Waller, 31, said during an Instagram Live on Friday that a decision was coming very soon. He has been contemplating retirement since the end of last season and hasn’t attended any of the team’s voluntary offseason workouts this spring.
Mandatory minicamp for the Giants is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week. Read more