Recall our husbands from Niger, MOPOLs’ wives tell Lagos CP (Vanguard)
Wives of Mobile policemen who were posted on special duty to Niger State, staged a protest at the Lagos State Police Command yesterday, over what they described as undue long stay.
The women who stormed the Command headquarters with their children, some of whom were in their school uniforms, lamented that their husbands attached to Mopol 22, had spent over one year in Niger State.
They, therefore, appealed to the Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi to prevail on the Commander Mopol 22, to rotate the posting, stressing that trauma and fatigue would have set in.
The protesting wives with placards on which were inscribed “CP Lagos State, please look into our matter and call MOPOL 22 Commander to order’ ‘CP please release our husbands from Niger State after one year of special duty’ ‘MOPOL 22 Commander, bring our fathers’, MOPOL 22 Commander, bring our husbands on Special duty of three months turned one-year special duty.” Read more
Lagos inaugurates programme to prevent childhood blindness among students (Punch)
Lagos State Government has inaugurated its Secondary School Eye Health Programme in continuation of its effort to reduce visual impairment and eye conditions that could cause blindness amongst students, particularly pupils of Secondary Schools across the state.
This was contained in a statement posted on the government Facebook Page on Tuesday titled, ‘Lagos moves to reduce visual impairment amongst secondary school pupils’.
Speaking at the inauguration of the programme at Oregun Junior High School, Ikeja, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, noted that the secondary school eye health programme is one of the strategies of the government to reduce the burden of childhood blindness across the state.
He explained that the programme has four main components, namely: Training of teachers on vision screening in all state secondary schools starting with the junior secondary schools. Read more
NITDA engages Lagos tech innovators for enhanced productivity (Independent)
In furtherance to strengthening the country’s digital economy by increasing contributions of ICT to GDP, as well as promoting indigenous content through patronizing indigenous IT products and services, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) met with the Lagos State Software and Innovation ecosystem stakeholders.
The event aimed at proffering solutions to challenges faced in the ecosystem had various critical players from multiple industries at the Bon Hotel in Lagos.
The NITDA Director-General, Kahisfu Inuwa, CCIE, represented by the Agency’s Digital Economy Department Acting Director, Engr. Salisu Kaka expressed his pleasure at the turnout and appreciated all innovators present despite their busy schedules.
The DG, while giving his opening remark, stated that a symbiotic relationship between the Government and the players in the ecosystem was essential to achieve a collective desired result. “Whatever the government is out to achieve, the private sector should help the government achieve it, and whatever the private sector is set to achieve, the government should help and support,” he stated. Read more
Oyo govt proposes new name for LAUTECH (Punch)
In its effort to change the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology from a technology university to a conventional university, the Oyo State Government has approved a Bill titled ‘2022 LAUTECH Amendment Bill, to be forwarded to the Oyo State House of Assembly.
The Bill, which proposes to amend the name and objectives of the university to accommodate other fields of study and alter its present status as a strictly technology institution, as well as allow it to make provision for workers’ pension scheme, was approved at the Executive Council meeting held on Tuesday.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the state’s Attorney-General/Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Oyelowo Oyewo, stated these while briefing journalists shortly after the meeting.
According to the commissioner, the LAUTECH Amendment Bill, when passed into law, will enable the institution to offer courses in different fields of studies outside the field of technology, and also allow the establishment of more courses in Humanities, Law and other fields of studies. Read more
Igboho a prisoner of conscience, says lawyer (Nation)
Yoruba Nation agitator Sunday Adeyemo (aka Igboho) is a prisoner of conscience who has not committed any crime, a public interest lawyer Pelumi Olajemgbesi said yesterday.
According to him, Igboho is not being prosecuted but detained on the orders of the powers that be, at the appropriate time, he will regain his freedom.
Olajemgbesi spoke in an interview with The Nation.
He said: “I know for sure that Sunday Igboho is not facing prosecution. He is a prisoner of conscience. He has only been detained. He is a political detainee. He will be released anytime soon. Read more
International Passports: Issues with backlog will be over soon – NIS (Sun)
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has assured Nigerians that the issue of backlog of international passports in the country will be over soon, based on the introduction of enhanced e-Passport with polycarbonate data page and other security features, that has eliminated intermediaries, touts and agents in the application for new or renewal of passports.
The immediate past zonal coordinator, Zone F of NIS, comprising Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara State, Mrs Dora Ejehi Amahian, gave the assurance in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of handing over the ceremony to Dr (Mrs) Loretta Oemi-Ockiya, who took over the task of coordinating Zone F of NIS from her, at the zonal headquarters, Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on Monday evening.
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had on December 20, 2021, rolled and he also commissioned the Ibadan Production Centre for international passports, which is expected to serve Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ondo, Ekiti and Kwara States. He said it would take a maximum of six weeks for Nigerians to obtain new international passports, while renewal of the passports would also take a maximum of three weeks.
Amahian, an Assistant Comptroller General (ACG), who is to resume as the Acting Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Planning Research and Statistics Directorate at the service headquarters in Abuja, said: “The problem that Immigration Service has all over the country is the issue of passport backlog, and very soon, that will be over, particularly with the introduction of the e-enhanced passport, which is a transparent process that does not allow any intermediary, touts, or agents to do it. You can do it yourself, by paying online. You don’t need anybody to do it for you. It is quite simple and the website is www.immigration.gov.ng.
Senate passes bill to increase number of Law School campuses (Channels)
The Senate on Tuesday passed a Bill which seeks to create additional law schools campuses in the country.
The passage of the Bill follows the adoption of a report by the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
Presenting the report during Tuesday’s plenary session, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele says the bill seeks seven additional law school campuses in Kabba, Kogi State, Jos, Plateau State, Maiduguri Borno State.
Others include Ilawe, Ekiti State, Okija, Anambra State, Orogun, Delta State and Arugungu, Kebbi state. Read more
Patience Ozokwor to feature in Mummy GO- inspired movie (Nation)
Veteran actress Patience Ozokwor has hinted at featuring in an upcoming movie centred on the character of the popular ‘hell’ evangelist Mummy GO.
The thespian made this known in an Instagram post.
She shared a photo that displayed her clad in a pink skirt and blouse with a gold fascinator and a pair of glasses just like Mummy GO’s.
Ozokwor noted the movie “Clash of Mummy GOs” is being set up for all the lovers of the popular controversial evangelist while promising to deliver premium content in her role. Read more
Akume receives PDP defectors, assures equal opportunities in APC (Guardian)
The Minister of Inter-Governmental Affairs, Sen. George Akume, has charged PDP members who defected to the APC to work hard to ensure the party’s victory at the 2023 general elections.
Akume gave the task on Saturday at Adikpo, Kwande Local Government Area of Benue, while receiving hundreds of PDP members. The defectors were led by Mr Joseph Boko, a former state Assembly member, who joined the APC at the ACC football pitch.
Akume commended President Muhammadu Buhari for embarking on development projects across the state.
He particularly hailed the president for tackling the ecological problems in Gboko town by embarking on drains and road construction in the ancient Tiv city. Read more
The Naked Gun: Seth McFarlane and Paramount Studios want Liam Neeson to star in reboot (Collider)
Liam Neeson is an actor capable of crossing into many genres, and it looks like he wants to take on an action-comedy franchise next. This time with Seth MacFarlane in a new reboot of The Naked Gun. The comedy series that spawned three movies is a fresh and fun look at a detective who doesn’t really know what he’s doing in the best possible way. Pairing MacFarlane and Neeson for such an outrageous project is actually pretty perfect.
Fans know MacFarlane for his animated sitcoms such as Family Guy and American Dad!, but he has also proven himself time and time again as someone who has an understanding of comedy history and knows how to bring stories to life we all know and love. So something like The Naked Gun is a perfect venture for him to undertake.
“I’ve been approached by Seth McFarlane and Paramount Studios to maybe resurrect the Naked Gun films,” he told People (the TV Show!). Neeson went on to joke, “It’ll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don’t know.” Frankly, Neeson is a pretty good choice. The movies aren’t just about comedy. It is, after all, about a detective. A pretty lackluster detective. But still, a detective.
The series was a staple in the comedy world for quite some time. Originally starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin, the movie follows a clueless detective through his cases and if there’s anything people love, it is a detective who has no idea what he’s doing. Part of the charm came from Nielsen’s comedic timing but the premise itself was one that we could come back to time and time again and have it just work. Read more
Halestorm share emotional song story from new album ‘Back From The Dead’ (NME)
Halestorm have shared new single ‘The Steeple’ from their upcoming fifth album ‘Back From the Dead’, as well as explaining how a gay fan’s struggle with her family inspired one of their other new songs.
During a recent conversation with Loudwire Nights, singer Lzzy Hale explained how a conversation with a young fan ended up being developed into one of the band’s new tracks.
“There’s a song on the album that was actually inspired by this conversation I was having with a young girl,” Hale explained, saying she spent most of lockdown checking the band’s socials and fan comments.
“She’s a teenager, she’s still living with her parents. She came out as gay, and basically told me and everybody online that the parents’ response was, ‘Well, death would be better.’ We were all so angry about that, because how could you say that to your daughter no matter who she wants to kiss? It doesn’t matter.” Read more
Spotify quietly removes 113 episodes of Joe Rogan’s podcast (Independent)
Spotify has quietly removed more than 110 episodes of Joe Rogan’s podcast following criticism from celebrities.
The podcaster, whose series The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the platform’s most popular podcasts, has come under fire for promoting the spread of Covid-19 “misinformation”.
Musician Neil Young led a boycott of the service, which has since seen his music, alongside Joni Mitchell’s, Graham Nash’s and Indie Arie’s, taken down.
While Young, Mitchell and Nash criticised Rogan for promoting the “misinformation”, Arie said that her decision stemmed from the “problematic” Rogan’s “language around race”. Read more
Audition for Ghana Gospel Music Icon reality show begins on March 5 (MyJoy)
The organisers of the annual Ghana Gospel Music Icon Reality show have announced preparations to commence audition for the maiden edition of the reality show.
Ghana Gospel Music Icon Reality show is a singing competition Reality show with the primary objective of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through music.
The organisers feel it is important to acknowledge the talents of the youth and help them nurture them for the future, hence the term ‘Ghana Gospel Music Icon Reality show’.
Ghana Gospel Music Icon Reality show is a singing competition Reality show with the primary objective of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ through music.
The organisers feel it is important to acknowledge the talents of the youth and help them nurture them for the future, hence the term ‘Ghana Gospel Music Icon Reality show’.
The goal of the reality show is to entertain and educate the TV audience and inspire and unearth the music passion hidden in the youth. It is a strictly urban and contemporary gospel reality show. Read more
Joe Rogan: India Arie shares resurfaced clips of podcaster using N-word 22 times (Independent)
Resurfaced Joe Rogan footage, shared by musician India Arie, shows the podcaster using the N-word multiple times.
On Tuesday (1 February), the Grammy-winning singer said she was removing her music from Spotify because of Rogan’s “language around race”.
She branded the podcaster “problematic”, saying that she came to her decision as she felt she should “walk” through a door “opened” by Neil Young.
The week before, Young asked that his music be removed from the platform due to its affiliation with Rogan, whom he said had spread “false information” regarding Covid-19 vaccines.
Elaborating upon her reasoning for asking her music to be withdrawn from the platform, “Brown Skin ” singer Arie wrote in a statement: “I believe in freedom of speech. However, I find Joe Rogan problematic for reasons other than his Covid interviews…for me it’s also his language around race.”
At the time, she didn’t specifically mention what she was referring to, but she has now told her followers that she’d like to clarify her stance. On Instagram, she then posted an edited reel of YouTube clips that show Rogan using the racial slur 22 times. Read more
Elton John ‘will miss his own annual Oscars party this year (DailyMail)
Elton John will miss his own Oscars bash this year due to a scheduling clash and his husband David Furnish will take over, it has been reported.
The 74-year-old singer has hosted an annual Hollywood party on Academy Awards night for the past 30 years, in order to raise money for his Aids Foundation, but he will be absent this year.
The Oscars have been postponed from February to March 27 when Elton is back on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour and he reportedly didn’t want to disappoint fans after the tour was previously postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column: ‘Elton is absolutely gutted he can’t make the party but it was completely out of his hands.
‘When his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour was rescheduled, he kept the first Oscars date free.
‘But when the ceremony was then moved, everything was already set in stone.’
Elton’s annual Oscars Party has raised tens of millions for his Aids Foundation to date and he always plans his touring schedule so he can attend.
‘It was completely unavoidable. Elton didn’t want to let down those thousands of fans who’d held on to their tickets for his gig in Nebraska and waited so patiently for the tour to be rescheduled after Covid’, the source continued. Read more
Fast and Furious boss rebooting Goosebumps for Disney+ (DigitalSpy)
Goosebumps is coming back to our TV screens from one of the bosses of the Fast & Furious franchise, the director of Pokémon Detective Pikachu and the co-writer of the latest two The Muppets movies.
As reported by Variety, Disney+ have picked up the series that was first announced back in April 2020, and have ordered 10 episodes.
Unlike the 1990s series, which was an anthology that adapted a different RL Stine story every episode (or two, they loved a two-parter and we lived for those cliffhangers), this will be one continuous story.
That story will follow five high school kids who unleash all sorts of supernatural evil upon their time, and have to put aside their differences and work together to sort things out. Apparently, they will learn secrets their parents kept hidden along the way. Will the parents be characters from previous Goosebumps stories?
Fast & Furious executive producer Neal H Mortiz is executive producing, while Detective Pikachu and the 2015 Goosebumps movie director Rob Letterman is helming the first episode, and will be co-writing with The Muppets and The Muppets: Most Wanted co-writer Nick Stoller. Read more
Tom Holland regrets not calling Andrew Garfield on his ‘Spider-Man’ casting (NME)
Tom Holland has revealed that he regrets not getting previous Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield’s blessing before he took over the role.
Holland made his debut as the superhero in 2015’s Captain America: Civil War and has since played the character in five subsequent films. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter on his latest outing as the character in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Holland explains his regret at the situation.
“Something I can look back on now with a little bit of clarity and regret is that I never called [Garfield] when I took over as Spider-Man. Had someone said to me after my second movie that I was done and this other kid was taking over, I would’ve been heartbroken. So looking back, I wish I had the chance to make amends with him, but this film was our opportunity.”
Garfield reprised his role as the web-slinging superhero for the first time since 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in No Way Home, where he teamed-up with Tom Holland and Tobey Maguire’s versions of the Marvel character in order to save the multiverse. Further sequels and spin-offs to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 were planned, but were subsequently cancelled due to conflicts between Sony Pictures, Garfield and director Marc Webb.
Holland continued in the interview: “It was not only an opportunity for him to make peace with the character and the studio, but it was also an opportunity for me and him to have this moment where we realize we could share this thing. The look on his face when he saves Zendaya [MJ] is totally genuine, and I’m really proud of him.”
Garfield recently revealed that he only told three people in advance about his role in Spider-Man: No Way Home.
“I lied to people for a good two years and I lied to the internet for two years, and it felt great,” Garfield told The Ellen DeGeneres Show, adding that only three people in his life besides his agent knew that he was filming. Read more
Qatar 2022: NFF confirms date for Ghana vs Nigeria World Cup qualifier (Punch)
The Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday confirmed the date of the reverse FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 play-off leg between Nigeria and Ghana to the Confederation of African Football.
In a statement, NFF said Nigeria and Ghana will face off in a pitched battle at the MKO Abiola National Stadium, Abuja on Sunday, March 27.
NFF’s spokesperson, Ademola Olajire, described the final leg clash as a “potentially–explosive”.
“Ghana Football Association now has to confirm whether the first leg inside the Cape Coast Stadium will be on Wednesday, 23rd March or Thursday, 24th March,” the statement said. Read more
Man United had no bite at Burnley as attack sputters with or without Cristiano Ronaldo (ESPN)
For the third time this season Cristiano Ronaldo was benched for a Premier League match, and for the third time Manchester United could only draw.
United could not beat Everton or Chelsea without their Portuguese star, but the 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor on Tuesday is arguably the most damaging of the lot. Failure to win against the league’s bottom team saw Ralf Rangnick’s side slip to fifth in the table courtesy of West Ham’s win over Watford.
Worryingly for United, Antonio Conte’s Tottenham are only three points behind but with three games in hand. Remember, Ed Woodward and the Glazers chose to pass up the chance to appoint Conte during the final days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign. How silly they will look if the Italian can guide Spurs into the top four at their expense.
Rangnick, the man they chose instead, is learning very quickly that getting this team into next season’s Champions League is no easy task, although at Burnley he felt he had not been helped by referee Mike Dean, who chalked off a Raphael Varane header and a Josh Brownhill own goal in the first half. Read more
David Moyes defends Kurt Zouma selection after cat-kicking video (Independent)
West Ham boss David Moyes stood by his decision to pick Kurt Zouma for the win over Watford despite the public backlash over his cat-kicking shame.
The France international was named in the starting line-up despite a police enquiry into a video showing him dropping, kicking and slapping his pet cat, and despite the club insisting that it “unreservedly condemns the actions of our player”.
And Zouma got a first taste of the outcry as his every touch was relentlessly booed by the Watford supporters.
The away fans chanted, among other things, “RSPCA RSPCA”, and when the defender hit the deck after a challenge with Joshua King, they sang “that’s how your cat felt”. Read more
FAI chiefs refuse to reveal costs of association’s Euro 2028 bid (IrishMirror)
FAI chiefs are refusing to say how much of the association’s money will be spent on the controversial Euro 2028 bid.
And it has emerged that Croke Park may not be needed if UEFA decide not to expand the tournament to 32 teams from 24.
But a push will be made to host a quarter-final in Dublin after the city had to relinquish its Euro 2020 group games and Last 16 encounter last summer.
Ireland have joined forces with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to stage 2028 after shelving World Cup 2030 plans. Read more
Inter beats Roma 2-0 in Cup, spoils Mourinho’s return (USAToday)
A pair of brilliant goals from Edin Dzeko and Alexis Sanchez ruined Jose Mourinho’s return to his former club Tuesday as Inter Milan beat Roma 2-0 to reach the Italian Cup semifinals.
The match marked the first time Mourinho faced Inter at San Siro since he left after leading the club to the Serie A-Italian Cup-Champions League treble in 2010.
Mourinho received a warm welcome from the fans, who deployed a banner that read: “Welcome back home, Jose.”
Roma players did not receive the same friendly treatment. Inter got off a perfect start to open the scoring on its first move. Read more
Pacers, Kings agree to 6-player trade involving Tyrese Haliburton, Domantas Sabonis (UPI)
The Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings agreed on a six-player trade that includes All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis and rising star Tyrese Haliburton on Tuesday.
League sources told ESPN and NBC Sports that Indiana is trading Jeremy Lamb, Justin Holiday, Sabonis and a 2027 second-round draft pick to the Kings in exchange for Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson and Haliburton.
The Pacers later confirmed the pending trade before Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Hawks. On Indiana’s injury report, Sabonis, Holiday and Lamb were listed as out due to the trade agreement.
The NBA trade deadline is set for 3 p.m. EST Thursday. Read more
Chris Eubank Jr. claims he intended to make Liam Williams bout go the distance (ESPN)
Chris Eubank Jr. insists it was his intention to draw out Saturday’s unanimous points win against Liam Williams to make it last the full 12 rounds rather than finish it early — but his reasoning seems a little spurious.
Eubank made a commanding start and looked destined for a stoppage win after flooring Williams for the third time in round four. Two of the knockdowns had been from jabs and Eubank’s array of punches was overwhelming the Welshman in front of his home fans at the Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff.
But Eubank (32-2, 23 KOs), 32, from Brighton, who is trained by four-weight world champion Roy Jones Junior, then eased off in his intensity, allowing the fight to become more competitive until a fourth knockdown in the 11thround.
Why did the English boxer let Williams escape from the brink of defeat in round four? He reckons it was so he could inflict more “punishment”. Read more