Refuse burning triggers minor explosion at Ikeja army cantonment (Vanguard)
The Nigerian Army has confirmed that a minor explosion occurred at the army cantonment in Ikeja, Lagos.
In a statement signed by the Director of Army public relations, Onyema Nwachukwu revealed that no casualty was recorded in the incident.
According to Onyema, the “minor explosion’’ occurred on a farmland near the Mammy market within the cantonment. Read more
Renewed Hope: Tinubu’s March scorecard (Tribune)
The Nigeria president, Ashiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had revealed his administration scorecard for the month of March.
This was posted on the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Media Centre ‘X’ account on 1st April, 2024.
Tinubu to attend Senegal president-elect’s inauguration
President Tinubu’s disposition towards the working class.
Highlighting the President Tinubu’s progress towards the fulfilment of his Renewed Hope Agenda. Read more
LASEPA promises enhanced air quality (Punch)
The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency has pledged its commitment to enhancing air quality in Lagos.
The agency restated it while giving an update on the Air Quality Index captured in Lagos on Monday.
The AQI tracks ozone (smog) and particle pollution (tiny particles from smoke, power plants and factories, vehicle exhaust, and other sources), as well as other air pollutants. Read more
University of Maiduguri lecturer found dead in his office (Channels)
A lecturer with the University of Maiduguri, Department of Physical and Health Education Abdulkadir Kamar has been found dead in his office at the university.
The University’s Director of Radio and Public Relations, Danjuma Gambo, confirmed the unfortunate incident in a late Monday press release.
Gambo noted that the police and other security agencies have already launched an investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding his death. Read more
Hoarding palliatives is a curse, says Oluwo (Nation)
Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, has berated government, politicians and officials who are hoarding the palliatives provided by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He noted that the government ushered in a new rebirth of prosperity and abundance for Nigeria.
Oba Akanbi, speaking yesterday after distributing bags of rice to aged and vulnerable residents in Iwo, Osun State, said the reforms and measures introduced by the Federal Government would tackle economic challenges facing Nigerians. Read more
Kano hospitals board fires 3, suspends 3 others over patients’ extortion (Leadership)
The Executive Secretary, Kano State Hospitals Management Board, Dr Mansur Nagoda has announced the sack of three personnel of Kabo General Hospital over allegation of charging patients N12,000 for X-ray as against the approved hospital price of N2,000.
A statement on Monday by the Public Relation Officer, Hospitals Management Board, Samira Suleiman, in Kano said the Board also approved the suspension of the Accountant, Auditor and Head of Laboratory for selling the free HIV test kits given to health facilities by the state government.
Individuals affected by the decisions have also been asked to report to the Board Headquarters for further disciplinary actions. Read more
Don berates dearth of dairy farms in Nigeria (ThisDay)
A Professor of Human Nutrition and Hospitality at Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, Professor Paulina Adeniji, has expressed concerns over the dearth of dairy farms in the country.
Delivering a lecture with the theme, “Give Us Adequate Food in Due Season: Establishing a Path to Healthy Living,” at the 12th inaugural lecture of the university in Ede, Adeniji said that it is worrisome that Nigeria does not have enough and well-established dairy farms to meet its dairy needs despite having the capacity to be one of the exporters of dairy products on the continent. Read more
Discos make N1tn amid grid crisis, unmetered customers hit 5.8m (Punch)
Despite the persistent epileptic power supply nationwide, revenue generation by electricity distribution companies in Nigeria surged to N1.1trn within the 12 months of 2023, a new report has revealed.
The figure represents an increase of N234.4bn or 28.2 per cent from the N831bn generated by the power firms over a similar period in 2022.
This latest data was disclosed in the electricity report released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday. Read more
PDP urges Rivers assembly to allow Fubara perform his duties (Dailytrust)
The Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the 27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC to stop disturbing the peace of the state and allow Governor Siminalayi Fubara to concentrate on delivering the dividends of his mandate to the people.
The State Publicity Secretary of PDP, Tambari Sydney-Gbara, in a press statement issued on Monday, urged the lawmakers, who he said defected from PDP to APC, to first address their legal status as their legitimacy was subject to litigation.
Recall that the 27 lawmakers led by the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule, recently issued a fresh impeachment threat against the governor over the continued crisis between a former Governor of the state and now FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and Governor Fubara. Read more
Beyoncé reveals Stevie Wonder played harmonica on ‘‘Jolene’’ cover, thanks him during iHeartRadio Awards speech (Variety)
Production and songwriter credits for Beyoncé’s new album “Cowboy Carter” hit streaming services this past weekend, but she’s got a few more surprises in store when it comes to the musicians who played on the record.
While accepting the Innovator Award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Tuesday (April 1), Beyoncé revealed that Stevie Wonder played harmonica on her cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” a reimagining of the 1973 classic. Wonder was on hand to present the honor to Beyoncé, who introduced her speech by thanking the artist for how much he inspired her.
“Thank you so much Stevie, I love you. I love you and I honor you. I want to thank you for making a way for all of us,” she said. “I’m honored to receive this recognition from you, Stevie Wonder. Whenever anyone asks me if there’s anyone I can listen to for the rest of my life, it’s always you. So thank you, God bless you.” Wonder responded, “I want to thank you for motivating the world to be a better place.” Read more
JK Rowling ‘looks forward to being arrested’ after slamming Scotland’s new hate crime law (Metro)
JK Rowling has challenged Scotland’s new hate crime laws by saying she ‘looks forward to being arrested’.
The Harry Potter author, who lives in Edinburgh, has previously come under fire for her views and for describing several transgender women as men.
This week, Scotland’s Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 came into effect and creates a new crime of ‘stirring up hatred’ relating to age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity or being intersex. Read more
50 Cent left in stitches as Andrew Schulz ‘chooses violence’ in Diddy drama (HipHopDx)
50 Cent is having quite the laugh one of Andrew Schulz’s new standup routines wherein he addresses the drama currently surrounding Diddy.
In an Instagram post on Monday (April 1), Fif shared a clip from the comedian’s act that features him making light of the accusations against the music mogul.
“LA, I got tired of the media trying to smear this great city,” he told the audience. “They’re saying you’re a bunch of fucking criminals, drug addicts and pedophiles. That is not the whole city — that is a very small specific section of the city that is called Diddy’s house. Read more
Ivory Coast to increase official farmgate cocoa price (AfricaNews)
Ivory Coast, the world’s largest exporter of cocoa is exected to increase the official cocoa farmgate price to 1,500 CFA francs ($2.47) per kg from Tuesday from the current 1,000 CFA.
It comes as President Allassane Ouattara on Saturday validated a proposal for a price of between 1,100 and 1,200 CFA francs per kg before reversing his decision and asking that the price be even higher.
Cocoa prices have more than tripled over the last year as disease and adverse weather pushed the global market to a third successive deficit, but the official farmgate price that growers can charge for their beans in Ivory Coast, a top producer, has yet to reflect this. Read more
Families of Brit backpackers killed in Thailand face fresh agony over demand (Mirror)
Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, both 29, were sentenced to death for killing David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, in 2014 but still maintain their innocence
The families of two British backpackers bludgeoned to death in Thailand are facing fresh agony after their killers demanded a review of the case, writes Dan Warburton in Bang Kwang prison, Bangkok.
Burmese bar workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun, both 29, were sentenced to death for killing David Miller, 24, and Hannah Witheridge, 23, in 2014. Now prison letters seen by the Mirror show the pair still maintain their innocence 10 years after the brutal murders on Koh Tao island. Read more
After 2 weeks of raids at Shifa Hospital, Gaza’s largest, Israeli troops withdraw (PBS)
Israel’s military withdrew from Gaza’s largest hospital early Monday after a two-week raid, in which it said it killed some 200 militants and detained hundreds more. Palestinian residents said the troops left behind several bodies and a vast swath of destruction.
The military has described the raid on Shifa Hospital as a major battlefield victory in the nearly six-month war. But it came at a time of mounting frustration in Israel, with tens of thousands protesting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and demanding he do more to bring home dozens of hostages held in Gaza. It was the largest anti-government demonstration since the start of the war. Read more
Erdogan vows to make amends after humbling election loss in Turkiye (MalayMail)
President Tayyip Erdogan vowed today to correct any mistakes that led to his party’s defeat in Turkiye’s local elections where the opposition capitalised on economic woes and alienated Islamist voters, casting uncertainty over his reform plans.
Yesterday’s vote marked Erdogan and his AK Party’s (AKP) worst defeat in more than 20 years in power, revitalising the opposition party and strengthening Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu’s standing as the president’s main rival.
Redrawing a political map long dominated by the AKP, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) won the popular vote for the first time in decades and swept most of the main cities, penetrating far into conservative central Turkey. Read more
Ofoborh ecstatic after returning to football (Punch)
Former Nigeria youth international, Nnamdi Ofoborh, is thrilled to have returned to football action after spending three years on the sidelines due to a heart problem, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The former Glasgow Rangers midfielder made his first appearance for English fourth division side Swindon Town last Friday when he replaced Ricky Aguair with five minutes left to play in their 2-1 win over Nott County.
He also made his first start on Monday playing for 57 minutes before being substituted for George McEachran in Swindon Town’s 3-1 loss away at Sutton United as he looks to get his career back up and running. Read more
US U-19 manager Michael Nsien indicates interest in Super Eagles coaching job (Channels)
United States of America’s men’s U-19 national team coach of Nigerian descent, Michael Nsien, has declared his interest in the vacant Super Eagles coaching job, as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) continues its search for a substantive coach.
While addressing a news conference in Abuja on Monday, Nsien says with his qualifications and experience, he remains the best man to succeed Jose Peseiro as the Super Eagles coach.
Nsien is one of the contenders for the Super Eagles job with ex-internationals Emmanuel Amuneke and George Finidi as well as other candidates being mooted. Read more
Germany fans banned from buying number 44 kits over Nazi symbolism (BBC)
Adidas has banned football fans from buying German football kits customised with the number 44, after media raised their resemblance to the symbol used by World War Two-era Nazi SS units.
“We will block personalisation of the jerseys,” an Adidas spokesman said.
SS units were the most responsible for the crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis. Read more
Man City’s Manuel Akanji describes frustration with referee Anthony Taylor as Arsenal tactic goes unpunished (IrishIndependent)
Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji is puzzled as to how Arsenal got away with some “clear yellow cards” during Sunday’s foul-filled scoreless draw.
After seeing Liverpool move top with a comeback win against Brighton, the other title contenders played out a forgettable 0-0 draw featuring just three shots on target at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal seemed happier with the point than City, whose frustration was palpable as the visitors avoided a booking for the 20 fouls against them by referee Anthony Taylor. Read more
Arokodare secures victory for Genk over Union SG: Is he meeting expectations? (Soccernet)
Super Eagles-eligible forward, Tolu Arokodare, scored the only goal in KRC Genk’s Jupiler Pro League Championship Group clash with Union Saint-Gilloise, as reported by Soccernet.ng.
At the Cegeka Arena, the Smurfs secured all three points thanks to Arokodare’s first-half strike, capitalising on Patrik Hrosovsky’s assist to score the lone goal in the entire 90 minutes.
Hrosovsky provided the former FC Koln forward with a nice pass inside the box, allowing him to finish with a precise effort into the bottom right corner past Luxembourg goalkeeper Anthony Moris. Read more
Jason Wilcox: Manchester United make approach for Southampton director of football (SkySports)
Manchester United have approached Southampton about hiring their director of football Jason Wilcox.
United want to make him their technical director as part of the new recruitment team – and an offer equivalent to a year of his salary has been made.
United believe this meets a buyout clause in his contract – but Southampton are disputing the existence of the clause and are understood to be annoyed at the manner and timing of United’s approach. Read more