Slain BRT victim, Bamise was a virgin; Mum inconsolable, Dad hard to pacify — Brother-in-law (Vanguard)
Concerned Nigerians have been reacting to the gruesome murder of 22-year-old Oluwabamise Ayanola who was declared missing after boarding a Lagos Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, only for her lifeless body to be found at the morgue of the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos days later.
The deceased, a fashion designer, was said to have boarded the BRT bus with number plate 240257 from Chevron bus stop at Lekki to Oshodi, at about 7p.m., heading to her elder brother’s place at Idimu. But she never got to her destination and could not be reached on her phone until her remains were found.
Fleeing driver of the BRT bus, Andrew Nice was arrested in his hideout at Ososa, Ogun State by the Department of State Services, DSS. He was, thereafter, handed over to the police. He was arrested alongside a man that harboured him.
When Vanguard Metro visited Isale Eko area, opposite Ilu Binrin Estate, where the decomposed body of Oluwabamise was dumped, the majority of the residents denied knowledge of the incident due to fear of any unforeseen aftermath. Read more
IWD: Inner Wheel District 912 shares foods to market women (Independent)
The market women at Kudaki Ultra-Modern Market in Ikotun-Egbe area of Lagos were celebrated as Inner Wheel District 912 Nigeria marked the International Women’s Day with a visit to the market where different foods, as well as clothing, shoes and other items, were shared to both men and women.
In a well-attended ceremony where more than 200 of the women and men received various items to mark the day, Chairman of Inner Wheel District 912 Nigeria, IWM Adefunke Olubunmi Shinaba, said women hold a special place in the hearts of Inner Wheel District 912 members, hence the visit.
IWM Shinaba noted that it was imperative that women rose to the challenge of motherhood, saying the place of women cannot be overemphasized, saying since her tenure, more than 40 women had been empowered through various skills.
“It is very valuable to be a woman. Today in the whole world, International Women’s Day is being celebrated and Inner Wheel all over the world is celebrating women.
“Today we come here to empower about 250 women and men with various food items and other things as part of our own way of celebrating today. Read more
HAPAwards celebrate Pasuma (Nation)
Organisers of the Hollywood and African Prestigious Awards (HAPAwards), recently presented Fuji maestro, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma with the award for Best International Music Video 2021.
The HAPA team also used the unique opportunity to attend a groundbreaking ceremony of the Wakanda-One city initiative in Ghana.
The award presentation led by Producer and African Representative of HAPAwards, Adeola Odunowo, was held at the singer’s home in Lagos.
While expressing his gratitude to the award organisers, Pasuma said it was an amazing experience to be a part of the last edition at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Read more
IGP reacts to death of Egbunike, DIG investigating Abba Kyari (Independent)
Usman Akali Baba, Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Wednesday reacted to the death of the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Joseph Egbunike, who was in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department (FCID).
Daily Independent had reported that Egbunike died on Tuesday night after he slumped in his office a few minutes after he was given drugs at the National Hospital in Abuja.
While details of the incident are still sketchy, it was gathered that Egbunike had met his doctor for a medical check-up after feeling unwell.
Few minutes after he was given drugs, the senior officer who was said to have driven him to the office in the company of family members, in his usual bubbling self, slumped and died. Read more
Lagos student wins 9mobile Future CEO speech competition (Leadership)
A 16-year-old female student, Jane-Frances Okorie from Lagos State Civil Service Senior Model College student, Igbogbo, Ikorodu, has won the maiden edition of the 9mobile FutureCEO speech competition.
She defeated nine other finalists in a keenly contested speech battle held at the Immaculate Heart Comprehensive Senior High School, Maryland, Lagos.
Over 50 students from secondary schools within the Lagos State Education District 2, comprising Ikorodu, Kosofe, and Shomolu local government councils, participated in the competition.
The 9mobile FutureCEO is an initiative aimed at inspiring future leaders by stirring up their interest in business and leadership. The initiative also affords promising future leaders an opportunity to walk in the shoes of senior business leaders. Read more
Siblings remanded for allegedly killing teenager (Nation)
Two brothers Oloruntoyin Abdullahi 31, and Ayodele Kazeem 26, have been remanded in prison custody for alleged involvement in the killing of a teenager Ebunoluwa Osatuyi.
Late Osatuyi was found dead inside her parent’s apartment on January 24 after returning from evening classes.
She was found to have been axed and clubbed to death.
Police investigations led to the arrest of the two brothers by tracing her missing phone to them. Read more
Court fixes March 23 to hear FG’s request to extradite Abba Kyari (Guardian)
A Federal High Court in Abuja fixed March 23, to hear an application by the Federal Government seeking for the suspended DCP Abba Kyari’s extradition to the United States (U.S).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) had, on March 3, reported that the Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), filed the application marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/249/2022.
The suit, titled: “Application for the Extradition of Abba Alhaji Kyari to the United States of America,” was dated and filed March 2.
While the AGF is the applicant, Kyari is the respondent in the application. Read more
‘Motorists to pay levies on Second Niger Bridge when completed’ (DailyTrust)
The federal government has said a levy will be placed on motorists that would ply the second Niger bridge once it is completed.
The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, made the disclosure during an inspection of the project, stating that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had developed a National Tolling Policy for the entire nation.
He added that if the road was tolled, there would be an alternative route, “so, when this bridge is tolled, the old bridge is an alternative route, so you have the choice to make between speed and price,” he said.
In a statement by the Director (Press and Public Relations) of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Boade Akinola, on Wednesday, Gambari however stated that tolling the bridge was not the key issue for the federal government but to get the project delivered. Read more
Ebonyi youths condemn federal court ruling against governor, deputy (Sun)
Akubaraoha Youth Assembly (AYA) in Ebonyi State has described the judgment of the Abuja Federal High Court which sacked Governor David Umahi and his Deputy, Dr Kelechi Igwe, from office as shocking.
AYA National President Chief Mark Onu at a press briefing in Abakaliki said the youths received the judgment as a surprise.
He noted that the judgment came after a state high court in the state delivered a judgment that Umahi was free to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that of Zamfara State which did not sack Governor Matawalle for also defecting to the APC.
He expressed optimism that Umahi will get justice at the upper courts. Read more
Ndukwe receives Independent Lifetime achievement award (ThisDay)
The Chairman, Board of Directors MTN Nigeria, Dr Ernest C. Ndukwe, was celebrated with the lifetime achievement award at the 2021 Independent Awards held in Lagos.
The ceremony, themed, “Celebrating Trailblazers,” celebrated individuals and corporate organisations who have shown true commitment to the welfare of Nigerians and have impacted positively on the lives of many.
Ndukwe received the lifetime award in recognition of his effort towards leading the telecommunications revolution in the country. He has over 38 years of international experience in business management and in the telecommunications industry, majority of which have been in C-Level positions in private multinational companies and in government Telecom Policy & Regulation.
He was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Nigeria’s Telecommunications Regulatory Agency by the President in 2000 and proceeded to preside over the building of an internationally respected institution. Read more
Eminem breaks RIAA record for most gold & platinum certified singles (AllHipHop)
Eminem achieved another impressive sales feat in his storied career.
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Eminem received the most gold and platinum certifications for singles in history. The RIAA announced 73.5 million new certifications for Slim Shady on Tuesday (March 8), giving him a total of 166 million single certifications.
Eminem earned 227.5 million RIAA Awards overall, including 61.5 million album certifications. The Shady Records founder also stands as one of only seven artists with three or more diamond-selling albums.
“These awards recognize Eminem’s unflinching commitment to his craft and the enduring connection he has forged with fans over the last twenty years,” RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier said in a press release. “With today’s announcement, Eminem becomes the top certified singles artist in our program’s history and adds a rare third Diamond Album to his many creative accomplishments. Congratulations to Eminem and his entire label team who have set the bar higher than ever!” Read more
UB40 announce UK tour with giant Birmingham concert for new frontman Matt Doyle (BirminghamLive)
UB40 are going back on the road with their new frontman Matt Doyle for a two-part UK tour that will build towards a giant pre-Christmas show in hometown Birmingham. The reggae legends are playing 18 dates across England, Scotland and Wales in the late Spring, before returning to play five more shows in December including a newly-announced gig at the city’s Utilita Arena on Sunday, December 19.
There will be other dates either side including Belfast, Castlebar, Leeds and London’s Ovo Arena at Wembley. Matt Doyle, who was confirmed as the new lead singer of UB40 last summer following Duncan Campbell’s retirement, will make his tour debut with the band which has been on the road for 43 years.
They will also be performing their new song Champion, written for the new multi-artist album ‘On Record’ as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival ahead of the Commonwealth Games (July 28 to August 8). On Record was commissioned and produced by Birmingham Music Archive and features 11 original songs exclusively written and recorded by new and established city music talent.
The UK tour will include favourite UB40 hits from Food for Thought to Kingston Town, (I Can’t Help) Falling in Love With You and Red, Red Wine. Robin Campbell, guitarist and vocalist said: “We’re so excited to finally be going back on the road and feel the vibe and love of a live crowd, and for all the UB40 fans to meet Matt as well. They can expect a phenomenal show. We’ll be sure to bring the party.” Read more
Bob Dylan essay collection celebrating art of songwriting to be published (Guardian)
Bob Dylan will publish a new essay collection celebrating songs by peers such as Elvis Costello, Hank Williams and Nina Simone.
Dylan began work on The Philosophy of Modern Song in 2010, according to a press release. His first book of new writing since 2004’s Chronicles: Volume One, it contains 60 essays in which the 80-year-old musician “analyses what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal”.
Publisher Simon & Schuster (S&S) described the essays as “mysterious and mercurial, poignant and profound, and often laugh-out-loud funny. And while they are ostensibly about music, they are really meditations and reflections on the human condition”.
Combined with nearly 150 “carefully curated photos as well as a series of dreamlike riffs”, the collection “resembles an epic poem”, said S&S. Read more
Nicki Minaj talks partnering with Amazon for ‘Queen Radio’ (AllHipHop)
Nicki Minaj is taking her talents to the live radio Amp platform. The Amazon property will be the new home of Minaj’s popular Queen Radio show.
The move to Amazon follows Queen Radio‘s original run on Apple Music. Amp will also host upcoming programs by Pusha T, Lil Yachty, Big Boi, Tinashe, Travis Barker, and other musicians.
Nicki Minaj addressed her decision to switch streaming services during an Instagram Live session on Tuesday. The 39-year-old Queen album creator also brought DJ Boof and Joe Budden onto the stream.
“I am very excited to be partners with Amazon on bringing back Queen Radio,” stated Minaj. “Queen Radio is just something that is so dear to my heart. Of course, there have been times where I’ve thought about, ‘I don’t necessarily want to do Queen Radio, or any radio for that matter.’ But, why not?” Read more
Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall drink wine to prep for Oscars hosting gig (NYPost)
Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes are already whining and wine-ing about the 94th Academy Awards.
The trio of funny ladies are hosting the 2022 Oscars on March 27 and the Academy released the first promo for the show on Wednesday.
Schumer, Sykes, and Hall jokingly rip on past ceremony hosts over glasses of red wine and cheese boards in the 30-second spot.
“We just have to do better than last year’s host,” Sykes, 56, notes. Schumer, 40, then agrees, adding: “That is the thing, totally. It is a competition in that way.” Read more
Black Panther director Ryan Coogler was mistaken for a bank robber (Variety)
“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler, one of the most promising directors working in Hollywood today, was detained by police in Atlanta back in January after he was mistaken for a bank robber at a Bank of America.
The director confirmed the incident to Variety. “This situation should never have happened,” he said. “However, Bank of America worked with me and addressed it to my satisfaction and we have moved on.”
According to TMZ, which first reported the news based on a police report, Coogler was detained after he went to Bank of America to make a transaction. The 35-year-old director — who was wearing a hat, sunglasses and a COVID face mask — went to the counter and handed the teller a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back that reportedly read, “I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet.”
The teller, however, misinterpreted the situation as an attempted robbery when the amount of the transaction triggered an alarm on the banking system. The teller then informed her boss and together they called the police. As per TMZ, a police report describes the teller as a pregnant Black woman; however, Variety has not yet verified this information with Atlanta police or Bank of America. Read more
James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, John Williams, and more urge Academy to ‘reverse’ telecast decision (IndieWire)
Some of Hollywood’s top filmmakers and former Oscar winners are calling on the Academy to rethink its decision to pre-record eight categories ahead of the March 27 telecast.
James Cameron, Guillermo del Toro, John Williams, Kathleen Kennedy, and more than six dozen others signed an open letter addressed to Academy President David Rubin slamming the decision to record the wins for best documentary short, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, original score, production design, animated short, live-action short, and sound outside of the live Dolby Theatre ceremony.
The letter explained that such a decision would “demean” those categories and “relegate [them] to the status of second-class citizens,” as shared with Variety. Though the eight categories taking place prior to the 5 p.m. start time will be integrated into the broadcast, these artists are pushing the Academy to reverse its decision and present all 23 Oscar categories live.
“To diminish any of those individual categories in the pursuit of ratings and short-term profits does irreparable damage to the Academy’s standing as impartial arbiters, responsible stewards of our industry’s most important awards,” the letter reads. Read more
Chelsea sale: Arsene Wenger names the 2 things new owners must do to achieve success (FootballLondon)
Arsene Wenger has named the two main things Chelsea’s new owners must do in order to be successful.
Roman Abramovich confirmed last week in a statement that he would be ending his 19-year association with the club and sell his shares at Stamford Bridge.
The 55-year-old Russian has set a price tag of around £3billion for the club, with numerous interested parties making contact with Abramovich over the last week.
Wenger feels like £3bn is above the going rate for Chelsea, and also offered some advice for prospective new owners if they were to achieve the same sort of success in west London. Read more
16 players go into camping as KIFA unveils Arewa Youth Cup (Leadership)
The Kanu International Football Academy (KIFA) has unveiled the Arewa Youth Cup to be competed for by no fewer than 100 teams across the northern region.
The immediate past chairman of the Sunshine Stars and director general KIFA, Prince Dapo Ajibade, said the academy has over 120 centers across the country with over 3000 players in those centers doing well.
He said some of the players have left the shores of the country playing professional football abroad.
According to him 16 KIFA players have been selected from Kaduna for two weeks camping before proceeding to Ibadan where scouts who will be visiting the country from Europe will select those who would distinguish themselves in the field of play. Read more
Manchester United report: Red Devils in talks with £70m Premier League star (FourFourTwo)
Manchester United are in talks with Everton star Richarlison over a stunning move this summer.
The Brazilian forward is enduring a difficult season at Goodison Park, having been in and out of the team with injuries. The Toffees have struggled for form since an exciting start to the campaign and are facing a relegation battle under Frank Lampard.
Richarlison is no doubt one of the more talented and valuable players on the blue half of Merseyside, however, having broken into his national team and established himself as one of the most dangerous forwards in the league since a mega-money switch from Watford in 2018.
According to CaughtOffside, United transfer chief Matt Judge has held talks with Richarlison’s entourage over a potential move, as they look to over the 24-year-old an upgrade on his £90,000-a-week salary. Read more
Simona Halep comments on Russia – Ukraine war (TennisWorld)
Romanian tennis star Simona Halep has offered solidarity with Ukraine but also added that Russian athletes shouldn’t be the one receiving criticism for something they have no control over. The leading Russian players – Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova – have all called for peace in the world.
Russian players are allowed to compete in international allowed but they don’t compete under the name or flag of Russia – they are simply recognized as neutrals. “I don’t think we should judge them, just because they are from the same country,” Halep said, per Sportskeeda.
“It’s hard for me to say anything. More will probably be decided in the next period, but they are not to blame. I feel sorry for the emotions they have right now. It’s not easy to have your flag taken away from your name.” Read more
Dillian Whyte’s trainer brands Tyson Fury ‘beatable’ and ‘not on level’ of boxing greats (DailyStar)
Dillian Whyte’s trainer Xavier Miller has deliver a scathing assessment of the ‘beatable’ Tyson Fury ahead of next month’s huge world heavyweight title clash.
After lengthy negotiations, Fury will finally put his WBC belt on the line against mandatory challenger Whyte, despite ‘The Body Snatcher’ being seemingly unhappy with the arranged purse split.
The clash will take place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, April 23, and is already sold out after fans snapped up tickets within hours.
‘The Gypsy King’ labelled himself the “greatest heavyweight of my generation” following his trilogy win over Deontay Wilder last October, a claim that Miller has refuted. Read more
UFC’s Kamaru Usman vows to beat Canelo Alvarez in pound-for-pound showdown (Independent)
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has promised to “stop Canelo Alvarez” if the pair meet in a crossover clash of combat sports.
Usman and Alvarez are number one in the pound-for-pound rankings in UFC and boxing respectively.
The 34-year-old has challenged undisputed middleweight champion Alvarez to a cross-combat sport encounter on Mexican Independence Day, which is Friday 16 September.
Declaring that “boxing is dead”, Usman has laid out his plans to take on the four-weight champion after defending his UFC title against Leon Edwards this summer. Read more
Russia’s Mazepin hits out at Haas for firing him (RTE)
Russian driver Nikita Mazepin hit out at the Haas Formula One team for firing him after his country’s invasion of Ukraine and announced a foundation to support athletes unable to compete due to war or politics.
The 23-year-old told reporters in a video call from Moscow that the “We Compete as One” foundation would be funded by money paid by Uralkali, the Russian potash company owned by his billionaire father Dmitry, to Haas.
Uralkali said separately it had already paid most of the now-terminated 2022 title sponsorship to Haas and would be seeking immediate repayment while also reserving the right to claim damages.
No financial details were available and team title sponsorship contracts are confidential. Read more