Small businesses grounded as naira scarcity bites harder (DailyTrust)
The continued naira scarcity in all parts of Nigeria has grounded countless small and medium businesses and pushed millions of families to increased poverty.
Their troubles stem from the fact that it is cash that drives their businesses, and although many of them are willing to go cashless, there are many hurdles to cross.
In towns and villages, thousands of bean cake (akara) and fruit sellers, vulcanizers, roadside bukkas (food vendors), barbers, wheelbarrow pushers and bricklayers have disappeared.
“I have to close the business because only cash can sustain it,” Bintu Suleiman, who fried bean cake, said. Read more
CBN ends cash swap programme in rural areas (Punch)
The Central Bank of Nigeria says residents of rural and unbanked areas can no longer swap old notes for new ones through its cash swap programme.
The CBN Acting Spokesperson, Isa Abdulmumin, disclosed this in a telephone chat with our correspondet, noting that the programme had fulfilled its mandate.
He said, “The programme has stopped. The cash swap was not in perpetuity and has a lifeline.” Read more
Pressure mounts on APC chairman, Adamu to resign (Sun)
Leading Civil Society Organisations, Conference of Nigeria Civil Rights Activists (CNCRA), has urged the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, to obey the calls for his resignation in the interest of equity, fairness and justice.
The CNCRA said his exit as APC national chairman would ensure power balancing in the incoming Bola Tinubu ‘s government.
The group gave the commendation in a statement signed by its Convener, Pastor Ifeanyi Odili, and Secretary, Sina Akadiri, which was made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
The rights activists said Adamu’s resignation would also be a great opportunity for the All Progressives Congress to assuage the feelings of Christians towards the same faith arrangement of the party in the recently concluded Presidential Election. Read more
LASTMA uses KWAM1 song to beg Lagosians for forgiveness (Vanguard)
Lagos State Transport Management Agency, LASTMA, officials have appealed to the residents of the state to forgive them of any offence.
The officials were seen in a viral video playing legendary Fuji musician, King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, KWAM1’s song begging for forgiveness.
The appeal might not be unconnected with the officials’ strategy of seeking peace with Lagos residents to campaign for the ruling party ahead of the governorship and House of Assembly elections slated for March 18. Read more
Ex-Boko Haram fighter, traditional ruler, 35 others arrested for drug trafficking (Channels)
A rehabilitated ex-fighter of the Boko Haram terror group, Alayi Madu and the traditional ruler of Kajola, a border community between Ondo and Edo state, Baale Akinola Adebayo are among 37 persons arrested over 2.2 tons of illicit drugs seized by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja, Lagos and in raids across 12 states in the past week.
As part of ongoing operations to mop up illicit drugs across the country ahead of the next round of elections, NDLEA officers in the early hours of Friday 10th March, stormed Kajola forest in Kajola community, a border town between Edo and Ondo state where they destroyed three cannabis farms measuring 39.801546 hectares.
The owner of the farms who claims to be the Ba’ale of Kajola, Akinola Adebayo, 35, was arrested on the farm at 2:30am, while two other suspects believed to be his workers: Arikuyeri Abdulrahman, 23 and Habibu Ologun, 25, were also nabbed in a hut near the farms. Read more
17 corpses found after bandits attack Kaduna community (Tribune)
At least 17 corpses were found after bandits raided a community in Southern Kaduna and on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
A resident of the area who pleaded for anonymity told newsmen on Sunday that among those killed was a police officer and 10 other residents of the community.
“A police officer and 10 others were killed on Saturday night when a confusion endued earlier in the afternoon between security operatives and a Fulani man at a checkpoint in Ungwan Wakili. Read more
Police confirm fresh Kaduna killings, vows to deal with attackers (Nation)
The Police authorities in Kaduna State have confirmed Saturday’s night attack on Ungwan Wakili, Zangon-Kataf.
Confirming the incident to The Nation, Kaduna Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) DSP Muhammed Jalige said that security forces were on top of the situation.
He explained from the briefing he received from the Area Commander, trouble started a couple of days ago, when a boy rearing cattle was murdered. Read more
Delta CP condemns attack on police by Nigerian Navy personnel (Independent)
Delta State Commissioner of Police, CP Ari Mohammed Ali, has condemned the recent attack on Police Officers while performing their lawful duties by Personnel of the Nigerian Navy as he calls for calm, commends the general public for their concerns.
The media learnt this today being on Sunday, March 12, 2023 from the Police Public Relations Officer, Delta State Command, DSP Bright Edafe in a press statement made available to some group of Journalists in Asaba, Delta State capital as CP Ari Mohammed Ali frowned that such act would not be tolerated, advises residents of the state not to take laws into their hands, seek redress through established channels.
The statement by Delta State Police Command reads in parts: “On 08/03/2023 at about 1445 hrs a Naval rating, identified as Kevwe Ejaita ‘m’ alongside two others who lodged at Oguta lake hotel behind Enerhen Division, while driving out of the area, had an altercation with one the policemen posted as Station Guards at the security barrier in front of the Police Station”. Read more
Reddit NoSleep writer sells short story to Netflix in massive auction, and Jessica Chastain will star (IndieWire)
Even the weekend of Hollywood’s biggest party couldn’t stop film industry dealmakers from fighting over the latest horror project. “I Am Not Alone,” a new horror film that’s set to star Jessica Chastain, became the subject of a heated bidding war before reportedly landing at Netflix.
The project, which will be directed by Lovecraft Country creator Misha Green, is based on a short story by fiction writer Chris Hicks. The mysterious story centres around a mother who begins to hallucinate deadly creatures when she suffers from migraines.
It marks the first major Hollywood project for the writer, who is best known for writing viral horror stories on the NoSleep subreddit. (And it’s the latest example of horror artists finding alternative paths to break into the industry). After spending years building up a following in the online horror fiction community, he’s now branching out into feature films and novels — without losing touch with the perfectionism that made him a successful short writer in the first place. Read more
Silicon Valley Bank fallout starts to spread around the world (JPost)
The fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank is beginning to spread around the world.
Startup founders in California’s Bay Area are panicking about access to money and paying employees. Fears of contagion have reached Canada, where the bank’s loan book has doubled in the past year. SVB’s unit in the UK is set to be declared insolvent, has already ceased trading and is no longer taking new customers. On Saturday, the leaders of roughly 180 tech companies sent a letter calling on UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to intervene.
“The loss of deposits has the potential to cripple the sector and set the ecosystem back 20 years,” they said in the letter seen by Bloomberg. “Many businesses will be sent into involuntary liquidation overnight.”
This is just the beginning. SVB had branches in China, Denmark, Germany, India, Israel and Sweden, too. Founders are warning that the bank’s failure could wipe out startups around the world without government intervention. SVB’s joint venture in China, SPD Silicon Valley Bank Co., was seeking to calm local clients overnight by reminding them that operations have been independent and stable. Read more
Malaysians cross their fingers and hope for Michelle Yeoh’s success at the Oscars (StraitsTimes)
Malaysians are on pins and needles as they await with bated breath for the results of Ipoh-born actress Michelle Yeoh’s Academy Awards nomination for Best Actress on Monday.
Yeoh became the first Malaysian to ever receive an Oscar nomination on Jan 24 shortly after making history as the first Malaysian Golden Globe award winner on Jan 11 for her lead role in the 2022 runaway success film, Everything Everywhere All At Once.
The actress is only the second Asian to have ever received a nomination for Best Actress and stands a high chance of being the first to win the coveted award. Read more
Jimmy Kimmel studied “martial arts” to prepare for hosting Oscars 2023 (NME)
Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel has said he’s been studying “martial arts” ahead of the 2023 ceremony tonight (March 12).
During the 2022 ceremony, Will Smith stormed the stage and hit host Chris Rock, after the comedian made a comment about Jada Pinkett-Smith, who was also in attendance.
Kimmel, who previously hosted the event in 2017 and 2018, is set to oversee events at the 95th Academy Awards. When it was announced, producers said that Kimmel would be “ready for anything”. Read more
Brian Eno to receive Venice Biennale Music Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement (Variety)
Brian Eno, the influential British musician, producer and visual artist who has helped define and reinvent the sound of top music artists including David Bowie, U2, Talking Heads, and Coldplay, will be honoured by the Venice Biennale Music section with its Golden Lion for lifetime achievement.
Eno is being honored “for his research into the quality, beauty and diffusion of digital sound and for his conception of the acoustic space as a compositional instrument,” the Biennale said in a statement.
Eno, 74, who describes himself as a ‘non-musician’ is best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop and electronica and has been on the cutting edge of technology and artistic innovation for the past 50 years. Read more
South African rapper dies after collapsing on stage (MyJoy)
South African rapper Costa Tsobanoglou, better known by his stage name Costa Titch, has passed away. The well-known performer was 28 years old.
According to reports, Costa Titch collapsed while performing at the Ultra Music Festival at the Expo Centre, in Johannesburg on Saturday night – he was later reported dead.
In some viral videos on social media, Costa Titch was seen falling down during his performance but his security helped him to his feet and the performance continued. Read more
4 astronauts splash down off Florida coast ending 5-month mission (NBC)
Four space station astronauts returned to Earth late Saturday after a quick SpaceX flight home.
Their capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida coast near Tampa.
The U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew spent five months at the International Space Station, arriving last October. Besides dodging space junk, the astronauts had to deal with a pair of leaking Russian capsules docked to the orbiting outpost and the urgent delivery of a replacement craft for the station’s other crew members. Read more
Sam Kerr’s strike sees Chelsea beat Manchester United to reclaim WSL top spot (Independent)
Sam Kerr’s strike fired Chelsea two points clear of opponents Manchester United as the Blues reclaimed top spot in the Women’s Super League with a 1-0 victory at Kingsmeadow.
The Australia international collected a brilliant lofted ball from Lauren James to open the scoring in the 23rd minute in what could prove a deciding contest in the title chase.
United began the afternoon a point clear of the defending champions at the top of the WSL table, though Chelsea have a game in hand. Read more
U-20 AFCON: Ebonyi football fans urge NFF not to disband Flying Eagles (Guardian)
Football fans in Ebonyi have advised the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) not to disband the Flying Eagles due to its bronze-medal finish at the just concluded U-20 AFCON in Egypt.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the nation’s men U-20 team did not impress much in the competition won by the club Lions of Senegal on March 11.
The fans, who spoke to NAN on Sunday in Abakaliki, urged the NFF to disregard calls for wholesome changes to the team as it would be counter-productive to its world youth championship campaign in Indonesia. Read more
U20 AFCON: Ladan Bosso lauds Flying Eagles’ efficacy in front of goal (DailyTrust)
Following Nigeria’s 4-0 annihilation of Tunisia in the third-place play-off of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, head coach Ladan Bosso hailed his team, stating that they performed better on Friday because they took their chances.
Prior to playing at Cairo International Stadium on Friday, the Flying Eagles were defeated 1-0 by The Gambia in a semifinal match on Monday that featured numerous missed opportunities.
On Friday, however, Ibrahim Muhammad opened the scoring in the ninth minute, with Ahmed Abdullahi adding in the opening minute of the second half before Jude Sunday added two more in the game for a 4-0 victory. Read more
Barcelona: Real Madrid back corruption charges against La Liga rivals over payments to referees’ official (BBC)
Real Madrid say they will support the corruption charges faced by Barcelona over money paid to the vice-president of Spain’s referees’ committee.
Real are prepared to “defend their interests” when proceedings are opened.
On Friday, a court heard Barcelona have been indicted for “corruption”, “breach of trust” and “false business records”.
Prosecutors allege Barca paid 8.4m euros (£7.4m) to Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira and his company in return for favourable refereeing decisions. Read more
Emma Raducanu willing to ‘take whatever it takes’ to get back to the top (Tennishead)
Emma Raducanu has spoken about her change in luck, after reaching the third round of Indian Wells for a second year in a row.
Raducanu beat Australian Open semi-finalist Magda Linette, 7-6(3) 6-2, to pick up her highest ranked win since her 2021 US Open triumph.
Despite picking up a win there has been some discussion around the British No.1’s lingering wrist injury, with Raducanu taking a tablet towards the end of the first set. Read more
‘‘Fearless’’ Steph Curry inspires Golden State Warriors to victory against Milwaukee Bucks (CNN)
Time and time again, Steph Curry has proved his quality, carving out a place among the sport’s greats.
And he did so again on Saturday, scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to seal a 125-116 win for the Golden State Warriors over the Milwaukee Bucks.
“Steph is fearless,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters afterward. “It doesn’t matter if there is a slow start or if he hasn’t had much going, he can ignite at any time.” Read more