Stop keeping Seun Kuti’s case file, lawyers tell police (Punch)
Lawyers to embattled Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti, have accused the police of disobeying a court order by withholding the artiste’s case file.
The lawyers, in a statement on Friday, called on the Lagos State Deputy Commissioner of Police, Simon Lough, to obey the order of a magistrate’s court to send the artiste’s case file to the Lagos State Director of Public Prosecutions for legal advice.
Seun, a son of the late Afrobeats legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has been in police custody since May 15 for allegedly assaulting a police officer.
The singer’s lead counsel, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, SAN, accused the police of creating a circus around the matter. Read more
Nigerian-born Canon Otto bags fellow, Royal Society of Arts (Guardian)
Nigerian-born Environment and Sustainability Consultant, Canon Chimenem Otto, FRSA, has been appointed as a fellow by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) for his social impact in the United Kingdom and Africa.
The RSA fellowship is awarded in recognition of people whom the organisation’s judges deem to have made outstanding achievements for social progress and development.
Canon Otto’s remarkable efforts through his insistent strategic advocacy that reflects his commitment to restoring the Earth’s fast-degrading environment from breakage, propagation of sustainability across the world, and driving a lasting change through sustainability policy reforms across and amongst Governments, Corporations and Communities, earned him recognition for the esteemed RSA fellowship. Read more
Nestle shareholders laud N61.50 dividend (DailyTrust)
Nestlé Nigeria Plc has restated its commitment to boosting local capacity by working with local suppliers and using raw materials locally sourced in the country.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nestle Foods Nigeria, David Ifezulike, disclosed this at the 54th annual general meeting of the company in Lagos as shareholders approved the payment of N61.50k final dividend for the 2022 financial year.
“Nestle in Nigeria has been able to use the materials that we find here. We have changed from using wheat to using a lot of maize and getting local protein from soya, and changed from barley malt to using sorghum malt, from using butter oil to using local palm oil and this we do by training the people who are supplying us the local ingredients as well. Read more
Sanwo-Olu’s Inauguration: Lagos unveils programme of events (ThisDay)
As part of activities towards the inauguration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Government unveiled the schedule of events for a seamless inauguration of the governor and his deputy, Dr. Femi Hanzat second term in office on May 29, 2023.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, who is also Chairman, Media Committee of Second Term Committee at a press conference held at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, said that at “exactly 1,451 days ago, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his partner, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, took the oath of office before thousands of people who were gathered at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos and millions more who watched on television and various media channels across the globe.”
Omotoso, who was flanked by Mr. Seye Oladejo, All Progressives Congress (APC) Lagos State Publicity Secretary, stressed that “that day marked the beginning of A Greater Lagos journey, which was embarked upon by the administration and anchored on the six pillars of development tagged THEMES Agenda. Read more
Okotie begs IGP to release Fela’s son (Independent)
Former Presidential candidate, Rev Chris Okotie, has urged the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Baba, to show mercy upon Afrobeat star, Seun Kuti over his case with the Police.
Seun is one of the children of the late legendary musician, bandleader, composer, political activist and Pan-Africanist, who was also regarded as the pioneer of Afrobeat, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Seun is in detention for slapping a Police man during an encounter in traffic recently. The matter has raised an uproar across the country. Read more
Tension continues to rise in Plateau over killings in Mangu (Leadership)
The outbreak of violence and the killing of dozens of community members in Mangu, Plateau State on Monday has continued to send shock waves across the entire state with the affected people making demands for a special court that will address the grievances and deliver justice.
Suspected herdsmen were reported to have launched attacks on several communities including Fungzai and Kubwat, both villages in Mangu LGA, burning houses, destroying farmlands and killing more than 100 people.
According to Solomon Maren, a member of the House of Representatives from Mangu/Bokkos federal constituency, 17 communities were affected. Read more
Saudi surgeons separate Nigerian conjoined twins (Vanguard)
A team of Saudi surgeons, on Thursday, successfully separated Nigerian conjoined twins Hassana and Hassina after a 14-hour operation in Riyadh.
The specialist surgical team earlier announced the twins were in a stable condition at King Abdullah Specialist Hospital for Children in King Abdulaziz Medical City.
The twins, Hassana and Hassina, who were born in Kaduna on January 12 last year, shared an abdomen, pelvis, liver, intestines, and urinary and reproductive systems. Read more
Buhari appoints Oluwatoyin Madein as substantive Accountant General (Tribune)
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Oluwatoyin Sakirat Madein as the substantive Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, made this known in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
The statement, dated 19th May 2023, was signed by the Director, Communications, Mohammed Ahmed, and made available to newsmen. Read more
Rachel Stevens pulls out of Mighty Hoopla after S Club 7 co-star Paul Cattermole’s death (Metro)
Rachel Stevens will no longer be taking to the stage at Mighty Hoopla, as she takes time to grieve bandmate Paul Cattermole.
The 45-year-old singer was expected to perform at the music festival at the start of next month.
Her performance was scheduled to take place June 3-4 at London’s Brockwell Park, but will no longer be going ahead. Mighty Hoopla shared a post on Twitter to inform fans of the news. Read more
Daniel Day Lewis surprises fans with new appearance 4 years after Oscar winner’s retirement (Hello!)
Daniel Day Lewis has been pictured for the first time in years, as he stepped out for a walk in New York City’s West Village with his wife, Rebecca Miller.
The three-time Oscar-winning actor has kept a low profile in recent years, but was pictured on Thursday May 18 with new, long gray hair which the 66-year-old kept off his face with a black baseball cap. He rocked a pair of bold yellow cargo pants and a black zip-up hoodie paired with a blue striped T-shirt.
Daniel is widely considered one of the best actors of his generation and notable for being the first actor to win three Oscars in the lead Best Actor category. Read more
Jim Brown, NFL star turned actor and action hero, dies at 87 (EW)
Jim Brown, the legendary Cleveland Browns fullback who also became known beyond his NFL stardom as a Hollywood action hero and civil rights advocate, died Thursday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 87.
His wife, Monique Brown, said Friday in a statement posted to Instagram, “To the world, he was an activist, actor, and football star. To our family, he was a loving husband, father, and grandfather. Our hearts are broken.”
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in pro football history, Brown was chosen as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player three times and led the Browns to a championship in 1964. Read more
Jeremy Renner takes first jog since snowplough accident (FilmNews)
Jeremy Renner has taken his first jog since his near-fatal snowplough accident.
The Marvel star took to Instagram on Thursday to share a clip of himself jogging on a treadmill with assistance more than four months after he was hospitalised after being run over by his snowplough.
The 52-year-old captioned the clip, “First attempt at a very light jog with weight assisted lift for the broken tibia.” Read more
Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood star Rick Dalton is dead, Quentin Tarantino says (Deadline)
Quentin Tarantino has apparently closed the book on Rick Dalton, the actor portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood.
Tarantino made the announcement via The Video Archives podcast, which he hosts with Pulp Fiction co writer Roger Avary. A series of tweets announced the death, and indicated that Tuesday’s podcast will be “a memorial episode designed by Quentin that features some of Rick’s best roles.”
The Video Archives podcast is where Tarantino and Avary “revisit classic films on VHS and discover new favorites.” New episodes arrive every other Tuesday usually, but apparently the schedule has been speeded up to accommodate the breaking news. Read more
Music fan smashes Guinness World Record after attending 86 concerts in a year (AbsoluteRadio)
An American rock music fan has obliterated the Guinness World Record for the most music concerts attended in one year.
Joshua Beck from Monroe Township, New Jersey has officially entered the record books after he attended, what Guinness World Records calls, a ‘mind-blowing’ 86 gigs in 2022.
Beck says he had been to 30 concerts by the start of August 2022, however when he saw on the Guinness World Records’ website that the current record was 65 shows in a calendar year, he felt compelled to smash this benchmark. Read more
Zelenskky hails Biden’s decision on F-16 jet training for Ukraine (AlJazeera)
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed United States President Joe Biden’s decision to support the training of Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16 fighter jets, saying it would “greatly enhance our army in the sky”.
Describing the plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 jet fighters as a “historic decision”, Zelenskyy said he would discuss the details with Biden when they meet at the G7 Summit in Japan’s Hiroshima city – the latest international trip by the Ukrainian leader, which was confirmed on Saturday.
“I count on discussing the practical implementation of this decision at the #G7 summit in Hiroshima,” Zelenskyy said in a tweet. Read more
Tobi Amusan bags master’s degree from US varsity (Nation)
World record holder and Adidas track athlete, Tobi Amusan has bagged a master’s degree from a university in the United States.
She graduated with a Master of Arts in Leadership Studies and Sports Management degree at the University of Texas El Paso, where she obtained her first degree, Health Promotion & Minor in Nutrition; in 2019.
Amusan announced the news via her Instagram page, narrating how she prepared her mind for her academic journey. Read more
Dessers opens up on Feyenoord departure (Punch)
Nigeria international Cyriel Dessers has opened up on why he left Dutch Eredivisie side Feyenoord last season to sign for newly-promoted Italian Serie A club Cremonese in last summer’s transfer window.
Dessers arrived in Genk 2020, but was the second-choice striker to Paul Onuachu and had to leave the club on a season-long loan to Feyenoord.
His transfer to Feyenoord yielded fruits as he had the most impressive campaign scoring 21 goals and adding six assists in 47 appearances across all competitions. Read more
Mikel Arteta takes an Olive tree into Arsenal’s team meetings (DailyMail)
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed he has brought an olive tree into team meetings this season so as to show that growth only comes when roots are nurtured.
Arteta has overseen a remarkable transformation in his Arsenal side this season, taking them from fifth last year to a serious title challenge this – though they look set to miss out to Manchester City after a poor final month of the season.
Having revealed earlier this week that he has had a chocolate labrador named Win brought in in an attempt to improve the team’s togetherness, he outlined another of his now-customary leadership quirks introduced to try and aid his side. Read more
Eagles hopeful Ehizibue out for 6 months (Punch)
Udinese defender and Super Eagles hopeful, Kingsley Ehizibue, has been ruled out for six months after undergoing surgery for the ligament reconstruction of his right knee and has thus been ruled out of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sierra Leone.
Ehizibue was born in Germany to Nigerian parents and raised in the Netherlands, whom he represented at age grade level, but he makes no secret of his dream is to represent Nigeria.
“On weeks like this, when I see everyone’s gone away on international duty, I think, ‘Oh man, I need to do something to change this!’ I don’t want to be left here training with just 10 other guys,” he said in an interview with GOAL in March. Read more
Rangers: Celtic’s Old Firm ticket allocation will be maximum 800 next season (BBC)
New Rangers CEO James Bisgrove has said a maximum of 800 Celtic fans will be at Old Firm games at Ibrox next season.
No away fans were inside Ibrox or Celtic Park for the final two derbies because of safety concerns for the 800 who were at previous games this season.
Bisgrove said there will be talks with Police Scotland and Celtic – but the number will not be close to the 7,000 away fans who used to attend the game. Read more
Suspended Halep charged with 2nd doping breach (France24)
Former world number one Simona Halep has been charged with a second breach of anti-doping rules, the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) confirmed on Friday.
Romanian Halep has been provisionally suspended since October 2022 for testing positive for the banned substance roxadustat, which stimulates the production of red blood cells, at the US Open in August last year.
On Friday, the ITIA said the two-time Grand Slam winner has been further charged “relating to irregularities in her athlete biological passport”. Read more
