Third Mainland Bridge rehabilitation continues Thursday (Vanguard)
The Federal Government has announced that rehabilitation works on the Third Mainland Bridge will continue on Thursday.
The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Lagos.
Kesha, who acknowledged the inconvenience that traffic diversions might cause motorists, appealed for patience and cooperation by members of the public. Read more
1 dead, another missing as passenger boat collides with concrete in Lagos waters (Tribune)
A passenger boat carrying 17 passengers on Wednesday collided with shoreline concrete at a construction site around Lekki Ikoyi Link Bridge, leading to the death of one of the passengers while another passenger is still missing as at the time of filing in this report.
Disclosing this in a statement signed on Wednesday night by the Head of Public Affairs Unit of the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), Wuraola Alake, the agency said 15 out of the 17 passengers on board have already been rescued while the search for the missing passenger is still ongoing.
According to the LASWA statement, “At about 6.50pm today Wednesday 21, 2024, an Ibeshe bound passenger ferry named Tee Ben having departed from Addax jetty, had a collusion with an unforeseen shoreline concrete at a construction site around the power line corridor at the Lekki Ikoyi Link Bridge. Read more
Police arrest 2 for kidnapping student (Punch)
Men of the Lagos State Police Command, Ikotun Divison, have arrested two persons for allegedly kidnapping a female secondary school student.
The suspects, Adamaka Chinyere, f, and Bolajoko Haruna, m, were observed by some community residents who alerted the police.
The police operatives later moved to the community, unnoticed, and apprehended the duo.
This was disclosed by the state Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a tweet shared via his X handle on Wednesday. Read more
Hardship: Follow Davido example, Olajengbesi tells Dangote, Otedola, others (Leadership)
Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has urged billionaires in the country to come to the aid of hungry Nigerians by making donations similar to their magnanimity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
In a statement on Wednesday, Olajengbesi, the Managing Partner of Abuja-based law firm, Law Corridor, commended afrobeats singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, over his plans to donate the sum of N300 million through his David Adeleke Foundation (DAF) to orphanages across the country.
Olajengbesi said, “Our dear country is going through one of the toughest times in history, economically, no thanks to the policies of the new government. Multinationals are exiting the country, thousands of jobs lost. There is hunger in the land. And as the saying goes, an hungry man is an angry man, hence, the protests spreading over the country as demonstrators express displeasure over the hardship in the land. Read more
Our men should bear arms to fight smugglers – Audu, Ag. NAQS CG (Sun)
Acting Controller General, Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Services (NAQS), Dr Godwin Audu, has made a case for his officers to bear arms as they often work in remote areas where they fight smugglers , illegal exporters and other criminals. He said the officers will be able to protect themselves and carry out their duties without fear of intimidation if armed.
Audu also raised concerns over longstanding inter-agency wrangling, describing it as an obstacle to the country’s economic prosperity. He called on the Federal Government to urgently streamline the mandate of the Nigeria Customs Service, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the inspection of agro produce for export.
In this interview, he also spoke on the country’s battered image in terms of smuggling of substandard agro commodities and the ban by the European Union (EU). Read more
2nd African Heritage Awards to now hold in Lagos – Organisers (DailyTrust)
The 2nd African Heritage Awards (AHA) 2024 earlier slated to hold in Johannesburg, South Africa, has been relocated to Lagos, Nigeria.
A statement issued on Wednesday by the organizers – Heritage Times HT, informed that the decision to change the event location is “due to unavoidable bottlenecks encountered.”
The event is now slated to hold at the Lagos Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on April 13, 2024 (same date as earlier scheduled), the organizers said. Read more
Wike approves construction of Gwa Gwa-Karimo Dei Dei Road in FCT (Channels)
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has approved the construction of Gwa Gwa-Karimo Dei Dei Road in the FCT.
The Minister assented to the road construction after listening to the plights of the resident through the Chairman of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Christopher Zakka and the Sarki Jiwa, Idris Musa, during the flag off ceremony of road construction in Saburi, Abuja.
The Saburi road construction flag-off marks the final phase in the first series of area council rural and satellite towns road construction by the federal capital territory administration. Read more
Deposed Osun monarch petitions IG over move to choose new king (Punch)
Deposed Aree of Iree in Osun State, Oba Raphael Oluponle, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene and prevent violence, breach of public peace and contempt of court, following a move to begin a fresh process to choose another monarch for the town.
Oba Oluponle, one the monarchs appointed by the immediate past state governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, at the twilight of his administration in 2022, was removed by Ademola Adeleke’s administration through a White Paper released after a probe into the process that led to the monarch’s emergence.
The government subsequently directed the kingmakers to immediately commence the process of appointing another monarch for the town. Read more
Jaden Smith shares more photos with girlfriend following viral selfie (HipHopDx)
Jaden Smith has shared more photos with his girlfriend following their recent viral selfie, while also addressing his lack of new music.
The “Icon” rapper posted two updates on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday (February 20), offering more looks at him and Sab Zada — a model and musician he is rumoured to have been dating since 2020 — in addition to news of a new album.
The first post features four photos of the couple, including the mirror pic that shot them into viral fame in the first place, a selfie showcasing some new dental work, a photo in front of a desert landscape, and another of them embracing. The post was accompanied by four emojis: a rainbow, a wave, a mushroom, and a tropical tree. Read more
DR Congo government dissolved after prime minister resigns (AfricaNews)
The prime minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, resigned on Tuesday triggering the dissolution of his government, the presidency said in a statement.
Lukonde handed his resignation to President Felix Tshisekedi eight days after the validation of his mandate as a national deputy.
He plans to join parliament, after being elected in the country’s December polls as a member of the assembly representing the Kasenga district. Read more
UK votes to call for an ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza (Metro)
MPs have voted to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after a day of political wrangling between Labour and the SNP.
The UK government voted on Wednesday evening after Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle selected amendments by both Labour and the Conservatives to the SNP’s ceasefire motion.
SNP MPs walked out of the chamber over the ‘chaos’ caused by the Speaker’s decision, and Sir Lindsay has faced calls to resign. Read more
‘Part of the family’: Chilean wildfire victims hold out hope for lost pets (AlJazeera)
Felipe Gajardo, a 27-year-old student, sits in a quiet school hallway in the coastal city of Viña del Mar, with an empty cat carrier by his side. Dozens of flyers with pictures of lost animals plaster the walls around him.
The Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins school is usually closed this time of the year for the summer holidays, which run from December to February in Chile.
But this year, the school is not empty. Instead, its classrooms are a blur of activity, as veterinarians use them to house a makeshift clinic for animals hurt in the country’s deadly wildfires. Read more
Fake sexually explicit video of podcast host Bobbi Althoff trends on X despite violating platform’s rules (NBC)
A fake sexually explicit video of podcast host Bobbi Althoff spread rapidly on X Tuesday afternoon, adding to the platform’s recent challenges in cracking down on deepfakes of female celebrities.
Althoff, a successful TikTok creator-turned-podcaster who has interviewed rappers including Drake and Offset on her show “The Really Good Podcast,” wrote in an Instagram story on Wednesday morning that “the reason I’m trending is 100% not me & is definitely AI generated.”
Deepfakes are a form of manipulated media that uses AI to edit previously existing content. Sexually explicit deepfakes like the one targeting Althoff often take the form of a stolen pornographic video where the original adult performer’s face is “swapped” with the victim’s face. Read more
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denies gang rape allegations in new filing (People)
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is challenging claims that he gang raped a 17-year-old girl at his Manhattan recording studio in 2003.
In his first official response, filed in New York on Tuesday, the music mogul is denying that he and his longtime collaborator Harve Pierre, along with a third unidentified man, took turns raping a Jane Doe, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE.
“[Combs] never participated in, witnessed, or was or is presently aware of any misconduct, sexual or otherwise, relating to plaintiff in any circumstance whatsoever,” the filing reads. Read more
Porky’s star Tony Ganios dead at 64 after his ‘‘heart stopped’’ (NYPost)
Tony Ganios, star of the sex comedy Porky’s and numerous other cult classic films, has reportedly died. He was 64.
TMZ broke the news Tuesday after an X account from someone claiming to be Ganios’ longtime fiancée, Amanda Serrano-Ganios, shared news of his passing.
“The last words we said to each other were ‘I love you,’” she wrote. “Love is an understatement. You are everything to me. My heart, my soul and my best friend. #I love you #tonyganios.”
“I love you so much, my love. I’m broken,” Serrano-Ganios added in another tweet accompanied by a photo of the couple presumably holding hands. Read more
Paris 2024: D’Tigers withdraw from AfroBasket qualifiers (Leadership)
Nigerian Men’s National Basketball Team, D’Tigers have announced its withdrawal from the Paris Olympics Afrobasket qualifiers due to lack of funds.
This was made known via a post on its X handle on Wednesday.
The AfroBasket qualifiers are scheduled to begin on Friday, February 22, 2024, in Tunisia. Read more
Qatar Open: Andy Murray loses to teenager Jakub Mensik in lengthy battle (BBC)
Britain’s Andy Murray was unable to back up his first win of 2024 as he lost to 18-year-old Jakub Mensik in a rollercoaster Qatar Open match.
Murray, 36, ended a run of six defeats by beating Alexandre Muller on Tuesday but lost 7-6 (8-6) 6-7 (3-7) 7-6 (7-4) to 116th-ranked Mensik 24 hours later.
Trailing 5-2 in the decider, the Scot clawed back both breaks as his Czech opponent could not serve out. Read more
LIV golfer Joaquin Niemann gets special invitation to 2024 Masters (NBC)
Joaquin Niemann competed outside LIV Golf in his offseason and got something money can’t buy. He was among three players given a special invitation Wednesday to play in the Masters.
Augusta National also invited 21-year-old Ryo Hisatsune, the first Japanese player to be European tour rookie of the year, and Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark.
Nieman had said when he won the LIV Golf opener in Mexico, “I want to win majors, but I’ve got to get in first.” The 25-year-old from Chile had fallen well outside the top 50 in the world ranking because LIV does not get world ranking points. Read more
Newcastle make huge decision on Manchester United target Dan Ashworth (HitC)
HITC understands that Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave with Manchester United keen to take him to Old Trafford.
Ashworth informed Newcastle earlier in the week that he would like to the chance to join United and HITC is told that he made it clear over the weekend of his desire to move.
Newcastle made the decision on Sunday to place Ashworth on gardening leave. His current deal states that he could be on leave until 2026 – meaning to get him before that, a deal needs to be agreed. Read more
Nwabali was exceptional for Eagles at AFCON 2023 – Agu (CompleteSports)
Former Nigerian international, Alloy Agu has lauded the exceptional performance of Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali at the just concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nation.
Selected by coach Jose Peseiro just few weeks to the competition, Nwabali’s contributions were instrumental in Nigeria’s journey through the tournament.
Notably, he kept four clean sheets in seven matches, showcasing his exceptional goalkeeping skills on the international stage. Read more
Liverpool set injuries aside to reiterate their status as Premier League comeback kings (Independent)
As long as they had 11 players, Jurgen Klopp had vowed, Liverpool would give it a go. Deprived of ten, going a goal down, they certainly did. A stunning turnaround brought Klopp’s band of brothers four goals and took them four points clear at the Premier League summit.
They head to Wembley on Sunday buoyant, despite their injury problems. Depleted, they were not defeated, transforming a deficit into an emphatic triumph with irrepressible energy. Klopp had imbued his makeshift side with a defiant spirit and, as Luton Town threatened to earn their maiden win at Anfield, they required it.
Minus Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, lacking their three top scorers, they conjured a dramatic double from a pair of Dutchmen, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo. Luis Diaz, belatedly scoring with his ninth attempt at goal, and Harvey Elliott completed victory. And yet the architect of it was Alexis Mac Allister, with two assists in a three-minute blitz. A theme of the night was that everyone had to step up to compensate for the missing and the Argentinian was the only survivor of Klopp’s first-choice midfield. Read more