Victims rescued as truck crushes vehicles on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Punch)
A truck driver conveying a container to a destination has crushed two vehicles around the Arepo-Magboro end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State.
Confirming the accident, the state Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Ahmed Umar, said the nine persons involved in the accident escaped unhurt.
He added that the truck driver was driving on top speed when he suddenly ran into the two vehicles whose drivers were attempting to link the expressway.
Umar said, “Nobody died, nobody was injured. Nine people including eight men and one woman were involved in the accident. The crash involves three vehicles including two Toyota vehicles and one container truck. Read more
Lagos APC chieftain docked over alleged offensive publication, gets bail (Sun)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijede Local Government Development Area , (LCDA), Lagos State, Mr Oluwatosin Onamade who was docked before the Federal High Court, Lagos over alleged offensive publication, has been granted bail by the court.
Justice Ayokunle Faji ordered Onamade who was a Chairmanship aspirant for his LCDA during the last last local government election in the state to continue on the administrative bail earlier granted to him by the police.
The trial judge gave the order after Onamade had pleaded not guilty to the two counts charge filed against him by the police.
When the matter came up for hearing, the prosecutor Mr Victor . I. Okoye told justice Faji that he has a two-count charge and pleaded with the court to allow the charge to be read to the defendant so that he can take his plea.
My administration is committed to welfare of Lagosians – Sanwo-Olu (Leadership)
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday said his administration is committed to making life better for residents and supporting a unifying platform to promote unity among the residents of the state.
Governor Sanwo-Olu who stated this at the Interdenominational Divine Service organised by the Lagos State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) held at The Apostolic Church Headquarters, Ketu said his administration believes in rendering quality service to God and humanity.
Speaking on the theme of the service, “Choose you this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15), Governor Sanwo-Olu said there was no better service than the one to humanity and therefore urged leaders, especially spiritual and political leaders to use their offices to serve the people.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who is the Grand Patron of Lagos State CAN, said rendering service to humanity is also rendering service to God, noting that “As Christians, there is no better service to God than the one you render to humanity. It is only through this that you can serve God. There is no better service than that given to mankind.”
2023: Lagos Speaker, Yishawu proffer ways to successful elections (Independent)
Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa and the lawmaker representing Eti-Osa Constituency II, Gbolahan Yishawu, have advocated for sure policy direction ahead of the next general elections.
The duo, who spoke with journalists at the weekend in Lagos during the Lagos State 17th Executive/Legislative Parley, noted that adequate preparations were needed to make the elections successful.
At the parley with the theme: ”Mobilising Citizens as a Social Capital Towards 2023 General Elections,” the lawmakers emphasized the need for collaboration between the two arms of government for seamless governance.
Obasa said that there should be adequate voter education to avoid voter apathy, violence and cases of void votes during the exercise. Read more
3 people returning from funeral ceremony killed in Benue (DailyTrust)
Gunmen have again killed three people who were returning from a funeral ceremony along the Iordye-Gbajimba road in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The incident involving the trio – two males and a female – was said to have occurred about 5pm on Saturday.
Nathaniel Ikyur, a spokesman of Benue State governor, said that the victims were riding on a motorcycle when they were ambushed and shot dead by their killers who are suspected herders.
He said that two of the victims died on the spot from gunshot wounds while the other was brutally macheted to death.
Ikyur added that soldiers attached to Operation Whirl Stroke recovered the bodies and deposited the corpses at Gbajimba General hospital in Guma LGA. Read more
Drama as Niger Councillor chases govt officials with dogs, thugs (Nation)
The Councillor representing Tundun Wada Ward in Chachanga local government area, Ibrahim Mai Farare, has chased away officials of the Niger State Environment Protection Agency (NSEPA) with dogs and thugs for inviting him to answer some questions on a proposed gas plant he is setting up within the community.
The Councillor is having a running battle with members of his ward over the proposed gas plant.
Residents in the community had called on the government and relevant agencies to put a stop to the plant, claiming it would be dangerous to safety in the community.
They argued there could be an explosion owing to the many commercial activities in the community that require fire. Read more
Enugu State declares February 23 work-free day for LG polls (Guardian)
The Enugu State Government on Sunday declared Wednesday, Feb. 23, as a public holiday to facilitate residents’ “full and active’’ participation in the state’s local government elections.
Elections would hold 17 chairmanships and 260 councillorship positions on that day.
The announcement of the holiday is contained in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Information, Mr Steve Oruruo.
He stated during the election period between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., markets and offices shall be closed and movement of persons and vehicles restricted, except for those on essential duties. Read more
Northern groups to occupy NNPC over adulterated fuel (DailyTrust)
The Coalition of Concerned Northern Forum, a conglomeration of 25 Civil Society Organisations of Northern extraction both at home and diaspora, has called for the overhaul of the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) over the adulterated fuel brought into the country.
The country has for the past three weeks been thrown into fuel scarcity due to adulterated fuel brought in, causing long queues at filling stations.
The group in a statement issued Sunday and signed by its Chairman and spokesperson, Mallam Ibrahim Bature and Comrade Abdulsalam Moh’d Kazeem respectively, condemned the persistent scarcity of petroleum products across the nation.
According to them: “We demanded with immediate effect, the resignation of the NNPC’s GMD, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari and the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Engineer Farouk Ahmed for negatively breaking the record of the current administration over persistent fuel scarcity. Read more
Why the future of rap in Nigeria is exciting – AO-Machine (Nation)
Nigerian rapper and hype man, Arinze Oruche aka AO-Machine is certain that the future of the rap game in Nigeria is exciting and however rap lovers can be optimistic it will get even bigger.
The hype man made this known to The Nation in a recent interview while speaking about what the future holds for the rap industry in Nigeria.
He said, “Rap in Naija is not for the weak or the meek because the journey most likely will be longer and harder. But the future of rap in Nigeria is exciting because rappers are tapping into some of the sub-genres of rap (like Trap and Drill) that are more commercially appealing lately.”
AO-Machine, one of the few hype men with songs to their credit, says he’s hopeful of what the future holds for him. “It makes me very versatile and hopeful because the hype-man industry in Nigeria is blowing up really fast so that means more opportunities for someone like me that is a master at both.” Read more
Rust Fatal Shooting: Alec Baldwin may not have pulled trigger, D.A. says (TMZ)
Alec Baldwin has an important ally in the Rust shooting, because the D.A. may be onboard with his story that he never pulled the trigger of the gun that killed Halyna Hutchins.
Santa Fe D.A. Mary Carmack-Altwies told Vanity fair, “You can pull the hammer back without actually pulling the trigger and without actually locking it. So you pull it back partway, it doesn’t lock, and then if you let it go, the firing pin can hit the primer of the bullet.”
This aligns with what Baldwin told ABC News back in December … insisting he did not pull the trigger. He said, “I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them, never.”
The D.A. had her investigators perform a test in her office … to see if a mechanical malfunction could have resulted in an accidental firing. The result — she says the hammer could have caused the gun to discharge a bullet. Read more
Music industry reacts to government’s decision to scrap COVID self-isolation rules (NME)
Figures from the UK live music industry have spoken out on the government’s decision to scrap self-isolation rules in England for those who test positive for Covid.
Downing Street has said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reveal details of his “living with Covid” plan on Monday (February 21) – outlining that factors such as vaccination, testing, and antiviral drugs will be enough to keep people safe, rather than expecting infected people to stay at home.
Self-isolation regulations for those who test positive and their close contacts are expected to cease by the end of this week.
“Covid will not suddenly disappear, and we need to learn to live with this virus and continue to protect ourselves without restricting our freedoms,” said Johnson. “We’ve built up strong protections against this virus over the past two years through the vaccine rollouts, tests, new treatments and the best scientific understanding of what this virus can do.” Read more
Game of Thrones’ George RR Martin to team up with Marvel (DigitalSpy)
Game of Thrones author George RR Martin has scored a major collaboration, as he is teaming up with Marvel to bring the Wild Cards stories to life for Marvel Comics.
Superhero giant Marvel has confirmed that it will adapt the first Wild Cards novel into a comic for release in June.
The Wild Cards series, which was written by a collection of over 40 authors and developed and edited by Martin and Melinda M Snodgrass, imagines an alternate post-Second World War history, in which Earth is overrun with an alien virus called Wild Card.
The virus, which rewrites the DNA of those it infects and mutates them, has different effects on different people. Most are killed, some are struck down with crippling physical conditions which leave them known as ‘Jokers’, and a few – known as ‘Aces’ or ‘Deuces’ – receive superhuman powers. Read more
‘How is this classical music?’ Composers’ fury at Grammys shortlist (Guardian)
When is a classical music composition not actually classical? This is the conundrum now at the heart of a heated row over the shortlisted songs for the Grammys, the annual awards that will be handed out in a few weeks’ time to recognise outstanding contributions to music.
A number of musicians have collectively expressed their outrage that nominations for the “classical music” awards include recordings they consider anything but classical. Letters of complaint have been sent to the organisers, the Recording Academy, arguing that the tracks in question – by two separate artists, Jon Batiste and Curtis Stewart – have been “mis-categorised”.
Their objections have absolutely nothing to do with quality, but genre, say the musicians. They believe that “mistaken categorisation” jeopardises the credibility of the music industry’s highest honours.
Though not disputing the brilliance of the Oscar-winning Batiste, they believe that his track, Batiste: Movement 11’, should not have been nominated for best contemporary classical composition. While they similarly admire the multi-Grammy nominated Stewart, they believe his album, Of Power, should not have been nominated for best classical instrumental solo. Read more
Documentary on police violence crowned twice at French film festival (RFI)
The Monopoly of Violence (Un pays qui se tient sage) by David Dufresne won both the Grand Prize and the International Jury prize at the 12th My French Film Festival which wrapped up this week. Using amateur footage taken during violent anti-government Yellow Vest protests, the documentary invites us to reflect on the issue of policing in modern democracies.
“The state claims the monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force,” wrote German sociologist Max Weber at the end of the 19th century.
The Monopoly of Violence (Un pays qui se tient sage), by French director David Dufresne, explores this concept by asking police officers, sociologists, injured demonstrators, and victims’ relatives to react and comment on various sequences of images sourced from amateur mobile phone footage.
Journalist, writer and director Dufresne has in the last few years also become the unofficial spokesman on the issue of police violence in France, a label which grew from his presence on Twitter and his slogan “Allo Place Beauvau” flagging up cases of police violence directly to the Interior Ministry. Read more
Cillian Murphy reveals how he’s preparing for Christopher Nolan’s new film Oppenheimer (Independent)
Cillian Murphy has discussed his work on Oppenheimer, the latest film from The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan.
Murphy has collaborated with Nolan on multiple projects before, including Batman Begins, Inception and Dunkirk.
He is one of several actors confirmed to star in the popular filmmaker’s next movie, alongside Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Matthew Modine, Florence Pugh and Rami Malek.
The film is a biopic of the nuclear scientist J Robert Oppenheimer, often described as the father of the atomic bomb. Murphy will be playing the title role. Read more
Queen Elizabeth tests positive for Covid-19 with ‘mild cold-like symptoms,’ Palace says (People)
Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for Covid-19, Buckingham Palace announced on Sunday morning.
The monarch’s diagnosis comes after her son, Prince Charles, and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall also tested positive for coronavirus.
“Buckingham Palace confirms that The Queen has today tested positive for Covid,” a short statement released on Sunday morning read. “Her Majesty is experiencing mild cold-like symptoms but expects to continue light duties at Windsor over the coming week.”
“She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines,” the statement concluded. Read more
World Cup playoff: Ghana in search of star players against Nigeria (Sun)
Ghana in an effort to boost her chances of qualifying for the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup has begun search for players that would execute the games as Black Stars interim Coach, Atto Addo is making contacts to inject new players into the team.
Sportsvillagesquare.com credits GhanaGuardian publication as revealing this plan yesterday for the two-leg encounters billed for March.
Addo is contemplating some fresh faces. Consequently, the Borussia Dortmund Assistant coach is set to hand call ups to three players who have been exiled from the Black Stars for varied reasons.
The likes of Alfred Duncan, Jeffrey Schlupp and Kingsley Sarfo are reportedly on the radar of the former Ghana defender for the Nigeria clash. Read more
Alexandre Lacazette trolls Ivan Toney after Brentford striker’s Arsenal comments (Mirror)
Alexandre Lacazette has seized the opportunity to mock Ivan Toney after Arsenal’s win on Saturday.
The Gunners saw off the Bees 2-1 at the Emirates to continue their charge for a top four spot.
The success also serves as revenge after Brentford secured a memorable win over the north London side in the opening game of the season.
Arsenal were down 2-0 across the capital in a game that saw their resources tested as Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were forced to miss the game. Read more
Manchester City issue statement condemning attack on Phil Foden’s mother at Kell Brook v Amir Khan fight (Eurosport)
Manchester City have said they are appalled by footage of Phil Foden’s mother being attacked, and offered support to the player and his family.
Footage of an incident began to circulate on Sunday morning, hours after Manchester City had lost 3-2 to Tottenham in the Premier League.
Foden was in attendance at the Kell Brook vs Amir Khan fight at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday, when a confrontation broke out in which the England international’s mother was struck.
City has issued a statement condemning the incident, and offered support to Foden and his family. Read more
Gary Neville hails Harry Maguire goal as Man United end corner hoodoo vs Leeds (MEN)
Gary Neville was full of praise for Harry Maguire after Manchester United’s much-maligned captain on Sunday scored his first Premier League goal of the season to open the scoring against Leeds United.
The derby clash, the first in front of fans at Elland Road since 2011, was played in dreadful conditions as the UK continues to feel the effects of Storm Eunice, and it was Ralf Rangnick’s side who landed the first blow.
Luke Shaw’s set-piece delivery was headed home by the skipper for United’s first goal from a corner in 140 attempts.
“That statistic was becoming a bit of an embarrassment [no goals from 139 corners this season]. Harry Maguire, questions before the game about him but he attacks it. It’s Llorente, who he just mauls. Read more
Brook to discuss boxing future with family after Khan victory (ITV)
Kell Brook will decide with his family if he’ll continue his boxing career after an impressive win over his arch rival Amir Khan.
Brook dominated the fight which was 17 years in the making by channeling all his experience and ring craft to dominate the bout which was stopped by the referee in the 6th round.
”I’ll sit down with my dad, my mum and my immediate family and we’ll see where we go from here.’ said Brook after the fight at the Manchester Arena.
”This is the icing on the cake for me. I can live at peace with myself, with my career now. Do I want to carry on? I feel like a 23-year-old today. I’m gonna sit down with my family and see if I want to carry on.” Read more
Bernard Tomic gives update on his health, reveals his next tournament (TennisWorld)
Former world No. 17 Bernard Tomic has recovered from COVID-19 and he is set to return to action at the Monterrey Challenger. Tomic kicked off his season at Melbourne Park, where he participated in the Australian Open qualifying event.
Tomic failed to clinch a main draw spot in Melbourne as he suffered a 6-1 6-4 loss to Roman Safiullin in the qualifying first round. Tomic, 29, is set to make his second appearance in Monterrey. Tomic debuted at the Monterrey Challenger in 2020, when he made the round-of-16 before losing to Aleksandar Vukic.
“Hey, hey. Hope everyone is well. I’m flying to Mexico on the third of March. Going to Monterrey for the Challenger there. I played there a couple of years back. It’s a good event. It’s going to be tough. Good players playing.
I’ve been practicing well. I’ve recovered from COVID. And, yeah, wish me luck,” Tomic said. Read more
Formula 1 ‘Automobile Display’ format unveiled (PlanetF1)
Formula 1 looks to open up the technical side of the sport to fans with a new ‘Automobile Display’, with further details now revealed.
The series is heading into an all-new era for the 2022 season, with redesigned cars in a bid to promote closer racing and more overtaking, as well as new 18-inch wheels from Pirelli to replace the former 13-inch models.
There is also a new E10 fuel for the power unit manufacturers to contend with, while the PUs themselves have been updated ahead of a freeze on development.
At this stage the 2022 challengers are of course the stars of the show, as teams remove the covers and reveal some of their unique innovations. Read more