Why Lagos-bound plane made air return —Dana Air (Punch)
Dana Airlines Limited on Wednesday explained that its Lagos-bound flight from the Federal Capital Territory made an air return to Abuja due to bad weather.
The airline’s spokesman, Kingsley Ezenwa, in a statement, said the passengers were later asked to disembark from the aircraft.
The statement read, “Our flight 9J 336 from Abuja to Lagos on 23rd February 2022 had an air return due to bad weather at destination.
“The passengers on the aircraft were advised to disembark and board another of our aircraft on ground, so the aircraft that had the air return could refuel for another flight.
“At Dana Air, the safety of our crew and passengers will remain at the centre of everything we do and this commitment won’t change anytime soon.” Read more
NDLEA intercepted over 3000kg of drugs from Lagos Airport (ThisDay)
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that it intercepted over 3000 kilograms of different types of drugs at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos in 2021.
Just as it also disclosed that last week alone, the agency intercepted 460 kilogrammes of Tramadol at the same airport.
This was made known by the Commandant, NDLEA Murtala Muhammed Airport Commandant, Mr. Usman Ali when the UK Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford visited and inspected facilities at the Command yesterday.
Ali said that the NDLEA has received tremendous support from the UK in different areas, including training, provision of equipment and other forms of collaboration. Read more
Police arrest 3 men for gang-rape (Nation)
Three persons have been arrested in Lagos for allegedly gang-raping a minor.
The suspects, David Gideon, 21, Sodiq Olayitan, 24, and Mubarak Tajudeen, 23, were said to have abducted, gagged and took turns to rape a 14-year-old girl at Lakeview Estate, Phase Two, Amuwo Odofin.
It was learnt that the incident occurred around 5:30pm on February 14 and the boys who committed the crime were four.
Police spokesman Adekunle Ajisebutu said efforts were on to arrest the fourth suspect. Read more
Zamfara Assembly impeach deputy governor (Guardian)
The Zamfara State House of Assembly has impeached the deputy governor, Mahdi Gusau.
Gusau’s impeachment comes barely three hours after the House received the report of the investigative panel constituted by the state’s chief judge, Kulu Aliyu.
The chairman of the panel, Justice Haladu Tanko, said the committee demonstrated professional excellence and due diligence in the conduct of the assignment.
A total of 20 members were present at Wednesday’s sitting of the Assembly and they all voted in support of the impeachment.
The House has 24 members and requires at least 18 of them to vote to remove the deputy governor from office. Read more
Matawalle appoints new deputy gov (Punch)
Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State has appointed Hassan Gusau as Deputy Governor, following the impeachment of Aliyu Gusau.
Until his appointment, Hassan was a Senator representing Zamfara Central Senatorial District at the National Assembly.
The appointment followed the impeachment of the ex-deputy governor by the state Assembly at its resumed plenary on Wednesday.
In a statement, the spokesperson for the Assembly, Mustafa Kaura, said the former deputy governor was found guilty of all the allegations levelled against him.
Kaura said, “The House found him guilty of the offences levelled against him which were submitted earlier today in the House and subsequently read at the floor of the chamber by the Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Nasiru Mu’azu Magarya. Read more
Obaseki’s administration prioritising women economic empowerment, says Edo first lady (ThisDay)
The wife of Edo State governor, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki, has stated that the state Governor, Godwin Obaseki’s administration is giving priority to economic empowerment of women for them to be more productive and add to the development of the state.
Mrs. Obaseki stated this while declaring open the policy dialogue to reflect on women economic empowerment and programming organised by the Edo State Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED) Advocacy Coalition, which was supported by the Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC), in Benin City, Edo State, yesterday.
The first lady, who was special guest of honour at the event, also stated that the state government was ready and committed to adequately empower women in the state.
Represented by the Managing Director, EdoJOBS, Ukinebo Dare, Mrs. Obaseki noted that her husband’s administration had continually prioritised women’s empowerment through the administration’s various interventions targeted at improving women’s economic livelihoods and development. Read more
Buhari swears in 6 INEC commissioners (Independent)
President Muhammadu Buhari has just sworn in six national Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He did so shortly before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting at the Presidential Villa Abuja.
Present at the inauguration of the Commissioners were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan and Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Secretary to Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari and some Ministers also attended the inauguration of the INEC Commissioners. Read more
Women group donates boreholes to Ijaw communities in N’Delta (Tribune)
An Ijaw women group, known as Ijaw Women of America, has donated 10 boreholes across communities in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Ondo and Edo states, as part of its contribution to complement efforts of the government to control the spread of water-borne diseases and other related epidemics.
While inaugurating two of the borehole projects in Agorogbene, Sagbama Local Government Area and Oloibiri in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, the representative of the Ijaw women group in Nigeria, Mrs. Victoria Peterside, said the projects were aimed at providing potable water for the people.
She said that as Ijaw daughters who grew up in villages before travelling to America they felt that the best way to give back to their communities was to provide amenities that would improve the well-being of their people, adding that stream water had been a source of many diseases recently, especially cholera that had claimed many lives.
She further appealed to the people of the communities to take ownership by protecting the projects from vandals, saying that the role of the Ijaw Women of America “is not to take over the responsibility of government but to complement its efforts so as to improve the lives of their people in Ijaw nation. Read more
Mob sets truck ablaze for killing motorcyclist, passenger in Ogun (Vanguard)
The Police Command in Ogun has confirmed the death of two persons in an accident involving a trailer and a motorcycle at Asero in Abeokuta on Tuesday night.
The Command’s spokesperson, DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, on Wednesday said the accident occured at about 8:00 p.m.
Oyeyemi noted that an angry mob descended on the truck and set it ablaze, while the driver of the vehicle took to his heels.
“The incident occurred at about 8:00 p.m. The command learnt a trailer crushed two people travelling on an Okada at the More Junction in Abeokuta. Read more
US-based Nigerian entertainer Dj Freshyk to feature Nestraya, Shizem (Sun)
US-based Nigerian entertainer Chinonso Kelvin Nonyelu, popularly known as Dj freshyk, has teamed up with afro-beats music artists Nestraya and Shizem to release his debut single titled, “Body”.
Mixed and produced by Young D, the song talked about groovy love and admiration for someone special. It unpacks sweet melodies and infuses elements of afro tunes, indicating Dj Freshy’s undoubted talent and an unrelentless approach to cement his place in the music industry.
The song which is currently distributed by Primemusic Partners across headlines has been tipped to gain fame and become one of the street anthems around the world.
Dj Freshyk, who expressed excitement over his first release, stated that he was moved by his passion for good music and releasing something fresh off from the norm. Read more
Inventing Anna: Fake heiress drama tops Netflix ratings (BBC)
Inventing Anna has notched up the most viewing hours for an English-language series in a week since the service began a new ratings system last summer.
The nine-part show stars Ozark’s Julia Garner as fake heiress Anna Sorokin.
It was watched for 196 million hours last week, on top of 77 million hours of viewing on the weekend of its release on 11 February.
The previous highest was psychological thriller show You, whose third season achieved 179 million hours in October.
Next on the list of the top English-language series are The Witcher, Maid and Sex Education.
But Squid Game, the Korean-language survival drama, remains Netflix’s most-watched show overall, peaking at almost 572 million hours in a single week. Read more
Idris Elba announces plans to ‘lean away’ from movies in favour of music (Metro)
Savour seeing Idris Elba on the big (and small) screen while you can as the Luther star has announced his plans to swap acting for music.
The Wire actor has become one of Hollywood’s most charming leading men with credits including The Harder They Fall, The Jungle Book and The Suicide Squad.
He’s currently filming the movie follow-up to his critically acclaimed BBC One series Luther, in which he plays a haunted detective hunting serial killers in London.
However, Idris will be stepping away from the front of the camera to keep his hands firmly on the DJ decks. In other words, he’ll be focusing on his music career going forward which is bittersweet news for many of us. Read more
Jesy Nelson collaborating with will.i.am on new music (MusicNews)
Jesy Nelson is working with will.i.am on new music.
The former Little Mix star is currently in Los Angeles working on her debut solo album and follow-ups to her first solo single Boyz, a Nicki Minaj collaboration that was released in October.
On Tuesday, she shared a series of professional photographs of her in the recording studio on Instagram and revealed that she was working with the Black Eyed Peas star on her new music.
“Studio with one of my fave humans @iamwill,” she captioned the slideshow of snaps of them working together. The images show them posing for the camera in front of a mixing desk and Jesy sitting beside the rapper as he works at a computer. Read more
Kanye West sampled Kim Kardashian’s ‘SNL’ monologue at ‘Donda 2’ show (PageSix)
Kanye West sampled his estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s “Saturday Night Live” monologue and trolled her new boyfriend Pete Davidson during his live performance of his new album, “Donda 2,” in Miami on Tuesday night.
“I married the best rapper of all time,” Kardashian’s voice can be heard behind the dramatic music as West’s stage gets dark and smokey in a video obtained by a Kardashian fan account. “Not only that, he’s the richest black man in America. A talented, legit genius who gave me four incredible kids.”
The “Off The Grid” rapper notably left out her next line, a swipe at the rapper where she said, “So, when I divorced him, you have to know it came down to just one thing: his personality.”
The monologue was used as an intro to his new track, “Sci-Fi,” which is part of his new album that was supposed to have dropped on his streaming service, “Stem Player,” but has yet to go live. Read more
Jamie Lee Curtis says “bittersweet” goodbye to ‘Halloween’ franchise as shoot ends (NME)
Jamie Lee Curtis has said her “bittersweet” goodbye to the Halloween franchise after 44 years.
The actor has played Laurie Strode in the longstanding franchise, which began with John Carpenter’s 1978 flagship film.
Curtis took to Instagram yesterday (February 22) as production wrapped on her part of the final film Halloween Ends, directed by David Gordon Green and due for release this October.
“A bittersweet end for me on the Halloween movies,” Curtis wrote on Instagram. Read more
World Trailer Awards sets regional winners ahead of inaugural ceremony (Deadline)
Regional winners spanning Africa, Asia, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & North Africa and North America & Caribbean have been selected to advance to the final judging round of the inaugural World Trailer Awards, which are set to take place Saturday, February 26 in Vilamoura, Portugal.
The awards, founded by the U.S.-based Golden Trailer Awards and AcclaimWorks, celebrate the best entertainment marketing strategies and executions from around the world in the fields of Cinema, TV (Broadcast/Cable), Gaming, Podcast & Radio, Streaming Services and Social Media. Entries came from content created between January 2020-December 2021.
A jury of directors, producers, actors, writers, executives and advertising creatives voted for content in 32 categories overall, with regional winners including trailers, ads and posters from the likes of Squid Game, F9, Last Night in Soho, House of Gucci and The Croods 2 among others.
“We’re delighted to create the awards environment for the world’s amazing and often unacknowledged talent that creates entertainment marketing,” World Trailer Awards executive director Dean Wheeler said. “Regardless of how difficult these last two years have been, we’re humbled to honor the spectacular work of creative industry professionals whose skills shine through and continue to inspire everyone to engage with the world of entertainment.” Read more
Making Cyrano was an ‘act of defiance in the face of the bleak circumstances’ (Yahoo)
With Cyrano, Joe Wright’s new musical version of classic romance Cyrano de Bergerac, hitting UK cinemas on 25 February the director of Darkest Hour and Atonement has revealed why it’s very much a story for now.
The film, which stars Peter Dinklage in the title role, is based on the 19th century play about the swordsman with the heart of a poet who constantly conceals his love for Roxanne (Haley Bennett), but uses his gift for words to help Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jnr) in his efforts to woo her.
Speaking to Yahoo alongside Dinklage and Harrison, Wright described how he had been working on the script for some time when the pandemic struck and gave him the impetus to get it made.
“I’d been in lockdown for four or five months like everybody else and I was starved of human connection,” he recalled. Read more
Mutiu Adepoju, Shina Peller advocate sports to curb ritual killings (Punch)
Former Super Eagles player, Mutiu Adepoju, and the member of the House of Representatives representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju, Kajola and Iwajowa Federal Constituency, Shina Peller, have advocated sports as instruments to lure the youth from crime, especially ritual killings to make money.
The duo spoke in separate interviews with our correspondent in Saki on Tuesday evening after the opening match of the Peller Unity Cup organised for 20 Under-21 teams from the 10 local government areas in Oke Ogun area of Oyo State.
Iseyin City Football Club defeated Iwajowa Diamond FC by 2-1 in the match played at OYSADEP Stadium.
Peller said, “Sports can be used to curb ritual killings which are on the increase, especially among the youths. There is a saying that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. If the youths are engaged in competitions like this and they see the future in what we are doing, they will redirect their energy and creativity into productive ventures. Read more
Alexander Zverev thrown out of Mexican Open for unsportsmanlike conduct (BBC)
World number three Alexander Zverev has been thrown out of the Mexican Open after “unsportsmanlike conduct” that saw him attack the umpire’s chair at the end of a doubles match in Acapulco.
Germany’s Zverev argued with the umpire during the decisive tie-break as he and Marcelo Melo lost 6-2 4-6 10-6 to Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.
Zverev struck the umpire’s chair several times with his racquet.
The 24-year-old later apologised, calling his behaviour “unacceptable”.
Zverev was the defending champion in the singles event. Read more
Georginio Wijnaldum compares PSG project to Liverpool and insists he’s not ‘unhappy’ (Mirror)
Georginio Wijnaldum has compared Paris Saint-Germain’s current side to the one he first joined at Liverpool back in 2016 while also insisting he is happy in France.
The Netherlands international made the switch to the Ligue 1 giants last summer after seeing out the expiration of his Reds contract, ensuring Mauricio Pochettino’s side were not forced to pay any kind of transfer fee.
PSG currently sit top of Ligue 1 and boast a 13 point advantage over their nearest title rivals Marseille.
Fresh from beating Spanish giants Real Madrid in the first-leg of their Champions League last-16 clash, Wijnaldum has discussed the level of expectation placed on the shoulders of his new side. Read more
Conte reveals Paratici blocked previous move for star Tottenham signing who has perfect blend
(TeamTalk)
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has revealed that Spurs director of football Fabio Paratici blocked a move for Dejan Kulusevski while the pair were at Juventus.
Kulusevski made the move from Turin to north London in the January transfer window. And the Sweden international has had an instant impact, scoring one goal and assisting another in four appearances.
As a result, he has adapted quickly to the Premier League under Conte’s leadership. He has also quickly formed a strong relationship with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
However, Conte has now revealed that he does not feel surprised by Kulusevski’s instant impact. In fact, Conte knew the 21-year-old would suit his style of play when he tried to bring him to Inter from Juventus. Read more
Zverev sorry after expulsion from Acapulco event for hitting umpire’s chair with racquet (StraitsTimes)
Alexander Zverev was kicked out of the ATP 500 tournament in Acapulco, Mexico for “unsportsmanlike conduct” after his doubles match, the men’s tour said on Wednesday (Feb 23), with the German later apologising for his behaviour.
Zverev, partnering Brazilian tennis player Marcelo Melo in doubles, came perilously close to hitting umpire Alessandro Germani when he repeatedly hammered the umpire’s chair with his racquet after a 6-2, 4-6 (10-6) defeat by the British-Finnish pair of Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara.
“Due to unsportsmanlike conduct at the conclusion of his doubles match on Tuesday night, Alexander Zverev has been withdrawn from the tournament in Acapulco,” the ATP said in a statement.
Zverev said he regretted his behaviour and apologised for the incident. Read more
Mark Cavendish rides on at UAE Tour after hard crash and head impact (CyclingNews)
Mark Cavendish finished stage 4 of the UAE Tour to Jebel Jais in a chase group and so should be able to contest the next two sprint stages, despite a nasty crash with 130km to go that left him with road rash and needing a new helmet.
The QuickStep-AlphaVinyl rider crashed at speed after the peloton came around a roundabout and then hit one of the many concrete speed bumps in the UAE that are designed to slow vehicles.
Cavendish was forced to veer left after other riders perhaps touched shoulders due to the speed bump. He then crashed hard on his right shoulder and also banged his head.
Fortunately, his helmet absorbed most of the impact of the crash. However, Cavendish was slow to get up and was checked out by the race doctors. Read more
Lewis Hamilton responds when asked if he’s met Max Verstappen at F1 testing (GiveMeSport)
Lewis Hamilton has said that he is yet to meet with Max Verstappen at Formula 1 testing, with the pair both in Barcelona running their new cars ahead of the 2022 campaign.
The 2021 season was one of the most epic in the sport as Hamilton and Verstappen went wheel-to-wheel for its duration.
Indeed, it was a thrilling year that went down to the wire as Verstappen benefitted on the final lap from Michael Masi’s Safety Car call to nick the championship away from Hamilton.
Both men, though, are now focusing on the coming season and Hamilton has revealed it’s unlikely the two will catch up this week at least, with both testing their new cars in Barcelona and aiming to get as much data as possible: Read more