Why Lagos, Kano need 1% extra allocation in proposed revenue formula, by Sanwo-Olu, Ganduje (Nation)
Lagos and Kano States’ Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Abdullahi Ganduje have given reasons their states deserve extra 1 per cent in the proposed revenue sharing formula.
The governors said the high influx of people into both states has put them under intense pressure to accommodate the new entrants daily and provide modern security system, among others, for peace and development.
Making a case for the two highly populous states, Ganduje said Kano and Lagos deserve the extra 1 per cent in the new nation’s revenue allocation formula for obvious reasons.
Their demand was contained in a statement on Tuesday in Kano by Ganduje’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Abba Anwar. Read more
FG expels unauthorised developers from Lagos National Stadium, concludes verification exercise (Leadership)
Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has ejected some unauthorized developers putting up building projects on some parts of the land acquired by the Federal Government for the construction of the National Stadium Complex in Surulere, Lagos.
The Ministry has also closed down the construction sites of these developers and sealed off their operations.
Making this known in his office in Abuja, during the presentation of the ‘Report On Field Verification Exercise/Acquisition Of National Stadium Complex, Surulere, Lagos’ on Tuesday, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola said these decisions became necessary to protect Government land and assets.
His words: “The Ministry of Works and Housing is the custodian of Government land and assets and so when we were briefed about the encroachment on part of the land acquired by the Federal Government for the construction of the National Stadium in Lagos many years ago, in 1960 and 1973, we had to follow it up. Read more
Lagos budgets N1.38tr for 2022 as education takes N171.6b (Guardian)
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, presented a 2022 budget estimate of N1.38 trillion, with education taking the lion share of N171.6 billion, a 12.3 per cent of the total.
In the appropriation bill tagged, “Budget of Consolidation,” the health sector got N123.2 billion at 8.87 per cent; general public services received N235.4 billion, representing 16.96 per cent, while Economic Affairs’ N325.014 billion represented 23.41 per cent of the proposed appropriation.
The bill proposes a recurrent expenditure of N564.9 billion, as capital expenditure is pegged at N823.35 billion, representing a capital to recurrent ratio of 50:41.
According to the governor, the 2021 budget performed remarkably well, noting that in the first quarter of the outgoing year, internally generated revenue (IGR) stood at N128.2 billion, some 28 per cent higher than what was achieved the corresponding quarter of 2020 that posted N100.3 billion. Read more
LASAA launches 2022 mobile advert stickers for branded vehicles (Sun)
Lagos State Signage and Advertisment Agency (LASAA), an agency responsible for the control and regulation of advertisement displays in Lagos State, has announced the launch of its 2022 mobile advert stickers.
Managing Director of LASAA, Prince Adedamola Docemo, in a statement released in Ikeja yesterday, said the agency would not use the traditional ceremony for this year’s launch, noting that with the launch, “The 2022 mobile advert sticker will be in force effective January 2022, hence the 2021 sticker will become invalid from January 1, 2022 as all mobile advert stickers will expire on December 31, 2021.”
He explained that the launch is “To review and redefine the mobile advert sticker product and use the opportunity to holistically assess the process for better performance.”
Prince Docemo disclosed that the 2022 sticker has been upgraded with a QR code scanner application, which is readable with a simple smartphone. According to him, “The sticker has been enhanced with internal control mechanism, which comes with a hologram-finish and specialised bar codes with serial numbers.” Read more
Ikeja Electric invests over N200m on safety equipment in last 1 year (Independent)
Ikeja Electric, one of Nigeria’s largest electricity Distribution Company, has stated that the company has spent over N200million in the last one year on the purchase of different types of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as well as organising interactive occupational health and safety training for employees.
Whilst also reiterating the company’s commitment to entrench a value driven safety culture that goes over and beyond safety requirements to build a world class safety conscious environment, it cautioned members of the public to desist from erecting structures under power lines or carrying out activities and trading near electrical installation, which in effect exposes them to risk of electrocution.
The DisCo noted that proximity to installations such as transformer, electric poles or power lines contravenes the extant law, therefore people in such locations should vacate those areas urgently in order to protect their lives and property.
Engr. Jamiu Badmos, the Head of Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (QHSE) for Ikeja Electric (IE), in chats with our correspondent, said the warning became necessary because it has been observed that such acts are perpetrated with impunity irrespective of the dangers associated with such violations. Read more
World AIDS Day: UNAIDS asks states to redeem financial commitment (Leadership)
As Nigeria commences activities for commemoration of this year’s World AIDS Day, the UNAIDS has tasked State Governments to redeem their commitments to release 0.5 to 1.0 per cent of their gederal monthly allocations to support the HIV response in their States.
The country director, UNAIDS Nigeria, Dr. Erasmus Morah, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday, at a joint press conference organised by the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) in commemoration of 2021 World AIDS Day, themed: ‘End Inequalities, End AIDS, End Pandemics’.
He said the states should invest more in the procurement of HIV test kits as part of their counterpart contribution, saying this will go a long way towards halting the decline of HIV positive pregnant women accessing Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) services.
“The Nigerian government needs to stop viewing healthcare as a consumption good. Health is a sensible investment, a nation’s source of wealth,” he said. Read more
Another batch of 158 returnees arrive Nigeria from Libya (Vanguard)
National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, on Wednesday, received another batch of 158 stranded Nigerians from Libya into the country.
The Returnees who were voluntarily assisted by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at about 5.47pm aboard Al Buraq Airline Boeing 737-800 with registration number 5A-DMG from Libya.
The Returnees were received at the Cargo Wing of the Airport who had to pass through screening with Nigeria Immigration Services.
Their breakdown indicates 86 female adults, 6 female children and 13 female infants. Read more
Shop owners lament Mpape demolition (Leadership)
Shop owners in Mpape community in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have lamented the demolition of their shops by the FCT administration.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP, they said since the demolition was carried out, they have lost their life-earnings and means of livelihood.
They accused the authorities of not notifying them before carrying out the exercise, adding that most victims of the demolition had relocated to other places, which has reduced patronage for the available ones.
One of the victims, Mallam Idris, a shop owner in the community, said he had five shops at the Mpape Old Market where he sold shoes, but as a result of the demolition of the facility, he ended up selling under an umbrella for him to feed his family. Read more
Ex-ASUU president to FG: Stop approving new varsities, fix existing ones (Nation)
A former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, has urged the Federal Government to stop approving new universities.
He said the government should instead fix existing ones to attain global standard and deliver quality education to the people.
Ogunyemi spoke at a national symposium and retirement felicitation of a former President of the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Sam Akindele, yesterday in Abuja.
The former ASUU president, who decried the decay in the country’s Education sector, said: “Nigeria doesn’t need new universities. The structures we are operating, how well are they positioned to deliver? We are talking of establishing more institutions, whereas they (governments) are not catering for the existing ones. Who is deceiving who? Read more
Air Nigeria to take off April 2022 (Sun)
Nigeria’s national airliner, Nigeria Air, is expected to take off by April 2022.
Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, made the disclosure while briefing State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, yesterday.
According to Sirika, the national carrier would be run by a company in which the Nigerian government will hold a 5 per cent stake, Nigerian entrepreneurs holding 46 per cent, while the remaining 49 percent would be reserved for yet to be assigned strategic equity partners, including foreign investors.
The minister, who said FEC gave approvals for the new national carrier, said the national carrier, when operational, would create about 70,000 jobs. Read more
“Orange is the New Black” stars reunite to support Uzo Aduba in Broadway’s “Clyde” (People)
The cast of Orange Is The New Black is back together!
Stars of the Netflix series reunited on Tuesday night to support their former costar Uzo Aduba at the opening of her new Broadway play, Clyde’s.
Laura Prepon, Dascha Polanco, Natasha Lyonne, Danielle Brooks, and Adrienne C. Moore attended the Second Stage production, at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York City.
Prepon shared moments on Instagram of what appeared to be a car ride with some of her former OITNB co-stars. She captioned a carousel of photos, “Mama’s night out! Congrats @uzoaduba on opening night for #Clydes at @2stnyc!! Such incredible performances! Loved being with all my girls @sheisdash @nlyonne @daniebb3 @amberrosetamblyn @acmoore9. Read more
Sweden’s first ever female prime minister steps down within hours (TimesofIsrael)
Sweden’s Prime Minister-elect Magdalena Andersson on Wednesday handed in her resignation hours after being appointed by parliament, after her budget failed to pass and the junior Green Party quit the coalition government.
While her stint was unexpectedly brief, Andersson made history by becoming the first woman elected to the post of prime minister in Sweden — she was to formally take over on Friday.
The 54-year-old economist who has served as finance minister for the past seven years said she hoped to be elected to the position again soon as the head of a minority government made up of only the Social Democrats.
“There is a constitutional practice that a coalition government should resign when one party quits,” Andersson, a Social Democrat, told reporters. Read more
Child and 5 women among 31 migrants dead after boat sinks in deadliest Channel tragedy (Independent)
The English Channel suffered its worst-ever migrant tragedy on Wednesday after a packed inflatable dinghy sank with the loss of at least 31 lives.
Among those drowned were five women and a young girl, according to French interior minister Gerald Darmanin. He said that two survivors were fighting for their lives while another person appeared to still be missing.
After chairing a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee to discuss the disaster, Boris Johnson declared himself “shocked, appalled and deeply saddened” and offered additional help to Paris to “demolish” people-smuggling gangs which he said were “getting away with murder”.
But he gave no indication of stepping back from hardline immigration policies that some observers blame for pushing ever more desperate refugees into risking their lives crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Read more
Mexico’s president appoints first woman to lead central bank (Hill)
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Wednesday nominated the first woman to serve as governor of Mexico’s central bank.
As Forbes Mexico reported, López Obrador chose Mexican Deputy Finance Minister Victoria Rodríguez Ceja to be in charge of the Bank of Mexico, or Banxico.
“We want women to participate. We want this change to take place recognizing the work done by the Undersecretary of Expenditures. She has been performing very well. With an exemplary performance,” López Obrador said in translated remarks.
“She is in charge of managing public investments and has acted very responsibly and does not spend for the sake of spending. She is responsible for financial stability and not resorting to debt. She is a good public servant. For the first time a woman will head Banxico,” he added. Read more
After the Ahmaud Arbery verdicts: A cheering father, a ‘floored’ defense attorney, a chanting crowd (USAToday)
As the first verdict was read by the judge – Travis McMichael, guilty of the malice murder of Ahmaud Arbery – a cheer from Arbery’s father was heard in the courtroom. In the overflow room where people watched the verdicts being read live, cheers erupted. People embraced and cried as deputies called for order.
As each verdict was read, onlookers in the room next-door tried to contain their excitement, silently raising their fists, nodding and embracing. Some quietly clapped.
In all, 27 verdicts were reached, nine for each defendant. Travis McMichael, who fired the shots, was found guilty on all nine counts, including malice murder. His father, Gregory McMichael, was found not guilty of malice murder, and guilty of felony murder and seven other charges. Their neighbor, William “Roddie Bryan,” who recorded video of the killing, was found guilty of three counts of felony murder and three other charges.
Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, sobbed and repeated, “We finally got justice.” Read more
UK government sets aside £1.7bn to support Bulb customers (BBC)
The UK government has set aside nearly £1.7bn to allow energy firm Bulb to continue supplying energy to customers.
The firm was put into special administration on Wednesday, which will let it keep trading for the moment.
Bulb will be run by administrator Teneo until a buyer can be found or until its customers have moved.
The government loan will mean the administration is managed in a way that the lights stay on for Bulb’s 1.7 million customers. Read more
Darrell Brooks pleaded he was ‘not some monster’ during prior sex abuse case (NYPost)
Accused Wisconsin parade attacker Darrell Brooks once pleaded with a Nevada judge that he was “not some monster” — despite repeatedly violating probation after admitting he molested a 15-year-old girl, court records obtained exclusively by The Post show.
Brooks also begged Nevada Judge Robert Perry to cut him a break in 2007, claiming in a handwritten letter that he was raised without a father and was diagnosed bipolar and manic depressive when he was just 12, according to the records.
“I didn’t have a father growing up, so my mom was stuck raising me and my older sister,” Brooks wrote on July 9, 2007. “We were on welfare for most of my childhood in Milwaukee, Wis. My father was an alcoholic who was very abusive to my mom.”
“My father’s dad was also an alcoholic,” he wrote. “I grew up in the inner city full of drugs and prostitution.” Read more
Western policymakers weigh options for Ukraine, responses to Russian aggression (VOA)
The buildup of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine, and on the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, is prompting an intense debate among American and European policymakers about how to respond, say Western officials.
They are split over why Russian President Vladimir Putin is amassing troops. They are also wrestling with their options for deterring him from making any dramatic military moves on Ukraine and, separately, for responding if Putin does order his forces to seize more Ukrainian territory, most likely Mariupol on the coast of the Sea of Azov and its surroundings.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg cautioned Moscow last week against “any further provocation or aggressive actions” after U.S. officials warned that Russia might be preparing a winter offensive in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says Russia has amassed about 100,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s border.
Washington has warned European allies that the Kremlin may be “attempting to rehash” 2014, when it annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and Russia-backed separatists seized a large part of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, bordering Russia. Read more
Real Madrid progress to Champions League last 16 (Independent)
Real Madrid confirmed their progression to the Champions League last 16 courtesy of a comfortable 3-0 away win over Sheriff on Wednesday night.
The Moldovan National Division minnows shocked the world by beating Real in the Spanish capital on matchday two, but there was to be no repeat here with Carlo Ancelotti’s charges getting the job done with minimal fuss.
The hosts were determined in defence in the opening exchanges but Los Blancos’ superior quality was evident with Karim Benzema having a goal ruled out for offside early on.
Sheriff’s resistance was eventually breached on the half-hour mark when David Alaba’s free kick was diverted past Georgios Athanasiadis via a Cristiano deflection. Read more
CAF considering moving 2022 World Cup playoffs from Africa to Qatar (TimesLive)
As the nation continues to wait for the Fifa disciplinary committee to announce its decision on the tense dispute between SA and Ghana, it has emerged that the continent is considering moving the 2022 World Cup playoffs to Qatar.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) executive committee meets in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday and TimesLIVE understands that the continental body wants to abandon the traditional home and away format that has been used over the years to decide the five teams to represent the continent at the global showpiece.
This idea will be at the top of the agenda when the continental body meets.
“It has emerged that the Caf executive wants the games to be played as a one-off, instead of over two legs, and the idea is to play the games at a neutral venue rather than here [in Africa],” an insider told TimesLIVE on Wednesday. Read more
Jurgen Klopp hails Thiago Alcantara ‘thunderball’ in Liverpool win over Porto (Independent)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed Thiago Alcantara’s “thunderball” goal which set them on their way to a 2-0 victory over Porto and a fifth successive Champions League win.
The Spain international broke the deadlock with a delicious low, first-time, 25-yard half-volley which was subsequently added to by Mohamed Salah’s sixth European goal of the season.
It was only the second time Thiago has found the net during a disrupted 14 months since arriving in a £20million move from Bayern Munich but it was a strike worthy of the wait.
“We had bigger chances in the game but we scored with that situation,” he said of the midfielder’s 52nd-minute opener. Read more
Michael Vaughan dropped from BBC’s Ashes commentary over allegations of racist comments at Yorkshire (ABC)
Former England captain Michael Vaughan will play no part in the BBC’s coverage of the upcoming Ashes series after being accused of making racist comments to former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq.
Rafiq alleged Vaughan told him and two other players of Asian origin that there were “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” before a match in 2009.
England player Adil Rashid and Pakistan international Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have also said they overheard Vaughan’s alleged remarks.
Vaughan has strongly denied the accusation, which is the latest in a storm surrounding the Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Read more
Lionel Messi is a passenger and PSG won’t win the Champions League with him, says Jamie Carragher (Metro)
Jamie Carragher believes Paris Saint-Germain won’t win the Champions League as they are ‘carrying three passengers’ in Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
PSG are now forced to settle for runners-up in Group A after they were beaten 2-1 by Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Mbappe opened to scoring for PSG but Raheem Sterling pulled City level before Gabriel Jesus netted the winner with 14 minutes remaining.
Pep Guardiola’s side delivered a dominant display against PSG with Messi and Neymar both struggling to make much of an impact. Read more
Haller makes Champions League history as Ajax secure top spot, Dortmund crash out (Eurosport)
Sebastien Haller continued his stunning form in the Champions League to secure top spot in Group C for Ajax.
Ajax’s perfect record looked to be in danger as they fell behind against Besiktas to a penalty from Rachid Ghezzal.
However, former West Ham striker Haller netted the equaliser shortly after half-time and then grabbed the winner 15 minutes later.
The 2-1 victory moves Ajax onto 15 points, with Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon both on six points ahead of their meeting later on Wednesday evening.
Haller’s double means he is the first player in Champions League history to score nine goals in his first five appearances in the competition. Read more
Tommy Fury vs Jake Paul press conference descends into chaos with vicious insults (Metro)
The Fury family and Jake Paul swapped wild insults during a chaotic press conference ahead of Tommy’s showdown with the YouTube star this month.
Fury and Paul meet on 18 December in Florida with the 7-0 prospect joined by his father John and brother Tyson on Wednesday.
Paul was not present in the studio, instead tuning in via video link from the comfort of his swimming pool in Puerto Rico.
Tommy and Tyson briefly took a backseat as John and Paul swiftly got into a heated exchange with promoter Frank Warren, also joining via video, forced to play peacemaker. Read more