Why we demolished 13 buildings at Ajao estate – Lagos (Vanguard)
Lagos State Government has said the demolition of 13 residential buildings at Rockview Street, Ajao Estate, occurred because they were illegally constructed along fuel pipelines.
The houses which were close to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport did not have planning permits before they were built.
This was revealed by General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency, LASBCA, Gbolahan Oki, during a press briefing on Friday. Read more
NDLEA intercepts illicit drugs in imported car, food items (Guardian)
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have seized 126 parcels of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis at the Tincan port in Lagos.
This is contained in a statement by the Agency’s Director, Media and Advocacy, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja.
Babafemi said that the drugs weighing 63 kilogrammes were concealed in a used Toyota Corolla car imported from Canada. Read more
FG slams new levy on imported vehicles, alcoholic beverages (Tribune)
The federal government has introduced a new set of taxes on imported vehicles, alcoholic beverages and single use plastics. It has also been added to the list of items banned from being imported into the country.
According to a circular issued by the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, which was sighted at the weekend, the new tax regime comes into effect on June 1, 2023.
Under the new tax regime, imported vehicles with 2000cc (2 litres) to 3999cc (3.9 litres) engine will pay an additional charge known as Import Adjustment Tax (IAT) levy of two per cent of the value of the vehicle while vehicles with 4000cc (4 litres) and above engines will attract IAT of four per cent of their value. Read more
Gridlock: Kara bridge-OPIC open to traffic Sunday – FG (Punch)
The federal government has disclosed the completion of road work between Kara Bridge and the Long Bridge area on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, adding that it would be opened to traffic today, Sunday.
The Minister of Work and Housing, Babatunde Fashola on Saturday, said this in a statement through his Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello.
He, however, appealed to motorists to exercise patience over the heavy traffic being experienced on the stretch from Toll Gate to Kara Bridge in Lagos, as the reconstruction work on the road enters its last phase. Read more
Blue Rail Line: Government misses commercial operation deadline (Guardian)
When the Lagos State government announced that the Blue Rail Line would commence commercial operations in the first quarter of 2023, many residents, especially those living along the Orile-Okokomaiko corridor were exhilarated that the pain they undergo while trying to connect Lagos Island from that axis would become a thing of the past.
But just when they started the countdown, the state government killed their joy, by adjusting the date to April. Alas, April ends today and commercial operations are not starting any time soon on the blue rail, which has been in the works for 15 years.
For those who have followed the rail project over the years, the shift in deadlines is nothing new given the several adjustments of completion dates since the days that Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola was in the saddle. Read more
Abducted Catholic priest regains freedom (Nation)
Catholic priest, Rev Fr. Michael Asomugha, who was kidnapped on April 15, has regained freedom from his abductors.
Asomugha of the St. Paul’s Catholic church parish , Osu in the Isiala Mbano Local Government Area was abducted on April 15 from Okigwe Diocese.
One of his parishioners, Chinedu Osuji, confirmed on Sunday morning that the cleric has been freed. Read more
May Day: Ikpea celebrates Edo workers, calls for rededication towards growing the state (Independent)
Hon Joseph Ikpea, a former commissioner in Edo state, has called on the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and that of the Trade Union Congress(TUC) in Edo state to continue to work with a renewed energy aimed at making Edo Great.
Hon Ikpea who stated this in a statement issued in Benin City said “I must celebrate our teaming workers in Edo state as we join others across the country to celebrate the year 2023 workers day.
“Your efforts and conscientious working for our dear state can not but be appreciated. Your consistency and dedication to duties despite visible unfriendly government labour relationships.’’ Read more
Kano Gov-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to revisit Sanusi’s dethronement — Kwankwaso (Tribune)
Former Governor of Kano State and Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has disclosed that the incoming administration of Abba Kabir Yusuf as Kano Governor-elect will revisit the dethronement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano.
Sanusi, who was installed by Kwankwaso during his time as Governor, was removed on March 9, 2020 and banished from Kano by Governor Ganduje, to a village called Loko in Nasarawa State.
Aside from dethroning the former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the outgoing administration of Governor Umar Ganduje also split the emirate into five and appointed emirs for them. Read more
Mila Kunis responds to MCU “Fantastic Four” rumours (DigitalSpy)
Fantastic Four is returning to the big screen yet again, this time as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This reboot requires a new cast, and the rumour mill has been buzzing with speculation about who is playing who. Adam Driver as Mr Fantastic and Jodie Comer as the Invisible Woman are just two of the names, while Family Guy’s Mila Kunis has seemingly been linked to both Invisible Woman and, strangely, The Thing.
Appearing on The Late Late Show with James Corden, she explained that she went for food with the film’s director Matt Shakman and “the next day I was somehow in Fantastic Four…
“Apparently, if you go to lunch with somebody that is also in the industry, you then start working together, according to the internet.” Read more
The legendary movie that inspired Jay-Z’s song ‘’Allure’’ (HiphopHero)
Jay-Z is a rapper known worldwide for his lyricism, fantastic music and iconic status within hip-hop and pop culture more broadly. From the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant to the upper echelons of the recording industry, Jay-Z’s journey and outstanding ability to navigate the business world have made him a legend in the eyes of millions. To this day, the Brooklyn emcee (real name Shawn Carter) remains a mogul and has been noted for his cultural impact by old and new generations. However, behind every project and song is a story. Whether it’s his own journey or someone else’s, there’s been a profound source of inspiration that Carter has tapped into.
That said, the New York emcee’s sixth body of work, The Black Album, saw the Roc-A-Fella magnate dig deep to find stories he could draw from. During the making of the 2003 project, Carter invited a film crew to record his creative process, and inspiration was of the utmost importance to the artist. In his 2004 Fade To Black documentary, Jay-Z explained how it is the source of quality material as he professed, “The most important thing is inspiration. As an artist, if you’re not inspired to work, then you start thinking. Once you start thinking, you start forcing music, and that’s never good.” Read more
James Bond fans convinced Richard Madden has dropped major clue he’s next 007 (Metro)
James Bond fans are all shaken up after believing Richard Madden has hinted he’s taking over from Daniel Craig in the iconic role.
The Game of Thrones actor, 36, is among the favourites to be the next 007, alongside the likes of Happy Valley’s James Norton and Bridgerton’s Rege-Jean Page.
And the Scottish star is seemingly not dampening the rumours with a telling video posted on Instagram on Friday during which he enjoys a drink with his Citadel co-star Stanley Tucci. Read more
Matthew Lawrence shares he was fired from agency after refusing to strip for director (Fox)
Actor Matthew Lawrence opened up on the latest episode of his Brotherly Love podcast about his own sexual harassment experience in Hollywood, sharing he was fired from an agency after he refused to strip for a director involved in a Marvel project.
The 43-year-old actor recounted his experience during Friday’s episode, where he and his co-hosts, brothers and fellow actors Joey and Andrew Lawrence, delved into the dark side of the Hollywood entertainment industry.
“There have been many times in my life where I’ve been propositioned to get a huge role,” Lawrence said on the podcast. “I’ve lost my agency because I went to the hotel room, which I can’t believe they would send me to, of a very prominent Oscar award-winning director who showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off and said he needed to take Polaroids of me.” Read more
Bonnie Raitt postpones upcoming concert performances amid surgery for ‘‘medical situation’’ (People)
Bonnie Raitt has rescheduled four upcoming shows, and canceled an additional performance, amid surgery for a “medical situation.”
The “Something to Talk About” singer, 73, will not be appearing at Brandi Carlile’s Mothership Weekend next month and has postponed her shows in Athens, Georgia; Louisville, Kentucky; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, according to a statement shared on her official Instagram page Friday.
“Bonnie has a medical situation that requires surgery to address,” the statement began. “The doctors say that in order for her to heal properly, they recommend she not perform for a couple of weeks.” Read more
Neil Young and Snoop Dogg perform at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday (FarOut)
A huge party held at The Hollywood Bowl to honour Willie Nelson on his 90th birthday took place this weekend. Although the event boasted several veterans of the world of country music, stars from various genres also joined the country legend onstage.
The show featured a number of different tributes to Nelson, along with a final performance by the man himself towards the end of the night. Playing a set crisscrossing his career, Neil Young joined Nelson onstage to perform the song ‘Are There Any More Real Cowboys?’. Young had previously been known for his work in the folk-rock realm on ’70s albums such as Harvest and After the Gold Rush.
Outside of rock music, rap icon Snoop Dogg also joined Nelson onstage for the song ‘Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die’, which they both forgot the words to halfway through. Aside from music, both Nelson and Snoop have been known to have an affinity for cannabis. Read more
Pope Francis celebrates Mass on final day in Hungary (VOA)
On his third and final day of his Hungary trip, Pope Francis celebrated Mass on Sunday in Budapest before tens of thousands of people in the historic Kossuth Lajos Square. Hungarian President Kataline Novak and Prime Minister Viktor Orban were among the attendees.
Throughout his trip in Hungary, Francis has urged Hungarians to remember and take in refugees from Ukraine and also refugees from the Middle East and Africa who are arriving on Europe’s shores in record numbers.
While Europeans have not always been charitable or receptive to the migrants from Africa and the Middle East, they have been more accepting of the Ukrainians who fled their homes after the Russian invasion. Read more
30 players invited to Falconets camp for WAFU B tournament (Guardian)
Falconets’ Head Coach Chris Danjuma has called to camp 30 players as Nigeria begin preparations on Monday in Abuja for the upcoming WAFU B Under-20 Women’s Championship in Ghana.
Danjuma has included some players from the Nigerian team which reached the quarter-finals of the last FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
He is also having some from the bronze medal-winning Flamingos which finished third at the 2022 FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup in India, alongside a couple of new faces. Read more
NFF to install VAR in regional stadia – President (Punch)
The Nigeria Football Federation has concluded arrangements to install Video Assistant Referee in regional stadiums in the country as plans are underway to train and retrain referees to achieve the purpose.
The President of the federation, Malam Ibrahim Gusau, stated this on Saturday in Ilorin at the National Elective Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Referees Association.
Gusau, represented by an NFF official, Malam Muhammed Ameenu, charged the incoming leadership of the association to come up with development plans, to forecast, organise and ensure the future of Nigeria Referees is properly nurtured and watered towards the growth of the game. Read more
Manchester City battle hard to beat Fulham and return to Premier League summit (IrishNews)
Manchester City are top of the Premier League for the first time since February 17 thanks to a hard-fought 2-1 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Pep Guardiola’s men were pushed until the end by Fulham, who stuck doggedly with the in-form champions throughout the match.
Far more experienced top-flight sides might have crumbled when Erling Haaland netted his 50th goal of the season from the penalty spot after just three minutes. Read more
Man Utd edge past Villa to strengthen top-four push (France24)
Bruno Fernandes was on target as Manchester United beat in-form Aston Villa 1-0 on Sunday to strengthen their push for a top-four Premier League finish.
The Portugal international scored shortly before half-time to settle fans’ nerves at Old Trafford and lift United nine points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham.
The club are closing on a Champions League berth for next season in Erik ten Hag’s first campaign in charge but off the field uncertainty swirls over the ownership. Read more
Pablo Larrazábal pulls away for Korea Championship title (ESPN)
Pablo Larrazábal shot a tidy 5-under 67 in the final round of the Korea Championship to complete a two-shot victory over Marcus Helligkilde on Sunday.
The Spaniard’s 12-under 276 at the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club Korea was good enough to secure his eighth European tour title after starting the final round one shot back.
Larrazábal closed to a five-way share of the lead at the turn at 9-under and pulled away with four birdies in the next five holes to open a three-shot lead that he never relinquished. Read more
William Zepeda floors Jaime Arboleda 3 times, earns 2nd round knockout in DAZN main event (BoxingScene)
The one-week delay merely prolonged the inevitable.
William Zepeda resumed his knockout ways with an overwhelming two-round blitzing of Panama’s Jaime Arboleda. Three knockdowns were produced by the unbeaten 26-year-old Mexican southpaw, the last of which produced the full ten count at 2:16 of round two in their DAZN-televised main event Saturday evening at College Park Center at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Zepeda sought a home for his potent left hand early in the fight. Arboleda was prepared for the approach as he often clinched whenever the two were on the inside. The taller and more mobile Arboleda used his legs to create distance and was able to drop straight right on Zepeda’s chin. Zepeda didn’t show any concern of the incoming, as he would exhibit in the following round. Read more