Wife sues hubby for failing to provide secure home (DailyTrust)
A housewife, Khadija Salihu, on Tuesday dragged her husband, Isyaku, before a Sharia court sitting in Magajin Gari, Kaduna for allegedly failing to provide a secured shelter for her.
She told the court that she had been living with her parents for seven months.
“I left my matrimonial home in Hayin Dan-Bushiya due to insecurity.
“My husband visited me only twice in the seven months. I want to know if he is still interested in the marriage,” she prayed.
In his response, Isyaku said he still loved his wife and their marriage was still valid.
“I secured a better place but she refused to relocate,” he told the court. Read more
Police apprehend pastor for staging his kidnap multiple times (Independent)
Operatives of the Plateau State Police Command have arrested a self-proclaimed pastor for allegedly staging his own abduction twice.
It was gathered that the police apprehended the said cleric following suspicions after his second abduction, which had his church members contribute money to secure his release from the staged gang.
The spokesman for the police in Plateau, DSP Alfred Alabo, told reporters in Jos, the state capital, on Wednesday that the suspect, Pastor Albarka Sukuya of Jenta Apata, Jos, was arrested in November 2022.
“The police have uncovered the nefarious act of one Pastor Albarka Sukuya of Jenta Apata, Jos, who on several occasions staged his kidnap with his cohorts and received ransom from sympathizing members of his congregation,” said the police statement. Read more
Release Kanu before he dies – Ikenga urges Buhari (Vanguard)
Spokesman for Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere has called on President Muhammadu to release Nnamdi Kanu from detention to avert him dying out of ailing health.
Ugochinyere made the call in a press conference in his hometown, Akokwa, Ideato North Local Government Area of Imo State, Wednesday.
The opposition spokesman said he was informed by Kanu’s lawyer that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader needed serious medical attention.
Ikenga stated that Kanu should be released in obedience to a court judgement that had discharged him earlier. Read more
Nigerian passport falls by 38 places in global ranking (Punch)
The Nigerian passport has fallen by 38 places in a global passport ranking in the last 17 years.
This is according to the Henley Passport Index reports between 2006 and 2022 collated by The PUNCH
The Henley Passport Index ranks passports according to the number of countries their holders can access visa-free or with a visa-on-arrival programme.
Although the Nigerian passport gained 11 more destinations, it fell from 62nd in 2006 to 100th in 2022. Read more
Why I resigned as LP chairman says Salako (Guardian)
Lagos state Labour Party (LP) Chairman, Kayode Salako, said he resigned as the party’s leader to focus on his election as the party’s candidate for the House of Representatives seat in Oshodi-Isolo Constituency 1.
Salako disclosed this during a chat with Channels Television on Wednesday.
“I am the candidate of the party for the House of Representatives seat in Oshodi-Isolo Constituency 1. The election is about 40 days’ time and I need to concentrate to face the challenges,” Salako said
The former LP chieftain gave up his position, yesterday, to the state’s Deputy Women Leader of the party, Dayo Ekong. Read more
Tope Alabi, Gordons, others to headline Alimosho Arise concert (Sun)
A star-studded lineup of performances from top Nigerian artists including Tope Alabi, Ada Ehi, Bidemi Olaoba, Mike Abdul, Beejay Sax, Monique, Big Bolaji, and other gifted music ministers will light up the forthcoming Lagos gospel music concert nicknamed Alimosho Arise.
Top comedians such as Gordons, Forever rfc, Asiri comedy, and Saco are set to crack the ribs with hilarious jokes.
The event holds live in Alimosho in Lagos State, on Friday, January 13, 2023, at 8 pm at Calvary Bible Church, Church Street, end of Anjorin Street, Calvary bus stop, Ikotun-Idimu road, Lagos.
Organisers of the show promised it will be a night of high-energy praise, worship, and diverse expressions of God with something for everyone. Read more
Aníkúlápó tops Netflix Naija 2022 most watched movies (Nation)
Kunle Afolayan’s Aníkúlápó has emerged as the most-watched movie on Netflix in Nigeria in 2022.
According to the data on streaming statistics site FlixPatrol, Aníkúlápó overshadowed huge international projects like Adam Project and RRR to secure the top spot on the world’s leading streaming entertainment service provider.
Aníkúlápó, an epic fantasy that tells the story of love, death and betrayal, amassed 8,730,000 global views within a few weeks after its release on September 30, 2022.
The epic film follows a young man’s quest for a greener pasture during which he encounters a mythical bird (Akala). Read more
Taraba PRP guber candidate pledges to restore unity (Leadership)
The governorship candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), Engr. Josiah Wukari Wasa has pledged to restore unity among the people of the state if elected.
Wasa, while speaking with journalists in Jalingo, Taraba State capital said the state has lost its glory, unity and peace which was a major platform for development among the tribes/ethics across the 16 local government areas.
The PRP governorship candidate said the All Progressive Congress (APC) at the national level and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have failed to unify the people. He added that he is a unifier who will restore the lost dignity.
“The good people of Taraba State in particular and Nigerians at large should embark on earnest introspection in order to understand the true situation of Taraba State and plead for God’s mercy and blessings as they prepare for government transition in 2023.” Read more
Ryan Reynolds enlists AI-powered ChatGPT in ‘mildly terrifying’ new Mint Mobile ad (TheDrum)
Mobile network Mint Mobile has released a new ad featuring brand co-owner Ryan Reynolds reading a script composed by ChatGPT, a generative AI tool that has been making waves across adland. The results, in Reynolds’ own words, are “mildly terrifying, but compelling.”
ChatGPT, a program that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to generate text-based dialogue, simulating human conversation, has been making headlines in recent weeks.
It’s being positioned as a tool that could potentially revolutionize (or at least complement) a wide variety of conversation- and text-based tasks, including creating marketing copy, translating one language to another, fielding customer service questions and even participating in therapy.
Launched in late November by OpenAI, many marketers are already excitedly gushing about how the new tech could transform their field and make their jobs easier. Others have concerns that it could rob their industry of some of its creative spark. Read more
Better Call Saul was robbed! The snubs and shocks of the Golden Globes (Guardian)
After a year in the wilderness invoked by an ethics and voting scandal, the Golden Globes returned last night. With its return came a new rigour, an unspoken promise that the nominated movies and shows would be judged solely on their merit and celebrated accordingly. Which was nonsense, obviously, because Better Call Saul didn’t win anything – again.
Of all the reasons to miss Better Call Saul – and there are so very many reasons – one of them involves basic convenience. You see, as a TV writer, the existence of Better Call Saul has made articles about awards snubs incredibly easy to write.
Each year since 2015, Better Call Saul has been one of the best things on TV. And each year, every big TV awards show has done its best to pretend that it doesn’t exist. This is what happened at last night’s Golden Globes. Better Call Saul was up for two awards – best drama series and best TV actor, for Bob Odenkirk – and walked away with neither. As a tweet this morning noted , this amounts to a grand total of six Golden Globe nominations, 46 Emmy nominations and zero wins. Read more
Eddie Murphy jokes about Will Smith Oscars slap during Golden Globes speech (HipHopDX)
Eddie Murphy jokingly referenced Will Smith’s infamous slap on Chris Rock while being honored at the 2023 Golden Globes in Beverly Hills, California on Tuesday night (January 10).
The legendary comedian/actor was this year’s recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award, which recognizes “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment” and is named after its first recipient, director Cecil B. DeMille.
While accepting the award inside The Beverly Hilton, Murphy thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, as well as his family and colleagues, while reflecting on his 46 years in show business.
Towards the end of his speech, the 61-year-old poked fun at Smith’s open-palmed smack on Rock at the 2022 Oscars while sharing advice for “new, up-and-coming dreamers and artists that are in the room.” Read more
SAG Awards find a new home on Netflix in 2024; this year’s show will stream on YouTube (Deadline)
The SAGs have finally found a small screen home: the annual awards fete will stream live on Netflix beginning in 2024, as part of a new, multi-year partnership.
“We are thrilled to embark on this exciting new partnership with Netflix and we look forward to expanding the global audience for our show,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “As the only televised awards program exclusively honoring the performances of actors, whose work is admired by millions of fans, the SAG Awards are a unique and cherished part of the entertainment universe.”
“The SAG Awards are beloved by the creative community and viewers alike, and now even more fans around the world will be able to celebrate these talented actors,” added Netflix Head of Global TV Bela Bajaria. “As we begin to explore live streaming on Netflix, we look forward to partnering with SAG-AFTRA to elevate and expand this special ceremony as a global live event in 2024 and the years to come.” Read more
Temples announce new album Exotico, share bouncy new single ‘‘Gamma Rays’’ (NME)
Temples have shared details of their fourth album ‘‘Exotico’’.
The Sean Ono Lennon-produced album, which is the follow-up to 2019’s ‘Hot Motion’, is released on April 14 via ATO Records. It’s been previewed today (January 11) with first single ‘Gamma Rays’, which comes with a Molly Daniel-directed video that was shot in Benidorm, Spain.
Temples singer and guitarist James Bagshaw said: “In the verse lyrics we’re talking about the grandness of nature, and then the chorus flips that on its head, it sounds like a rejoiceful summer tune about soaking up the rays, but the truth is that soaking up gamma rays will kill you. So it’s about that juxtaposition of beauty and danger that we often find in nature.”
As for the track’s accompanying visuals, Daniel explained: “Filming in Benidorm was inspiring. It’s a very surreal and futuristic space – like Margate meets Vegas meets the end of the world! I wanted a video that felt fast paced and took you on a journey through some great locations.” Read more
Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne to be honoured at the Black Music Collective’s Pre-Grammy event (THR)
Rap heavyweights Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott and Lil Wayne will be honoured by the Recording Academy and the Black Music Collective at a pre-Grammy event next month.
The Grammy-winning performers, along with Epic Records CEO Sylvia Rhone, will receive the Recording Academy Global Impact Award at the Feb. 2 event at Hollywood Palladium. They are earning the honour “for their personal and professional achievements in the music industry.”
“I am so thrilled to honour and celebrate these four giants in the music industry,” academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in a statement. “Last year’s inaugural event was such a highlight during GRAMMY Week and now with Dre, Missy, Wayne and Sylvia there to pay tribute to this year, it’s definitely going to be another night to remember. I continue to be proud of the work of our Black Music Collective as it’s a vital part of what we do here at the Academy.” Read more
German coal mine standoff escalates as police move on protesters (AlJazeera)
German police have begun clearing climate protesters out of an abandoned village in a showdown over the expansion of a coal mine.
On Wednesday morning, officers in riot gear moved into Luetzerath, where hundreds of activists have been holed up trying to stop the expansion of the nearby Garzweiler coal mine run by energy firm RWE.
Activists have for the past two years attempted to protect the village from being bulldozed to make way for the opencast lignite mine, in a standoff that highlights the tensions around Germany’s climate policy.
Environmentalists say bulldozing Luetzerath would result in huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, but the government and RWE say coal is needed to ensure Germany’s energy security. Read more
Barca’s Torres and Atletico’s Savic banned for two games (Guardian)
Barcelona forward Ferran Torres and Atletico Madrid defender Stefan Savic have been suspended for two games each after their brawl during Sunday’s La Liga match at the Metropolitano.
The pair fought with each other off the ball, with Torres pulling Savic’s hair while the Atletico defender had his arm tightly wrapped around the Spaniard’s neck.
The Spanish FA’s competition committee announced the suspensions for violent conduct on Wednesday.
Barcelona faces Real Betis in the Spanish Super Cup on Thursday but the ban will be served in La Liga.
Torres will miss Barca’s next two league matches, against Getafe and Girona, with the Catalans already without suspended striker Robert Lewandowski for those games. Read more
NPFL readjusts season fixtures (Punch)
Following an elongated match-day one action, the Nigeria Professional Football League has rescheduled some of the season’s games to make up for the lost time in the early days of the abridged 2022/23 season, The PUNCH reports.
The projected end date of the league isn’t affected, as the organisers created one more midweek round of matches to meet up with the May 14 date.
According to the previous calendar, the regular season had three midweek matches on match-day two, five and 11, while match-day eight has now been earmarked for midweek in the new calendar to make the number of midweek games four.
A Super-Six play-off will follow to determine the champions of the league and the winners of available continental slots. Read more
Joao Felix ‘‘very happy’’ with Chelsea loan move as he extends Atletico deal (IrishIndependent)
Chelsea have announced the signing of Portugal forward Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid until the end of the season.
As part of the deal, it is understood the Blues will pay a fee of around £9 million and also cover the player’s £5.3m wages.
“Chelsea is one of the great teams in the world and I hope to help the team reach their objectives, so I am very, very happy to be here and very excited to play at Stamford Bridge,” Felix said on the Chelsea website.
The arrival of the Portugal international, who was also the subject of interest from Arsenal and Manchester United, comes with Blues head coach Graham Potter in the grip of an injury crisis. Read more
FA open investigation into Arsenal vs Oxford incident as alleged phone messages leaked (Express)
The FA have opened a spot-fixing investigation into suspicious betting patterns during Monday’s game between Oxford United and Arsenal in the FA Cup third round, according to reports. The Gunners ran out comfortable winners at the Kassam Stadium to reach the fourth round of the tournament at a canter.
Monday’s game has since been placed under investigation by the FA after suspicious betting activity was detected, with a dossier of evidence regarding supposed corruption having already been compiled by the governing body, according to the Daily Mail.
It is said that the FA have learned of alleged phone messages that were sent before kick-off in a betting scam that reportedly cost one bookmaker in excess of £1,600.
One of the messages in question is purported to show a betting slip with around £200 on it. Eyewitnesses at the Kassam Stadium reportedly saw many people celebrating in the stands, with several fans bragging about having won hundreds of pounds. Read more
Djokovic hints long-awaited Kyrgios dinner could happen in Melbourne (Eurosport)
Novak Djokovic has hinted that his long-awaited dinner with Nick Kyrgios could take place during the Australian Open.
The previously-frosty relationship between Djokovic and Kyrgios has taken a positive turn over the last 12 months.
Kyrgios branded Djokovic a “tool” during the 2021 Australian Open, but last year came to his defence when he was fighting to stay in Australia due to his vaccination status.
There were then some light-hearted social media exchanges between the pair around their 2022 Wimbledon final, which Djokovic won in four sets. Read more
Logan Paul appears to side with Andrew Tate with “matrix is real” message (Mirror)
Logan Paul appears to have sided with rival Andrew Tate by claiming “the matrix is real” in a cryptic social media post.
Tate has become one of the most popular stars on social media which is largely down to his airing of controversial views online including on women and society in general. With a background in kickboxing, the social media star has been heavily linked with a fighting return, but in the boxing ring where influencers are becoming increasingly involved with the sport.
Paul and Tate have exchanged trash talk over a potential showdown with the content creator offering to stage a clash between the pair either in the ring or in the UFC. And in surprise, backing after previous criticism, Paul has appeared to back one of Tate’s theories, tweeting: “The matrix is real. Pray you never become its target.”
This comes just days after Tate accused ‘The Matrix’ of attacking him on social media after a report claimed one of himself or brother Tristan were rushed to hospital from a detention centre in Romania, following his arrest last month in connection with an investigation into alleged human trafficking, rape and forming an organised crime group. Read more