The hottest and most trending news articles for this week in all categories are captured in one shot. Find articles ranging from News to Sports, to Politics, to Entertainment, to Economy, to Metro plus, and many other categories. See below the top news for the week:
NEWS
- Oyo Senator Teslim Folarin loses wife
Chief (Barr.) Angela Nwaka Folarin, wife of Senator Teslim Folarin (Oyo Central), is dead. She was 47.
The Senator’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, YSO Olaniyi in a terse statement confirmed her demise. He said: “With total submission to the will of Almighty Allah, we announce the death of our wife, mother and sister, Chief (Barr.) Angela Nwaka Folarin.
“The wife of Oyo Central Senator was confirmed dead on Friday afternoon. She breathed her last in UK. The deceased was hale and hearty until the angel of death knocked the door. May Almighty God Comfort us and Grant Late Angela an eternal rest.”
- How security report forced Buhari to cancel planned subsidy removal
Details have emerged on how security advice forced the PresidentnMuhammadu Buhari to make a U-turn on the decision to remove fuel subsidy. An impeccable security source told The PUNCH that intelligence handed over to the President by security officials showed that the protests that would have accompanied the subsidy removal might have been far worse than the #EndSARS demonstrations, mass protests against police brutality that grounded many parts of the country in 2020.
- Insecurity: Your argument against State Police not tenable — CAN tells Reps members
The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, on Thursday, faulted the argument of the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution rejecting the bill seeking the creation of state police.
Recall that the lawmakers had earlier voted against the proposal to amend section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to remove security from the exclusive legislative list on the grounds that the country is in a fragile state; hence, caution must be applied in giving powers over security matters to State Governors.
But the apex Christian body, in a swift reaction, accused the legislators of hypocrisy, saying their stance was a deliberate attempt to play down the demand for an overhaul of the nation’s security system. In a chat with Vanguard, the Special Assistant to the CAN President on Media and Communication, Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, said: “We have been consistent in calling for the state police, but it is becoming clearer by the day that the powers that be have refused to listen to the voice of reason.
“We borrowed the Presidential system of government from the US, but in America, every tier of the government has its own police. Therefore, the argument against the state police is no longer tenable. Enough of the hypocrisy. If we can allow Hisbah or Sharia police in the North, why can’t we have full-blown State Police across the country? We are not asking for the scrapping of the federal police. They will still be in operation to, amongst other things, provide support and logistics to the State Police when the need arises.”
- UAE Relaxes Entry Ban On Nigerian Travellers From Saturday
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will resume passenger flights from Nigeria and 11 other African countries on Saturday, January 29. UAE’s National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) announced this in a tweet on Wednesday.
The country’s agency said entry procedures have been updated for flights originating from Ghana, Rwanda, and Uganda. According to the statement, passengers arriving from these three countries to the UAE must have a negative COVID-19 test obtained within 48 hours of departure from the approved labs in their respective countries.
It added that passengers must undergo a Rapid PCR test at the airports of departure. On arrival in the UAE, they will be subjected to another PCR test, asking residents of African countries to refrain from travelling to the country if they have COVID-19 symptoms.
- To Sustain Subsidy, FG Proposes 18 Months Delay For PIA
The Federal Government on Tuesday proposed an 18-month delay in implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to enable it to continue with the payment pay of petroleum subsidy.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, announced the initiative while briefing correspondents at the presidential villa, Abuja, saying that the decision was reached as a result of President Mohammadu Buhari’s insistence that all the necessary structures must be put in place to caution the effect of the subsidy removal.
The minister said that the government would continue to engage the leadership of the organized Labour who had insisted that the proposed nationwide protest on January 27 against the subsidy removal would still go ahead.
- Subsidy: Governors accuse NNPC of fraud, secrecy
On the heels of plans by the federal government to remove subsidy on fuel, the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC) of fraud and unclear intentions. The governors said with the NNPC limited, there are raging questions of accountability with regards to subsidy and that until the truth about their plans is made known, many people would be uncomfortable with the subsidy removal.
They said this at a meeting with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), on Wednesday, in Abuja. The meeting was held to deliberate on the fuel subsidy removal, which both groups believe is a necessary action that the country must deal with now or in the nearest future.
The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, had said removing fuel subsidy will worsen the situation and impose more difficulties on Nigerians and President Muhammadu Buhari. She also said the federal government is exploring ways of reaching an agreement with civic groups and the labour union to ensure the eventual removal of subsidy will have minimal impact on Nigerians.
- Many federal lawmakers not representing Nigerians well, says Afenifere
The Pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has expressed disappointment over the rejection of an amendment to the 1999 Constitution that would have allowed states to establish their own police force.
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Jare Ajayi, in a statement on Thursday, said the rejection of the amendment by some members of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review had reinforced the notion that most of the members were not in the National Assembly to serve the best interests of majority of Nigerians.
Ajayi, however, commended Onofiok Luke from Akwa Ibom for the amendment to section 214 of the 1999 Constitution to enable States to have power to set up State Police. The Pan Yoruba organisation also commended the 11 members of the House that voted in support of the amendment while it frowned very seriously on the 14 members who voted against the amendment.
Onofiok had sought the amendment to move section 214 (c) of the constitution from the exclusive list to the concurrent list. That will have empowered both the National Assembly and houses of assembly of states to legislate on police and other security matters. But at the House Committee sitting on Wednesday, January 26, 14 legislators voted against the amendment while 11 lawmakers voted in favour.
- Transparency International Ranks Nigeria 154 Out Of 180 Countries
Transparency International (TI) has ranked Nigeria 154 out of 180 on Corruption Perception Index (CPI). The report, which was exclusively released by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), said Nigeria fell one point compared to the 2020 CPI.
A statement signed by the Executive Director CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani said the index revealed that Nigeria scored 24 out of 100 points in the 2021 CPI. The CPI aggregates data from 8 (eight) different sources that provide perceptions by country experts and business people on the level of corruption in the public sector.
The statement said the CPI result came at a point when Nigeria as a country is battling with rising nation-wide insecurity, high unemployment rate and damning revelations around public finance management by the auditor general and investigative journalists, amongst others.
POLITICS
- Ekiti 2022: Fayose’s Man, Bisi Kolawole, Wins PDP Primary (Tribune)
The anointed aspirant of former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, for the 2022 governorship election in the state, Bisi Kolawole, has emerged winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary election held on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Bisi Kolawole, a former Commissioner for Environment in the state, who hails from Efon-Ekiti, in the Central senatorial district, polled 671 votes to defeat his closet aspirant and former governor, Segun Oni, who garnered 330 votes.
Other contestants of the Ekiti PDP primary were former deputy governor, Professor Kolapo Olusola- Eleka, who scored 93 votes; Kayode Adaramodu, 10 votes; Lateef Ajijola, one vote; Biodun Olujimi, who had earlier pulled out, got two votes; Wale Aribisala, 56 votes and Deji Ogunsakin, six votes. The chairman of the primary election committee and governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, who announced the results commended the aspirants and other stakeholders in the state for the successful completion of the exercise.
- Ekiti 2022: Ex-Gov Segun Oni’s supporters reject PDP gov primary result
The Segun Oni Campaign Organisation has rejected the results of the Peoples Democratic Party governorship primary election held on Wednesday in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. A statement signed by Mr Yemi Arokodare, the Director-General of the Organisation, on Thursday in Ado-Ekiti, alleged that members of the organisation were disenchanted by the process.
Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom who presided over the election, had declared Mr Bisi Kolawole, an anointed candidate of former Governor Ayodele Fayose, as the winner of the election, having polled 671 votes to beat Oni, his closest rival, who scored 330 votes. Arokodare alleged that the delegates’ register was mutilated and many delegates’ names were missing from the register. According to him, 32 automatic delegates who were accredited were not given tags and were not allowed to vote.
Arokodare said Udom also allegedly threatened to arrest and lock all of these delegates if any of them should come into the hall. The organisation’s boss also alleged that Udom deliberately allowed Ayo Fayose, who allegedly heads a faction of Ekiti State PDP, to sit in the hall even after he has voted, a situation which is against the rules earlier pronounced by Udom.
- APC aspirants allege fraud, Fayemi’s ex-SSG wins Ekiti gov primary
Former Secretary to Ekiti State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, on Thursday clinched the ticket of the governing All Progressives Congress in the state for the June 18 governorship election. The Chairman, APC Governorship Primary Electoral Committee for Ekiti and Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru, who declared Oyebanji winner of the primary election, said the former SSG scored 101,703 votes to defeat other aspirants.
Badaru announced that former governorship aspirant, Kayode Ojo, got 767 votes; National Assembly member, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, scored 760 votes; former Minister of Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, secured 691votes; and House of Representatives member, Femi Bamisile scored 400 votes.
Others are former House of Representatives member, Bamidele Faparusi, who garnered 376 votes; aviation expert, Demola Popoola, got 239 votes; and Oluwasola Afolabi scored 47 votes. Badaru, who said the election followed the party’s guidelines, said he had not received any official complaint from any aspirant.
However, earlier in the day, seven of the eight governorship aspirants protested the list of Local Government Electoral Committees for the exercise, saying it contained names of Oyebanji’s supporters and campaigners. The aggrieved aspirants – Bamidele; Adeyeye; Bamisile; Faparusi; Ojo; Popoola; and Afolabi, alongside their supporters stormed the state APC Secretariat where they called on the party national leadership and the Badaru-led committee to suspend the primary.
- 2023: Why Tinubu is the most capable candidate to succeed Buhari –Sanwo-Olu
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, says All Progressives Congress National Leader, Bola Tinubu, is the most capable candidate to succeed the President Buhari in May 2023. The governor said this on Thursday when he drummed support for the Tinubu candidacy during the formal inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Movement’s Working Committees in Ikeja GRA.
The movement was conceived and set up by members of Governor’s Advisory Council in Lagos for the actualisation of the presidential ambition of the former Lagos governor. In 2023, Sanwo-Olu said the country was in need of a capable leader with progressive ideas to succeed Buhari and build on the progress recorded by the current administration.
- Don’t elect people above 70 as president – Makinde warns Nigerians
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has warned Nigerians against electing people who are above 70 years of age as president in 2023. He said that instead of electing people who are old enough to be grandpa, Nigerians should elect a young person as president in 2023. Makinde made this disclosure on Tuesday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He spoke during the 65th birthday anniversary and thanksgiving service of Rev Samson Ayokunle, President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), and launching of a ministry.
Recall that former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu; and former Vice President of Nigeria, Abubakar Atiku, have indicated interest to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Tinubu had told Buhari that he will contest on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Atiku on the other hand had said that he would contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
- 2023: Igbo well prepared for Presidency — Ohanaeze
AMIDST doubts by sections of the country over the preparedness of the South East to contest for the presidency next year, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has declared that Ndigbo is today better prepared than the North in 2015 when Presidency was given to them.
Ohanaeze however said that as much as the Igbo are ready; leaders are always instrumental to the emergence of their successors and urged President Muhammadu Buhari to play the required role expected of him as the President.
The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof. George Obiozor, in a statement yesterday, said that Igbos are prepared and ready for the 2023 Presidency, insisting that the position of things in Igbo land today is much more favourable and conducive than in 2015 and 1998 when President Buhari from the North emerged.
Ohanaeze argued along with people who wonder how anybody who loves this country will talk of the Presidency coming to the South West in 2023, wondering why the southeast should be excluded or is southeast not part of Nigeria?
- Why Nigerians Should Embrace E-Voting System ― Adebayo, Osun IPAC Chair
The chairman, Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC), Osun State chapter, Wale Adebayo, has stated reasons why Nigerians need to embrace an e-voting system in the country. He noted that e-voting will eliminate certain avenues of fraud and will help speed up the process of results, increase accessibility and make voting more convenient for voters.
Adebayo lamented that the lack of enabling laws for the use of technology in Nigeria is the major factor hindering the use of e-voting during elections in Nigeria, adding that constitutional legitimacy for the use of e-voting in Nigeria remains a blatant challenge to the adoption in Nigeria.
The Osun IPAC Chairman noted this while delivering a speech on the topic titled “Electronic Voters Registration (EVR) Assessment, Opportunity and Matters Arising” on Wednesday at a symposium organised by the Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, Abuja. He advised that the electoral act be amended to give room for the use of e-voting during elections.
ECONOMY
- FG Moves To Suspend Removal Of Fuel Subsidy
The Federal Government has revealed plans to make additional provisions for fuel subsidy in the 2022 budget amid an outcry by labour unions and other stakeholders. Initially, the government had suggested the fuel subsidy scheme may end in June, a move supported by the World Bank, with a cash transfer scheme proposed in its place.
But the move had generated several reactions in many quarters, including from the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and elder statesman Abdulsalami Abubakar who both rejected the idea. After meeting with Senator Lawan on Monday at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed disclosed that the government was reconsidering its June deadline.
Senator Lawan had convened the meeting, also attended by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and representatives of oil companies. In her remarks, the finance minister explained that the government had to reconsider its decision on the planned removal of fuel subsidy after the 2022 budget was passed by the National Assembly. She stated that fuel subsidy was provided for in the 2022 budget to run from January till June, but after consultations with stakeholders and in view of the high inflation and economic hardship, additional provisions would be made beyond the initial period.
BUSINESS
- CBN Cautions Against Loan Sharks, Asks Nigerians To Approach Legal Outfits
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned Nigerians against seeking credit facilities from loan sharks for financial purposes. CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, gave the warning while addressing reporters at the end of the Monetary Policy Committee meeting held on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to Emefiele, there is no need for people to go for loan sharks because the CBN has put in place the avenue through which they can raise funds. He listed them to include the microfinance banks and target credit facilities established by the government to cater to the needs of the operators of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMSEs). “You don’t have to know anybody, just go to the portal, fill the form, send your data, and if it is correct, you will be able to access loans,” the apex bank’s governor explained.
- Forbes: Dangote Retains Status As Africa’s Richest Man
Businessman Aliko Dangote has retained his status as the richest man in Africa, according to Forbes. Forbes, an American business magazine, is renowned for tracking the wealth of billionaires across the world. Second to Dangote was South Africa’s luxury goods magnate, Johann Rupert.
Two other Nigerians on the list include Abdulsamad Rabiu (5th) and Mike Adenuga (6th). Forbes said Mr. Rabiu recorded one of the largest wealth increases from the previous year’s list. Meanwhile, the list contained no women.
HEALTH
- Govt has duty to improve healthcare delivery, stem brain drain –Osinbajo
The government has the primary responsibility to boost the efficiency of the healthcare ecosystem, improve healthcare delivery, stem the brain-drain of health personnel, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), has said.
Osinbajo stated this on Thursday in his address at the inauguration of the Health Sector Reform Committee, which he chaired, according to a statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande.
Emphasising the importance of the committee’s task while recalling Buhari’s vision, Osinbajo, at the virtual event said, “Mr. President, has in several public statements made it clear that a modern, virile and people-centric healthcare system was fundamental to his own vision for socio-economic growth.”
Acknowledging challenges in the health sector, Osinbajo explained that government has the primary responsibility to address the issues “and to put in place the structures and arrangements necessary to boost the efficiency of the healthcare ecosystem, improve healthcare delivery, stem the brain-drain of our health personnel and reduce the pressure on our foreign reserves on account of medical tourism.”
EDUCATION
- FG decries rate of out-of-school children
The Federal Government has decried the rate of out-of-school children in Nigeria, promising to take action to ensure they return to school to get the education they deserve. The government’s position was made known in the keynote address delivered by the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, at the National Campaign on Out-of-School Children in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State on Thursday.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, about 10.5 million children aged 5-14 years are out-of-school in Nigeria, with only 61 per cent of 6-11 year-olds regularly attending primary school and only 35.6 per cent of children aged 36-59 months receive early childhood education.
In a statement by the Federal Ministry of Education, Nwajiuba was quoted as saying that “the high number of out of school children is inimical to the growth and development of any Nation”.
He stated that the Federal Ministry of Education is determined to ensure that all children of school age who are out of school are returned and retained to complete their Basic and secondary education and possibly transit to tertiary institutions. Nwajiuba called for synergy amongst stakeholders, especially communities where these children exist, to ensure that they are provided with the necessary support to achieve education since it is the only way the Nigerian society can be better, reliable, developed and peaceful.
- Nigeria’s Education In Crisis, UNICEF Laments
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Monday, lamented that the education crisis in Nigeria is affecting children across the country, saying Nigerian child’s rights to education is far from being realised.
UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, in a message to celebrate the International Day of Education, decried report that a full one-third of Nigerian children are not in school, and one in five out-of-school children in the world is Nigerian.
Hawkins noted that all Nigerian children deserve a fighting chance, no matter who they are or where they are and that this must include education. “It is not only their right – it is the smartest and best way to secure the future of Nigeria as a whole,” he added. He noted that at least 10.5 million children are out of school in Nigeria, he added is the highest rate in the world.
He recalled that in 2021, there were 25 attacks on schools. 1,440 children were abducted, and 16 children were killed. He further disclosed that in March 2021 alone, no fewer than 618 schools were closed in six northern states (Sokoto, Zamfara, Kano, Katsina, Niger, and Yobe) over the fear of attack and abduction of pupils and members of staff, stressing that the closure of schools in these states significantly contributed to learning losses for over two months
- Borno student slits 11-year-old’s throat for refusal to run errands
A senior student of Elkanemi College of Islamic Theology Maiduguri has slit the throat of an 11-year-old junior student of the Islamic theology college, Jubril Mato. The junior student, Jubril, who is currently on admission at the intensive care unit of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital was, according to the report, being punished by the senior student for refusing to run errands for him.
“The senior colleague, from SS2 class, had sent Jubril on an errand, but he didn’t go. That fateful night, he came to pick him up and took him to a quiet place where he used a razor blade to severely cut his neck, injuring most of his arteries, nerves and trachea,” A source from the school stated. The Senior student, according to the source, whose name has been concealed by the school management, left the victim for dead with his body soaked in blood. After some minutes, Jubril struggled and took himself to the Principal’s Office, before he finally broke down and became unconscious.
Jubril was rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and was laid in a critical state at the Intensive Care Unit. The perpetrator, who was said to be indoctrinated on psychotropic substances was subsequently arrested and handed over to the police for further investigations. The incident, according to the source, occurred on Saturday 16 January 2022 but the school management concealed it with the aim of keeping it away from the public. The victim, Jubril, is said to be the son of Late Justice Sadi Mato of Federal High Court Kano State, and his mother, Hajiya Aisha, remarried a Senior civil servant with the Yobe State government.
- JAMB announces date for 2022 UTME, DE registration
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Monday announced that the registration for the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and the Direct Entry examination will commence by February 12, 2022. The board made this known in its weekly bulletin released by its Director of Public Relations, Dr Fabian Benjamin, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.
In the timeline of events attached to the bulletin, the board announced that the “UTME/DE registration starts 12th February 2022 and ends 19th March 2022. Mock examination holds on 20th April 2022. UTME holds from 20th to 30th April 2022”.
WORLD
- ECOWAS Suspends Burkina Faso Over Coup
The West African bloc ECOWAS on Friday suspended Burkina Faso following a coup, but will not impose other sanctions for the time being, a participant at a virtual summit said. ECOWAS is also calling for the new junta to release ousted president Roch Marc Christian Kabore and other officials detained during Monday’s coup, the source said.The bloc will hold another summit in Accra on February 3, it added.
Kabore, 64, was elected in 2015 following a popular revolt that forced out strongman Blaise Compaore. He was re-elected in 2020, but the following year faced a wave of anger over the mounting toll from a jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali.
On Sunday, mutinies broke out in several barracks and the following day, Kabore was arrested and taken away by troops. The impoverished Sahel state is being run by a junta led by Lieutenant-Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba, who commands military units in the country’s jihadist-torn east.
- Biden Promises To Put Black Woman On Supreme Court For First Time
President Joe Biden said Thursday he will nominate a Black woman to the US Supreme Court for the first time in history, filling the vacancy left by retiring Justice Stephen Breyer. “I’ve made no decision except (the) person I will nominate will be someone with extraordinary qualifications, character, experience, and integrity,” Biden said in an address from the White House. And that person will be the first Black woman ever nominated to the United States Supreme Court.”
Biden, speaking at a podium alongside Breyer, also indicated that he would seek a speedy nomination process, promising to name his candidate by the end of February. The exit of Breyer, who is 83, gives Biden a likely smooth opportunity to name a replacement to the lifelong seat on the Supreme Court while his Democratic Party retains control of the Senate.
The Supreme Court is currently split between six conservatives and three liberals. Biden will now be able to nominate another liberal-leaning jurist to the court, maintaining the balance. Breyer had been under pressure from liberals to leave in time for Biden to get his nominee through the Senate before November’s midterm elections when Republicans are in a strong position to win majorities in Congress and would then control the approval process.
- Bridge Collapses Just Before Biden Infrastructure Speech
A bridge collapse Friday in Pittsburgh provided a symbolic backdrop for President Joe Biden’s trip to the city to tout his $1 trillion infrastructure plan — and try rebuilding his own crumbling approval ratings. Arriving in the gritty city in Pennsylvania — a key battleground state in presidential elections — Biden motorcaded straight from Air Force One to the road bridge, which hours earlier had buckled into a snowy ravine.
“There are literally more bridges in Pittsburgh than in any other city in the world,” Biden pronounced. “And we’re going to fix them all. Not a joke — this is going to be a gigantic change. There’s 43,000 nationwide and we’re sending the money.”
Pittsburgh’s public safety authorities tweeted that three people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after the collapse. But the otherwise minor accident immediately caught national attention because of Biden’s visit for a speech on resetting the post-pandemic US economy, including through a historic infrastructure spending splurge.
- Xiomara Castro To Be Sworn In As First Woman President Of Honduras
Honduras president-elect Xiomara Castro is due to be sworn in as the country’s first woman president on Thursday, as confusion reigns over who will be head of congress during her four-year term. Two rival factions in Castro’s left-wing Libre party have voted in their own president of congress and negotiations to reach a solution stalled overnight on Wednesday.
Luis Redondo, who has the support of Castro and much of her party, has been invited to preside over her inauguration. However, rebel deputy Jorge Calix, bolstered by the right-wing opposition National and Liberal parties, has the support of more than 70 of the 128-member congress, including close to 20 Libre deputies.
Castro made a last-ditch attempt to resolve the dispute on Wednesday night by offering Calix the job of Cabinet Coordinator — a similar role to chief of staff — in her government, in a bid to convince him to drop his claim to the congress president role. Calix sparked hope of a breakthrough by replying to Castro with: “You will soon receive my answer.”
- Erdogan Vows To Punish Journalist Over Alleged Insult
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Wednesday promised that a well-known television journalist would not go “unpunished” after she was arrested for allegedly insulting him. Police detained Sedef Kabas at her home at 2:00 am on Saturday, just hours after she aired the comments and then posted them on Twitter to her 900,000 followers. She was formally arrested after appearing in court.
“This offence will not go unpunished,” Erdogan said in an interview aired on private television channel NTV. It is our duty to protect the respect of my function, of the presidency,” he said. It has nothing to do with freedom of expression.” He slammed a suggestion by the opposition Republican People’s Party that the crime of insulting the president, which carries a jail sentence of one to four years, should be scrapped.
The Turkish journalists’ union has called Kabas’ arrest a “serious attack on freedom of expression”. Rights groups routinely accuse Turkey of undermining media freedom by arresting journalists and shutting down critical media outlets, especially since Erdogan survived a failed coup in July 2016. Reporters Without Borders ranked Turkey 153rd out of 180 in its 2021 press freedom index.
- World’s Oldest Male Gorilla Dies Aged 61
The world’s oldest male Gorilla popularly called Ozzie has died at the age of 61 at a zoo in Atlanta, Georgia. The cause of the Gorilla’s death is still unknown. Ozzie is also the third-oldest gorilla in the world. He was found dead by his care team on January 25, 2022. This was announced on Tuesday by Zoo Atlantic.
The zoo explained that before Ozzie died, he exhibited decreased appetite last Thursday, January 20, and the Animal Care and Veterinary Teams were providing him with supportive care to encourage him to eat and drink.
The zoo also said a necropsy, or the non-human equivalent of an autopsy, will be performed through the Zoo’s partnership with the University of Georgia Zoo and Exotic Animal Pathology Service in the College of Veterinary Medicine and should provide the teams with more information on Ozzie’s condition. Zoo Atlanta says it will share these results once they are available.
ENTERTAINMENT
- Women put themselves under pressure to attract men – Kiddwaya
Reality TV star, Kidd Waya, has stated that women put themselves under pressure to attract men, as he urged ladies to be okay about being natural. The Big Brother Naija ex-housemate said this during an unplanned Instagram live session with his long-time friend and popular disk jockey, Florence Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy, on Thursday.
DJ Cuppy had lamented that young people were being too superficial, as she revealed that she felt insecure about her people viewed her haircut. “I feel like as Nigerians and young black people, we need to stop being so on the surface. We are putting ourselves under too much pressure. Even with make-up, lashes, we cannot kill ourselves. Even weight is a thing,” DJ Cuppy asserted.
Kidd said, “Let’s bring back being natural. It is okay to have short hair, short nails. It is okay not to wear heels when going out ” He also said that a lot of women are under pressure to look beautiful and smashing. He said even though they claim that they do it for themselves, they do it to attract the kind of guy that loves such things.
- Secular musicians will welcome Sammie Okposo, says music producer, K-Solo
Music producer, Ksolo has stated that secular musicians will welcome Sammie Okposo if Christians reject him from their fold. K-Solo, whose real name is Solomon Oyeniyi, berated Christians on his Twitter page for blasting Sammie Okposo for his recent confession and public apology over his cheating scandal.
In a series of tweets, Ksolo wrote, “All these fake Christians. Very soon you will mix sniper and ask him to drink. Deputy Jesus everywhere because he came out? What about you Bishops, Apostles that have slept with our wives and spouses, then come out to deny?
“Now this one wants healing for his home regardless of his stupidity. More single women building an empire to accommodate more broken homes. Sad. as una wan kill am abi? Sammie Okposo, secular musicians are waiting for you if the gospel circle doesn’t want you again. You werey still converge under the fornication anointing. You fight dirty to keep your fornicating pastors. F**k all of Y’all. Thank God, mercy is not a pastor, so we are Fine. You don’t need to agree with me, but we are all thieves, na who dem catch be barawo”.
- Infidelity: Gospel singer Sammie Okposo takes down apology post
Gospel singer, Sammie Okposo, has taken down a post on Instagram in which he apologised to his wife and supporters after news broke out that he got a US-based lady pregnant. The lady identified as African Doll, had on Monday called out the singer, saying he abandoned her after learning that their affair had led to pregnancy. “We both know that we didn’t use protection. We both know that we were wrong. There is still a way to handle things. He didn’t handle it right. I am not saying he has to bow to me but there is a way you do things.Turning your back on me is wrong. Any woman on earth won’t feel okay about it. It doesn’t feel good to be abandoned or to be thrown to the side. I cannot be walking around thinking about it, life goes on,” she told Obodo Oyinbo TV.
On the plans she has for the pregnancy, African Doll said, “I will keep the baby, I don’t really believe in abortion. Fornication is a sin. The bible says he who is without sin should cast the first stone. It is not my intention to hurt anybody but to bring life to the situation.” The lady’s allegation was followed by an apology from Sammie Okposo, which has now been deleted 24 hours after he posted it.
The singer’s apology read in part, “Dear Friends, I need to bring a very unfortunate incident to your attention as I am not proud of it but know that this is the right thing to do. “On my recent trip to the USA (Late 2021), I got intimately involved with a lady, knowing that this was not appropriate as a married man and a minister of the gospel. I am ashamed and regret my actions as it has caused a lot of pain to my dear wife, Ozioma, my family and me.
- My new lover isn’t ex-husband’s friend, says actress Mercy Aigbe
Nollywood star, Mercy Aigbe, has cleared the air concerning her new marriage as she claimed that her new lover, Adeoti Kazim, also known as Adekaz, and her ex-husband, Lanre gentry was never friends. She made this known on Wednesday in a message which she sent to the hosts of TVC talk show, Your View, where they discussed her new relationship. Towards the end of the show, the actress called the main show host, Morayo Afolabi-Brown on the phone.
Aigbe had set the internet agog on Sunday when she unveiled popular movie marketer, Adeoti, as her new lover. She also took to her Instagram page on Monday to shower praises on her new lover on his birthday. Aigbe’s estranged husband, Gentry, had shared a picture of himself, Aigbe, Adeoti, and Adeoti’s wife on his page as he revealed that the “truth” was finally out.
The ace actress separated from her estranged husband in 2017 after she alleged that she suffered domestic violence in her marriage. Since their separation, the duo had frequently engaged in social media clashes since then.
- Singer Chris Brown Sued, Accused Of Raping Woman On Yacht
Singer Chris Brown is being sued for rape in California, with his alleged victim claiming he drugged her and attacked her on a yacht at rap mogul Diddy’s Florida home. The woman, identified in court papers only as Jane Doe, is demanding $20 million in damages from the R&B star.
According to the civil suit, which was filed on Thursday and seen by AFP, Brown invited the woman — described as a choreographer, dancer, model and musical artist — to the yacht shortly after she arrived in Miami on December 30, 2020. She says the drink he offered her there made her feel “disoriented (and) physically unstable.” The filing says Brown led her into a bedroom where, despite her protests, he raped her.
Lawyers Ariel Mitchell and George Vrabeck told TMZ their client did not report the alleged attack to the police because she was embarrassed. Grammy Award-winning Brown took to Instagram after news of the suit broke.
“I HOPE YALL SEE THIS PATTERN OF [blue cap emoji],” he wrote. The blue cap emoji is used to denote untruths.
SPORTS
- Biennial World Cup Can ‘Give Hope’ To Potential Migrants – Infantino
FIFA president Gianni Infantino seemed to establish a link on Wednesday between his plan for a World Cup every two years and the tragedy of migrants in the Mediterranean who must be “given hope”, before saying his remarks had been “misinterpreted”. The head of world football told the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg that the sport is currently going “in a direction where a few have everything and the vast majority have nothing”.
“I understand in Europe the World Cup takes place twice per week because the best players are playing in Europe,” said Infantino. But if we think about the rest of the world… which doesn’t see the best players, which doesn’t participate in the top competitions, then we have to think about what football brings, which goes beyond the sport.”
The idea of a World Cup every two years, rather than every four as it has been since 1930, has faced a hostile reception from the European and South American federations as well as the big clubs. But it enjoys the unanimous support among the 54 African federations. “We need to include them, we need to find ways to include the entire world, to give hope to Africans so that they don’t need to cross the Mediterranean in order to find maybe a better life, but more probably death in the sea.
- CAF President Blames Closed Gate For Stampede Tragedy In Cameroon
African football supremo Patrice Motsepe says an “inexplicable” decision to keep an entry gate closed was responsible for the deadly crush which killed eight people before an Africa Cup of Nations match in Cameroonian capital Yaounde on Monday. “That gate was supposed to be open because if it was open they would have walked through, and for inexplicable reasons it was closed,” the Confederation of African Football (CAF) president said at a press conference on Tuesday. If that gate was open as it was supposed to, we wouldn’t have had this problem we have now, this loss of life. Who closed that gate? Who is responsible for that gate?”
Eight people died, including one child, and 38 were injured as fans attempted to enter the Olembe Stadium where the hosts Cameroon were playing the Comoros, according to figures released by the country’s health ministry. A baby was reportedly one of those trampled by the crowd and was in a “medically stable” condition, the health ministry added.
Communications Minister Rene Emmanuel Sadi said that of 38 people injured, seven were seriously hurt. Motsepe called for a probe after Cameroon’s President Paul Biya earlier ordered an investigation “so that all light is shed on this tragic incident,” according to Sadi.
- Joshua Denies £15m Pay-Off To Step Aside For Fury-Usyk
Anthony Joshua said Monday “I’m in control of my own destiny” as he insisted reports he had agreed a £15 million ($20 million, 18 million euros) deal step aside from his world heavyweight title re-match with Oleksandr Usyk were false. Several stories in the UK national press suggested that Joshua was willing to allow Ukraine’s Usyk to fight Tyson Fury in a unification title bout. But Joshua, speaking in a Talksport online video posted on Twitter, said: “I’m hearing people saying: ‘AJ accepts £15million to step aside’. I ain’t signed no contract; I ain’t seen no contract.
Usyk gave a boxing masterclass in recording a unanimous points victory to deprive Joshua of his World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) belts in front of the dethroned champion’s home crowd at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September. By extending his unbeaten professional record, Usyk also delayed the prospects of an all-British unification bout between Joshua and Fury.
The WBC have since said Fury must face mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte in his next title defence, although boxing history indicates that such objections need not get in the way of a bout with Usyk instead if the financial terms are agreeable to all concerned.
METRO-PLUS
- Hanifa: Justice must be done, Ganduje insists
Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Thursday, insisted that justice must be done to the gruesome murder of five-year-old Hanifa Abubakar Abba, who was kidnapped and subsequently murdered by her teacher.
Ganduje, who made this known during the State Executive Council meeting, held at Africa House, Government House, Kano, said, “The state will do everything humanly possible to ensure the speedy dispensation of justice in this case. We also applaud security agents for tracking down the culprit.”
- Aphrodisiac seller, Jaruma, in prison after attacking Ned Nwoko
Popular Kayanmata (aphrodisiac) seller, Hauwa Muhammed aka Jaruma, has been remanded in prison custody after attacking business tycoon, Ned Nwoko, on social media. The defendant was arraigned by the police following a petition by Nwoko to the FCT police command.
Nwoko had accused Jaruma of publishing falsehoods on her Instagram page against him and his wife, Regina Daniels, who is an actress. He said Jaruma claimed in an Instagram post that she paid N10m to Regina to advertise Kayanmata but the actress reneged. She subsequently went on Instagram to insult Nwoko, accusing him of benefitting from her product. The police subsequently arraigned Jaruma for defamation of character, false news publication and intimidation.
In an Instagram post on December 9, 2021, the sex therapist made a video expressing her disappointment over the accusations Nwoko made against his ex-wife, Charani. She also stated that she was shocked that a 74-year-old man would speak ill of a woman in such a manner. She claimed that Nwoko was being controlled by his actress wife, Regina
- Lover demands money to transport visiting girlfriend’s corpse, family alleges foul play
The Ondo State Police Command on Tuesday said it would prosecute a man, Olasunkami Oluwole, who allegedly killed his lover at Oke Igbo community, in the Ile Oluji/Oke Igbo Local Government Area of Ondo State. The deceased, Biola Soyinka, was said to have visited Oluwole from Lagos, before the latter allegedly killed her.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident, said the matter was under investigation at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department. She added that the suspect would be charged to court at the completion of investigation.
In a report, the deceased’s elder brother, Akeem Jinadu, said, “On January 16, we received a call from Oluwole that my sister, Biola, had passed on. When we asked what happened to her, he said she became unconscious after she slumped around 4am.
“Oluwole said by the time he rushed her to a hospital, doctors declared her dead. When we asked him to bring her corpse back to Lagos, he demanded that we send money for transportation. Contrary to what Oluwole said when the police arrested him, there were marks sustained from beating on her body when we went to identify her remains at the morgue.
