The Supreme Court has struck out an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the last presidential election.
The appeal marked SC/738/2019 was filed against a ruling of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC), in which it held that the Atiku and the PDP do not have a reply to an application filed on May 14, 2019 by the All Progressives Congress (APC) seeking among others, the dismissal of their (Atiku and the PDP) challenging President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory at the last presidential election.
In a ruling on Tuesday, a five-man panel led by Justice Datijo Mohammed, struck out the appeal for having become statute barred.
Afropop star, Ayodeji Balogun aka Wizkid has become the first African artist to hit eight million monthly streams on Spotify.
Spotify is an online, music streaming platform that pays royalties based on the number of artists streams as a proportion of total songs streamed.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that streaming records revealed Wizkid’s popularity on the platform on Monday.
The previous record was held by Congolese rapper and singer, Maitre Gims. He had seven million monthly listeners.
This win follows Wizkid’s recent collaboration with DJ Spinall and Tiwa Savage on ‘Dis Love’.
The singer also featured on ‘Like,’ a new single by British-Ghanaian rapper and singer, Kojo Funds.
The music star is also the first African artist to walk the runway at a Dolce and Gabbana fashion show while his music `Soco’ played at the background.
Wizkid started recording music at age 11 and managed to release a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group he and a couple of his church friends formed.
In 2018, he became the first African artiste to sell out Skyway Theatre. The only other artist who has achieved same feat in Minnesota, is Beyonce .
The ‘Sweet Love’ singer recently made Billboard entry for his collaboration with Beyonce on her ‘Lion King’-inspired album.
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has nominated a 27-year-old graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Seun Fakorede, as a commissioner.
He bagged a civil engineering degree from the OAU in 2016.
The Speaker of the House, Adebo Ogundoyin, confirmed Fakorede”s nomination in his Facebook post on Monday.
Ogundoyin wrote, “Let’s clear the air, the Oyo State House of Assembly has received the name of the 27-year-old Seun Fakorede of Ibarapaland as commissioner-nominee from the Oyo State government led by Governor Seyi Makinde.”
Osun State government has declared today, Tuesday, August 20, public holiday for traditional worshipers in the state, tagged it ‘ Isese Day’.
This was contained in a press statement signed by the Supervisor, Ministry of Home Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Obawale Adebisi, the copy which was made available to newsmen in Osogbo, the Osun State capital on Monday.
According to the statement, traditional worshipers in the state were enjoined to use the occasion of the celebration to pray for the state government for a special grace to take the state to a greater height.
It also charged them to be vigilant and peaceful during the festival and never hesitate to fish out and hand criminal elements among them over to law enforcement agencies.
” We enjoin the traditional worshipers to pray for the State Government and other stakeholders who are saddled with the responsibilities of moving the state to the next level to accomplish the task ahead.
” We also implore them to be peaceful and law abiding in the course of their celebration.
” Worshippers must not hesitate to report suspected hoodlums in their domains to the law enforcement agencies, as we urge hem to continue to support the government by exercising their civil responsibility through prompt payment of taxes and levies and live in harmony with other religious worshippers to allow the government to concentrate on the development of the state”, the statement read.
Former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who returned to the country from Germany where he was assaulted by some members of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, on Monday, declared that he would not be seeking punishment for his attackers because he had forgiven them.
Ekweremadu, who spoke with journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, described his assault as an action carried out by a few misguided individuals, who were on drugs.
He said his observation about them showed that they were under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
He said, “I had a feeling that they (his attackers) were under the influence of alcohol and drugs. They did not represent the feelings of our people. I have forgiven them and I have moved on. The government of Germany is free to do whatever they want to do about their case.”
Giving details of what actually happened at the event, the former deputy senate president said his attackers had issues with the handling of the Operation Python Dance, a military operation in the South-East.
He said, “The organisers asked me to come to the venue because the place was already full of guests including the Mayor of the town and the Nigerian Ambassador to Germany and I had to rush there.
“When I got there, the Ambassador was not there yet but a lot of people had already assembled. I was excited and I alighted from my car to go and say hello to those standing in front of the hall.
“A group of young people with IPOB emblem and shirts were also standing there. One of them then accosted me and said that we didn’t do much when the Federal Government declared Operation Python Dance in the South-East.
“They asked me to address them on the issue right there but I told them that it was part of the issues I would address when I wanted to speak during the programme but they said, ‘No!’ They became agitated and started attacking me immediately.”
Ekweremadu was physically assaulted by some members of IPOB during the Second Annual Cultural Festival and Convention organised by Ndi-Igbo Germany in Nuremberg on Saturday.
The Nigeria Football Federation has set up a team of lawyers to review the life ban sanction imposed on former Nigeria player and coach Samson Siasia by the FIFA Ethics Committee.
FIFA in a statement on Friday said the adjudicatory chamber of its Ethics Committee found that Siasia was “guilty of having accepted that he would receive bribes in relation to the manipulation of matches in violation of the FIFA Code of Ethics.’’
The football world governing body subsequently announced a life ban on Siasia “from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level” and fined him CHF 50,000 (41,997.1 pounds).
On Monday, the NFF broke its silence, saying that it has reached out to the ex-international and former U-20, U-23 and Super Eagles head coach.
A statement by the NFF quoted the NFF 2nd vice president, Seyi Akinwunmi, who is also a lawyer of more than three decades, as expressing shock over the suspension of Siasia.
He said, “The NFF was shocked to learn of the investigation and subsequent decision by the FIFA Ethics Committee (Adjudicatory Chamber) placing a life ban on Siasia. But we have however now received documents, including one known as the Motivated Decision, and we have handed them to our lawyers to study and provide legal advice to the Federation.
“It is a massive sanction on one of our legends. Siasia is a fooball legend but most importantly he is a Nigerian. We must therefore be interested in the matter and be properly advised.
“Siasia gave his all for Nigeria, playing for the U20 team right from his secondary school days and then for the senior team for several years, and also coaching the U20 and U23 teams and the Super Eagles.
“While we respect the FIFA processes and appreciate that an investigation was conducted prior to the decision, the least we as a Federation can do is empathise with him at this time, make ourselves available to him and hope that in some way he is able to clear his name as he has promised to do.”
Though Siasia denied knowledge of the investigation, evidences surfaced online showing that he was earlier contacted via his electronic mail.
Video evidences also showed Singaporean Wilson Raj Perumal, who FIFA has called a ‘known match fixer’ testifying to fixing Nigeria matches, with pictures of him and Siasia.
The World Bank has blacklisted six Chinese companies currently operating in Nigeria over alleged fraud and corruption.
The companies, according to an announcement published on the World Bank’s website, are CCECC Nigeria Railway Company Limited, CRCC Petroleum and Gas Company Limited and CCECC Nigeria Company Limited.
Others are China Railway Construction (International) Nigeria Company Limited, China Railway 18th Bureau Nigeria Engineering Company Limited and CCECC Nigeria Lekki (FTA) Company Limited.
The six companies were among several firms from different parts of the world that were sanctioned by the bank.
The publication, which emanated from the procurement unit of the bank, was entitled ‘Procurement – World Bank Listing of Ineligible Firms and Individuals’.
The companies, which were accused of violating the global bank’s procurement guidelines, would not be eligible to be awarded any World Bank contracts between June 4, 2019 and March 3, 2020.
Companies involved in World Bank projects including contracts are obliged to adhere strictly to the guidelines, which stipulate a high level of ethics and frowns on all manner of fraud and corruption including bribery and misappropriation of funds.
Although the specific cases involving the blacklisted companies were not disclosed, the World Bank explained that the firms were given an opportunity to respond to allegations brought against them.
The bank said, “The firms and individuals listed below are ineligible to be awarded a World Bank-financed contract for the periods indicated because they have been sanctioned under the bank’s fraud and corruption policy as set forth in the Procurement Guidelines and the Consultant Guidelines (for projects before July 1, 2016); or through the World Bank Procurement Regulations for Investment Project Financing Borrowers (for projects after July 1, 2016).
“Such sanction was imposed as the result of (1) an administrative process conducted by the Bank that permitted the accused firms and individuals to respond to the allegations.
“Through July 2007, this process was conducted in accordance with the Sanctions Committee Procedures adopted on August 2, 2001.
“The process is currently conducted in accordance with bank Procedure: Sanctions Proceedings and Settlements in the Bank Financed Projects.”
It further disclosed that some of the firms were sanctioned as a result of cross-debarment in accordance with the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions dated 9 April 2010.
As of July 1, 2011, the decisions had been made effective by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Inter-American Development Bank, and African Development Bank.
The World Bank added that it might apply other actions to firms and individuals that might not result in debarment.
The period of ineligibility of any of the sanctioned companies also extends to any firm directly or indirectly controlled by them, according to the World Bank.
Efforts to get specific details of the allegations tabled against the six Chinese companies were not successful as of the time of filing this report.
In response to enquiries, an official of the World Bank’s Nigeria office in Abuja, who did not wish to be named, simply referred our correspondent to the bank’s website.
Juventus forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, has admitted he paid his rape accuser Kathryn Mayorga the sum of $375,000 to settle the claim in 2010, TMZ reports.
The American model claimed Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009, but Ronaldo strongly denies the claims.
Las Vegas authorities announced last month, that there was not enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the footballer.
Mayorga is pressing ahead with a civil case, but Ronaldo’s lawyers want to have it thrown out.
According to them, the claim was already settled with a payoff and confidentiality agreement in 2010.
In newly filed court documents, Ronaldo’s camp are said to acknowledge the $375,000 figure. They insist the payment was not an admission of guilt, but merely an effort to keep the story from public attention.
Mayorga’s lawyers now want the agreement thrown out.
The death of an Abuja based businesswoman, Barr. Enobong Akpabio who died after complications from a body surgery at a private medical facility in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is now a subject of controversy.
According to reports, the medical and laser facility where the lady simply described as Eno performed the body enhancement surgery came under attack, after the hospital posted on its social media page, advertisement containing gory pictures of a successful surgical procedure which was mistaken as the picture of the deceased.
Infuriated by the pictures, friends and family of Eno, as well as followers of the page launched an attack on the hospital and expressed disappointment that instead of a statement of remorse about her death, the hospital resorted to using her pictures for advertisement.
But in a chat with The Guardian, the CEO, Grandville Medical and Laser, Dr. Ayo Aranmolate who is a plastic surgeon explained that Eno had surgery in his facility last week Thursday, but lost blood, which led to blood transfusion. He said during the blood transfusion, Eno reacted to the blood and the blood was stopped and sent to the blood bank for re-check.
Aranmolate said that he noticed that the deceased will need more monitoring and care, which necessitated her being transferred to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she died three days after her surgery. He observed that doctors do not have control over blood, as it is what the blood bank provides after the patient’s samples have been sent to the blood bank for cross-matching that is used.
Vehicles heading to Lagos from Sango in Ogun state and those moving to Abule-Egba from Oshodi and other parts of the state have been trapped.
According to preliminary reports, the clash which started on a small-scale yesterday was between Yoruba and Hausa traders at Oke-Odo market where food items are sold clashed over a yet to be known issue.
The situation reportedly escalated on Sunday morning when aggrieved traders started burning wares and make-shift tents.
Security operatives are currently trying to restore normalcy in the market.
Bala Elkana, police public relations officer in Lagos, told The Cable that the situation had been brought under control.
“It started as a fight between Hausa scavengers and some cultists known as Awawa boys that almost snowballed into ethnic crisis,” he said.
“Our timely intervention brought the situation under control and stopped the crisis from escalating. Normalcy has since been restored. Patrols are ongoing in the affected areas. No casualty figure available yet. We are investigating the cause of the fight.”
